Weigh to Sow~ doing something extraordinary on an Ordinary Day...

The beginnings of my green beans fruits
New Growth for my Bell Peppers


"Head in the Clouds" All rights reservedJHM©10

"Where the unusual occurs & miracles happens"~Dr. Dwayne Thomas 2002 CEO of University Hospital, New Orleans,La

(This quote is on the wall of the hospital where the story begins).

My story for the day (weigh to grow)

Before I had my last visit with the last part of the team I did a couple of things that pleased me to do. The people who yesterday had a change of heart after denying me access to a program that would have covered my medical expenses but in hearing my plight went above and beyond the call of duty. Because their humanity showed plainly, I decided I wanted to do something in turn for them.

I gave all 3 persons a miniaturized framed piece of my art that you see above.

I got to think how hard it must be for them on a daily basis of having to make decisions that can ultimately affect someone health. And how they probably on more then one occasion they may have been yelled at for doing what they have to do (I did not yell at them, but held my ground and my position).

I had told the initial contact person I would not forget her...

And I didn't...

So today before I had my appointment I walked in to present her, her boss & her boss' boss my art "Head in the Clouds". I am happy to say they were touched and said no one had every done something like that for them before. My response then was it was time and what a better person then me?

I did not do it to pat myself on my own back or to brag about it, but of course I did receive a reward in the sense that my endorphins rose and so was the happy feeling that lasted the rest of the day! As did my energy level & my pain level went down.

I then continued on to my appointment and got a lot of good news and also some poetic justice:

First of all systems are go now on the surgery.

And may I trill a lil bit here? My HDL/LDL is doing very well, no diabetes, no high cholesterol. I lost 5 pounds since last week AND my BP is 142/87.

Even the GP noticed I had a massive improvement since the last time my liver was checked in Nov and wondered what I was doing. I told him jokingly "been poor" ..

No, seriously, I have adjusted my eating starting with when I was across country and have continued to now. I was limited because of the hernia situation as to how much or often I could have physical activity, despite that limitation, I have improved.

Here is a big shout out to www.Sparks.com!

What has been in my control to change I have There were some external stressors I could not do a lot about (yet) but just like the turtle you just keeping moving steady.

Now for other stuff:

This morning I seeded my pots with tomatoes, mustard & collard greens, transplanted my squash into a large container & had my one and only mature displace okra plant moved to the back yard.

Since it was a tad bit cooler (who am I kidding?) I wanted to have them in the ground so I just plugged away. In the morning, I will plant Dahlias seeds, Kohl Rabi + Fennel as I want them to be germinating & growing while I am germinating and "chill-laxing" from the surgery.

A friend as offered to come in & tend to my veggies while I am recuperating . He has his own outside garden, so I know he will do well.

My upstairs neighbor Elisabeth will keep my flower front garden porch watered while I am down (?) Everything I have planted are in containers so it won't be difficult to maintain.

The other things I plan to grow does not have to be planted until Sept, so I will be up to grow by then. Since N.O has such a long growing season & a very mild winter thee are plenty opportunities. However because of our heat & humidity in the summer months certain plants and/or species have to be planted later then others. Like 'maters there are only a few species that grown well here like Creole tomatoes or Big Boy tomatoes but it is worth the wait.

And now I see the beginnings of green beans growing food! And happy new growth on the bell peppers. I am getting more eggplants bearing fruit. However, I had to pull one of my containers of cucumbers because they had gotten some kind of mold and I had to pull to save the other container. Because of the record setting 5 days of 100+ heat my cantaloupes were having an issue but seems to be rallying around now. I have 4 container so cantaloupes so if I lose some it will not be a biggy. I planted 4 as I wanted to donate some of the produce to one of the food banks since they get so little fresh fruits or veggies.


Sidebar:
PPL think that poor ppl are fat because of laziness when in actuality it is because of less access to healthy food. And most of the unhealthy food from places like Wal-Mart, (sad but true) are so much more accessible, cheap and taste good (for a minute). Peole should look into their own communities for groups like www.noffn.org assist them in starting their own gardens. The benefits are plenty!


Off sidebar:

I've learned to never underestimate what people can & will do or what YOU are capable of doing. Sow the seeds, water, nurture, fertilize and then watch it grow. Some times you have to deadhead so the plant keeps on blooming, sometimes you have to prune it back so it can grow and then others you have to pull it out by the roots and start anew. As Kenny Rogers in the song The Gambler "Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away".

I will spare you my attempts to sing it.

Now excuse me while I go and do a happy dance!

Weigh to Hold~ From this day Forward

"No I am not a surrogate mother. I am not pregnant. It is a hernia. It has weighed me down (but not out)!
Moon o her porch needing TLC with hernia-Frontal.
Moon in her garden. It was blazing hot that day so my poor babies were wilting. (Yes I did water them)! 7-28-10
The plants like me needing some TLC

My front porch with the new plants that could use some TLC from Freecyle


Every man is going to have problems & sometimes he can be the problem for you"~N.N



No I am not blogging about men. This is about attitudes and how people that can make assumption that while initially are, I hope, without malice or intent to cause harm, can ultimately harm you.

I've spoken of it numerous times on my blogs of my challenges & frustrations, not so much about releasing weight, but more observational of life & culture and people as I continue to grow myself.

In less then 2 weeks I am schedule to have surgery to repair something that should have been cared for almost 2 years ago, but because of bias on the part of some professionals (and yes educated ones are not exempted from bigotry) access to badly needed surgery was not forthcoming..

I've had to pay for it in compromised health, economical & a wear on my heart & spirit. As of now I am so full literally & figuratively to the point there is no more room.

