MERRY CHRISTMAS and some Aloe uses

Yes, I say Merry Christmas, after all, if we take Christ out of Christmas, it's no longer the reason to celebrate. Looking forward to a visit with my family, across Illinois and Nebraska for the next few weeks. Can hardly wait to see them all. These last months have been difficult. I am avoiding the news for the most part, just do not want to know we have been struck with another mass shooting, airplane crash, sinking boat, or whatever else is on the bad news list. I'm an American and proud of it, and a Christian., And being punished for those beliefs is so unjust. When I was much younger, I remember the boats bringing in immigrants from other countries, stopping at Ellis Island, where they read the message at the Statue of Liberty, Bring me your -----. But you know, those people came here to escape tyranny in their homelands. They did not expect to convert us to their way of life, they wanted what we had. They learned English, got jobs and many became Americans we know to this day, musicians, artists, laborers, they adjusted and fit in. Now all these people flooding our country want to change us to their ways. Maybe they need to stay in their homelands and fight for change. If I left this country, I would pick one that had what i wanted, not what I have, and go there expecting to adapt to their ways. Nuf ranting. Did you know that aloe gel is good for your teeth? It's anti-inflammatory and has beta sitosterol, which helps quell bad breath, fight tooth decay and gum disease. Mix 1/4 cup of aloe gel in 1/2 cup of water and drink to improve mouth health. And you are sure to know it's great to soothe burns, cuts etc. Did you know that putting aloe gel on your face at night can help defeat wrinkles? Leave it on overnight and rinse off come morning. You can also rub it on bruises to help them disappear. All these tips come from the new Mother Earth Magazine. What an incredible week we have had,mostly sunny, warm, into the upper 60s and lower 70's, and its mid December. Hope it holds another few weeks. Of course here in TN we are getting seed catalogs, and starting to think about the spring gardens, which we will be working on in early March. Love the south. I want to wish you all a Christmas filled with God's peace and love, and a year with less going on in this world that is terrifying and sad. Take time to spend with your loved ones, we have to keep trusting God to take care of us as he has planned. Have a great Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Why? Do you not ever wonder? Plus recipes for mouthwash and flu prevention

Bear with me today, I am just saying things I have observed, studied and learned, all of which you can verify on line. About six years ago, driving to town down the beautiful mountains, I watched them working in the tomato and corn fields, and it struck me that something was odd. They brought in big sprayer trucks almost weekly and used chemicals to kill bugs and weeds, and then they started picking green tomatoes. Why? Are not vine ripened the ones that taste good? Well, it turns out you can't ship ripe ones across the country, they would be rotten when they arrived. So they ship them green and ripen them in gas chambers. The gas, ethylene is somewhat natural, but still,a man can't walk into the ripening chambers with out being killed by this gas. Well, that got me looking at a lot of the growing we do in this country, it's not good. There are 6 big company's, including Monsanto, Basf, Bayer, Syngenta, Dow and one more that use GMO growing practices on everything they grow. So for about 30 years, we have been eating all this Round up, agent orange, Hep c etc. And over those years, we have increased cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's, allergy's, ADHD and many other ills. On this mornings news, we are told that ADHD has doubled the last few years. A mother to be that eats GMO grown foods, passes on to her child big chances of cancer ADHD etc. This is all documented, and can be pulled up and checked out. It's not so much that we need cancer cures, we need to just stop it by what we eat. And there is now a big swing to organic foods, and non GMO foods. The stores are picking up on our desire to be healthier. Yeah. We have options. Why would we choose to be sick, or to make our kids sick? All that needless suffering. Ok, nuf ranting. Looking for a safe mouthwash? Try this, In a container, glass if possible, put 1 cup of aloe vera juice, 1/2 cup distilled water, 2 teaspoons baking soda, a dash of salt, and 20 drops of peppermint oil, 10 drops of clove oil, and 10 drops of tea tree oil. All this can be found in most stores now, if not look for them at Amazon or Swanson Vitamins, or Mountain Rose Herbs. If you are not big on flu shots, here is an immune builder for you, in a cup put 1 teaspoon of raw or organic honey, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric,1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 ounces of hot water, mix and drink it all. It may not taste too good, but gives your system a good boost. Seems a front moved across a lot of the states this last week, we didn't get any of the wicked weather, but we have a few cool days ahead, down to the freezing mark for 2 nights, but then rebounding into the 70s by next week. Don't mind a few days, just hate prolonged cold weather. We are coming up on Thanksgiving before long, the holidays seem to gather momentum and just rapidly pass by. I have so much to be thankful for, a wonderful family, a beautiful place to live, and now a paid for home. Not that I didn't work for that! And of course the Good Lord to bless me every day. Hope you are counting your blessings too, as we get ready for that turkey dinner. Til next time, stay well. '

