A time for change

Since my husband's motorcycle accident, which resulted in a badly broken arm, back on September 2, he has been feeling that he needs a change in his life. Unsure whether is was geographical, spiritual, or job related. So we have been praying about it and haven't gotten any clear signs yet but I had an inspiration that we should start with a change in our diet. Since both of us are overweight and all attempts at losing have failed, I said let's try that Blood Type Diet. Now this diet was introduced to us by my daughter Angela a few years ago. Curt had tried it along with exercise and had lost 30 pounds but then gradually went back to his old habits. So we are going to try and gradually work our way into it after we use up some of the foods we have and gradually replace them with foods that we should be eating. I found it a little amusing that two items that both Curt and I can have on our diets are rice and pinto beans. This is what my children ate all the time while in college and even now. They always were better at taking care of their bodies than I was. I think I have learned more things from my children then I ever taught them. They really are quite amazing children and I love them dearly. We could use all your prayers for our quest for better health.

It's that time of year

I have two great apple trees in my back yard and even though they can be a source of a lot of work, they can also be a source of enjoyment. This week I have finally started on that daunting task of making use of all the thousands of apples I have. On Wednesday my mom asked me to help her shut down her cabin on Spiritwood Lake and take out all the parishables and close it up for the winter. So to pay me back she stayed and helped me with my first batch of applesauce. This year, thanks to my daughter Amy, I have a Victorio strainer which allows me to not have to peel or core the apples but just put the apples in the device, after quartering them and cooking them for a few minutes, start cranking and soon have wonderfully smooth applesauce. Of course, my children like my chunky version also so on Thursday I made 4 quarts of the old fashion kind. Unfortunately, this is only the start of many more quarts and pints of apple wonders. I am going to venture out to apple butter and apple pie filling this year also. Who knows I may even try jelly and cider. The possibilities are endless. But for today my husband has requested apple pie so I best be on my way.

He's still working on me

Yesterday on my walk I saw a beer can on the path and thought "I should pick that up but I have nothing to carry it in". And then I noticed a crumpled up piece of plastic and upon closer inspection found it to be an empty ice bag. So began my trash collection for the rest of my walk. By the time I got home I not only had the bag full but a 32 oz. fountain drink cup and a discarded Taco bell take out sack full of trash. It reminded me of another time I was on a walk and noticed some trash and thought I should always bring a bag to collect trash and then I saw "the ram in the bush", a plastic WalMart bag. I chuckled and said "OK, God, I get the hint". He really does supply all our needs. And that day I had the bag ready to split open by the time I got home. It made me realize that God really does care that we make the effort to take care of the earth. Now if I was really a good steward I would have sorted out all the tin cans, plastic bottles and paper and recycled but I haven't evolved that far yet. I'm still a work in progress.