Leigh’s October 2022 newsletter

Cranberry harvest greetings to our friends of the Featherstones Comfort Pad!

Welcome to fall! We began October with chilly days and nights – we actually turned the heat on Oct. 1, even though we always delay as long as possible. But then – voila! Warm weather became our gift this month. Unusually warm, into the 70s. We grabbed a few sunbathing breaks on our deck, where the sun bores in on cool days and 60 feels like 75, and got some great fall gardening done in the sun. We’ll take it! But we do sleep better on those cool, crisp nights, so, yes, welcome to fall!

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Hard to believe, but this newsletter marks one year since we began writing them last November. Issue number 12, right here! So, we decided to showcase our newsletters by publishing them on our website at https://featherstonesinc.com/category/newsletter/. We’re also thinking of starting a Featherstones blog, which could delve more frequently into a number of topical interests, some of which might find their way into future newsletters. So, stay tuned to the website, and we’ll let you know how it plays out!

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Fun fall foliage

Now that fall is here, it’s great timing to remind folks of our optional Foliage Fleece Cover, which fits all of our Comfort Pads. On those brisk days you can change your Comfort Pad’s look and feel with a quick zip and sense that soft, warming fleece next to you. Here’s a pic and the link if you want to take a look.  https://featherstonesinc.com/product/optional-foliage-fleece-cover-for-all-of-your-comfort-pads/

Foliage Fleece Comfort Pad Cover

Well, the foliage map we included last month was a bust, here anyway. It said we’d see peak color in early October, yet here we are starting the third week of the month and it’s coming in now, pretty normal timing after all. How is it in your world? That colorful background around the cranberry harvest we talked about? Well – we have some, and here are a couple recent shots to show you.

[insert photo]

Harju Brothers Cranberries Crane Bog

Scott went roaming last weekend to find some picking going on, and he did just that in a neighboring town. He ran into Mr. Harju of Harju Brothers Cranberries as their crew was breaking for lunch from water picking their Crane Bog in Pembroke, Massachusetts. Scott was connected to the cranberry industry in a former life, and he reported on it in the news business (he won a first-place award for economics and business reporting in New England for a long series on it), and he and Mr. Harju traded some stories from the old days. As he says, the Massachusetts cranberry farming icon spun a few yarns before moving on to deliver lunch to his crew.

The truck loaded with berries in this photo was heading to Ocean Spray Cranberries’ processing plant, a couple of towns away. The Harjus are members of the 700-farm cooperative that produces the popular brand.

Cranberries Bound for Ocean Spray

Massachusetts’ state fruit has a long, fascinating history. A great deal of information about the cranberry – including health benefits and recipes as well as its history – can be found at Ocean Spray’s website: https://allthatpower.oceanspray.com and also at the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association’s website: https://www.cranberries.org.

In our little corner of the world, cranberries aren’t just Massachusetts’ first fruit – they are an important part of the state economy and the hard-won product of more than 300 farmer families across our region. Farming is hard, and chancy – but our cranberry farming families have proven themselves up to the task!

Here’s a quiet picking moment on video at our YouTube page.

Leigh Lench Smith

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Anyone who knows me knows that I am highly conscious of breast health. Our social posts regularly address the topic, and this month we have heartily endorsed Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a great deal of information, especially from the National Breast Cancer Foundation. That fabulous organization has a ton of information available – including a series of free e-Books in .pdf file format for easy downloading. We’re privileged to have their okay to repurpose their web posts. You can visit their site at https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org and find loads of info.

It was for breast comfort that I created the Featherstones Comfort Pad. Here’s the short version for those who don’t know the story. I’m a long-time massage therapist, focusing on women’s wellness and specializing in prenatal care. I had an awakening when a massage client pulled her arms up to her sides when she turned onto her stomach. I asked why she did that, and she said it took the pressure off her breasts, which were painful to lie on. I asked other clients if they experienced breast pain, and to my surprise many did. I was determined to solve the problem!

