Raw Milk Cure 2012: The First Four Days

N.B.  Emma and I drank raw milk for breakfast and lunch and ate a regular meal for supper for three days before we started the milk fast on March 1.  We each lost two pounds during this trial run.

DAY 1, Thursday, March 1

I sailed through this day.  I drank a quart in the morning and a quart in the afternoon.  Any minor hunger pangs went away with just a little milk.  I am weaning myself off coffee by adding a little bit more raw cream every day.  Other than a cup of coffee, I had nothing but milk.  I got sleepy earlier than usual and was in bed by 9:45.  I slept well.  I could easily drink more milk, but then I wouldn't feel like I was mortifying my body at all, so I am trying to keep my consumption at a level where I am just below satiated.  Besides, this milk fast is easier for me than the traditional Lenten fast of one full meal, two snacks.

Emma was not feeling well all day because of the beginning of her cycle and only drank a half a quart of milk.  She did have some kombucha also.

DAY 2, Friday, March 2

I felt great when I got up. I thought my face looked less blotchy but wasn't sure.  Then later Emma commented that my skin tone looked more even.  I drank a quart of milk during the morning and a half a quart during the afternoon.  Then Emma and I left for church to go to stations of the cross and the First Friday holy hour of reparation and mass.  We took our milk with us to finish after church.  On the drive down there, which takes about an hour, I was talking to Emma and suddenly could not speak without mixing up my words.  I can't remember exactly, but I think I was switching the first letters of the words in the sentence.  I was very aware of it and could not stop it.  It lasted a few minutes.  I noticed Emma had dark circles under her eyes.  I don't know if this is because she didn't get enough to eat the day before and slept poorly or if it is an allergic reaction.  She felt better today but still had queasiness off and on.  We got through all the kneeling and standing up again of the stations fine, but while I was kneeling during the holy hour of reparation, I started to feel queasy myself, and my head felt odd--I guess kind of light.  It was hot in the church.  I sat down on the pew for a while and felt better, but I decided not to stay for mass.  When I went outside I had a strong craving for really cold water.  I didn't have any, and I didn't feel like going to get any, so I went to the car and waited for Emma.  I didn't want my now-warm milk, but I made myself drink it.  I felt better.

Emma spent 20 minutes socializing after church and seemed to be feeling good.  On the way home she told me that she is having a hard time drinking the milk without food.  She can guzzle it down when she is eating.  By the time we got home she was feeling queasy again.

I was in bed by 10 and slept well.  I think Emma stayed up late and watched a movie.

DAY 3, Saturday, March 3 

I woke up with a headache.  I am still trying to get off the coffee, but my heart is not really in it.  I love sipping hot coffee and having my quiet time in the mornings.   I have cut back to one cup, and I have given up having the coffeemaker come on automatically in the morning before I wake.  It is the enjoyment of it that is my addiction at this point, not the caffeine.  I always look forward to getting out of bed in the morning because the coffee is waiting!  "This is the day the Lord has made!  Let us get up and have a cup of coffee."  Ugh!  I don't like that in myself.  So for the last few days I have been making it when I get up, hoping that having to wait will help me strengthen my discipline and break my attachment.  There are so many truly wonderful reasons to get up in the morning.  Coffee seems ridiculous in comparison.   

I made eggs and toast for my husband.  I sipped milk while he ate.  It didn't bother me at all.  I had a headache all day but felt fine otherwise.  I worked in three quarts of water to help get the toxins out of my body in case that was why I had the headache.  I took a long, hot shower.  Afterward, I noticed that the skin on my legs and feet did not have the mosaic look they usually have from being so dry.  I was sitting next to Emma during the rosary, and she remarked that the blackheads on my nose had disappeared.  I guess I need new glasses! I wasn't even aware that I had any.  I fried a huge batch of grassed beef cutlets and cooked some corn and green beans for Nathaniel and Herb.  I wasn't in the least tempted to try them.  So I do think this milk fast is helping to break my attachment to food.  I am hoping that by the end, my mind will be clearer and I will be able to practice contemplative prayer without getting distracted.

