I recently planted three goji berry bushes and a mulberry tree. The fruits of these are great for health. Wish us luck! My last new mulberry didn't come out of dormancy, and the one before that was stomped on by roofers.

On a different note, I wanted to say how valuable a tool this website is. It is filled, of course, with great links and comments, but it also inspires me to stay on track. Every time I visit the site, I think of a healthy meal to make or a time to schedule a workout.… Continue

I just wanted to make it public - Johanna loves being at the school. Those of you who are there on Mondays and Wednesdays have been witness. She has class at five, then sits through my six o'clock class, and then I have to tear her away to get home at all. Even though she hasnt had dinner or done her homework or practiced the piano yet, she wants to stay. She gives me a hug and raves, "mommy, I just LOVE Kung Fu!!" I've never seen her react like that to anything. I have to practically drag her… Continue

Last week we planted chard, various spinach, radishes, carrots, cilantro, and various lettuces in the green house. I walked in yesterday, and it was hot in there! Peas and onions go in this week, and shallots. These go outside the greenhouse. Also kale and new collards. The garlic is getting big. I just hope our planting of many potatoes last week wasn't too early.

I loved the video recently posted, Slow Down In Life. Thanks for posting that, it's a very important message. This is one of the hardest things to do!

As it turns out, I AM getting a cold. This calls for extra good food! Breakfast is the smoothie with various dark berries, superfood, pollen and hemp. Lunch is pumpkin soup leftover, and dinner will be homemade sauerkraut with organic sausages and organic taters. Homemade blackberry wine may accompany that, in moderation. Alcohol and colds don't seem to mix very well, I just get too stuffed up.

I love fermented foods, and they love me. I also love the fact that they require no electricity (no pollution!) to make. Our favorite is sauerkraut. We use a three-gallon crock and 10-12 heads of cabbage. Our crock has a lid with a water seal, so gas can escape, but outside air can't get in. We shred the cabbage (I'm so old-fashioned I just use a knife) and put a layer in with some kosher salt and smash it down, then another layer with salt, etc... When you have enough, put a stone weight on… Continue

We just finished building our hoophouse, which is tall enough for me to walk through without bending, and has doors on both ends. It's really big! Now we can start our greens much earlier, as well as get better harvests and extend our season after summer. We're getting close to growing all we really need, though it is nice to buy wonderful cheeses and fancy foods once in a while.

Well, my surgery went very well, and I am recovering quickly. I hope to be able to return to class the week starting feb 6. Meanwhile, I am watching the videos (the new ones of empty hand work and stick work are very helpful), as well as imagining doing some of the moves. And I can now start brisk aerobic walking. I got tired of sitting at home recuperating after about one day...

On the topic of education - I really appreciate Mr Bronson's rule about organic only on the premises. It has become an opportunity for education. I sometimes shop at Harvest Fresh for organic veggies in a pinch, and I asked the man behind the deli if the deli food is organic. Not only is it NOT organic, it is made by Cosco foods, one of those centralized and highly processed operations. We aren't eating any of that anymore. I find their inventory overpriced, anyway, but now I feel that their… Continue

I just spent a couple of days in hospital, for some surgery, and I am happy to be home. The food they have in hospitals is not healthy! It isn't "junk food", but it still has gmo ingredients. They seem to focus on low-fat, but not organic. I may sound naive to be surprised about this, but I haven't spent a lot of time in hospitals. If they made better food, the patients might recover faster. I believe it is a matter of education.

Im still learning to navigate this site, Luddite that I am, so here goes...

My breakfast today is a smoothie. It contains almond milk, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, ginger, hempseeds, superfood powder (made up by a friend who eats organic healthy food).

My other favorite breakfast is eggs scrambled with various veggies (including garlic, onion, ginger, and whatever else). I add turmeric, cumin, coriander, and a tad of homegrown rosemary. After sautéing the… Continue