Life With Earl

It has been a long time...

2009-07-20T10:08:00.005-04:00

It has been a long time since I posted on this blog. After moving, it took a bit of time to get settled in. Still working on that part!

I feel much better since moving. I know that others think I have gone to extreme measures to keep gluten contamination problems out of my life, but it is working for me.

Cross contamination was always an issue with having a dog, due to dog food. I could not afford to feed both myself and a dog gluten free, especially a larger dog that would have suited my needs. I do not have those issues of cross contamination with Earl.

I am very thankful that I have Earl. He made all the difference in my life. My needs have changed, but my need for my Earl has not.

I will be moving into my tipi real soon. First we had to build a shelter and do fencing for Earl. Here is a short video of us working on his fence line. Hope you enjoy!

Horse Poop

2008-11-28T07:50:00.003-05:00

Earl is stall trained! When Earl came to the farm, he did not know that good horses, do not poop in their stalls (if they can go out). Earl has free choice to go outside any time he wants. Last summer I hung out with him in the barn and pasture a lot. When he was inside and started to lift his tail, I would shoo him outside. When I found manure in the stall, I showed disgust in voice and body language. Earl got the idea. I had to start training him somewhere, and still have not found a place to house train him yet. Oh well.

I gave notice to Central Vermont Community Land Trust that I would not be renewing my lease. I have about two months to get out. They would have let me out of the lease with a month notice. I was told it would be very hard for me to get back into housing. At this point I pray NEVER to have to go back into assisted housing. I am glad there is assistance for others who need the help. Someone else could use the wheelchair accessible apartment, more than I can at this point too. I have been out of the wheelchair for almost 6 months now. I still at times may need it, I get tired real fast, especially if I have gotten into gluten and feel sick.

Gluten Intolerance

2008-11-27T06:18:00.005-05:00

Having celiac diseae and dermatitis herpetiformis means that every item I use or eat has to be checked for gluten. I thought this was a curse at first. Now I realize that it is a blessing and I am thankful for having to eat a good diet. My diet made it much easier to eat good wholesome food. Yes my diet cost a bit more, but the benefits make it worth my time and effort.

For a long time I craved fast food, donuts, and the ease of convenience foods. When I shopped it was hard to see all the cookies, and processed food, I could not have. I would wander through the store, gazing longingly at the items on the shelf, envious of others who could eat gluten. I was like a little kid in a candy store, that could not have sweets.

My diet is easier to cope with now, but it took years. The easiest way I found to eat, is to cook from scratch. I follow the paleolithic gluten free diet. There are more gluten free items on the store shelves now, but the cost is prohibitive. I do splurge a couple times a month and eat Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies, made by Liz Lovely. Liz Lovely is a local company. My cookies do not even come close to being as good as theirs. I guess I have to work on my cooking a bit more!

Here is a link to Liz Lovely Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies on line:

http://www.lizlovely.com/webstore/_product.php?p=80&PHPSESSID=63f8129d9c208865c565cb32577e086a

Chicken Soup

2008-11-26T17:29:00.003-05:00

Today I cooked chicken soup. Homemade chicken soup hit the spot and was easy to make.

I took one BIG pot.
Put in one whole chicken and three cups of water.
When almost done I added onions, celery, carrots (from the garden), and potatoes.
When the chicken was done, the veggies were not. So I took the chicken out and de-boned it. When the veggies were done, I put the de-boned chicken back in the soup.

I saved one cooked breast to slice up for dinner tomorrow. I will make a gravy out of some of the stock, using rice flour to make a rue to thicken it.

Most of the time I do not eat meat. I like chicken soup in the winter time. Maybe it is true that chicken soup is good for the soul. It always makes me feel a bit better!

The soup was yummy! I have enough left overs for several meals! Cooking it myself assured that it was gluten free.

Rex

2008-11-24T08:44:00.003-05:00

I watched 60 Minutes last night. The segment that I watched was about a disabled person who is a savant. His name is Rex Lewis-Clack. Lesley Stahl has been doing stories about Rex since he was 5 years old.

I want to buy a book written about Rex. Considering we have been trying to get rid of books and I read on line mostly, I have tried real hard to NOT buy books lately. The book is coming out this week and the name of it is Rex. His mother, Cathleen, wrote the book.

Rex is blind and born with brain damage and is autistic. He is a savant though and a genius on the piano. He can play any song after hearing it once. Rex has also taken up singing. I would love to hear Rex play live.

