Monday, November 28, 2011

Busy Sunday

Sunday, 11/27/11

Today was a 100% raw day except I had a glass of tea tonight at the nursing home.

I took cooked sweet potatoes to church, but I didn't eat any of them.  I also took a beautiful green salad made with lettuce, mushrooms, and tomatoes,  a vinegar and oil salad dressing, some nuts in the shell, and a bag of apples.

I made veggie cocktails with carrots, beets and celery juice for Travis and me to have at supper time.

Travis stayed home from church today, because he is not feeling well.  I think breathing bleach fumes didn't help him any as he tried to clean the mildew out of a downstairs closet that got wet during the last rain.  Water seeped in through the wall of this basement closet.

My pastor preached a beautiful sermon about David and Goliath at church as it relates to us serving the  Lord in the church.  Is there not a cause?  I went off on my own tangent and applied this lesson to natural law and living the simple natural life.   Sickness and disease can be a Goliath to us.  This giant can be met by bowing down and choosing five smooth stones supplied by nature's God....foods in their unprocessed, natural state; pure water; walking and playing outside in the fresh air and sunshine; a loving attitude; and prayer.  David rejected Saul's armor which in my illustration represents the world's remedies of antibiotics, surgeries, drugs to suppress the healing symptoms, etc.  The battle is the Lord's!  The simple, natural life glorifies God.

Health problems can be reversed by changing the lifestyle.  That is such good news....freely available to all.

I listened to Dan McDonald's videos this morning.  Here are two of his nuggets of wisdom.

"Junk food is a major addiction.  It is just as addicting as drugs.  Food is the last great drug.  Junk food causes obesity, diabetes, cancer, chronic fatigue, and excessive amounts of metabolic waste that the body cannot process."

"Drink your juice.  It's a life saver,  Don't cut it out.  Clean it out.  Keep your vital organs and glands."

I like to plan my week ahead every Sunday on a piece of brightly colored construction paper.  I am planning NOT to plan so much, but still the calendar with my tasks and appointments helps keep me focused on what's important to me.  But not planning TOO much will allow for spontaneity, flexibility and being open to what life brings my way.  How exciting!

Rather than spending Sunday afternoon being lazy and over-eating I decided to go visiting.  I visited with my daughter, Molly, and grand-daughter, Ashlyn.  Molly was happy that I returned the things they left at my house last week-end, especially her curling iron.  Ashlyn has all her black Friday purchases wrapped and under the tree.

I went to Kroger to shop for organics.  I bought organic carrots, cucumbers, apples, lemons and grapefruit.

Then I went to the nursing home to visit my Mom.  I put a beautiful Christmas wreath on her door.  She loved it.  We decorated a small tree with silver garland and red bows that we put on top of the chest of drawers she shares with her roommate.  Very cute.  We put a Christmas plaid scarf across the chest of drawers , hung a stocking over her bed, and put a Christmas pillow in her wheel chair.  She feels very Christmas-y now.  Mom and I had supper together in the dining room.  I brought my own raw food...veggie cocktail, salad, avocado which I shared with Mom, and some almonds.  I drank some tea they served in the dining room.

Mom's nurse talked to me a long time about Nature Cure and the things I studied in Australia.  She wants to meet Dr. Fielder when he visits in this area next May.  Her daddy may want to hear him speak, also.

Travis had the tree up when I got home, so I started putting ornaments on it.  It looks pretty.  There are still plenty more ornaments to go on it.

I ate raw peanuts and watched an episode of House Hunters International about Cairns, Australia.  I felt like I was there!  It made me miss it.  I recognized everything...the esplanade, the lagoon, the Kuranda look out, Trinity Bay, and more.

I am learning two songs for Sweet Adelines...Go, Tell it on the Mountain, and Mary Did You Know.

To health and happiness.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Singing

Tuesday, 11/15/11

Well, the family is all invited over on December 17th for lunch.  My step-mother and step-brother, David, will be here to celebrate Christmas with us.  My mom will be here also along with my siblings, all my children and grandchildren, all my nieces, and great nephews and nieces.  Should be fun.  I will serve salad and fruit and some cooked vegetarian soup and cornbread.

