I think that I shall never see
a billboard lovely as a tree.
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,
I'll never see a tree at all
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I think that I shall never see....
I think that I shall never see...
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day, 5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain. 10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day, 5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain. 10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree
Summer's End
Well, it looks like summer is about over. We closed the pool a couple of weeks ago and today we started working on ordering calendars for 2011. Summer seems to get shorter every year...
I fell when we went hiking for my birthday. The hiking trip was the 7th of September, I've been sitting since then encouraging the laceration on my leg to heal. I'm not good at sitting, I'm the one who takes care of everyone else! Hubby has been great, he hangs laundry, loads and unloads the dishwasher, makes breakfast and dinner, and has been fussing that I don't sit enough. I try, really, I do, it's just not as easy as it sounds! haha
So, here I am working on web sites and Etsy accounts and finally getting back to this blog!
I lost a good bit of weight over the summer, now I've been sitting for almost a month and am terrified to get on the scale! Went through two courses of antibiotics, so I need to build my immune system back up. Increase protein, increase vitamins, extra vitamin C, and increase fluids. I'm back on water today. I had to drink a lot more than I'm used to while I was taking the antibiotics so that meant drinking things that actually tasted good. Antibiotics were finally done yesterday!!
So, while I'm sitting here, the gardens need to be closed out for the winter and the weeding finished. Maybe one more week and I can get back to being me and finaly get things done. You'd think that sitting would be like a vacation, but it looks like catching up on everything is going to be a lot of work!
I fell when we went hiking for my birthday. The hiking trip was the 7th of September, I've been sitting since then encouraging the laceration on my leg to heal. I'm not good at sitting, I'm the one who takes care of everyone else! Hubby has been great, he hangs laundry, loads and unloads the dishwasher, makes breakfast and dinner, and has been fussing that I don't sit enough. I try, really, I do, it's just not as easy as it sounds! haha
So, here I am working on web sites and Etsy accounts and finally getting back to this blog!
I lost a good bit of weight over the summer, now I've been sitting for almost a month and am terrified to get on the scale! Went through two courses of antibiotics, so I need to build my immune system back up. Increase protein, increase vitamins, extra vitamin C, and increase fluids. I'm back on water today. I had to drink a lot more than I'm used to while I was taking the antibiotics so that meant drinking things that actually tasted good. Antibiotics were finally done yesterday!!
So, while I'm sitting here, the gardens need to be closed out for the winter and the weeding finished. Maybe one more week and I can get back to being me and finaly get things done. You'd think that sitting would be like a vacation, but it looks like catching up on everything is going to be a lot of work!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Mosquitos... 'tis the season...
"Mosquito bites and treatment
Mosquito prefer some people over others. The preferential victim's sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odour [38]. The powerful semiochemical that triggers the mosquito's keen sense of smell is Nonanal.[39] A large part of the mosquito’s sense of smell, or olfactory system, is devoted to sniffing out human targets. Of 72 types of odour receptor on its antennae, at least 27 are tuned to detect chemicals found in perspiration.[40]
Visible, irritating bites are due to an immune response from the binding of IgG and IgE antibodies to antigens in the mosquito's saliva. Some of the sensitizing antigens are common to all mosquito species, whereas others are specific to certain species. There are both immediate hypersensitivity reactions (Types I & III) and delayed hypersensitivity reactions (Type IV) to mosquito bites (see Clements, 2000).
There are several commercially available anti-itch medications, including those taken orally, such as Benadryl, or topically applied antihistamines and, for more severe cases, corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone and triamcinolone. Many effective home remedies exist, including calamine lotion and vinegar. A paste of meat tenderizer containing papain and water breaks down the proteins in the mosquito saliva. Both using a brush to scratch the area surrounding the bite and running hot water (around 49 °C) over it can alleviate itching for several hours by reducing histamine-induced skin blood flow.[41]
[edit] Repellents
The chemical DEET repels mosquitoes and other insects.[42] However, with increasing reports of the harmful effects DEET has on humans (including a small number of fatalities, psychological effects, and birth defects[43]), there has been a move to rely on alternative, safer repellents, repellents that are organic and otherwise of the kind that have had traditional household purposes prior to their becoming used now more often as mosquito repellents.
For example, the much safer[44] compound nepetalactone (found in catnip essential oil) has been found by Iowa State University researchers to be about 10 times more effective than DEET in repelling mosquitoes."
OK. I read all of that. The full article is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito
And I thought it might be fun to do an experiment. If mosquito's are drawn to our perspiration by smell, then if we alter our odor we should be able to essentially hide from the mosquito's. I've been using Auric Blends perfume oils, which we sell in the store and so far I've had pretty good results with the Black Coconut fragrance. The Jasmine didn't seem to work as well. So, if you're willing to help me out with this experiment post your findings here in the comments. I'm anxious to find a way to avoid DEET this summer!
Mosquito prefer some people over others. The preferential victim's sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odour [38]. The powerful semiochemical that triggers the mosquito's keen sense of smell is Nonanal.[39] A large part of the mosquito’s sense of smell, or olfactory system, is devoted to sniffing out human targets. Of 72 types of odour receptor on its antennae, at least 27 are tuned to detect chemicals found in perspiration.[40]
Visible, irritating bites are due to an immune response from the binding of IgG and IgE antibodies to antigens in the mosquito's saliva. Some of the sensitizing antigens are common to all mosquito species, whereas others are specific to certain species. There are both immediate hypersensitivity reactions (Types I & III) and delayed hypersensitivity reactions (Type IV) to mosquito bites (see Clements, 2000).
There are several commercially available anti-itch medications, including those taken orally, such as Benadryl, or topically applied antihistamines and, for more severe cases, corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone and triamcinolone. Many effective home remedies exist, including calamine lotion and vinegar. A paste of meat tenderizer containing papain and water breaks down the proteins in the mosquito saliva. Both using a brush to scratch the area surrounding the bite and running hot water (around 49 °C) over it can alleviate itching for several hours by reducing histamine-induced skin blood flow.[41]
[edit] Repellents
The chemical DEET repels mosquitoes and other insects.[42] However, with increasing reports of the harmful effects DEET has on humans (including a small number of fatalities, psychological effects, and birth defects[43]), there has been a move to rely on alternative, safer repellents, repellents that are organic and otherwise of the kind that have had traditional household purposes prior to their becoming used now more often as mosquito repellents.
