Happy New Year 2021

 

Last year we had planned to be in Japan. But like everything else, plans changed and we stayed on the farm since February 2020. Since we both work from home we were used to that. Going out for church and supplies was not an option. We only went out for grocery pick up, dentist and yes, jury duty for me, ugh.

But we survived and have not gotten the virus yet. Several people at our church did and so far are ok. We did a first, church from home and continue to do so. And now we are dealing with doctor trips and that mean a lot of time in the truck. Our new updated plan to grow our own veggies on fabric worked too well. I was busy all year long putting up our pantry. It was a great project to do together, fabric, irrigation and fences. Very prolific growing year for us and no weeds. All grown from seeds I saved and dirt I had delivered.

My bold idea of making masks for everyone failed. No one wanted to wear them at our church nor in town, that was a big surprise, so I stopped sewing and donated the rest.

This year after we find out what is ailing my husband, we are planning to take a trip as I am sure the whole world is, too. Some beach, waves and water would be nice. Meanwhile I am planning on next years garden. Flowers, peppers, tomato, beans and fabric to keep out the weeds. 

I am working on beading and beadwork that I miss doing. I love all the colors bead provide on jewelry and embroidery. I will still do fiber restoration as projects arise. I need to make a new quilt for my husband. The one I made him 20 years ago is fraying and needs to be replaced. I have advanced my skills since then. The repairs of repairs can no longer be subjected to the water.

The virus is still a big problem in the Ozarks. People are still dying but life goes on. They still only wear masks in the big cities not out here. 

I hope 2021 goes better than 2020. I hope this time next year people will be thriving instead of getting sick. I hope to have been to the beach again :)

Silver and fur

Since it was cold and we needed a break we stayed indoors this new years eve. I rested with my two boys Melon and Frosty. This is Melon under the tinsel tree, it is a small tree and he is 18lbs.

This is a rare event as I hardly ever rest on the futon. My two big boys got lap time and fireplace heat.

 

Pepper re-Cap

All of these are the peppers I now have drying. For some reason this summer I planted a ton of pepper. I gave away a ton as well. And these hot peppers along with sweet and bell peppers.

Rows and rows of wire strung hot peppers. I plant to save the seeds and grind the rest into powder for spicy meals. I am looking to try adding more sweet ones this year.

 

Mild Fibrosis, now what?

 Just found out he has mild to moderate liver Fibrosis F2-F3. This is a  liver that gets hard and has scaring not due to disease, drugs nor drinking. The cause gluten intolerance to wheat.

This means as he ages (he is 46) his liver is vulnerable to damage and diseases. His gallbladder and pancreas are fine. Now we wait for what the doctors recommends. But I am not waiting. We are redoing our nutritional needs and taking out as much wheat as we can. This means a lot of backtracking and new foods to make at home. He is already feeling better as we have removed the wheat at home as much as possible.

Celiac maybe?

 Celiac disease is an immune disease in which people can't eat gluten because it will damage their small intestine. If you have celiac disease and eat foods with gluten, your immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.

My husbands blood test came back with high Celiac markers. He still needs to have a colonoscopy but this has changed the game. Two weeks before his blood test we decided to stop breads, donuts, bisquets anything with wheat. And it worked. His pains stopped, his mood improved, he is more regular. We now need to see what damage was done by a year long wait not seeing a doctor about this during the pandemic. The first run of tests never showed this but one year later with a better group, he is seeing real test results. He has had the weight fluxuations, undigested foods, rashes, eczema, lethargy, moods and constant abdominal pains. 

And when you go to see the doctor, it has changed. For his scans, he goes in alone, I wait in the car, not allowed in the waiting room because of the virus. Not fun when it is 20 degrees outside. And it is a two hour drive to get to the doctors office. There are no local labs so lab work, two hour drive. Our friend had colon cancer (she is still with us) she had to drive 4 hours a day 5 days a week to get chemo for 8 months because her insurance would not pay for closer chemo to be administered. Her family took turns each day driving her. After the drive and the doctor, you might want lunch, but most places are take out. In winter this means pick up and eat in your car. Might be the normal for some but as a rule I never eat in my truck to avoid mice and ants. But I am willing to do this as we have no choice. We sometimes go to a park and that is nice.

So now we have the colonoscopy to see what is going on inside my husband. Liver, pancreas, gall bladder and intestines. We are hoping that by the right nutrition we can get him healthy again. He has always eaten healthy now just without wheat. 

Meanwhile I have covered our veggie gardens with plastic. Ordered new cloth again to put in next years plants. That took a lot of time to pull down the t-posts and cattle panels. But the deer were let in

to eat all the leftover plants.