A Tale of Two Loves

  This is a Brown Headed Nuthatch.

They are tiny, very fast and Squeaky!

In fact, they sound like a baby's or a dog's
squeaky toy!

They have been around on and off for a few
years now.

One year they branch they were nesting in came down in a storm.  They have held a special place in my heart ever since!

  I was SO happy to see this the other day--->

Both the male and female were excavating
the cavity.

I can't tell them apart, but there were two of them
doing the work, taking turns.

Acrobatic and adorable. Squeaking while they worked.

  Doing what Nuthatches do, hanging upside down and excavating a nest cavity with their tiny little beaks.  Spitting sawdust chunks everywhere!














  And then along came THIS guy!--->

He saw a perfect place to build his nest cavity
by enlarging an already started hole!

He is a Red Bellied Woodpecker and is at least three times the size of my Nutty little friends.

  But HOW could you be mad at this sweet face?

He began calling for a mate to come and join him in his Tree Palace.

There has been a female hanging around all winter.

I hope they don't pass like two ships in the night.

And so he waits.  And calls to her, and waits some more.







 Nature is funny that way.

It's hard to know who to route for.

I just love them all.

~Naturegirl55

Keto 101 (Pt. 2)

Have you started yet? Don't forget, it's not like a "DIE-et"!  I've always hated that word! You can adjust your carb intake as you go along and get better at it.  Just start!

It takes about 48 hours for any oops'es to clear out of your system in order for fat burning to begin.  It takes a few weeks or months for one to become fully "Fat Adapted".  Which means your body has been transformed into a blazing hot furnace, obliterating any fuel you feed it!

In the meantime weight loss begins almost right away, with "water weight" or loose fat melting first.  Your metabolism will fire up, and so will your energy level!  I used to think my metabolism was almost dead!  I tried EVERY diet and did everything the AMA recommended and... nada!  The ONLY thing that ever worked for me (back when I was 20) was Atkin's (low carb), my first clue, but it was way too much protein for me and I had Hives every day!

Weren't we taught that "everything we eat turns to glucose" (sugar) in biology class?  Doesn't it make perfect sense that if there is stubborn fat on our bodies, that having a FAT- BURNING body would be better than having a SUGAR- BURNING body?  Logic!!
  Spend 3 minutes here ➽ https://youtu.be/GNK3f3ycA5Y

Good News!  When reading labels, you get to subtract the FIBER content from the CARB number!  So, if something has 10 carbs and 6 fiber, it's only 4 NET carbs per serving*, and is perfectly Keto acceptable. *Always keep an eye on the "Serving Size" on labels.  They purposely try to deceive us!

Your body will tell you how many carbs (from vegetables) are "Keto" enough.  Most people try to eat as few as possible, like under 10 a day to begin. Some can lose weight on under 20 and others go on "maintenance" after desired weight loss is achieved at under 50 carbs a day.

Macros- You will undoubtedly encounter this term, short for Macro Nutrients.  Meaning, Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates.  Keto people will argue that carbs are NOT a nutrient!  You don't have to be all anal about counting macros, but I suggest checking them out for a few days to a week.  It will help you get a handle on what to eat and more importantly how much.  This may carb calculator be helpful ➽https://cronometer.com/
  These two Keto kids are adorable and very helpful, although their Keto is different than mine.  This video on their YouTube channel explains Macro calculating ➽https://youtu.be/A9G22O5H_Mc

Insulin Resistance- Most overweight people and millions of not so overweight people have a condition called insulin resistance.  In short, it means that our pancreases are malfunctioning because of all the sugar in the Standard American Diet.  (Notice that those caps spell SAD!)  This is the precursor to DIABETES!! To heal it, you need to eat a lot of greens, so don't skip the salads and veggies!  Good video on this subject from another one of my mentors, Dr. Berg. ➽https://youtu.be/iTjDi2ZO0n8 He believes in healing your body FIRST and then weight loss will occur naturally. Either way Potassium found in leafy greens and avocados can reverse this condition.

