Friday, April 27, 2012

Dr. Schulze Incurables Program

Next week I am beginning Dr. Schulze Incurables Program. I am really tired of being ill. Chronic diseases have a way of wearing a person down. The weakness and struggle each day can sometimes be too much to handle. On those days all I want to do is go to bed. But life must go on. I have responsibilities. I have things I must do and be involved in to keep my emotional and spiritual sanity. I hope this program will bring relief from my many ailments, especially my debilitating conditions: Pericardial Effusion, Peripheral Neuropathy, Fibromyalgia, and Narcolepsy. I need to heal my heart, my nervous system, and my digestive system.

Experiencing this program firsthand will help me learn more about whole body healing. Being an Herbalist and an Iridologist is not enough. Herbs and eyes are only part of what I need to learn. Whole Body Healing is the area I need to concentrate on most to help myself and others. It encompasses diet, herbs, exercise, hydrotherapy, reflexology, massage, sun/air therapy, and more.

Some areas of the Incurables program are better administered by someone else. But since I will be going through this program alone, I will do the best I can with hydrotherapy, reflexology, and massage. I do believe something is always better than nothing. What I can do will be well worth it. If I do nothing, my health will continue to decline.

I am excited about becoming well. I have been doing a few of the things in the program already, but I will jump in full force next week. I still have a few days of planning and shopping before I begin.

This program could be a bit rough at times, therefore I intend to remain calm by grounding myself in prayer and study. Chronicling my journey through this program will help keep me focused on healing and learning.

Dr. Schulze Incurables Program takes determination and dedication. I am ready.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Transition from Spring Garden Beds to Summer Garden Beds

I love this time of year!  Yummy things coming out of the garden making room for all the yummy new things going into the garden.  The spring vegetables are almost finished growing, while the summer vegetables are impatiently waiting for their spot in the garden.

This transition time seems to be the busiest for me.  I enjoy bringing the harvest in and putting it up to dry or in the freezer. I enjoy fluffing my raised beds and adding new soil. It is such a pretty picture to see a raised bed all cleaned out and ready to accept new plants. Unfortunately that does not last long for there is always new seedlings on the back deck waiting to go into that bed, like the lima beans and yard long beans that quickly filled the place that used to house the potatoes.

A few weeks ago we had a very cold night. My potatoes and grapes did not survive. So when I harvested my potatoes the other day, I only got a few pounds of small, round, yet very beautiful red and gold potatoes. I will get several meals from these, but no where near the amount the harvest should have been. That is part of gardening, sometimes there will be a crop failure. We learn and our garden continues.

On to a brighter note, I harvested a good amount of turnips and green onions. And lots of turnip greens for the bunnies!  The green peas only ripen a few at a time as the vines continue to climb higher and higher. From my ten feet of peas I only get a couple servings each time I harvest. But they are definitely worth the wait. I do love peas. Other than zucchini, peas are my favorite thing from the garden. Peas do give the smallest return for the space and time they require, but I try to grow them anyhow.

The chives have a couple buds and the parsleys are a beautiful round domes again, so in a week or so they will both be harvested for the second time.  But for the roses, no.  We have had too much wind to keep any petals on the blossoms.  I have to wait for the flowers to completely open before harvesting. By that time this strong wind has blown them off the plants. Hopefully this wind will calm and I will be able to get some rose petals soon. I have many red knock-out roses, a beautiful pastel pink tea rose with huge blossoms, and some wild deep red small blossom roses.  I will make rose water and other skin formulas from them becuase roses are very good for the skin.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Preserving the First Harvests of Chives, Parsley, and Roses

Oh I really do need a camera.

I have been preserving a few things from my garden recently.

I love chives. So in my freezer are a few small bags of sliced chives. But the best part about chives are the flowers. They are yum! I harvest my chives when just a few pretty purple flowers begin to bloom. I think the best flavor of the chives is before they bloom. But if I harvest them then, I do not get any of these delicious flowers. So I wait for just a few blossoms and then I cut everything all the way back to the ground. Simply put the chive blossoms in a mess bag and hang to dry. The great thing about chives is the more often you harvest them the better quality your chives will be.

Also I had my first cutting of parsley last week. I have nine beautiful bunches of parsley hanging up to dry. I also cut these all the way back to the ground, except I left the tough outside circle of stems on the plant.

This morning I harvested my first petals from my knock out roses. Knock out roses are perfect for a continuous supply of fresh rose petals from spring through fall. Cut the nicest blossoms that are fully open to dry. Around here in my little wannabe homestead I make due with what I have on hand. There is always another purpose for every item. This being the case with old or unused window screens. I simply pulled the petals from the rose blossom centers and spread the petals out on a screen. Set a second screen on top and bind the two screens together. Perfect. My petals are secured and will not blow away or move around. They should dry very nicely.

Harvesting rose blossoms was the perfect way to begin my day. Their loveliness will remain with me make me smile.