The aging homesteader

Hmmmm.....don't know if this may be pointing to a new forum or sub-forum on stroke and recovery in general?  Mine arrived with the New Year....seems to fall into the category of 'slow progressive stroke' and briefly detailed here for the benefit of others.  It started New Year's weekend, by recollection on Saturday or Sunday evening.  Slight tingling in left hand noticeably while typing.  Next *day* was fine, but the following night it was there again.....along with slight numbness in left leg.  As many rural dwellers might do, I assumed pinched nerve or having layed or slept on that side wrong along with perhaps pulling a muscle while swinging the splitting maul or moving endless mounds of snow about.  Started the work week with the same pattern.....numbness as I fell asleep at night, being fine by day.  Until about Tuesday when doing okay at work, but no longer as 'fine' as before.  With the usual poor foresight, I waited until that evening, with a large blizzard moving in, to contact a few physician relatives.  They calmly assured me that I should have paid the ER a visit, like, 3 days prior!....and that I should get myself there ASAP.  Which I had to answer with "When the storm passes....".  Clear access throught the drifting for the truck wasn't available until Thursday evening, but it had already dropped to -20F by the time I had busted through with the tractor, so it was going to be the next day.  For various other reasons, it was not until 5 pm Friday evening that I was finally stretched out and ready for blood work, vitals, CT and MRI scans, all of which confirmed the suspected....ischemic stroke in the basal ganglia on right side causing the left side light paralysis, loss of coordination and deficit in balance.  From Tuesday up to this point, I had progressed from a slight limp to a now exagerated limp while still being able somewhat to use my left arm in assisting my right arm in tasks.  Although I've recovered amazingly much function since that time (inflammation in the area of the brain lesion caused much of the symptom expression in my case.....with natural reduction in the swelling, faculties returned to function to a certain extent),  the 'rewiring' phase will be in swing for many months as new roles are mapped onto old synapses and neurons that had other prior tasks.  Even with the family/genetic/behavioral risks that conspired in bringing this on, I feel fortunate to have made it this far with the therapists very optimisitic about future degrees of recovery.

One thing I'm left wondering for the Permie-type as I reflect upon this incident is what I might have done differently at first notice of the numbness.  I've not really found good answers on the internet other that "get to your local ER!....".  It just seems like for many who might for various reasons not have....or not desire.....rapid access to current health care
services, there might be some protocol of physical/nutritional/herbal treatment to engage with at first signs of onset that may alleviate downstream severity of the stroke results.  Clot busters would be a main treatment adminsitered at an ER for many or most presenting there with acute stroke symptoms;.....is there some non-ER equivalent or substitute that perhaps others have heard of?  Seems like this will be an important topic for many aging Permies.  Best wishes to all struggling with this in themselves and the loved ones in their care.

John F Dean wrote:  We had already taken positive steps to make the property more accessible.  

It's amazing how important that is, and how many homes I see where people have spent piles of money on landscaping, assuming they'll never be on crutches or in a wheelchair. We're *all* one car accident away from needing an easy and safe way into our houses!

Prioritizing is always an issue.  So, I need to invest now in appropriate changes that were already on my short list ....the walk in tub, chair lift to the basement, ramps and sidewalks.  

It's hard when you have to make decisions that balance finances and needs. So much depends on the house design you're working with, and the personality and choices of the occupants, as to how to make the tougher choices. A friend of the family had a wasting illness and they stayed in their bungalow as long as possible, but finally opted to move to a condo and I think the big push was to avoid slippery doorsteps and snow! The house had been bought when they had 4 teens/preteens at home, so as much as they loved it, it was time to move on.

To all those concerned, my wife is home and baking bread.   My issue is preparing for and addressing those problems coming in the future.  

John W.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I could see myself shrugging off a little tingling. I've already had one experience with random tingling on one side of my body. I went to the ER and had full head/neck MRI and the result was my first and only migraine (I had a horrible corporate job and the stress was...bad). I had no idea a migraine could do that. My nurse said that her migraines would occasionally cause paralysis on one side of her body.  