It was pouring rain today.  Our newly fed fruit trees must be very happy.  I asked Dr. John Fielder about when to prune them.  He said we can prune them anytime.  There are conflicting opinions on when is the best time.  The traditional view is to prune them while they are dormant.  The latest thought, however, is to prune them while they are growing so they can better repair themselves.  John thinks the latest idea is valid.

With all the rain outside today, my work for the day was domestic chores inside.  I got all three bathrooms cleaned and washed a load of laundry.

I gave our friend, Karl, a copy of an out of print book entitled "The Quintessence of Natural Living For Health & Happiness:  Essays and Talks on the Art of Natural Hygiene Lifestyle" by Keki Sidhwa.  He sent a wonderful thank you note saying that he and his wife, Rebecca, were both finding things in it that were interesting.  I am now looking for a copy of this book for myself.  Abe Books has a couple of copies available in the U.K.  and one in Canada.  Seems to be a rare book as well as out of print.

Lunch today was green smoothie, watermelon, and peanuts.



I went to the nursing home to visit Mom.  My sister, Sheila, had gone over earlier to have lunch with her.  I got there about 3:00.  I took a raw foods meal to share with my sister.  We ate with Mom at her table in the dining room.  Mom ate the food they served her, but Sheila and I ate hummus, carrots, tabouli, veggie cocktails (carrots, beet, celery, red bell pepper), avocado and goody balls.

Sheila and I visited the Top of the Rock Sweet Adelines Chorus in Little Rock....actually they rehearse in Sherwood.  I sing baritone, and Sheila sings lead.  They let us stand on the risers beside a member that sings the same part we sing.  It was so much fun to be back on the risers after so many years away from it.  My sister and I sang in a Sweet Adeline quartet years ago.  We were given two songs to learn so we can sing them with the chorus during the holiday performances.

I am not used to being up so late.  Rehearsal was over at 10:00.  It took about 1-1/2 hours to drive home in a pouring rain so got home about midnight.  Made for a long day.
Tuesday, 11/15/11

Well, the family is all invited over on December 17th for lunch.  My step-mother and step-brother, David, will be here to celebrate Christmas with us.  My mom will be here also along with my siblings, all my children and grandchildren, all my nieces, and great nephews and nieces.  Should be fun.  I will serve salad and fruit and some cooked vegetarian soup and cornbread.

It was pouring rain today.  Our newly fed fruit trees must be very happy.  I asked Dr. John Fielder about when to prune them.  He said we can prune them anytime.  There are conflicting opinions on when is the best time.  The traditional view is to prune them while they are dormant.  The latest thought, however, is to prune them while they are growing so they can better repair themselves.  John thinks the latest idea is valid.

With all the rain outside today, my work for the day was domestic chores inside.  I got all three bathrooms cleaned and washed a load of laundry.

I gave our friend, Karl, a copy of an out of print book entitled "The Quintessence of Natural Living For Health & Happiness:  Essays and Talks on the Art of Natural Hygiene Lifestyle" by Keki Sidhwa.  He sent a wonderful thank you note saying that he and his wife, Rebecca, were both finding things in it that were interesting.  I am now looking for a copy of this book for myself.  Abe Books has a couple of copies available in the U.K.  and one in Canada.  Seems to be a rare book as well as out of print.

Lunch today was green smoothie, watermelon, and peanuts.



I went to the nursing home to visit Mom.  My sister, Sheila, had gone over earlier to have lunch with her.  I got there about 3:00.  I took a raw foods meal to share with my sister.  We ate with Mom at her table in the dining room.  Mom ate the food they served her, but Sheila and I ate hummus, carrots, tabouli, veggie cocktails (carrots, beet, celery, red bell pepper), avocado and goody balls.

Sheila and I visited the Top of the Rock Sweet Adelines Chorus in Little Rock....actually they rehearse in Sherwood.  I sing baritone, and Sheila sings lead.  They let us stand on the risers beside a member that sings the same part we sing.  It was so much fun to be back on the risers after so many years away from it.  My sister and I sang in a Sweet Adeline quartet years ago.  We were given two songs to learn so we can sing them with the chorus during the holiday performances.

