Vacation Ahead!

Soon we will be heading to the East coast of Canada. We'll be visiting the four Maritime provinces: Newfoundland/Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia & New Brunswick. Everyone raves about the "fall colours", so we'll be expecting to see some pretty fantastic foliage while we're there. Other things we are hoping to experience include some of the world's highest tides in the Bay of Fundy (and maybe whale watching there, too!), the Reversing Falls in Saint John, NB, the world's longest covered bridge in Hartland, NB, Magnetic Hill in Moncton, NB, Anne of Green Gables in Cavendish, PEI, as well as Confederation Bridge (PEI), the Citadel in Halifax, NS, the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, NS, and probably other things as well, like going gemstone hunting on the beaches near Parrsborro, NS, and going to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, NS, as well as Fort Louisburg National Historic Site in Louisburg, NS. Of course, Oktoberfest is on in Lunenburg, NS, so maybe we'll head down there and see the Bluenose II! :) Lots to see, lots to do, and a very limited time to do it all, so we'll see how much we accomplish. It's all about the journey, anyways, so it doesn't matter too much if we don't squeeze all these sites in.

Juicing again today - it would be nice to make it a once-a-week thing. It feels great to be on juices, yet I do get my fair share of, shall we say, concern from well-meaning people in my life about how "healthy" it is.

Yesterday I emptied one of my compost bins that was done and spread the finished compost under the fruit trees (apple, plum), bay leaf tree, and around a special fir tree and huckleberry bush. Two wheelbarrows full came out of the compost, which is great. I'll harvest the other compost bin in the springtime.

Other than that, it's a beautiful sunny (yet cool) autumn day here. Laundry is on the line, I've got all my juices for the day made, dishes are done (dishwasher is STILL broken), and it's the first day of ice skating lessons for the year. Later today I'm hoping to can 20 lbs of peaches, which should be 2 batches (14 1L jars). Yesterday we fixed the deck glass that's been broken for a couple years (had a piece of plywood over the hole) and also the leaking bathroom roof vent (thankfully a quick easy fix, if we've done it right). Very grateful to get some maintenance done around here, especially before 'monsoon season' starts.

Laugh of the day: DS and his buddy were playing outside... a game they made up called Samurai Soccer. If the goalie doesn't do well, the samurai soccer player comes and kills him (they're 8 yr old boys; as much as I try to redirect their play, it always seems to come back to this; as long as it's imaginative play and doesn't include physical contact, I try to let them have a safe outlet for their energy, which yes, includes some play like this). So anyways, Grampa's the unfortunate goalie and says, well, what happens to me if I die? Do I get to become the soccer player and you become the goalie? DS says, oh, well, if you die, you either go to heaven or that other place. His friend says, That other place? DS says, you know, you get to be reborn. Grampa chuckled to himself: so those are my two options, I either go to heaven or I get reborn?! Both good choices!! :) It was too funny.

Colour Therapy/Baths

Nearly all of the following is directly from the Colour Energy Corporation's brochure (www.colourenergy.com) - try a colour bath!! Safe for kids, safe for you, natural, organic, non-toxic...

Colour is pure energy. Each colour of the rainbow has a different frequency and power which reaches you through light rays. Light stimulates oru body's endocrine system, which is connected to our energy centres (chakras). All organs, body systems and functions are connected to these energy centres. Light consists of the seven colour energies: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

Our body absorbs light energy for nourishment on a daily basis. As well, our other senses can receive additional colour energy through a balance of different coloured foods, herbs, vitamins, aromatherapy, sound, minerals, clothing, decor and colour bathing...

Innately our body communicates with water...

Light is our most important energy source and light is an array of colour energies. Each colour has its own language that affects us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

A little info about how each colour may affect us:

Red: Root Chakra - Connects us to our Physical Self, Vitality, Courage, Self-Confidence. Red stimulates life energy. Helps build inner strength, security, vitality and will-power. Red is the grounding colour. Combine with Ylang Ylang or Sandalwood Oils. Gemstones: Blood Jasper, Dalmation Stone, Snowflake Obsidian.

Orange: Spleen Chakra - Connects us to our Emotional Self, Happiness, Confidence, Resourcefulness. Brings joy to our workday and strengthens our appetite for life! Orange helps remove inhibitions. Melissa or Orange Oil. Gemstones: Tiger's Eye, Carnelian.

Yellow: Solar Plexus Chakra - Connects us to our Emotional Self. Wisdom, Clarity, Self-Esteem. Gives clarity of thought, increases awareness and stimulates interest and curiousity. Yellow energy is brain food. Rosemary or Bergamot Oil. Gemstone: Citrine.

Green: Heart Chakra - Connects us to Unconditional Love. Balance, Love, Self-Control. Helps relax muscles, nerves and thoughts. Cleanses and balances our energy, giving a feeling of peace, harmony and renewal. Eucalyptus or Pine Oil. Gemstones: Aventurine, Jade, Unakite.

Pink: Heart Chakra - Connects us to our Universal Love. Love, Kindness, Consideration. Helps to remove all unwanted aggression and irritaion. This energy helps to protect and to give peace of mind. Rose or Rosewood Oil. Gemstones: Rose Quartz.