One aspect of a stroke is that it can impact decision making and risk assessment. There are certain signs that shouldn't be ignored and yet at times people do. I didn't realize that a stroke could come on slowly. Usually you think about a sudden change in symptoms. This slow progression is really important and I appreciate you sharing it with us.

None of us want to be over-reactive about symptoms, and the fact is, going to hospital is admitting that it might be something serious. I've held off on going to the ER when I was having a really nasty AFib episode. I was wearing a heart monitor at the time and the monitoring company called and said to get to the ER NOW. I debated about it but finally went. Two years and two surgeries later I am a new woman.

I think a new thread about stroke would be a good idea. There are a lot of us older permies and those that aren't so old may have family members who are. Personally, I think if someone is showing signs of a stroke, the ER is the only option. I love natural medicine and herbs and all they can do but sometimes you need the big guns for critical care. My preference is taking those herbs and doing other treatments before a stroke happens. I'm also interested in recovery and remapping/rewiring of the brain. Our bodies can be so amazing at recovering.

John Dean, glad to hear she's making bread. Good way to work off the stress of the day. Give her a hug for me.

My goodness, John and John, my heart goes out to each of of you!

This is certainly a wake up call for all of us, not just us aging homesteaders….


I do think we can put our heads together to research and compile a collection of strategies for prevention and best early responses to the onset of stroke symptoms, maybe how to tell if you are having a stroke.  

And when we are done with stroke maybe we can take on the other manifestations of cardiovascular disease.

Does such a thread belong here or is there a better place for it?

Hi Thekia,

To me it is connected to aging ......yes, I do realize some much younger folks have had strokes.   When I was much younger, I worked with an older gentleman.  His catchphrase was, “ Growing old ain’t for sissies.”   He was right.

This is not meant to be alarmist, but just adding to the discussion within the context of the COVID pandemic.  Note in the following link that COVID appears different than influenza as an increased risk factor in stroke and heart attack.  It was something I brought up with the ER doc and they confirmed with regard to our own local (US, Northern Plains states) population.  

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/covid-19-diagnosis-raises-risk-of-heart-attack-stroke#:~:text=In%20one%20of%20the%20largest,COVID%2D19%20diagnosis.

I'm hoping to see from one health-directed institution or another some future guidlines that may address this potentially broader incidence in the general population.

John, that's a very interesting article and they point to increased inflammation as the source of the heart attack and stroke risk. And they see the same type of increase with influenza so it's more of a generalized inflammatory response that causes problems.

For me, the focus would then be on taking a bunch of anti-inflammatory herbs, supplements and foods if I was infected. I don't see a down side to doing this during recovery. We eat pretty healthy and take quite a few anti-inflammatory supplements already but it's good to know how dangerous increased inflammation can be.

More breaks, more naps.  More trips, lighter loads.  Two wheel wheelbarrow is a godsend.  Know my strengths and weaknesses and have the humility to admit to them and adjust accordingly.  Stairs are deadly, more and deeper steps and smaller riser heights, or ramps where possible.  Face reality and have the humility to ask for help when needed.  Stay the heck away from ladders - I used to scamper up and down forty foot ladders no problem, now even an eight foot ladder is extremely uncomfortable for me.  ICE powered machines are more dangerous than people think, I refuse to increase my dependence on them (plus ICEs are a royal pain in the rear to maintain).  I am willing to accept getting less accomplished instead for the sake of personal safety.  I have known quite a few people in my days who ended up under an overturned tractor, pureed by a chainsaw, or tangled up in a drill press, sheave belt, or PTO.  I got no time for that...

Finally, set smaller goals.  Mentally speaking, it is better to adjust goals downward and meet most of them than set lofty goals and fail to achieve them on a constant basis.  Aging is a mental as well as physical game...

Sorry, I need to confirm ICE = internal combustion engine?

