I was wondering if you got a lot of snow there a couple weeks ago? We saw a few flakes here and a lot of cold wind, but heard that the northern tier counties were getting a lot of snow.

Hope the tummy issues settle down. Try drinking fennel tea. You steep fennel seeds in hot water, drink a cup a day. It is delicious too, tastes like mild anise. They give it to babies to stop colic, my hubby had a lot of stomach issues and tried all sorts of over the counter and prescription pills, but nothing really worked. He drinks a cup of fennel tea a day now and feels a lot better (for years now!). We buy our fennel seeds in bulk at a small grocery store, very cheaply. Let me know if you need any!

Annie,

We did have some snow a few weeks ago, a few inches and, thankfully, it didn't hang around for very long. February was our BIG SNOW MONTH. At least now the weather is finally looking, and feeling, like Spring. The temperatures fluctuate a lot, but it has been on the upswing. Yesterday hubby and I were up in the Scranton area and it was 80 degrees! Really nice, but not going to last long. Some rainy and cooler weather is coming in again. Pretty much the norm for us up here. Things seem to really settle, temperature wise, by the end of May.

I will give your Fennel Tea recipe a try. I drink a lot of Chamomile tea and it really helps. I tried Ginger tea, and it was ... awful.

As far as stomach issues go, genetics plays a BIG part. My Dad had the same issues as well as my older brother. It didn't help matters when my gallbladder began causing me problems 13 years ago and I had to have it removed. The doctor said I would be able to "eat" anything I wanted afterwards. Well, NOT in my case. I developed problems with dairy, high fat foods, and even certain vegetables. The worst thing for me though is ... Coffee and Chocolate ... became BIG NO NOs for me. I also developed Diverticulosis, which is very common for many people as they get older.

For me, DIET now plays a big part in dealing with everything. If I watch what I eat, eat small meals often ... about 5-6 times a day, I do OK. During this ongoing Covid -19 Pandemic I had gained about 10 pounds and I turned into a real couch potato. I really felt ... AWFUL. Thankfully, I was able to lose the 10 pounds. Now I am more conscious of what I am eating, and I find that light to moderate exercise really helps. Going for walks and working in the garden keeps me focused.

Now, if I could just win One Million Dollars in a Powerball Jackpot, life would be ... PERFECT!

Anyway, happy gardening my friend.

Jane

Please do try the fennel tea, it really is very soothing to the digestive system and as I said it's pleasant tasting. It's true those sorts of things run in families. My husband's whole family has digestive issues; my family....we eat like horses and nothing ever goes wrong *belch*. As a teenager I once said, "I'll eat anything that doesn't move." My bff replied,. "You'd stun it with your fork and then eat it."