Gordon, Ina & Dick, Edward: Living in the Moment: With Alzheimer’s

Click here to begin listening

When a lapse in memory becomes several lapses, and then many, it becomes scary. It could possibly be the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and worsens over time. It’s reportedly the cause of two-thirds of the cases of dementia, and is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious.

Our guests are Ina Gordon and her husband Edward Dick, residents of Redwood Valley, California. Ina, formerly a Mendocino County librarian, has Alzheimer’s. Ed is her caregiver. About five years ago, Ina realized she could not remember where she had put commonly used items. Now she no longer drives for fear of getting lost or safely controlling the car. She claims to be able to have a conversation, but says she wouldn’t remember it the following day.

Ina Gordon offered to share her experience, how she is now, and what her life was like before Alzheimer’s began to narrow her world. When she and Ed Dick visited the Radio Curious studios on June 24, 2017, we began what turned out to be a very sweet and poignant story, when I asked to recall what her life was like before her memory began to fade.

The readings that Ed Dick recommends are the articles in the Plough Quarterly.

Podcast: Download

Herm, Eric: Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth

Click here to begin listening

Eric Herm is a 4th generation farmer from Ackerly Texas and author of, “Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth: A Path to Agriculture’s Higher Consciousness.” Herm is transitioning his family farm into an organic farm. He recently returned from a march that began in Baltimore, Maryland and ended in front of the White House in Washington D.C. to oppose the use of genetically modified organisms, GMO’s. We spoke with Eric Herm from his farm in Ackerly, Texas on October 24th, 2011 and asked him to describe his experience in Washington D.C.

Podcast: Download

Conna-Lee Weinberg: Conscious Direction of Your Spine

Click here to begin listening

How we each may develop a conscious connection with the individual vertebrae of the spine is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious.

Our guest is Conna-Lee Weinberg, author of “Mindful Spine: Movement from the Inside Out – Connecting the Brain and the Spinal Vertebrae.” Weinberg has over 30 years of experience as a psychophysical educator for Olympic and high-performance athletes.

Weinberg asserts that the spine overtly regulates our movements from birth until we begin to crawl and walk.  She believes that beginning when we crawl, the spine becomes subordinate to our muscles in controlling our movement.  This may result in sciatica, scoliosis, and other painful and sometimes debilitating conditions.
Weinberg believes that by learning to consciously direct or move the individual spinal vertebrae, with an intention similar to learning to ride a bicycle or moving a cup to our lips, we would be able to avoid, among other issues, the back pain too many of us suffer.  You may find further information at her website mindfulspine.com.

When Conna-Lee Weinberg visited the Radio Curious Studios on June 11, 2017, she demonstrated her personal ability to separately move the individual vertebrae of her spine.  In addition, she moved several vertebrae at the same time to imitate scoliosis.  She and I began our visit with her description of the Eureka moment when she learned that she could intentionally move her own spinal vertebrae.

The book Conna-Lee Weinberg recommends is:  “The Brain that Changes Itself:  Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science,” by Norman Doidge.

Podcast: Download

Marianchild, Kate: The Unique Oak Woodlands of California

Click here to begin listening

To many of us who live in California, oak woodlands may seem rather ordinary. In reality, that is not the case. Oak woodlands are home to more species of plants, fungi, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals than any other terrestrial ecosystem in the California.

In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Kate Marianchild, author of Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants & Animals Among California’s Oaks. Her book, now in its 4th printing, was a finalist in the Science, Nature and Environment Section of the Indie Next Generation Book Award.

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands describes many of the flora, fauna and fungi that inhabit the plentiful oak woodlands in California, and explains their intertwined connections and mutual support systems. More details are available on her website, katemarianchild.com.

In this program, Marianchild describes how acorn woodpeckers, manzanita, newts, the western fence lizard, and woodrats, among others, live and survive together in a symbiotic ecosystem.

The book she recommends is The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Baily. This program was recorded on June 5, 2017.

To many of us who live in California, oak woodlands may seem rather ordinary. In reality, that is not the case. Oak woodlands are home to more species of plants, fungi, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals than any other terrestrial ecosystem in the California.

In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Kate Marianchild, author of Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants & Animals Among California’s Oaks. Her book, now in its 4th printing, was a finalist in the Science, Nature and Environment Section of the Indie Next Generation Book Award.

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands describes many of the flora, fauna and fungi that inhabit the plentiful oak woodlands in California, and explains their intertwined connections and mutual support systems. More details are available on her website, katemarianchild.com.

In this program, Marianchild describes how acorn woodpeckers, manzanita, newts, the western fence lizard, and woodrats, among others, live and survive together in a symbiotic ecosystem.

The book she recommends is The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Baily. This program was recorded on June 5, 2017.

Podcast: Download