According to government and media health pundits, the top best 14 foods are:
1. Beans
2. Blueberries
3. Broccoli
4. Oats
5. Oranges
6. Pumpkin
7. Salmon
8. Soy
9. Spinach
10. Tea (green or black)
11. Tomatoes
12. Turkey
13. Walnuts
14. Yoghurt
This uninspiring list reflects the current establishment angels (anti-oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids) and demons (saturated fats and animal foods).

Our list of the 14 best top foods, foods that supply vital nutrients including the fat-soluble vitamins, looks like this:
1. Butter from grass-fed cows (preferably raw)
2. Oysters
3. Liver from grass-fed animals
4. Eggs from grass-fed hens
5. Cod liver oil
6. Fish eggs
7. Whole raw milk from grass-fed cows
8. Bone broth
9. Shrimp
10. Wild salmon
11. Whole yoghurt or kefir
12. Beef from grass-fed steers
13. Sauerkraut
14. Organic Beets
A diet containing only these foods will confer lifelong good health; a diet containing only the foods in the first list is the fast track to nutritional deficiencies.
Found here.

ED went up the hill to bring the horses down today, and discovered that they were stuck in the barn because of the willow tree that blew down in yesterday’s tropical storminess. So she visited with them a few times today, and took them water, but we had to wait for DH to get home to release them, since I haven’t been approved for chainsaw use yet (by my own choice—DH wants me to learn how to use the damn thing). The horses were so thrilled to be out—they ran around kicking up their heels and terrorizing the goats, just for fun (they like to see them run).

The phone company sent someone out today to fix our line—unsuccessfully, it turns out. The shady charactor that has made such a mess of our driveway has quite a reputation with the Verizon guys; the man I talked to about our problem this morning was dismayed to hear that this guy had been working anywhere in the vicinity of the phone lines. This guy really is a sleazebag; I think he used the grant money that was supposed to fix our road to fix his trucks. Slimy creep.

…on the way home from eating ribs at my dad’s the other night:

” I just love Granddaddy—he’s so cute!”

” The way he has no lips, and those little round cheeks….”

“…and how, when he eats ribs, his whole face gets covered with barbecue sauce…”

“…and when he had that big glob of barbecue sauce and stuff on his glasses…”

The girls shake their heads and chuckle in fond admiration.

I wish that I could say I feel refreshed after our trip to Ocracoke, but dazed and confused would be a more accurate description of my state of mind. Which is pretty much what I expected. It was lovely to run away from our life for a little while and just not think about things, but it was all waiting when we got back!

This was the first time I’d ever been to the island in the season; I’d always been in November or December, which may still be my favorite time. But this trip we rented bikes for a couple of days and cruised around, dodging cars and other tourists. The air was redolent with the sweet and penetrating scent of jasmine and the heavier base note scent of ligustrum; the smells of cedar and salt spray were always in the background, and of course there was the occasional wave of rotting fish smell.

We all loved the two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride from Swan Quarter out to the Island; it’s perfect for making a break with day to day life, and committing your mind to being on the island.

We managed to avoid getting sunburned, although we swam a lot and the weather was perfect; we don’t like to use sunscreen because of the increased skin cancer risk, so our plan is to avoid midday sun, which seems to work pretty well.

So we got home at 1:30am Thursday morning, and were up and at’em at 7 yesterday morning, partly due to the sound of heavy equipment close behind the house, punctuated by the ground-shaking sound of big trees falling. I think I had managed to sort of forget about the logging. When they started cutting the big trees at the spring (stupid stupid stupid!) we ran away to town to escape the noise and the awfulness. After DH yelled at the guys that they could not under any circumstances cut those trees; I see this morning that they’re still standing. The trees, I mean.

The land search seems to have taken on a life of its own, with several new and interesting complications, none of which I’ll go into until I can sort it out in my mind a little more!

We had another Andie McDowell sighting yesterday: M* and J* saw her in Green Life, and she smiled at J*. DH has seen her in Earth Fare (evidently very health conscious is our Ms. McDowell), and P* of P* and A* sold her a pair of shoes right in Hot Springs. I think A* saw her in Hot Springs that same day. She seems to be sort of our very own celebrity; I can almost forgive her for her involvement with the Billy Graham crowd.

The land search is fast-paced, frantic, and a little confusing. Not to mention overwhelming. I’m not going to say anything else right now, for fear of jinxing things; I’m starting to get a little superstitious!

This Sunday we’re taking a somewhat impromptu trip down east to Ocracoke Island; I’ve enjoyed the distraction of making motel and ferry reservations. We’re stuck in a little bit of a waiting period with the land search, so it’s an excellent time to go do something else for a little while. We’ll be back sometime Wednesday; J* is going to house-sit and milk the goats. (Thank you J*!)

In other news, DH and I started a new batch of mead a couple of days ago: Honeysuckle Rose, both of which are blooming abundantly. It’s in a big pot, with the flowers still in it, and it smells wonderful. The locust mead is in a carboy, bubbling somewhat slowly. Meads seem to work rather lethargically compared to sugar-based wines. But they’re worth it! So, the new wine has around five gallons of mixed honeysuckle and multiflora rose flowers, and a gallon of wildflower honey; we’ll add another pint or so of honey as soon as we get some. I plan to add yeast nutrient and lemon juice at some point, and maybe some green tea. I’ll have to think about that. Oh, and I’ve already added champagne yeast.