The Bee and Me

Me and the bee.

We have a history.

Fifteen minutes prior to taking her picture (above), I had rescued her from what appeared to be near-death on our screened porch. She barely had the energy to lift a leg and she had no energy to move her wings.

I used the edge of a piece of cardboard to ease her fragile, semi-immobilized form from the floor into a pint mason jar, then I carried her over to a vine of purple, wisteria-like, flowers dangling from the edge of our carport roof. I slowly slid one of the clusters into the jar toward her. She grabbed one of the  small flowers and pushed her proboscis into it. She clutched the flower with all six of her legs and hugged herself into it. I kept the jar around her for a couple of minutes and she used it for support. I could tell she was still very weak but that she was steadily drawing nourishment from the flower.

She started working her way shakily around the dangling cluster, sucking out nutrients from adjacent flowers. I slowly eased the jar away from her and stood nearby watching. After a few minutes she fell to our limestone driveway. Oh no!… I lowered the piece of cardboard to her and she slowly moved onto it. I eased her back into the jar and carried her to a nearby privet bush that offered an abundance of flowers. Again I lowered a cluster of flowers into the jar to meet her, and again she clutched onto the cluster and began diving into the individual flowers, this time with a little more energy. She appeared ravenous. She would suck and suck nutrient out of one flower and then move, with increasingly more energy, on to adjacent ones.

I could tell she was recovering her strength. It was beautiful to witness. I slowly eased the jar from around her, and I remained squatting nearby with the piece of cardboard positioned just beneath her in case she might weaken and drop. Honeybees buzzed visiting nearby flowers.

Once I had the sense that she appeared strong enough to hold herself onto the privet cluster, I slowly moved back and continued watching from a little farther away. I got a thrill when I heard a little bzz… bzzz… She was beginning to move her wings a little bit. She clutched the flowers and moved between them with her legs. And then, suddenly,… she flew! She flew to an adjacent cluster of privet flowers and began taking more nectar… She was moving much more fluidly now. I decided I would like a picture of her, so I went into the house to get my phone. Upon returning, I found her vigorously united with flower. I snapped a few pictures of her. She flew several times from cluster to cluster.

At some point I thought: I may have helped saved her life, bringing her out of the barren screened porch to her source of sustenance. That nectar is sure some potent healing and energizing stuff!.. And what if… What if she has helped save my life?… By pointing me in the direction of continued healing?. Hmmm…. I am looking into it. And by teaching me some potent lessons:

Witnessing her revitalization taught me that I want to accept help from outside when I get myself wedged into dead ends. And witnessing her recovery reminds me that vitality comes from hugging in to that which nourishes.

Happy Earth Day, Dear Earth!!

I love your pollinators!

Adventures in Pork Belly

Grilled, pastured pork belly with garden greens

Sunday dinner brought a first at-home pork belly effort by our resident grill meister, (not me), and, dern, that was good!… I had had visions of pork belly on my mind since my novice exposure to it a few years ago at a lovely restaurant, FIG, in Asheville, NC, where I celebrated completing yoga teacher training. When the pork belly was placed before me that first time, I remember being so taken aback by the thick layer of visible fat that I texted a photo query to my brother, the charcuterie and pig anatomy expert in the family. He educated me on the flavor offerings of that layer of fat, and my tastebuds educated me further. Hello pork belly!

The past few days have brought our pig-centricity into the spotlight for sure: rendering lard, preparing & enjoying pork chops, pork sausage, bacon and pork belly. Additionally my hypothyroidism is treated with a porcine-derived medication, and someone I know and love has a pig heart valve.

I want to reflect on a way to honor the pig and express my deep appreciation for contributing to my wellness. I believe one way to honor the pig is to support farmers who optimize their animals’ living conditions.

Lard is the New Black

So, all those vegetable oils we’ve been sold for the last 30 years are now out, and saturated fats — butter, lard and coconut oil, to name a few — are in.

Chopping up 5 lbs of pastured leaf pork fat from a local farmers market

into the slow cooker for a few hours on low

to render into pork lard

straining the rendered lard into jars

I’ve been reading and listening to the science from the experts and incorporating their wisdom into the nutritional side of healing from my autoimmune condition via the autoimmune protocol (AIP) of the paleo approach. I haven’t used corn, canola or vegetable oils for eight months.

5 lbs of pork fat rendered into 2 1/2 qts of lard

When we cook with fat, we reach for lard, beef tallow or coconut oil. Olive oil and avocado oil are healthy but not always suggested for cooking. Read more on healthy fats here.

Mind Blown

My sister sent me this link to this perspective-shifting TED talk that (indirectly) addresses the question about the sustainability of raising grazing animals–something that, as a meat-eater, I have been concerned about.

Brilliant and mind blowing. Definitely worth the time (22 mins).

