Diestel Organic Turkey: Our Thanksgiving Experience

 *photo of cooked meat at bottom*

"Do I like turkey?"

I set out to answer that question this past Thanksgiving day. Every year, I would make a beautiful turkey and find that only the first, warm bite, taken during carving, appealed to my taste buds.

It struck me that no turkey on my table had ever been fresh. They'd all come frozen, with no real history and no mention of breed. TURKEY. That is all I knew. Well, what about the turkey? Did the breed have a name? How did my gobbler live and what did he/she eat? Did the bird feeding me get to live life as a bird and not cooped up for life while being chemically altered to produce a heavy breasted monster?

I decided that buying a turkey once a year should take more thought than simply going to a store's deep freezer and plucking up a frozen solid lump of whatever brand happened to be on sale.

There were mere days left until Thanksgiving when the quest began for an organic, heritage breed turkey. I wanted my bird to have a colorful history and a story to tell. Alas, everywhere I searched online recommended ordering such a turkey 6-8 weeks in advance, and sometimes months.  In a panic, I picked up the to ask my local Whole Foods store if there was still a chance. I tried to plan out the call and play in my mind the possibilities of what I could say to increase my odds of procuring a fresh, organic turkey. Should I beg? Be forceful? As I dialed the number and listened to the pleasant tone of the lady who answered the phone, it almost disappointed me to hear "Of course! What size turkey are you looking for?" No arguments, no claims that they were out, no chiding for not having done this long ago.

The Whole Foods service lady gave me the name of the farm used, told me a bit about their turkeys, and set me up to pick up the Diestel Farms Heritage Turkey the day before Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I went to the Diestel website to read more about my turkey. Here is the link: http://www.diestelturkey.com/home.htm

This look like a wonderful place, right? I remain properly impressed.

Then came the search for tips on how to cook this type of turkey. All the advice online conflicted, with some saying to cook it at a high heat and others saying to slow roast the bird., but they all agreed that such a turkey should not be brined, for it could cause some loss of flavor. I partially ignored that advice and brined my turkey just a little. After that, I slow roasted it for the majority of the cooking time and then pumped up the heat to make sure the skin came out crispy.

I took that turkey out of the oven and stared. How beautiful! I poked a leg with my finger. That was one solid bird! I sniffed it, and it smelled divine. After a bit, I began to carve it.

What one earth? So THIS is what turkey should look like! Instead of being paper thin, the skin was thick and contained a nice layer of fat underneath. Fat? Yes! Look at this photo:

Look at that glorious fat! That thick, crispy skin! That colorful "white" meat! THIS is what white meat from a turkey looks like!
The meat was firm and textured without being chewy. The darker meat was actually dark and beautiful rather than the odd grayish tinged color of the turkeys I'd seen in the past.
The flavor? Outstanding! I discovered that if I'd HAD turkey prior to this, I may not have spent my life believing that I didn't like turkey.

So was there any negative? Well, for me, it tasted like any other turkey after spending the night in the refrigerator, so leftovers weren't that remarkable.

How did family and friends react to the turkey? That depends on who you ask. My husband, who has a low sense of taste and smell, couldn't tell the difference. On the other hand, my daughter secretly ran a "supertaster" test on us. For more information on this test, see this fun link, but be warned that the dude's tongue looks icky: http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2012/02/15/are-you-a-supertaster/  My husband calmly asked why he was licking a piece of paper, while I gagged and asked my child why she would do such a thing to her poor mother. Apparently, I'm very sensitive to flavor, while he gets to honestly say that whatever I cook tastes just fine to him and we both get to know that if our marriage ever ends, it won't be because some woman wooed him away with her gourmet cooking skills.

As for the others, there was a mix of reactions. Some people tasted and appreciated the difference. Some just appreciated that this bird had lived a happy life and was fully organic. Others couldn't tell the difference.

Now for the big question: was it worth the very high price we paid for this turkey?

I'd have to tell you to go to two different farms and ask the turkeys. My guess would be that most turkeys would want to be raised the way Diestel farms raises them instead of most other methods.

How about the taste? For taste itself, I'd probably not want to spent that much more on a turkey.

How about for the sake of health and family? Definitely. They're worth it. I felt good knowing both my family and my turkey had been treated right and their health and happiness kept in mind, and that's the good stuff. That's the important stuff. That's why I don't see any reason to not buy another organic turkey next time. They're pricey, but less is more when it comes to good food. Buy less of the other stuff and just choose quality over quantity. Make your own bread. Spend less on other things by not buying them pre-packaged.

Then, work on making that a habit throughout the year.

