inseparably linked together

Prayer and the Word are inseparably linked together: power in the use of either depends upon the presence of the other. Andrew Murray (1828–1917)

Movie Trauma

What movie scared you when you were a child?

The Wizard of Oz. My grandmother had long hair, but she always kept it up. One day, we arrived after she had bathed. Her long black hair was still down so it could dry. I do not know why, but that long hair made my 3-4 yo self think of the witch from WoO with the hat that had the gauzy material flowing from the back. I screamed my head off and tried to run away. My parents caught me and tried to tell me it was my grandmother, but I was not having it. I would not calm down until she put her hair up. I still remember it very clearly.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold, 

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

-Robert Frost

Marshall, NC

Brandon just returned from a trip to beautiful Marshall, NC to meet and give orientation to his newest hire. He also met with other employees in the plant and worked to set up and improve things in the IT department. 

Brandon is the boss for six industrial plants spread out in the United States. He was just given a raise for the excellent job he is doing. His current boss said he is ready to step into her role when she leaves in a few years if he wants it. He has her recommendation for the job.

We are very proud of Brandon! When he was hired in his starting position, he was the youngest IT person the company had ever hired. He took over the IT work in two industrial plants. He was chosen over people with more experience because he presented himself better and also had the credentials (college degree, certificates) that no one else had obtained. He has continued to move right up the ladder!

While Brandon was away, his two geese, many ducks, and Girly stayed here. The two cats and 12 parakeets stayed home with auto feeders with cameras monitoring them. He's an IT guy, so his home is just as "smart" as you would expect.

I had encouraged Brandon to stay an extra couple of days and explore. After a week of the hotel, business meetings, and restaurants, he missed his family. He left at 5:30 a.m. so he could spend the rest of the weekend hanging out with us.

When he arrived back in town, he didn't go home first. He drove directly to see his mama! All smiles, I ran out the door and gave him a big hug! :-) 

Proud of Amanda!!

after the deer collision

Amanda saved her money and paid cash for a nice 2006 Escape. She had asked God to help her find a certain car at a certain price in our area and He did. She gave Him the glory for it in our family group text and encouraged all of us to seek Him when we have needs.

She had the Escape three days before a deer jumped out in front of her on a heavily traveled road and damaged her front end. Her headlights were busted. Her hood was twisted and bent. Her bumper was lifted up and pushed back and was cracked on the driver's side. The driver's side front quarter panel was dented. 

She texted our family and let us know she hit a deer. Then she asked us to pray for the deer* because she thought its leg was broken. She had compassion for the deer over herself or her vehicle. 

She accepted the situation as one that just happens in life. She did not complain, get an attitude, or ask why me. She didn't overthink it or complicate it. Instead, she gave thanks to God that no one was injured or killed in her morning commute and also that her Escape is still drivable. 

She said her need was for a reliable vehicle to get back and forth to work. The dents she can't fix won't change that.

Clint and I are very proud of her mature Chrisitan attitude. Her focus is on the Lord and not her current situation. The glory for that belongs to the Lord!! We encouraged her to keep walking with and praising Him and setting an excellent example for her siblings.

Right after arriving at work, she ordered the headlights she needed to make the repairs. She didn't get hung up by the accident. 

Clint checked her hood to make sure it would stay closed on her way home. He was able to bend it back so it would close better, and it made it look a little better. Amanda thinks she can pop out most of the dents. 

Brandon texted Amanda right after learning about the incident and offered to go with her to a junkyard to find parts. I love how our family jumps right in and pulls together to help each other. 

before the deer collision

*After I asked Amanda some questions, I believe the deer is bruised but will live. Deer can take a hit by a car much better than most think. Clint and I hit one at 55 mph in front of our house a few years ago. It was a hard hit for the deer by the truck, and then it was slammed to the asphalt. In a flash, it jumped up and ran into the woods. We thought for sure he would die. Nope, we still see him around! The same one jumped out in front of Caleb last week.

