Nancy Norwood

I’m very glad to see this topic. I’m 74 now but had so little information about menopause at the time. In late 40’s, I noticed memory problems. Someone happened to not worry, it was just menopause. In my fifties, I realized that I remembered things by replying the “video” of an event, where I put my keys, a conversation. But now the videos were gone. Whenever I mentioned the way my memory used to work, I never got recognition from others that they remembered in the same way. After about twenty years, the videos are returning, gradually at first. I’d love to hear from others about this.

My transition to no periods was simple, just a few months’ lapse, then one and done, when I was 50. Never sweating, but frequent hot flashes. I got rid of all turtlenecks, and could walk barefoot to the mailbox in snow. They were awkward during the day around other people, but very troublesome at night because they woke me up, then I had to pee, then couldn’t get back to sleep. I had always been able to sleep soundly for 8+ hours, so this was very disturbing for daytime energy. Even now, without the hot flashes, I am unable to sleep through the night.

My blood pressure had always been 110/70, but it skyrocketed. I had never been overweight, but I gained about 20 pounds. In my early 60’s I tried whole food plant-based eating and it has helped immensely. I’ve never been pregnant, never tried hormone therapy, didn’t know about alternatives. I do enjoy the freedom of age and agency. I learned and practice the Feldenkrais Method, which gives knowledge and practical responsibility about life as well as body flexibility, so I’m optimistic about finding solutions. I’ve found, though, that many others don’t like my newfound self-assurance. If someone complains about the way I look, I just say that they don’t have to look at me.

Appliance stores (not big-box) are an excellent source for cardboard. It is heavy, no tape and available in large quantities, though you likely need a truck for transporting. Use a heavy duty knife to cut. For pathways, I’d use several layers of cardboard beneath many inches of wood chips. I’m a proponent of using raw wool fleece as mulch, and if you have lots of it available, this might be another use for it, under the cardboard and wood chips. Shepherds who raise meat sheep are a source. Wool will decompose over time.

I suffered every year from May until frost in October. Decongestants often dried me so much I got sinus infections. A saline nose spray gave a bit of relief. About fifteen years ago, in January I began eating a whole food plant-based diet. Then, in July, I realized I had no seasonal allergy symptoms! None since then. I attribute it to not having dairy. It can take several months for dairy to be cleared from your body, so have patience. Fortunately, there are now so
many non-dairy alternatives available that the benefits of no more miserable “hay fever” far outweigh the cautions.

I’m working on a much smaller scale, in south central Penn, with fruit trees and shrubs and hugelkultur beds for vegetables. In the past, plastic crumbled into irretrievable bits, contaminating the soil. Now, open areas are covered with heavy cardboard from an appliance store and wood chips. My experiment now with mulch is using raw wool fleeces. I’ve partnered with a farmer who raises sheep for meat and has little use for the yearly-sheared fleeces. The wool will provide a cover for weeds, retain moisture, and break down over time, adding nutrients to the soil. Last year I spread wool under apple trees and around newly planted trees and berry shrubs. I used wool as mulch under tomato plants in the new hugel beds and didn’t need to water. This year, I’m using it as mulch for flowers, too. Finding a source for wool can benefit the shepherds, too, enabling them to not burn or trash the wool.

Will the composition of the concrete blocks harm the soil? If not, you could use them to fill in groundhog holes.

I’ve been using raw wool as mulch under fruit trees and garden plants. It is from sheep raised for meat and is filthy, which is good for decomposition. I’ve wondered about using it for insulation and other clean purposes. Instead of the wool being fluffy and settling, my inclination is toward felting. There is a video of “box felting” in which raw wool is cleaned during the felting process. The lanolin is retained, making it water resistant. There are also videos of rug making. On a larger scale, perhaps wool can be laid out and stomped on for felting and cleaned with water, but not soap. Shoes with spikes would help felting, like a crude needle felting. There is a US company that creates wool pellets for soil amendment, especially for containers to retain water. Probably too costly for insulation, but they wouldn’t compress. Just some ideas for experimentation. I think finding uses for this typically waste wool is good work.