I tested all sorts of liquids, jells and foams, as well as cloth, and I finally chose to use Talalay latex foam as the cushioning agent. According to the sole U.S. manufacturer of this foam, our natural, uniform Talalay latex foam insert is made from rubber-based material harvested from the tropical hevea brasiliensis tree, which has a 25-year productive life. Talalay latex can be found in high-end bedding construction and offers exceptional pressure point relief naturally. Talalay foam is anti-microbial, mold resistant, breathable, dust mite resistant, hypoallergenic, odor free, and environmentally friendly.

Then I found many uses for the Comfort Pad, including:

  • * Alleviate breast sensitivity
  • * Aid recovery from breast surgery: scar tissue; augmentation; reduction; mastectomy
  • * Help spine and joint discomfort
  • * Alleviate lumbar discomfort
  • * Help stomach sleeping
  • * Lying on massage, chiropractic or acupuncture tables
  • * Lying on chaise lounges and the beach
  • * Yoga mat postures

In fact, it’s such a great yoga accessory, one yoga instructor purchased 20 Comfort Pads for her students! (Watch the video on the website to see it in action: https://featherstonesinc.com/comfort-pad.)

And hey, here’s another use! lol!

Recall that I reported here recently that Boston Children’s Hospital purchased Comfort Pads for each of their MRI machines after extensive testing – now we’re in discussion with other major hospitals. So, fingers crossed as we explore the institutional marketplace. Needless to say, we’re busy! Of course, we’re all busy, especially at this time of year. The school year is well on its way, business has picked up, and the change of seasons has put a snap to our step. So, here’s a fun recipe to help fuel the fall season with a tiny bit of a bite!

Recipe time 😊

Cranberries, cranberries, cranberries! How can we not think cranberries during harvest season and leading up to the holidays! Here’s a recipe my friend Mary sent me from the Midwest a few years ago. Did you know that Wisconsin grows more cranberries than any other state? Massachusetts, which is known for the tart, red berry, is second in production. True! Anyway, here is Mary’s recipe, wherever it may have originated.

Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup fresh cranberries chopped into small pieces
1 cup pecans chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ᵒ
Add butter and both sugars into large bowl and beat until creamy
Mix in vanilla and eggs, beat until well combined
Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in another bowl
Add flour mixture to the large bowl and mix well
Stir in oatmeal, then gently stir in cranberries, pecans and white chocolate chips
Drop round teaspoons of mixture onto ungreased cookie sheet
Bake about 10-12 minutes or until edges start to turn brown
Place cookies on wire rack to cool

Enjoy! (And no calorie counting! lol!)

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Oh, don’t forget your mammo!

While October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this Friday, October 21, is National Mammography Day. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women will get breast cancer in the US. A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer here every two minutes. Nearly 290,000 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the US this year, and nearly 44,000 women will die from it here. But – 65% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage (there is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the breast), for which the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. And while rare, men can get it too.

The key to survival is early detection. The Foundation says every woman 40 and over should have an annual mammogram. Yes, they can be uncomfortable – very uncomfortable. But they are the best way to detect breast issues. I am no medical expert; I just care a lot. Please talk with your health professional for best advice – and please go get checked! Remember, Friday is National Mammography Day!

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A million thanks!

I am so grateful for your friendship and support and all the great feedback – it all means the world to me! I could not do this without you!!!

If you enjoy your Comfort Pad, please be sure to leave a rating and brief review on your Comfort Pad’s page at https://featherstonesinc.com/comfort-pad. They help immensely with our marketing, so, sincerely, thank you!

It’s also very helpful for viewers to share our social media posts so like-minded people in their worlds see them. Here’s where to find us: @featherstones.comfort.pad on Instagram and @FeatherstonesComfortPad on Facebook. We post a mix of business, info and fun. 😊

And please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might enjoy it – if they like it, they can sign up at the website. We’ll never sell or give anyone’s info away!

As we say in our posts: “Featherstones – pass the word!” 💕

From our hearts to yours!

With love, Leigh

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