Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Bring back the stewing hen!

Yesterday was hard.

Much harder than I anticipated, actually, based on my previous forays into Intro-Land. I think I have it narrowed down to three reasons:

1. I wasn't really ready, so didn't have a variety of food on hand. When I got nauseated, I didn't want the one soup I had prepared, and the other wasn't ready yet.
2. I went into a store that I know uses noxious air fresheners. Silly me! I was feeling good at the time, but ignored my wiser self and went in "just for a minute." The migraine that resulted lasted way longer than that...
3. I quit caffeine. For now. This is hard, as I drink only a bit of tea each morning, but I thought I should do it, to get a clearer read on how my adrenals are responding.

Yes, I realize I brought it on myself, but it meant that I spent the night agonizing with nausea and the migraine. With the help of some herbs and a cold wet washcloth, I did finally get to sleep. And then Blondina, the youngest daughter (9), started throwing up. Really. All over the place. At 2:30 am.

My husband, The Captain, took her out for Mexican when it was clear I wasn't getting up to make their dinner. Which turns out to have been a bit of a waste, as every bit of it came back up. I would have pointed out to her that crappy food had no business being in her to begin with, but who am I to talk, making myself sicker than necessary? (See above.) She will get to figure these things out in time.

So here I am, a bit woozy with a migraine hangover. But I don't want to be so negative when there is good news! My basal body temperature, which had been steadily going down over the last week (it was 97. 3 yesterday) shot up to 98.1 today! And that was earlier than usual, which I would have expected to be lower.

I feel pretty good so far today. I have had my lemon water and my thyroid medicine (I stopped taking all supplements, but I do have to continue with my Naturethroid), and a large mug of ginger tea. I did use a bit of honey (maybe 1/2 tsp) to help with the shakiness since I have not eaten since lunch yesterday. I have to wait an hour after my medicine to eat, which is coming up, but I needed to hold out until then.

I started a pot of soup yesterday with a stewing hen from one of our local egg farmers. He sells his old layers for the old fashioned soup pot, and I was super lucky that I had a couple in the freezer. This morning, as I was pulling off the meat, skin and fat for my soup, I felt very meditative. The fat and skin on this bird are so yellow, so full of the sunshine where Harley's birds run. I really appreciate how, now, past her ability to lay eggs, this hen is still a life-giving force. These hens make the best chicken soup I have ever tasted. They are scrawny to look at, nothing impressive. But the flavor, the color--and I am sure, the nutrition--are incomparable.

I put a leek, a couple of carrots and two tiny beets in the soup, along with the small bunch of tender beet greens. A little ginger, peppercorns, and some sea salt are the only seasonings. In a moment I will eat some of this healing soup--worthy of my great-grandmother Regine (I hope!), adding some chopped garlic, and a teaspoon of kvass for probiotics. I am thankful that this hen gave her life for my nourishment.

I am starting this Day 2 of intro in gratitude--for new lessons to be had in taking care of myself and to inform my work with others.

How did your day go?

4 comments:

Baden said...

Hi Justine,

Ah, how I loved reading this!

I totally get it about the 'carcass meditation', too. I had a lot of that going on yesterday.

I'm going to go compile a list of blogs covering intro... I'm excited that people will be able to read your journey. And how neat that you are having results Day 1 this time! I do find it to be different each round...

Best,
Baden

Justine Raphael said...

Thanks Baden!

I suppose that plunging in without much preparation has it's benefits--no fretting beforehand! I am just in it for the journey, as we all are. Yes, it's different, and I see that as a good thing, shaking things loose in a way...

It's super helpful that we are all doing this together!

Justine

Alyssa said...

Hi Justine,

So good to visit you here again! I started intro today! It may be the worst time ever to start: I am at the tail end of a respiratory bug, my cycle just started with a vengeance and with lots of back pain, hubby is out of town, and I'm still dealing with adrenal/thyroid issues. But it does increase my motivation to heal!

I'd love to hear what you are eating each day for inspiration. I've just had lemon water, ACV with water, sauerkraut juice with my chicken soup and some ginger tea. Not sure if I'll add the egg yolk tomorrow or when I'll add my SCD yogurt or kefir back in.

Nice to know I'm not alone!

Justine Raphael said...

Hi Betty--

Welcome! It's so nice to know that none of us are alone...

And yes, sometimes the timing is wanting, but it works whether we are ready or not!

I am eating what you are, so far. Though I often forget the ACV/H20 before meals...

I am not sure about the egg yolk. I am thinking tomorrow or the day after. I also have some other meat to make into new soups, so I will be writing about that, over the next few days.

Let's keep the conversation going--it helps!

Justine

 
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