I'm in my mid-30's and slowed down just a bit from my 20's but still enjoy reading through this thread to pick up bits and pieces on how to make jobs easier. I'm realizing that anything I can do now to take better care of my body will give me better odds of continuing to do physical work in later years. Just because I can lift a heavy log and carry it 40 feet now, doesn't mean I should!  

Hi Ryan,
Interesting question; just because I can ….

I think the key is to work smarter not harder at every age.

I listen to a podcast called the drive, hosted by Peter Attia who is a physician concerned, preoccupied, maybe even obsessed with longevity.

The name of his podcast is particularly apt, as he is driven to athletic performance, accuracy, ethics and other qualities which make him a reliable source for up to date medical and physiological information and practices.  He talks about training for “the centenarians’ olympics”.  The events that will be important when he gets that old…..  so he has a sense of humor too.

Anyway, if lifting a heavy log is easy for you, or challenges you but does not endanger you, then why stop?  Enjoy the power of your youthful body!  Why not?  As much as possible don’t let the surfeit of testosterone cloud your judgement  and become “testosterone poisoning”.  

Start now, if you haven’t already, to make health and longevity your highest priorities, and train for the centenarian olympics 😊

Would imagine this is why people a few hundred years ago would have dozens of children. Ensure survival through illness and disaster as well as have someone to care for them instead of being pawned off to retirement homes.

I bumped into a relatively isolated small German community a few years back.  An older person I spoke to still stuck with the view that the oldest son inherited the land. The youngest daughter remained unmarried and stayed home to look after the parents.

John F Dean wrote:I bumped into a relatively isolated small German community a few years back.  An older person I spoke to still stuck with the view that the oldest son inherited the land. The youngest daughter remained unmarried and stayed home to look after the parents.

Funny how it never gets mentioned who looks after the youngest daughter when she's old??? As a "youngest daughter", that one always worried me a little!

In that community I know of one case where the youngest daughter went to college.  She then came home with her new husband. They lived together until the mother died.  

To directly respond to your observation, while I do understand the practical side of the dynamics, everyone was pretty well screwed except the oldest son.  It could be said that even he could end up on the wrong side of things.  

John F Dean wrote:To directly respond to your observation, while I do understand the practical side of the dynamics, everyone was pretty well screwed except the oldest son.  It could be said that even he could end up on the wrong side of things.  

I hear you. I friend of mine's sister was the only one of 4 kids who had any interest/ability to do serious farming, and the Dad refused to give her the land. My friend moved back to the area to help her parents to the extent she could as she has a disability herself. We're not sure how the whole business is going to play out in the end, but we expect the farm will be sold and the 2 boys will likely get the majority of the money. "Tradition" can be a good thing, or sometimes, a not so good thing!

Yea, that is a pretty common pattern.   The person who spends a good deal of their life taking care of the parents ends up with the least.  

In Illinois, it is common for wills to have clauses that prevent the land from being sold by the person who inherits it.

John - What do they do with it if not wanted? I guess they can always lease it out. Sometimes people can be silly. It's silly to think that you can control people after you die and even before it's not good.

It can get messy.  Sometimes it can be sold to another family member.   Leasing is also possible.   I know of one place that is falling apart because no one wants it.  I suspect this includes the county because I doubt if taxes are being paid.   The key problem is the thinking behind the terms of the deed.   I might be able to force ownership on my children, but I doubt if I can influence the great grand children of my children as much.

Inheritance by the oldest; a holdover from feudal times.

These days, not so many  follow that practice, Its staid and unnecessary.  The land, or at least a portion of it, should  also go to the youngest, especially if they are the ones who stay to care for the elders. There was a right huge mess when my grandmother was old and my mom, the youngest, ended up taking care of her. and then circumstances happened where things got messy, and she ended up with nothing and was kicked to the curb.

I am all for either letting the child or grandchild who wants to work the land, do so. If no one wants it, sell it to someone who will. Split the money equally among the heirs.  Doing the inheritance thing just because  a child is firstborn, and expecting the youngest to step in later on and get nada, no...it wasn't a good practice when the 'nobility' practiced it, and still not a good practice now.

