Saving the other knee... (weight)

 Did you know that every extra pound that you carry is hard on your knees and hips?  Each counts as 4 pounds on the knees and 6 pounds on the hips.
As the New Year approached this year, I eavesdropped on a thread on Twitter where someone asked their friends for suggestions on good plans on reaching a healthy weight.  There were several options, but The 17 Day Diet struck me.  I can do anything for 17 days, right?  It allowed me to go into surgery 20 pounds lighter. 
Then I kind of slipped and Girl Scout cookies came out... So I'm about to start again on the first of the month.  It's really good, and my cholesterol was good enough that my doctor wrote to congratulate me. 
I took pictures along the way to keep myself motivated.  Although I quit with the pics on day 15, I'm posting them here - as much for myself as for anyone interested.  I took the pics because the food was appetizing and pretty colorful.  I wanted to keep a record so that I'd remembered what I liked and what we didn't need to do again.
Here we go.  On the first day I didn't think of it until dinner.

Day 2

It turns out that pears and berries in Breakstone's live culture cottage cheese is a good breakfast.

Chicken, onions, and Brussels sprouts for lunch.  Rotisserie chicken was my friend.

 

Flounder with cauliflower and broccoli.  Not bad with some olive oil spread
I'd always stuck with butter, but this wasn't bad and the results were great.

Day 3

Berries and scrambled eggs for breakfast. 

Chicken with cauliflower and broccoli for either lunch or dinner.
This will quickly get boring.

Day 4

Starting to get very boring.  I see some sauce in the bottom there.

Some carrots and preserved lemons with the salmon and purple broccoli.
I don't like purple broccoli.  In the dark, there's no difference in taste, but...

Day 5

An orange and yogurt for breakfast.

Getting rid of that broccoli.  We don't need to do that again.

Here we have realized that a little salsa on that fish will
make a big difference.  The next day I went on a salsa and
dressing spree at the store.

Day 6 

There were berries nearly every day.  And I love scrambled eggs.

Tossed salad with chicken.  Not bad, but it was cold weather.
It didn't satisfy for lunch and dinner like a hot meal.

Day 7

Here we have berries, cottage cheese, and pear slices.
I tried a sprinkle of matcha on the cheese.  Once. 
Not a fan.

Salad with a little chicken.

All the veggies!  Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and snow peas.
Chicken with salsa.

Day 8

Apple with eggs, and a side of Benefiber probiotic powder.
This plan encourages some form of probiotic daily.

Beautiful, delicious haddock covered in salsa with snow peas.

Day 9

  That's a small fiber filled muffin.
I notice I've started taking CLA (eh...nah) and there's
an elderberry gummy there.

Haddock, salsa, and cauliflower

Day 10

Tossed salad with warm chicken.

Day 11

I had to have a bunch of pre-surgical tests done, so couldn't eat
until mid afternoon.  Yogurt, grapefruit, AND eggs!  Oh boy :-)

This is about when I realized that flounder doesn't have much flavor unless
you can fry it in butter.  Lots of veggies.  That's Molly McButter on the asparagus. 
Not as good as the olive spread.

Salmon on salad.  I'm surprised to see so much salad.
I don't remember that...

Day 12

ALL the berries!  I really felt like I was pampering myself
on this plan. 

This is a meal that I'd order at a restaurant, so it
wasn't hard to take.

Day 13

I will admit to starting to get pretty bored at this point.
I got some small batch sauerkraut to use as a condiment.
That jazzed up the cooked cabbage.

This is where I discover the cauliflower "rice" blends
and various options.  Game-changer!

Day 14

Yogurt with berries.  This was a lemon yogurt with
no sugar/sweetener and they just waved the lemon
over the vat.  I'd rather use some with more flavor and
risk not losing that 1/10th of an ounce that day.

Just a pinch of grated Parm made a huge difference in
this chicken and veggies lunch.

There's that cauliflower rice again. 

Day 15

Haddock, asparagus, cauli-rice, and some salsa.

 There were a few specific "rules" to follow.
-8+ glasses of water every day. 
-Nothing to eat after 6pm
-2 T olive oil in meals each day
-17 minutes of exercises/day
-no fruit after 2pm

Now that I put this up here, I can't wait to get started again! 
I learned that I like haddock the best of the typical white fish varieties in the store. 
My local store offers both snow peas and sugar snap peas fresh.  Snow peas, fresh or frozen at this time of year are not great, but the sugar snap peas are wonderful.