For example, the much safer[44] compound nepetalactone (found in catnip essential oil) has been found by Iowa State University researchers to be about 10 times more effective than DEET in repelling mosquitoes."
OK. I read all of that. The full article is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito
And I thought it might be fun to do an experiment. If mosquito's are drawn to our perspiration by smell, then if we alter our odor we should be able to essentially hide from the mosquito's. I've been using Auric Blends perfume oils, which we sell in the store and so far I've had pretty good results with the Black Coconut fragrance. The Jasmine didn't seem to work as well. So, if you're willing to help me out with this experiment post your findings here in the comments. I'm anxious to find a way to avoid DEET this summer!
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Diet
Yes, we're still on the diet, but can you really call it a diet? I think what gets people in trouble is the word "diet" in general. It gives the impression that this is temporary. It's not. This is a forever habit we're trying to build. But anyway. I've lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks. I have 25 pounds to go to goal #1 and then 15 pounds to goal #2 and then we'll decide about goal #3... I really want to, but we'll see how I feel then. I think the most important thing is learning to listen to your body. We get away from that when their are millions of "experts" trying to find us a shortcut to great health and stamina.
I've been reading all of these millions of diet plans written by these millions of experts and I'm having trouble understanding some of the recommendations.. For example: eat more... eat this miracle food... keep your calories up... don't miss a meal... Isn't that what got us in trouble in the first place? (That and of course, I Love to cook...)But wait... if you don't do this you won't lose weight and if you don't do that you won't lose weight and if you don't eat enough you won't lose weight...and since when is anorexia a disease of obesity? I'm a Certified Sports Nutritionist and a retired Body Builder, so I certainly understand the nutritional aspects of dieting. Where in all of these diets does it say,"get up off your butt and go DO something"? I remember when I was a kid we ran and played outside every day. Mom had to call us to remind us it was lunch time. We were having too much fun to want to stop just for food! Then when we become teenagers our responsibilities increased and we lost that sense of fun. Maybe that's the problem, we're too grown to remember fun... Hubby and I have been taking one day each week and DOing something. One week we took the dog to the park and we walked the nature trail. Last week Hubby and I went to the campground and walked the roads and up by the dam. This week we have a list of options. I'm waiting for him to decide what he wants to do for our "day out". I absolutely miss having a place to go for a bike ride or taking a ride down the shore and walking the boardwalk for hours on end. We don't have safe bike routes in Virginia, we don't even have a shoulder-of-the-road! I rode my bike every where when I lived in South Jersey! All of the nature trails here are mountains. It's harder to get started on a walking plan when you start out going up hill! Maybe by the end of the summer the trails will get easier.
We've finally gotten the pool to clear, the algae was winning for a while, but it looks like tomorrow afternoon I will be able to try out the new float and start swimming every day again. I've been swimming since I was 3. My cousin was a lifeguard and our community pool. He decided to drop me in the water and explain it to my Mom later. I've been swimming ever since. Of course, the dog insists on his walk every day whether I swim or not, so it looks like the summer is going to be busy and the "moving around" is going to keep increasing (YAY!).
We've decided to rearrange the bedroom. A friend of Hubby's gave us a couple of old doors from his house. We had planned on putting a door on the bedroom anyway to lead to the outdoor jacuzzi. So now we're going to move all of the weights and equipment to that end of the room and the bed to the other end. It will give us the impression of a workout space within our limited space. And we can open the door and feel as thought the space is a lot bigger than it is!
Well, it looks like I need to go and refill was water glass, maybe I'll add a few strawberries to the water this time instead of orange slices... and then I'm going outside to play!
I've been reading all of these millions of diet plans written by these millions of experts and I'm having trouble understanding some of the recommendations.. For example: eat more... eat this miracle food... keep your calories up... don't miss a meal... Isn't that what got us in trouble in the first place? (That and of course, I Love to cook...)But wait... if you don't do this you won't lose weight and if you don't do that you won't lose weight and if you don't eat enough you won't lose weight...and since when is anorexia a disease of obesity? I'm a Certified Sports Nutritionist and a retired Body Builder, so I certainly understand the nutritional aspects of dieting. Where in all of these diets does it say,"get up off your butt and go DO something"? I remember when I was a kid we ran and played outside every day. Mom had to call us to remind us it was lunch time. We were having too much fun to want to stop just for food! Then when we become teenagers our responsibilities increased and we lost that sense of fun. Maybe that's the problem, we're too grown to remember fun... Hubby and I have been taking one day each week and DOing something. One week we took the dog to the park and we walked the nature trail. Last week Hubby and I went to the campground and walked the roads and up by the dam. This week we have a list of options. I'm waiting for him to decide what he wants to do for our "day out". I absolutely miss having a place to go for a bike ride or taking a ride down the shore and walking the boardwalk for hours on end. We don't have safe bike routes in Virginia, we don't even have a shoulder-of-the-road! I rode my bike every where when I lived in South Jersey! All of the nature trails here are mountains. It's harder to get started on a walking plan when you start out going up hill! Maybe by the end of the summer the trails will get easier.
We've finally gotten the pool to clear, the algae was winning for a while, but it looks like tomorrow afternoon I will be able to try out the new float and start swimming every day again. I've been swimming since I was 3. My cousin was a lifeguard and our community pool. He decided to drop me in the water and explain it to my Mom later. I've been swimming ever since. Of course, the dog insists on his walk every day whether I swim or not, so it looks like the summer is going to be busy and the "moving around" is going to keep increasing (YAY!).
We've decided to rearrange the bedroom. A friend of Hubby's gave us a couple of old doors from his house. We had planned on putting a door on the bedroom anyway to lead to the outdoor jacuzzi. So now we're going to move all of the weights and equipment to that end of the room and the bed to the other end. It will give us the impression of a workout space within our limited space. And we can open the door and feel as thought the space is a lot bigger than it is!