If you end up trying a Heritage turkey or if you're a recent convert, do share the experience with me. I'd love to hear your story!

Light (poetry)

Light

I reached for the stars and caught one, powerful and bright

Its silver ran into my veins, it filled my soul with light

A daughter of the sun it was, sent out to play that night

With sisters gathered round the moon, until I stopped her flight

Her power made me radiant, and nothing did I fear

While the powers of darkness hovered, they could not gather near    

That part of heaven in my hand, kept faith burning clear

Until betrayal pierced my heart, and I cried my first tear

It glistened down my stricken face, in stately shades of silver

Then harder came the blows of life, my tears became a river

That glistening stream in upward flow, rose up to my Life Giver

Back to the skies from which they came, a prayer to deliver

Unto the Father of the sun, who took me by the hand

And walked me to a far off beach of gold and diamond sand

He immersed me in the ocean, then brought me out to stand

On the surface of creation, to view The Promised Land

"The stars are not for you to hold," He whispered in my ear

"For the millions that you see now, were made from just one tear

That I shed upon the fourth day, while making stars appear

For they told of every season, in every earthly year

The pain you endure at this time, will not last for long

Your true light shines eternally, within my Kingdom Song

Its music crafted from the truth, take heart, my friend, be strong

You'll soon sing with the regal stars, for you to Me belong

I hold you close with my right hand, hold Me, do not falter

For long before you knew was need, there was Living Water"

I reached for Him and He caught me, there before His alter

And now His light runs in my veins, my Healer, light, and Psalter.  

© 2012 by Gina Locke 

         

Ever a Student

Sitting in front of the class I'm mesmerized
by the memories
Of how sharpened pencils smell and how it feels
to be curious
Not about studies but about sights and sounds
from other people
Too concerned about life to take time to think much
of biology
It hasn't changed in years except for that
now I'm the teacher
And still I judge the students by their looks
and by attitudes
This one is repulsive and oddly reeks
of unwashed clothing
Another must be rich because she's clean and can afford
a bad attitude
Yet my choice in preference has changed
to the forsaken
I must admire the one who dares to arrive late
after no night's sleep
Those with quiet bruises under pierced faces
because they said no
The sleeping whose check helps pay the rent
ever since Dad died
Yes - I'm mesmerized. By the petty. By the profound. By the people.
by the memories.

© Gina Locke 2012

Abortion without Regret

It doesn't seem common for me to find people who do not have some shame/regret over having an abortion, but this one certainly takes on that view. Her talk with the soul she believes waited for her to be ready, rather than using the body being created inside her at that time, makes me wonder if she used the concept to come to terms with aborting the child. There is more information and discussion from her in some of the links included on her page:

Here is the link: http://www.thisismyabortion.com/

Seven years ago, I interviewed a few anonymous people/couples to get their take on the abortions they or their partner went through. Some were not believers at the time, others were after. I didn't use everyone's interview, so don't remember which ones were who in the essay. Here is the link, previously posted on this blog,  to my article on abortion: http://literaryworks.blogspot.com/2005/12/abortion-essay.html

Please feel free to share your own stories or comments with me. All replies are moderated, so please be patient if you do decide to do so as replies do not automatically post. 

Mom with Stage 4 Cancer Needs Help

Above is a photo of Stacey Slaton and her family. According to the news report, this Oklahoma mom has pancreatic and liver cancer. She is no longer able to operate the daycare center she ran from her home. While the article comments on how Okies are known for taking care of their own, sometimes a matter is big enough to call for others jumping in and showing what people around the United States can do when it comes to a fellow American in need. Are you able and willing to help out this family? If so, follow the link below to find out how you can donate and surround this family with love, support, and the finances they need to make this crisis a little easier to bear.

CLICK HERE TO FIND FULL STORY AND LINKS ON HOW TO HELP

ParaGONE: De-worming myself!

*WARNING*
***If you have medical conditions and/or on medications, consult with your doctor. Do not assume that since I took this while on medications for a chronic medical condition, that you can do so too. I see my doctor regularly and ask advice before starting any program of this nature***

 I will continue updating this as the process continues.

A nagging suspicion haunted me over the past few years. Humans spend money to rid their animals of parasites and worms, but do humans receive special treatment from these buggers? It made no sense. Rita, a friend of mine, enforced the concept when she informed me that no, humans do not get a free pass or special avoidance from this issue.
I immediately started shoving raw garlic down my throat and those of my children. Then I stopped. Who wants to think about parasites in their body, let alone actual worms crawling around in there, feeding off our bodies and wriggling their nasty little selves about various parts of our insides? In fact, the Bible tells us that worms ate Herod and then he died, this in punishment for refusing to give G-d glory.
Why would one willingly want to admit to having worms? They're associated with animals, filthiness and sin. They're creepy. They're crawly.