I am not used to being up so late.  Rehearsal was over at 10:00.  It took about 1-1/2 hours to drive home in a pouring rain so got home about midnight.  Made for a long day.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Feeding Trees in Arkansas

On Monday, Travis and I worked outside from 8:00 until 10:30.  We fed six of our fruit trees using the methods I learned at the Clohesy River Health Farm.  We mowed down to the dirt around each tree, then applied rock phosphate....the closest thing I could find in our little town to the ground lava rock that we used in Australia.  Next we applied fertilizer, compost, and cedar mulch.  We ran out of mulch before we did the last tree, so we will put the mulch on it later.  We watered each tree for about 30 minutes, but it looks like rain is coming soon, so hopefully they will get a really good watering soon.

An apple tree after being fed.

A view from the deck of the trees we fed.
For lunch I got some kale out of the garden.  Green smoothies were made using the kale, bananas, dates, grapes and water.  This is my favorite green smoothie recipe.  Sometimes I will substitute a different fruit for the grapes.  We also had watermelon, pear, apple, coconut, avocado, almonds, and  a little melon we bought at the farmers market.  I can't remember the name of it, but it tastes like a tangy canteloupe.  It was about the size of a tennis ball.

Just as Travis and I sat down to eat our lunch the doorbell rang.  It was our mail delivery person with the long lost box I mailed from Australia three weeks ago.  The Australian post office charged me $156.75 for one week delivery.  A sticker on the box said it was received in Amarillo, TX in damaged condition due to inclement weather.  But at least it made it.  It had almost all my dresses in it.

In my Natural Hygiene Course the lesson in Philosophy of Nature Cure was about The Treatment of Chronic Diseases (Part Two).  I sent my completed lesson to John....and bragged to him about feeding our trees!  

Perfect cleanliness is necessary, both inside and outside the body.  Kuhne said, "Health is cleanliness."  Anything that interferes with the circulation of the vital fluids and nerve currents creates disease.

We must abstain from everything that is harmful in food and drink in order to relieve the cells of unnecessary work.

I practiced my flute for a little while.  Hopefully, Harriet Reynolds will take me back on as a pupil.  Maybe I can get good enough to play in the New Horizons Band in 2012.

Karen Knowler is a raw food coach that lives in the U.K.  I worked with her during 2011.  It wasn't the best year for me to decide to work with her because of doing the internship in Australia.  I wasn't able to give her suggestions the attention they deserved, and I wasn't able to participate in some of the live coaching.  But her office sent an email with links to all the calls from the Extrawdinary Diet part of the coaching.  I downloaded all of them and saved them on my computer so they can be listened to again.  That is fantastic.  I hope they will do the same thing with the Extrawdinary Life part of the program.

For supper I had hummus, tabouli, baby carrots, mushroom, cucumber, chopped up onion and tomato, and raw peanuts.  Travis had a baked sweet potato.

I am reading a book called The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.  It is a fable about a high-powered lawyer who had a spiritual crisis.

To health and happiness.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Welcome Home

I am back home in Arkansas.  My quest now is to see how much of the lifestyle of the simple, natural life I learned at the Clohesy River Health Farm can be incorporated into my life here in the United States.

We will ignore the first week.  I was dealing with a bad case of jet lag with mixed up days and nights.  My ninety-year-old mother needed some love and attention after being very ill.  She is better now, but I visited with her daily for the first week I was home.  The first week was spent recuperating.  I cooked some soup to serve our friends Arthur and Karl, and I ate too much of it...and too many organic, gluten- free crackers to go with it.  I enjoyed lounging on my own bed and catching up on HGTV.

My Mom - Recuperating from pneumonia with a bag of popcorn.


Sunday was my first day to attend church in five months.  I took food for our potluck luncheon.  I made hummus from The Farm Recipe Book, tabouli, sliced cucumbers, and sliced watermelon.  When we got to church there were big hugs for everyone.  Jessica and Megan made a Welcome Home sign and put it up in the kitchen.