Well, it looks like I need to go and refill was water glass, maybe I'll add a few strawberries to the water this time instead of orange slices... and then I'm going outside to play!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Getting Back on Track
I moved to Virginia from South Jersey in 1998. I was a Body Builder when I lived there. I competed in 1996 and did pretty well (I'll post pictures sometime...). It was a lifestyle and I loved it. When I moved to Virginia, I found myself in "the land before time". There were 2 gyms. The Nautilus (now Gold's) is the sole ownership of every college student that attends JMU. It's not really a gym, but a social club. There was also a little tiny gym at my end of the county. It's run by a Christian family, very nice people, who play only Contemporary Christian music in the gym. The music doesn't seem to enhance my work out in any way. One day while I was working out on the leg press, the owner came through with a potential new member on tour. The leg press was always my strongest exercise and naturally my favorite, so I had it completely loaded with 45 pound plates. As I was leaving the gym, the owner politely asked me to avoid the leg press whenever he was showing the gym, especially if it were police officers from the next town (his friends), he said it makes people nervous that I use that much weight. I realized that this was not going to be the gym for me either. Then recently that same town opened a community center with a work out area. How exciting I thought! Husband and I went and checked it out. No free weights (too dangerous) and a lot of elderly people. We joined anyway and decided to try it, we needed to do something. We were members for two months and we had to reorganize the workout schedule every week because of something being repaired... It wasn't working. So now we are back to the beginning.
My mind has never recognized me as a "fat girl", and that has always been a problem for me. I had a lot of self esteem issues as an young adult. I was in that "follow the crowd" mentality. I gained a lot of weight. In 1991, I decided to quit smoking. In order to keep myself from gaining even more weight, I also joined a gym the same day. There were three gyms between my home and my job, and I only worked in the next town. I started working out and I was hooked! I loved it! The endorphins were the best "high" I'd ever known! I met a lot of great people and found a trainer! I started training seriously for competition in 1993. I lost the equivalent weight of a 8 year old child!
So now here we are, I've gained the weight again. Not as much this time, though. But this time I have a real work out and diet partner, my wonderful husband. Husband quit smoking on December 3, 2009, and has gained a bit of weight. We found a great program online ~ caloriecount.com ~ that will even allow me to list my recipe ingredients and it will calculate the nutrient values for me. We've been using the program for a week now. Through my bodybuilding programs I learned the importance of a food diary, which is essential for me to stick to my eating plan. A food diary shows me everything I ate and the nutrients in those foods. It makes it easier to adjust the foods I'm eating, and it makes me accountable for everything I ingest. Everything I eat is written down, so if I don't want a particular food on my diary for that day I won't eat it. My biggest problem with an eating program is that I tend to eat too few calories just because I'm being so very careful.
So this is our diet plan:
1.Keep the calories and nutrients within the recommended range for our weight loss goals.
2.No dieting on Sunday. Everyone needs to have treats and "bad" foods from time to time and if it's not in the diet plan, you will cheat everyday, guaranteed!
3.Stay as active as possible.
4. We're working on figuring out a place to set up our own work out equipment. Once we do that, we'll set up a work out schedule.
5. Drink at least 2 quarts of pure water every day. Yes, I know coffee is a liquid too, but it's not a pure liquid. Pure liquids help to flush out some of the bad stuff that you accumulate through bad diets.
6. A multivitamin every day, insurance that we're getting our minimum...
OK, here we go, I can feel the fat melting off as I type these words!
My mind has never recognized me as a "fat girl", and that has always been a problem for me. I had a lot of self esteem issues as an young adult. I was in that "follow the crowd" mentality. I gained a lot of weight. In 1991, I decided to quit smoking. In order to keep myself from gaining even more weight, I also joined a gym the same day. There were three gyms between my home and my job, and I only worked in the next town. I started working out and I was hooked! I loved it! The endorphins were the best "high" I'd ever known! I met a lot of great people and found a trainer! I started training seriously for competition in 1993. I lost the equivalent weight of a 8 year old child!
So now here we are, I've gained the weight again. Not as much this time, though. But this time I have a real work out and diet partner, my wonderful husband. Husband quit smoking on December 3, 2009, and has gained a bit of weight. We found a great program online ~ caloriecount.com ~ that will even allow me to list my recipe ingredients and it will calculate the nutrient values for me. We've been using the program for a week now. Through my bodybuilding programs I learned the importance of a food diary, which is essential for me to stick to my eating plan. A food diary shows me everything I ate and the nutrients in those foods. It makes it easier to adjust the foods I'm eating, and it makes me accountable for everything I ingest. Everything I eat is written down, so if I don't want a particular food on my diary for that day I won't eat it. My biggest problem with an eating program is that I tend to eat too few calories just because I'm being so very careful.
So this is our diet plan:
1.Keep the calories and nutrients within the recommended range for our weight loss goals.
2.No dieting on Sunday. Everyone needs to have treats and "bad" foods from time to time and if it's not in the diet plan, you will cheat everyday, guaranteed!
3.Stay as active as possible.
4. We're working on figuring out a place to set up our own work out equipment. Once we do that, we'll set up a work out schedule.
5. Drink at least 2 quarts of pure water every day. Yes, I know coffee is a liquid too, but it's not a pure liquid. Pure liquids help to flush out some of the bad stuff that you accumulate through bad diets.
6. A multivitamin every day, insurance that we're getting our minimum...
OK, here we go, I can feel the fat melting off as I type these words!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Kids Today
I remember when I was a kid things were a lot different than they are now. The pressure to fit in was the same, but the urgency wasn't the same. We moved a lot when I was growing up. I think the longest I spent in any one school was 3 years. When I was Junior High age we moved to a much bigger community than I'd ever been in and I started smoking cigarettes because everyone else seemed to and I wanted to fit in. I was almost 12 when I started smoking (I quit in 1991). The teenage girls that I've had the opportunity to associate with since I started helping out with our store have given me an interesting perspective on today's youth and the pressures they face. Many of these girls smoke pot, many of them have tried alcohol in some form or other and most of them have either started having sex or have decided to call themselves gay. I'm not sure how many of the gay crowd really are or if it's just the "in" thing. I'm sure they'll decide at some point, but my thoughts for today revolve around the girls who have decided to become sexually active as teens. I do have some advice for these girls. I'm sure many of you also have some advice and I welcome your comments to this missive.
First and most importantly, if you're not ready to have sex, Don't. Just because some of your friends have and maybe one of your friends is pregnant, doesn't mean that it's expected!
If you know your parents are going to go completely bonkers if they find out, you can be guaranteed they will find out.
Pregnancy is a very real and very possible outcome. Are you sure that you want to deal with boy for the rest of your life? You will be connected to him by this child.
Are willing to share custody? It will probably mean that you would need his permission to relocate. You not going to be accepted a college scholarship in California and even if your family moves to Florida you may be stuck in NJ.
Who is going to pay for this child's needs? Diapers, formula, clothes, toys, doctor bills are just a few of the expenses. Are you ready to get a job and hire a babysitter? Most parents work, including your own, they're not going to be able to watch your child all the time. You're not going to be able to hang out with friends or spend hours on facebook if you have a child. Most of your friends aren't having a baby this year and they're going to be hanging out at the mall, not home watching you care for your child. Are you willing to give up new clothes and electronics in order to buy your child diapers?
