Having extremely cold weather for East TN. The favas outside are black with but a sign of life in a few plants. The ones in the unheated greenhouse have been knocked down,( but not out )several times as we have gotten to 15 degrees already and many times in the low 20's. But so far they have perked back up. I started working on a new pamphlet about the favas this week at the library...so hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be completed and ready to take to the printer. Aunt Bean is still a novice on computers...it only took 3 hrs to construct 4 pages (with a lot of help from librarians) But we have a picture of the fava bud cluster on one page for those who may want to try to grow them and make " bud tincture" for l-dopa supplement which is so convenient to carry in a small dropper bottle and is what I use for my symptom relief. Looks like I have totally lost my fall crop and supplies are getting low....Looks like Aunt Bean will have to start sprouting beans to eat. The next crop to be planted , Lord willing , the first of March(which will make tops the end of May.) Still looking for a biological chemist to test tinctures from beans/ plants / flowers etc that I have made here at Bean Acres. Perhaps someday a company will take on the making of an l-dopa fava tincture in case something happens that I cannot make my own. For right now...I am going to research natural medicinal turpentine....that really sparks my interest. Hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving ya'all from TN. We got us some snow down in these hills...not like Buffalo, just a dusting. Just found out yesterday that I do have the LRRK2 gene....but, my brother did not. Still contemplating this, but would love for his children and mine to be tested for it. For some reason I felt that I did when my symptom of very slow eye focus started at such a young age (around 4th or 5th grade) Then the foot turn and drag around 8th after a diving accident, both of which were taken care of with l-dopa supplementation with fava tincture. So thankful each day for the plants and foods that God has blessed us with on the earth to help us with our specific needs. God is Good

It seems to be the start of a very cold winter. Favas in the greenhouse keep getting bit and managing to come back again so far. A friend is trying the fava flower tincture made this year and feels it is helping her tremors . So thankful for this. She is a precious PD'r that helped me finish the new pamphlet on fava products for natural l-dopa. It took quite a joint effort to get it to UPS and be printed. Hoping we can get a format created somewhere that can be sent by email and it would save me from answering the same questions over and over again. Someone will know how to do this around here I am sure. Can't wait for warm weather and planting season...I dream too much (just planning garden and looking at seed catalogs)and exercise too little in the cold months! Bad girl Aunt Bean! Have a blessed day.

Another cold day here and predictions of snow on the way. The fava beans were bit again last night in the greenhouse! This is going to be a long winter for them just trying to survive. Are you all giving thought to attending the World Parkinson's Congress in 2016? I was able to go to the one in Montreal and was very inspired by the Rock Steady Boxing Team from Indianapolis Indiana. I have signed up for their training camp in April. It sure would be great to meet some of you there. We are currently beginning to look for a place set up for boxing that we can utilize for Parkinson's exercise after April. Have many people already interested in this after watching the Rock Steady dvd last Saturday at our monthly meeting. We also practiced chair dancing along with the Mark Morris Dance Studios dvd for Parkinson's. The meeting went very well and I hope it will inspire many to participate in a weekly dance time here at the farm. Need all the exercise we can get on these cold , not very warm or sunny days of winter. The smiles of friends always brighten up the day too.

CONSTIPATION? I was given this by a friend and made it. Actually went today!!
Take equal amounts of Prunes/ Raisins/ Dates (take out seeds first) cover with filtered water by a couple of inches and cook down until fruits are soft. Dump into blender. Puree and freeze. Eat 1/4 C every morning. Two days & IT WORKED!!

