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As a person who has lived with chronic pain, I fully support the rights of those legitimately suffering to have access to pain management that is effective, legal, and safe. I also support the rights of these same people to have access to pain management without social dogma and without the slandering of their characters. I do not, however, support the unleashing of mass Stoner-dom into my own neghborhood, the Lansing area, or my state.
Man, I LOVE Halloween! Besides it occurring in my favorite season, it also stands as a type of gateway to the rest of the Holiday Season, marking just a few short weeks before Thanksgiving, and just a few more till that holiday momentum sets in through January 1. Some of the best things about Halloween for me are the pumpkins, but so often all I see on porches are the common, orange jack-o-lantern types. Why's everyone gotta hate on all the other cool squash, pumpkins, and gourds??
I am obsessed with squash, and ever since I was small I have relished in their colors, textures, and shapes. This year I restrained myself and purchased only 1 squash a week for the entire month of October. OK, I faltered a little while I was out in Potterville, and picked up a few little ones at a roadside stand, but I focused on making each of them as different as they could be, plus added factors for their flavor and roasted seed potential.
So many people buy their pumpkins at generic grocery stores these days, I'm not suprised they've never heard of a Cinderella pumpkin, or a Turk's Turban. Sometimes I even hear people exclaim over the ugliness of the white pumpkins, or the wierdness of the blue ones. I say to them, "Live a little! Be different!!" Not only are these multi-colored members of the Cucurbitaceae family fascinating examples of biodiversity (look it up- especially if you think Beefsteak tomatoes are the best kind), some are damn good eatin', too!
Over the summer, I began experiencing an annoying pain in my heel when I wore my hippy-throwback Chaco sandals. Thinking the soles were jkust beat down after 4 summers of wearing ONLY them, I figured I'd send them in for a re-sole in the Fall and switched to wearing a better, more supportive pair of sneakers. After I began running 2 months ago, however, the pain returned and increased, even causing me to limp a day or 2 last week, and I began to worry: Plantar Fasciitis? Stress Fracture? Bunion?
Being the Starving Blog-Artist that I am, I can't afford to see an Orthopedic Specialist, a Chiropractor, or even a get a damn foot massage. A friend suggested I use a tennis ball, and after rolling my sore foot around on it for a few minutes, I was sold on this cheap, effective way to relieve pain and avoid possible injury.
Since I've been broke as long as I can remember, I've used all manner of household implements to work out knots in my shoulders or back in the past. Things like the refrigerator handle, the countertop, and soupcans (for my feet) have all acted as stand-in massage therapists, but nothing has been as efficient as the plain ol' tennis ball I found in our garage.
Since I rolled and did some simple stretches for my feet that I just found online, my heel pain has completely disappeared. I'm in the market for some drastically-reduced-price-but-high-quality running shoes, but that might still have to wait until the next check comes in. Until then, I'll just use that neon, fuzzy masseur to relieve my tired dogs and hopefully keep any chronic conditions at bay.
Ah, Lansing. I try so hard to support you, to sing your praises, and have faith in your recovery. You are my home and my business's home, you keep me close to my family, and you are what I believe to be a diamond in the rough- just waiting to be discovered so you can truly shine.
I was at Horrock's this afternoon, picking over the mangoes, when a woman exclaimed over some odd-looking, spiny, 40-lb fruit on the shelf behind me.
I might have previously blogged about my book, 'Wild Fermentation', by Sandor Katz. It's a rad book with sweet recipes for fostering your own personal relationship with the micro-organism world. I love this book dearly, and have had lots of fun with my own fermentation adventures, but recently found that it leaves out an intriguing item from its otherwise extensive collection of worldy recipes: Black Garlic.
I participated in my second 5K last weekend, the Dinosaur Dash. I ran/walked the race in about 43 minutes, which is an improvement over my first time, but still would like to do better, so I am going tomorrow to Playmaker's in East Lansing to get my feet analyzed by some high-tech, scientific, shoe-fitting robot.
Back in July, my husband and I ordered a half of a pastured hog from a local farmer. We received an email last week announcing that it was almost time to send the hogs to be butchered, and we needed to provide instructions for how we wanted our pork to be processed, or sliced.
