Cucumber Beetles:  You gotta go.  They initially looked like lady bugs to me.  Now, it doesn't matter.  I am not in an investigative place anymore.  I have decided to kill them.  This has me feel like I am loaded for bear.  Actually, I started out my war deciding to pick the beetles off every morning and sometimes in the evening.  AND, I seemed to be winning.  I would pick about 2 to maybe three off each day.  Today, there were at least six, maybe eight.  Before, my reasoning was:  "Let's be reasonable; I am much bigger than this little beetle.  I don't need to go in armed to kill.  I will pick them off and place them out of the garden -- in fact into another separate spot in the garden."  Each day, I still found at least one -- usually two-- beetles, though.  I sprayed an organic spray that seemed to matter early on too.  Seeing the six of them, my attitude changed.  "I am losing this war terribly, and my cucumbers are suffering."  "Until I find a way to better co-exist with you -- that is get some beneficial insects in here that will may check you all, I am checking you myself."  "It is down to whether I have cucumbers or not."  "SQUUSH." 

Afiya's Garden: Cantaloupe Heaven

Afiya's Garden: Cantaloupe Heaven: At some point this season I experienced what I considered the "perfect" cantaloup.  It was deeeeeelicious.  Wekesa and I purchas...

Cantaloupe Heaven

At some point this season I experienced what I considered the "perfect" cantaloup.  It was deeeeeelicious.  Wekesa and I purchased it from an organic Black farmer from South GA who said he was born as a child onto hundreds of acres.  This probably had it taste even better.

I decided to follow my heart and just plant it.  Many voices resonated in my head.  First, the "you're not a Brown voice." Growing up, it was the Browns who grew great watermelons.  Almost like what I have had our Malian instructor Baba Maiga teach us about our Songhoy culture:  certain families were known and good at fishing, farming, music, etc.  In fact Maiga would never sing when he played a guitar in public, as he was not known for that, and in his culture he should bring attention, fame and funds to the family that was.

Anyway, I digress.  I decided that watermellons and other mellons took the greatest, richest soil and expertise that the Browns had, and that I did not.

"You don't get enough sun."  I don't.  I only get about 4.5 hours at most when a minimum of 6 is probably needed for mellons and any other fruit-setting and root vegetables.

Still, the voice of "you like this mellon; if you could produce another like this one, wouldn't you love it and won't your children love them for generations to come" won out.

OK, and look at it -- Just doing what seeds do when we life aligns -- living out its destiny.

I will keep you posted, and I am claiming that I will take a picture of a beautiful delicious cantaloupe sliced and ready to eat.

Grow where you Are: My Front yard Edible Landscape

EDIBLE LANDSCAPE

I grew up eating mostly food that my parents grew.  So, when someone says they "can't grow food," I don't quite understand that.  For me, you just do a little everyday work along with God, nature, the universe and you get blueberries.  I love blueberries and love picking them from my front yard.

Very happy that I listened to my "little voice within" which said back to me one day --as I was lamenting that there were too many trees in my backyard and that I didn't have the money to cut them all down to make a garden there -- "USE WHAT YOU HAVE."  The space I had at the time was a front yard which got a little more sun than the back
yard.  I've been at it now for some years, and I am so proud to harvest so many great herbs regularly:  sage, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, spearmint, stevia.

My blueberries continue to increase.  This year, I am trying cantaloupe for the first time.  I also have tomatoes and cucumbers.

Speaking of where you are, I believe that my back deck gets pretty good sun too, so I am growing some things in containers. Yes, grow where you are and trust that your good intention and a little bit of work will go a long way.  Ase.'

Back to Raw: Look not where you fell but where you slipped (African Proverb)

Some of you were with me back in February just before Black Love Day when I was rockin' it -- pretty much 100% raw.  I was comfortable to go on with it -- was feeling good; looking good  -- no pain in knees, hip, legs; no stiffness in neck.

Well, I slipped, and today I write about my slipping and type out some of what I believe I need to continue my raw journey most successfully.

On the night of the Black Love Day Celebration, I didn't have anything to eat.  I had planned so well for everyone else, and I came up short.  I remember coming home and doing the best I could with what I had.  The next day, I was up saying I need some pampering, someone else to cook for me; Also, my kitchen was not ready for me to prepare anything -- needing cleaning badly.  And, I didn't have much food in the kitchen.  I was into my month of 28-Days of Black.  It was going to take too long to clean the kitchen; drive to the west side of town and shop at my black grocer and then come back and prepare something that I really like; plus I wanted to rest and relax and be cared for.

Lessons:

1.)  Make sure I have food for special occasions and not just something to get me by.  Make sure that I have celebratory food so I can be fed not only physically; also in other ways needed.

2.) Keep enough food in the house, and keep some food that I can go to quickly.  My friend Aggie told me yesterday that she keeps some cashew cheese on hand that she can throw into some nori (seaweed).  I'm having some now, and while it only takes a few minutes to make, it'll be good to just grab some when needed.

3.)  Make my eating and raw food lifestyle a priority.  The logic of going off diet when it is so challenging because there are so many other time-sensitive priorities doesn't hold up.  When I go down the road of cooked food, I eventually get to the worse ones:  coffee, sugar, etc., and then all my pains come back.  My production lags.  I can't make the case, especially when it comes to long term, and I must consider the long term since I want a life of longevity, abundance, vibrancy, etc.

So glad to be back.

Still Raw / Live -- Doing Fine

This time around I am really loving my raw ourney.  I have gone on a mostly raw food diet before, always with  at least one to two cooked meals per week, though. 

This time around, I decided I needed to do some serious detoxing and not interrupt the process every few days.  Wekesa, my husband, has continued with the two cooked meals (every Wednesday and Sunday), and he appears to do just fine.  I notice that he doesn't live for the next cooked meals, either.  Me, my cooked meals became my cooked days.  My rationale:  "Since I am having a cooked lunch or dinner, I may as well have a cup of coffee this morning; oh, and some cake or pie too."  This way, I never got out of the cooked food enough to not miss it.  Going almost 100% raw (I eat roasted seaweed), I am really getting into the lifestyle.  The meals that I remember and crave now are raw/live.

This past weekend put me to the test.  On Friday night, I attended a birthday party and was okay that there was nothing for me to eat.  I pulled out my two emergency-food oranges when needed.  I also took my own spelligrino water, and it was refreshing and special.

On yesterday, at a pizza joint, I had the owner build me a very nice salad, and she brought me lime and a garlic-infused olive oil that was right on time.  Delicious.

I am now into my second month of my raw food journey.  Feeling stronger.  I am getting past my first level of detox and on my way.

Loving my journey...

Prancing, Bending, Moving Freely Without Pain -- There's a Party Tonight

Feeling so happy today and excited, for there is a party tonight, and I like to dance with my whole body -- going down to the floor and coming back up with a smile and not pain.  My knee stopped hurting after the fourth day on my raw / live food diet.  Let me tell everyone that that was reason enough to continue.  It is my commitment to myself to never accept pain as a natural, must live with phenomenon.  I view pain as a messenger and vow to always listen to it as such and then take on the challenge of doing or not doing what is needed to take care of the cause of the pain.

For those with joint pain, this article may prove very helpful.  Perusing it, I excitedly see that I am not eating or drinking the items that are said to lead to joint pain and injury  and that I am eating pretty much all the foods that are said to aid in healing.  Yay me!   Click to read FOODS FOR JOINT HEALTH.