If you want to read more about Rex you can go to the story at 60 Minutes. Here is the link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/14/60minutes/main4604368_page2.shtml

There is a video there too!

Canes

2008-11-23T09:49:00.005-05:00

I made these canes a few years ago. Each one was dried for several years before carving. They had to be very dry before inlaying the stones and gold leaves. I had a lot of fun making these and hope to make more this summer.

Winter Snow

2008-11-22T15:04:00.006-05:00

There is snow on the ground. Earl is now on his winter diet of hay and grain. He sure likes his grain!

I cut the base of my thumb by the palm, on my right hand, badly last week and did not receive proper medical care until the next day. The Mad River Valley Health Center, in Waitsfield took me as a patient, right after it happened. I was taken into a treatment room. The bandage the EMT put on was taken off. My medical history was taken and I was quizzed on the medications I use. The nurse had me wash the wound under the water in the sink, then gave me a gauze pad to hold on it. Then the nurse left the room. A short time later I was told they did not have time to treat me. I left. An EMT took me home and wrapped up my hand. He said to leave the bandage on for three or four days and it would heal.

By the next morning, my thumb was infected. When I cut my thumb, it was due to falling. A plant pot that had been outside all summer, broke my fall, so I did not land on the concrete floor. The planter was made of plastic and was brittle and broke. When it broke I sliced the base of my thumb by the palm on my right hand. I had to go to Gifford Hospital Emergency Room. They treated me there. The wound had dirt in it and had to be cleaned. It was too late for stitches and the infection was so bad they could not give Novocaine to numb it before cleaning it out. They were able to use some ointment that had some numbing effects, but it was not like getting a shot. It hurt like hell. Worse than when I cut it. I had to go on antibiotics and had to have a tetanus shot. Gifford treated me with dignity and respect. That is something I did not get at Mad River Valley Health Center.

A week later, it still hurts. The medication is making me nauseated. About all I feel like doing is sleeping. Earl had to take a break from training for the week. He was very interested in the bandage on my hand, and seemed to know I was hurting when I visited him.

Getting Rid Of Stuff

2008-11-09T08:35:00.004-05:00

I have been going through my apartment sorting my belongings. I found a family that needed my kitchen table and chairs and some of the kitchen things.

I have been taking inventory of the record albums collected over the years. They have to be my heaviest possession and take up a lot of room. I like a variety of music.

The books are mostly all packed since the trouble with Central Vermont Community Land Trust started. I lost one very large library, before I moved into this apartment. When the trouble started I packed the books. I did not want to lose another library, that took years to replace. It looks like I will lose most of them anyway, as I have no where to keep them where they will not get damaged. I would rather give them away, or sell the ones worth anything, than to lose them again.

About the only furniture left is a couple of chairs and a folding table. I did not own a bed or couch. I was going to build book shelves, but never could get permission, in writing, from representatives of CVCLT to build them. After all the trouble for my building a stall that is not attached, and being accused of altering my apartment over it, I do not dare do anything without written permission. This has made it very hard to enjoy my home, as all my books are packed and I am a compulsive reader. I did get verbal permission, but do not dare without proof build anything.

My lease is up in March. I have to find an RV or camper by then. The largest requirement for my RV is the door being large enough for Earl to get through. Several of the campers had doors too small.

When I bought Earl it was a commitment to care for him the rest of his life. When I work with Earl I keep that commitment in mind, and know that all training will help him find a good home, if he outlives me. A useful horse is a good horse. He is almost over his terrible two's!

Cost Of A Gluten Free Diet

2008-11-05T06:37:00.002-05:00

One of the largest problems of following a gluten free diet is the cost.

Gluten free alternatives cost a lot more than gluten containing products.

The gluten free diet is not only expensive but it is time consuming and complex. Europe provides a subsidy to help defray the expense of a gluten free diet.

I emailed the USDA - Ask the Expert website to ask about a medical deduction for diet when applying for Food Stamps. I do not get food stamps. Here is their reply:

This is in response to your email message to the USDA - Ask the Expert website. The webmaster asked us to reply to your message because our Agency is responsible for the administration of the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, at the Federal level.

In your message you mentioned that are required to purchase a gluten-free diet and that the extra cost of the diet is not taken into account in determining the amount of your allotment nor are you allowed a medical expense deduction for the cost of the diet.