My sister’s neighbor raises pastured beef commercially. In response to the video, he wrote in an email:

“We are strict adherents to managed grazing and all its principles…. We rotate our cattle through sized sections depending on weight of cattle grouping, density of forage, type of forage and height of forage. We are really creating some good soils while sequestering carbon. I will also ‘bale feed’ out in these fields to not overgraze and the animals will spread their nutrients where the soils most need them.

“We have ‘Prescribed Grazing Plans’ on all our grasslands. It’s much more work than just letting them go. But it creates better soils, forage and water. We are monitoring our weight gains (the cattle I mean) and they are doing great because the soils and forage we are creating are so good and can continue to be whether in drought or too much rain.

“It sounds corny so I never say it to anyone, but we are improving the environment, the earth while producing high protein food. I cannot tell you how proud I am of that.”

Breakfast

Wild-caught salmon, sweet potato hash, steamed spinach, plantain pan fried in lard, sauerkraut

This is What 6 Eggs Look Like

I’ve never eaten six eggs in one sitting, but I’m taking measures to put some weight back on, so I decided to go heavy on the eggs today at lunch. In the last seven months, I have lost 10-15 pounds without wanting to by implementing the autoimmune protocol of the Paleo Approach which promotes healing from autoimmune issues.

As part of the plan, I eat three sizable meals daily, including pastured or wild caught animal protein (often a sizable portion), healthy fats and loads of veggies and fruit. But evidently I am not eating enough. So I’m gonna change that.

LUNCH today: 6 eggs scrambled in lard with garden cilantro, steamed garden collards and ginger, half sweet potato pan fried in lard

Healing with Acupuncture

A few weeks ago I posted a list of potent aids in my healing journey and I am remiss that I failed to include acupuncture.

In mid-November I had my first ever experience of vertigo–a pounding dizziness that made me feel like I was stuck on an out-of-control amusement park ride. The dizziness was accompanied by nausea and it was dreadful. Traces of the vertigo and nausea lingered for several weeks. It was worse in certain positions, particularly lying down. I started to dread going to bed.

I scheduled an acupuncture treatment; and, fortunately, after the first session, the dizziness and nausea disappeared completely and have not returned. I am ecstatic about that!

I have had a few more acupuncture treatments since then for ongoing treatment of my autoimmune condition and the aches in my foot, wrists and hands. I don’t have to understand how acupuncture works–I just know that I like it. I feel better afterwards, and there is science that supports it as an effective modality for autoimmune conditions.

I feel blessed to have an acupuncturist in the family!!

Still Here

Perfection: Lobster tail, scallop and asparagus — It’s been 3 years since I last enjoyed lobster… Let’s not wait so long next time, huh?

I have missed being more consistent with my blog. January was a little rough with a flare that involved achiness and decreased range of motion in my wrists and achiness and decreased function of my hands. Thankfully that is easing off now. I can pick up plates and even the iron skillet again. What a joy!

I have a couple of theories about my flare, which I will explore in a future post. I have made a few shifts and have had some new insights. I look forward to blogging about those soon as well.

I look forward to giving a 6 months update in two weeks. Six months!! I have a hard time getting a handle on the passage of time since I began the Paleo autoimmune protocol.

Healing continues.

Tea and Research

Good Morning. It’s a fire-in-the-wood-stove kind of morning. Cup of ginger, turmeric, garlic, rosemary, black pepper tea with 1/2 tsp of honey while I hit the books and interwebs and find out what I can about oxalates.

I came across the suggestion that high oxalate foods can increase joint pain in those with rheumatoid arthritis (and trigger other issues for other people). Since I have been loaded up on several high oxalate foods lately–sweet potatoes, beets and carrots, to name a few–I want to explore whether oxalates could be contributing to my recent increase in joint pain. Maybe. Maybe not. Something worth exploring.

The Cholesterol Numbers are in

Here I am more than four months into following the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP) wherein I have consistently eaten more meat and fats* than I have in my life. The numbers are in, and the only cholesterol number that has risen is HDL the “good” cholesterol (and along with it then, my total cholesterol). My LDL “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides are lower.

* “Good”, quality, grassfed and wild caught animal protein and quality fats: coconut, olive and avocado oils, animal fats

Note that cholesterol levels have never been a concern for me. I wanted to post these lab results because the question of cholesterol levels as they relate to an ancestral-type diet arises frequently in conversation. Keep in mind that this is a sample size of 1. Nothing I write on this blog should be considered medical advice.

Before I began the paleo AIP, I considered my diet healthy: I was gluten free yet still eating loads of oatmeal and homemade granola. Except for my daily indulgence of a piece of quality dark chocolate, I didn’t eat sweets. I avoided milk but ate cheese and organic yogurt. I never drank sodas. I enjoyed wine and spirits and organic tortilla chips with homemade salsa.