Now about this boy; What is his earning potential? Can he afford child support payments? Is he even willing to admit that it's his baby? If he says it's not his, then all of the expenses are your own. maybe it would be a good idea to find out how much the average Labor and Delivery charges are at your local hospital. Do you have that much in savings? Can your parents afford to help you with the expenses of this family? Please consider these things before you decide. Sex is fun when you are with someone that you love and trust implicitly. For a night or just to get that pesky virginity thing out of the way means many very real considerations. I haven't even touched on the number of young people with STD's and yes, they're real. Syphilis is forever, even with penicillin. That is if you're not allergic to penicillin... Maybe you could Google "syphilis" before you decide to have sex... If you don't feel comfortable talking to your parents, talk to some other adult!
First and most importantly, if you're not ready to have sex, Don't. Just because some of your friends have and maybe one of your friends is pregnant, doesn't mean that it's expected!
If you know your parents are going to go completely bonkers if they find out, you can be guaranteed they will find out.
Pregnancy is a very real and very possible outcome. Are you sure that you want to deal with boy for the rest of your life? You will be connected to him by this child.
Are willing to share custody? It will probably mean that you would need his permission to relocate. You not going to be accepted a college scholarship in California and even if your family moves to Florida you may be stuck in NJ.
Who is going to pay for this child's needs? Diapers, formula, clothes, toys, doctor bills are just a few of the expenses. Are you ready to get a job and hire a babysitter? Most parents work, including your own, they're not going to be able to watch your child all the time. You're not going to be able to hang out with friends or spend hours on facebook if you have a child. Most of your friends aren't having a baby this year and they're going to be hanging out at the mall, not home watching you care for your child. Are you willing to give up new clothes and electronics in order to buy your child diapers?
Now about this boy; What is his earning potential? Can he afford child support payments? Is he even willing to admit that it's his baby? If he says it's not his, then all of the expenses are your own. maybe it would be a good idea to find out how much the average Labor and Delivery charges are at your local hospital. Do you have that much in savings? Can your parents afford to help you with the expenses of this family? Please consider these things before you decide. Sex is fun when you are with someone that you love and trust implicitly. For a night or just to get that pesky virginity thing out of the way means many very real considerations. I haven't even touched on the number of young people with STD's and yes, they're real. Syphilis is forever, even with penicillin. That is if you're not allergic to penicillin... Maybe you could Google "syphilis" before you decide to have sex... If you don't feel comfortable talking to your parents, talk to some other adult!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Green Living in the Real World
We're in the process of closing some of our web sites and consolidating our links, and in honor of Earth week I thought I'd re-post some of the Green Living articles here. Enjoy!
An Earth Day Challenge
I am an old hippie and a life time pagan (with brief periods of adulthood!). I was raised in Southern NJ and had no idea that the rest of the country was not as pro active as we were in the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle). This Challenge is and invitation to find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. It will run for as long as it takes to get everyone into a mind-set of environmental activism.
This is the Challenge:
We make a lot of routine purchases all of which cost of extra money. These are marketed for the convenience. Many of them we've grow up with, but have you ever stopped to consider the fact that before these items were mass produced and mass marketed, our grandparents did just fine without them?
Re-evaluate all of your routine purchases of disposable products (this is harder than it sounds!). Which of these items really need to be disposable and which can you substitute for a reusable?
How many of your routine purchases include more packaging than product? Can you buy that item in bulk and reduce the amount of waste? Can you reuse the packaging, such as butter containers?
Do you compost organic waste? This is much more efficient and cheaper than chemical based fertilizers, and it's free!
Have you considered a rain barrel? Recycled rain water is much better for your plants than the chemical laden water provided by your municipality, and this is also free!
Do you donate items that you no longer need rather than send them to the landfill?
Going Green
I thought I'd start a list of the things we've changed in our lives in order to cut down on the amount of trash going into the landfills and save money at the same time. Maybe you can add to this list. I'm certain that there are still many things I haven't thought of that can be added!
Cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
Rags instead of paper towels.
Hankies instead of tissues (except when there is a respiratory infection)
Bread wrappers and other "clean" plastic bags instead of "zip lock"
Butter and plastic ice cream containers instead of store bought plastic containers.
No disposable plates, cups, forks, etc.
Reusable cloth shopping bags, even Walmart has these now but you'll have to look around to find them.
Aluminum foil , which can reused and recycled, instead of plastic wrap.
We buy our drinking water from a local spring for 20c a gallon and refill travel mugs, instead of buying bottled water.
Reusable coffee filter screen instead of paper coffee filters.
We also compost all of our organic waste and use it on the garden.
We have a rain barrel and water the garden and indoor plants from that.
We freeze leftovers and reheat them at a later time instead of buying "microwave meals"
We bring our own place settings to pot luck dinners, complete with cloth napkin!
Also. They now make form fitted cloth baby diapers. These are also water proof and very cute. A great option instead of disposable diapers that will be in the landfill for 500 years!
Six Principles for Green Living
by Dr J Mercola www.mercola.com
Living by “green” principles can be extremely satisfying, but how do you do it? Surely, it’s not by purchasing more “green” products, because buying and using more “things” is all part of the problem.
1. Strive for Simplicity: More stuff means more complexity; more upkeep, more keeping track, more things to do. In global terms, it means more wasted resources.
2. Fairness: Much of our consumption-driven market is based on unfairness. If everyone along the chain, from a Bolivian granny making hand-woven grocery bags to the Wal-Mart worker, actually were paid what you’d expect, that hand-woven grocery bag would be out of most people’s price range.
3. Community: If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending a local farmer’s market, you’ve experienced something few of us do these days: an encounter with a part of your community, an actual living and breathing person, who made that which you’re about to buy.
4. Sustainability: A system is sustainable when the negative outputs of that system are accommodated and turned into positive outputs. However, most of our global production is not sustainable.
5. Planning: Planning means looking ahead toward a desired outcome. It also means thinking a little bit about the community that isn’t here yet and dealing fairly with them. The decisions we make now will create the conditions our grandchildren and their grandchildren will have to deal with.
6. Transparency: Planning, community, fairness, and ultimately sustainability require transparency, but most decisions these days are made behind closed doors
The Hemp Revolution
Does it make sense to ban a crop in the United States that can have a large, positive economic and environmental impact and is completely harmless? That is exactly the position of the hemp advocates.
