Weekend Links and Updates

Mama and her five fluff balls.

In which I share my favorite posts from this blog's Facebook page.

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"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

James 5:16
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* My surgery went well and I'm mostly recovered at this point. It was an amazingly low pain affair. I woke up extremely naseated and in pain, the nurses gave me something, and after that, all I needed was perscription Ibuprophen. The most painful part was the larger of my four incisions, where the doctor had to remove my enlarged uterous and the adhesions and scar tissue she found. I'm now on week five, and hopefully have only one more week of doctor restrictions and then I can lift, pull, and push all I want. Now all I'm dealing with is "swelly belly" - when inflammation and slow digestion make me look pregant. I had one or two people comment that I'd gained a lot of weight. Nope; it's all just swelling!

I'm happy to report that my keto diet has helped me in this affair. Because I'm diabetic, the docs expect me to heal more slowly than the average person, but in fact, my doctor was surprised at how quickly I'm healing. Another win for keto!

* We have babies! Chicks, that is. While I was busy with surgery and recovery, my husband moved our broody hen and her eggs to a separate cage and let her incubate to her heart's content. All five eggs hatched and we now have cute little fluff balls. We've moved Mama and her babies to a slightly larger cage and placed that inside the chicken run. This allows the rest of the flock to become accustomed to the chicks without danger they will hurt the babies. We will wait until the chicks are considerably bigger before releasing them into the larger chicken run and hen house.

The first tomatoes of 2018!

*A friend of mine is fighting cancer. She just had surgery and is doing well. But she's struggling financially because her insurance only pays half. It's especially heart breaking because she's been digging her way out of debt after a spell of unemployment - after which, she planned to fulfill one of her life's dreams: Becoming a foster parent. If you can help - even with just a few dollars - visit the GoFundMe page I set up for her.

* Did you know that I write for magazines? Lately, I've been working with Backwoods Home and Self-Reliance quite a bit. Both are terrific magazines for homesteaders...and you can read some of my articles for free on their websites. Backwoods Home just published my article on making kombucha, and Self-Reliance has my article on growing and using figs on their website. Consider subscribing to one or both of these magazines!

* Recall on melons, due to salmonella.

* Recall on Honey Smacks cereal.

* There's no need to buy a lot of cleaning products. Just a few things can clean your whole home. This article includes a simple recipe for jewelry cleaner, which I use on my wedding ring periodically.

* Have you ever considered growing peanuts?

Dehydrating celery leaves.

* How to make aspirin from willow bark.

* Gonna go berry picking this summer? Consider making a work-faster-not-harder berry picker!

* Parenting emotional teens.

Oldies But Goodies:

* Make Fermented Sauerkraut in a Mason Jar

*  Is your garlic sending up flower stalks? Then read 51 Great Garlice Scape Recipes

* Easy Refrigerator Pickled Beets 



* Dehydrating Celery & Celery Leaves (and making celery salt!)