Emma slept late today and yesterday.  She still has dark circles under her eyes, but she noticed that her blemishes are healing faster and that two dark, rough spots she has had on her knees are becoming lighter.  Worried about the dark circles, I asked her if she wanted to switch to bone broth, but she said, "no".

Day 4, Sunday, March 4

Emma has lost 3 pounds.

I have lost 2.5.

I had a terrible night.  That last quart of water I drank at about 9 p.m. the night before demanded to be released around 2 a.m.  I still had the headache and was awake a lot during the night.  I got up around 6 and made coffee.  I decided to cut back some on the raw cream to see if caffeine withdrawal was why I had the headache.  It must have been, because the headache began going away pretty quickly, and I have been headache-free since then.  I guess I was weaning too fast.  I am not going to worry about it.  I have cut back on caffeine consumption pretty drastically since Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, when I gave up iced tea.  I was drinking it all day long and found it hard to drink water.  

When I was getting ready for church, I noticed that hardly any hair came out in my wide-tooth comb.  I have always lost a lot of hair and have to constantly pick it off my shoulders and back during the day.  I asked Emma to look at my back and see if she saw hair.  She saw one or two.  If this keeps up, it will be a major breakthrough for me.  I hate having to clean up hair in the bathroom and to always be worrying about shedding hair on my clothes.

I drank a half a quart of milk before we left for church. 

Emma, Nathaniel, and I had a great discussion on the drive to church.  It started when I suggested that maybe the reason the government makes it so hard to have access to raw milk is because it already knows what we are learning by this fast: a person can live on it alone and be healthy and happy.  Healthy, happy citizens might rise up and rebel.  The government does not like this.  It's better to force the citizens to eat de-natured food that makes them sick and depressed and has the added benefit of enriching factory food corporations and Big Pharma, who in turn make giant donations/kickbacks to the politicians.  Emma agreed, saying that all you need to be self sufficient is access to grass and a cow.  Nathaniel suggested that the ideal would be to have that and live back in a swamp in Louisiana.  He's been watching a lot of episodes of Swamp People, a show about Louisiana gator hunters, and just loving it.  Not surprisingly, one of his all-time favorite songs is "Louisiana Saturday Night".

After mass, Nathaniel went home with Herb, and Emma and I stayed for a couple of hours visiting with friends.  Fr. Zendejas has added a fountain to Queen of Angels' side "yard" and has installed long metal benches around it, so Emma and her friends gathered there.  I noticed Fr. smiled really big when he drove by and saw them, chattering away on a bench.  It was about 1:30 when we finally got in the car and drank some milk that I had brought along in a cooler.  I was just starting to get hungry.  I noticed that the milk made me feel a little queasy.  I mentioned it to Emma, and she said it was happening to her too if she drank too much at once.  When we got home, Emma took a long nap.  I usually take one every Sunday afternoon, but this Sunday I lay on the couch and was wide awake, so I finally got up.  I wasn't in the least bit hungry, though I had consumed less than a quart of milk by 4 p.m.  Nathaniel set up a target in the yard and shot his bow.  Later in the evening, he insisted that I watch "Swamp People", so I curled up on the couch with him and was thoroughly entertained.  Emma joined us for the last twenty minutes or so.  We tried to watch the The Pearl Fishers opera after that, but it was not a good version, and we switched to The Last Station, a movie about the fiery relationship between Leo Tolstoy and his wife near the end of his life.  It was really good.  We knew it had some sex/naked parts in it, so Emma had the remote ready to skip over them.  Unfortunately, when the first problematic part began,  Nathaniel and I squirmed for five seconds before we realized that Emma had been distracted by a text message.  I got flustered, but Nathaniel had the presence of mind to call, "EM-MA!" to get her attention back to the screen and her censorship duties.  It was pretty funny.  I drank a quart of water during the movie. Nathaniel and I went to bed at ten, but Emma was hungry and stayed up to drink some more milk.