I have the barbershop bug.  After church, Travis and I went to see the Vocal Majority from Richardson, Texas.  It made me miss Sweet Adelines.  Do I have time to sing with a Sweet Adelines chorus?

One of the first jobs that Travis and I did after I got home was to clean out our little greenhouse.  The plan is to grow some tomatoes and lettuces in here over the winter.

Walking around the neighborhood was the other activity to get the blood and lymph moving.  It was cold earlier in the week, so I wore my cap I knitted in Australia.


John Fielder's Hummus Recipe:
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 medium cucumber
Juice of 1 lemon
Chopped onion to taste
Grind the seeds in the food processor.  Then add the cucumber, lemon juice and onion to the food processor.  Add water to desired consistency.  Serve with dip sticks...carrot sticks, cucumbers, mushrooms, etc.

Tabouli Recipe
1 cup cracked wheat (bulgur) soaked for 30-60 minutes in 1 cup of water
Add 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh mint
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Combine cracked wheat and water.  Soak until wheat is hydrated and water is absorbed.  Add parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Mix well.   Serve with chopped tomatoes and chopped onion.  Serve at room temperature or chill until ready to serve.

To health and happiness.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Ian's Departure

John, Ian and I left for Cairns at 4:00 a.m.  We went to Rusty's Market...my last time.  I said good-bye to a couple of the vendors we buy from.  Carol was there shopping, as usual, so we said our good-byes.  Carol is a former client of John's who follows the lifestyle to near perfection.  She is originally from New York but has lived in Cairns for 30 years or so.  She's beautiful and very stylish.  I wish I had a picture of her, but I never got one.  She left me with the words, "Practice well."  I hope to do that...practice well.  

John had packed Ian a lunch for today, but Ian had to purchase his food for dinner on the plane.  He has been advised not to eat the airplane food.  He got cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, cucumber, and a couple of apples.  Ian teared up at the market from the emotion of leaving.  He has had a full two weeks of learning how to look at things from a totally different perspective.  He has enough information to get him started.  He will be able to consult with Dr. Fielder via Skype whenever he needs some support.  I hope he will find a raw foods group to meet with in Sydney.  It's harder when you get around friends and family that don't see what you see.


Next we went to the radio station so John could do his radio program.  I said good-bye to Ron and Chris who do the morning show there at the station.

We went to the co-op for pecans.  I bought two shopping bags that I have had my eye on ever since I've been here.  Then one last time to get sugar cane drinks.  What on earth am I going to do without sugar cane drinks?  


We went to Cairns Central so I could make one last trip to the souvenir shop.  I bought more caps, tattoos, bookmarks, and a bar of Billy Goat Soap for my Mom.

We went to Captain Cook's Laundry.  I said good-bye to the ladies there.  They do excellent work, and I told them so.  John took them some plantain bananas that he grew on his farm.  We made one last trip to Cairns Craft Store so I could get two more balls of yarn since it will probably be impossible to match it once I get home.

We took Ian to the airport about 10:00 a.m. and told him good-bye with big hugs.  Ian's plan was to check his luggage and take a shuttle back into Cairns so he could sight-see for a while.  He was going to eat his raw food lunch down on the Esplanade while he took in the view of Trinity Bay and the Coral Sea. His flight to Sydney was at 5:00 p.m.

John and I stopped on the side of the road to buy a tray of organic mangoes from a guy from Cookeville.  Too bad I won't get to eat any of them.  They are not ripe enough.


We cleaned out the safe where John keeps some of his produce, put up all the food he bought today at the market, and then prepared lunch.  My lunch was watermelon, a little mango, avocado, grated coconut and a banana.

My suitcases are nearly packed.  The trick is going to be keeping the big one under 20 kilos.  I have dragged it over to the office twice already to weigh it.  The first time it was 23 kilos.  The second time it was 18 kilos but since then I've added a pair of socks.   I don't know how accurate John's scales are, either.  They are pretty old.  I may have leave behind my athletic shoes which I have pretty much ruined here anyway and my robe.  I thought I might have to leave my new music stand, but that is the thing I am going to try to bring home if anyway possible.

