An Unusual Cup of Perilla Tea

   Today was a beautiful fall day, one of the last before forecasted stormy days.

So I pulled up some spent plants and weeds, and trimmed some shrubs. 

But before I discarded the perilla plants, I decided I wanted to keep a 

few leaves and try it. I'd read it was used in Oriental cooking, and for soups and salads,
and that it had many health benefits too. It tastes a bit like basil, mint and cinnamon.
 I brewed some tea with a handful of leaves, and thinly sliced a few leaves to garnish
 the chicken-avocado salad Emilie and I had for lunch.

Perilla tea

Perilla leaves thinly-sliced atop our salad

slivers of perilla leaf garnish 

Easy-to-grow perilla .Some say " it will grow between 2 cigarette butts in a sidewalk crack"
It's a pretty burgundy foliage plant, in the mint family. It is also called Beefsteak Plant,
It's bug resistant,and grows in hot sun, where coleus doesn't thrive.
   Some depise it, say it's invasive and toxic to cattle and horses.
Others love it grown as an annual as a pretty foliage with other flowers.
Click here to learn more
It received both good and bad reviews on this blog: Dave's Garden 

Perilla Frutescens

It would be nice if it helped me with my sinus infection, 

I'm getting tired of Dayquil and Theraflu! 

 I like learning about plants that others don't appreciate

. Like the Bittersweet I wrote about a few years back.

After supper I like to take the kids for a nature walk.

 We like crunching along in the fall leaves and and 

checking out the neighbor's Halloween decorations.

  

I promise I didn't eat these, although my friend harvests shelf mushrooms.

I just can't positively identify them and don't want to poison myself.

Some fungi

A goblin  on a tree

Emilie likes to help cook and bake.

Her  Mama bought these slice-and bake refrigerator cookies at Aldi.

Would you eat unusual plants you found? 

I guess I'm a bit of a hippie. But I love finding natural cures and free food  in nature. 

 Love, Linda

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

    But of course, every month is for me. Having breast cancer  has changed me so much. I love deeper, feel everything stronger, appreciate life more every day, care more about everything. Cancer has made me more determined, more stubborn. I know God has kept me here to do important work, and that I have a purpose.  I am watched carefully by a few doctors and other medical people- oncologist, breast surgeon, radiologist, endocrinologist, diagnostic imaging center, nurse daughter. I think about it every day. I pray it won't come back,  I pray I use each  day for good, that I am making a difference. I wore pink every day this whole month, I read updates on cancer research, status of Joan Lunden and other celebs with breast cancer.   I talked about it a lot, hoping to share information and  show gratitude.  I reflected on the goodness of the people who have helped me, and I tried to be an encourager to others around me.

     I keep really busy with the grandkids, and it's very good for me to be with them a lot. I spend 3-4 days a week with them.
    Also I love working with my vintage "Junque"- displaying, selling it, I think work is very good therapy- tremendous amount of exercise -physical and mental.  So I continue running my online store, my booth at the Antiques Co-op. 
     I still have a few  Selective Residential Services clients I  run errands, clean or paint for,  and  I go to car shows and sell car literature with Ted.
 No time to mope around! Doing lots of jugglin!

   I have to thank the amazing people who've been working with me for 3 years, to make me well.
To beat cancer,  it really requires a team approach.  My team goes above medical treatment, by always making me feel they really care, keeping a close watch on me!
.

  Here's some of my favorite support team members! I love these ladies!

Super encouraging physical therapist, Michele, who helped me with
 lymphedema, and post-surgical therapy, me, and my very resourceful 
nurse-navigator Randy,who advocates for me, and makes everything go
 smoothly.

Thank you to my doctors and many other  professionals-nurses
and technicians who've worked so diligently to help me beat cancer.  

My beautiful breast surgeon, who's brilliant, skillful and so caring!.
She has recently left me to go practice in Florida, and I miss her terribly.

 My  wonderful oncologist, who managed my chemo 
 always listens and helps me stay well.


I am so thankful for my dedicated loving family, and my supportive 
friends, for count less ways they love me, help me, lift me, nurture me
entertain me, enrich my life, and are always there for me.

Thank you, my dear ones, for all your love and support!

  Just for fun, here's some  of my pink stuff, from my Etsy shop,

 because I love vintage style.  I like old things, with a story to tell.

 Unique, and often made better, and less expensive than new things! 

 It's good for the environment to recycle, reuse, re-purpose.

Buy Vintage and support small business!

Vintage Treasures by Grandmalay

pink owl pin

pink sequin posy pin

Vintage Vera scarf

50's speckled pink pottery planter 

I support myself selling vintage,  adding new stuff , trying to keep the listings up above 1000 items, so stop by my shop and see if there's a few vintage treasures you like!
I have so much to do, my boyfriend says, "You need 2 lifetimes to get done all the stuff you want to accomplish".  but I just do the best I can..

    Please get your mammograms and pay attention to your body. If something doesn't feel right, get it checked out. Nothing is too small to tell your doctor about.  I waited too long, and my lump  grew fast and I was "lucky" it didn't become stage 4 and spread somewhere else.  I know that it was God's grace and healing power that has kept me alive, made me well. I am so grateful for each day.

                                                               Love, Linda

Summer's over. Must move on to fall.   Time keeps going faster and faster.  I had a little scare, with an abnormal mammogram and MRI.  But a PET scan concluded that I am all right. There is no indication of recurrence of breast cancer or any tissue abnormalities or lymph nodes indicating any cancer activity. I am extremely grateful and relieved. This is just another little incident in my journey, living beyond cancer. I didn't panic, I was and am prepared to fight again, if need be.