We are sorry, but the Food and Nutrition Act (formerly the Food Stamp Act), the Federal law that governs the program, does not allow us to increase food stamp allotments to households with special diets. Because the law is very clear, our Agency may not change rules to increase the allotments of households containing members who require special diets, such as yourself. The Act, at section 5(e)(6), does permit State agencies to deduct out-of-pocket medical costs that are more than $35 a month for elderly or disabled persons, but it specifically excludes costs for special diets.

You may be interested to know that the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) studied the issue at the request of Senator Feingold. Although the GAO suggested that the issue be given further study, Congress decided not to amend the Food Stamp Act to take the needs of recipients requiring special diets into account.

We hope that this information is helpful and are sorry there is nothing that we are able to do to address your concerns.

Sincerely,

NAME REMOVED

Program Analyst

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

This does not surprise me at all. If I was able to work, I could deduct excess amounts spent in my taxes.

The excess amount for the gluten free diet used to be counted for housing medical expenses too. It is no longer counted.

Persons who have to eat a prescribed gluten free diet also do not have the safety net others have in the USA. Many times, if we have to go to a soup kitchen or a food pantry, there is little there that is safe for us to eat. The local food shelf is an exception, they do help when they can! Please support your local food shelf, pantry, soup kitchens, or food bank!

Earl's Almost Camper

2008-11-03T05:45:00.006-05:00

After looking all summer I thought I found a camper trailer for me and Earl. I emailed the owners and asked if it was road worthy. They said yes they had towed it several times last summer and had camped in it. It was a Hi-Lo 16 foot camper. We were on the road most of the day yesterday, to get Earl's camper. The trip turned out to be a wild goose chase. At least the weather was nice.

The first thing I noticed was the door was not wide enough for Earl. When I get a camper, Earl will be welcome in it, BUT he has to be able to fit through the door!

We could not find an VIN number ID on the camper so I could register it. They had no paper work on the camper either. It had not been registered in a very long time. They could not get in touch with the former owner to get the VIN number.

When looking for the ID we found the brake line broken and rusted off at a wheel. The tires looked like they were the original ones from 1969 and were very weather cracked. The owners wanted to sell us the battery that went with the camper, for a little bit more. It needed a battery to make it go up and down, it was a Hi-Lo. Hi-Lo campers have to be cranked down to tow. I did not feel it was road worthy. There was no way I would take the chance of towing it the way it sat.

I have a one ton Ford van with dual wheels. It would make a better camper than the one I looked at, so I may convert it. Earl also fits through the doors!

Oh Well, back to looking for an alternative way for Earl and I to be together.

I took my camera with me, but did not take pictures of the Hi-Lo. I did not need a reminder.

2008-10-29T11:43:00.002-04:00

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH)
also called Duhring's Disease
Named after Dr. Louis Duhring at the University of Pennsylvania in 1884.

A US study showed a prevalence of 11.2 cases per 100,000 population.
http://www.emedicine.com/derm/TOPIC95.HTM.

DH is an autoimmune disease that causes blistering lesions. It is triggered by gluten, halides including potassium iodide, and cleaning solutions.

DH lesions causes severe itching, scarring, discomfort, pain, and insomnia due to itching. Sometimes secondary infections develop, which require antibiotic, or fungal therapy. DH can leave the skin mottled and scarred.

Many persons with DH socially isolate themselves to avoid environmental triggers, or to avoid the bias treatment of others, due to stigma of having a skin disease. Many times persons with DH, gluten intolerance, or celiac disease avoid social situations that revolve around food.

DH is a genetic disease. You cannot catch DH, like you would catch a cold. You cannot get it by sitting in a chair after, or being in the same house. It is not a germ or virus or fungus.

Everyone with DH has gluten-sensitive enteropathy, celiac disease. DH is lifelong disease, although periods of increased severity and remission.

Medications can be prescribed. They must be monitored though, including frequent blood work. They can have some nasty side effects.

Dietary avoidance of gluten is another treatment. This can be very hard to do in a society where gluten is so prevalent. I use a gluten free diet.

Sometime both medication and diet is used. There have been times when I had to use both.

2008 Total Monthly Payments for SSI in Vermont.

2008-10-29T07:05:00.007-04:00

2008 total monthly payments for SSI in Vermont. These amounts include both federal and state payments combined. Not all SSI recipients receive maximum amounts. Payment may be lower if you have other income.

