Kim Wills

"Eat as closely to Nature as possible" is my motto.
Lately I've been roasting chickpeas as a snack, and I was pleasantly surprised how much a frozen banana (with a few other ingredients; there are many recipes online) can emulate ice cream as a healthy sweet treat.
I also LOVE kale chips. Break the leaves into pieces the size of a business card or smaller, drizzle oil & salt on them, mush them around to coat them all, and spread them on a baking sheet & put them in the oven low & slow until they're crispy. You may want to turn some or all of them, especially to make sure they don't fall flat on the pan and burn; just turn them upside down or make them lean on others.

My tomato sauce comes out differently every time. We usually sautee diced peppers & onions & garlic, and maybe add other veggies like zucchini, or even chopped greens. We use a large can (28oz) of diced tomatoes, some tomato paste or a can of tomato sauce (not marinara with ingredients; just canned tomato made into a sauce texture), and let it simmer. If you want it thicker, use an immersion blender to puree some amount of it. I also add a can of red or kidney beans because I don't eat meat, so it adds protein. We like the sauce chunky. You can use typical Italian spices, but honestly I think you'll just have to experiment, and write down everything each time so you can repeat it or change it.

And I highly recommend (to everyone) that in your mission to eat healthier, to try switching to pastas & breads that are as whole-grain as possible. Also try brown rice instead of white, and try new grains that are whole grains. Mix them in with processed (white) at first if you're not used to it, and increase the proportion. Many people do great with cooking at home, but if they are eating 1-2 servings of white flour products at every meal, well, that's a processed food people don't think about.

I do not have shoes under my bed; I am not in an earthquake zone, though the place I just lived for 13 years was prone to flooding (New Jersey, USA; we get the tail end of hurricanes and are at sea level in an overly paved part of the state). I didn't realize that I have been more prepared for emergencies than I thought. I thought everyone had enough canned/dry goods for at least a month, and kept their most important documents in one safe place so they can be grabbed.

When Hurricane Sandy was coming (2012) I knew that my house had flooded all around, the whole neighborhood, for far weaker storms. So I left ahead of time, with my car full of: a tote box of family photos & my mother's jewelry; important papers; my laptop; clothing; and enough food & water for 2 people for 10 days. I went to stay with my boyfriend's family in an area that never flooded. I simply left all that in my car unless it was needed (I shared some of the food & water). The house I was in (with 13 people total!) lost electricity for about 2 weeks, but my own house got it back sooner so I was able to go back to my own home after all. The supermarkets were bare for over a week; some items longer. People were standing on long lines with gas cans at gas stations.

I have always been grateful to know when hurricanes are coming. Earthquakes are a whole other ballgame. Tornadoes, too; although they are seen coming they seem unpredictable and you don't have much time to act.

We just took ours down 2 days ago. It only went up December 23rd due to some difficult times lately, and we didn't finish decorating until the 25th. Like someone else here, we had a rough time in our household, but to them and anyone else who needs it, please accept my wishes that 2026 brings ease, good health, and comfort!
Most years we get a real tree in mid-December and leave it up til mid-January or longer. We also have a village with lots of houses and other pieces, but it's rare we put them all out at once. It's still up.

In general, lacto-fermentation needs about a week to begin. Before that, various microbes are still fighting it out to see who will win. I know nothing about dextra-anything, but I learned a lot about the general topic in a microbiology class and I've been fermenting all sorts of vegetables for almost 10 years. I usually don't do sweet things except carrots along with other more typical veggies like green beans.

Sandor Katz at that site is far more of an expert than I am, so listen to him, but my input is what I learned in school and from experience: the "good bacteria" (lactobacillus types, in this case) don't form in any worthwhile numbers for our health until a few weeks, or even a month if you can wait that long and can enjoy the veggies at that stage of flavor. Longer is better, though beyond a couple months is debatable as to whether the probiotics are still growing, and things get pretty mushy over time. For sauerkraut and most veggies I wait at least a month.

The bacteria we want is found in dirt, which means it's on the outside of your veggies, so just lightly rinse them off. Don't peel anything if you can help it. You won't need to use any juice from previous batches or whey if your salt ratio is good. I only use juice from previous batches on something that won't have any dirt on it, like when I made mustard. I put the usual sauerkraut ratio of salt & water, but I also put some previous juice to get it started because I have no idea how the mustard seeds I bought in a bag were grown or washed or how long they were dried out for, so I had to assume there'd be no good bacteria on it and it'd have to come from somewhere.

