The Tukwila Trailers

I have really been enjoying my time with the Tukwila Trailers.  This is a hiking group of senior women who go out every Monday, regardless of the weather. ( I still find it hard to admit I'm a "Senior")   We usually have a full van of 14, and we head off to a different destination.  In the winter, we stick to the lowlands, and to locations that have paved trails that are not too steep.  We don't need to get mired in mud or dealing with slippery hillsides.  We walk or hike for two hours, then we all go to lunch at a local restaurant.

The above photo was taken on our walk at Flaming Geyser State Park.

Some fishermen were enjoying a beautiful day for the last day of Steelhead fishing.

I am always intrigued with spider webs.

This is my friend, Lois.  She is 84 years old, and quite the go getter.

The following week we went to the Auburn Wild Game Park.  I don't know why it is called that.  I saw a couple of birds I'd never seen before, but no wild game.  Oh, well, it was lovely.  The trail ran along the White River which was running high and fast.

I'm also a nut for lichen.  I need to take my pruners with me on the next hike and see if I can find a nice branch.  The previous week, at Flaming Geyser, I found a big rock that I want to paint, and wound up carrying it quite a distance back to the van.  Dumb move.  I must remember not to do that again.

After our hike, we went to Hop Jacks Bar and Grill in Auburn.  I love that place.  We want to the one in Maple Valley a few weeks before, and I was able to find something I could eat on the menu.  With all the dietary restrictions I'm following, it is usually pretty hard.  So, this time I asked them if they had any gluten free options, and they brought me an entire menu!!!  Score!

This past Monday was Presidents Day, and the Community Center was closed, so we did not go hiking.  I really missed it.  Next Monday:  The Snoqualmie Trail.

The Latest

I've been working on getting Networked Blogs to post my blog to Facebook.  For some reason, they stopped, and I can't figure out how to get them to start doing it again.  As I was doing this, I was reading many of my old posts, and got the bug to get this going once again.  I know I have said that several times.  Hmmmm.  I've just had some health issues, and it's hard to write when you don't have something fun to expound on.  Then, the next item was:  Should I remain as Fiberfabrications?  I'm no longer selling my creations or doing Farmers Markets.  But, texture sort of rules my life; in the way I dress, the things I make, decorating my home, and my garden.  So, I guess this is the one for me.  So here I go again.

I have not been idle.  Above are the first two potholders I have made of this style.  Wow!  They are much more complicated than I thought.  I have a friend, Kris, who makes hundreds of these, and each and every one is just perfect.  I have four of her's now, which I use as hot pads and trivets.  I like to hang them on the wall in my kitchen, also.  I definitely have some refining to do.

This is a table runner that I started WAY BACK when I was still on the farm.  So, that would be about three years ago.  I finally finished it up and it is on a hall table.  I love the disappearing nine patch.  It makes it look as if you have done such complicated work.  Hahaha.  I'm really not a very good quilter, so I appreciate that.

Another one I am working on for the bedroom.

Terry and I have done a lot of painting and organizing in the house.  We finally made it to the office, and my goal was to make room for this wonderful map to go on the wall.  This is a classroom map from 1953.  Remember?  It's really interesting to look at, since the countries have changed so much since then.

Above is a needlefelted piece I made back on the farm.  I think that is going to be a regular phrase for me.  Anyhow, this was on a picture I had done, but I decided it would make a nice lapel pin.  I will sew a pin on the back and start wearing it.

That's it for today.  Let's see what Networked Blogs does for me.  If anyone else has had this problem, I'd sure appreciate your advice.

Hitting the Trail

I have been looking for some new friends and activities, and have finally found my niche.  Yesterday I joined the Tukwila Trailers, a group of Senior women from the Tukwila Community Center that go hiking every Monday, rain or shine.  What a wonderful group of women, and so much fun.  The one in the pink shirt below is also a Linda, and we really hit it off.  She's also shown in the van with the funky hat on.  My kind of gal.

13 of us headed out in the van to Tacoma and a Nature Preserve at Snake Lake.  We hiked on their trails for 2 hours, going about 3 miles.  Wow.  As sick as I've been, just 6 weeks ago I would not have been able to go a fraction of the way.  I'm so happy to be feeling better.

It was supposed to rain, but instead we had a lovely day, sometimes sunny, and sometimes very misty, but to be expected in a woodland like this.

After the hike, we went to 

Defiance Point for lunch at Anthony's Home Port.  That provided for more opportunity to get to know the other ladies, and they have got me booked up with activities.

Thursday is the Red Hat outing to Molbak's Nursery, and Saturday there is a potluck at one of the employees' from the Center who always goes with us on these treks.  She's a great gal.  She never wears matching socks, and her hair is dyed yellow and green.

Next week we will be walking the trails around here, and then we have our Christmas lunch and gift exchange.

This is Mt. Baker as seen from Pt. Defiance.  Funny, I used to live in the foothills of that mighty mountain.  Now I am closer to Mt. Rainier.

