The indoor drying rack system has been hung. We are now taking advantage of some underutilized indoor space and able to dry indoors easily (although not quickly).
The treadle sewing machine is in working order. The treadle belt has been replaced, the bobbins wound, and the machine threaded. I get the feeling that there is a steeper learning curve than with machine sewing, but I'm glad to know that I have a human-powered option.
We added compost to the garden beds in preparation for planting next month. We timed it so that the rain would hit soon after working in the compost.
We had people over for dinner twice this week, and used what we had both times. This is a big change from thinking that people have to have things a certain way, or that we must serve beverages and wine. It can be difficult to get past the idea that you should serve baked potatoes with steak. It can be harder still to serve guests unfamiliar grains and unusual vegetables. But it worked.
The first night we had tacos; the only difference was that we fried them. The meat was from the freezer. They were topped with local cheese and lettuce, and I had made the beans from scratch (beans purchased in bulk). The tortillas were made locally, with non-local grain. My dad had a leftover Dr. Pepper from T-Guy's birthday, and we had water. Dessert was ice cream leftover from the simple birthday party.
The second night we had steak (from our grassfed side of beef), served with quinoa (bulk grain) and sauteed chard (from our CSA box). Papa and Abuela had the Two Buck Chuck Papa buys for himself, and the rest of us had sparkling juices leftover from Thanksgiving. Dessert was homemade tapioca pudding, made because I had milk at the edge of expiration and plenty of local eggs. We served coffee because we had it leftover from Thanksgiving and I am trying to serve it rather than throw it away. Papa's sister brought us chocolate from her trip to Belgium, and Abuela brought us two mangoes (she had purchased a large quantity of them at a big box store). The mangoes will be quite a treat when they are ready.
Breakfast Meals Eaten at Home: 7/7
Lunch Meals Eaten at Home: 6/7
Dinner Meals Eaten at Home: 7/7
Snacks Eaten at Home: All
No Drive Days: 2/7
No Computer Days: 1/7 (although overall computer usage is down)
No Spend Days: 2/7
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
I'm Dreaming of a Green Spring
It's time.
I have a seed catalog, and seed from last year. I have garden boxes and the necessary tools. I even have last year's Early Girl tomato plant, still bearing fruit.
It's time to plan the garden.
Last year was our first year with a garden. We had a spring garden (planted in February) and a summer garden. The fall garden plans were abandoned due to my mom's illness and death. But the earth still turns and once again we are thinking of the spring garden.
We'll plant lettuce, we know, and get an earlier start on the tomatoes. The challenge I joined requires that we grow at least one new fruit or vegetable, from seed, and that we blog about the garden weekly. Can do. We actually grew most of last year's garden from seed, though not the tomatoes.
I don't want to invest in grow lights or any seed starting supplies, so we'll still probably buy some starts. Our new CSA actually sells them ~ organic starts.
We need compost. We'll have to buy it to amend the beds, and then get our butts in gear and build the compost pile that we only talked about last year. A lot of things didn't happen last year; my grandfather and my mother died. even now there are days where I can barely lift myself out of my grief.
Our boxes are based on the square foot gardening method. It worked well for most everything, though not root vegetables. The Early Girl grew to over 6 feet even though she is in only 6 inches of soil.
We learned a lot last year. Corn is too water intensive for what we got. The Early Girl produced far more abundantly than the heirloom tomato starts we put in, as did the Red Pear. We had lettuce well into June, and enjoyed it the most of anything we grew (well, Papa and T-Guy did love the tomatoes). Lettuce and tomatoes are good crops because they are expensive when purchased organically. Lettuce can be harvested continually. 3 squares of spinach is too much. Root crops, such as turnips, take a long time for what you get. Zucchinis don't really thrive when planted 4 to a square. Acorn squash will take over the entire yard.
We have time this long weekend. I think we'll prepare the beds and plan our squares, and then take a good close look at the weather forecast. Last January we had the worst freeze in more than 20 years. I'm looking to plant in early February again, unless it looks like we'll get really warm before then. My grandma will be here in February, and she will love to see the garden and talk to me all about what she grew over the years. I'm glad she's coming.
(And for those paying attention, I added the button to my blog. Wow, it is so much easier than it was in 2005 when I first started Sustainability in the Suburbs, my now-defunct blog. Just wow! I may go crazy if I have time.)
