turmeric tea and smokin' hot smoke bush

Good morning. Sometimes when I post comments on other people's blogs I see that the time stamp is insanely wrong. I really do not stay up until 3:00 in the morning reading blogs, or writing them. Obviously, long ago when I started my blog I entered the wrong time zone, or didn't even look at the time zone. In reality, it is currently 10:43 a.m. I am on my summer holidays and happy as a clam about it. The sun is gloriously hot and it looks, smells, and sounds like summer. (Canadians really appreciate summer!)

On a side note, have you ever noticed that as soon as you get the fly swatter, the annoying insect that you are determined to kill disappears? There has been a big wasp buzzing around me and now that I have gotten up, gone in the house, found the fly swatter, it is nowhere to be found.

Next side note, I got the wasp.

I am on my porch, but I am not having "coffee on my porch". I already had my coffee hours ago. Right now I am having turmeric tea. Apparently turmeric is good for everything from pain to preventing alzheimers. Why am I drinking it? Well, nobody wants to hear a list of physical complaints from anyone, but long story short, I have been fighting lower back pain / hip pain at night for MONTHS and have pursued everything from chiro., to physio, to massage therapy, to yoga and no change yet. In fact, it's getting worse. I am due to see a rheumatologist but not until September. I read about turmeric and its anti-inflammatory properties. I am not sure why I think a teaspoon of yellow powder will work where ibuprofen has not,  but at this point, I am willing to try anything.

You might think, "turmeric tea... ew gross", but actually it is quite lovely. I boiled up some cinnamon, a little ginger, turmeric, and tiny dash of black pepper with water. Then for an added measure of that-which-is-the-latest-greatest-cure-all, added a spoonful of coconut oil. I strained the whole lot, stirred in a little honey and milk, and Bob's your uncle. It mostly tastes like cinnamon, which I love, so I enjoy it. And as with every new thing I try, I am expecting results by tomorrow!!

No more belly aching now. Instead, I am going to show you my smokin' hot smoke bush. This is a shrub that my mother gave to me years and years ago. It was small and straggly. She purchased it when a small greenhouse was going out of business close to where she lived. I planted it in the corner of the property and since then it has grown like a weed. I have chopped it back a number of times and  it grew fuller and more amazing. Right now it is in its glory.

My mother died a few years back and her last several years were trying for her and for all of us. Gardening, and preserving are two areas that I feel a connection to her. There are other connections that I have fought and resisted as I have journeyed through adulthood. This smoke bush is a good connection, so I am glad that it lives on so well.