John said the other day that when your neck hurts it indicates a problem with your digestion.  Well, my neck is bothering me today.  A massage would feel good...but that would be addressing the effect and not the cause.  I ate some pistachios last night after meal time.  That probably did it.  It's important not to overeat on nuts or seeds or any concentrated food.

Supper was tomato, cucumber, avocado, sauerkraut, fresh organic corn, pecans and a date.  It's important to only eat organic corn.  Almost all corn is GMO in the US unless it is organic....or you know the grower who will vouch that it is not GMO.

People are afraid of cancer because they don't realize they caused it, and they can reverse it.  Even in the cases where it has gone so far that perhaps it is not reversible, if the person will change his lifestyle and live in harmony with the laws of nature he will have the best quality of life possible.  The sad thing is that fear keeps people from doing the thing that makes sense.

To health and happiness.

John said the

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Last Work Day

This morning Travis went to the hospital to visit Mom.  We used his iphone and let me Skype with him, Sheila, and Mom.  Mom is looking better which is great.  She is very excited that I am coming home.

I cleaned the kitchen this morning.  The whey that Eddie brought us leaked all over the kitchen floor somehow.  He had it in a plastic milk jug.  There must have been a leak in the seam or something.  Talk about a mess.  After I finished the kitchen, I mowed grass until 11:30.  Today was my last work day on the farm.  It's been a wonderful experience to get to work like this. 

Lunch today was papaya, avocado, banana, sapadilla, yellow sapote, mango, and grated coconut.

I started packing my bags. Surely I can fit everything in.  My work clothes that I bought at the op shops will stay here...also my work shoes....my rain poncho.  I hope my terry wrap robe I bought at the op shop will fit in my suitcase.  I like it, but it may be too bulky.

I did some hand laundry.  I washed my Arkansas Razorback t-shirt to wear home!

We had consultation with Ian at 2:00.
- High blood pressure is not acute, it's chronic.  So fasting for high blood pressure would start when an acute symptom develops.
- Any poison you put into your body requires you to pay the penalty, including dental poisons such as novocaine.
- If you eat as you should eat, you won't have to worry about laxatives.  The body will operate as it should if you are doing the right things.  If your bowels aren't working...say because of stress...then address the stress and not the bowels.  Look at the cause, not the effect.
- You have to replace every cell in your body.  Every cell in your body is unhealthy now because it was built from unhealthy material.  If your lifestyle is right, then this reconstruction will take 7-10 years.  If you follow the lifestyle perfectly and fast when you become acutely ill, it will take 7 months.  For most people it takes 18 months to two years.
-Any pain or discomfort you feel when you are doing the right thing is the pain of healing.  If you are not doing the right thing, then it is the pain of destruction and a warning to change what you are doing.
-In the process of healing you relive things you have experienced before and used remedies to suppress the healing symptoms.  You need to let the symptoms play out without interference.
-You need to be able to walk every day.  Keep away from the gymnasium.  Walk in the fresh air.
-Putting on a jacket and walking until you sweat will break an asthma attack.

I ripped out the cap I am knitting and started over on it.  I just hope it won't be too big or too small.

Supper was feta cheese, tomato, cucumber, sauerkraut, pecans, and a date.

I knitted on the cap until I went to bed to read.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Decision to Return Home

There was no broadband connection this morning.  Mom is still in the hospital and having a rough time of it.  When I went over to meet up with John, about 8:00, he told me that if I needed to go home, it would work out fine for us.  While doing my morning mowing meditation it became clear that it is time for me to go home.  John is very supportive.  We will be continuing to work together, and I will be learning everything I can from him, via Skype consultations, the lessons from the course, and his visits to the United States.

Lunch today was papaya, white sapote, avocado, sapadilla, mango, banana, and grated coconut.

After lunch, John, Ian and I went to Mareeba.  John picked up his repaired lawn mower ($340) and whipper-snapper aka weed-eater ($105).  Seems expensive to me.  We went to Cole's for avocados and to IGA for more avocados and mushrooms.