Tiny House Living, Hand soap and mold spray recipes

There is a trend now to tiny house living. You have seen them on HGTV and Facebook. Funny, in 1955 when I married and moved to Amarillo Air Base, we had a tiny house. An 8x25 foot trailer we rented. Our bathroom was a corner of the bedroom big enough for a grinder toilet and wall mout sink, both stainless steel, and the whole room was a shower. The kitchen had a tiny frig with a freezer big enough for 2 ice cube trays. Apartment sized stove, and the living room was big enough for a couch. But it was my first home, and special. When our first baby was on they way, it was clear we could not fit a baby bed or anything else into this place so we bought a burned out mansion, 8 by 37. That one moved with us to Wichita Falls, in fact we moved our house around a lot, that was an adventure in itself. Learned a lot about "Fish tailing" one trip, wondered why cars kept diving for the side of the road as we approached. Guess the big thing is to avoid high utility bills, otherwise, some of these houses could be easily stolen while you were away. And they are not cheap. Need some hand soap? Chemical free? Mix 1/2 cup boiled or distilled water 1/2 cup castile soap, 1 T jojoba( or apricot kernel or grapeseed) and 15 drops of sea tree oil. Put in a pump bottle, shake slightly before use. All this stuff'seasy to find at Walmart, or I get mine from Swanson Vitamins or Amazon or Mountain Rose Herbs. Got mole on the north side of your house? Mix 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, and 1 T baking Spray on, do not wash off, rain will take it and the mold off. One of the blogs I read listed foods healthy people eat, will share. Apples, asparagus, blueberries, spices, broccoli, butternut squash, dark chocolate, legumes, nuts, plain yogurt, greens, oatmeal, olive oil, pears quinoa and salmon(wild caught). Lucky us, we still have greens and tomatoes, DOug extends the season well on salad stuff. Its still warm, but will change a little this week, 60's instead of close to 80. still not bad. Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away, holiday season really rushes up on us, I am working on notes to many friends on Christmas cards, a once a year occurrence. Never did like form letters, easy but so impersonal. Enjoy the end of fall, that cold stuff will arrive too soon. Have a good week, and love one another.

Tiny House Trend, Hand soap recipe and mold sprays

If you watch tv or follow Facebook, you must have seen the trend to tiny house living. It kind of makes me laugh, as back in 1955, newly married, 18 whole years old, we moved to Amarillo Air Base in Texas, and our first house was an 8x25 mobile home. If that's not tiny, don't know what is. Our bedroom had a small corner, maybe 4x4 that was a "bathroom, a stainless steel grinder toilet, a wall mounted sink and the whole room was the shower. A very tiny kitchen, big enough freezer in the frig for 2 ice cube trays, no food. An apartment sized stove, and the front room had a couch. Period. But it was home, my first one. And we were happy. Until a baby was on the way. Oops, no place for a baby bed or any other needed stuff, so we moved into a big house. Ha. 8x 57. Well, it felt big. And this one we bought, the first one was rented. This one had been burned in a fire so it required a lot of repair, but we lived in it for quite a while. Even moved it from Amarillo to Wichita Falls. Nothing like taking your house with you. Ah, the adventures we had doing that. Anyway, tiny houses are not new, they have been around for a long time. Guess leaving big utility bills behind has a draw. If you are getting into the DIY of loosing chemicals in your useable products, how about some great home made soap, liquid of course. In a container put 1/2 cup of boiled or distilled water. Add 1/2 cup of castile soap, 1 T of vitamin E oil, 1 T jojoba(or grapeseed or apricot kernel) oil, and 15 drops of tea tree oil. Shake a little before using. These items can all be bought at Amazon, or Mountain Rose Herbs. I tend to get them from Swanson Vitamins, they have so much these days. If you have a saved pump bottle use that, or you can buy one. Maybe a pretty one in the bathroom department. Got mold on the north side of your house? In a spray bottle mix 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 cup of water and 1 T baking soda. Spray on, don't wash off, rain will take it and all the mold away. One of my blogs gave a list of stuff healthy people eat on a regular basis, here goes: Apples, Asparagus, Blueberries, spices, broccoli, butternut squash, dark chocolate, legumes, nuts, plain yogurt, greens, oatmeal, olive oil, pears, quinoa and salmon. Wild caught salmon. I do eat this stuff, and a large amount comes from the gardens here on the mountain. It's November and Doug still has lettuce and cherry tomatoes, so we are blessed with good food most of the year. Still enjoying t shirt sleeve weather here, looks like next week will be a little cooler but not bad for November. Just three weeks til Thanksgiving, the holidays sneak up and roll rapidly by. Working on my Christmas cards, do a lot of them, with notes to a lot of folk, not big on form letters, seems like a short cut, not personal. The colors of the trees are spectacular but fading, my snowball bush is blooming. As are petunias and cosmos. Hope you are enjoying fall in your area, not looking forward to the cold days coming. Enjoy each day, never know how long we will be allowed to be here. Til next time, Love one another!