And they don't care who you are. If you're a human, you most likely have picked up some type of parasite/worm in your lifetime. They don't care if you give G-d glory and they don't care if you're a vegan. They just care that you are a host, willing or unwilling.

I struggled with this concept. Do I want these things in my body? No way. However, it stands to reason that if I do not want them in my body, I have to get them out. That meant pondering just where they were going to come out from. Pardon me, but it seems rather personal. As a female, I've felt violated on a number of occasions. When a female shares any type of complaint about digestion, lower stomach pain, or cramping, the first thing a doctor does is have you strip, lay down, then stick your feet up in stirrups so he/she can insert cold, wicked looking instruments inside of parts you can't even see yourself. This is disturbing, but for some reason, I find the idea of a doctor checking me out much more tolerable than thinking about worms coming out for a peek and a gander about.

Then there's the fear of the unknown. What happens if what is inside me is not microscopic? What happens if I detox and there's a critter or twenty that didn't die first, but comes wriggling out?

I decided to ignore the problem, though it remained in the back of my head. Then...BAM! I came face to face with a tapeworm and some roundworms. No, not in THAT way, but in showing them to a group of biology students and explaining what they were, how they find their hosts, and what types of problems they may cause. I believe the school cafeteria suffered a moderate drop in sales that day.

After the students left, I looked at those worm specimens. I especially focused on one of the roundworms, which looked suspiciously similar to something that came out of me about a year and a half ago and freaked me out. At the time, it was apparently very stiff and hard and I couldn't figure out how on earth something like that could have been inside me. I also refused to admit what it was. Remember when we were children and wondered if plants could really grow inside us if we swallowed a seed? Summertime and watermelon seeds always gave an air of mystery to summer vacation. Would my belly be big and round by the time school started back up, thanks to secretly swallowing a watermelon see to find out if it would really turn into a watermelon?

So I convinced myself that what came out was either:

A. A small stick that grew from a tiny twig that I accidentally swallowed while gardening.
B. Some strange build-up of normal human waste that simply shaped itself into an odd, thin, hard, stick-like shape.

Yes, I am an adult and my while my IQ is not sky high, it is a little higher than that of my peers. Of course that isn't saying too much, since it's very possible I choose to hang out with peers that have very low IQ's. This would explain why, some years ago and prior to Christ changing my heart and lifestyle, a friend and I ended up laying flat on our backs attempted to drink beer from glass bottles after she talked me into drinking a bottle of very classy wine known as "Wild Irish Rose," better known as that foul smelling stuff you generally do not see because those who drink it generally wrap it up in a paper bag and sip it only between one and three a.m. because even the poorest of the poor are ashamed to admit that it is all they can afford. We then suddenly rose up and went crashing through the woods for no apparent reason, tree branches and leaves smacking us in the face and mouths, which may be how I initially swallowed the twig.

Now back to the purpose of this post. Eyeballing those worms freaked me out enough to send me on a search for something to rid myself of whatever is living rent-free in this body. I decided on a product called ParaGONE, mostly because it comes in a package that appears easy to use and contains all of the ingredients that, if bought separately, would cost 50 times more to buy and a ton more time to properly research for proper doses and such. ParaGONE cost me $30.00 at Walgreens, although once I got home, I felt a little cheated when I discovered that two boxes of it are needed to complete the recommended cleansing. I want to complete the recommended cleansing and feel it is important because I don't want any little surviving eggs in me to hatch, thus making me go through all this again.

I took the first dose this morning. From the numerous reviews I've read, it takes about three days before one starts seeing results. Some people do not physically see critters in the potty, but do claim to feel and look much better after.

Perhaps I'm not in the norm, because it took all of three hours before my gut told me to get myself onto the commode. I swore to myself that for the duration of the treatment, I wouldn't look for results, I'd just trust the stuff was working. I read one review where a young lady stopped her treatment because what she saw totally flipped her out. One person claims a 12 inch worm came out. A few others claimed to have seen a couple very small worms.

However, I couldn't help myself. I figured I have three days, but given how I felt and that I am very reactive to herbs and medications, coupled with having IBD and thus a very rapid-moving internal system, was it possible that it was already working?

I admit it. I turned around and did an inspection.

Bubbles. Why were there bubbles? Small threads. I haven't gnawed on any yarn or fabrics that I can remember. Why were there small threads? Aren't air bubbles rising from water usually associated with life? Then I saw....movement. Forget checking out why, I FLUSHED THAT TOILET FAST!

