SPELLING BEE Time

“Man needs difficulties. They are necessary for health”.

Carl Jung, 1875-1961. Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He founded analytical psychology. I had to look up what I thought was a strange quote but what totally is in my life at the present time. You may recall that I was hoping and thinking that everything that could go wrong would at least be put on low for awhile. I really should be buying lottery tickets as last week my right leg decided it was time for a major, life changing performance.

Angels Julie, Margaret, Terry, Rose and Tony had my back. It’s a very long story with a lot of side bars and medical terms I will never understand. The super important thing was that Julie got me to a doctor who immediately got on top of things. As serious as it was, I really did feel good about things! Plan A and B were in place. I spent wonderful time at the Flower Spa complete with therapy dog, Harper. Daughter Nissa came home to help me out big time and my family came together to get tons of things moved and put in a bed on the main level. I am doing amazingly well and if I keep on that path, I will be able to do Duluth rug hooking and later this fall a trip to Mexico. Plan A is working so Plan B with months of recovery has been canceled.

We are going to keep the summer spirit up by talking WATERMELON. The grocery store has them year around and there are times when the prices are out of this world. This time of year the melons are at their peak so prices are more reasonable. Another big factor is some of you can actually harvest your own out of your garden or purchase at a farmers market.

Watermelons come in a lots of sizes from ones you can hold in your hand to the big 25 pounders or so. Those BIG ones were cheap enough this time of year that even my mother would buy more than one! They also come in different colors but it takes a lot to get people to try other than the red ones. I recall the first time I tried to sell yellow watermelons at the Farm Market. A lady said she would take it home for her husband to try but she was betting that she would be coming back and toss it in my face. It was almost closing time so I thought I would be somewhat safe from her promise. Later that afternoon, I got a call and it was the lady asking how many more I had to sell!

Watermelon is more than a refreshing “drink” on a hot day it is 92 percent water! Research has shown that with its high water content, it helps you feel fuller for a long period of time. Good for the weight loss program as a 2cup serving is only 80 calories, has no fat and almost no sodium. Watermelon has a high level of Vitamin C which helps strengthen the body’s immune system. Here is a fact that is almost hard to believe watermelon has more lycopene than tomatoes! This antioxidant helps protect skin from harmful UV rays. Move over bananas as watermelon also contains potassium, which might help prevent muscle cramps. It is also a good source of citrulline – an amino acid being studied to assess its effectiveness in reducing muscle soreness. Who would have believed that having that juicy piece of melon could be so good and helpful? In days past, open pollinated melons had big seeds that would reproduce the same each year and you could have watermelon seed spitting contests. They also had a much thicker outer shell that often was pickled. Most of today’s watermelons are the hybrid, seedless type. People were overjoyed to get more fruit and less seeds. If you don’t want that, then check for heirloom varieties at the farmers market or grow your own. They will have beautiful names like Moon and Stars and could even be white. P.S. The largest watermelon was grown in Tennessee by Christopher Kent in 2013 at 350.5 lbs!

By Bea Westerberg