Consultation with Ian was at 2:30 today.  An acute condition is the body in action.  A chronic condition is the body NOT in action.  In a chronic illness the body does not have the energy to go into the healing phase.  You must endeavor to raise the vitality of the body so that you can become acutely ill.  Most people complain about acute illnesses, but we should be jumping up and down happy when they occur.  They are the way the body heals itself.

I called American Airlines and was able to change my return flight from December 17 to November 6 for a small fee of $252.30.  I leave Cairns at 6:20 a.m. on Sunday morning.  I arrive home on Sunday night about 10:00 p.m..  It's a longer trip that it appears by those times.  LOL.

My mother is very happy I am coming home...she was clapping her hands and telling everyone that came into her hospital room (at 3:00 a.m. in the morning).  My sister is worn out from taking care of her during this life-threatening bout with pneumonia.  It will be good to get back and be able to help.

Most likely, I will not be returning to Australia.  It is a long trip.  I regret missing out on the visit of the Nature Cure doctor from India and John's 80th birthday  When John visits Hot Springs Village in May, we will be arranging for him to give a lecture, and we will plan a raw food potluck so everyone can visit with him.

Supper tonight was feta cheese, tomato, cucumber, avocado, sauerkraut, pecans and a date.

I started packing my suitcase tonight, but I still have clothes at the laundry I need to pick up on Friday.

To health and happiness.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Feta and Seed Cheese

I woke up at 4:30 and read my Bible chapters.  The word from Mom wasn't as good as I hoped.  She is still in a regular room, but was too weak to do the therapy and sitting up they had planned for her.  Come on, Mom, you can do it!  Travis posted a video of a song being sung at Old Union on Sunday.  That made me feel better.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150343476142423

The kookaburra and I mowed grass from 8:00 until 10:30.  I checked under the yellow sapote tree, but nothing today.  I picked a little bowl of Brazilian cherries for our lunch.  They are really good.  We got a few tomatoes out of the garden.  We pick them when they first start to turn pink, else the rats will eat them.

We prepared lunch, then everyone got cleaned up.

Lunch was papaya, white sapote, yellow sapote, mango, banana with macadamia nut spread, avocado, Brazilian cherries, and grated coconut.  White sapote tastes like a soft pear.

I tried to study my French today, but the headset that came with the Rosetta Stone course broke at the USB plug.  I plugged in an old Sony headset of John's.  It works with Skype, but not Rosetta Stone.  I chatted with someone with Rosetta Stone in India.  He said this headset won't work.  I can hear the voice on the lesson, but the lesson can't hear me.  Someone from Rosetta Stone is supposed to contact me about buying a replacement headset.

A snake dropped down from above my head as I walked out of the office.  It was skinny and black.  It made me squeal.  I'm sorry, but I don't seem to be able to stand quietly and let them crawl away as I have been instructed.  John says it is a green tree snake...even though it's black.  He says it was dark green.  I don't know whether to believe him or not.

We had consultation with Ian at 2:00....Very rarely, if ever, do we use heat for a compress.  You use cold, as it comes from the tap.  Never use ice.

If you put a compress on any part of the body other than the abdomen, you must also use a compress on the abdomen.  Otherwise, all the problems you have will be drawn to the compress and make your problem worse.

An ulcer is local elimination of poison.  It is not systemic.

A weak voice is indicative of low vitality.

Varicosity can be improved with the Nature Cure lifestyle.  Varicosity is caused by malnutrition in that area.  It could be toxemia in a certain area that prevents nutrients getting to that area.  Treating only the effect makes it worse.  The cause is always the lifestyle...wrong food, or wrong habits of living...worry, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, etc.

Eddie came by before dinner.  He made us a seed cheese, some feta cheese from raw cow's milk, and a bottle of whey.  The seed cheese and feta were very nice.  I passed on the whey.  I bought 2 kilos of raw pistachio's from him for $25.00.

Dinner was tomato, cucumber, avocado, seed cheese, feta, and sauerkraut.

I borrowed John's book, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukar.

Tonight I read and ate pistachios.  What a treat!