I have a seed catalog, and seed from last year. I have garden boxes and the necessary tools. I even have last year's Early Girl tomato plant, still bearing fruit.
It's time to plan the garden.
Last year was our first year with a garden. We had a spring garden (planted in February) and a summer garden. The fall garden plans were abandoned due to my mom's illness and death. But the earth still turns and once again we are thinking of the spring garden.
We'll plant lettuce, we know, and get an earlier start on the tomatoes. The challenge I joined requires that we grow at least one new fruit or vegetable, from seed, and that we blog about the garden weekly. Can do. We actually grew most of last year's garden from seed, though not the tomatoes.
I don't want to invest in grow lights or any seed starting supplies, so we'll still probably buy some starts. Our new CSA actually sells them ~ organic starts.
We need compost. We'll have to buy it to amend the beds, and then get our butts in gear and build the compost pile that we only talked about last year. A lot of things didn't happen last year; my grandfather and my mother died. even now there are days where I can barely lift myself out of my grief.
Our boxes are based on the square foot gardening method. It worked well for most everything, though not root vegetables. The Early Girl grew to over 6 feet even though she is in only 6 inches of soil.
We learned a lot last year. Corn is too water intensive for what we got. The Early Girl produced far more abundantly than the heirloom tomato starts we put in, as did the Red Pear. We had lettuce well into June, and enjoyed it the most of anything we grew (well, Papa and T-Guy did love the tomatoes). Lettuce and tomatoes are good crops because they are expensive when purchased organically. Lettuce can be harvested continually. 3 squares of spinach is too much. Root crops, such as turnips, take a long time for what you get. Zucchinis don't really thrive when planted 4 to a square. Acorn squash will take over the entire yard.
We have time this long weekend. I think we'll prepare the beds and plan our squares, and then take a good close look at the weather forecast. Last January we had the worst freeze in more than 20 years. I'm looking to plant in early February again, unless it looks like we'll get really warm before then. My grandma will be here in February, and she will love to see the garden and talk to me all about what she grew over the years. I'm glad she's coming.
(And for those paying attention, I added the button to my blog. Wow, it is so much easier than it was in 2005 when I first started Sustainability in the Suburbs, my now-defunct blog. Just wow! I may go crazy if I have time.)
The Miracle of Mush. . . or, in Praise of Porridge
We eat mush for breakfast most everyday. A lot of people give me blank stares when I say mush, so I then say porridge, which most people know of from Goldilocks. But to my boys, it's mush, which for some reason is far funnier than porridge. I don't mind what they call it, as long as they are eating it.
I'd love to say that I was inspired to eat mush by the R4A, but we were eating it long before we took up the challenge. By the time the Riot rolled around we had even jettisoned those individual packages designed to make mush less scary for the masses.
What is mush, or porridge if you prefer? Grains, chopped fine or rolled, cooked with copious amounts of water. There is nary a culture the world over that doesn't feature some sort of porridge as part of its traditional cuisine, and not just for breakfast, either.
My generation didn't grow up with mush, not in a daily, life-sustaining way. No, we had Trix, Cap'n Crunch, Lucky Charms, Count Chocula, Cookie Crisp, and more. My favorite was Frosted Flakes, and Tony the Tiger was my childhood breakfast hero. Every now and then my dad would try to go healthy on us and buy Rice Krispies, Life, Cheerios, Kix, or horror of horrors, Raisin Bran. These cereals sat mostly untouched until they went stale and were pitched into the garbage. Who was he trying to kid? Even my mother added sugar to her Sugar Smacks cereal.
We did have little packets of Cream of Wheat and Quaker Oats, always purchased in a variety pack. We'd start with the maple syrup flavored packets, then the brown sugar cinnamon, and finally the unflavored oats. We never ate the packets with little bits of dehydrated apple in them.
People seem to know that hot grain cereals are healthy. After all, I've yet to hear of the person who serves Fruity Pebbles as a baby's first cereal. Babies are perhaps the group of Americans who eat the most mush. They start with rice cereals (and brown rice is an option), and move to oatmeal and wheat farina. They eat them happily until they realize that Mom is eating Honey Bunches of Oats or Frosted Mini Wheats, or perhaps Nutrigrain Cereal Bars or Pop Tarts. Then the mush eating stops.
