Having a low day. Not sure if it's grief or physical or SAD (but really? it's only our first overcast PNW day...). Did the laundry and a bit in my art journal and tried to eat a little something. Maybe that's just going to have to be enough for today. 
Picked the last of my sugar pumpkins and decided to let the squash keep kicking out as long as it wants to (this striped variety is delicious). Cover crops are getting sown into the gardening tubs, and carrots look good for the growing/taking this late fall/winter. I'm trying to practice restraint with the tomatoes; there are plenty of green ones on the vine but frankly I'm sick of eating tomatoes.
Lovely lunch with local folk at the farm today (their own beef and veg), what a perfect sunny day to spend outside visiting, eating, and picking flowers to bring home. It was beautiful just to wander through the spent sunflowers, honeybees collecting what they can before the rains come.
Sometimes I feel so grateful, I cry just to be happy to be alive in this moment. 
Good morning nostr, its a foggy foggy morning in the country. #coffeechain #grownostr https://nostrcheck.me/media/8d9d2b77930ee54ec3e46faf774ddd041dbb4e4aa35ad47c025884a286dd65fa/bf5f6e4a40fef3e70a2bdbaf423c897b0a96d58e521d7774f6e5b2d35f655338.webp
so beautiful βοΈ
...with a touch of brandy or a whisper of cayenne added for warmth π
Ajwain would be a lovely and warming addition. I will definitely try adding that.
It's getting dark and damp, but I haven't started up the wood stoves yet. Maybe that's why my bones feel cold!
Here is a blend of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom pods, astragalus root, peppercorns, cloves, fennel seeds, coriander and maca powders, and orange peel.
Once it's simmered, I'll add black tea and raw milk for a few minutes, strain, add honey, and dust the whole thing with nutmeg.
A nice warming digestive and immune supportive chai that will hopeful take the chill off.
#grownostr
#herbalist 
I think preparing and eating organ meat is a missing part of my diet, but I don't yet have the skills or motivation to embark upon it. So I use this seasoning blend in the meantime; it has liver, spleen, kidney, heart and pancreas. It tastes pretty good!
Seeing Dr. Cowan's veggie powders inspires me to make my
own garden varieties. I already dehydrate and powder my garlic. Wondering if there's a big difference nutrition wise between dehydrating and freeze drying. 
It's a hard day today hitting the birthday of one of my best friends so close to her dying. Grief is a difficult road.
She was my art buddy and we shared with each other the stuff we did. Kind of an empty void right now, who to share with, on so many levels.
I guess today it's you, Nostr. 
Especially if you have warmer microclimate areas. I
do take some more tender plants (such as lemon verbena and gota kola) indoors for the winter.
I am always happy with the seeds and plants I get from Strictly Medicinal Seeds. Little by little, my outdoor apothecary grows πΏ
#grownostr
#herbalist
I used the HamStudy app to learn and practice. There's also a monthly community meeting; maybe there's something like that in your area.
I've been hearing more and more about the horrible situation in the mountains of North Carolina and I swing from being heartbroken to just being angry at our gov't that more isn't being done. But I'm also inspired by the courage and tenacity of everyday Americans to care for and help each other, and it has gotten me thinking how I can better prepare myself to be someone who has useful skills to likewise help others in disasters like this. One of my daughters for example is already in Search and Rescue training (with dogs), and is bolstering her swimming skills with a trainer.
Here are some of my own ideas I'm chewing on...what are some of yours?
* upgrade my HAM tech to general
* consider raising/training pack mules (I currently have unused pasture)
* revisit and repack my first aid bag for my vehicle
* get a hand pump for our well 
Slowly getting some good fencing put up, to keep dogs and kids where they belong. The tops still need to be lopped, and I'm going to put some sort of lighting on it.
Best of all, I have another beautiful area for zone 1 planting, right off the walk to my house.
Note we still have multiple buckets of apple scraps from Saturday's press. Glad to save a little money on hen and pig feed at the moment. 