Independent living status
$689.04 Person
$1,054.88 Couple
Living in someone else's household
$463.97 Person
$685.65 Couple
Living in an assistive community care center
$685.38 Person
$1,052.77 Couple
Living in a licensed community care home
$860.94 Person
$1,518.06 Couple
Living in a custodial "family" home
$735.69 Person
$1,288.82 Couple
Living in a Medicaid facility
$47.66 Person
$95.33 Couple

Persons on SSI live WAY below the poverty lines. Our lives are scrutinized by "persons of authority" repetitively. I would like to see our Representatives live for a couple of months on less than $700 a month.

$8268.48 a year is $2131.52 below the 2008 $10,400 poverty level for one person. This is the amount many disabled persons have to live on this year. It is hard to climb out of poverty, when daily you have to struggle to just have some of the basics needed for life.

As our population gets older, more become disabled. Persons who were disabled before aging, have more problems due to aging. Pension funds have dwindled and in some cases disappeared. Big business has been bailed out. There were economic stimulus checks sent to many citizens of the USA, yet the poorest, those on SSI did not receive them. Many on SSI never expected to have to spend lives on the dole of the government, and for many the social programs and safety nets are failing. Many times, we face stigma over our economic situation, disabilities, and housing.

Blueberry Sherbet

2008-10-28T06:51:00.004-04:00

Last night I made gluten free fried brown rice. I made fried rice with liquid amino acid instead of soy sauce. Many times soy sauce has gluten in it and I like liquid amino acid better than soy. It is not fermented. Dinner was good but as usual I put too much garlic in it.

After dinner I made gluten free sherbet. I picked a lot of blueberries last summer. We froze them on cookie sheets then put them into bags. I can pour out the amount needed when wee freeze berries that way. I put frozen berries, organic milk, and organic sugar in my blender. when almost done I added the last of my gluten free ice cream. It made a very nice sherbet that tasted much better than store bought. I also noticed my blender is about shot! I guess 8 years of using it has worn it out. A new on will have to be added to my wish list!

Cooking gluten free can be a challenge at times. Sometimes the results are not even eatable. Last night's desert was wonderful though and worth the effort of picking, preserving, and making!

Earl did not have fried rice or sherbet. He likes his grain. I tried giving carrots and apples but all he does is move them around the feed dish. I have even seen him take them out of the feed dish and drop them on the ground. I never had a horse that did not like treats, until Earl! Earl has also never been fed out of hand, but always in a dish. We did this so later on when he goes into public more, he will not take food from others so the chance of little fingers getting bit is less.

I eat better on a gluten free diet than I did before gluten free!

Enviroment Is Saturated By Gluten.

2008-10-27T07:19:00.005-04:00

I miss little things, bread, donuts, english muffins. Many people take these things for granted. Having to be gluten free is a challenge at times. When I first was diagnosed finding gluten free food was harder. When talking to others about my gluten intolerance, they found it hard to believe. I was treated like I was crazy. No one understood the problems with gluten contamination of my food and environment. I understood the ramifications of living in an environment that was saturated by gluten.

Gluten and starch-based products are used in many of the following everyday things:

Food processing
Adhesives
Films
Coating
Personal care products
Food service containers.
Disposable cutlery
Flushable, biodegradable wheat cat litter
Plastic lumber from ground barley grain and recycled plastic.
Concrete products
Aromatherapy pillows
Wheat based bio plastics
Packing peanuts
Paper
Other building materials

Having DH and Celiac means that we have to even watch the environment to assure that we stay gluten free. Gluten free is the only way for us to stay healthy.

Capuchin Monkey Service Animals

2008-10-25T10:21:00.004-04:00

Service animals, or assistance animals help disabled persons to live fuller lives.

There are many different types of service animals, and different species.

While reading about monkeys used as service animals, I found out about Helping Hands Monkey Helpers For The Disabled.

This wonderful organization raises and trains Capuchin monkeys to assist quadriplegic, spinal cord injury, and mobility impaired persons. They also have a Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Program. The monkeys are placed at no cost with disabled and their families. Please help support Helping Hands. I watched a video on their site called Monkey College. The web site is full of information and is easy to use.

Looking For Home

2008-10-25T07:11:00.008-04:00

I am not going to spend the rest of my life living without Earl. I have been looking at campers. It will mean giving up my library of books, videos and music. I have been sorting through trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

Years ago I bought 17 acres of land in Roxbury, VT. I sold my family home in Florida for the money to buy the land. I thought when I bought it I would never be homeless again. I ended up not being there due to what I believe was fraud and deception. I was told numerous times by persons with more "authority" that "You are in a better place". How anyone can say that a handicapped apartment funded by HUD is a better place than a home you own, is beyond my ability to understand. If a small part of the money that was spent on my handicapped apartment, had been spent to make my home livable, that handicapped apartment could have been used for someone else. There is a real lack of handicapped accessible housing in the state.