Fundraiser for Friend (House Fire)

October 27: Look what God did! https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-our-neighbor-they-lost-everything

October 13: https://youtu.be/umYC469149E Renee shared what happened.

Oct 8: My friend, Renee (not the same Renee in the prayer request), lost nearly everything in a house fire in the Holland section of Suffolk, VA on the 6th. 

No injuries reported following house fire on Holland Road in Suffolk

This fundraiser was started by her neighbor, Pastor Matthew Johnson. 

THANK YOUS!!

Thank you, Shelby and Lee, Brandon's neighbors, for giving us the pretty chicken eggs!! I could not resist putting them in the incubator! Many of them hatched! 

A big thank you to Sheila, the office cleaning lady where Clint works, for leaving us so many cartons of eggs from your brother with the promise of more. I put a couple of dozen of those in the incubator also! The rest will feed this gang!

Thank you Tippy for the big bag of peanuts!!

I also want to thank EVERYONE who called, texted, sent food and gift cards to restaurants and grocery stores, gifted medicine they felt would help, offered to help in various ways when they learned we had CoVid. We had people pick up orders, drop off groceries, and others take and drop off things for Clint at the hospital. There are so many who reached out, and we are so very thankful! Our family sent out many greeting cards and over a dozen care packages to people with CoVid this year, so it was nice to experience being on the receiving end. Each person who reached out to us was like another ray of sunshine! Good medicine!! Proverbs 17:22 We love all of you!

Also a HUGE THANK YOU to Timmy for alerting us to the coyotes when they were heading towards our property so we could lock up our free-range poultry. Good neighbors are priceless!

Pressure Canning Accidents, Horror Stories, Blowing Up, etc

A lot of the younger women in my life want to pressure can, but they are getting so many "horror stories" from the older generation, they are afraid to try. I ask them to think it through.

Like giving birth, some people like to tell the worst stories they have ever heard over and over. This does not encourage, it discourages! 

Like bad news, horror stories get all of the attention, but you don't hear the stories of the multitudes of people who have been using them for decades with no incidents. Those stories are ignored! Horror stories are also often exaggerated and leave out critical details like someone carelessly ignoring directions. Many times, the person telling the horror stories has no or little experience canning and is just repeating stories they have heard. Then there are the people like a friend of mine who tried pressure canning one time, didn't follow the directions (she admitted this), had an issue, and gave up for life. That's a user error. User error is easy to correct by reading the owner's manual and following directions.

I have been canning since around 1995. I bought my 23 quart Presto pressure canner then. I am still using it today. I change the seal and safety release plug as needed. I follow the instructions that came with the canner. I have not had a single incident in 26 years. There are a multitude of canners with similar stories, but those stories are never shared. 

It's very easy to pressure can safely. My children knew how by the time they are 10 years old because they work beside me in the kitchen from when they were 7-8 years old. There are many, many people who have never had any problems with the operation of their pressure canner. 

Dear Reader, Fear (anxiety) can serve a good purpose, but it can also be like a tight leash that hinders us in life. When we acknowledge our fears but continue forward to step outside of our comfort zone, we grow. Learning a new skill is very worthwhile.

New Numbers Out

New Numbers Out: https://openvaers.com/covid-data (copy and paste)

Adverse events from drugs and vaccines are common but underreported. Although 25% of ambulatory patients experience an adverse drug event, less than 0.3% of all adverse drug events and 1-13% of serious events are reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Likewise, fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported. Source: Electronic Support for Public Health–Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (ESP:VAERS) (ahrq.gov) 

There is more research that also shows the adverse event reporting is very, very low. I personally know of four friends who had adverse reactions to the C shot that were not reported. I also know of, from years ago, many children who had adverse reactions to childhood immunizations that did not get reported. One doctor told the mother, my friend, that the adverse reaction that left her child permanently disabled happened almost a week after so it couldn't be reported. Are you aware that the adverse event reporting window for some vaccines is two months long? 