Does anyone use birdie beds? Like these:

We have made our own in the past and they're rotting, which is fine. And replacing them, now is okay. But in another 10 years, I think these things will be true: I will need higher beds than we have now and won't be able to move/deal with all the dirt, lift the wood, etc. that's required to replace the beds the way we had before.

So, we were thinking about buying ONE birdie bed to see how we like it. They are expensive. The one I linked to is I think more than the one we were looking at. We also considered a stock tank, but have no way to retrieve same if we bought it. (No truck or van.)

https://www.gardeners.com/buy/birdies-tall-modular-corrugated-metal-raised-bed/8610174.html?

I'm turning 50 this fall, and hope I still have a lot of healthy years in me, but there are two things that help me remember to plan. My brother had a stroke (caused by an aneurism) a few weeks shy of his 39th birthday. Luckily he received prompt intervention and made a full medical recovery.  And when I was 30 I had twins! I'm not a large person, and luckily neither is the father of my children. So finding myself pregnant with two healthy babies at the same time, gave me a taste of what mobility issues can be like. I couldn't reach my feet to tie my shoes or wash them. I had to use a seat in the shower. I also was extremely short of breath as my belly ranged from my pubic bone right up to the edge of my rib cage. At that moment, I decided if I ever built a bathroom--it would be accessible.  It's so much harder to modify then to just build an accessible bathroom from the start.

Hi Jennie,

I use raised beds of my own design that are about 4ft by 8 ft and 2ft tall.  

Hi Melissa,

If anyone doubts your wisdom, they need to speak with someone who works on an ambulance.  Bathroom doors need to be wide.  A friend of mine built an underground home.   I was surprised to see at all his interior doors were a full 42 inches wide.   He had a background in health care and knew the challenges emergency workers face.

Jennie Little wrote:Does anyone use birdie beds? Like these:

We have made our own in the past and they're rotting, which is fine. And replacing them, now is okay. But in another 10 years, I think these things will be true: I will need higher beds than we have now and won't be able to move/deal with all the dirt, lift the wood, etc. that's required to replace the beds the way we had before.

So, we were thinking about buying ONE birdie bed to see how we like it. They are expensive. The one I linked to is I think more than the one we were looking at. We also considered a stock tank, but have no way to retrieve same if we bought it. (No truck or van.)

https://www.gardeners.com/buy/birdies-tall-modular-corrugated-metal-raised-bed/8610174.html?

I never heard of such a thing, thought you were talking about a bed to sleep in!  I followed the link and saw the metal raised bed.  It looks a lot like a stock tank.  Have you considered those?  They might be cheaper, or there might be a perforated one for cheap or free through freecycling, or Craig’s list.

Talking of strokes...  A few years ago, at the age of 44, my eldest son had a massive stroke.  Now, he does not drink, does not smoke, does not do drugs, is fussy about his diet and eats only clean,  organic food.  He is active and sporty, trains everyday in Taichi and Wuchu, swims, runs for pleasure, not as an endurance test.   He does not go to the gym to excessively work out, it's not his thing.  At least, that is what he used to do.

Yet, while surfing on the Gold Coast in Australia: Wham!  It happened.  Lucky for him, he  was just coming back and at he edge of the beach when he collapsed.  Had it occured  while on his board further out to sea, we probably would have lost him.  To this day, doctors don't know why it happened.

The left side of his face collapsed, his speech was badly affected.  His left arm was useless, and his left foot had gone weak, hardly supporting him.  When he was repatriated to the UK he spent many months in hospital and many more in rehab.  His entire flat had to be re-conceived to accommodate a "handicapped" person.  Even if he had been in his 60's, I don't think he would have even considered installing ramps, handles, and all sorts paraphernalia in his flat, just in case.

What I am trying to say is that, it is not the premise of the old only.  As fit as he was, he certainly did not see this one coming!  Neither did we.  I think you can of course plan for all sorts of things, but life sure can throw you a curved ball when you least expect it.  Anything could happen to any one at any time, you can't prepare for everything.