I just took the second dose. Two down today, one more to go, and this continues for three days. After that, the dose doubles and continues. There is enough in the box to last 15 days. After that, the directions say to take a five day rest and then repeat the process, which means buying another box. That means another thirty dollars. For all the money I've spend on doctors who cannot give me answers and who never once took the time to inform me that humans should de-worm themselves, I am okay with that price - although it does seem rather mean to have to pay for something that feels rather traumatic.

I heard one review from a customer who said she had extremely disturbing dreams. I am not asleep and am already having disturbing thoughts, but they only consist of hoping and praying that nothing massive comes out of me and that they only choose one place in my body to exit from. I did look up the properties of the ingredients and wormwood, which is one ingredient, is said to contain hallucinogenic properties. I'm sure the dose contained in ParaGONE must not be high enough to cause this in most people since I've only read one review that spoke of anything that could be construed as such, but it still concerns me since I'll likely already have some freaky dreams simply because of my paranoia over what is happening inside my body right now. Do I really need my over-sensitive mind and body giving in to the hallucinogenic properties of something names WORMWOOD at this point in my life?

I'll let you know how it goes.

DAY TWO: I took the fourth dose this morning. Both last night and three times this morning, I used the toilet and each time, looked down to see multiple three inch, very thin objects that, unless I shred up and eat my blanket at night, could only be some type of parasite. This is horrible to think about these things crawling inside me just 24 hours ago and that there are more, but I'm glad to be getting rid of them. I'm really flipped out about what's to come. With all the reviews online and ALL of them taking a minimum of three days and often around seven, what on earth is going to happen when I get to THAT many days? How many critters are in me if all this is happening the first two days? I'm also really grossed out by everyone around me. I want to run around forcing them to worm themselves. Especially my husband. His Air Force years took him here and there and everywhere on this globe and he's never done it. YUCK! He's amused that I'm grossed out. I'm considering taking him for a trip to the bathroom the next time I go, but just how intimate is too intimate with your spouse? Believe it or not after publicly sharing all this, I am pretty private and close and lock that door when I go in there and also ask anyone in the connecting room to leave. No public restrooms for me unless it's an emergency and even then, the fine art of hovering is always employed.

Until next time...

DAY THREE
I didn't post yesterday, which was day three, because I was a little....ummm, busy. It is a relief to see that it appears the majority of visible evidence is over with, but I don't know if that will change by the end of day four or even later, as the program is stepped up and the dosage of the remedy becomes stronger. I'm hesitant about going full force because of work, so for day four, I will take the normal morning dose, then double up the second second one while skipping the third one, taking the double one after work is over. Since next week is spring break for our school system, I'll be free this weekend and the following seven days to take the full dose, so this is only a slight change to the recommended dosing.

How do I feel? The toughest part was the first day and a half. Dealing with the mental concept of the whole idea fed into that. Physically, it wasn't anything much, although the physical aspect of it did hit me pretty hard in the evening of the third day as far as feeling somewhat nauseated, a stomach ache, and a very frequent urge to use the bathroom. However, this may be harder than others than on me, since I'm used to regular pain, nausea, and IBD symptoms. In fact, I'm not even sure how much of the physical discomfort is simply part of a normal flare (as in lupus type flare) and how much can be attributed to taking Paragone. I've heard some reports of people having trouble sleeping or having some pretty crazy dreams, but I'm not having those issues. If anything, I slept a lot extra the first two nights and probably would have slept more the third night if I didn't have to get up for work.

DAY EIGHT: I ran into a problem. My husband has what appears to be some type of infection (fever, sinus pain, weird sore throat and green/yellow phlegm) and a few days after he got it, so did I. With not feeling too hot and having a pretty high fever, I decided to take a break from using Paragone. I did so for two days However, last night I began looking at what might be good to take for an infection of this nature and discovered that Paragone contains some of the ones recommended so I started again last night. Until then, even on the higher dose of this, things seemed to return to normal and I started wondering if there really was a need to take it for such a long period of time. From what I saw this morning, the answer so far is yep! I didn't expect to see anything since I hadn't for the last few days of being on it before, but this morning I flushed and looked down right after to make sure the toilet flushed okay since the one in the other bathroom clogged up the other night. My attention immediately became drawn to what appeared to be some pretty fat buggers! EEEWWWW!!!!! I definitely won't be giving up on taking this. There must be some types that take longer to kill.