"Keto Flu"- If you're not getting enough Potassium, Magnesium and salt, you will feel what they call the "Keto Flu".  Just a feeling of aches, malaise and maybe dizzyness, easily curable with salt, which helps activate the Potassium (don't skimp) and maybe a Magnesium supplement.  Sometimes I use V-8 though it has about 11 net carbs.  Magnesium rich veggies...

• Spinach
• Avocado
• Swiss chard
• Pumpkin seeds

Enough for now! Bon Apetit!





 

Music Lessons

    ♫  Dance to the Rhythm of Well Being
     ♪ Sing a song from your Soul
    ♫  Breathe in and out the Renewal and Release of Re-awakening
     ♪ Return to the ancient roots of your Spirit
    ♫  Hum along with the Music of the Spheres
     ♪ Tune to the Frequency of the Source
    ♫  Sway with the Natural order of the Universe...
     ♪ and you will become a Virtuoso of your Instrument

Listen

I took my troubles to the woods to find some solace there.

With heavy heart I asked for words to comfort my despair.

I heard no sound except the wind blowing through the pines.

I sadly felt ignored and even worse since they declined.

Oh, Nature spirits, can you send some sweet relief my way?

All I noticed was the scent of blossoms warmed by day.


I wished I had someone to stroke my cheek and say they care,

When all at once a breeze caressed my face and tossed my hair.


I sat upon a sturdy limb and leaned against the trunk

While dreaming of a warm embrace to wrest me from my funk.


I searched my mind for melodies upon which I could depend,

To lift me out of doldrums and to lightheartedness again.


But I could not concentrate on songs, with all the noise above!

So many birds were singing! Chirping wrens and cooing doves!


Nature's answers are discreet and subtle by design.

You have to pay attention, your ears and eyes incline.


She whispers comfort and relief, imparts with peace Her joy,

If we but pause to linger there until we hear her voice.

Aspire To Be Unencumbered

I am unencumbered, I am free.
I float through my days like a leaf on a breeze.
I spew nor retain any malice debris.
I blow through my life as wind in the trees.

I am unencumbered, I let myself dream.
I joyously harbor no wrath.
I merrily dance on life's energy stream.
I carry no excess along my path.


I am unencumbered, I bear no ill will.
Light as a feather I fly.
I no longer labor by travelling uphill.
I'm a wisp of a cloud in a bright blue sky.


I am unencumbered, a bird on the wing.
I roll and I flow like a brook o'er a glade.
My Soul swells to the song that I sing,
while I march my own Happy Parade.

I am unencumbered, I choose my own way.
I tweak and adjust as I go.
I feel my way through every part of my day,
Alert and aware of the flow.

I am unencumbered, and I am in charge
of what seems to be happenstance, fate.
I relax and I know my Source is at large
and with It I will Co-Create.

Unencumbered and free is a possible state.
Letting go of what troubles us, key.
Put aside the crippling myth of "Fate",
Captain you ship and be free!

The Promise of Spring

     There's a whisper in the air...  If you are still you may hear it.  If you squint your eyes especially at dawn or dusk, you may catch the tint of pink or red or purple buds on naked trees.  It's just a hint, if you blink it may be gone.
     Crocuses are focusing their energy to bloom, Daffodils are awakening, Hyacinths are yawning with sweet fragrant morning breath and Azaleas are dreaming of pastel splendor to come.
     Every year, without fail, Spring will come.  Mother Nature touches the Earth with her warming influence and Life begins to flow.  She fulfills her promise each cycle and comes through for us.  Some would say she didn't sleep this Winter and was awake and planning through the cold months.  There were hints of her work all over the country.  There should be a fabulous display when Spring comes into full bloom this year!
     A promise is an assurance, an agreement, a covenant.  Something you can count on.  Nature has promised to bloom no matter what else is going on with us busy humans.  Whether you notice or not, the birds are begining to scurry about with scraps of straw and twigs.  And if you watch them for awhile, you will see the males doing their best mating dances and chasing interlopers out of their presumed territory. 
     My little Carolina Wren has begun sitting high atop a tree singing his little lungs out for a mate.   (Actually they don't have lungs!)  You're pretty, pretty, pretty pretty he repeats over and over.  His voice is pure and loud.  She can hear him from a long distance.  And then he invites her to tea...  Second verse, tea par-tee', par-tee', par-tee', par-tee'! 
     Spring is such a wonderful time of year!  It's the time when you know what is to come.  When life is uncertain and daunting, Spring will come!  When the doldrums of Winter are getting you down, Spring is committed to explode into color and fragrance.  When things are not going your way, go outside!  Hold on, take a breath and let your mind wander to Nature.  All things are interrelated and conjoined and that includes us. 
     A breath of fresh early Spring air can soothe the Soul!  Shake off the worries and take a cue from the flora and fauna.  After all... a promise is a promise! 