Because hemp is a relative of marijuana it is lumped by law into the illegal drug category. It is against the law to grow it, although some products made from it can be imported from other countries. And most importantly, industrial hemp is not marijuana. It contains just 0.3 to 1.5 percent of THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its drug-like effects. By comparison, marijuana contains 5 percent to 10 percent THC. Smoking hemp is not going to make anyone high.
But what are some of the benefits of this harmless crop?
*For starters, Hemp can make take-out containers, and save our landfills from styrofoam.
* The fiber from the hemp plant possesses strength and durability, resists rotting and is easier to bleach than wood pulp, which means whiter paper at lower cost. That would be a boon to the book-publishing industry, to cite one example.
* Hemp oil was used to lubricate the engines of Navy fighter planes in World War II, and hemp activist Woody Harelson used it to power a diesel vehicle to demonstrate the benefits of it. It can also be fermented into an alcohol-based fuel, offering a potent and truly renewable energy source.
* Hemp won't put an end to the logging industry, but it would spare some forests from being cut down for paper products.
* Unlike trees, which take years to grow to the point at which they can be harvested, hemp plants can reach a harvest-able state within four months. For paper manufacturers and users it could provide a cheaper source of pulp than trees, which take too long to renew.
Happy Earth Day!!
An Earth Day Challenge
I am an old hippie and a life time pagan (with brief periods of adulthood!). I was raised in Southern NJ and had no idea that the rest of the country was not as pro active as we were in the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle). This Challenge is and invitation to find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. It will run for as long as it takes to get everyone into a mind-set of environmental activism.
This is the Challenge:
We make a lot of routine purchases all of which cost of extra money. These are marketed for the convenience. Many of them we've grow up with, but have you ever stopped to consider the fact that before these items were mass produced and mass marketed, our grandparents did just fine without them?
Re-evaluate all of your routine purchases of disposable products (this is harder than it sounds!). Which of these items really need to be disposable and which can you substitute for a reusable?
How many of your routine purchases include more packaging than product? Can you buy that item in bulk and reduce the amount of waste? Can you reuse the packaging, such as butter containers?
Do you compost organic waste? This is much more efficient and cheaper than chemical based fertilizers, and it's free!
Have you considered a rain barrel? Recycled rain water is much better for your plants than the chemical laden water provided by your municipality, and this is also free!
Do you donate items that you no longer need rather than send them to the landfill?
Going Green
I thought I'd start a list of the things we've changed in our lives in order to cut down on the amount of trash going into the landfills and save money at the same time. Maybe you can add to this list. I'm certain that there are still many things I haven't thought of that can be added!
Cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
Rags instead of paper towels.
Hankies instead of tissues (except when there is a respiratory infection)
Bread wrappers and other "clean" plastic bags instead of "zip lock"
Butter and plastic ice cream containers instead of store bought plastic containers.
No disposable plates, cups, forks, etc.
Reusable cloth shopping bags, even Walmart has these now but you'll have to look around to find them.
Aluminum foil , which can reused and recycled, instead of plastic wrap.
We buy our drinking water from a local spring for 20c a gallon and refill travel mugs, instead of buying bottled water.
Reusable coffee filter screen instead of paper coffee filters.
We also compost all of our organic waste and use it on the garden.
We have a rain barrel and water the garden and indoor plants from that.
We freeze leftovers and reheat them at a later time instead of buying "microwave meals"
We bring our own place settings to pot luck dinners, complete with cloth napkin!
Also. They now make form fitted cloth baby diapers. These are also water proof and very cute. A great option instead of disposable diapers that will be in the landfill for 500 years!
Six Principles for Green Living
by Dr J Mercola www.mercola.com
Living by “green” principles can be extremely satisfying, but how do you do it? Surely, it’s not by purchasing more “green” products, because buying and using more “things” is all part of the problem.
1. Strive for Simplicity: More stuff means more complexity; more upkeep, more keeping track, more things to do. In global terms, it means more wasted resources.
2. Fairness: Much of our consumption-driven market is based on unfairness. If everyone along the chain, from a Bolivian granny making hand-woven grocery bags to the Wal-Mart worker, actually were paid what you’d expect, that hand-woven grocery bag would be out of most people’s price range.
3. Community: If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending a local farmer’s market, you’ve experienced something few of us do these days: an encounter with a part of your community, an actual living and breathing person, who made that which you’re about to buy.
4. Sustainability: A system is sustainable when the negative outputs of that system are accommodated and turned into positive outputs. However, most of our global production is not sustainable.
5. Planning: Planning means looking ahead toward a desired outcome. It also means thinking a little bit about the community that isn’t here yet and dealing fairly with them. The decisions we make now will create the conditions our grandchildren and their grandchildren will have to deal with.
6. Transparency: Planning, community, fairness, and ultimately sustainability require transparency, but most decisions these days are made behind closed doors
The Hemp Revolution
Does it make sense to ban a crop in the United States that can have a large, positive economic and environmental impact and is completely harmless? That is exactly the position of the hemp advocates.
Because hemp is a relative of marijuana it is lumped by law into the illegal drug category. It is against the law to grow it, although some products made from it can be imported from other countries. And most importantly, industrial hemp is not marijuana. It contains just 0.3 to 1.5 percent of THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its drug-like effects. By comparison, marijuana contains 5 percent to 10 percent THC. Smoking hemp is not going to make anyone high.
But what are some of the benefits of this harmless crop?
*For starters, Hemp can make take-out containers, and save our landfills from styrofoam.
* The fiber from the hemp plant possesses strength and durability, resists rotting and is easier to bleach than wood pulp, which means whiter paper at lower cost. That would be a boon to the book-publishing industry, to cite one example.
* Hemp oil was used to lubricate the engines of Navy fighter planes in World War II, and hemp activist Woody Harelson used it to power a diesel vehicle to demonstrate the benefits of it. It can also be fermented into an alcohol-based fuel, offering a potent and truly renewable energy source.
* Hemp won't put an end to the logging industry, but it would spare some forests from being cut down for paper products.
* Unlike trees, which take years to grow to the point at which they can be harvested, hemp plants can reach a harvest-able state within four months. For paper manufacturers and users it could provide a cheaper source of pulp than trees, which take too long to renew.