Also, My dear friend died suddenly in a horrible fatal car accident. This special  neighbor lady was 88 feisty, and still full of life!  I didn't know I was spending her very last day with her, and a wonderful day it was!   We still had plans to do many things together, but she was absolutely ready to meet her maker whenever it became her time to go. We had many conversations about  our salvation,eternal life, heaven, Godly things, and life,  So, I'm feeling pretty sad for me losing her, but happy for her, because she is with Jesus. It is so very comforting to be sure about that.  Even in death, she was a testimony, as I explained to her friends and family, that it was okay that she died, because now she will live forever in  a glorious place, because she had the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior.   I don't know how anyone copes with loss like this without faith.

 In remembrance of Doris,  March 4, 1929 -  September 17, 2017

 Now and forever,  in the presence of her Lord and Savior

I'll miss you so much, until I see you again, Doris!

 I just had a little getaway weekend, which came at a perfect time, to get my mind off everything.
 Ted and I went to a car show on the boardwalk at Wildwood, N.J.
  Always good to go to the seashore. The last time this season.

I'm grieving my friend, but just sorry for myself, as I should rejoice for her. 

 I'll miss her forever until one day, when I'll see her again.

You never know when it will be the last time,

 so make sure  you tell them you love them!

 Love, Linda.

Back to School

and crazy, way too-early mornings, rushing around to get down to the bus stop.
7 am, a little too early for these little guys, and he has over an hour-long ride to the schoolhouse!

Eager beaver!
Smiling, excited about first day of 2nd grade!

Of course,  little sister has to go to the bus stop too!

First day, so exciting!  Whole family affair- snapping lots of photos,

frantic posting on facebook!  So excited!

Grandma Linda had to be there too!

And he's off!

Oh dear God,  Will he be okay, did he go potty, did I remember everything,
should I have given him allergy medicine???  I forgot to pray with him before he left,
 will he be scared, will he be confident, will the other kids be nice to him?
He's so little, but so grown-up. He'll be fine, he's so happy to be going back to school, to see his friends again, and make new ones.  He'll be home before we know it, with stories to tell!


Second day- Grandma takes him, didn't wake little sister,
and she'll be mad when I get back.
He woke up and got ready all by himself .  no fanfare, no entourage, just me and Tommy at the bus stop, and I remembered to pray with him, with my hand on his head!

We have a little litany, that I made up a couple years ago,
Tommy grinned as I began to recite it,
and then he rolled his eyes.

"Pitch black!

Middle of  the night,

  freezing our buns off,

cold as can be,

 so early, 

the sun's not even up.

winds blowin'

 leaves fallin,

 we're here, all ready

but where's that silly schoolbus?"

(Add lyrics-snow, sleet, rain, fog, accordingly)

Wait a half hour, then the big yellow bus comes around the corner-

And then suddenly, they're gone,
 and you pray,
Dear God, please keep that child safe
 and help him be good and help him learn.
Forgive me my impatience as we scramble to find everything,
struggle to get everything done.
Help me to create a calmer atmosphere tomorrow.
Remind me to be grateful for the calamity of hectic mornings at home
 with these precious little ones.
And Lord,  please don't let him grow up so fast!

Sissy couldn't sleep at nap-time, because she was afraid
she'd  miss going to get her brother at the bus stop.

 Back to school,
I'm  kinda sad summer is ending, and there are so many things
I  had wanted to do with the kids. (sigh)

Ah well, we've got homework,  and I want to hear all about his day!

Sure are ready for bedtime at 8:00!  I mean, I was!
 God bless school teachers and schoolbus drivers!-
 (  be sure to add that on to your bedtime prayers tonight, with the God-blesses!)


Happy Back-to-School Days!
 Love, Linda

In Loving Memory of My Son

                                                         

  Gary Wayne Young Jr. - April 23, 1973 - August 4, 2015

Forever in our hearts

       If I could only speak to Gary today, I'd tell him how much I love him, and how much it still hurts to lose him.  I miss him so.
 I'm thankful for my memories. I appreciate the love I feel from everyone who loved him.  It's a big comfort when you mention him, it honors him.. I wish he'd known how much we loved him.
       I'm so grateful for the peace God has given me, for I know Gary is with Jesus, made whole again, and enjoying a happy eternal life.  It's important for me to focus on that assurance, or I couldn't accept his death.

Gary is safe

                             My heart breaks for his children, who lost their dad too soon.

I want Amber to know- Daddy loved you more than anything!
 A part of him lives on and is with us all the time, and one day
 we can be with him again.

I want my grandson Gary to know that Daddy loved you
so much and was so very proud of you.
 He did the best he could for you, and wished he could do more.
He had high hopes for you, knew you would do great things with your life ,
Had enormous respect for you,  knew how smart and resourceful you are.

 I am sorry for my daughters, who dearly loved their brother and miss him so.

 Please know you were wonderful sisters and he dearly loved you. 

 He simply adored you, and he looked up to you so much!

 I feel sad for his wife, his father, his grandmothers, his aunts, his cousins

 and all who loved him. I ask God  to give you the same peace He has given me,

 that passes all understanding.  And a "knowing", that we'll see him again one day.

 Please never hesitate to speak of Gary, I want to keep his memory alive. 

 More about Gary's life,  and his untimely death of a Heroin overdose 

It's okay now.  No  more struggles, no more pain or suffering.
He is where he belongs, he is home.
   
Love, Linda