Make your own hand sanitizer, safe nail polish and Fall has arrived

The mornings are chilly, the days warm, nights cool but oh the colors on the mountains are spectacular. I look up a slope behind my son's work shop, the maples are crimson and the setting sun makes them glow a brilliant red. Surround that with yellow and orange of the other trees, and it takes your breath away. All too soon those leaves will fall, and the stark trunks will let the mountain show through, the only time I can see the top of the mountain behind the trees. I love this time of year, the only drawback being that cold weather will soon follow. At least here, we know it will be short, we have spring blooms by early March. My potato leaves are starting to wither, will be time to dig them soon. Looking forward to yellow sweets this year, and maybe if I am lucky, some Yukon gold's. My son still brings in lettuce and tomatoes from his garden, so salad is still a big part of the meals. If you buy hand sanitizer, it has things in it you don't want to be using. It's easy to make your own, try this recipe: Fill a small bottle with Witch Hazel, easy to find at the grocery store, leave enough space at the top to add 10 drops of lavender oil, and 10 drops of tea tree oil plus 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. Tea tree oil is so great to have around the house, I use it in mouth wash and for ouchies. It's easy to find at Walmart, and lavender oil is no longer hard to get. The air sprays so many use are toxic so mixing half water, half Witch Hazel and lavender oil makes a great air freshener. You can use any oil you like the scent of, I like grapefruit or lemon too. Watched a news spot last week, telling the dangers of the endocrine disrupters found in most nail polish. That sent me on a hunt for a make my own, which was of no use, they just used the ones on the market and added stuff to color with. So I did find a list of polishes with no harmful stuff in them, and here are the names; Piggy Paint, Honeybee Gardens, No-Miss, Suncoat, Priti, and Spa Ritual. All of these can be found on a website for Vita-Cost, plus an amazing amount of other stuff, including foods. Worth checking out. I ordered a couple so will let you know after I use them if I like them. You can remove polish like this with rubbing alcohol, doing away with the icky polish remover. It's time to set the clock back this week end, get a 49 hour weekend. OUrs includes a rainy Sunday. Take time to enjoy the fall weather, watch a sunrise, be thankful for all you do have, we all have more than we think. Til next time, have a spooktacular week.

What do you know about Cholesterol?

Most of our knowledge of cholesterol is a myth. The diet we are told to follow, the studies on heart health, all leave much to be desired. According to an article in Mother Earth News, the largest study ever done on eating a low fat diet has found it has no effect on lowering cholesterol. Framington did a study showing that God is in the details. People who developed heart disease had about the same levels of cholesterol as those who didn't. After 44 years on this study done in Framington, Mass. they wrote, "The more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol they ate, the more calories they ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol. We found that people who ate the most cholesterol and the most saturated fat and calories, weigh the least and were the most physically active." So it goes back to what I have long thought, that Big Pharma is just out to get your buck. They seem to think all of us should be on statins, which have been proven to kill your kidneys and liver and do your body damage, including kicking of diabetes. Case in point, my hairdresser of many years had disc surgery, and while in the hospital, a doc decided she needed meds for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. She got home and kept feeling worse and worse, after a few months, she fell, hitting her head on concrete and ended up back in the hospital. Another doc asked her why she was taking so many meds she did not need, and took her off all of them. But the damage was done, her kidneys no longer worked right or her liver. She has never recovered. It's just good to be smart and protect yourself, and your diet can help, add wild salmon, berries, vegetables, grass fed meat, beans, dark chocolate, garlic and turmeric, pomegranate and extra virgin olive oil. Which you have to watch, a lot of the oil sold in stores is cut with cheaper oils to lower the price. I have started buying organic from Swansons. It seems the best way to protect yourself is just to be proactive about your health, learn the basics and take care of yourself. Looking for holiday gifts? How about some body scrubs? Here is one I love: 3/4 cup organic sugar 2 teaspoons ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground rose petals, pick some from your garden and dry 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 1 cup sesame seed oil. Mix all together, put in pretty containers. Makes 8 ounces. It's been a lovely week, warm days, near 80, and crisp nights. The trees are wearing fall colors, and last night's sunset shining on the red trees was awesome. Love fall, hope it lasts a long time. Add some fall veggies to your meals, the squashes are great, and versatile. Til next time, stay well.