I am in my seventies now and just started a new Permaculture project 3 years ago.  Of course I am adapting to a slower pace of life and acknowledging my limitations but apart from a few minor adaptations, I have not considered preparing or changing anything major in my house for: just in case.  My son and I have learned to deal with traumas and set backs on a day to day basis. He lives in London, I am in France and we acknowledge every new day as God's gift and we are grateful for the sheer appreciation of each and every one of them.  If anything else happens, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

We should have named our new homestead/farm :Ass Backwards Acres"! It went like this:
*bought 35 acres, mostly undeveloped, unused for about 30 years hilly land. It was 1 1/2 to 2 hrs away.
*got a used camper to stay in during the process.
*next purchased a Polaris after we walked the perimeter and thought we'd die before we were done. We were in our mid 60s and fairly sedentary at the time.
*bought container to keep Polaris and generator in by the camper.
*bought steel barn and scheduled install. It wouldn't take long to put in a road.
*we had visions of a nice little homestead with cabin plunked in the middle. Easy peasy. Peace and quiet.
*put in a road/driveway during one of the wettest winters at approximate cost of $12k, as we stood and watched our crushed rock sink in mud, load after load. Rescheduled barn build more than once!
*started deciding type of home to build, tractor to buy, etc.
*got tired of 'deciding' and bought log cabin kit.
* of course as our son put it, 'we're an hour from everything'! So took a while to find contractor. I'm just glad we found one.
*found a good deal on tractor so got it, even though didn't need it yet. So locked it with Polaris in barn.
*want list: barn cats, farm dog, chickens, goats, blah, blah, blah.
*over previous couple years we bought things like canner, sun oven, small solar pv system, started collecting canning jars, Berky water filter, extra filters, dual fuel generator etc.
*finally started moving in. Met most of our great neighbors. By this time I was so exhausted I only unpacked what we HAD to have. That was 6 months ago.
*one nice neighbor had kitten show up at their house. Sure, we'll take it for barn. We had no kitten stuff, and it was a cold winter in unheated steel barn. I heated up a 6x9 patio paver 2 or 3 times a day and took it to the barn for him. Sucker! Lolol.
*had a humongous oak fall which made some nice firewood, plus guy who put in road left us pile of hardwood. Took one or two whacks with the ax and watched for sale on wood splitter!
*saw an ad for some buff orpington pullets. Hard to find them around here. So we had 3 weeks to get fence around a shed and buy some chicken supplies and get set up.
*we bought some young trees and perennials to plant, with nowhere to plant them. Some are still in containers on porch. For the rest we unrolled part of roll of woven wire fence,threw down some hay and planted.
*while looking for goats we changed our minds for dexter cattle. It took months to find some I deemed worth the cost. Cow/calf and 1 yr old steer. Awesome! Oops! Nowhere to put them. Guess we need to get butts in gear and put up fence cuz they were to be delivered in 6 days.
*I won't go into that whole story other than to say, one more time of doing it bass ackwards! Buy posts, wire, energizer etc. Luckily we have around 8 acres of really nice grass. We've  still been working after dark putting up fencing for paddocks. They're easy going so they don't mind.
*in the middle of that I got to where I couldn't stand up or breath well and was super tired. Went to cardiologist and he says "I don't know what you're doing here". I thought well thanks for nothing. Then he says "you should be in hospital "!  He changed some medication and I'm better. At least I don't feel so guilty about slacking off work.
*we did happen to buy a dog kennel and haven't got a dog yet. We probably won't put it together until we bring home a dog!
*we harvested several buckets of black walnuts and I can't find my big spackle/paint mixer that goes on my drill. I've seen it since we moved but don't remember where.
*in all fairness, when you find what you want and price is right...as they say, make hay while the sun shines!
It beats sitting in rocking chair doing nothing. Although that is nice on occasion.
40 yrs old didn't bother me. Neither did 50 or 60. But when I was close to 69, it hit me. OMG! I'm almost 70! That's old. Remind me. My memory is slipping. Why did we buy this property?