Finally, More Traditional Mass Options for Houston

The Fraternity of St. Peter's Houston Apostolate is now offering daily Mass and two Sunday Masses, all in the extraordinary form.

A little background on the extremely limited availability of the Tridentine Mass in Houston:

It's been four years since Pope Benedict promulgated Summorum Pontificum.  It's been eight years since Fr. Stephen Zigrang unsuccessfully tried to get permission from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston for a Tridentine Mass parish.  Read about it here.

To take up where the article leaves off, the Society of St. Pius X took Fr. Zigrang in.  He has served at Queen of Angels in Dickinson, TX, ever since.

New Priest Visits Queen of Angels

Fr. Dwight Anderson, center, Fr. Gerardo Zendejas, left, Br. Gregory, right


Yesterday Fr. Dwight Anderson celebrated his First Solemn High Mass at our parish, Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Dickinson, TX. Afterward, parishioners knelt at the altar rail to receive his first blessing.

The parish hosted a luncheon reception in Fr. Anderson's honor in the church hall. Miss Bernadette Matties and Miss Tara O'Neil served the priests and brother. A basket near the hall entrance filled quickly with cash and cards for the new priest.

Fr. Anderson was ordained last month at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, MN. To see lots of beautiful pictures from the priests' first masses, click here.

They're in a New York State of Mind

The wise men have arrived in Bethlehem, and my babies have returned from Syracuse. Their plane landed at Houston Intercontinental last night around 8:00.

We didn't get to visit much before bedtime, but I learned this much:

They LOVED Syracuse and especially Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God parishioners like Mrs. Zallo (in the apron)--so much so that Nathaniel desires to move there and plans to return for the academy's graduation in June.

Emma confessed no such desire--yet, but daily snow and an "outdoor!" skating rink enthralled her, not to mention parishioners who love to dance. She said they had two dances during the five days of their visit. They danced contras and Virginia reels, a broom? dance, and even did some swing dancing, which Emma adored.

And the memories of napping, traveling, and hanging out with friends will be cherished forever.

Thanks to Fr. Stanich for making it all possible.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun-size Candy

Fr. Zendejas planned a children's Christmas party for the Sunday before Christmas. It required stuffing several huge pinatas with treats. The day before the party, I drove Angela, Michelle, and Emma to the store where they embarked on a dream shopping trip to purchase the candy, filling a shopping cart to the brim and inspiring wonder in all the other shoppers.

I have always heard that sugar makes children hyper. I assumed that they had to eat it. Apparently this is not so, because Angela, Michelle, and Emma never opened a wrapper, yet they acted as if they had consumed the whole cartload before they ever reached the checkout.

Returning to the church hall to stuff the pinatas, their exuberance culminated in their scooping up a mound of candy and throwing it into the air, laughing hysterically as it rained down upon them. Then they cleaned it up.

October is Our Lady of the Rosary Awareness Month

As I wrote previously, I am sick to death of Breast Cancer Awareness. I'm so turned off by it, I didn't realize until the other day that the secular world has dedicated the whole month of October to it.

Worse, one of the recent 4-H calendars I received had a notation for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.

Yet modern man scoffs at the Catholic dedications of the calendar or any public display of religion.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We prayed all 15 decades of the Rosary this past Sunday during our Christ the King procession through Dickinson. As I stepped upon the tender rose petals strewn in front of our Lord, I was filled with gratitude that the grace of traditional Catholic parish life has been given me--that I am not being led around in circles by a noose of pink ribbon, intent upon saving the "TA-TAs" while neglecting the eternal salvation of my soul.

On Monday I received Fr. Fullerton's October letter to the friends and benefactors of St. Mary's Academy & College. His message on the dedication of October to Our Lady of the Rosary laid out the reasons why the Rosary is so important. It is a splendid response to the emptiness of all the secular dedications:

Contained in the decades of the Holy Rosary is a compendium of the mysteries of our faith into the two principal ones: namely, the mystery of the unity and trinity of God and the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus. We see the work of the Blessed Trinity preparing for the Incarnation. Then we see the birth and infancy of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is followed by Christ's redemptive work in the sorrowful mysteries, which leads us on to the blessed and happy life this work guarantees, shown by the glorious mysteries.