That's about it.  I have 3 days to get stocked and get any junk out of here! 

Note... when I did this, standing and doing dishes on my bad knee wasn't happening.  Hence the paper plates.  They were there for a reason.  Now I can use my regular dishes.                         

Sale on "Through the Seasons"

Throughout the month of March 2022, you can get a $15 discount on the GIANT, 5 year compilation of The Essential Herbal. 
This volume includes the articles, recipes, lore, and everything wonderful from the magazines, but to make it even better, we combed through them and created chapters.  It's really almost like 5 or 6 books in one.  Then, we indexed it thoroughly.  Here's the INDEX.
Shop our books HERE

People often ask us when we'll be doing the next 2 five year compilations.  The first two (By the Hearth and Under the Sun), which combine to cover our first 5 years, are down to double digits.  There are a few hundred Through the Seasons left.  That doesn't sound like much, but only 10 fit in a box.  The book room downstairs holds those 3 books, boxes of all the small booklets - Lavender, Elderberry, Balms & Salves, Etc. - and then a few hundred of the 4 that were published in the last 5 years.  It's full!  Almost all of our back issues have sold out, so we're getting there!

So this month, I'd like to clear out a few more boxes.  Instead of $45, the print version is now $30.  The PDF is $15.  We know you'll love it. 

Knee Surgery and Recovery

This topic isn't for everyone, but I would have loved to have known some of this stuff going in.  Of course all of us are different, but I think I can offer some reassurance and possibly helpful advice.

I am 5 weeks out now and my strength and stamina are returning.  At night I still take an OTC pain reliever, Tylenol for me.

So first, let's talk about preparation.
You will need someone to stay with you.  2 weeks is probably enough, 3 is better.
The good news is that you will be able to shower and use the toilet alone from day one.
The bad news is that those things take ALL of your energy and strength, and so someone to prepare meals and keep track of meds is important.

I had 2 months to think about it (thanks COVID), so preparations were pretty extensive.  For instance:
~ My daughter installed the bidet that I'd purchased and couldn't figure out during the toilet paper shortage.
~ I cooked TONS of chicken, fish, soups, etc., and had lots of veggies in the freezer for easy meals.

~ During a pre-op physical therapy appointment, the therapist told me that keeping knees up didn't mean on the recliner.  They need to be higher than the heart.  So I got a wedge.

~ Ordered a simple framework for around the toilet so that there was something to help for up and down.  I honestly wish I had gotten this months earlier, because it took so much pressure off the knee.

~ Got a couple vacuum grips for the shower.

~ Borrowed a shower seat.  Thanks Julie!  It's almost time for it to go home.

~ Borrowed my sister's walker from her back surgery last year.  That thing has been used about 10 times all together.  Quickly graduated to a cane.
CORRECTION:  For the first week or 10 days, I used it constantly to get around the house.  I forgot.

~ A pre-surg class suggested asking for a second ice pack (the hospital provided - and they are great!)

So what's it like? 
The day of surgery, they will get you up.  You will not like it.  Most of the pain meds from surgery will have worn off. Then you will get better meds and it will never be that bad again. 
You will go to a quick physical therapy lesson, to learn how to get into the car, etc.  I only remembered that a few days ago.  Then you go home.  I stayed overnight because of a pre-existing condition, but many people go home the same day.

That first week is kind of fuzzy.  I kept my feet up and my knee well iced, and didn't have any swelling, which is apparently atypical.  About day 3 I went to physical therapy, but don't remember it.  Mostly it was my sister giving me food, liquids, and meds. 

At about 10 days, the staples were removed and a new, lighter dressing was applied for another week.

Then there was PT twice a week.  I love the office we use.  It's gentle and although I was warned that it would be terribly painful, that wasn't my experience at all. 
CORRECTION:  Those meds really messed with my memory!  Talking to my therapist yesterday, she reminded me that in the beginning I did not enjoy her pushing me to bend further, and I whined a good bit about the whole thing hahaha.
By the end of the second or third (?) week, it was time to cut back on meds, but I didn't want to.  I was grumpy at PT, and luckily for me, my therapist was firm and told me that it was up to me how miserable this was going to be, but I needed to get it together.  That was it.  I turned a corner and only took meds for sleep or if I was going to PT.  It started to get a lot better fast. 