Turquoise: Thymus Chakra - Connects us to our Expression. Confidence, Oratory. Helps us to strengthen concentration and control over speech, allowing freedom of expression. Helps build the immune system. Tea Tree or Clary Sage Oil. Gemstone: Turquoise.

Blue: Throat Chakra - Connects us to Holistic Thought. Knowledge, Health, Communication. This is a mentally relaxing colour. ideal for sleep problems, stress or hyper-active children. Hormonal balancer. Gernaium or Chamomile Oil. Gemstone: Blue (Lace) Agate, Sodalite.

Indigo: Brow Chakra - Connects us to our Unconscious Self. Intuition, Mysticism, Understanding. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers and increases dream activity (keep a journal and pen on your bedside table!). Patchouli or Frankincense Oil. Gemstone: Amethyst.

Violet: Crown Chakra - Connects us to our Spiritual Self. Beauty, Creativity, Inspiration. Purifies our thoughts and feelings, giving us inspiration. Enhances artistic talent, creativity and ideals. Lavender or Jasmine Oil. Gemstone: Quartz.

For more on colour therapy, look into Aura Soma (google it). It's quite fascinating.

The information provided does not substitute professional medical advice and care.

Kai-yi (21 Sept 1999 - 26 Sept 2008)

Running on High.... Emotions, that is.

Wow, talk about an emotional day. Yesterday I noticed that my dog's tumour was, seemingly rather suddenly, substantially larger. He's a 9 yr old chocolate lab. He's had this growth for a couple years and his vet had said it was "too close to the heart to remove". So he's been living with this 3" growth dangling from his chest (yes it looks as weird as it sounds). In the past week, I'd guess, it has begun to grow again and now has tripled in size - it's the size of my fist. That can't be good. Also, he's lost his appetite (sure sign something's amiss). So I called our cat's vet today and took him for a second opinion. This other vet feels that he COULD be operated on - remove the tumour and send it for a biopsy to see what's up with it. As if having a massive protruding tumour isn't troubling enough, he also has allergies. So his skin is flaky and dry and itchy, he has very little hair on his face and tummy and the poor dog - he's had such terrible health problems for the past 5 yrs. There's more to the story, but you get the point - the dog is not in optimal health for his age, by any means. For the weekend, I'm going to try and keep him comfortable (he's having trouble lying down because of the size of this growth) and we'll see how things go. Life with pets is wonderful - they share such love with us and it gives us an opportunity to focus on someone else other than ourselves - which I think is pretty important to our own growth. But reminded of their mortality (and ours!), as they often don't outlive their owners, it can be quite challenging to deal with our heightened emotions surrounding suffering and loss.

So it's been a rather emotional day... I just keep reminding myself of the idea that grey clouds and rain storms are just that - above the clouds the sun is always shining and the sky is a beautiful cloudless blue and it's warm and brilliant. I never actually realized that until I took my first flight on a plane when I was about 12. That one realization changed my perspective on life soooooo much. I don't need to create drama around the emotions; they can just be and there is no need to judge them or create attachment to them. They are there; they will pass. Life is great. Life is now. Today I'm feeling really grateful for my dog sharing his life with me. He's a wonderful being. :)

On the raw food side of things, I've been consuming mostly juices for the past 3 days - 4+L on Tuesday, 3L yesterday - more than 2L today (plus 2L of "ultimate smoothie"). It feels really good and I can tell there is some pretty good detoxing going on.

Going to Tai Chi tonight which will really help relax and ground me. And I'll sleep SOOOOOO well afterwards. Yeeehaaaaaaaaaaa.
Love y'all.
~n~

Here's a picture of our yard - I made a roof frame (of sorts) for the garden and put poly on it to make it a kind of greenhouse for winter. I meant to take a picture of what's growing in it - raspberries, strawberries, corn, 3 types of kale, 3 types of broccoli, cabbages, chard, prize choy, silverbeet, parsley, a few herbs, some nasturtiums...
The Chrysanthemums by the front door:
The Nasturtiums on the path to the front deck:

My One-Day Juice Feast

I'm very pleased to say that I made it through an entire day yesterday on juices (yes, it really CAN be done!). Officially, I guess I did a one-day juice feast! :) I made a lot of juice in the morning so that I would be able to just get something whenever hunger struck throughout the day. I made different mixes of kale, celery, beetroot, romaine lettuce, carrot, apple, and plum juices (nice rainbow, eh). I feel really good about the amount of greens that I got into me.

In Dr. Walker's book he says that kale juice, like cabbage, can cause gas to bubble up in the intestines as it allows the waste matter to release and be carried out. I don't know that I could actually drink a glass of it straight (but what he says is quite true)!

It was amazing to me, that even just one day of juicing could cause such massive change in my body - not only the effect of the kale juice, but also the mucous that came pouring out (sorry if that's tmi)... I couldn't decided whether it was the cold I thought I'd been fighting off or a detox symptom. I'm quite sure it was detox though because the odd thing is that there was a little sleep coming out of my eye corners (during the day) and my sinuses were quite plugged by the end of the day, but fine this morning (and if it was a true cold, I'd expect it to be the opposite).