Day 21: I'm very disappointed in my inability to continue using this product because while taking it, the results were blatantly obvious. I stopped taking it after day fifteen.Unfortunately, the lengthy amount of time required to complete the use of this product simply isn't compatible with working in a classroom because of the frequent number of trips to the restroom needed while using Paragone. 

Summary: Does Paragone work? Yes. Is it worth the cost? Definitely. Can one use this product and continue to work outside the home? That depends on the individual and the job. For me, the answer is no. When the dosage was upped, it caused me to use the restroom much more frequently and stay there for longer times than normal. If I stayed on the full dose, that would mean missing a month of work. It is likely that I am not the average person though. I do have irritable bowel disease and other health problems. My body can be very sensitive (or insensitive) to different products. It may very well be that others can take this product and not be tied to being within feet of a toilet throughout the day.

Would I use it again? Yes, but I would wait until summer because I do not work outside of the home during summer.

Is there any difference in how I feel now vs how I felt before? Yes. I do feel better. My lower gut feels better. It is typical for me to wake up in the morning and after about 15 minutes, I have extremely painful cramps in my lower abdomen that send me flying to the restroom. While that isn't totally gone, it is nowhere near the same. I haven't lost weight, but my stomach is a bit flatter and I don't feel as hungry. As far as food goes, having visual proof of parasites in my body has made me much more aware of what I put into my body. Although I've always been very cautious about preparing foods at home, I upped the number of times I wash my hands. We do have a dog, and I am careful to wash my hands every time I am done petting her or playing with her. She is not allowed on the furniture, but we do have carpet and I bought a carpet cleaner for use at home as often as needed rather than renting a cleaner once in a while.

And...no more raw fish! The idea of it turns me off now. It used to be a favorite, but I no longer trust that it has been properly handled, especially since I live nowhere near the source of fresh fish or seafood.

Thus ends my first experience with Paragone. School lets out soon and I plan to resume using this product completely. It would be nice if the creators of Paragone came up with a product that worked as well without having to take it for such a lengthy amount of time. It seems that such a product could be created for use once a year, but why should it take 35 days? If we can worm our animals in two or three doses, why not ourselves? That makes me somewhat suspicious, but it doesn't change my mind about the product. It works. It's not outrageously expensive. However, I'd be willing to pay that price even if it only comes in a few doses. It makes me wonder if perhaps it really could be done in less, but the makers are rightfully afraid of American consumers, who want to see a lot of "stuff" for their money, so even if it isn't needed, a consumer will think they're getting a better deal if they get a lot of product for their money so they're more willing to spend money on a lot of pills rather than the same amount on just two or three, because they don't trust just two or three to do the job. Hrm. Food for thought.

Update as of May 31, 2012

I plan to restart Paragone tomorrow. I believe the effects of it are still in my system, which may or may not have anything to do with the way my body handles what goes in. Today, I expelled something that for the life of me, looked very much like a six inch dead tapeworm or a segment of a longer one. I was nauseous for over 24 hours before it happened. It wasn't very pleasant and I'd wondered for a few days if I was getting rid of yet more worms, since things had started appearing similar to my first experiences on Paragone. I may be experiencing this due to an increase in certain herbs and spices in my diet, such as my recent binge on garlic and walnuts. I don't know! I don't care, I just want to make sure the rest of these buggers get out of me. Now that school is out (I work in the classroom) and I'm out for summer, I am able to start this up again, which couldn't be done while working because it caused such frequent need for bathroom trips. 

Losing a Spouse: The Christian Viewpoint

I've gone through the sadness of seeing Christian friends go through the trial of losing their spouse. It still amazes me to see the attitude with which such an altering life circumstance is met. Yes, there is intense grief and loneliness, but there also exists a precious sense of faith in these dear people's lives, a witness to the world of the hope they have in the knowledge that life continues after physical death and the joy of looking forward to the day when all the pain this world brings will be erased by the Father's hand.

That said, I would like to encourage you to read the writings of a friend who is walking through that rough place right now. Her transparent style of simply saying what is...well, it is what it is and to witness it through her writing and watch those thoughts progress is something I believe should be shared.

Take a moment out of your day to share this wonderful woman's journey. While it isn't rare for one to read the surviving spouse's recollection and struggles, it is unusual to find one so joyously, so tragically, so victoriously, so humbly, and so truthfully spoken. This, my friends, is an honest look in the heart of a Christian going through a loss, not intending to do more than vent but in doing so, she unintentionally leaves a very strong message that builds up over the posts and resonates with any human who has or will suffer such a loss.

Here is the link:  http://ramblingsfromtheheart-ggranmum.blogspot.com/