Mush is a riot-friendly breakfast. Living where I live, I can't pretend that my mush is comprised of local grains (but I do get tomatoes in January), however, the makings for mush fall under the dry, bulk goods category of the Riotous food plan. Huge bags of grains arrive on my door step or the co-op truck; organic brown rice farina, organic toasted gluten free rolled oats, organic medium grind cornmeal. Other folks I know love the Scottish oats, or whole rice made into rice porridge, or mixed grains. Buckwheat porridge and quinoa flakes line the shelves at my organic grocery.
The easiest way to make mush is using an electric rice cooker and setting it the night before. It will draw a small amount of electricity overnight and then for the 1 -2 hours that it is actually cooking the mush. Perhaps just as easy, but not instantaneously gratifying the moment you jump (crawl?) out of bed, is soaking the grains with half the cooking water in the cooking pot overnight. Upon waking you add the rest of the water, bring to a boil, and depending on the grain you cook the mush until it is ready, or cover it, turn off the heat, and wait.
Did you notice the soaking of the grain? It's important. It releases enzymes and unlocks nutrients. Even better is adding a dash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as you soak the grains, if you don't have children who will then refuse the mush because of the slightly acidic taste.
We use both methods to cook our mush, as preferences vary around here and some nights we need to cook both oatmeal and cornmeal mush. One child in particular is well, particular about his mush, and so we use the rice cooker for him. We still come out ahead in terms of the Riot.
We almost always have leftovers. They are easy to handle and wonderful to have on hand. I just reheat them in a pan, adding milk or water as needed, and mashing them with my potato/bean masher until the lumps are gone and they are smooth and hot.
Mush, it's what's for breakfast.
I'd love to say that I was inspired to eat mush by the R4A, but we were eating it long before we took up the challenge. By the time the Riot rolled around we had even jettisoned those individual packages designed to make mush less scary for the masses.
What is mush, or porridge if you prefer? Grains, chopped fine or rolled, cooked with copious amounts of water. There is nary a culture the world over that doesn't feature some sort of porridge as part of its traditional cuisine, and not just for breakfast, either.
My generation didn't grow up with mush, not in a daily, life-sustaining way. No, we had Trix, Cap'n Crunch, Lucky Charms, Count Chocula, Cookie Crisp, and more. My favorite was Frosted Flakes, and Tony the Tiger was my childhood breakfast hero. Every now and then my dad would try to go healthy on us and buy Rice Krispies, Life, Cheerios, Kix, or horror of horrors, Raisin Bran. These cereals sat mostly untouched until they went stale and were pitched into the garbage. Who was he trying to kid? Even my mother added sugar to her Sugar Smacks cereal.
We did have little packets of Cream of Wheat and Quaker Oats, always purchased in a variety pack. We'd start with the maple syrup flavored packets, then the brown sugar cinnamon, and finally the unflavored oats. We never ate the packets with little bits of dehydrated apple in them.
People seem to know that hot grain cereals are healthy. After all, I've yet to hear of the person who serves Fruity Pebbles as a baby's first cereal. Babies are perhaps the group of Americans who eat the most mush. They start with rice cereals (and brown rice is an option), and move to oatmeal and wheat farina. They eat them happily until they realize that Mom is eating Honey Bunches of Oats or Frosted Mini Wheats, or perhaps Nutrigrain Cereal Bars or Pop Tarts. Then the mush eating stops.
Mush is a riot-friendly breakfast. Living where I live, I can't pretend that my mush is comprised of local grains (but I do get tomatoes in January), however, the makings for mush fall under the dry, bulk goods category of the Riotous food plan. Huge bags of grains arrive on my door step or the co-op truck; organic brown rice farina, organic toasted gluten free rolled oats, organic medium grind cornmeal. Other folks I know love the Scottish oats, or whole rice made into rice porridge, or mixed grains. Buckwheat porridge and quinoa flakes line the shelves at my organic grocery.
The easiest way to make mush is using an electric rice cooker and setting it the night before. It will draw a small amount of electricity overnight and then for the 1 -2 hours that it is actually cooking the mush. Perhaps just as easy, but not instantaneously gratifying the moment you jump (crawl?) out of bed, is soaking the grains with half the cooking water in the cooking pot overnight. Upon waking you add the rest of the water, bring to a boil, and depending on the grain you cook the mush until it is ready, or cover it, turn off the heat, and wait.