Btw, I am do not sit with the anti-vaccine or the pro-vaccine groups. I am on Team "Informed Consent" and firmly believe in freedom of choice when it comes to all medical procedures. My hope is that more people will take the time to do thorough research and make a well-educated choice. If one has hours each week to watch fictional tv that adds nothing to one's life, then one has time to do research to make informed choices about one's health. One's choice speaks about what they value the most. 

As young parents, Clint and I found ourselves educating doctors and nurses about the shots they were giving out. They had never bothered to read the inserts or look up the ingredients. After my husband had her get an insert from a vaccine and he showed her facts she did not think were true, one nurse told us, "I need to become better educated in this area." That incident and others told us doctors and nurses are not always the most reliable sources of medical information. Patients need to ask if they are being told facts (which can be proven) or merely opinions. Good fact-gathering leads to good decision making. Poor information (esp. based on opinions/biases) will affect decision-making. My love to all.

Prayers Needed

I am friends with Mennonite families who are friends with these people.

It is not an easy read. 

https://www.facebook.com/henry.zook.5/posts/1253564491785022

what is he who creates the necessity?

"Those of us who are well fed, well garmented and well ordered, ought not to forget that necessity makes frequently the root of crime. It is well for us to recollect that even in our own law-abiding, not to say virtuous cases, the only barrier between us and anarchy is the last nine meals we've had. It may be taken as axiomatic that a starving man is never a good citizen. With this in our mind, what shall be said of the man who arranges famine, who forces a labor strike with its privation, its rioting, its disorder, its bayonet thrusting, and its blood-letting as an incident in his money heaping? If necessity breeds crime, what is he who creates the necessity?" -Alfred Henry Lewis

Article: A 'substantial' economic slowdown awaits us in 2022: Goldman Sachs chief economist

A 'substantial' economic slowdown awaits us in 2022: Goldman Sachs chief economist

Dear Reader, Are you watching what the "big pockets" in this world are doing? That is more telling than the news. Find out what they are doing. Bunkers, incredibly large purchases of food and goods, protection of assets, insulation from coming events, more. Be prudent. Do the best you can. My love to all. 

Please pray for Paige

Oct 20: "she is struggling physically and mentally again. She hasn't been able to eat since Saturday. But we are clinging to the promise of healing. Knowing we are where God wants us, at least for right now." Paige is already so thin that when she can't eat, her heart struggles. This has put her in the hospital many times. The doctors at the hospital said her nutritional intake is so low and her body is so worn, her heart can't function like it should. The pictures of Paige are hard to look at. She is very, very thin. When she can eat, she is struggling with gastroparesis. Please pray for my friend's daughter, my friend, and the entire family. The situation is critical.

After today's Dr visit: "Some of Paige's crashes were an emotional response, manifesting in physical pain. She doesn't realize it, or even see it, but it's there. We saw her Dr yesterday afternoon and discussed this with him. The mind-body connection and how emotional trauma or emotional response can be causing some of her pain. After talking and testing her, he agreed that an emotional response is definitely at play." I totally get this and believe it is likely because I was told the CA-EBV causes a stronger physical response in me to the stressors of life. In fact, I had miscarriages where the doctor felt that the stress I had been under was a primary cause.

Oct 19: Paige's mom shared this: "I woke up this morning wavering. Wavering in my faith, wavering in the treatment plan for Paige... I am scared. I am confused. I am weak. I am worried. I am tired. I am all the things the evil one wants me to be. I am not confident in who I am, what I am doing, or in Christ's victory. This happens when you see your child struggle, day after day, after day. And cry in pain. And ask to die. You become weak, scared, tired, and weary. As I was scrolling through IG, I saw this verse. It hit me hard. Even in the storm, I need to believe. I need to be unwavering in my faith. A prayer for me, to have a clear mind, a believing faith, and a thankful heart."

Please pray for my friend and her family.

