Good morning everyone,

Today is such a wonderful day. This is the second day of my menstruation cycle and I feel wonderful. I am almost 1 year raw. According to my journal, only 26 more days to go. I woke up this morning, took a shower, and worked on my garden. Most of you don’t know this, but I have a small container garden. I started it over spring break from seedlings, not knowing what to expect. I planted summer squash, basil, sugar peas, parsley, melon, lemon cucumbers, and sunflowers. I also brought 2 grape plants and 2 blueberry trees. I left my plants in my friends care while I was in California for 4 weeks in May, and unfortunately some plants didn’t make it. No fault of theirs, they just needed my love, patience, and fertilizer. So now they are back home and doing very well. Here is a picture of my garden:

I staked my peas and now they look healthier.

My grape vines are still doing well (the one I brought from the farm is doing better than the one I bought from Lowe’s).

One of my blueberry trees is producing small blueberries, which suggest that I will have a good harvest next year. The plant from Lowe’s is not doing as well as the one from the farm (duh!).

I replanted my squash because the container was too small. Also I think that because there wasn’t enough fertilizer, the plant kept producing roots, and the plant became root bound.

Also, there is good news. When I transplanted my plants from their small trays to their pots a few months ago, I used compost from the farm where I pick up my farmshare. Well, the compost had all kinds of seeds in them. Now I have peppers growing, all types of tomatoes, and lettuce. All of which, I did not plant. I can't wait for the fruit to come in (see below).

Also this morning, I made some juice. I juiced rhubarb (no leaves or roots) with lemon and strawberries. I was careful to make sure that I cut off enough of the bottom of the stalk so that it had no roots. Rhubarb contains a lot of oxalates, and the roots and leaves are toxic.

After I made the juice, I mixed in agave and lecithin. I wanted to make a sauce to pour over peaches and strawberries. My peaches weren’t ripe yet, so I poured it over strawberries and it was gooooood. It was tart and sweet. Here is the recipe if you want to make it:

3 stalks of rhubarb

1/2 c. strawberries

1 lemon (meyer preferred)

Agave to sweeten

1 1/2 tbsp lecithin

Juice all the ingredients. I juiced the lemon rind, but you don’t have to. Pour the juice into a bowl. Now add the lecithin and stir until dissolved. Now it is ready to pour over any sweet fruit. Berries work the best with this.

Lastly, I wanted to make mention of my menstruation cycle this month. It was different. I bled more on the first day (can we say a river). I even bled heavy during the night, which is when I usually bleed lighter. I didn’t feel tired like I usually do, or discomfort. I was bloated for the first half of the day and then it went away. And, I had more energy and more patience.

Good times.

-Brandi