This morning I heard the sound of school buses practicing their morning routes. School starts next week, back to school shopping is in full swing and the crosswalks near the schools are getting fresh paint. All signs point to the beginning of Fall. Here in the United States, Fall begins on the 21 of September. But did you know that in old farming cultures, August 1 was Lammas or the harvest of The First Fruits of the Season? I'm sure this harvest included many different kinds of fruit, vegetables and grains. Last week I was at our local Farmer's Market and saw apples fresh from See Canyon, tables of bright red tomatoes and basil and bins full to the top with corn. During Lammas, early wheat was the focus, milled and mixed with yeast, water and salt to make fresh, hot loaves of bread. So when was the last time you made bread? For me, it's only been about a week. I was "inspired" by Margaret over on YouTube. Here are a couple of her bread making Vlogs. (Part 2) You can also find some great recipes on the internet. If you don't feel like you have the time for all the mixing, kneading, rising, and cooking, see if you can find a breadmaker you like. Enjoy all your harvest activities; drinking fresh apple cider, walking in leaves, watching High School football and tailgating, try making a fresh, hot loaf of bread and give thanks for the Harvest.
The Picture - Half Empty or Half Full? Many of you who know me know I've been fighting a battle with Graves' Disease for about a year and a half. It was diagnosed in February of 2007. I was so very sick back then I actually thought I was going to die! One of the main symptoms was a rapid heartbeat and mine was probably 110 beats a minute. I was put on Methimazole, about 40 mg. per day to knock down the worst of the symptoms. That has gradually been reduced until now my dose is 5 mg. a day. Then I got some really bad news this week, my numbers are beginning to rise again. My Dr. called on Wednesday and told me he wanted to do the radioactive iodine treatment. I just don't feel ready for that at all. He gave me until the 7th of November, my next appointment, to "see the numbers change". He says to take the medicine every other day and in two weeks go off it all together. Yeah, the numbers will change and it won't be for the better I'm sure. So, I went on the
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