Oct 18: Paige's mom shared that Paige has lost all of the progess she had made. Things are desperate again. Paige can't eat and is feeling horrible and is in pain. She has an appointment tomorrow at 3 with a doctor they hope can help. 

"Please pray this prayer for us today. We need a miracle, we need a breakthrough, we need a break.

Lord, we are feeling defeated. We do not know if there is anything we can do to fix the situation we are in. The obstacles in front of us seem unconquerable. The weight is placing a burden on my heart. In Psalm 46:1, you say: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. Help us to accept and remember this truth as we fight for healing. We are laying out our fear, weariness and defeat before you so that you can help restore us. Please comfort us, give us peace and mend our heart. We pray that these defeated feelings will STOP, and WE can rise again, PRAISING you for your victory over pain and disease. We pray TOGETHER in the name of Jesus Christ, amen"

Oct 4: Paige's mom shared this beautiful prayer which tells us a lot of the prayer need. I know this young lady has had some terrible mental struggles that I would not wish upon any soul. Lyme is cruel in so many ways. I can tell you from the severity of the dreams Clint had when he was in the worst of it, the dreams have a very dark element to them. 

"O Father, God of salvation, I lift up Paige and I give her, her mind and her thoughts to you. The devil is filling her mind with lies Lord, help her to remember you have paid the price for our sins, she doesn't need to be under the weight of her thoughts, her depression, her sadness or her pain. Let her mind be renewed with your word. Lord, being healing to her thoughts and her mind. Expose every lie the devil has been feeding her. Give her perfect peace and remove any and all negative thoughts of suicide, guilt, depression or shame from her mind. In Jesus name we pray and believe. Amen."

Oct 1: Paige is a long-time fighter of Lyme and a sweet friend's daughter. She turns 21 this weekend. She is completely bedridden and unable to eat due to vagus nerve damage. 

Please join us in prayer for a miracle for Paige and her family. Paige also has two siblings with Lyme.

Thank you to all who pray for Paige.

Love your enemies. Father forgive them. Everyone that loveth.

“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” - Luke 6:27-28

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” - Luke 23:34

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”- 1 John 4:7

Giardineira

These were soaked overnight in brine to pull liquid out of the vegetables so they will be preserved by pickling.

Pickling spices

This is before the pickling brine is added.

Clint loves giardiniera which is an Italian dish of pickled vegetables. These are eaten as a side dish or chopped small and used as a relish. They can be made spicy too. I recently made him enough to last him a couple of years. I love how all of the colors look on the shelves with the other canning jars.

Pickling is another great way to preserve food.

We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
Numbers 11:5

Article: Food prices will rise 10% in the next two months, John Catsimatidis says

Food prices will go up ‘tremendously’: Billionaire supermarket owner

Food prices will rise 10% in the next two months, John Catsimatidis says

https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/food-prices-up-tremendously-billionaire-supermarket-owner

The video with the story contains more information, so be sure to check both of them out.

There are many trucker videos out there showing that the trucks and truckers are available as are the trailers and cargo containers. The truckers are saying the ships are not being unloaded. The truckers are fed up with being blamed for this. I have seen about fifteen videos showing the truckers in their trucks waiting and the unloading cranes stilling still. One trucker stated he had been there six hours and had not seen the cranes move once.

Dear Reader, When I mentioned I expected this to happen almost two years ago, I had people laugh at me. Cognitive dissonance. People aren't laughing at me anymore. Instead, they are coming to me to learn how to build a pantry, grow a garden, raise livestock, learn how to preserve food, and more. This is a storm, and I believe it will get worse. I encourage you to strengthen your mind and spirit through God's Word and plenty of prayer time. Stock up what you can while you can. Be prudent but not fearful. My love to all!

Video with Special Ending of Mrs. Duke

This video was very lovingly done by Mary's DIL, Linda. The meaningful lyrics of the chosen song give nice imagery of Mary in Heaven. Seeing Mary's sweet face and the faces of those friends who have gone on ahead brought me to tears. Hearing her voice touched my heart. The ending is very, very special. You can see the love Linda had for her MIL in this very touching video.