The Rosary educates us in the way of the Christian life. The path of Christian perfection is one of joy, sorrow and glory for all those who wish to follow it. The joyful mysteries point out to us the reality of the pure and inward joy of our faith. This joy is such that it does not exclude sorrow, but as something that the soul must pass through in order to attain the true glory that awaits it. The examples of the sufferings of Jesus and Mary educate and encourage us to attend to our duties with generosity and courage.

We also see in the mysteries of the Rosary the heavenly life begun upon this earth. We are taught a life of intimate personal union with our Lord, which sows in us the life of charity towards God and neighbor. This union extends to our sufferings as each of us "fill up in (his) flesh what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ," and it gives us a foretaste of that life of union with God in everlasting glory, so that we truly "both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise."

A Sensational Seminarian Send-off

l to r: Michelle Emerson, Emmaline Haught, Angela Emerson, and Brittany Roberts perform the German Flying Dance.

Photo Credit: Catherine Warrington

Saturday night we attended a party for Eric Ladner, who will leave Friday for St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, MN.

Angela and Michelle Emerson planned the entertainment, which featured a variety of folk dances from Mexican, German, and Celtic cultures. They even used the Scottish dance that Emma and the girls learned from a YouTube video at our house a few weeks ago.

Additionally, Sam Sentmanat played violin, and Marty Sentmanat played piano during the dancers' costume changes and after the dances were finished. They even played waltz music so that Thomas Ladner and Emma could waltz. It was wonderful fun. Everybody said goodbye several times before they actually left.

Sursum Corda: Praying, Celebrating, and Saying Goodbye

Queen of Angels parishioners exhausted themselves yesterday, celebrating the parish feast day with a special Mass, Rosary procession, barbecue cookoff, chess tournament, and going away party for Fr. Stanich. As if that were not enough, Fr. squeezed in a baptism between the end of the procession and lunch.

The choir presented him with a 1962 Liber Usualis in perfect unused condition, right down to the satin ribbons. They included a brand new decorative leather cover for it. Fr.'s old Liber was falling apart.

For Mass, we followed the propers for the Feast of Our Lady Queen of Angels from the Franciscan missal.

After Mass we prayed all fifteen decades of the Rosary as we processed about 1 1/2 miles around Dickinson. It was wonderful to see people in the neighborhood stop what they were doing to look and listen, but I'm sure we made even more of an impact as we walked along busy Hwy. 3. We sang Marian hymns as well, finishing with the "Salve Regina."

Herb and I couldn't stay to eat barbecue, but we came back near the end of the party so that we could say goodbye to Fr. Stanich. I told him that it was too bad I couldn't hug him, because that was what I really wanted to do.

He said, "Are you older than me?"

I said, "Yes, I'm 49,"

"It's OK, then."

Wasn't that sweet of him? I've never seen him get hugged by anyone else.

So I hugged him and patted him and thanked him and wished him well. He'll never know how much it meant to me.



Pictures: I was having one of my frequent "bad photography" days. Click to enlarge, it may help.

THE ROSARY PROCESSION













THE BARBECUE COOKOFF/GOING AWAY PARTY FOR FR. STANICH

The scene before Mass. See the camper in the background? The cooks stayed up all night.

Mrs. Beverly Mclawchlin surveys the damage after everyone has been through the line.

Fr. announces the winners of the different barbecue categories to enthusiastic applause.



If you click on this picture, you may be able to make out some of the photos highlighting Fr. Stanich's five years in Dickinson.

Angela and Michelle, Queen of Angels Academy students, visit with Fr. Stanich.

AND THE CHESS TOURNAMENT

We have a lot of handsome young men in our parish.

Catholic Business Principles in Action

Our parish just published a new directory that includes parishioner-owned businesses. I am studying it to familiarize myself with the services/products available.