Did you notice the soaking of the grain? It's important. It releases enzymes and unlocks nutrients. Even better is adding a dash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as you soak the grains, if you don't have children who will then refuse the mush because of the slightly acidic taste.
We use both methods to cook our mush, as preferences vary around here and some nights we need to cook both oatmeal and cornmeal mush. One child in particular is well, particular about his mush, and so we use the rice cooker for him. We still come out ahead in terms of the Riot.
We almost always have leftovers. They are easy to handle and wonderful to have on hand. I just reheat them in a pan, adding milk or water as needed, and mashing them with my potato/bean masher until the lumps are gone and they are smooth and hot.
Mush, it's what's for breakfast.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Snapshot: 17 January 2008
I found a belt for my new-to-me treadle sewing machine, locally.
We had leftovers for lunch, happily. The boys had leftovers from our taco night Wednesday, and Papa and I ate leftover pot roast (more thin gravy than beef) over local squash I had roasted Tuesday. There was still plenty of gravy left after we ate, so I used it to moisten the Girl Dog's food. We're low on leftovers and she had to eat kibble today.
We almost ate dinner out (or at least discussed the idea), but combated that demon and made do with what we had at home.
My brown Chico bag fell off my purse at the farmers market. The good news is, we found it when we retraced our steps on the way home. It was about 30 minutes later, so we got lucky.
The market had Cara Cara oranges, which made Papa happy.
I returned a Christmas gift that didn't fit. Cotton sweaters, and they would have been useful, but alas, the store did not have anything smaller than a large. I used the credit to buy pajama pants for the boys, on clearance. J-Baby has cut or broken through the knees on three pairs of pajama pants and I hadn't been able to find anything at the thrift store. I almost bought myself slippers since mine fell apart in the wash, but put them back so that I wouldn't go over the credit. They weren't what I really want anyway, and I can make do with socks and my old Birkenstock clogs.
I found out that I can hang quite a bit of clothing on my small thrift store drying rack if I use clothespins instead of draping things over the dowels.
At Target, we looked at the Hello Kitty sewing machine that was on clearance. They were actually out-of-stock. J-Baby said, "They just put Hello Kitty on it to make you want to buy it. It doesn't do anything different than a regular sewing machine does." Wow, they really are listening, and he was right.
(Hello Kitty is my personal character downfall, a vestige from the days of my youth. Truthfully, I think I have a total of two Hello Kitty items, but I do adore her.)
We had leftovers for lunch, happily. The boys had leftovers from our taco night Wednesday, and Papa and I ate leftover pot roast (more thin gravy than beef) over local squash I had roasted Tuesday. There was still plenty of gravy left after we ate, so I used it to moisten the Girl Dog's food. We're low on leftovers and she had to eat kibble today.
We almost ate dinner out (or at least discussed the idea), but combated that demon and made do with what we had at home.
My brown Chico bag fell off my purse at the farmers market. The good news is, we found it when we retraced our steps on the way home. It was about 30 minutes later, so we got lucky.
The market had Cara Cara oranges, which made Papa happy.
I returned a Christmas gift that didn't fit. Cotton sweaters, and they would have been useful, but alas, the store did not have anything smaller than a large. I used the credit to buy pajama pants for the boys, on clearance. J-Baby has cut or broken through the knees on three pairs of pajama pants and I hadn't been able to find anything at the thrift store. I almost bought myself slippers since mine fell apart in the wash, but put them back so that I wouldn't go over the credit. They weren't what I really want anyway, and I can make do with socks and my old Birkenstock clogs.
I found out that I can hang quite a bit of clothing on my small thrift store drying rack if I use clothespins instead of draping things over the dowels.
At Target, we looked at the Hello Kitty sewing machine that was on clearance. They were actually out-of-stock. J-Baby said, "They just put Hello Kitty on it to make you want to buy it. It doesn't do anything different than a regular sewing machine does." Wow, they really are listening, and he was right.
(Hello Kitty is my personal character downfall, a vestige from the days of my youth. Truthfully, I think I have a total of two Hello Kitty items, but I do adore her.)
Wanted: One Good Broom
I think brooms are underrated. Utilitarian workhorses, we grab them when needed and toss them back into the closet when finished.