Happy Earth Day!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
My Interview on You, Me & Religion
http://youmereligion.blogspot.com/
also, check out my other blog
http://mystikdoveshoppe.blogspot.com/
also, check out my other blog
http://mystikdoveshoppe.blogspot.com/
Sunday, March 28, 2010
My New Computer
I think I’m in love with technology! Does that make me a geek? The new lap top was ordered on Monday and arrived on Thursday. Now, keep in mind that the last time I bought a computer was in 1999 when my old windows 3.1 finally needed to be replaced. It was windows 98, which of course went to blue screen soon after. Circuit City ended up replacing it for me with a windows 98se, which worked great until around 2006 when I finally replaced the hard drive and installed windows xp. Well, as of last year, the computer itself had gotten to slow for the programs on the internet, I could only hook up with dial up, it had no Ethernet card, and I decided it wasn’t worth buying one for that computer. So, Rick and I shared his computer, which he bought around 2000. His computer has Ethernet and was already windows xp so it started out a little fasted than mine. Sharing a computer is fine, but now his computer is too slow to play games on facebook. Yes, I moved out of Yoville and Farmville because of my computer! It was a good habit to break in the long run (have you heard about all of the viruses being blamed on Farmville attachments??). So we finally decided it was time. We had to get a new computer! We found a nice Toshiba on walmart.com in our price range and ordered it. Now the fun part. All of my files for the store were written on Microsoft word processor version 2000, now we have version 2007 and the two programs are not compatible. So, I have now begun re-entering all of my store information, all of my Sanctuary information, and all of my previously saved recipes manually. But on the plus side, this computer is so fast, I don’t have time to run to the bathroom while I’m waiting for the page to load! I had gotten in the habit of turning on the computer in the morning when I get home from work, getting changed, emptying the dishwasher and making a bowl of oatmeal while I waited for the computer to boot up and the internet to load, and I still had time to eat my breakfast before it was finished loading! Now, I don’t even have time to fix breakfast before the internet is up and running! I can switch between my facebook page and Rick’s without waiting, and the games load! I’m currently hooked on Mahjong Dimensions, but that’s another story… But I am having so much fun! I have been clicking on icons on this computer to see what they do. I love the sticky notes! I’m a Virgo, I have to have a list… I’ve been using the sticky notes to remind myself of things I need to search and websites I need to go back too. I love it! I don’t have access to the internet connection at work but I can write blogs on the word processor and copy and paste when I get home or when I finish writing. I have also started re-entering all of my store and Sanctuary information. So, I imagine it will be a while before needing an internet connection at work is even an issue. Of course, on the nights that the baby isn’t feeling well or had a late nap I won’t get much done, but as a chronic multi-tasker, I am in my element! It’s always bothered me that I am at work with work to do at home and I can’t do both at once. The lap top is definitely a good choice. Maybe I’m not quite ready for geek-dom, but I have certainly enjoyed the adventure of learning a new computer! I’m thinking about uploading some novels…. Any suggestions?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Charlie
Charlie is 12 years old now. I got him from the Pound in 1999, he was about a year old then. He is a German Sheppard / Collie mix. Charlie was terrified of everything when I brought him home. Every sound, every person, just everything. He wouldn’t eat anything but table scraps, and he certainly wouldn’t eat if anyone was around. He wouldn’t bark, and he didn’t know how to play “fetch”. I took him to a trainer to have him evaluated. I had decided that if there was no chance of improvement, I wanted to take him back to the Pound before I had a chance to get attached. The trainer explained that he had obviously been mistreated. She said that the way the fur was matted around his neck, even after a few baths, showed that he had been left out on a chain. He was also, in her opinion, left alone most of the time. He was very timid around people. He was terrified of sticks, she thought that this may have indicated that he had been teased, maybe even poked at. But, she also said to give him plenty of time and he would come around. Of course, this was not what I had in mind when I went to get a dog. I’ve always been envious of those folks who can leave their dog off leash and the dog stays with them and never creates a problem… Charlie is still timid around some people, not all, and we’re not sure how he would react if someone tried to hurt me, but what a difference! He loves to be the center of attention, and if the neighborhood kids are outside playing he barks and barks and barks. He wants the kids to come and play or at least talk to him! If he hears one of the kids crying he gets upset and barks and cries until they stop or are out of his hearing range. He loves doggie ice cream (Frosty Paws) and this year during the holiday’s I made home made dog biscuits for him. (no, he’s not spoiled, just well loved!). I’ve always had this vision of the perfect dog for me. This is a dog that can be off leash and stay there beside me. And my “perfect” dog is supposed to “stay” when he’s told, and “come” when he’s told, and not beg at the dinner table… Well. Let me tell you about Charlie… One day last week, Rick and I were sitting at the dining room table working on packaging for Wildflower’s Organics. Charlie must have thought we were eating something. He came dancing into the room, tail wagging, ears up and just as pretty as he could be. He sat pretty, begging for a treat. Rick reached across the table to the bag of dog treats just as Casey, our cat, came flying in through the doggie door. Charlie stopped mid-beg, he had to sniff and nuzzle Casey. By the time he was finished, he had completely forgotten that he was begging for a treat!
Charlie and I usually go for a walk when the weather is nice. Just to the end of our street. He’s still afraid of the traffic and there is almost no traffic on our street. The trainer said teaching him to walk on a leash wouldn’t be too hard. She said start with a longer leash and progress down to a shorter leash. We tried it. It looked like I was skiing on asphalt! He could not remember to stay beside me. If he sees a butterfly, he tries to follow it. If he sees a cat, he tries to follow it, if he sees another dog, he wants to follow him too! We ended up getting a retractable leash! Sometimes, I’ve said that we don’t go for a walk we go for a “sniff-n-pee/stop-n-bark” because that’s what we do! Every blade of grass, every clump of dirt, every mailbox needs to be watered by him! He barks at every dog, and every neighbor he sees., more in greeting than anything else. But if a car comes down the street. He sits exactly where he is. It’s like trying to move a brick wall with kite string!
I said Charlie isn’t spoiled, he’s just well loved and that’s the truth. Rick and I were married in 2007 and Charlie liked Rick from the very beginning (which had a lot to do with marrying him…). Charlie now has a doggie door and a patio completely enclosed by a privacy fence. He has plenty of room to meander and play. He’s even learned to play fetch and sometimes we play “fetch it yourself”! He can see the neighbors through the fence and he loves to bark at whatever it is he thinks he sees in the night. On the days that I help out in our store, Mystik Dove, he spends the day with Rick and I in the store. He doesn’t spend a lot of time alone, and he likes it that way!