Literally, right now I am spilling my guts. I have what is a hernia, but it is not "just a hernia". If I was an elephant my abdomen would be right about the 2nd year gestational period for birth. The only thing that is preventing my intestines from spilling all over the floor (which would make an inconvenient mess) is my skin.

I went from an active, happy for the most part, humorous professional artist to someone who is now operating at perhaps on a good day 25% of where I was a few years ago.

All behind something that was fixable then & fixable now.

Over the course of the last 2 years, I've heard it all: People making assumptions about why you are the way you are to outright blaming while you suffer somehow holding you responsible for something that absolutely was not in your control.

Make no mistake, I do not see myself as a victim, so please do not make assumptions.

I have decided from this day forward as I continue to document this process since I 1st developed this hernia that now I will be very public from the surgery to recovery to reclamation to joy.

Despite what people may assume, I KNOW that once this is corrected I can correct all the rest.
I've been working on "the rest" for awhile, but with restriction because of the badly needed operation. It shouldn't have gotten to this point, but it has. It did. And it will be cared for.

One cannot unring that bell...

What is a weight issue will be far more manageable then it is now. I've gain 50 pounds simply from the inability to be very active. I have lots of limitations in my activity level right now because of a very real danger to my health until this surgery is done.

The surgery, I kid you not, once done, I will lose two dress sizes simply because of the distension. Several weeks down the pipeline , if all goes well, I will have my energy level back where I can be more physical. I've already been advised by the surgeon NOT to lift anything heavy for several weeks until fully healed & I will take him at his word.

I took these pictures of me the day I saw the surgeon so I can track & monitor my progress. My neighbor was kind enough to do it full frontal and side view. I wanted people to see what I look like. Perhaps for some they will believe me when I say "I'm not fat, I have a hernia" or if I am in a good mood "I am not pregnant, its a hernia".

It won't matter in the long run whether people will believe me or not. I've learned you cannot argue with beliefs. Beliefs are not often based on reality but on a person's attitudes, biases or their life's experiences and has little to do with you.

I just know from this day forward I will not be silent nor will I allow others to mar my life with their beliefs that can potentially cause me harm. I may not be able to stop all of it but I can surely stop a lot of it.

I've been enabled to gather knowledge, to learn a lot of what I did not know and reconfirmed what I knew and now I can put them into my own action plan & my vision statement.

I am in no rush. It is not a competition for me. I expect some missteps and definitely mistakes.

I have already redefine myself while here in eating, health & well being.

I've watched others in their triumphs & joys & also in their setbacks, but continue to get up.

I do not like the word "journey" It is so overused and for me when I see someone using it weigh too often I think "oh oh they are setting themselves up for failure" based on the context they use the word "journey".

But hey if it works for them, so be it.

For me, I am not going anywhere, I am exactly where I need to be.

I will spare you what the hernia looks like in its entirety, so you still will not be able to see all of it, only what is pronounced in clothing which makes it understandable why people assume wrongly I'm just fat.


A part of what is helping me immensely has been gardening. Great for your well being. A great stress reducing. A wonderful group in New Orleans, the New Orleans Food & Farm Network
www.noffn.org has been instrumental in my getting a container garden started. This wonderful group should be investigate and those of you are donors and financial angels should check into this a a cause sending your charitable dollars to aid them to do even more!

Like many non-profits, they are struggling with budget cuts, but wealthy in aid & assisting others to have access to healthy food right at their fingertips which will benefit us all in the long run.

If you are in the New Orleans area you should check them out. In other places you probably have a similar program where there are groups who will help you put in a garden as they believe it is an inalienable right we should all have accessible healthy food that is affordable.

My morning ritual is to tend to the watering, feeding & plucking. It almost puts me in a meditative state & helps me to manage my blood pressure and cope with all the external stress. Having the healthy food is almost the lagniappe ( a little extra) from this. I started gardening again2 years ago when this nightmare.

This morning I acquire because of Free Cycle: www.freecycle.org a potted okra plant, passion flowers, chives and morning glories plus empty pots & a raised bed to transplant. I am like a kid in a candy store!


"Comfort & prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has. Out of pain & problems has come the sweetest songs & the most gripping stories"~ Billy Graham

Yay May!

http://www.noffn.org/

I am delighted to learn that this Thursday the New Orleans food & Farm Network will be bringing a host of volunteers in to plant. I will have container gardens chocked full of herbs veggie, fruit and floweras to boot.

I am delighted as it will be my 1st vegetable garden since I was a child although I have been growing flowers for the last few years. They have been providing immeasureable service to people as the city as been moving along toward being more green.

From their website:

"The New Orleans Food & Farm Network believes everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, and sustainably produced food for the long-term health of our environment, economy, and communities. We work with individuals, organizations, growers and communities to help make fresh, healthy food more accessible to everyone. We do this by:
Celebrating and supporting "what's right" in our local food system
Bringing people together to identify gaps in access to fresh foods
Creating, with our partners, neighborhood and city-wide food projects that fill those gaps for all members of the community
Find out more about how we work through:
Advocacy & Networking
Building Good Food Neighborhoods
Educating & Supporting Our Communities
"
We have mad community gardens all over the city with more popping up.

And I am delighted to be able to choose what veggies, herbs & fruit I want. I will tend to it which the side benefit with be movement, burn calories & food that taste like food.

I like their proactive weigh of ensuring that all have equal access to safe & healthy food.

Check out their website and if you are not here, perhaps you can create it in your own neighborhood.



http://www.noffn.org/
I plan to with my extra food to donate it to a local food bank.

"Each one reach one, teach one"