Phil Stevens wrote:Your photos of the garden position sun path taken in early October will also work for early March, which might be useful in terms of prep and early planting with cloches, etc. You've obviously put some thought into this.

oooh! Thanks! I didn't realize that. And yeah, I put a super-lot of thought into most things; it can be a curse. Now I'll go looking up diagrams of the sun & earth rotating and revolving each month instead of doing bills or something, lol

Kevin Olson wrote:Another tactic of mine is (as was mentioned up thread) to have a cup of coffee (or tea, if you prefer - pick your poison!).  I mostly drink coffee, though I have been drinking green tea most every day for the EGCG, which is supposed to help with autophagy; I dunno if it works, but that's the rumor.  Since people in Asia have drinking it since time out of mind, I doubt it will hurt me, in any case.

To this, add a generous dollop of heavy whipping cream.  Don't be shy about it.

The heavy cream provides some good fats, with a bit of metabolic staying power, but without much impact on blood sugar, and the little bump of caffeine is a pick-me-up and mental re-focusser (at least for me, your mileage may indeed vary).  I don't imagine there's much caffeine in the coffee I usually drink; it's arabica, and dark roasted, both of which tend to be lower in caffeine.  Empirically, I know that other coffee offers more of a jolt - I had some old Cafe Bustelo around, made myself a cup a few weeks ago, and felt pretty jittery afterwards.

Anyway, adding some heavy cream to coffee is another of my go-tos, now so ingrained by force of habit that I hardly think about it.  I used to only drink my coffee black, but found that having a cup or two with heavy cream in the AM helped me to make it without snacking until lunch time.  Now, I just do it habitually.  I buy heavy cream by the quart, which lasts me for a couple of weeks, or a bit less.  The fat calories also help me to maintain body weight while on my particular brand of low-carb diet, which can be a challenge.

1 - It's not just a rumor; there are hundreds of studies on green tea and EGCG. I did a small research paper on it for school (nutrition degree). Consuming the whole leaf is always better, but as a tea it is definitely useful, and as a tea it's better than a capsule of just one constituent of the tea (EGCG). The more "whole" of any food, the better. I ordered a high quality matcha in order to consume the whole leaf (it's basically finely ground tea leaves) but it's kinda disgusting (to me, I cringe at bitter), so I mix it with sugar & lemon juice for a nice refreshing iced tea lemonade. Or, you could have your tea the Chinese way: Put the leaves right in your mug and when one finds its way to your mouth, just eat it.

2 - Heavy cream: do you also eat food for breakfast or is that coffee you described your only breakfast? Not judging, just curious, in fact, I don't *really* care, lol, my point is that fats & protein help us feel full, so for the OP (if you're reading), I know I can feel the difference if I eat fat & protein for breakfast versus a breakfast of just carbs (this applies to any meal). If I eat something that includes fat & protein I feel fuller and don't need to eat until the usual human timeframe of about 5 hours later. If I eat a small meal of mostly carbs (like people who have a donut or a bagel or cereal) I soon start feeling like I need more food.

So make sure every meal has a serving of fat and a serving of protein. Don't be afraid of them; making breakfast the biggest meal is a great strategy that many people use.

My similar situation: I will be buying my family's land soon, and it's 5 hours from where I live. My husband and I go there only 2-3 times a year, but we stay a few weeks each time (in the one room little house already there). Staying overnight is great of course, but the limitation of only a few times a year is harsh as far as observing. One thing I did was take pictures of where my kitchen garden will be, every 1-2 hours over the course of one sunny day. I did it in early October and once in June, but only one day was needed to get valuable information. Why those months? Because that's when I was able to go. The October one will be useful, to see  what kind of sun some late vegetables might get, and to see if greens might be possible into October. Now I know where to plant late veggies so they'll get sun into October. Also, in this last May/June visit, the fields weren't grown much yet, so I was able to walk across them, which is something we never really did in mid summer or fall. I discovered a very long ditch that can't be seen until you're twisting your ankle, lol, so that was useful, and I saw some erosion gullies going downhill, and was able to walk along the property line and I noticed some spots had old barbed wire. I got to know the land.

I guess my point is that even one full day is useful. Show up early and stay as long as you can. Another day show up later and stay as late as you can. And do that at different times of year. Different times of year is just as important (maybe more so) than a string of overnighters all at once. Camp nearby and spend the nicest days on the land. On a rainy day go check out the nearest town, farmer's market, kayaking spots, etc. That's also useful.

I've never used a 2 wheeled one, but I've been thinking of designing and making one (or looking up plans), because I need to choose materials myself. I want one with big wheels for bumpy terrain, but lightweight. I have a hill that isn't super-steep but can be uneven in unexpected places. I'll want to carry hand tools up the hill and into woods, and also carry wood or future crops back out.
I'm now thinking of my childhood baby doll pram, which had springs to act as shock absorbers. I wonder if I could incorporate that, because a regular wheelbarrow moves so clunkily.

Derek Thille wrote: ...This thread also brings to mind to me the 8 forms of capital.  Social capital, or community, can help us get through life events like this.  Spiritual capital is also very important dealing with things like loss.