So, I was in three Holiday Bazaars in the past few weeks.  I am trying to get out of the business of selling my yarns and hats and scarves, but I have such a huge inventory, I really need to sell them.  Last week I made a great connection with a woman who wants to buy my yarns for her craft, so I was really high over that.  I have enough fiber to keep spinning for years, but now I want to make things for myself, my family, and friends.  It is no longer a part of a bigger business plan.

I want to get more involved in quilting again, but it seems that all I do lately is prepare food.  Having an autoimmune disease is very demanding on the cook, but eating gluten and dairy free is key in controlling the disease.  I got a little crazy over the weekend since it was my birthday and people brought me goodies.  I am still suffering the effects today.  I must take this more seriously.  So, today I am off to Whole Foods to buy bones and chicken feet for bone broth.

Turkey Day on the Paleo Diet

Thanksgiving is here, and I can't eat most of the wonderful items I love about Thanksgiving dinner.

No dressing, no potatoes, no green bean casserole.  Sigh.  So, I decided that the turkey had to be the absolute best, since it was the main dish.  Usually, I can pass on the turkey.  You cover it with gravy and cranberries because, well, it is basically tasteless.  The challenge was that I had never, ever, roasted a turkey myself before.

Really, it's true.  64 years old and this is another first for me.

 I started by brining the turkey for 24 hours.  It's a small turkey, only 13 pounds, and it fit nicely in one of our coolers, which we kept on the front porch.

 In preparation, I studied up on roasting turkeys.  This cookbook was a wedding gift to my Mom in 1946.  You can tell it is well used.  This is my go to cook book for all things.  It is The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking.

 I was less than thrilled with the tiny giblets that came with my bird, so I bought two turkey drumsticks and roasted them the day before to add to my stock.

Terry read to me about making stock or broth from the Joy of Cooking.  Good information.

 Here is my stock after the meat, bones and veggies have been removed.

 Since I can't have dairy, I've been using this margarine.  I started using it when my son became vegan and I needed something on hand he could use.

 It's really good, and as you can see, it comes with many credentials.  

I used the margarine to mix with fresh herbs from my garden.

 Here we have Rosemary, sage, thyme and savory.

 I found this handy gadget at the grocery store.  It strips the leaves from the stem of the herbs.  It's okay.  I can't recommend it as a must have.

So, after retrieving the turkey from it's salt bath, I put the margarine and herb mixture under the skin. Then, I massaged her with a mixture of olive oil and poultry seasoning.

The book said it would take 3 to 4 hours to roast, but it was ready in 3.

I didn't get a picture of the cooked turkey, because we were busy getting ready to put it on the table.

I usually use arrowroot as a thickener for my gravies, but I was out, so I found success with Xanthum Gum.

Believe me, this was the best turkey I have ever eaten.  Moist and flavorful.

So, you folks on a restricted diet, especially those with Hashimotos Thyroiditis, here is how to make a celebration dinner enjoyable.

The Paleo Leap

For three weeks, I am on a diet for those with autoimmune disease.  This diet, The Paleo Leap, will help me to determine which foods are causing my symptoms and making my life miserable.  After three weeks, I will slowly add back in the foods that I love, such as eggs and tomatoes.  I will have a negative reaction if it is a no no.

You can find information about eating Paleo at www.paleoleap.com.  This however, does not include the instructions for the diet I am on.

I cannot eat:

corn

dairy

sugar

grains

legumes

nightshades, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, chilis and all peppers.

alchohol

coffee.

nuts and seeds

Sigh.

Yes, it is a lot of work, but so worth the effort.  Since you are limited by what you can eat, you need to make the best of what you can.  The diet recommends the Breakfast Scramble for breakfast each morning.  Well, when I think of scramble, I think of eggs with all kinds of good things added.

NO EGGS.

You cook some ground meat, beef, pork, veal, lamb, turkey or chicken with vegetables and spices.

We have learned to really love these scrambles.

I keep a good supply of chopped carrots, onions and celery as well as bamboo shoots and water chestnuts in plastic containers that we get at Cash and Carry.

I start by sauteing the veges in olive oil until tender.  My basic three are onions, carrots, and celery.  Then I  brown the meat.  The recipe calls for 3 ounces of meat per serving.

Then, I add mushrooms and greens.  As many as I want.

I have found that Italian Seasoning makes this a very flavorful dish.  Today I also used celery seed

This dish included spinach and arugula.

Served up with some fresh fruit, who could ask for a tastier start to their day?  There are usually leftovers, which I will store in the plastic deli containers, are make a soup from.

My husband is supporting me all the way on this endeavor, following the diet along with me and even taking the supplements that my ND has prescribed.  So far, 10 days into the diet, we have each lost 7 pounds.

On the Road Again

We recently hit the road again with a trip to Oregon.

It's been a family tradition for DH's family to celebrate Christmas at Thanksgiving each year.

His Mom passed away in February, and the family did not want to travel to Brookings again this year.

Since everyone else lives in Redmond, Or., that is where the celebration took place.

We had to schedule our trip before the mountain passes got dicey, and we were on the run from the ice and snow the entire trip.