I am hoping that our parish businessmen will be joining St. Joseph's Businessmen's Association SJBMA. I read recently that SJBMA, located in St. Mary's, KS, has just opened its membership to men who attend any SSPX chapel. I don't know if other traditional Catholic orders like the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) or the Institute of Christ the King already support such groups. If they don't, the SJBMA would be a great model for beginning.

Below is an overview of the SJBMA objectives from its website. I especially appreciate number 5. After several visits to St. Mary's, KS, I saw what a huge difference it makes to be able to live in a thriving traditional Catholic community.

St. Joseph Businessmen's Association (SJBMA) Overview

The goal of St. Joseph's Businessmen’s Association is to promote the economic development amongst Traditional Catholics by putting Catholic social economic principles into practice. To further this overall goal, there are several specific objectives that the SJBMA is focusing on:

1. Providing training to business owners and non-business owners alike concerning the traditional teachings of the Church regarding the rights and responsibilities of Catholic business owners.

2. Providing sound business advice and training to non-businessmen and the youth of the parish through educational apprenticeships, financial counseling, sharing of entrepreneurial experiences, etc.

3. Promoting business opportunities for Traditional Catholics in and around St. Mary’s through networking, encouraging new business development, etc.

4. Promoting the concept of noblesse oblige as it pertains to the Catholic businessman.

5. Encouraging business owners to be an important part of their parish at large, participating in the development of their Catholic community as a place to live, do business, and raise a family.

Laetare Sunday Dinner Theatre

Last Sunday night we attended our parish's annual Laetare Sunday Dinner Theatre. Herb's mom and dad are visiting, so Herb's mom went with me, Nathaniel, and Emma. Herb and his dad planned their own evening of steak and an action movie.

The dinner theatre was in our parish hall. It was fabulous as usual. The play was adapted from Tuna, personalized to our parish with a lot of funny one-liners. One of them involved an essay contest in which a real life mother of 14 was said to have written an essay titled, "Birth of a Nation". The audience roared and so did the mom and her family, who were sitting right behind me.

The food was catered, and every dish was hot and flavorful. Teen girls from our parish did an excellent job waiting tables. It was an occasion for Emma to dress up from head to toe in thrift store bargains. . .




and for Nathaniel to cut up with our friend Mickey.



.

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the rest of our friends at our table, except the backs of their heads: Anselm and his parents and grandmother. The grandmother just moved here this month from Louisiana. Emma had visited with her after Mass that morning and had fallen in love with her, so she was delighted when Grandmother K. chose to sit by her. Emma told me later that as she sat down, Grandmother K said playfully, "I'm going to sit by Little Miss Glamour."

NINE ALTARS and EIGHT CONFESSIONALS!

One of the exceptions to my general distrust of colleges is St. Mary's Academy and College (SMAC) in St. Mary's, Kansas. The K-12 academy has an enrollment of about 680 students, and the college enrollment numbers about 50. SMAC has the traditional Mass--with all the bells, incense, and processions--the parish life reflecting the social reign of Christ the King, and it is raising money to build what I think is the most fabulous new Catholic church in the country: Here's a summary of the project from the church and architecture firm's websites:

Designed to replace the historic Immaculata Chapel Ruins, this entirely new Church will be built at the very heart of the SMAC campus. It’s Gothic architecture embraces and extends the Church’s architectural heritage. The Church is situated within the campus such that it forms the focus of each of the surrounding schools while presenting all the Academy and College to the town of Saint Mary’s and the broader, surrounding countryside. This design was developed in the context of a larger master-planning effort that addresses the entire campus. Future and current buildings are all organized with respect to the New Church.

New Church – 24,000sq. ft.

Seats 1,300
Main Chapel Seating - 1302

Spire Height - 284 ft.

Nave (Interior) Height - 90 ft.

Square Feet - 27,000

Altars - 9

Crypt Chapel Seating - 418

Architect - McCrery Architects, Wash. DC

Confessionals - 8

Those are building specs to gladden the heart of every Catholic. Look at the gorgeous renderings of the site plans and elevations. I especially like the one labeled "Looking East". It is one of the views from the quad where the academy students play every day.