I was blessed to watch this lady attend church each week, love her husband, care for her children, tend to her family, and minister to others. Thanks to John and Linda, she has been in my newsfeed every week for the last few years. I have been truly blessed to have had this lady's godly example all through my life. God is good!

Hanging by the pool

Frances and Dutchess (Miracle's last kitten)

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:23

With whatever time God gives me...

If this were rewritten for me:

I will not be fighting, hating, blaming, or being petty with whatever time the Lord gives me to remain on this earth.

I am not perfect, but I am sincere about LIVING for His glory.

He has given me an abiding JOY!!

He LOVES me!!

He gives me PEACE!!

Why would I step outside of this blessed place He has me?

The ornaments we purchased this year

We chose this one and this one to add to the family tree this year. 

$89 coat with $30 off coupon

GRACE KARIN Womens Hooded Fleece Line Coats Parkas Faux Fur Jackets with Pockets

My three girls love this coat. It's $30 off with the coupon. I am sharing the deal in case others like it too. (#amazonaffiliate)

*“As an Amazon Associate I earn a tiny commission from qualifying purchases.” 

Regarding Tattler Gaskets and Used Canning Lids

"I am a certified Master Food Preserver in Amador County California and wanted to share this: Please read for all you new and seasoned canners.

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING.

Apparently, there are some folks on youtube promoting a new and dangerous practice involving Tattler gaskets. The company reached out to me and ask me to spread the word on this.

The dangerous practice is using the Tattler gasket with used metal lids. While you may get a seal on a jar doing this, there is no reason to believe it is a true seal and it is unlikely that it will hold long term. The gaskets are made to work with the rigid Tattler lids, which are reusable. Regular lids are not made to be reused.

The concern that I share with the Tattler folks is that folks will put up hundreds of jars using this gimmick, only to suffer mass loss of food a few months down the road.

I get it. Lids are scarce. The market is flooded with trashy knock offs. Folks are frustrated trying to find lids, but let me assure you, this is not the answer. Canning is hard work and food is expensive.

I hope you don't gamble both your money and your labor on some hair-brained idea from youtube. Remember, folks on youtube get paid per click and there will always be folks who will tell you ANYTHING to get a click.

Arise! author unknown

 Noah wasn’t called to fight a giant!

David wasn’t called to build an ark!

Solomon wasn’t called to prophecy!

Moses wasn’t called to prison!

Ruth wasn’t called to go before the King!

Esther wasn’t called to carry the Messiah!

Abraham wasn’t called to wrestle an angel!

Joseph wasn’t called to sacrifice his son!

Elijah wasn’t called to be a shepherd!

Peter wasn’t called to preach to the gentiles!

Do what YOU are called to do!

Go where YOU are called to go!

Speak how YOU are called to speak!

Walk with who YOU are called to walk with!

Give what YOU are called to give!

Sing what YOU are called to sing!

Dance how YOU are called to dance!

Pray how YOU are called to pray!

Reach who YOU are called to reach!

Train how YOU are called to train!

Rest how YOU are called to rest!

Wait how YOU are called to wait!

Seek what YOU are called to see!

Be who YOU are called to be!

YOU are Unique on purpose!

God created and called each of us to partake in one song and a United pursuit - but he gave each of us different tones and sounds to join in on the harmonious chorus! Release YOUR sound!

God knows YOUR name!

And when He calls - you better ARISE!

How to Help Those Who are Mourning

Repost from 10/15/2018: This post has helped a lot of people on both sides of the coin and has been printed as a handout.

Believe me, it's no time for words when the wounds are fresh and bleeding; no time for homilies when the lightning's shaft has smitten, and the man lies stunned and stricken. Then let the comforter be silent; let him sustain by his presence, not by his preaching; by his sympathetic silence, not by his speech. -George C. Lorimer

October 15 is the national day of remembrance for miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. I've lost nine precious babies to stillbirth and miscarriage. Much of what you read here can be applied more broadly to include other types of loss and pain.