Charlie is starting to show his age now. His muzzle is turning gray, we’re not sure how good his vision or hearing are sometimes, he sleeps more than he used to, and some days he seems to have more trouble getting starting in the morning, but if Rick lights the grill, Charlie is like a puppy, all revved up and ready to beg!
Charlie and I usually go for a walk when the weather is nice. Just to the end of our street. He’s still afraid of the traffic and there is almost no traffic on our street. The trainer said teaching him to walk on a leash wouldn’t be too hard. She said start with a longer leash and progress down to a shorter leash. We tried it. It looked like I was skiing on asphalt! He could not remember to stay beside me. If he sees a butterfly, he tries to follow it. If he sees a cat, he tries to follow it, if he sees another dog, he wants to follow him too! We ended up getting a retractable leash! Sometimes, I’ve said that we don’t go for a walk we go for a “sniff-n-pee/stop-n-bark” because that’s what we do! Every blade of grass, every clump of dirt, every mailbox needs to be watered by him! He barks at every dog, and every neighbor he sees., more in greeting than anything else. But if a car comes down the street. He sits exactly where he is. It’s like trying to move a brick wall with kite string!
I said Charlie isn’t spoiled, he’s just well loved and that’s the truth. Rick and I were married in 2007 and Charlie liked Rick from the very beginning (which had a lot to do with marrying him…). Charlie now has a doggie door and a patio completely enclosed by a privacy fence. He has plenty of room to meander and play. He’s even learned to play fetch and sometimes we play “fetch it yourself”! He can see the neighbors through the fence and he loves to bark at whatever it is he thinks he sees in the night. On the days that I help out in our store, Mystik Dove, he spends the day with Rick and I in the store. He doesn’t spend a lot of time alone, and he likes it that way!
Charlie is starting to show his age now. His muzzle is turning gray, we’re not sure how good his vision or hearing are sometimes, he sleeps more than he used to, and some days he seems to have more trouble getting starting in the morning, but if Rick lights the grill, Charlie is like a puppy, all revved up and ready to beg!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
PopPop's Shop
Blessed Ostara! Happy Spring! This has been a long and cold winter. I'm really happy to see that it's finally ending!
We opened another section on our dovesart.etsy.com shop. It's titled PopPop's Shop. All of the items in the section were made by my Dad, whom the kids call PopPop. PopPop will be 74 years old in April. He retired about 10 years ago from his "real" job and now works full time in the hardware department at Walmart. Mom passed over a few years ago and Dad is alone now. Working at Walmart gives him something to do every day and I know that he's not sitting quietly in the house all by himself.
For as long as I can remember, PopPop has had a workshop. The workshop has been expanding slowly over the years, but it has always been there. PopPop loves to build things. He's made shelves for everyone, Blanket Chests, and anything anyone needed. I lived in one house that was rather small. I gave him the dimensions for the living room tables that would fit and he built them. I showed him a picture in a magazine of another table I wanted and he built that one too! Recently he built himself an Entertainment Center (he needed a new one to go with the new TV!) and he built himself a beautiful computer desk. He doesn't use the computer much, but he has one and it sits on the new desk. (Or some other excuse to build something!! LOL!)
PopPop will make whatever he's in the mood to make. The items in the PopPop's Shop section of dovesart.etsy.com, are those things that he was in the mood to make. Of course, he made 3 or 4 or more of some of things! I like to think of it as a way to encourage him to keep making the things that he likes and maybe make back a little of the money and time he's put into it. We haven't told him about the etsy shop yet... Maybe we'll wait until his first sale. All of the items on dovesart.etsy. com and on wildflowersorganics.etsy.com are also available in out brick and mortar store Mystik Dove.
We opened another section on our dovesart.etsy.com shop. It's titled PopPop's Shop. All of the items in the section were made by my Dad, whom the kids call PopPop. PopPop will be 74 years old in April. He retired about 10 years ago from his "real" job and now works full time in the hardware department at Walmart. Mom passed over a few years ago and Dad is alone now. Working at Walmart gives him something to do every day and I know that he's not sitting quietly in the house all by himself.
For as long as I can remember, PopPop has had a workshop. The workshop has been expanding slowly over the years, but it has always been there. PopPop loves to build things. He's made shelves for everyone, Blanket Chests, and anything anyone needed. I lived in one house that was rather small. I gave him the dimensions for the living room tables that would fit and he built them. I showed him a picture in a magazine of another table I wanted and he built that one too! Recently he built himself an Entertainment Center (he needed a new one to go with the new TV!) and he built himself a beautiful computer desk. He doesn't use the computer much, but he has one and it sits on the new desk. (Or some other excuse to build something!! LOL!)
PopPop will make whatever he's in the mood to make. The items in the PopPop's Shop section of dovesart.etsy.com, are those things that he was in the mood to make. Of course, he made 3 or 4 or more of some of things! I like to think of it as a way to encourage him to keep making the things that he likes and maybe make back a little of the money and time he's put into it. We haven't told him about the etsy shop yet... Maybe we'll wait until his first sale. All of the items on dovesart.etsy. com and on wildflowersorganics.etsy.com are also available in out brick and mortar store Mystik Dove.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wildflower's Organics
Wildflower's Organics was a dream I had when I was 13 years old. It has taken me a long to realize this dream and I am really excited about it!
When I was growing up we moved about every 3-5 years, so I never had a chance to make a lot of friends and can't ever remember having a "best friend", some days I can't remember which kids were from which school. From age 6 until 11, we lived in a neighborhood that was mostly vacation homes. Neighbors only came down in the summer and most were older adults. So, for the most part it was my brother and I and our 2 little sisters. Then we moved into a Sub-Division (we called them "Developments" back then) There were kids there, lots of them! Most of whom, my Mother thought, were not such a good influence... But I had one favorite friend whom my Mother did like. Her name was Lois and she had a bunch of brothers and sisters and of course, she spent a lot of time helping out at home. We spent time together when we could, either at her house or mine or just walking around the neighborhood.
When we were about 13, the teachers at school started talking to us about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Mostly to get us ready to start picking out our classes for High School. Lois and I talked about it a lot during those months. She wanted to be an Artist. She was pretty good at it already so it seemed most likely for her. I wanted to open a store and sell bath salts and home made beauty products. We were children of the 70's after all, and the hippie influence was strong in our area. Part of my vision was to display the bath salts in apothecary jars. For Christmas that year Lois gave me an apothecary jar. It was the best gift I had ever gotten, because it allowed me to believe that my dream was possible. Until I moved to Virginia in 1998, that apothecary jar stayed in the bathroom in every home I lived in as an adult. I don't know if it got lost or broken in the move, but I haven't been able to find it.