More pix

Kay, You’re singing my song, just a different version.  It looks to me like you are right on schedule!

I just bought (another) distressed property, it’s my 3rd, and I appear to be trading up.  72 this year, and I wonder if I am nuts.  But not really.  It’s interesting to observe the process of change with in my self, attitude, values, priorities.

Doing good so far, and it’s not boring.

A little worried about winter, but that’s just because I am good at worrying.  Other people call it worrying, but to me it’s a matter of giving something careful consideration.  

Thanks for the great story!  I laughed and laughed!

Thekla, I completely understand! I love real estate and derelict houses and barns. My Dad thinks we're nuts for buying this place.
He asked what we're going to do with so much acreage. I told him nothing! We have zero yard so nothing to mow. A little weed eating.
It's kind of a "nowhere to go and all day to get there" deal. We want to clean up some brushy areas and improve or make some trails and view points. But what gets done gets done and what doesn't, doesn't.  No worry, no hurry.
And then, when we die, it's the kids' problem. Lolololol!

I am nearly 73 and my gas chainsaw died.   After exploring the options, I settled on an electric.   While I appreciate the power of a gas fired saw, I figured I wanted something I could operate when I was 80 and older.

I got one of those too! Lolol. I can't pull start either of the "real" chainsaws. So got an Echo. I last about as long as the battery. So it works out pretty well. They're light weight even with the battery.

We won't be cutting down any large trees, but it's great for the small stuff, cutting off branches and brush.

When I bought mine, I could buy a complete new Echo tool for a few dollars more than a spare battery. Recently went to try that again and they've raised the prices so now it's a better deal to just buy a battery.

I am finishing up with my waterline/ electrical project.   I have water and electricity to my barn, corrals, chickens, and high tunnel.   Hopefully, that will lower my long term work load.

John,

I wish! We do have our well plumbed into the cabin. And have loooonnnng hoses running down to garden and up to barn. Hope to get it plumbed over next year or two. We also have a spring to develop and want to collect rain water.

Our priority at moment is finish fencing and the larger solar power system. Both big projects and I'm not fully up to par yet, so it's slow going. And the power line is going to need buried from the panels up to the cabin. That'll be close to 200 feet. Ugh!

Keep going! You're an inspiration. We both turn 70 in the first half of 2023.

I’m 74 and husband is 80,  He just bought a new sawmill last year and seems more determined than ever to work harder, faster and build more stuff.  Cut hundreds of trees, some 160 feet tall, so most required cabling to get them to fall safely.  We just can’t work that hard anymore,   We are both realizing limitations and the need for adequate rest.  Almost a year ago we dropped the edge of a 100 pound plus board on my feet, and I wasn’t exactly wearing good boots.  Didn’t break but did some damage.  Then a week later, moving a bundle of 4 heavy cattle panels and did the same thing, right on the instep of both my feet.  Moving too fast, in a hurry.  Too much to do.  Still having problems walking and a lot of pain in my feet, but I manage the best I can considering the amount of walking I do several times a day feeding livestock, garden chores, up and down stairs, etc.  Husband was recently painting an outbuilding and fell off the makeshift, wobbly scaffold, almost right on top of me.  The five gallon bucket of red paint fell on top of our heads and drenched both of us.  At least I broke his fall.  Seemed like he fell like a feather, as I was seeing everything in slow motion.  He rolled because he knew how to fall without so much damage to the body, but did hit his forehead on a pile of sawn boards.  Gashed his head pretty badly, anyone else would have required stitches, but we did a butterfly bandage and some of my healing salve and it healed without even a scar.  He didn’t even have so much as a bruise but was a little sore next day.  He’s getting pretty wobbly on his feet and falls down a lot anyway.  No level ground here in these mountains and rocks everywhere.  