The third and fourth week are when you start remembering things.  Like... the night before surgery, after I took that purifying shower, I ran the dishwasher and noticed there was dirty water all over the kitchen floor.  Maryanne's husband had it fixed while I was in the hospital, but I'd completely forgotten about it.  

This was also when I started attempting things like going along to the grocery store.  It was a LOT at first.  Going out for lunch was like a magical dream!

The other day I went alone.  Today I forgot to grab one of the handles when I got in the shower.  It's the little stuff.

I noticed early on that I was expecting a lot from myself, trying to keep everything running smoothly (especially attempting to market a book that was about to be released).  Most people who work for other people would have 6 or 8 weeks off, and not push themselves so much.  So ... take from that what you will.  For me it was probably a good thing.

Just a few days until release for The Big Book of Herbal Medicine!

 I thought it might be nice to share a little share a little of what's inside and how it's going!  Okay... we'll call it a bragging post.

The other day I noticed that the book hit #1 in Naturopathy Medicine

This morning I was thrilled to see that we also hit #1 in Herbal Remedies!

This is getting pretty exciting.
Some bits pulled from reviews?  Sure ...

~ As a seasoned folk herbalist, I was impressed by the sheer volume of remedies and treatments detailed in the book.

~ It’s a wonderful instructional manual that I’ll go to again and again.

~ Oh , how I wish I had found this book when I began learning about herbs! It would have been so helpful, and saved me a great many mistakes, time and money.

~ I love the small paragraphs at the beginning of the recipes that give some insight into why or how the recipe is helpful.

~ The recipes are all very easy to understand and the Getting Started section makes working with herbs and essential oils wonderfully accessible.

~ Throughout the book emphasis is laid on how very simple it is for anyone to use these methods. Most of the items needed to create the remedies in the book are probably already in your kitchen. There's no need to spend large sums of money on buying specialist equipment.

~ This book would also make an excellent gift for someone interested in herbalism or natural beauty or health.

~ The book is up to date on modern herbal trends, and the author is able to clarify things that may be confusing like herbal infusions and dosages for herbs.

~ I've been flipping through it for several days now and always find something new that I didn't know, or something new to try!

~ It is at once, a primer for those who want to begin using natural remedies and a resource for those who have been working with medicinal plants for years.

~ BIG book is true and this has literally replaced tons of herbal notes on index cards that I've collected and scattered everywhere! 

Would you like to see a few pages?  Here you go...

So now you know. 
You need your own copy!
Choose to purchase from Amazon for fast (and sometimes free) shipping - https://amzn.to/3qeTZ5Y

or from The Essential Herbal where we'll be shipping signed copies via slow Media Mail :-)

Essential Herbal Magazine, March April 2022 - What's inside?

The latest issue is out.  It is really crammed full of great articles to keep all of us herbal types alive until things warm up!  

Maryanne did such a great job covering for me while I've been recovering from surgery.  She's been carrying a pretty heavy load around here, and I hope to pick up my share soon.  She even stepped in and wrote the Field Notes for me when it became apparent that stringing sentences together might be beyond my scope of abilities.  It's been interesting... We are confident that you will enjoy this issue.

Get your copy HERE or Subscribe HERE

Current issue Table of Contents

Field Notes from the Editor, Maryanne Schwartz
The quiet, introspective sister covers the notes this issue, and it’s kind of interesting to see our lives through different eyes.

Extraordinary Flavors for Festive Events, Alicia Allen
Delicious ideas for entertaining, including Margherita Roses and Strawberry Basil Pound Cake along with several others!

All in a Froth, Rebekah Bailey
Scrumptious and nutritious latte recipes along with lots of ideas for how to create the right foam and texture.

A Brief Look at the Misuse of Plants, Jackie Johnson
“We should be aware that according to Paracelsus, the difference between poison and healing is in the dosage.”

Book Excerpt, “The Complete Guide to Seed & Nut Oils,” Bevin Cohen
All about flax seed oil… I think it will amaze you how fascinating Bevin makes this subject. 

