Diary of a Mom

This is my family standing in front of the truck we bought to make our trip to Costa Rica. The following story is an excerpt from my mom's journal:

Our Costa Rican Trip of 1979

The idea to move to Costa Rica began a few years prior to 1979. Jim had been researching for the "perfect" place to raise a large family. He was dissatisfied with every place we had been- and we had moved often during our marriage. He decided that Costa Rica was that special place. The climate was warm year round. The country had a constitution similar to the U.S. constitution and the country had more teachers than police.

I put money aside from the earnings of our Bergoo [West Virginia] store and bakery until there was enough to send him to Costa Rica so he could actually see the country for himself. We presented him with the round trip ticket as a father's day gift. When he returned, he was more excited than ever. This was, indeed the perfect place and supposedly he had been offered a job as a psychologist in a government office there. "Just move here and the job is yours," he was told.

We had been putting siding on our Lumberport [WV] house so that it would be more apt to sell. It finally did sell, so we used the money to purchase a new 1978 Chevy diesel pickup instead of using the money as a down payment on another house, as we had in the past. We then put the remainder of the money, $3000, in the bank.

We drove the truck for a year to make sure all the bugs were worked out of it. In the meantime, we put a camper shell on it with a sliding back window so we could communicate with the kids in the back (seat belts weren't widely used yet). I also had the boys build bench seats on each side in the bed of the truck. The seats were padded and covered with a Naugahyde lid, which was hinged and had cubicles inside the bench for each one of the family members. Every one was allowed only what we could squeeze into them. This included three changes of clothes for each of us, our encyclopedias, a few choice books, a Spanish-English dictionary and enough diapers to last the three weeks it would take to drive through Mexico and Central America.

We had moved several times in the three years we were in West Virginia. We had first bought the Lumberport house and Jim worked in Clarksburg a few miles away. He later changed jobs and we moved to Webster Springs, then to Parcoal, Bergoo, and up to New Martinsville. Courtney was born in Lumberport and Jeanie in New Martinsville.

We had to sell or dispose of extra belongings in order to make the trip. We planned on camping out on the way, so we bought a very used tent trailer for that purpose. I filled a cooler with snacks and food to eat along the way. I also brought my sourdough starter and freshened it every few days. I had obtained the starter from an Italian grocery store owner three years earlier. He said the original starter was over ten years old. I had used it in all my breads and pizza dough.

We said our good-byes and left New Martinsville in the fourth week of July, 1979. Jeanie had been born July 1st. We only made a few short stops that day and night and drove all the way to Texas before camping. That night a raccoon had a great time getting into our cooler. He managed to get the lid part way off the sourdough and then strung our hot dog buns on a little tree above the cooler.

The next day we crossed the border into Mexico. An older Mexican gentleman looked over our truck and trailer. He seemed quite interested in our trailer and I was certain he was going to make us empty it. Instead, he looked at the children and was impressed with the size of our family. He even commented that he didn't realize some Americans had such large families. He then smiled and waved us on.

The first night in Mexico, we found a nice little park and set up our tent trailer. I spent my time and energy trying to see that everyone was happy. It is amazing to me that nine (out of the ten, since Larry, the oldest, stayed behind and came down later) children behaved as well as they did on that trip. We were three weeks on the road, driving from dawn until dusk and sometimes even later.

That first night was the only night we camped in Mexico. Whenever we stopped for the night and asked the location of a place to camp, the people looked alarmed and told us it was not safe to camp. We were then told, by these total strangers, to follow them. We did, and they took us to their homes and gave us their own beds. A couple of times, I saw teenagers going off to stay with relatives for the night so we would have a place to sleep.

Always, during the trip, we dreamed of arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica, and combing the area for that perfect piece of land to farm and to raise our ten children. It was not a problem to leave the color TV, stereo, and dishwasher. We would pioneer. The smog and inclement weather would be replaced by balmy weather and clear skies. Palm trees, loaded with coconuts, and sandy beaches would surround us.

When we finally arrived, in the Fall of 1979, our first casa had four bedrooms, a red tile roof, and gleaming terrazzo floors. It was nestled in ten acres of coffee trees loaded with the bright red berries. The electricity to the house had not been turned on and we found out that it would be at least two weeks before it would be. That first night, by candlelight, we found that we shared this casa with hundreds of huge cockroaches and several mice...but it was worth it.

Contributed by: Marie Holley Meshkin

The Wiser Earth Community

For those of you who have not heard of WiserEarth yet, you should check it out and join the cause. I have already joined the directory as a resource. Here is a description of what it is all about, written by the Online Community Manager Ian Elwood:

WiserEarth is a community directory and networking forum for organizations working for sustainability and social justice. It has been in existence for just over a year, but already has had over 17,000 people join its community. Specifically, it is a grassroots tool that anyone can use to organize a group, publish information about an organization or collaborate and share information.

WiserEarth publishes under creative commons, meaning that anyone can reuse any part of the site for noncommercial purposes. This ensures that the information in WiserEarth directory remains freely available to all. Both in its infrastructure as well as in its social mission, WiserEarth creates opportunities for people to connect in ways that increase the overall value of the contributions individuals make.

As Paul Hawken said in “Blessed Unrest,” his latest book, “I knew that if we could understand the connections and visualize the breadth of global efforts on behalf of social and environmental justice, we would recognize the largest movement the world has ever seen. WiserEarth is where this movement can begin to see itself.”

This collaboration driven process is the driving force behind the online community that has risen up around WiserEarth, providing tools for a movement that is just now realizing its full potential.