A few years ago I contacted Habitat For Humanity about helping me to build a small place on the land. I was told I should donate the land to them, and then be put on a waiting list for a house. There was not even a guarantee that they would help me build a home on the land I bought. Instead they wanted to break it up into small pieces and build homes for a lot of families. I wanted to have a small one room home, and to grow fruit and veggies for the local food shelves. I will be able to do this one day. Maybe a camper to stay in will further the realization of my dream. I do love the work Habitat For Humanity has done throughout out the world, but we had different ideas of what the land should be used for. I want to feed people, they want to house people. Both are great things to do. I can plant a lot of fruit on 17 acres. Blueberries and strawberries are my favorite fruits.

The land is on a 4Th class road. It is not maintained by the town, ever. I could live there three quarters of the year. There is no electricity, but I will not miss it much. I lived without power for many years. I have to buy an envirolet and put in a grey water system.

Earl has been watching us get the gardens ready for winter. He was very interested when the lower field was hayed. Earl does not mind the equipment at all.

Earl is a lot of fum to be with. He is two now and has the normal two year old brat problems, but nothing I have not dealt with before, with other colts and fillies. He has discovered that jumping over a log is fun. We are out of the woods for now, no more hiking until after hunting season is over. We spend a lot of time on the road. If you see some happy older woman and a little black and white horse walking, it could be us. Earl does seem to stop traffic and has turned into a camera hog! He is very good at telling me when cars are coming, if I don't hear them.

First Snow

2008-10-22T18:44:00.001-04:00

It was snowing when I woke up this morning. Snow stuck to the colder surfaces but melted shortly later. Earl does not seem to mind the snow. He was frisky!

When I checked my email this morning someone in Europe had hacked into PayPal and authorized 14 payments to SKYPE. It took most of the day to straighten the mess out. This did not just happen to me, I know of one other person in Vermont that went through the same thing today. SO if you use PayPal check your account. If you get an email that you think is from PayPal DO NOT click on links. Instead go to PayPal and log into your account.

That is about all for now!

Celiac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH)

2008-10-19T17:35:00.000-04:00

Celiac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) is hard to live with.

Celiac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) is hard to live with.
Celiac and DH are autoimmune diseases. They are genetic. Some people with celiac have no symptoms and symptoms can vary. Some symptoms of celiac are, malabsorption, osteoporosis, fat malabsorption in stool, intestinal damage, chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and distention, constipation, bloating, gas, indigestion, decreased increased or unchanged appetite. bloating, gas, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting.

There can be weight loss or gain. There is no typical celiac! Symptoms do not stop with the digestive problems. Other problems of having celiac may be:
Anemia (low blood count)
Bone disease (osteoporosis, kyphoscoliosis, fracture)
Bone and joint pain
Breathlessness (due to anemia)
Bruising easily
Dental enamel defects and discoloration
Depression
Fatigue
Growth delay in children
Hair loss
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Irritability and behavioral changes
Malnutrition
Mouth ulcers
Muscle cramps
Nosebleed
Seizures
Short stature, unexplained
Skin disorders (dermatitis herpetiformis)
Swelling, general or abdominal
Vitamin or mineral deficiency, single or multiple nutrient (iron, folate, and fat soluble vitamins)

When someone with celiac disease eats gluten it flattens the villi in the small intestine. The villi absorb nutrients into the body. When villi are damaged you cannot absorb the nutrition in the diet you eat. This also interferes with absorption of liquids. Digestive enzymes are destroyed too. Food is not digested but passes through the gut unabsorbed. It does not take much gluten to damage the small intestines. With DH the IgA in the skin has been found ten years after being gluten free. DH can also be treated with Dapsone. There can be side effects. There is no medication for celiac yet. I only use the gluten free diet.

The only treatment for celiac disease is to maintain a gluten free diet. This can be a challenge at times. Gluten is in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats. Oats have been found to be gluten free. But due to crop rotation, left over seeds from the last crop can sprout and be harvested with the oats. Farming, storage and milling practices may contaminate oats. Everyone with DH has celiac disease but not everyone with celiac has DH.. I have both. Celiac has other names, sprue, non-tropical sprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, gluten intolerance, and gluten-sensitivity. I knew for years that I had sprue, but many years ago they thought you grew out of it. I did not follow a gluten free diet for many years. It was a long time before I found out I still needed a gluten free diet.