This is Mt. Hood in all her glory.  Crossing the pass was quite exciting since the wind was really blowing.  Branches were hitting the car and there were downed trees along the way.
In Welches, we stopped at the Whistlestop Pub for lunch.  They were fixing their gas fireplace, and someone was felling a tree out near the parking lot.  The manager came over to apologize for the noise and confusion, and once she saw Terry wearing his Navy hat, it being Veterans Day, she asked if she could give us a discount on our lunch.  Uh, yes, of course!!

It really was gratifying to be with Terry as so many people approached and thanked him for serving, or just smiled and waved at him.  We really do live in a good country full of Patriots.

The best part about traveling off-season, and during the week, is there is no traffic.  Here is the long open road.
We spent the first night in Redmond, Or. with Terry's sister.  We had dinner with her kids and grandkids, and had our gift exchange.

This is the sign that Terry's niece, Megan, made for us.  She has started her own business making wooden crafts.  Taylor Mango.
The next morning, we awoke to 10 degrees and the threat of snow.  We high tailed it out of there and headed south to Brookings.
Brookings is on the coast of Oregon, just 5 miles from California, and quite mild.  There, we visited with Terry's step dad and picked up the items Terry's Mom had left him.

A trip to Brookings would not be complete without my collecting a big bag of red beach rocks for my yard.  I have been collecting these for over a year, and will eventually surround my studio with them.
So, the weather turned stormy, and there were threats of ice storms and snow in Portland that night, so we had to hit the road again.  Further north in Redmond, they had 18 inches of snow, so we were very glad we had left when we did.
We drove through the redwoods on our way back north, and stopped for a hike at the Rogue Gorge.

This is a magical place, and the beginning of the mighty Rogue River.

We made it through Portland before the snow hit, and were so happy to be home.  We had been gone for 66 hours, and were in the car for 23 of those.  It was a good time, but not one I want to repeat soon.  Next spring we will go to Brookings again and join Terry's sister as we help their step dad get his yard in shape and do some maintenance on the home.

The Incredible Journey

Quite honestly, this is a rant.  I am furious.

I think I have suffered from low thyroid for 24 years.

Unfortunately, your traditional doctor doesn't look at the numbers the same way that a Naturopathic doctor does.  I don't want to go through my long history of symptoms, but they are numerous.  When I go to see my doctor, there is a sign that says she can only address one complaint at a time.

This year, I finally had insurance, thanks to Obamacare, and I started going every 2 weeks.  The worst symptom, which came on in March, is edema throughout my body.   My abdomen looked like that of a pregnant woman in her 8th month.  The pressure on my lungs and ribs was extreme, making breathing difficult.  It was very uncomfortable and even painful.  Finally, a trip to the ER resulted eventually in a diagnosis of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  This is an autoimmune disease which results when you are not property treated for low thyroid.  If left untreated, it can result in death due to the edema putting pressure on the heart and lungs.  I am convinced this is what my mother died of.  I thought of her constantly as I watched my own decline.

So, I found an incredible Naturopathic doctor who specializes in Thyroid.  She has me on a plan and says there will be a 6-8 week recovery.  She said she was sorry, that seems like a long time, and I said, are you kidding?  After 4 years of trying to get a doctor to listen to me, this seems like a Christmas present!

I was talking to another woman one day who had a similar story.  It took her about 4 years to get a doctor to prescribe thyroid meds.  She had waited two months for an appointment with an endocrinologist.  During her appointment, while she was describing her symptoms, he says to her:

"You know, I am really busy.  You are lucky to be here"

She was shocked.  And, she walked out.

This is what happens to so many of us.

So, enough of that.

Here is a picture of all of the supplements I am taking.  I have low adrenal function, my hormones are all messed up and I cannot control my body temperature, and my mineral and vitamin levels are extremely low.  Oh, yeah, I'm also losing my hair.

One of the things that goes wrong with an autoimmune disease is the inability to absorb nutrients in the digestive tract.  This makes a gluten free diet very important.  Through testing, I also found out I am sensitive to dairy and some fruits.  (pineapple and bananas).

On Sunday, I started the Paleo Leap Diet.  I only have to do this for three weeks, and can then start adding back in foods that are normally allowed to see what my reactions are.

The foods that I cannot consume for three weeks are:

eggs

Dairy

Sugar

Alchohol

Grains

Legumes

Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and any spices from peppers)

Corn

Nuts and seeds

You might say, what can you eat?  Well, a friend taught me to concentrate on what I CAN eat.  Make a list, and you will be amazed.

Last night I made crab cakes with no crumb filler, no egg, no mayonnaise, and no panko crumbs for coating.  They were delicious!!

I think next time I will make a sauce with some orange juice.

Of course, I have become quite a good cook the past year, and working with gluten and dairy free, I've had a bit of an indoctrination.

I will be blogging about my healing and my cooking for awhile.  More and more people are coming to realize the impact of gluten on their bodies, and I will be sharing recipes that have been successful for me.  So far, I can't seem to make a decent pie crust.