Creating a Fitness Club

How many people think about getting in shape frequently but do not know exactly what to do or need some extra motivation to get going? I would gamble that the majority of us want to, especially mothers. I am here to tell you that all it takes is the initial desire and then, a little nudge to get started. Some friends of mine, and I, began our own fitness club just this way.

First, start networking. We simply talked about exercising, initially. This led to discussions of individual goals, possible times we would be able to meet together, and where we could go. Since many of the women have young children, either not in school or are home schooled, we chose a safe, shaded park in the middle of all of us. We each bring our own dumbbells and sometimes jump ropes and medicine balls.

We meet twice a week for an hour. While the kids play, we do a variety of plyometrics (explosive, power moves), cardiovascular exercises (jogging/running), strength movements (incorporating dumbbells), and core exercises (abs and lower back). Here is a sample plyometrics workout for the first day:

• warm-up by doing short distance, low intensity movements. Use a cone or landmark about 50 feet ahead as turn around point. 1/4 speed jog down and back x 2. 1/2 speed jog x 2. High knees down and butt kicks back. Skip for height down and back. Skip for speed. Side shuffle down. Grape vine back. 3/4 speed jog down and back x 4. Done. (I purposely do not add stretching here. Studies show that it is ineffectual at the beginning of a workout and it can actually cause damage- wait until the cool-down)
• scissor kicks- jump each time for height, explode up, switch legs in air, and land softly (be sure to move arms) x 20
• ski jumps- jump for height and distance (side to side), land softly x 20
• squat thrusts- place hands on ground in front of feet, push out to push-up position, tuck legs back (by hands again), and stand up x 20
• squat jumps- squat down low and explode up x 20
• cool down- start bringing heart rate back down with 1/4 speed jog to cone and back
• crunches- lay flat on back, tuck heels of feet as close to buttocks as possible, place hands on thighs, slide hands up while curling torso off ground x 20
• back extensions- roll over onto stomach, clasp hands together (behind back and rest them on buttocks), keep toes touching ground at all times, raise torso off ground (squeezing lower back), and back down x 20
• push-ups x 20
• work up to 3 full sets of 20 each of core exercises (crunches, back extensions, and push-ups)
• stretch

Now for the second workout: strength.

• warm-up the same as before
• squats- dumbbells at sides (hip, knee, ankle alignment) x 10 for 3 sets
  
• park bench step ups- step up and back down with dumbbells at sides for 10 on each leg (3 sets)
• reverse lunges- take a large step back (with feet in hip, knee, ankle alignment) on one leg, squat down into lunge and explode back to start position for 10 on each leg (3 sets)
• walking lunges for 3 sets
• super set arms- biceps curls x 10, bench dips x 10, bent over rows x 10, push ups x 10, and shoulder presses x 10. Do a set of each without stopping, rest, then repeat for 3 full sets.
• cool down- same as before, making sure to add core exercises as well and stretch at the end

Keeping a journal is another good tip. Log thoughts, feelings, goals, etc. Putting it down on paper is always extra motivation. Fitness helps us get in shape but it also helps us bond together. Community is what it is all about!

Enjoying the Beach

Fermenting the Ancient Way

Lacto-fermentation is the process of culturing dairy products. Ancient civilizations, before mass production and industrialization, consumed yogurt, cheese, curds, and whey. Only raw milk, milk that has not been pasteurized, sours naturally and separates. This process is accomplished through the growth of friendly bacteria, which produce lactic acid along the way. The lactic acid is what preserves the cultured product by keeping the "bad" bacteria from growing.

The friendly bacteria in this process are called probiotics. You might already know about these, or maybe you are familiar with acidophilus (which is just one strain, among many, of friendly bacteria). Health food stores sell these supplements for quite a bit of money. I challenge you to save that money by learning how to make your own cultured dairy products.I think you will find that making your own products is not only easy but rewarding, with a long list of health benefits.

The digestive tract thrives on beneficial bacteria. This is the central location of the body's immune system. By providing the intestinal tract with essential enzymes and friendly bacteria daily, we guard against illness and maintain the tools necessary for proper absorption and digestion of food. I am including directions for making your own whey, which is a basic staple in traditional cooking. Whey can be used in tonics and as a starter culture for pickling and soaking (predigesting) grains and legumes.

Whey

1 quart organic raw milk NOTE: I buy this at my health food store. Check around at your local stores or order online. Pasteurized milk does NOT sour, it spoils!

Pour milk into clean, glass pitcher with thin towel or cloth covering the top and seal with a rubber band. Allow 1 to 5 days to sour in a warm spot on the counter top. You know it's done souring when it has congealed. Place a colander inside a large glass or ceramic bowl and line it with cheese cloth. Pour the separated milk inside, cover with a towel, and let liquid whey drip out for a few hours or overnight.

Pour the whey into a Mason jar and store in refrigerator. Remove the cheese cloth from the colander. It is now filled with cream cheese. I put this into a food processor, add a little sea salt, and process until smooth. Transfer this to a glass crock and store refrigerated. The whey lasts quite a few months (about 6) but the cream cheese usually lasts a few days, up to a week. Cream cheese variations: add herbs for a dip, raw honey for toast, or even make into cream cheese icing for desserts!

Whey can be added to shakes or in a tonic with cold filtered water and lemon juice. For soaking, add a couple tablespoons to the water and grains/legumes and leave overnight, then slow cook the next day. For pickling, add a tablespoon of whey instead of salt (brine). It will yield exact results every time. A great resource for traditional recipes, is Nourishing Traditions. I use this book for many great recipes and tips on getting back to the basics.

A Picture of Health