Here is a video from Megan Devine, which a friend recently shared, that shares about what works for those grieving and why other things like "cheering them up" do not. It will better equip you to help the hurting in your life.

When I lost one of my miscarried and stillborn babies, one of the things that helped me the most was someone telling me, "This sucks!!" I knew by their succinct words that they understood my pain. You don't need eloquence to show compassion. Your job isn't to move them to where you want them to be; it's to meet them where they are.

One of the most hurtful things ever said to me, for example, was by a Christian in law who claimed to be pro-life who told me less than 24 hours after the loss of my baby that crying was "feeling sorry for myself." Their words created a lot of pain in my heart. They did not care what I was going through, and their words showed it. Their words suggested I was doing something wrong by mourning my baby. I share this with the goal that others won't say such hurtful things in a woman's time of great pain. It is not helpful, but it is very hurtful. 

Crying is a normal, natural response to loss. Jesus cried in grief too. Would you have said, "It's self pity for you to cry since you are going to raise Lazarus anyway?" Or, would you have shown Him understanding and compassion? Think before you speak. Words hurt and can't be taken back, but they can be forgiven. Be gentle and kind with each other even when you do not understand what the other person is going through.

Please don't add your misplaced expectations to someone else's struggle. You will only burden them further. Acknowledge a person's right to feel as they do. 

If you have had a pregnancy loss, I am praying for you today and offer my friendship. My email is in the header. 

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, 
but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.
-A.W. Tozer

I had a friend comment:

That person that said that to you COULD NOT be a Christian! They may be a self proclaimed Christian, but if they really had Christ in their heart they could have never said something so cruel and cold! 

My reply: Christians aren't perfect, and we fail each other often. We have to bear with each other in love to keep unity in the church. I have forgiven them completely and have love for them. Grudges lead to bitterness and that's a weed I don't want growing in my life. It's too destructive! I pray for their well being and success of their business daily. Doing that honors Jesus and gives me peace and keeps me growing in Christ. Their words are a good example to show others what not to say to someone because it does not in any way help. It creates another burden on the person. If we claim to be pro-life, but deny a mother the freedom to mourn a pregnancy loss, we really aren't very pro-life. We have to come beside people and meet them where they are in whatever circumstance life throws at them...not drag them along to where we want them to be. I fail people too and am thankful when they forgive me and bear with me in love.

She's 27

​'

Amanda is as lovely as she can be!
I am so thankful she is my daughter!

What a blessing she has been in my life!

 

Emily baked the cake. She was in a hurry.
All of us had a very good laugh!

He's at it again!

He is working to improve drainage in someone's yard.
I filled in the narrow part of the trench for him.
He filled in the wider dug-out area at the end.

I liked the pattern left by the trencher.

Fog Brain from CoVID 19

If you are dealing with "fog brain" from CoVid in addition to Ginko Bilboa and Ginseng, FEED your thyroid by adding nutritional iodine to your diet. It can not heal quickly if it does not have what it needs. The thyroid needs iodine. Seaweed and Kyo Green (#amazonaffiliate) are good sources that are assimilated well by the body. This has been a tremendous help in cutting through the fog for Clint and me. We took it in the evening and saw a noticeable change the next morning. The next day there was an even bigger change.

Dear Reader, IDK for sure if it will help you, but it certainly helped us. God designed our bodies to heal themselves, but we must give it what it needs to do this.

"Results: Seventy-five percent of patients with CoVid had thyroid abnormalities and higher IL-6 levels (76.10 ± 82.35 vs. 6.99 ± 3.99, 95% CI 52.18–100.01, P-value <0.01)." Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249421

The face of evil....

https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/04/public-officials-silent-about-allegations-of-nazi-level-experiments-at-the-university-of-pittsburgh/

2 of 5

These are two of the broad-breasted white turkeys Brandon gave us. The man wanted $100 for all five which was a bargain Brandon could not refuse. Brandon couldn't keep them at his house, so he gave them to us.