In the mean while, life happened. Education, career, family responsibilities, relocation... During the past few years, the home made bath products idea has resurfaced. Hubby said, just do it. We have the internet now, we have a store of our own, we have Etsy and we have our wonderful facebook friends and we're not going to move(!). The time seems right. So, here we go! Wildflower's Organics is born with thanks to the best husband in the world and with special thanks to Lois, my favorite friend in Collings Lakes, NJ. Lois, you gave me a gift that kept me focused on my dream and for that I will always be grateful! Thank you!
When I was growing up we moved about every 3-5 years, so I never had a chance to make a lot of friends and can't ever remember having a "best friend", some days I can't remember which kids were from which school. From age 6 until 11, we lived in a neighborhood that was mostly vacation homes. Neighbors only came down in the summer and most were older adults. So, for the most part it was my brother and I and our 2 little sisters. Then we moved into a Sub-Division (we called them "Developments" back then) There were kids there, lots of them! Most of whom, my Mother thought, were not such a good influence... But I had one favorite friend whom my Mother did like. Her name was Lois and she had a bunch of brothers and sisters and of course, she spent a lot of time helping out at home. We spent time together when we could, either at her house or mine or just walking around the neighborhood.
When we were about 13, the teachers at school started talking to us about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Mostly to get us ready to start picking out our classes for High School. Lois and I talked about it a lot during those months. She wanted to be an Artist. She was pretty good at it already so it seemed most likely for her. I wanted to open a store and sell bath salts and home made beauty products. We were children of the 70's after all, and the hippie influence was strong in our area. Part of my vision was to display the bath salts in apothecary jars. For Christmas that year Lois gave me an apothecary jar. It was the best gift I had ever gotten, because it allowed me to believe that my dream was possible. Until I moved to Virginia in 1998, that apothecary jar stayed in the bathroom in every home I lived in as an adult. I don't know if it got lost or broken in the move, but I haven't been able to find it.
In the mean while, life happened. Education, career, family responsibilities, relocation... During the past few years, the home made bath products idea has resurfaced. Hubby said, just do it. We have the internet now, we have a store of our own, we have Etsy and we have our wonderful facebook friends and we're not going to move(!). The time seems right. So, here we go! Wildflower's Organics is born with thanks to the best husband in the world and with special thanks to Lois, my favorite friend in Collings Lakes, NJ. Lois, you gave me a gift that kept me focused on my dream and for that I will always be grateful! Thank you!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Snow Day(s)
It's been about 7 years since we had snow and about 7 years before this that we had this much snow... maybe there's a pattern here? We'll see. I'm a summer girl. I prefer minimal clothes and plenty of sunshine. This snow needs to end! I think we've got about 18 inches so far and it's still snowing. That means that today is going to be a day of chores and then maybe I'll get to work on some crafts. The tagua nuts came this week. We've been working with them. They are at least as hard as rock! Rick is trying to carve them into 3 dimensional figures. These are test pieces. He's done a cat, and is currently working on a butterfly. We'll see how they come out before we get excited about it.
I am a private duty nurse and work with a toddler who has a genetic disorder and accompanying disabilities. I work night shift so that I can work in our store during the day, or work in my gardens when the weather is appropriate. This weekend it looks like we're going to have plenty of time to work on crafts and chores since it looks like I'm not going to be able to get to work tonight. Husband went to help a friend get his snowplow started. Maybe if I can get some of the chores done before he gets back, we can fit in some "quality time" between chores... it's a plan.
By the way... the picture is Casey. He thought he wanted to be outside in the snow... this was as far as he got!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Greetings!
I'm Deb (aka Wildflower). My husband is Rick (Mystik). We have a wonderful daughter, Vanessa, who lives entirely too far away. Our dog is a German Shepard/Collie mix named Charlie, and Casey is our black cat with an attitude.
We own Mystik Dove Shoppe in McGaheysville, VA, which sells all manner of Spiritual merchandise. We have also opened a sub-division of our store on etsy called DovesArt, which is an opportunity for us to showcase our own art.
We work mostly with organic and natural materials and everything is hand made. For example: if I decorate a foot stool, Rick made the foot stool for me to decorate.
Rick does the most amazing basso relief wood carvings I've ever seen. All of them have won ribbons at the Rockingham County Fair, most of them have won Blue Ribbons. Some of them are for sale on etsy. Presently he is interested in working with tagua nuts. We ordered them and are waiting for them to come in...
I have varied artistic interests. I love pyrography and have won a couple ribbons at the County Fair. I also enjoy working with polymer clay. I know it's not exactly a natural material but I still enjoy it. Currently I'm working on a line of Organic Bath products called "Wildflower's Organics". Hopefully this week I'll finally get started. I'm planning to start with bath salts and milk bath and expand from there.
There are so many art projects i want to do and new materials I want to try that I can easily foresee my section of the Etsy shop becoming rather large...
Now I need to get ready for my Groundhog's Day dinner tomorrow! Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, peanut butter pie, pumpkin pie... did I mention I love to cook?
Wildflower
We own Mystik Dove Shoppe in McGaheysville, VA, which sells all manner of Spiritual merchandise. We have also opened a sub-division of our store on etsy called DovesArt, which is an opportunity for us to showcase our own art.
We work mostly with organic and natural materials and everything is hand made. For example: if I decorate a foot stool, Rick made the foot stool for me to decorate.
Rick does the most amazing basso relief wood carvings I've ever seen. All of them have won ribbons at the Rockingham County Fair, most of them have won Blue Ribbons. Some of them are for sale on etsy. Presently he is interested in working with tagua nuts. We ordered them and are waiting for them to come in...
I have varied artistic interests. I love pyrography and have won a couple ribbons at the County Fair. I also enjoy working with polymer clay. I know it's not exactly a natural material but I still enjoy it. Currently I'm working on a line of Organic Bath products called "Wildflower's Organics". Hopefully this week I'll finally get started. I'm planning to start with bath salts and milk bath and expand from there.
There are so many art projects i want to do and new materials I want to try that I can easily foresee my section of the Etsy shop becoming rather large...
Now I need to get ready for my Groundhog's Day dinner tomorrow! Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, peanut butter pie, pumpkin pie... did I mention I love to cook?
Wildflower
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