The Healing Power of Animals

     So many times I have been inspired by stories people have told me about how their pets have helped them heal or came into their lives at a particularly difficult time.
     There is no doubt that they have a certain "something" that we lack.  Dogs seem to know when you're coming home, even if its a different time every day.  I have tested this and silently crept in to my house only to find the little furry mind-readers waiting and wagging.  There were no car door slams or windows for them to spy on me through.  Just pure love on four paws.  I'm sure cats are even more aware but they don't want you to think they care so much!
     So, are they psychic?  Are they just more able to focus than we are?  Are they less distracted by the world around them?  Are they more closely connected the the Creator than we are, or all of the above?
     Pets know when you are sick and curl up on your lap or your bed in support.  Animals are sensitive in ways we do not yet understand.  Dogs are employed to find bombs, drugs and missing people.  Many different species are helping us as service animals.  I've even seen a pygmy horse assisting a wheelchair bound human!   Are they so full of pure energy that they just really want to help us?                                                                                                                                                  
     Now, how can we tap into this?  Perhaps all we need to do is love them back and that will open the pathway, the flow of healing.  We know that laughter is the best medicine; that smiling actually releases endorphins (those healing, stabilizing hormones).  I've heard that petting your cat can do the same thing!  All of this used to be "hocus-pocus" but is now backed by science.
     Anyone who has pets will tell you that they can be very funny!  They seem to do it on purpose.  They are very fast learners and it is possible that they just enjoy our laughter or feel the response as pleasant, but I think they know exactly what they're doing!  I had a pig once who would tug on my pantleg cuff and try to get me to chase her around the barnyard! (Which I, of course, did.)  She was a character!
     I would like to take this a step further.  I think it is no accident that animals come into your life at the perfect, divinely directed time.  Those of us who believe there is a grand scheme to the Universe, a Divine Design if you will, would not find this to be a stretch.  Maybe the critters are even in on it!  They seem to show up "by accident" or "needing a home".  Even if you go out seeking a pet, you never know who you'll find and at precisely the right time.  All of my dogs, cats, birds, turtles and barnyard adoptees have come to me unexpectedly.  Are they dependent upon us or are they here for us, in support of us?
     Animals not only help heal us individually with their comfort and companionship, but they might save the next generation as well.  I am very concerned about kids in this society not learning empathy.  They are bombarded with disturbing images in the form of bloody, violent games, music and movies that I believe callous their feelings and make the occasional horriffic crime seem commonplace and expected; sometimes even funny.  If the "bad guys" are heroes and cruelty to humans and animals is justified how will they learn compassion?
     Animals on the other hand cannot help but teach us patience, (when they have an accident on the rug), forgivness (when they come running right back to you after you trip over them or step on their tail).  Loyalty is demonstrated when your dog guards your children and the yard.  Responsibility is a huge lesson sometimes difficult to instill in the "young'ns" without the help of a hungry, doe-eyed furball anxiously waiting to be fed. 
     Horses don't take any guff from you, bees are amazing communicators, monkeys show us a sense of community, cats have mastered "the art of self ", ducks will eat anything you give them and not complain (unlike kids)!  Bears take their naps when they're supposed to, birds of a feather flock together!  (Just threw in that last one to see if you're still awake!)
     Animals can heal the world if we let them!  The world sure needs some healing, so let's listen to them!