Hi, I'm curious what you mean by spiritual capital, if you don't mind elaborating a bit.

Either way, like others here I haven't posted here in a while due to grief. When I was in my 20's I thought I had grief checked off on some fictitious list of things people go through or 'master'. My mother died when I was 2, then by the time I was 14 all 4 grandparents and an uncle died. In high school I read about death, and religion, and other cultures, trying to decide what I believed, and trying to make sense of life & death. Fast forward to my 50's (now) and I am currently grieving 5 major things and some in the "other" category. Starting in 2023 while finishing my master's thesis my aunt (who raised me like a 2nd mother) fell ill for about 6 months and died. I myself had 5 respiratory illnesses that year, along with the biggest anxiety I've ever felt (I don't want to say publicly why out of respect for another human who wouldn't like me talking about him), then my father fell ill. He died in 2024, and then my cousin/brother (my aforementioned aunt's son who I spent weekends with and we called each other brother and sister) died in early 2025. That's 3 deaths of very close people, and then there are 2 other very close people who have mental illnesses who have decided to go no-contact with family (ok, fine, it's my son & my brother). Although they are alive, they are not well and they are gone (separately, not together). I lost 5 people in the past 2 years. Among all this, was caring for my dad, now helping out my stepmother, renovating her upstairs to move in with her, cleaning out dumpsters-full and yard sales full of stuff, repairing my childhood home, and selling that. As I type this, I am in my last 2 days in this house. It must be empty in 2 days. I have seen things from my childhood go online for sale, then into the yard sale, then into the free pile, and finally some at the curb for trash. I am mourning 5 people, objects, memories, a house... and I'm allergic to dust doing all this, and my chest hurts. Then I cry and it hurts more.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the lungs are related to grief. I had 5 respiratory illnesses during all that loss. The lung meridian starts in the shoulder. I got "frozen shoulder" last year, which lasts 1-3 years. Mine is mostly gone after 1 year, but still lingering. With frozen shoulder and with grief, there is really nothing to be done except wait... and feel what comes up, and don't do too much (I've put off finding a job because it was all "too much"), but after a vacation coming up I am going to start searching when I get back.

When I was younger I thought, "Why can't we cry on a bus?", meaning, why do we hide our sadness? Why can't it be ok to cry while food shopping, or anywhere, any time? Then we would know how to grieve and help others grieve, if we all saw it all the time growing up; if we let ourselves experience it freely and saw others experiencing it in different ways. I joked that grieving is like farting, lol... it comes out of nowhere and if you're alone you can let it out but if you're in public you have to hope you can keep it in, then maybe it'll come back later or maybe it won't... lol... and if we grow up seeing grief as much as we see other emotions, we could make stupid jokes like that and no one would say, "how dare you compare grief to farting!!", and I'd say, "Lady, I am SO grieving right now, and have experienced so much loss in my life I am HIGHLY qualified to joke amidst grief." I would put on a crown and proclaim that people who are bawling their eyes out are allowed to suddenly bust out laughing at something ridiculous, because emotions can be like a rollercoaster, and "anything goes" when it comes to grief!

Mark Reed wrote:.....The colors in the water and sky were interesting and I liked the little bit of greenery in the foreground. I don't know what the little rectangular thing was, a signature maybe?
 

Looked like a plant holding a cellphone to me, lol!

As for looking at it for 10 minutes, I simply found it too boring, and there was an issue I was trying to figure out about it, but staring at it won't solve that problem so it felt like a waste of time to continue. However, having finished a Bachelor's in Fine Arts and gone to many galleries & had to do many critiques, I know I am capable of spending time with artwork and analyzing it. And for another BS & an MS I'd hyperfocus for 6-10 hours at a time on on topic for many assignments.

I want to ask others about the concern I had, which I couldn't figure out, but I don't want to affect how much time other people might spend on it... hmm...

Ok, SPOILER ALERT that will give you something to look at and figure out, so stop reading after this sentence if you want to look at the picture without knowing what I saw and what intrigued me.... last chance to stop reading, lol... ok, so what I noticed was that the immediate reflection of the town (which I'll call a steeple and 3 smokestacks with a hill in between), was correct, but there was another reflection in the foreground near the plant, which looked like the same reflection but in reverse. Look for the upside down 3 smokestacks and the steeple-shape and then look at the hill, and the other hill.... notice that it's the same layout but backwards. Then there's an additional part of that lower foreground reflection: another building on the right that looks like a factory (with 2 small smokestacks), which, if we imagine the continuation then that building would be on the top left of the painting, but out of view, leaving me wanting to see what would exist on the left portion of the painting, and feeling frustrated about it not existing, like a tease.

PS - You can zoom. I didn't notice the + and - at the top; maybe I would have looked longer if I saw that before. Now I like it better because I can see the brushstrokes.