Our Own One Year After

Yesterday, October 21^st, was our One Year Anniversary.

We have been living in this little cabin in the woods … something that we call our camping cabin on steroids … for a year.

I think, if we had to choose one word to describe where we are in our acclimation to small cabin life, it would be … FREEDOM!

Long we have sought it. Every small enticing taste of it, every faint whiff of its fragrant aroma, spurred us on in our quest for greater personal levels of it.

It cost us quite a lot to get to where we are.

Not so much in the financial department. Everything costs. There is no getting around the reality of this issue. It did take some dollars to get settled into this lifestyle mode. Not too many dollars though and we were able to get to this point without incurring MORE DEBT!!! Incurring more debt would have only served to keep us bound to the endless going nowhere motion of the hamster wheel.

The best thing to do with debt is to get out of it by whatever means is necessary and, once out of it, STAY OUT OF IT!

Pay it off and get out from under it. Sell it off and get out from under it. Throw in the towel. Declare bankruptcy and get out from under it. Do what you’ve got to do to get out from under it and start over fresh.

Make your plan. Work your plan. Stay focused on your plan. A lot of seemingly impossible plans can become reality over the course of 5 years.

It cost us, more so, in the what people think department.

It’s kind of a bizarre thing. You’d think that long-time friends and acquaintances would be encouraging and cheer you on. Forget that notion. Pitifully few of them will give you a thumb up in support. Most of them will, in fact, do what they can to dissuade you. And, when not dissuaded by their well-intentioned negativity, most of these well-intentioned friends and acquaintances will treat you as if you’ve contracted leprosy.

There are social and psychological reasons for their dissuasion and response to our staunch stand. I think … and this “I think” is based on my own college centered studies in sociology and psychology coupled with a generous number of years of behavioral observation … those doing the dissuading are not so much concerned about your welfare and happiness … they are experiencing forms of abandonment, rejection, and sometimes jealousy.

They simply can’t handle the fact that they are being left behind. 

Rather than face their own interior inadequacies, they cloak their inadequacies in garments of pseudo-altruism. Those that cloak their interior inadequacies in garments of religious pseudo-altruism are the worst of the lot.

Freedom.

Now that’s an interesting word.

It’s a difficult word to wrap our minds around. 

Especially in our modern culture where our freedom to choose, more often than not, harnesses us more tightly to the wagon that is set upon by the lenders, purveyors, and the politics of modern social planners. According to the standards set by the aforementioned, our personal success is then measured by what we accumulate, how much we accumulate, the size and brand of what we accumulate, and the amount of debt we can carry without going bankrupt.

Our chosen lifestyle suites us quite well, looks good on us, and we consider that we have discovered a lifestyle of living large!  We now have time to focus on and do the things that are important to us in life. 

Doing the difficult work to get to this small space that affords us generous volumes of freedom … 

this place where we have walked away from the stress and strain of mortgaged life … 

this place where we have ceased feeling obligated to keep plugging along at jobs until we are too old to enjoy a retirement life … 

has been well worth the effort.

Super Tea

Shirli and I really enjoy what we call our Super Tea.

3/5ths of the ingredients in our tea are harvested either outside the door of the cabin or on a short walk from the cabin. 

The hibiscus and peppermint are purchased.

Any one of the five ingredients will stand alone as a pleasant beverage. Any one of the five has important health benefits.

Combined in a tea, what we have is a powerful blend of healthy and tasty goodness that works as both a preventative and a curative. We like to add a little honey to ours. Any honey will do for a little sweetness. For the best health benefits, honey robbed from hives situated close to home (wherever home is for whomever) is best.

Let’s look at what the ingredients provide when steeped into a tea. Here's what we've discovered in researching these ingredients.

Blueberry / Huckleberry Leaves

+ The leaves of these berry bushes contain 31 times the antioxidants as the berries.

+ They are a great source of Vitamin C.

+ Improves memory and helps prevent cognitive decline associated with aging.

+ Fights inflammation and helps prevent cardiovascular disease, cancers, and strokes.

+ Lowers triglycerides.

+ Lowers blood pressure.

+ Helps heal and prevent eczema, psoriasis, and other inflammatory skin diseases.

+ So high in antioxidants that it can prevent and possibly heal Type-2 Diabetes.

+ Lowers blood sugar up to 27%.

+ Studies show that properties in the leaves may prevent and heal Hepatitis C by preventing replication of the virus.

+ Helps prevent Macular Degeneration.

+ Helps prevent and heal Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

+ Has shown to have a healing effect on Multiple Sclerosis.

+ Helps prevent and repair DNA damage caused by free radicals.

+ Strengthens veins, arteries, and capillaries.

+ Helps the female reproductive system. Helps to heal fibroids. Helps with cramps. Helps with P.M.S.. Tones the uterus and fallopian tubes.

Goldenrod

+ Tightens and tones the urinary system and bladder and helps with Urinary Tract Infections.

+ Restores balance to the kidneys.

+ Flowers and leaves can be infused in oil and used to tread burns and wounds.

+ Provides an antidote for seasonal ragweed allergies.

+ Has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties to treat sore throats.

+ Acts as an expectorant.

+ Opens the pores of the skin to release sweat during fevers.

+ Contains Rutin … a powerful flavonoid that benefits the cardiovascular system.

+ Contains antifungal saponins and is a useful alternative for treating Candida type yeast infections.

Pine Needles

+ Rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and flavonoids that protect cells from damage by free radicals.

+ Helps prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

+ Contains anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein … the bad cholesterol.

+ Contains Shikimic Acid … the main ingredient in Tamiflu.

Hibiscus

+ Lowers blood pressure.

+ Has diuretic properties.

+ Helps lower bad cholesterol.

+ Helps heal liver disease.

+ Contains Hibiscus Protocatechuic Acid which has anti-tumor properties that slow down the growth of cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death.

+ Has properties that calm the nervous system, reduces anxiety and depression.

+ Contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that prevent catching colds and flu.

+ Relieves menstrual cramps and pain. Restores hormonal balance to reduce mood swings and depression.

+ Improves digestion.

Peppermint

+ Soothes upset stomach.

+ Aroma boosts mental performance.

+ Helps loosen congestion and relieve coughing.

+ Relieves halitosis.

That’s a lot of good stuff in a handful of ingredients steeped into a tea.

There are only two cautions that I know of where these ingredients are concerned.

They have to do with the pine needles.

Some sources insist that pregnant women should stay away from pine needles. One of the pines, the Ponderosa, is suspected to cause abortions in cattle that graze on the needles. Nothing is said about how long they grazed or the quantity of needles eaten.

The other caution concerns the Norfolk Pine.

The Norfolk Pine (something that is more of an ornamental than a tree growing in the woods) is toxic.

Where topics such as this are concerned, it's always in the best interests of people to do their own research, arrive at their own conclusions, and make their decisions based upon what they have discovered and concluded. That's the way we go about it and that is what we are comfortable with.

Also, when harvesting from nature, make certain that you can positively identify what you are harvesting. Mistakes on your part are your responsibility.