I made him promise me he would never get on the scaffold again, or even a high ladder.  If anything high needs work, I’ll do it, or someone can come here and help us.  However, good help is almost impossible to find.  It is usually easier to do it ourselves than try to fix the damage the hired help does.  Either of us can do most things in a small fraction of the time our hired people can, do a much better job, and we are paying them a lot.  A lot of prioritizing, most things aren’t important enough to risk your life to do them.  Cutting back on livestock.  I’m doing more container gardening, especially things like pole green beans, and grown over a trellis to make picking easier on my hip joints.  Not growing for market anymore, jus a little for ourselves.  Still have pigs, goats, chickens, but not so many and probably will stop doing pigs soon.  They are pretty high maintenance, damaging gates and fences and getting in the garden.  However, did a nice job of tilling the garden for us, even if they did eat all the sunchokes in two locations.   If our fences/gates had been more secure, they would not have damaged them; however, we don’t have the strength now to stretch tight fences, especially up the side of the mountain, and put in all those big corner posts for gates to swing from.  

We still cut all our own firewood and heat exclusively with wood.  We don’t work 20 hours a day, six or sometimes seven days a week anymore.  We often take a nap in the daytime, especially when we’ve had trouble sleeping at night.  I think we overworked ourselves so much for the past several years, it’s going to take some time to catch up on rest, and let our bodies heal.  

We love living on the land and would not have it any other way, so I’m sure we’ll do some form of modified homesteading as long as we live.  

Hi Faye,

Like a fool, I am still expanding, but I am using some sense.  I am making certain that each paddock has a gate large enough to get a tractor through ….. some don’t.  

The falls are a major concern to me. Your husband may want to consider some kind of helmet/ hat,  It might be a good idea to monitor vital signs if you aren’t already.

From your comments, you seem to have learned your lesson on the shoes.   I have to admit, I still don’t wear steel toe shoes all the time.  I should.

One huge step I took a couple of years ago was to set aside a few hundred $ a year to bring in hired hand to help with the more dangerous/heavy  stuff.   Hiring the right person is the trick. When I found the right person, I paid him well.   I just bring him in a few days a year.  The cash is much cheaper than a medical bill.  Besides, I figured out how to combine two problems at once. I now pay him with a pig.  I get better than market price/ he gets better than store price.

I raise KuneKune pigs.  I suspect they will be the last livestock to go.  While they are smaller than some other pigs. They don’t seem to get into as much trouble.   The last liter we are allowing to free range.   They are accepting our guidance as to where they are allowed to go.  Of course, anywhere within 80 feet of the garden is off limits.  When we call them, they come at full gallop.  Of course, when they arrive, there is always a small among of grain for them.

Faye,

What a fiasco your string of accidents was.  Here’s hoping that it’s over , at least for a few years!

Your healing salve sounds miraculous!  Do you grow your own herbs?  Do you think it would heal plantar fasciitis through unbroken skin?

(Plantar fasciitis is micro tears in the fascia from sole of foot up around heel, and into Achilles’ tendon.)

Thekla McDaniels wrote:Faye,


Your healing salve sounds miraculous!  Do you grow your own herbs?  Do you think it would heal plantar fasciitis through unbroken skin?

(Plantar fasciitis is micro tears in the fascia from sole of foot up around heel, and into Achilles’ tendon.)

Thekla,
   I don’t know if the Heal All salve alone would work for that, but might be worth a try.   Something with comfrey in it would be best, and also try castor oil, just rub in daily for a month or more.  See it healed in your mind, for mind is the most powerful healer.  Add herbs and you have a very powerful combination.  (I am a naturopath, so tend to look at things holistically.). Yes, I do grow the herbs, or wild forage for them here.  We have lots of things growing wild.  If I can’t find something I just meditate and ask for it, then go out and there it is!  Pretty amazing how that works.  

John,
 Thanks for your kind comments.  I always do vital signs and watch husband closely, for as he often jokingly says, he needs constant supervision.  He takes too many risks if I’m not watching.  With a head injury, always check for brain trauma, in ears for bleeding, tracking eyes and to see if pupil dilation is equal in both eyes.