Glorious Ginkgo, Kristine Brown
Ginkgo was one of the “up-and-coming” herbs in the 90’s, but then lost traction in the stampede of newbies to herbalism.  It’s back and well worth a deep dive.

A Love for Lemon Balm, Maia Warren
A nice profile for this beloved herb, along with tea recipes.  You’ll want to be sure you’ve got lemon balm in the cupboard!

Foaming Lemon Cleaning Paste, Nancy Lewis
Turning leftovers into a delightful cleaning product is brilliant!

Dragon’s Blood Soap, Marci Tsohonis
We love this gorgeous, fragrant, soap.  Our ren faire patrons would have beat feet to our shop for it back in the day, as the resin also has some protective properties.

Planters for Herbs 2022, Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh
Different means of planting for smaller spaces!

Rose, Water, Stone, Kathryn Tonneson
Poetic expression of recognizing everything around us.

Nicknames - a Word Search Puzzle, Tina Sams
You can do this as a word search, or click on the link and do the crossword!

Simply Salvia, Kathy Musser
A discussion of different salvias, where to plant them, and how to care for them.

Meet Our Contributors  

New book: The Big Book of Herbal Medicine

 I'm thrilled to announce my latest book!

 Get it HERE

This book is huge (400+ pages!) and full of so much information.  It is exactly the book that I wish my sister and I would have found in our early days of herbalism.  

• 90 herb profiles
• 300 remedies and instructions
• How to make all kinds of medicines 
• Safety information
• Safe use of essential oils
• Herbal Energetics
• What you'll need to get started
• How to choose the best herbs
• Resources 
• Herbal and Ailment Indexes
• and more!

The book has been beautifully composed and is easy to use.

Gazpacho from the Garden

Gazpacho from the Garden 

While we were working at our shop at the Renaissance Fair years ago, it was often very hot this time of year, and the foods available tended to be deep-fryed, heavy, and not very appealing while we wilted in our costumes.
The woman who had the soup booth came up with the idea of selling gazpacho during these days - just when the garden was brimming over with bounty. Served icy cold, it was almost as refreshing as the strawberry banana smoothies on the other end of the shire. Traditionally, this soup is served with chunks of bread. Our soup vendor sold her soup in deep bread bowls.

4 cups vegetable juice
4 large juicy tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped fine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped fine
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 container sour cream or plain yogurt (optional) 

 Combine vegetable juice, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper in food processor. Process until smooth. Pour into soup tureen; add cucumbers, bell pepper, and onion. Stir in cilantro. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with dollops of sour cream.
Makes 6 servings.

Don't be that person...

This post has been gurgling around in my mind for nearly 10 years. 
Currently, I'm spending a LOT of time looking at the ceiling whining to my sister, and sometimes ranting, so today is the day. 
Firstly, let me tell you that I am in the beginning phase of recovering from a knee replacement.  The honeymoon period is over.  Psych.  There was no honeymoon period.  I'm fortunate to have my sister staying with me and taking excellent care of me.  She's great company, but I'm having grouchy spells.

For many years, The Essential Herbal has had the great fortune of having a very successful business page on Facebook.  

That used to translate into sales, but that isn't the case any longer.  It IS still a good option for passing along information, like a new book, new issue, or whatever.

Before the surgery, I started putting away photos I could post with bits of information or short recipes/remedies - sort of the thing the magazine is known for.  I still have a week or two of them left!
But there's something so negative that happens, that some days I feel almost physically assaulted.  

Without fail, no matter what I post, someone will let me know there's something wrong with it.  It's worth noting that while Maryanne (sister) does a lot of things to help with the magazine, the Fb page is all mine.  One person being sure to post something interesting every day.  People seem to think that they're addressing a larger company with "staff" and "no feelings."

Let me show you a couple examples.  I only went back a few days, and it started to get to me.  You'll see what I mean...

Nice enough, right?
Wrong...

And then today, I posted a teaser to an exciting new announcement.

Apparently there is something very offensive about letting the cat out of the bag.  That comment no longer exists. 

Here is the thing.  Why?  Why do people write these things?  Are they home bored, looking for something that will make them feel better?  Do they feel that they are actually helping keep the world free of bad information? 
The other week I said something that taught me (seriously) that I was being culturally insensitive about something, and in that case, I could understand the value of the post - if not the delivery.