I have a good broom, an Amish broom made right here in the USA. Actually, as far as I know the broom itself isn't religious. Rather, it was made by an Amish person. The Amish being people who might understand the value of a good broom.
I've had bad brooms in my life. For some reason, I was determined to repeat the O-Cedar broom disasters of my youth, and I believe we went through 4 brooms before I finally ordered myself a proper broom in 2006. O-Cedar brooms have copious amounts of plastic, with plastic-coated cheap aluminum handles and synthetic bristles. The handles break, the bristles go limp and stay dirty.
Still, my broom was just a broom. I swept when I had to. I had people who came in and cleaned my house for me for a full year after my surgery. They made it clear that they preferred to vacuum the floors.
When I read Living the Good Life by Linda Cockburn I was inspired by her praise of her broom. (Indeed, I enjoyed the whole book). Indeed, sweeping the floor is less time-consuming than vacuuming. It's easy. It's meditative. It's lets you see the actual dirt that you are attempting to eradicate from your floors.
Things I've learned about my broom:
It is a helpful tool in cleaning children's bedrooms, especially then the clean up involves Lego pieces strewn all over the floor. Everything is swept into the middle of the room for central processing.
(Sweeping also means that the tiny, special Lego pieces aren't inadvertently sucked into oblivion.)
The broom can knock down corner cobwebs.
Before I sweep a room I take the broom along the baseboards, dusting them and helping to prevent later build up that must be scrubbed off by hand.
A good, stiff broom (mine is) can take care of of low carpet most of the time. I wish my home was carpet-free, but it isn't.
A good kitchen broom can handle concrete steps and the deck.
The broom can be rinsed and dried if it gets dirty. The O-Cedar never came clean.
A broom in the hands of a small child is sometimes a pony, and sometimes a Firebolt or Nimbus 2000.
A good broom has a life after the broom straws are ragged and beyond saving. There is the sturdy hardwood handle, which can be repurposed. There is a bit of metal, which can also be repurposed, or recycled. The broom straws themselves can be composted.
A final plus; a good broom makes and excellent decoration for a kitchen, as long as it is a kitchen that actually gets used on a regular basis and isn't masquerading as a magazine showpiece. To make this work, the broom has to actually be used; pristine brooms need not apply.
Never again need I toss a broken yellow broom into the garbage.
I have a good broom, an Amish broom made right here in the USA. Actually, as far as I know the broom itself isn't religious. Rather, it was made by an Amish person. The Amish being people who might understand the value of a good broom.
I've had bad brooms in my life. For some reason, I was determined to repeat the O-Cedar broom disasters of my youth, and I believe we went through 4 brooms before I finally ordered myself a proper broom in 2006. O-Cedar brooms have copious amounts of plastic, with plastic-coated cheap aluminum handles and synthetic bristles. The handles break, the bristles go limp and stay dirty.
Still, my broom was just a broom. I swept when I had to. I had people who came in and cleaned my house for me for a full year after my surgery. They made it clear that they preferred to vacuum the floors.
When I read Living the Good Life by Linda Cockburn I was inspired by her praise of her broom. (Indeed, I enjoyed the whole book). Indeed, sweeping the floor is less time-consuming than vacuuming. It's easy. It's meditative. It's lets you see the actual dirt that you are attempting to eradicate from your floors.
Things I've learned about my broom:
It is a helpful tool in cleaning children's bedrooms, especially then the clean up involves Lego pieces strewn all over the floor. Everything is swept into the middle of the room for central processing.
(Sweeping also means that the tiny, special Lego pieces aren't inadvertently sucked into oblivion.)
The broom can knock down corner cobwebs.
Before I sweep a room I take the broom along the baseboards, dusting them and helping to prevent later build up that must be scrubbed off by hand.
A good, stiff broom (mine is) can take care of of low carpet most of the time. I wish my home was carpet-free, but it isn't.
A good kitchen broom can handle concrete steps and the deck.
The broom can be rinsed and dried if it gets dirty. The O-Cedar never came clean.
A broom in the hands of a small child is sometimes a pony, and sometimes a Firebolt or Nimbus 2000.
A good broom has a life after the broom straws are ragged and beyond saving. There is the sturdy hardwood handle, which can be repurposed. There is a bit of metal, which can also be repurposed, or recycled. The broom straws themselves can be composted.
