"Sing to me muse, of the rage of Achilles" - Homer

Hoo-boy!  And so it begins.  I’ll probably keep this short, because I do NOT feel very well right now.

It’s a shame, too, because last night I was feeling so good.  I had a lovely last meal of a homemade burrito, delicious molasses cookies, and icy IPA.  I read an inspiring book, chatted with friends, and stayed up a little too late just for fun.  I even scrawled the opening line of the Iliad across my bathroom mirror to serve as inspiration on this journey (that’s Tom Waits in the corner, but he always lives there).  And so, I went to bed feeling so positive about this.

And then I woke up.  Almost immediately, I felt cloaked in negative thoughts, so much that I wanted to cry.  Instead, I pulled myself out of bed and prepared my first SWF, all the while trying to figure out where all that sadness was coming from.

One of the most enduring outcomes of my last cleanse was working through all the emotions that came up.  When people talk about releasing toxins, it’s not just the physical they’re referring to.  A lot of deeply buried, unexpected emotional distress can surface in this process.  It’s so healthy to work through that baggage, face it, and let it fall away.  But you sort of have to go through hell in order to get there.

Today I just felt burdened.  I was able to get my stuff done – I exercised for the first time in 10 days (we’ve had a lot of house guests), I walked the dogs and ran some errands and did some writing.  But I’ve been carrying a splitting caffeine headache with me all day, and it pretty much prevented me from getting any actual work done.  I kept napping just trying to escape it.  When the headache subsides, I’ll be free to dig in to this melancholy.  Until then: deep breathing, turning inward, moving forward.

So far today no fuzzy tongue or teeth.  One small BM.  Quite a few thoughts of food, but nothing I’d call a craving and no real hunger at all.  Just the unconscious thought surfacing “I should eat black beans”, and the conscious response “Nope.”

Okay, nappie time again.  Love to you all, and the best of luck!

Ahh, the joys of cleansing.  And it all begins with the salt water flush (SWF), the simple isotonic solution that runs right through you and [hopefully] takes everything out along with it.  I suppose now is as good a time as any to say:

The SWF is an easy mixture of sea salt and water, but the proportions are very important.  You must maintain the proper osmotic balance to ensure rapid travel through the body.  Hypotonic (too much water) will get caught up stealing salt, stalling along the way.  Hypertonic (too salty) will draw water from you and leave you dehydrated.  None of this is dangerous, but there’s no point in forcing yourself to drink a giant bottle of *yuk*, if it’s not gonna do its duty.  So measure carefully!

The recipe is easy: 2 level teaspoons of coarse sea salt (not iodized table salt) dissolved in 32 oz of warm water.  Drink this down as fast as you can.  Hold your nose if you have to, ’cause this stuff is *icky*!  But it’s important to the process.  And really, it’s not that bad!  Remember not to drink anything else (water or lemon drink) for about an hour after the SWF, lest you dilute the solution in your system. Between 1/2 hour – 2 hours later, the SWF should be making its grand escape.  Make sure you’re near a bathroom and not distracted (work is not the best place), because this may be a bit all-consuming . . . 

This morning I made my first SWF for this cleanse.  I mixed it in an old oversized mason jar, and drank it down in 5 minutes flat.  That was almost 2 hours ago, and although my tummy gurgles, I’ve had no trips to the bathroom just yet.  That’s okay, I’e got a full belly of food from last night’s dinner.  This will get easier as the days wear on and my body empties out.  For now, there’s a lot of blockage to combat.

If you are joining me in this journey, I’d love to hear about your first SWF. Remember that if you skipped this morning, it’s okay!  When I did my last cleanse I didn’t start flushing until the third day.  Just keep on track and begin flushing as soon as you can.  Good luck with it!

And Happy Flushing!!!  (ewwwwww)

Oi there! It’s time once again for the wonderful weekend, and that means I want your feedback.  So get interactive! This webspace is for you – it’s your community – so make sure and share your comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

What’s been on your mind this week? Where are your interests taking you?  Which section of the site would you like to see expanded?  (the food? the fashion? the farm?) Are you working on any new projects? What are YOU interested in?