This is not to say that I am flawless in my posts.  I can remember the people who went out of their way to privately message me to suggest that information was incorrect (thank you Karen Bergeron).  It's the public "calling out" that seems unnecessary, especially since most of the time they are the ones who wind up looking ill-informed. 

So please... before you decide to smack down a post on the internet, please consider why you are doing it.  Could it be handled privately?  Could you just scroll on by?  What is your motivation? 
That last one - motivation - I would dearly love to know. 

Now my sister is pointing out that I probably wouldn't write about this if I wasn't in a lot of pain, and subsequent medication.  She may be right.  I'm doing it anyway.

Just the Essentials

 If you don't subscribe to our somewhat erratic free newsletter "Just the Essentials" you may want to visit our website and sign up.  Nothing to it - the sign up is on the home page.  www.essentialherbal.com
I'm copying it here to share!  It's from the other day.

I've been hesitant to send out this newsletter because my own email is crammed with year end mail from businesses.
The thing is, more than ever, all businesses, including TEH, are more grateful than ever for the people who keep us going! We're beginning our 22nd year, and every single January I spend time thinking about all the kindnesses and generosity that have allowed me to continue. The first 5 years before my sister Maryanne offered to help were almost beyond comprehension now. Often when people ask how I got started, I don't think they believe me. Things are so much easier these days. Just digital cameras... on phones! pffft...

Here we are starting a fresh clean year. I hope it's a good one for you. Below you'll find some great things to make to keep winter at bay. Be sure to try one or all!

Rosemary Pistachio Shortbread
Plucked off the blog – from the very early years.
Click here for 4 more shortbread recipes, including one gluten free, linked in the post.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pistachios
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves - minced fine
additional confectioners sugar for garnish
Method:
In a large bowl cream the sugar into the softened butter using a large mixing spoon.
Add the flour 3/4 cup at a time.Add the vanilla extract, pistachios and rosemary and mix until well blended.
Roll the dough into large marble sized pieces using 1 level tablespoon of the dough and place on an ungreased cookie
sheet.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 17 to 20 minutes until light brown.
After the cookies have been removed from the oven and have cooled off slightly roll each one in confectioners sugar.
This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

We make this root and bark syrup almost every year. It's helped with almost every instance of chest congestion so far, and the 1/4 pound of osha I purchased specifically for this syrup will probably last another year or two (so 7 years?). Roots last well if stored properly. This is fully explained HERE.

In the dry winter air, it's important to stay hydrated. Keep those mucus membranes in good shape so viruses don’t come in contact with skin. We humans are up to 60% water, and even bones are nearly 30% water. Our brains need hydration in order to work properly and keep those synapses firing properly. Every function of our body depends on sufficient hydration. Try one of these in addition to extra fresh, pure water:

Tension Re-leaf Tea
parts chamomile
4 parts lemon balm
2 parts catnip
2 parts passion flower
2 parts raspberry leaf
1 part valerian root
Mix up this blend and keep it on hand for any time someone in the house is having trouble unwinding.

Luscious Lemon Tea
Blend equal parts 3 of the following:
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Lemon Grass
Lemon Peel
And a pinch of lemon thyme
Serve sweetened with honey, and garnished with a fresh lime slice. Very refreshing!

Minty Morning Tea
part black (orange pekoe) tea
1 part spearmint
Brew as you would regular black tea. This is so yummy in the morning or when you need a pick up in the early evening.

 

Lastly, the obligatory ad.

www.essentialherbal.com
for all these goodies AND the magazine!

 

21 Years Ago - How We Started

I've written bits and pieces along the way, but it seems like it might be time to put it down before I start forgetting things.  This is a little self-indulgent, but it might have some value to someone feeling overwhelmed.  If you love it and you want it, just keep going - unless it's for the money.  That might never happen, but you can be happy.

I know most people these days come out of the gate "branded" but it took about a year (2003) before I showed a graphic artist what I wanted, and he provided this logo.

In early spring of 2001, I was unhappily working at a small printing company after making the huge mistake of walking away from the shop I'd shared with my sister.  I was helping a friend at an herbal event, and started asking herb friends if they'd have any interest in an herb magazine.  Would they write?  Would they carry it in their shops?  Stuff like that.  I snagged a couple partners and off we went. 
By June of 2001, we were pre-selling subscriptions and coming up with 16 pages of content.  It was harder than we thought and after we got the first (Jan/Feb '02) issue out, I wound up with no partners, $20 in the account, and something like 50 people who expected to get a year of magazines.  Woohoo!

