It Is Snowing on my Kale

About the only thing left in my garden is the Kale, and I have plenty of it. I didn't do the garden this year, My sweetheart did it. I wanted a 4 ft row of Kale because I like it in my green drinks and juices. He planted all the seeds and it is about 40 feet. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have been glad for it. Kale is a cool weather plant and I thought it would bolt when the weather got hot. It didn't . I learned that it is also a biannual plant. That means it will grow this year and wait till next year to go to seed. This past spring we had a few plants that wintered over and first thing this spring we had fresh kale before the rest of the garden got mature enough to harvest.

It is so nice to have fresh greens in the spring. After the long winter our bodies are ready for some good pick me up food. Kale in my juice did that for me. I also had some spinach that came up volunteer in the fall and was ready to harvest about the time the ground thawed in the spring. Even though I am never ready for winter to come, I know I can still harvest the kale for a while and it will be there in the spring until the rest of the new little seeds grow big enough to give us the fresh food our bodies crave. The Swiss chard that has already frozen will also come back and give us greens until the new plants are ready. Then it too, will go to seed and the cycle begins again.

How do I juice my greens? I actually have 3 machines I use and they all work well to do the job. The three I have and use regularly are a power blender, a centrifugal juicer, and a wheat grass juicer. What I choose to use will depend on what I may be putting with my greens to make my drink.

The Vitamix blender is my appliance of choice if I am wanting the fiber in my diet. I always use it if I am using the soft fruits and the fruits I have frozen. This blender breaks up the seeds and skins so small you don't recognize them in the smoothie. My daughter prefers the Blendtec blender. Both of them do a fantastic job of making what you put in the blender smooth. They are both power blenders, but the difference that is most noticeable is in the size and shape of the jars. Vitamix has 2 jars. One is designed to mill grains, the other is designed to make smoothies or chop food like a food processor. The jars are the same size and shape. The Blendtec also has 2 jars. One is square and 64 oz, the other is 5 sided and 96 oz. They are both shorter and broader so that when not in use they will fit on the counter top under the upper cabinets. One or more of the Blendtec models has the motor part that will mount right into the counter top.

If I want to have juice without the pulp, I will definitely use the centrifugal juicer I have. Mine is the Breville, but there are many on the market above and below the Breville in performance and price. I use the Breville to juice hard vegetables like carrots and beets, and also apples. The feed chute is large and takes less preparation time than the smaller chute models do. This juicer also has the pulp collection bin off to the side which makes it so I can juice more without having to empty the pulp out of the juicer. This juicer will juice the kale quite dry and I also have put the tougher Swiss chard and spinach through it as well. It does great with celery and other medium hard vegetables. My juicer is 2 speed and will handle fruits if I don't want the pulp. Sometimes I have put the cores from the pineapple and the pineapple rind through this juicer. The rind gives it a slightly different flavor which doesn't bother me if I am putting other flavors with the pineapple. I also throw a part of lemon or lime into the mix when doing vegetables, and sometimes ginger root.

If I am juicing grasses as part of the mix, I always use my wheat grass juicer. Mine is an electric model, Tribest solo star. My daughter has one of the Omega wheat grass models, and hers works very well. They are masticating juicers with a single auger. The auger type juicers, and there are many to choose from, are the very best for juicing the grasses and getting the most juice from them. The grasses aren't highly juicy, so you want a juicer that will give you as much as you can get. My brother has a steel hand wheat grass juicer. He tells me he earns every bit of juice that he gets. It definitely takes more time to juice with the hand model. I have juiced my kale in the wheat grass juicer and it does a good job. It is slower and if I am going for volume and no grasses I don't choose it. I need to learn patience, because the centrifugal juicer heats the juice as it spins so fast, and the auger doesn't do that. Heating destroys nutrients and enzymes. I have juiced carrots with the auger and although it will do the job, it is harder to get the pulp as dry. With this machine, you can make sorbets and that leaves the pulp in after it is pureed, similar to the blender machines, but definitely dryer.