DH is itchy and painful. Some DH symptoms are itchy and blistering skin. The rash usually appears on elbows, knees, buttocks, back and sometimes mouth. DH eruptions can happen after exposure to gluten, Iodine, fluoride , bromide, kelp. shellfish, medications, stress and some cleaning products. Stress makes the DH worse.

The time for the gluten free diet to work with DH varies. Some get relief in a matter of weeks. If you take medication for DH you need to have your blood checked every month to assure the dose is right. There may be side effects with the medications. DH and celiac never go away. You cannot go gluten free and heal the damage and then go back to eating gluten. Even when there is no symptoms the gluten is doing damage.

Many stores do not carry a lot of gluten free food. There are many gluten free foods on the Internet. In stores if there is gluten free speciality food products, many times those products cost much more than similar gluten containing products. The difference in the cost of your diet may be deducted from your income taxes, in both Canada and the United States. It is considered a medical expense. You have to keep track of the excess cost and compare the product with the gluten containing product. Xanthan Gum is entirely counted for tax reasons as it is not used in a normal diet. More information about tax deductions is available from the IRS or Canada Revenue Agency.

When you eliminate gluten from the diet, read every label. I use a cell phone to call 800 numbers to ask if a product is gluten free. Companies change product ingredients frequently. The products that were safe the last shopping trip, may not be gluten free the next time purchased. Products can be contaminated on the line, during transport and even at the store. Many times I have found that I cannot shop at a store because they have the gluten free things under the vital gluten flour or in the bulk products area. It can take flour 24 hours to settle if it gets airborne. This is a hard disease to deal with. If in doubt do without! Do not eat it if you do not know it is gluten free.

We grind out own flours from brown rice, andother gluten free grains. That is the leastexpensive way and the safest way. I use a small electric grinder. I use a old hand cranked meat grinder to crack and break grains like corn that are too large to go through the grain mill I bought. After they are smaller they fit through the mill. Flours go rancid fast and contamination may happen anywhere from the field to the store. By grinding flour only when I use it I know that it is fresh and gluten free. I found one baking mix that I like, Ferns Baking Mix. Sometimes I just do not have time to cook from scratch. There have been times I had cross contamination problems and felt too ill to do much cooking.

For several years I depended on a lot of processed gluten free foods. I ate a lot of frozen gluten free products, when I could find them. But I tired of them after a while. I felt I had little variety. When I started my gluten free diet The labeling laws were not very helpful. Gluten is so prevalent in the American diet that it was hard to remember all the ingredients to stay away from. Now this it is easier with the new laws. Even with the new laws I still call or check on the Internet to make sure. I am very sensitive to gluten so I try hard to not eat products run on a line that has had gluten on it.

I tried all types of gluten free breads, from the freezer section. I did not like any of them other than the bagels. Then I realized that even before I went gluten free that I had not liked bread much before. I always liked corn bread when I was growing up.

The Paleolithic diet is another way to eat on a gluten free diet. Fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables are gluten free. When I buy produce at the store, I put them in a bag right away. Contamination in the store may happen when you handle products to see if they are gluten free, in the cart, and on the checkout line. Wash your hands frequently when you have problems with gluten. When your hands touch a surface that has gluten on it, then you touch food and eat it you have eaten gluten.

I also use many wild foods in my diet to supplement and even improve the flavor of gluten free eating. Wild rice, wild greens, wild fruit and grains are great. But if you choose to eat wild food, make sure you learn from someone who knows them. Many plants are poisonous and may look like an edible plant, so care must be taken when picking and cleaning. Some wild grains have gluten, so make sure of what you are eating, before you eat it!

I make my own vanilla extract using gluten free rum. So I can bake cookies. I like cookies and the easier to make the better!

Take one large bottle of gluten free rum

Take one large handful vanilla beans (bought on ebay) and cut in half length wise

Put them in the rum (take some rum out first!)

Shake this up every day if you remember and place in dark place.

in a few months you will have the best extract you ever had!