Before the internet was really being used well, it was tough getting the word out there.  Lots of people didn't have home computers or email addresses.  IF you had a website, you could mention your business one day a week on various list-serves or forums.  Otherwise, you could advertise in other magazines and wait 2 or 3 months for that to come out.  It was a grind.  The best way to get out there was by attending herb functions.  For the first year or two, that was how it worked.  It was a lot of fun, but an insane amount of work. I would get up at around 4 am, work on the magazine and try to get something online before going to work.  There was a lot of schmoozing, talking on the phone, and emailing.  By 8 pm, Molly (then around 9 or 10 years old) and I were fast asleep.

To print the magazine, I could afford to spend only the money that had come in during the previous 2 months, and save enough to mail them. There was no reserve.  I learned how to use all the machines at work to bind and trim the magazines, printing them after hours, cruising the warehouse daily looking for interesting cover stock that was about to go in the dumpster.  Occasionally if they weighed close enough to be trimmed to lose an ounce for mail, they'd be tossed on the guillotine cutter and shaved a little at a time until they were under that weight.  $15 or $20 was a big deal.

When the magazine was done, I'd hand address them, Molly would stamp them, and we'd send them on their way.

First and last printed issues.

After the first year, there was a huge blizzard.  Just before it hit, a friend set me up with Frontpage, a URL, host, and a website to build.  It is no exaggeration to say that the next week was absolute torture, and that site was ugly, but it worked. 
At the time, digital cameras were hugely expensive.  Instead, covers and objects for sale were laid directly on the glass of the color copier.  Someone at work must have emailed me the pdfs because I have no recollection how they got on the website.

We have always had terrific contributors who understand our goal of teaching and sharing.  That has been the case pretty much since day one, and continues to be one of the biggest blessings of my job.

From the wayback machine, the archive doesn't show the background which on my screen was "sand" but on some appeared to have blood seeping through the sand.  Nor does it show how many different fonts I managed to shove into use.  Ah... the good old days.

In 2004, I had enough subscriptions for a bulk mail permit, and for Christmas, my mother set it up and paid the permit fee.   The blog went up that year and it was honestly hard to restrain myself - but I still didn't have a camera. 

By 2005, the internet was really starting to cook.  Being a small business owner was thrilling.  There's nothing like waking up to orders!  That was a completely new concept to me.  New website made it smoother and easier.  We opened the TEH Yahoo! group.  Between the group and the blog, sales were soaring.

Website update around 2005.  First of several.

Then Mom died. 
Maryanne and I started working together again, each retaining our own businesses.  Molly and I moved to the farm and I quit the printing shop.  There were a number of dizzyingly exciting years of trying all kinds of crazy stuff to see what worked and what didn't.  It was all a big experiment because nobody really knew what worked.  It was so new.

Then Facebook came along.  Sigh...

We (all of us) lost so much.  The forums, list-serves, and blogs started falling by the wayside.  There was an unbelievable amount of sharing and camaraderie.  There were swaps, virtual showers, and all sorts of support for each other.  It's really hard to explain.  Sort of like the 60's and 70's.  If you were there, you know.

There hasn't been anything that came along to replace those now defunct hubs.  Facebook really tore us into pieces.  Instagram is even worse.  I'm sure there are others, but that time is gone, unfortunately.  

Fortunately, we were pretty well established by then and just kept sl-o-o-o-wly growing, printing books every year.  In 2015, publishers started approaching me, and I've since added 4 3/4's books that way - one's due shortly.

2020, we realized we could no longer continue to print the magazine and announced that we were in the last year before going 100% digital.  And then covid hit 2 months later.  We went digital only after the May/June '20 issue.  It made some subscribers unhappy, but shortly after that the mail system became very unreliable for about a year, and it would have put us out of business.  Several small businesses were brutalized by that year.  The timing for us was sheer luck.  We lost some long-time subscribers, but we didn't really have a choice. 

There have been so many stories and people and classes and lectures and festivals and conferences along the way.  Friends made, and a few lost... We're not done yet.  We've got a few more years in us.  As long as it's fun, we'll continue.