Month: April 2015

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Catnip Part-Two

In an update to a previous post about drinking Catnip tea and reducing the need for gabapentin .. the news is great!

Sleep is coming, and still with reduced anxiety. A couple of the mornings produced extra pain .. not from lack of pain-meds, but from sleeping so heavy that I didn’t move, and my body locked down. This is the ever-on-going battle. Too much stillness results in pain. Too much motion results in pain. Still, I’d rather have the deeper sleep. The pain eases within an hour or so after waking up.

Today is my 2nd appointment with the chiropractor.

Gabapentin withdrawal can be quite unpleasant, but so far my symptoms have been extremely mild. One brief interlude of a dark-crash, which I promptly recognized and hauled my emotional-barometer out of the pit and forced my wings to spread again …. and all was good.

Progress … oh yes the beautiful progress!

…. always with gratitude ^_^

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Labels

In an effort to reduce waste (a constant battle!), the ability to remove labels without chemical is one of many factors. One reason I love Nutiva Organic Coconut oil is the ability to cleanly remove their labels. Voila!  A re-usable, food-grade container.

(**update 50 minutes after emailing Nutiva this morning expressing my gratitude for their policies, this was the response: Dear Lynn, We really appreciate receiving positive feedback like this. Itreally made my day. I have passed it on to our Customer Service team. Thanks,Tom Customer Service Specialist Nutiva — Organic Hemp,Coconut, Chia & Red Palm Superfoods)

You see?? Companies CAN listen.

Kirkland Organic Coconut oil is now in competition with Nutiva. I gave it a try. Smaller container, easier to scoop out, slightly less expensive. BUT … their label becomes an issue.  And there I went, sending an email to the corporate office of Costco. They also sent me back a nice response, stating they will look into it.

I LOVE Mountain Rose Herbs. Their company values align with mine, and they have great customer service. But their labels!  I spend not just time (which means less production), but I have to use chemicals to remove the labels. Razor blades, hot water, olive oil … none of this works. So I emailed them, and got a very nice response stating they will look into this matter.

NOW Organic Essential oils use labels that sweetly and cleanly peel right off. The downside is that they do not carry much of a variety in their Organic line.

I shop in the Organic section at Sherms in Roseburg. What surprises me is so many of the Organic products have labels that are not friendly. It is GREAT to have the Organics … but it should be taken a step further.

Food-grade containers (both glass and plastic) should be, whenever possible, re-usable in an Earth-Friendly manner. This means labels that peel off easily.

Further still … they could advertise that their labels peel easily, enhancing the ‘Re-Use’ concept.

This becomes my quiet campaign.

…. always with gratitude ^_^

 

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GMO & Bees

I am just only starting my query into this topic.  I don’t have answers. Just questions. Lots and lots of questions.

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/27446-did-gmo-corn-really-kill-all-those-bees-in-canada#

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

http://www.beecharmers.org/

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/03/bayer-pesticide-bees-studies

Just samplings of information, mis-information, dis-information, and maybe … maybe some truth.

In the end, it comes down to living CLEAN and in harmony with Nature. Everything else is just excuses.

… ~There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth~ Rumi

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My Favorite Local Businesses

Part of living a healthier life involves choosing Farmers that match your goals. I am blessed to live in a community with several local (and private) produce growers, so many of my needs are met right here at home.

Farmers’ Market brings other vendors into the mix. One of my very favorite is: Big Lick Farms out of Myrtle Creek (http://www.biglickfarm.com/)  Their produce is AMAZING.

My garlic and tea needs are met by Viriditas Wild Gardens (lizziematt@frontier.com). She also does fermented foods which is delicious!

A wonderful Hummus vendor: Blue Nile Authentic Hummus (bluenilefoods@rconnects.com).

And if you want the BEST organic coffee (Cafe Mam out of Eugene) ever … Oregon Sunshine Espresso in Canyonville. They also have the cleanest, cutest restroom that I have ever had to use ^_^  Their jalepeno bagels are also melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  To see more about them, they can be found on Facebook (I don’t use Facebook, so you are on your own here!)

I will be adding to my ‘Favorite Local Businesses’ as time allows.

