Warm Weather

I wouldn't normally say 70 degrees is warm. Really, it's just lukewarm. But for the end of October...it's surprisingly warm. I can remember my first Halloween in Indiana where all the kids were dressed up in costumes which you couldn't see. They were all bundled in coats since it was snowing out. THAT was a big surprise for a kid from Tucson.

Anyway, the "warm" weather is appreciated, and I don't feel quite so bad about just now getting my garlic in the ground. Yes I know I'm late, by something like a month, but we haven't had a frost yet, so hopefully it's not too late for a good garlic crop.

I finally got around to picking green tomatoes too. I think I picked around 50 - 100. A ton. Really, a lot of tomatoes. Something keeps eating them so I figured it would be no loss if they fail to turn red over time. I'm only concerned about putting some tomatoes that already have a whole or two in them in the basement. I hope the bugs aren't still there chomping away at my green tomatoes. I still have a bunch of tomatoes on the vine too, probably another 50, but they didn't seem as far along as these tomatoes are, and with this weather who knows when the frost will hit. I could have another month of growing (especially if I decided to go find a pop-up greenhouse, but all bets are off if I get around to it).

My carrots are HUGE. I mean over 12 inches long and, at least at the top, about the width of a small jelly jar. I only have about 12 left to harvest, but I'm saving them for a day when I need to figure out what to cook.

Yesterday I pulled out the first bag of frozen broccoli and decided that I should have blanched the heads before freezing them. It was edible, but not nearly as good as the fresh stuff, and a bit hard. I'm hoping broccoli cheese soup will come out so good I don't even realize it's from my frozen supply, but we'll have to see.

Not much more homestead wise has been going on around here. I'm on this crazy diet still so it's kind of taken the joy out of eating. The first week went well, I cooked everything ahead of time and we had breakfast together every morning, but it's been slipping ever since then and poor Gerd has had to go back to buying his lunches. I really think he liked having me pack him a lunch everyday.

I've been debating NaNoWriMo, but I figure if I can't even figure out how to cook meals for the month I've got very little chance of keeping up...But on the other hand I have a couple of hours every day that are being wasted (I know, I could be cooking, but I don't wanna) and writing would be a good use of my time. So we'll see I guess. I've had a few story ideas floating around in my head for a while now, perhaps one will decide it wants to pop out.

Energy

I recently read an article about the effects of cell phones on our health. The claim? The energy transmitted from cell phones causes anything from depression to cancer to ADHD. Apparently 2000 hours of cell phone use over a lifetime makes one 200% more likely to get brain cancer on the side of the head where you hold your phone.

I go to acupuncture, which is energy work. Acupuncture claims to resolve energy blockages in the system which can cause physical ailments. Yoga also focuses on movement of energy, and I have to say that I feel emotionally better after both yoga and acupuncture.

The article wasn't actually limited to cell phones, but also suggested that the amount of energy thrumbing around us, via laptop or alarm clocks, or turned off TVs has an effect on our well being.

So should I abandon modern technology? Abandon my iPhone? I'm an iPhone addict.

The whole concern comes at a time when I feel like I don't have any energy. A gluten free, refined sugar free, caffeine free diet has its drawbacks. I'm no longer dreaming of eating sugar, but I'd say I'm still feeling emotionally drained. No longer can I eat a piece of candy to get myself out of a bad mood or drink a cup of coffee to help me concentrate.

So I find myself wondering.

How much healthier would I be without the modern conveniences we have today. No cell phone, computer, electricity for that matter. No gas or car or processed foods.

I'm pretty sure my health would be great...unless something went wrong.

The same society that creating things that kills us creates cures that heal us. I might not like pesticides and disposable napkins, but could we have modern medicine without the advances we've made through the industrial and agricultural revolutions?

I know, it's a pretty deep post for a Monday morning. But it IS a rainy day, which in itself would lead me down a dreary path. Three of my students came into class today telling me that friends of theirs had died over the weekend. Boston is sick with violence right now, and it's easy to say that our modern way of life has created a social sickness.

But the truth is, I'm trying to be more optimistic. The things we take for granted may be killing us, but they might also be keeping us alive.

The Diet

According to "the plan" we were supposed to start IVF this month.

I am NOT ready for a shot a day, the stress, the hormones. Seriously, I'd rather just adopt. But would I then wonder if it would have worked? People spend tons of money and time trying to get pregnant. I think you have to feel comfortable with your decisions and know when to stop.

So we're on our last, last ditch effort pre-IVF treatment. We're already on herbs and doing acupuncture.

"The Diet"

The NO list: No flour, no refined sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol. This radically changes our diet (especially the flour since bread/noodles are a major part of our lives). Gerd's on it too, partially for moral support and partially because he's a part of it too. He's not happy about it, but surviving (probably better than I am).

The YES list: Daily exercise (even just a little bit), more sleep, more healthy snacks between meals. Breakfast together in the morning with a cup of (decaf) tea. Vitamins.

The new "plan" is to do this until Thanksgiving. Nothing like a feast as a reward for good behavior. We'll quit for the month of December (no way am I forgoing Christmas cookies) and then start IVF in January. We will do 2-3 rounds of IVF and then go to adoption if it hasn't worked by then. I do not want to be a human pincushion forever.

At least that's "the plan". We'll see what actually happens. I just still can't believe that this isn't coming naturally. When I was younger I never really thought I'd have difficultly getting pregnant. I really didn't think about it at all.