The other minor thing was that I was so COLD. I know it's only 14 C outside and our house is a cool 13 inside (might be time to fire up the woodstove soon), but I was chilly. This is not the first time lately I've experienced this, and at the advice of a good friend, a nice hot bath warmed me up. The naturopath has me on this white 'alkalizing powder' (heaven knows what it really is) which I take with warm water twice a day - it feels really nice to have something warm to drink when you're chilly.

Monday night I stayed up until 3:30 making travel plans. I simply wasn't tired and felt invigorated after having a pink bath (which aids in releasing anger and aggression, helps to build compassion and loving kindness) with rose essential oil and rose petals - sounds extravagant, doesn't it! And despite staying up half the night, I was up at 8 without too much struggle. Last night, however, I slept solidly from 10:30 until 8:30 this morning - a solid 10 hours. Usually I'll get 8-10 hrs of sleep, but it'll have been disturbed at least once, between the children & the dog. It felt wonderful to have an uninterrupted sleep of that length. I used to have issues with sleeping in (thoughts like "what a waste of your day! get up and get going!") but I have since learned to see it as very restorative and important for good health and well-being, and I must admit I live a rather pampered life that I rarely get up to the buzzing of an alarm clock.

I haven't yet "broke the feast"; this morning I'll be having some cantaloupe juice to start the day. Maybe I'll just keep going on this fast for the time being. Just taking it one moment at a time...

Communication Skills

I've been thinking lately about the importance of good communication skills. Have you ever experienced conflict or controversy? Do you ever reflect on (and take responsibility for) how you could learn to communicate better?

I like the work of Marshall Rosenberg on Nonviolent Communication. It is a great (in my opinion) framework for good communication and can be learned and practiced by children. Another good book is Robert Bolton's People Skills (which is recommended by La Leche League). I took a couple Group Behaviour courses when I was at university, which were really helpful in understanding how I behave in groups and in conflict.

I am learning, as I grow through life, to speak mindfully. I try to stay conscious of which thoughts I'm having are judgments and I consciously set them aside. I know that I don't always speak up when I'm feeling stress or conflict in a relationship. (btw, here's a red flag: I read that holding in resentments can actually cause cancer. CANCER, people. Do you see how important it is we learn to communicate well?!) I have a difficult time initiating conflict. Conflict isn't seen as a good thing, most of the time, even though it is such a great opportunity for growth and for a deeper relationship to develop. Often, I'll talk myself out of it - well, that's your opinion, this is mine, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Is that the ONLY solution? Is it an ACCEPTABLE solution? Often not, and yet, sometimes we're so entrenched in our opinions and judgments that we have a very difficult time seeing (and respecting) others' opinions and working through to an acceptable resolution. (I will ask myself, WHY am I holding on so dearly to this judgment/opinion? Why can't I just let it go? It's an opportunity to examine why we are willing to give this judgment so much energy).

When I was a kid, I was easily overwhelmed by difficult emotions. When I got angry, I'd stomp down the hallway and slam my bedroom door. Eventually my parents took the door off my room as punishment. But that didn't help me sort through my heavy emotions. Then when my dh and I moved in together, when conflict would arise, I'd grab the keys and head for the door. "I just need some time alone," I'd say. But the reality is that when I went for a drive, or a jog around the lake, or just out shopping - whatever your crutch may be - that I'd return all refreshed but still have to deal with the conflict. I'd attempt to sweep it under the rug, but would never actually come back, sit and resolve it. He has helped me see the benefit in talking through these difficult emotions - in giving each other the space to have emotions - no judgments on them. This has been critical for my growth - learning to respect myself and the other person as human beings, and seeing that "I am not my emotions," and that emotions aren't things to be feared - I like to think of them as clouds, passing across a brilliant blue sky (which is more like the truth of who I am, and who you are). No attachment to the emotion - whether it's happiness, sadness, anger. They just drift by. There's no need for me to create drama around them.

Giving others the respect we all want and deserve can be difficult if we're just in a casual interaction. If you're driving down the road and buddy cuts you off, you don't even know who he is, so you figure it's alright to lash out and release some anger on him - you might tailgate or swear or give him the finger. But how does any of that help? When someone cuts me off, I can now say, geez, I didn't feel safe when he did that, but maybe he's on his way to a family emergency, maybe he's having a really hard day; he's not intentionally trying to take it out on me, not intentionally trying to make me feel unsafe. But what if someone IS intentionally trying to infringe upon your boundaries? How do you learn to initiate conflict and resolve it? This is really challenging (for me, anyways), but I do recall reading about it in Rosenberg's work - I should revisit that.

For me, communication skills are so KEY to our growth, both as individuals and within Community. Learning how to interact well with others is so important; it's a wonder why as a society we don't value it more - why isn't it a part of our daily fabric? a part of what we pass along to our children? Something for all of us to mindfully keep working on, always.