… always with gratitude ^_^

 

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Skirt Hangers

DSCN1453aDismantling an old display stand so I can ‘re-use’ it for another type of display, I ended up with some metal dowels. My eyes fell on the handful of feedbag string that I ‘harvested’ from feedbags to make the totes …. mmmm.  Now I have room to hang my skirts rather than fold them, since I refused to spend more money on fragile skirt hangers. Feedbag string is very strong. I tied the ends and then looped it 4 times. A clip on each side of the strings keeps them in place.

It isn’t pretty, but it is very functional.

Re-use, re-purpose, whatever you want to call it. Diminishing waste. That is one of many goals.

… with gratitude ^_^

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Nutiva versus Monsanto

Oh I am loving this company!

Q: What’s the end goal for Nutiva?

A: To see Monsanto bankrupt. We would like to create an organic, non-GMO world, even if customers go elsewhere to buy it. If they want to buy it from us, that’s great, too. But we have plenty of business. The important thing is to change the supply chain and make it more organic and more healthful.

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Super-foods-a-growth-industry-for-Nutiva-4793781.php

And this .. http://foodbabe.com/2013/11/12/microwave-popcorn/

Learning … learning.

Foodbabe.com is full of interesting information. Who knew??

… with gratitude ^_^

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Random Find

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/grossest-things-food/story?id=16824388

Er, ewwww!

I ran to Tillamook’s site to see if my favorite cheese was not vegetarian … whew, mine is safe!

http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/vegetarian-tillamook-cheese/

As for the rest of that stuff, I’ll say it again — EWW!

There are sneaky things embedded in the products available.

READ THE INGREDIENTS!

… with gratitude ^_^

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Spring & Racing Towards Summer

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Blossoms have come and gone.

And Sebastian, my swaying Willow, gleams in the sunlight. He is an old, old entity, and he demands his life. When we first moved to this abandoned piece of property, he seemed so ill with exploded growths that we had a Tree-Doctor began the process of taking him down. The process was interrupted by Fate, which left him naked and raw, possessing only  his trunk and a large, thick circle-branch that had grown together, creating an ‘Eye’. Soon he was sprouting twigs which expanded rapidly … Now he dances in the breeze, and songs whisper.

Plants are amazing, and very responsive to our intentions. I have always been a bit ambivalent about plants, as I tend to veer away from anything (or anyone) that can see beneath what I am willing to show.

Slowly, my eyes and heart are opening, allowing all this wonderful abundance to seep beneath my boundaries.

I’m even on good terms with the Wasps, who are amazing creatures! More on that another time :)

… with gratitude ^_^

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Lucy and her Food

DSCN1486aLucy, our adopted girl. She graces our life, and causes us significant expense in time and money. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

My latest time-gulping activity is making her food from scratch. I start with 1lb packaged meat-for-pets (sheep, pork, lots of organ meats) from Circle Star Ranch (http://www.circlestarranch.info/index.html).

I prepare the food using variations of ingredients that I found on the following sites:

http://www.onthegreenfarms.com/natural-animal-care/how-to-make-your-own-healthy-natural-dog-food/

http://cookingfor10.blogspot.com/2010/01/dog-food.html

http://turtlewoman.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-Healthy-Homemade-Dog-Food

It is a LOT of work, but … WOW is she excited and happy and super-eager for her meals. She was always pushing for food (she is a dog, after all!), but now she almost dances, and she does little wheelies. How cute 😉

I am going to make flea/tick powder as soon as my supplies arrive. http://www.primallyinspired.com/homemade-flea-powder-repellent/  is the site I obtained the information from.

The batches I make last about 4 days. It takes about 30 minutes prep time and about 45 minutes in the oven. I tried crock-potting it yesterday …. ICK it STANK because I cooked the meat first and I could smell the lamb. I have to mull on methods, and my tolerances.

After all … I’M a vegetarian!

… with gratitude ^_^

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Sea Shells

DSCN1428aFor so many years I have packed and unpacked a collection of shells. It wasn’t until I entered the world of Pinterest that I found site after site after site about making hanging wind catchers.  I had the shells, the driftwood from Brookings Harbor, and the rest of the items in my overflowing bead-boxes. I am quite pleased how it came out!

… with gratitude ^_^