Vanilla Meringues

2 Egg Whites
1/3 cup Honey (or less depending on taste)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Whip egg whites to stiff peaks adding honey a small bit at a time. Fold in extract.
Drop teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet
Place into 250 degree oven
bake one hour
turn down oven to 200 degrees for 20 minutes
turn down oven to 175 degrees for 20 minutes
remove from oven and let cool on tray
store in an airtight container
they last for about a week if you can keep them that long.

Cooking Staples in my Gluten Free Kitchen

Brown rice

Quinoa

Dried Corn

Pop Corn

Fern Baking Mix (or your favorite)

Gluten free baking powder

Ener-G Flours

Rice Bran

Coconut

Nuts

Dried Fruit (careful! Dates may have been dusted with barley flour)

Dried Vegetables

Dried Mushrooms

Gluten free dried milk

Dried beans, lentils (pick them over carefully they may have oats or wheat), and peas

Honey

Molasses

Maple syrup

Raw Sugar

Homemade vanilla extract

Gluten free noodles

Iodine free salt

Olive oil

Gluten free spices

Xanthan gum (Not if you have a corn allergy)

Never buy gluten free food from a bulk bin. You never know if it has been contaminated. Ask the store of Co-op to set some aside before they fill the bin. You may have to do a bit of gentle education about cross contamination issues. If a store is unwilling to carry gluten free food, go elsewhere. Buying on line is a good resource too. Sometimes now that more celiac and DH are being diagnosed the foods a store may carry, may be out, by the time you shop. The good thing is that more and more gluten free food is available now. Sometimes we have to explain to stores about cross contamination issues involved with carrying it.

I have a gluten free kitchen but at times I share a kitchen with a friend who eats gluten. It can be done but much care has to be taken. I make sure that my food is prepared on a flexible cutting board or separate dishes. I never use his toaster. When I visit I bring a basket full of goodies and any gluten free food to cook there. I have my own cupboard so my gluten free food does not get cross contamination from gluten products. I have my own butter, peanut butter, and condiments. That way no contamination happens by double dipping. Do not share porous utensils like wooden spoons or bowls. Cook the gluten free food first. Keep gluten free food in tight containers and clearly marked GF. Wash pots, pans, and dishes with gluten free dish soap. Wash GF dishes and pans first. I use Seventh Generation products. All their products except one is gluten free. They use a glue made from barley in a sanitary product.

Contamination thread I found useful http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/lofiversion/index.php/t2011.html

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse - www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm

Tips for Successful GF Baking & gluten-free flours and their use in baking http://www.sickkids.ca/SFSNutritionResources/section.asp?s=Celiac+Disease&sID=17477&ss=Tips+for+Gluten-Free+Baking&ssID=16793

The following organizations are good resources for information on celiac disease:

Canadian Celiac Association - www.celiac.ca
Celiac.com - www.celiac.com
Celiac Disease Foundation - www.celiac.org
Celiac Sprue Association - www.csaceliacs.org
Gluten Intolerance Group - www.gluten.net

Osteoporosis, Celiac, and Dermatitis Herpetiformis

2008-10-17T07:10:00.000-04:00

Earl is better than a dog. Spending a couple of years training Earl, is not a problem for me. It took longer than two years to train my last service animal. He was a dog. Then he had a limited time he could do the work required, and as he aged he could not do the work as efficiently as Earl will. The hills in Vermont were too much for him. My service dog could not tolerate the cold weather and snow here either. Earl is getting his winter coat and does not mind cold weather.

I get cold and have been looking for winter shoes that will keep my feet warm, yet are within my budget to buy. They also have to have very good traction, to reduce the chance of falling. I am not going to spend this winter stuck in my apartment, due to road conditions. I worked hard with the help of a friend and Earl to get out of the wheelchair this spring. Even after I had the compression fracture of L 4, I did not return to using it. I do use it in the pasture when grooming Earl, I still am having trouble bending over and Earl is so short I could not groom properly, if I did not use it. My chair is worn out after years of using it outside. My wheelchair is a indoor , not a sports model.

A physical therapist told me at the end of last winter, if I do not get more exercise I could end up in a nursing home in five years time, due to my bones. He told me to walk more and suggested that I walk to the mail box every day. He stated I had no motivation. The problem though was not lack of motivation, but lack of a safe place to walk in winter, due to road conditions at my apartment. A broken hip would place me in a nursing home, or cause my death faster than non activity. Osteoporosis related hip fractures cost $13 billion to $18 billion yearly.

