Quick update

Spring has finally arrived here in Northern Illinois. Thank goodness! When it snowed on April 2nd, I thought I might snap. The next day, it was 50s and sunny. Whew.

We are STILL moving. Our projected move date was going to be March 1st, and most of our stuff is in the new house, but we have had a plumbing delay that required the ground to thaw. I have been relaxed up to this point, but now I am beginning to feel a little frustated, because most of our stuff is already there, and my busy season approaches with planting and such. However, I feel optimistic that the delays will soon be over, and I will then have to find something else to complain about.

At the farm, the cows have begun to calf. There are four so far. And we have had some animal excitement here in town. A groundhog has moved in under our gazebo, and has been munching on our irresponsible compost pile. The kids and I have enjoyed watching! My husband has given the little critter a ridiculous name (can't remember it right now), and it prompted us to do a little research. Did you know that "groundhog" and "woodchuck" are names for the same animal?

The kids and I have been getting much more active... walking, gardening, and playing outside.

I am still not back to 100% lowfat raw where I want to be. I have some more to learn about loving and accepting myself. But I am confident that I am going in the direction I want to be going, so it's just a matter of continuing to walk forward.

Second Verse, Same as the First!

O.k., so the day started off a bit badly. Feeling crappy in the morning (a side effect of my past months of poor eating and stress). A disagreement with my husband.

Then it got better. Made up with my husband. Took a much-needed nap. A long walk in the winter wonderland. Oak trees with their golden leaves covered in snow. Why haven't those leaves fallen, I wonder? For my aesthetic appreciation? I approve! And sloggin' through that powdery white stuff sure works the glutes. But how is it that I still don't own any boots?

A nice family dinner (raw) and a fun dance party. We made New Year's wishes. The kids were pooped by 7:30 and went to bed. I can hear my hubbie breathing heavy in his chair downstairs and it's only 10 p.m. Ahhh.

I'm feeling utterly optimistic about 2008. My year to feel GREAT!

(Now, I might have to come read that over and over when the cleansing symptoms start. I could feel the burning in my nasal passages this morning... I'm ready, though!)

Celebrate good times

Our new kitty, Rover (otherwise known as "Nugget"--the name my 3 year-old gave him)

My daughter with a sunflower head that's bigger than her head! Actually, that was one of the smaller heads.

My son enjoys fresh sunflower seeds.

I have so much to be thankful for in this life, although sometimes I get caught up in moments of (self-created) stress and depression and forget to count my blessings.

We have a new addition to our family--a cute little kitten named Rover (or Nugget). He came with a distended belly, gas and diarrhea, which cleared up immediately on a diet of raw meat. We considered worming him, but his rapid improvement indicates that giving him a species-appropriate diet was all that was required. He is a frisky, happy, cuddly little guy and very tolerant of being "loved" by our three year-old. Unfortunately, our other cat has not accepted him yet, and is spending 24 hours outside to avoid poor little Rover. Hopefully, Bart will come around and learn to tolerate his new housemate soon.

This weekend, we had a fabulous children's class in the community garden. Thirteen children, ages 3-10, came and used their 5 senses. They sniffed basil, mint, and dill. They collected flowers and seeds and leaves. They felt furry lambs-ear leaves. We caught and examined grasshoppers. The kids dug and played in the dirt for quite some time. They pulled carrots and harvested summer squash. Some didn't even know that carrots came from the ground, or what squash was. They each got to help cut a huge sunflower head and got their photo taken with it. They sampled local apples, garden tomatoes, sweet peppers, the carrot they pulled, and the squash they picked. A few tried sunflower seeds. It was great fun for all! Honestly, it made every time I felt overwhelmed or frustrated with this garden project fade into the background. It was ALL worth it to enjoy this with these kids.

So I am for this moment, grateful and happy. I wish you all well.

Butterfly Farm

This morning, my children and I headed out to meet an acquaintance and her dog at Butterfly Farm, a restored prairie with walking paths about 15 miles north of us. This farmland was purchased by an eco-friendly couple of city transplants, Jerry and Esther Lott. They built the imitation barn home pictured above and restored the prairie themselves. After their recent deaths, both from cancer, they donated the land to a nonprofit that has an adjacent bike trail. Now it is open to the public, but no one really knows about it yet, so we had the whole beautiful place all to ourselves.

At first, the children all whined in concert. This was a bit irritating and embarrassing, as we were with this woman who is childless, and I didn't know what to expect of her reaction. She was quite laid back, thankfully, and we found our way into a wood along the edge of the property, where the children cooled off. The girls began to have fun.

We saw lots of fascinating insects and beautiful butterflies. The adults and the dog caught sight of a chipmunk, but the kids couldn't sight it among the underbrush. I am so enamored with foraging now that I was quite excited to see massive amounts of elderberries in bloom.

After walking over a mile and listening to my oldest whine nonstop, the woman finally found a way to distract my son. They began inventing ice cream sundaes. My son wanted to put tic-tacs and chocolate chips in his. The conversation went on and on, and I felt a bit of discomfort, but less than I felt when he was whining. And, it inspired me to make banana-mint "ice cream" when we got home with some of my grapefruit mint leaves from the backyard. It was a hit!

Today's Food

8:30 a.m. About 12 cups watermelon

11:30 a.m. Banana-mint ice-cream (about 4 frozen bananas and 6 mint leaves)

1 p.m. About 1/2 cup mulberries and 1 1/2 cups red raspberries while picking

5:30 p.m. 8 small dried figs, 2 Medjool dates, some shredded zucchini "pasta" with a sauce made from Roma tomatoes, an orange pepper, a little basil and onion powder, and a date for sweetening, about 1 cup iceberg lettuce

8 p.m. Some broccoli from my garden, 4 medium strawberries, more figs and 4 dates

9 p.m. About 2 cups watermelon

About 2350 calories, C-P-F 90-5-5

(This is day 6 of overeating emotionally. Come on, let's get it together!)

Today's Exercise

About 75 minutes of slow walking