The wonderful thing about getting a juicer machine is that you can choose one that is right for you and your family from the many available on the market. For pulpy products you can choose the blender types or the masticating juicer. For straight juice you can choose the masticating or the centrifugal type machines. All of them are wonderful as you learn how to use them right. The most important thing is to do it, take the time to learn to use them and then make it a daily habit. This is a very healthy habit. Now the snow has stopped and the kale is waiting for me to make my next juice or smoothie meal.

Some Things I've Learned From Falling Down the Stairs

About six months ago I got up in the night to visit the bathroom. I really didn't want to wake up so I didn't turn on a light. This was common for me. I often wander the house at night when I can't sleep. It was a big mistake. I took a wrong turn and ended up at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck, broken arm at the shoulder, and a broken rib. It could have been worse, I can still walk.

Healing from such a horrific fall has taught me much. The first thing I learned is that we are not in charge of everything that happens to us in our life. I also learned that people around me love me and care about my healing process and want to lend a helping hand when they can. Many will put their life on delay to be there to help. Doctors are kind, intelligent, and understanding. There are many kinds of therapists and you have to find the ones that are right for you. You can be in charge of your healing choices. Diet is very important. Exercise is very important. Don't push till you hurt because you may pay for longer than you want to. Learn to relax when the movement requires it. Don't be impatient because some hurts can take years to heal. If there is pain with movement, the body's energy may be stuck and need to be connected. If it hurts on the right, it may be caused by something out of whack on the left. Healing happens in layers.

We are not in charge. I really learned this many years when my son was almost killed by a drunk driver. I have been relearning it ever since. It is a spiritual thing for me and I know without a doubt that I have been and am being helped by powers far greater than my own. I am glad to know that. It gives me peace. It helps my healing.

People are willing to help. I have many people in my life who are great givers but will never take help. I had a discussion about this fact not too long before my accident with a good friend. I maintain that we need to learn to give as well as receive. Both actions bless us as well as others. Nevertheless, when I fell it was hard to express my needs. Many people called to find out if they could come and clean my house. The healing process is hard emotionally as well as physically. I asked for companionship while walking. Friends came once or twice a day for months to walk with me. I don't know if they will ever know how much emotional good they did while walking a mile with me. Meals were shared with us. My husband and son got to the point they wanted to collect the recipes because the meals were so good. You can't ever pay it back, you have to pay it forward.

While in the hospital the food I was receiving didn't work for me. I had experienced this situation before but this time I complained. I complained to everyone who walked in the door. One morning the nurse on duty was a man. He pointed his finger at me and said, "We are not going to have this conversation. We can't solve it and so we aren't going to talk about it." I was taken back and didn't discuss it with him further, but by the end of the day he had talked to those in charge and got some action. I learned that the meals were specified by my doctor so I had to take it up with him. That was hard because he hadn't come around because he had a cold. I finally got his OK for a diet change and my body started to function better. The nutrition people were very kind and willing to go the extra mile to help me.

I was admitted to rehab. That was a good decision and I learned enough to be safe at home. One therapist taught me to relax as he moved my arm in ways I couldn't. It actually felt good. I would come back to this thought later when my experience with a therapist hurt me so bad it took a week to recover from the swelling. I do not believe in the saying: "No pain, no gain." I realize there may be times when pushing just a little harder will build the muscles stronger, but when you are trying to heal from surgery and a broken body you have to be careful to not cause that process to break down. If you hurt, say something. Not everyone has the same training nor attitude about healing. Find therapists that work for you. You don't have to mold yourself into their attitude.