A final plus; a good broom makes and excellent decoration for a kitchen, as long as it is a kitchen that actually gets used on a regular basis and isn't masquerading as a magazine showpiece. To make this work, the broom has to actually be used; pristine brooms need not apply.
Never again need I toss a broken yellow broom into the garbage.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Week 2 Round Up
Successes:
The farmer we get our eggs from is finally past the winter slump of molting and non-production. We should have eggs through September or October. I counted, and we bought 10 dozen eggs from the store while the hens were taking their rest. We generally buy 2-3 dozen eggs a week, so our store egg consumption was less than 10% of our annual total. Already we're looking ahead to the coming fall/winter and devising ways to go without eggs when the local flock isn't producing.
Papa and T-Guy biked to pick up our CSA box. Local gouda was on sale, which is great because we would have bought it anyway.
We held a successful, simple birthday party for T-Guy. We had lunch out, but packed beverages and snacks. We managed without party favors or a pinata, and focused on having fun together.
I finally got a treadle machine. Granted, it needs a belt, a manual, and needles, but it has the bobbin case and lots of attachments. I'll have to clean and lubricate it, the the wheel turns by hand the the treadle mechanism isn't frozen by rust.
The down side:
We drive just about everyday. Little bits here and there. Yesterday afternoon I was making pot roast and realized we were out of red wine. Since I don't drink it, I don't pay attention. Papa drove to get me some, since I needed it in 10 minutes. He did go ahead and get a case to make driving worth it, but the reality is that we had driven to that store Friday, and could have gotten it then.
T-Guy's birthday party was held in San Diego, a 200 mile round trip for us. Papa was going down to operate trains, and my dad brought the 3 cousins. So we had 2 cars for 8 people, which isn't terrible. It really was a toss up; we could have had all of the family drive to us, or have the small party in San Diego. I think fewer miles were driven overall this way.
Meals out: Papa was out 4 weekdays last week, and one evening. There wasn't much we could do about it; his boss was in town from Maine and they had training sessions and meetings all week. The only good thing about it was that they were all working lunches (the evening thing was a going away party for another co-worker), so the time was billable.
The farmer we get our eggs from is finally past the winter slump of molting and non-production. We should have eggs through September or October. I counted, and we bought 10 dozen eggs from the store while the hens were taking their rest. We generally buy 2-3 dozen eggs a week, so our store egg consumption was less than 10% of our annual total. Already we're looking ahead to the coming fall/winter and devising ways to go without eggs when the local flock isn't producing.
Papa and T-Guy biked to pick up our CSA box. Local gouda was on sale, which is great because we would have bought it anyway.
We held a successful, simple birthday party for T-Guy. We had lunch out, but packed beverages and snacks. We managed without party favors or a pinata, and focused on having fun together.
I finally got a treadle machine. Granted, it needs a belt, a manual, and needles, but it has the bobbin case and lots of attachments. I'll have to clean and lubricate it, the the wheel turns by hand the the treadle mechanism isn't frozen by rust.
The down side:
We drive just about everyday. Little bits here and there. Yesterday afternoon I was making pot roast and realized we were out of red wine. Since I don't drink it, I don't pay attention. Papa drove to get me some, since I needed it in 10 minutes. He did go ahead and get a case to make driving worth it, but the reality is that we had driven to that store Friday, and could have gotten it then.
T-Guy's birthday party was held in San Diego, a 200 mile round trip for us. Papa was going down to operate trains, and my dad brought the 3 cousins. So we had 2 cars for 8 people, which isn't terrible. It really was a toss up; we could have had all of the family drive to us, or have the small party in San Diego. I think fewer miles were driven overall this way.
Meals out: Papa was out 4 weekdays last week, and one evening. There wasn't much we could do about it; his boss was in town from Maine and they had training sessions and meetings all week. The only good thing about it was that they were all working lunches (the evening thing was a going away party for another co-worker), so the time was billable.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Treating Winter Colds
This year we're treating winter colds without cold medicine, so far. I know that health items aren't part of the R4A, but it still rankles to have to purchased plastic bottles full of artificially colored and flavored purple syrup. So far we've soothed the cold beast with a couple of Traditional Medicinal teas left over from last winter (Throat Coat and Gypsy Cold Car), a tin of Badger Winter Wonder Balm, various other natural balms, homemade or small-crafted, eucalyptus essential oil, rest, snuggles, and homemade lemon/ginger/honey tea.