Napkins Can Make You Smile or The Joy of Decorative Napkin Folding

Our Mother Cabrini Guild will host an afternoon tea for the ladies and girls of our parish on Sunday. If Ike doesn't come calling, we plan to decorate the church hall on Saturday. The Guild has a great decorating team for all our events, and I have been looking for a way to contribute. After a little research, I decided that developing some napkin-folding skills would complement the other ladies' accomplishments. Last night Emma and I sat down together at the kitchen table to try a new napkin folding book that I ordered called Decorative Napkin Folding for Beginners. Shortly after we started, Herb lost his glasses somewhere in the gameroom, so while I helped him look, Emma worked diligently. Below are individual shots and descriptions of the results. She took all the pictures.



This posy pocket could go formal with a rose bud and baby's breath. Here Emma made use of materials at hand: crape myrtle blossoms.


The place card holder here features a Marian holy card that we have saved from a friend's graduation. It could also hold a clue for a treasure hunt, a saint quote, or a Bible verse.


This design is actually supposed to be Boat with Sails. It gets the sail effect by separating the layers. We decided to form it into a Mary grotto by squishing the hull into the cup and not separating the layers. A Mary cut-out would work nicely. We had stickers handy, though, so Emma used one to try out the effect.

This is Lady Windermere's Fan. I think it would look like a bird if you stood a colored boiled egg up in the little hollow. For crispier folds that would do away with the hollow, wash the napkins in starch, then iron. Actually, all of these designs would benefit from a good starching.

The book showed this silverware holder outfitted with plastic utensils. It would be a fun way to rev up a casual place setting for a barbecue or picnic.

. "Cockscomb" features a ruffle down the front. It's understated, yet elegant.

This one, though called "The Nest", reminds me of a little person sitting on the floor with both legs stretched out.

Here's a boat design for a lakeside meal or fish dinner.

After Emma finished the napkins, Herb found his glasses. . .



in the attic.

In Recovery From the Church Picnic

Sunday was the church picnic. Yesterday Herb and I could barely escape the covers of our bed. We literally felt our age.

My dilapidated state came from hefting cases of canned drinks. Herb's was from playing softball all afternoon.

Four teams of men competed. Father S. played and kept "real score", according to Herb. I guess Herb was trying to emphasize the seriousness of the recording. Father does take baseball seriously. Actually, he probably takes all sports seriously. He loves to compete. At a picnic last year, Fr. was up to bat and was about to get walked. The next ball zinged in high and far from the plate. Father leaped up and out, cassock and all, and whacked that ball. I shan't soon forget that one.

Father goes to bat for our souls, too. He teaches from the pulpit, but he also constantly plans activities that teach us the traditional Catholic way to do things. For Corpus Christi we always have a procession. This year we had 13 flower girls strewing petals before our Lord. Father carried the monstrance under the gold canopy and was followed by 19 first Communicants, then the Schola, choir, the parishioners, and all the visitors who were there for the First Communions. We stopped for Benediction twice. I couldn't help but think of the powerful testimony this gave to the visitors. Before I began attending the traditional Mass, I had only read about Corpus Christi processions.

The best teacher is the Mass, and Father takes full advantage of this by planning high Masses for important feast days, sometimes having the choir learn a Mass by one of the great composers like Byrd or Palestrina. This week, for the Feast of St. Boniface, we will have a German festival with a German band, German food, and German dances performed by the girls of the Academy. For St. Joseph's there was a corresponding Italian day; for Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Mexican Day, etc. On Laetare Sunday we have a dinner theater. We have regular chess tournaments. After the most recent one, Fr. realized that there were a lot of parents milling around without anything to do. So the August chess tournament will be rounded out with a family square dance. All of this is done to offer us an alternative to the world, to teach us the Catholic way.

For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things.

The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians, 4:8-9

We Crown Mary

with a wreath of flowers

and carry her proudly, singing hymns and praying the Rosary,
through the streets




and back again.