As always, the Feedback Forum will hang out here at the top of the page all weekend. So take your time and come back if you need, but make sure you have your say!  And most importantly of all, make sure you have a truly fabulous weekend!

The Master Cleanse:

The Master Cleanse is a prolonged period of limited intake with the intention of detoxification.  It’s a form of ‘body cleanse’ – an attempt to induce the mass release of accumulated chemicals.  Poisons are stored within fat cells, and breaking down these reserves (by severely restricting calories) releases the poisons.  These are then eliminated from the body with the aid of herbal laxative tea and the saline flush.

All over the world and throughout the ages, people have fasted for mental, physical, and spiritual benefit.  However, Western medicine has limited interaction with these practices. There is little accepted research, and virtually no peer-reviewed studies.  Modern medicine and traditional techniques seem unable to reconcile their differences, and so the validity of the mechanism is highly (and hotly!) debatable.

Personally, I would encourage anyone to consider cleansing.  I learned so much about myself during my first Master Cleanse.  Now, a year later, I’m looking forward to round two!  If you’re interested in joining, please please do your research before you jump in.  Remember, knowledge is power and education is your own responsibility.  So do your homework, investigate the pros and the cons, and follow your own intuition.  You know what’s best for your body.  Trust yourself.

Here are some simple starting places - 

The Wikipedia article, for a general ‘unbiased’ overview

A summary pdf of the original text by Stanley Burroughs

An article from the standard perspective of a western medical doctor

Will I see you next week for the big kick-off?  Whether you’ll be cleansing or not, participation in the discussion is always welcome.   Monday morning marks the start, with a delicious saline flush (blech!).  Hope to see you there!

This weekend, my husband turned 30 (!!!).  I wore this saucy little number to throw him a surprise birthday party, with the help of some dear friends who flew hundreds of miles just to be here with us.  You guys rock!  And of course, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAMIAN!

• Mini-dress: secondhand
• Leggings: Target
• Leopard Heels: secondhand
• Necklace: my Mother’s pocket watch

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#6  Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about laundry, and the many opportunities to ‘clean up’ the clothes cleaning process.

The easiest way to save energy is during the drying.  I always try to hang out my clothes to air dry, but there are some pieces that just require the dryer.  In these cases, be careful you don’t overdry.  Not only is it wasteful, but you can actually damage your duds!  Most machines have a ‘more dry/less dry’ setting, and this is what you should use.  There’s an apparatus to sense the moisture inside, so the cycle will only run for as long as it’s needed.

Using this setting instead of the timer can cut costs by 10-15%.  And of course, always skip the dryer if possible.

BONZAI!

On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift, a habit, a source of inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Friday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come. 

#2

Are you ready for your second mission?  This month, it’s a little bit different.

Last May I embarked on my first fast, the ‘Master Cleanse‘. I had such a positive experience , which you can read about here, and a year later I’m eager to do it again!  A lot of you expressed interest, so I thought we could coordinate a cooperative, collective cleanse!  Anyone can join in, and together we’ll support each other through this difficult endeavor.

My fast begins Monday, May 11, and I’ll be blogging each day.  I hope that you’ll share your experience as well! I’m aiming for 10 days again, but you don’t need to match that goal.  You can do 5 days, or 3, or even just 1.  If a full-on fast seems too extreme, why not go vegan for 10 days?  Modify the mission for your life!  The point is to make a mindful, ambitious decision – and then take action towards it.  With arduous intentions, accomplishment is empowering!

Have you ever fasted or cleansed?  If so, tell us about your experiences and the method you use!  If not, I encourage you to please look into the process before you commit to a decision.

So, do you choose to accept this Mission?

BONZAI!

Oi there! Happy Friday!  And better yet, happy LAST Friday of the month!  And that means it’s time for the Monday Monthly Mission roundup.  This month was our first mission, and we were assigned the task of setting up a home compost program. So, how did you do? Are you composting yet??? I sure am, and I love it. Check it out!