Vaccine Ingredients Fetal Cells

This was shared with me:

Vaccine Ingredients – Fetal Cells

https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-ingredients/fetal-tissues (copy and paste)

L-Lysine

 I added L-Lysine to the post on how we combatted CoVid. I had missed that when going through my notes.

Just home from the hospital (Gift idea)

He looks pretty good for a guy who just got home from the hospital!

They had told us he'd be there 5-7 days because of CoVid, but they had to release him after 36 hours because his labs were too good to justify keeping him there. Read yesterday's post to learn the story.

Since I was told he'd be there a week and was about to get very sick, I wanted to get him a visual reminder he is loved and prayed for by our family. I am not big on sending cut flowers because there is no lasting value. Plus, what manly man wants a bunch of flowers? 

So, I found him this Lego Bonsai at about half of what a delivered gift would have cost. It also will go well with the live bonsais in his office. He loves it!! 

The only thing is they released him faster than it was delivered (next day) so I hesitated a moment and wondered if I should save it for Christmas instead! I decided to give it to him now so Bethany, Emily, and Hannah could help him put it together. Then he gets the extra gift of making memories with his girls.

How we successfully treated CoVid.

I have Chronic Active-EBV and get warning signs when the virus is "coming out to play." When my face started flushing, I knew I had some sort of virus. I also lost my sense of taste and smell for about twelve hours, so I then strongly suspected CoVid. The first thing I did was alert my family and tell them to start the supplements we use to boost the immune system. The positive tests confirmed what I thought: CoVid had finally come to visit our family. 

Two of my immediate family members have had Lyme and co-infections. Like it was when I had severe hyperemesis gravidarum, the medical community was of NO help at all. I had to reach out to kind and knowledgeable doctors in other countries to get answers to effectively treat both the HG and the L+Co. Because of those journeys, and a few others, I have learned a lot about viruses and herbal antivirals. The glory goes to God because He is the One who has opened the door for me to learn from so many medical and alternative medicine professionals. 

CoVid is a virus.

When killing a virus (or any unwanted organism in the body), it is important to start slowly because as the viral cells die, they create toxins which creates an inflammatory response commonly known as the Jarisch Herxheimer reaction (aka "a transient cytokine storm") in the body.  

When Clint's herxing started, his O2 levels would drop to 83 (one time) and (86-89 others). Because I can not see everything that is going on and was concerned he was getting the dreaded CoVid pneumonia, I asked him to go to the Emergency Room and get checked out. He failed the walking test by only one point, but they admitted him to the hospital for observation thinking he was "just starting" to get sick with pneumonia and expected him to decline. They initially told us that CoVid patients required at least a 5-7 day stay, but they sent him home in less than 36 hours because his blood tests looked too good for them to justify him staying with the insurance company. We actually knew after 30 hours he was not sick enough to stay! We feel pretty confident the O2 drop was from the herxing as the virus was killed off. What we were doing was working!!!

We tested our pulse oximeter while he was there and learned it is three points lower than the hospital's pulse oximeter which is very good to know. He was actually doing better than we thought. So, you need to add three to the O2 numbers above to get the real levels.

Some of the links below are to studies or articles. Others are affiliate links to products. I buy a few herbs through Amazon and Walmart, but most of the time, I buy them in bulk from HerbalCom.com and cap them myself with a capping machine. I like to know the herbs are potent. Some unscrupulous companies will use fillers and what is called "dead herb." Dead herb is an herb that has lost its medicinal properties. 

I am not giving the dosages we took, because that is something that needs to be figured out for each person based on different factors. I will tell you we were taking much larger amounts than what you see written on OTC labels. The dosages on those, generally speaking, are very low. If you are interested in any way about taking care of yourself health-wise, I strongly encourage you to take the time to learn proper dosing. There are acute and maintenance dosages, contraindications, and calculation methods (weight, age, severity of the issue, etc), and more. You can take an herbal medicine course to gain this knowledge like I did, but I have also found it freely accessible on the internet and in books. Wisdom and discretion must also be applied. 