The physical therapist was right about physical inactivity causing more loss of bone. That was one of the reasons I did not want an electric wheelchair, It has been found that persons who rely on them, lose bone density. I am trying to build bone. After years of malnutrition, due to Celiac, my bones are in rough shape. Celiac also causes fatigue when I have an attack. It is hard to stay gluten free in a society where gluten containing products are so prevalent. Gluten is not only just in food, but also in building materials, paper, glues, cleaning products, hair and skin products, and many other items. All it takes is just a small amount and I can be ill for a long time. I rely on my wheelchair much more when ill and when recovering. Gluten contamination in diet causes malnutrition due to nutrients not being absorbed in the small intestine. It can take quite a while for damage to heal.

When I quit relying on my wheelchair this time though, I found that I cannot spend as much time doing the things I like to do, because I am worn out doing things that have to be done. I also have to use my chair more when at home at my apartment due to the concrete floors, with worn out thin carpet and no padding. I am very afraid of falling on the concrete and also have a lot of pain when I try to walk on it. I cannot stand very long on concrete and seem to get fatigued faster and have more pain.

My kitchen is not built in a way where I can use my wheelchair though, and my diet requires that I spend a lot of time in it. There are gluten free convenience foods, but the cost is too high for my budget. I cook almost everything from scratch. This summer though, due to the extreme heat in my apartment when I baked, I had to resort to buying bread products which are gluten free. My food cost for bread products went up more than $20.00 a week. My apartment is right next to the heating system and gets VERY HOT. CVCLT is aware of the problem.

This month I could not buy bread products due to cost. It was either pay rent or buy bread. I used us every bit of money I had saved this summer, buying bread. I know this may sound like an exaggeration, but a loaf of good eatable gluten free bread is expensive. Products like bagels, cookies, english muffins, and bread, are something that most people can just go in to the store and buy, and not think about what ingredients are contained in them. The cost of gluten free compared to products that contain gluten is VERY HIGH. I have to watch everything I buy, a product that was gluten free the last time purchased, may not be gluten free the next time. I use my laptop computer to keep track of save products on line. I use my cell phone to call from the store many times to assure that I can eat a product.

I not only have to watch my diet and environment, due to Celiac but also due to Dermatitis Herpetiformis or DH. Having DH I am even more limited in dietary choices. Persons with DH have to watch out for halides also. All persons who have DH have Celiac, but not all persons with Celiac have DH.

One of the best things about Earl is that I do not have to deal with animal feed that contains gluten. It was argued that I could buy gluten free food for a new service dog. The cost of that food was impossible on my income. Earl has only cost me about $6 a week in hay. That was last year though, hay prices rose to $5.00 a bale this year. I paid $4.00 a bale last year.

First Post

2008-10-14T08:25:00.000-04:00

Earl is my Service Horse. He is two years old and I have owned him for a year. So far he is the best horse I have ever worked with. Very smart and learns his lessons fast.

There were many who thought that Earl was not the best choice, but they do not live my life. I will give up housing, before I give up Earl. Last winter, Earl was boarded at a farm near by. I could not work with him all winter, mostly due to not being able to get there.

I had some major health issues going on and when on the mend from them I had a compression fracture of L 4 vertebrae. So I have been dealing with some problems. I also had some money problems after Earl's purchase and expenses of training and vet work, was not counted as a medical expense by CVCLT. These things are medical expenses and are covered under HUD policy. I just do not have the ability to fight these people anymore though. I have to choose my battles and fighting for my health and training Earl is a priority now.

Central Vermont Community Land Trust was not helpful in my efforts to remain independent and have the service animal needed. I had a Human Rights investigator that made up her mind the first time I talked on the phone with her. She did not ever see Earl, or the things Earl had already mastered in his training program. She did not call where he was boarded. She attributed things a neighbor said, to me. I had a lawyer, then I did not have a lawyer, then I had one again when CVCLT offered me a very minimal settlement, he called. I did not want their money, I wanted to use my service animal. I never asked them to give me money, or to pay for anything related to having Earl ans my service animal. I never met the lawyer face to face. He did more to discourage me than encourage me. The Human Rights Commissioner made up his mind before the final hearing and sent me a letter stating so.

I should have known better than to go up against the third largest Land Trust in the USA.

Everyone kept on saying Earl would be inside all the time, and ignored anything I said or wrote to the contrary. Earl has pasture. I only wanted to be able to house train him so he could come in and go out.

I will continue to train Earl. I will not give him up for any one or any reason, even if it means giving up my apartment.