Woo-hoo!  But even if you didn’t fit it into this month, no worries!  You can always reference the compost tutorial when you’re ready.  It’s never too late to BONZAI!

So otherwise, did you have a good week?  Don’t forget, this is your space for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions. What are you thinking about this week?  What are you wanting to see more of? (the food? the fashion? the farm?) What are YOU interested in?

This community is here for you, so make sure you get involved! For that reason, the Feedback Forum will be hanging out here at the top of the page all weekend. So if you have an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, this is the place to do it. Have a most wonderful weekend!

Whether you’ve started out from seed or just purchased your spring starts, we’re finally (!) entering the arena of actual planting.  Yay!  Final frost will vary by region, but no matter where you are, all that planning and digging and weeding and waiting will soon begin to pay off.  By now you should have prepared your beds, worked your fertile topsoil, and removed any weeds that may have cropped up. Make sure you get these out, because they’ll speedily go to seed.

So you’ve got your precious plantlings and you’ve spent a week or so getting the little buggers hardened off.  Now it’s time to cut the cord.  For transplanting, you’re going to want to do your work on a cool afternoon or in the evening.  During the day, sunshine triggers the opening of stomata, the small pores that line the leaves. Stomata are essential for gas exchange, but they also allow for transpiration, or evaporative water loss.  When sunlight recedes the stomata close and the plant begins metabolizing its daily nutrient intake.  So, transplanting your little one in the evening, when the stomata are closed, will help it retain water.  Water is a valuable commodity and is required for this traumatic transfer.

Beautiful brassica - my little baby broccoli!

Begin by digging a hole, both wide enough and deep enough so that the roots will easily slip in without clumping together.  I find that burying my trowel to the hilt to make a sort of slit, narrow but very deep, seems to work best.

When handling the little sap, hold it by the two base leaves instead of by the body. These cotyledons are not true leaves and will shed as the plant matures.  It’s better to accidently damage these throw-aways, instead of squishing something vital like the stem.  Remember, these guys are quite delicate!

More beloved brassica - my petite pak choi

Before you sink the seedling, tease the roots gently with your fingertips to break them up a bit.  This will help promote healthy outward growth, instead of continuing the tangle that results from a container childhood.  Also, try to maintain the same soil depth on the stem.  If this level of precision proves too difficult, remember that ‘too deep’ is better than ‘too shallow’.  Finally, tamp down the dirt around the base, ensuring that no air pockets are trapped in the roots.  You don’t want to crush the poor thing, but you can pat it down pretty snug.

The final step is to offer immediate water to your new garden resident.  It’ll already be in shock, so go easy!  Using lukewarm water will be much milder on the system.  As well, try to avoid splashing the leaves, if you can.  Water on the leaves triggers the stomata to open, and we’re trying to avoid that for now!  Finally, offer some shade if the sun is still out, to further minimize any chance of water loss.

And then you’re off, your babies are in the ground!  Make sure to water them every day, and try to fertilize at least once a week while they’re young.  Sing to them, play them your favorite songs, and tell them bedtime stories.  Dote on them, coo at them, and kiss them softly in the mornings.  Be good to those little treasures, and they’ll supply a glorious bounty in the coming months!

This blustery spring Saturday, we took a ferry to Seattle. We perused the produce at Pike Place Market and sipped Lambic framboise at The Pike Pub, we toured the Seattle Aquarium, and ate vegan gourmet 76 stories above the city, in the tallest building downtown.

It was windy out on that water!  But arriving to the city by ferry is just so beautiful.

• Black Cardigan: Nordstrom, ages and ages ago
• Striped Skirt: secondhand, by allison anne
• Black Leggings: Target, pre-autumn 2008
• Black Flats: by AWOL
• Black Bow Headband: f21, pre-autumn 2008
• Necklace: my Mother’s pocket watch

The incredible spring tulips at Pike Place Market