We used oregano oil, turmeric (cytokine lowering benefits), garlic, licorice, goldenseal, cat's claw, and resveratrol (aka Japanese Knotweed). Many of these are not only kill off viral cells but also work to inhibit the inflammation (herx/cytokine) response. These were not all taken at the same time. I learned through EBV that if I attack it more often with a rotation of different antivirals, I get better more quickly. That is the approach I used with CoVid.

We also used mucus relief extended-release, 1200 mg and drank large amounts of water. The water not only helps get the gunk out, but it also helps calm the herx reaction. 

We also took Vit A (lung tissue repair), Vit D 20,000 iu a day for 10 days and then back to a slightly higher than maintenance amount, Vit C 2 1000 mg every 4-6 hours (if stools get loose, back off of it a bit), Quercetin with Bromelain, Clear Lungs, zinc, melatonin, and a liquid B complex to help combat the fatigue. We also took L-Lysine. 

Clint's levels for Vitamin D, zinc, and Vitamin C were tested and were right where they needed to be with what we were doing. They did not have to treat him for these at all. They told him to maintain what he was doing. This was also excellent information to receive.

We also used an incentive spirometer as soon as we noticed the congestion. This is a lung exercise machine that is very good at clearing mucus. I keep these on hand for my family. I use to get them from Amazon for $4 or so, but due to CoVid-19, the prices have shot up to a ridiculous price. These are the exact same I was purchasing for $4 but now sell for $17-22. Once we are through an illness, we thoroughly disinfect and dry them, place them in a zipper freezer bag, and put the person's name on them until the next time. 

I am glad Clint was checked out and had the testing done at the hospital. It gave us some great feedback that what we are doing has been very effective. It also told us our monitoring and observations are on point. We also learned some things we will carry forward. 

Co-workers who came down with it before seven of our nine did are still too sick to work. We are all cleared to work again. Because Brandon got well so quickly, he had to jump through extra hoops to prove he was well. He received a doctor's note releasing him to work five days after he had his positive test result. Clint was cleared to go back to work tomorrow. The hospital doctor had given him a note covering him for a full week off, if he needed it. 

For those who know:

We sent this to silly Mustache Paul:

If you can take what you are clinging to so tightly and lay it down at the foot of the cross, maybe you will realize your Tricky Dicky silly games are not fit for mature Christians. Don't you want to grow in Christ? Did your text honor the Lord? That being said, we nearly had to take Clint to the hospital late last night. We killed off the virus, but he started with an aggressive chest infection. His O2 level dropped to 88%, and he was quite pale. I saw the change and immediately switched up what I was giving him. He is back up to 93% O2 and improving today. You should really focus on yourself though. 

For our sincere Christian friends: Please join us in praying for the estranged person who thought it was hilarious to send sick people a text and then lie about who they were. We know God's timing is perfect, and He uses these things to get us to pray. We are not sure of their salvation, so that is the ultimate prayer need.

make him a man

"If you want to ruin your son, never let him know a hardship. When he is a child carry him in your arms, when he becomes a youth still dandle him, and when he becomes a man still dry-nurse him, and you will succeed in producing an arrant fool.

"If you want to prevent his being made useful in the world, guard him from every kind of toil. Do not suffer him to struggle. Wipe the sweat from his dainty brow and say, 'Dear child, thou shalt never have another task so arduous.'

"Pity him when he ought to be punished; supply all his wishes, avert all disappointments, prevent all troubles, and you will surely tutor him to be a reprobate and to break your heart.

But put him where he must work, expose him to difficulties, purposely throw him into peril, and in this way you shall make him a man, and when he comes to do man’s work and to bear man’s trial, he shall be fit for either." ~ Charles Spurgeon