In other words, we're treating symptoms. We know that there is nothing that will cure the common cold; it takes about 7 days to feel better using time and natural remedies, and about a week if you use over-the-counter cold medicines.
As we run out of purchased home remedies I stand at the ready, knowing I can duplicate them at home without the packaging. Licorice root and slippery elm tea for sore throats and coughs. Honey for coughs and sore throats as well. Ginger for warming. Lemon and other citrus to provide natural vitamin C and to clear nasal passages. Good old salt, for gargling. Olive oil and beeswax to be made into soothing salves, providing relief for chapped skin as well as the power of essential oils.
In my experience, it is best to get on the ball as soon as a cold virus hits your house. Sure, it may be a little chilly in the house since you lowered the thermostat in order to use less fuel. Still, getting chilled stresses the immune system. So pull out the long underwear, wear extra layers, and drag your quilt from room to room with you.
Eat optimally when you or your children are ill. Avoid sugar and refined foods (There isn't much room for them in the R4A diet anyway), and increase your intake of produce, nourishing broths and soups, and lean protein. If dairy and wheat are mucus producers for you, then don't eat them while you are ill.
Wash your pillowcase daily, if you have two and can rotate. You can wash it by hand in a bowl of water. If you can dry it in the sun the UV rays will kill any lingering germs on the pillow case.
There are other, important things to do. Wash your hands. Get a little fresh air, and some sunshine if you can. Eliminate stress and pare your to-do list down to the essentials.
Most of all, rest and sleep. Sometimes I think that the over-the-counter medicine industry thrives on our Protestant work ethic. Taking off work is seen as weak. Being unproductive is nearly a crime. We take strong medicines to make us feel well enough to work, without offering us any healing at all. Our colds linger because we don't rest when we should. Most people don't mind, because the medicines keep us productive.
I'm not a doctor or health care professional. If you or anyone in your care is really ill, only you can make the call in terms of medical intervention. Don't ignore high fevers that won't go away, sore throats and coughs that don't get better after a week or so, ear drainage, or wheezing. Many of these symptoms just need time, but you may want to check with your local nurse practitioner or herbalist or other health care provider for a little guidance.
In other words, we're treating symptoms. We know that there is nothing that will cure the common cold; it takes about 7 days to feel better using time and natural remedies, and about a week if you use over-the-counter cold medicines.
As we run out of purchased home remedies I stand at the ready, knowing I can duplicate them at home without the packaging. Licorice root and slippery elm tea for sore throats and coughs. Honey for coughs and sore throats as well. Ginger for warming. Lemon and other citrus to provide natural vitamin C and to clear nasal passages. Good old salt, for gargling. Olive oil and beeswax to be made into soothing salves, providing relief for chapped skin as well as the power of essential oils.
In my experience, it is best to get on the ball as soon as a cold virus hits your house. Sure, it may be a little chilly in the house since you lowered the thermostat in order to use less fuel. Still, getting chilled stresses the immune system. So pull out the long underwear, wear extra layers, and drag your quilt from room to room with you.
Eat optimally when you or your children are ill. Avoid sugar and refined foods (There isn't much room for them in the R4A diet anyway), and increase your intake of produce, nourishing broths and soups, and lean protein. If dairy and wheat are mucus producers for you, then don't eat them while you are ill.
Wash your pillowcase daily, if you have two and can rotate. You can wash it by hand in a bowl of water. If you can dry it in the sun the UV rays will kill any lingering germs on the pillow case.
There are other, important things to do. Wash your hands. Get a little fresh air, and some sunshine if you can. Eliminate stress and pare your to-do list down to the essentials.
Most of all, rest and sleep. Sometimes I think that the over-the-counter medicine industry thrives on our Protestant work ethic. Taking off work is seen as weak. Being unproductive is nearly a crime. We take strong medicines to make us feel well enough to work, without offering us any healing at all. Our colds linger because we don't rest when we should. Most people don't mind, because the medicines keep us productive.
I'm not a doctor or health care professional. If you or anyone in your care is really ill, only you can make the call in terms of medical intervention. Don't ignore high fevers that won't go away, sore throats and coughs that don't get better after a week or so, ear drainage, or wheezing. Many of these symptoms just need time, but you may want to check with your local nurse practitioner or herbalist or other health care provider for a little guidance.
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