Nights were very hard for me. I don't think I got much sleep that first month of healing. Jumpy legs were a very big night enemy. I knew I needed to increase my intake of calcium so I really loaded it on. The night I stretched and got a Charlie horse I knew I wasn't getting enough of something. I tried magnesium, and other minerals but that didn't take away the restlessness. One day I had a vitamin D discussion with my brother. I decided to increase my vitamin D intake and that did work well. The pain medicine didn't work for me. I realize that when you hurt the healing doesn't progress as fast, but that medicine caused me constipation and I always felt like I was floating when I took it. There are other ways of controlling pain. Omega 3 is a good anti-inflammatory. If you take large doses the body uses it that way. Another thing that works for me is Enzymes. Taken on an empty stomach they work as anti-inflammatory agents. Enzymes with Serrapeptase work especially well and the ones that are a combination with that ingredient work even better. Getting enough good quality protein is essential when healing the body. If you scrimp the healing will take longer.

I have a whole body vibration machine run by an electromagnet, that helps me strengthen my muscles and move the lymph. It helps in so many ways, but I couldn't use it for more than 2 months because of the broken and healing bones. I was so impatient that some nights I would sneak in there and just vibrate my jumpy legs. That helped so much. when the day came I could finally stand on the platform and vibrate my whole body I rejoiced. That machine improves sleep, builds muscles, and gives me such an energy lift. Some days I just do a mild exercise and some days I have it give me a huge bounce. I do that when my sore aching body can take a little more. The vibration machine is easier on my joints than walking around the block. A couple of times I have been swimming. I wish I was more independent and that would be something I'd do more often. It is a wonderful exercise and soothes the soreness as I move. I can't really swim regularly because of my injured arm, but I am getting better at the strokes as I work at it.

I have a therapist who does Upledger Cranial Sacral and Zero Balancing. She has worked on my sore neck and body 1 to 3 times a week since I fell down the stairs. Through this modality of balancing my meridians and working with the body's energy, I have been comfortable with my healing most of the time. I wear a compression sleeve on my arm and hand to help keep down the swelling which is still a problem even 6 months later. I soak in the hot tub whenever I get a chance. The first time I stepped into the tub with my left foot I discovered that I could not feel hot or cold with that foot or leg. I use that as a sign of my nerve recovery as the feeling of hot and cold have started to come back. I have been extremely sensitive to being bumped on that side of my body, but am starting to be able to walk outside barefoot. I count that as a sign of healing and rejoice. Nerves are very slow healers, but they can heal.

At first after my accident I was so covered with bruises that I couldn't even feel the hurt of the breaks and damaged nerves. As those bruises healed I discovered other hurts. I am to the point now that my muscles and joints that have been damaged are telling me about it. The excess lymph is still draining out of my head and neck. Some days I can turn my head all the way over to the side quickly. Some days it is like wringing out a sponge to make it move. It will move if I am patient and take the time to do it slowly. What I am learning is that as I move the lymph out of that area, it moves easily. Lymph moves better if I drink enough and get enough exercise and high quality protein. The presence of excess lymph indicates to me that there is still a lot of healing going on and I need to let it.

The more I move the less I hurt as long as I don't push my body in directions that it can't go. Attitude is important in making the healing process work. When you hurt it is hard to make the effort to move. Relax, smile, move, and enjoy every part of life that you can while you are healing. Do not listen to the guy who tells you if you don't move today you won't be able to tomorrow. Honor your body's need for rest and allow it to have the time to do it. Eighty percent of your body's energy is required for healing. Plan your healing life that way and it will go more quickly. Remember, you are not in charge. Seek Divine Guidance in the healing process and accept the help that you need. Your body has its own agenda and will heal the parts it wants to first. That may not be your agenda, but accept it and be glad for any healing.

While I would not recommend anyone fall down the stairs as a way to learn the things I have learned, I am glad to have learned not only the things about healing, but compassion for others who have struggles and adversities in their lives. I am grateful for the love that has poured into my life from others who care. I am pleased to know that there are things I can still do to help carry the load of life needs for those who care about me and for those who have needs.