Fell last night outside. The chickens just sat
down in the snow and didn't want to go into the house. There were five
of them scattered about. Didn't have trouble too much with the ones
around the front side of the barn, but the chicken and rooster that
were around back / down a grade... In a patch of thorny berry vines
were horrible to get out...they just didn't want to move. I got a huge
long bamboo to try to chase them out. Fell four times and had snow up
my pant legs and in my gloves before capturing them and putting them
in the chicken house. The one slide down a grade I fell against a
brick behind the barn right on my knee cap and could feel it
bleeding....still didn't have the rooster . Frozen hands and all I was
determined to get him in so that he wouldn't freeze and become a
Chicken Popsicle for a cheyote or fox.. He was by then hold up under a bush
which I tried to get him out from under. Finally I managed to get
myself crawling underneath it and grabbed a leg, dragging him out and
carried him to the chicken house, All in all , what usually is a quick 5 minute walk out to shut everyone in for the night became 30 minutes of falling,
freezing frustration in about 15 degree temperatures. Came in and put a comfrey leaf poultice on my knee, soaked my bloody long jons and went to bed early to get warm again. This morning I am mobile , but without the comfrey...am sure would not be and will probably have to put another poultice on later to keep it from stiffening up. God is good. I made it to the house
without getting hurt bad enough that I couldn't get back up and having
to maybe call 911 for help...did have my cell phone in my
pocket...at least I hope I didn't lose it in the snow anyway. Today the chickens
are allowed out of their house but not our of the chicken fence until
the snow is gone. Don't want to go thru that ordeal again.

Aunt Bean is still doctoring her knee , but it is trying to heal. So blessed to have a small stock of dried comfrey and my homemade echinacea root tincture. Bad to have a wound right on the top of a kneecap that has to bend all the time, but in another week or so, it will probably be healed. I know not to let my stupid chickens outside the fenced in area when there is snow covering the ground EVER again. Planning to take a 1/2 teas. of Diamond G Forest turpentine on castor oil this morning....will let you all know how it goes. It is even supposed to be good for autism...maybe I need to give some to my chickens! It was about 16 below zero here this morning. I have never seen such cold temperatures in my life...not real excited about going out to feed this morning. It has finally gotten up to 50 degrees in the house and I am pretty well bundled in here and still cold. Is 8:30 AM a good time to crawl under an electric blanket and go back to bed???

Just a quick report on turpentine:
I took the turpentine in castor oil and burped it for about 8 hrs. About 10 am to 6PM , but it wasn't horrid. I took 5 chorella tablets 1/2 hr after the turpentine as one site recommended to mop up and neutralize heavy metals. No side effects from the 1/2 teas dose (other than burping pine fragrance) so will try upping it to 3/4 teas this coming week. They recommend using it twice a week. Still trying things to get bowels moving better. I lost my discipline this week and ate a corner of a piece of kamut sourdough bread that I was making for others (that broke off while slicing it and bagging) and sure enough, I bloated and my eyes got dry , sore and red. So I absolutely know that after not eating any for over 2 weeks that I cannot tolerate gluten at all. I have quite a few gluten free recipes that are good now, and a stock of gluten free baking supplies...can even make a good rice crust pizza....so as long as I can do my own cooking and baking there is still light at the end of the tunnel and food on the table here at Bean Acres. It is still supposed to be very cold this week and then temps are to be better...so maybe the favas in the greenhouse will finally get to grow for us. It will soon be time to start cabbage , broccoli, cauliflower, etc ..in flats for the growing season is not so far off now. Just thinking about planting soon makes Aunt Bean smile. Have a blessed day!

Well, Aunt Bean just lost her smile.....my dentures broke in half when I bit breakfast...UGH. I found 3 old one and have them soaking to see if any of them might be tolerable to wear. I am snowed in and may be on blender meals for the rest of the week. UGH.....good soup weather at least . Had cooked oat bran for breakfast....so that was wonderful still to eat after going out in the 18 degree weather to do chores this morning. I just look like Slim Jim on Hee Haw...good for a laugh anyway! Have a blessed day

Going to try to get into the ground about 200 fava bean seeds today. Ground has dried out enough and rains start again tonight or tomorrow. Sometimes planting windows are very small this time of year. Pray for strength...it is hard to get started after very little exertion over the long , cold winter months , but I am feeling well and still have great hopes for the turpentine therapy. Will take another dose in a couple of days (depending always on the bowels moving first)