Turmeric, Part 2

The more turmeric is studied, the more it becomes apparent what a healing herb this is. From this month's Mother Earth magazine, here are some more facts. Turmeric is great for indigestion and IBS, it has great healing effects on gum inflammation, gingivitis, and reducing bacteria in the mouth. It helps fight infections including Staph, E coli, flu, herpes, hepatitis B and C, MRSA, salmonella and some fungi. It has great healing effects against psoriasis, and the best one maybe, in India the occurrence of Alzheimer's is very low compared to the U.S., because they eat so much turmeric, It has the ability to ward off brain diseases. this is because it inhibits the formation of amyloid. And that helps against the formation of tumors, Parkinson's and other cognitive failure. Add to that its amazing ability to ward off cancer, and you have a substance that is almost a no brainer, if you want to stay well. Most illnesses are caused b inflammation, and turmeric is an anti-inflammatory, one of the best. Oxidation promotes inflammation and vice versa. Which accelerates aging and most chronic diseases. including IBS, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer's. Being readily available, and cheap, it's so worth adding to your daily regime. Its another lovely day here, started out cloudy but now the sun is bright, we are due some very chilly week end weather, frost possible. But by next week we go back into the 70's. It feels good to have the deck done, and most of the outside stuff behind. Still have a couple of minor things to do, like clipping back the peony plant Brian gave me. But getting there. Took time out today to deliver some home made face creams etc. to several of my clients, which means a get together at Grill 73, a cool Russian/American restaurant just down the road. The couple that run it are ex flying acrobats from a Romanian circus, who retired here to the mountains. they found an old abandoned building and have restored it, with so much lovely wood work and imagination. Its small, but the food is good and its fun to visit. She does both Russian and American food, for those who must have a burger and fries. I love the Borscht and other Russian foods. Time to leave for this week, hope you are having this lovely fall weather where you are. Take care, stay well, see you soon.

Amazing Turmeric

Many years ago when I was very young(18) I married and moved to Amarillo Texas. For a reason I can't remember, I went to a health food store there. I met a man who changed my life. During our visit, I found out he was an ex doctor who wanted to educate people about preventing illness rather than getting sick and having to take drugs. I told him I was concerned about inheriting my folks health problems, mom had osteo arthritis, dad had rheumatoid, and there was cancer and other stuff too. He introduced me to two herbs, that are now being studied more and more as wonder herbs. Turmeric and Ginger. I started taking a capsule of each a day and to date have had no achy joints or other major health problems. It's a cheap way to stay healthy, as they cost about $3.00 a month for both ginger and turmeric capsules. Much less than any medicines out there, and no side effects. Turmeric or Curcumin has been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. It has been proven to work as an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial , anti-diabetic, anti-cancer agent, and much more. It is what makes mustard yellow. Because it lowers bad cholesterol, it prevent blood clots . Taken before bypass surgery it can lower the risk of heart attacks after the surgery. I like to add the powdered herbs of both turmeric and ginger to soups, vegetables and anything else I can put them in, like the taste although that may be an acquired thing. Generally, the root of both herbs is dried, and ground into a powder to get what's needed. We had a beautiful fall week and the deck is now finished except for a few minor touch ups. I have some plants to repot and some things that need clipping, but the forecast this am said some more warm weather is due next week, yea. It's pumpkin and fall squash time, eat as much as you can, they are so good for you and tasty too. Just finished a batch of Pine Tree Salve, love the stuff, it helps both aches and itches. Takes a while, has been brewing on the cupboard for 6 weeks. I will get into more on Turmeric next time, there is so much to know, I wish young folk knew to start this early on and prevent so many aches and pains later. Have a great week, enjoy this lovely weather

Simply Amazing Turmeric

Many years ago when I was very young(18) and newly married, had just moved to my first home in Texas, I went to a Health food store in Amarillo. I do not remember why, but I met a man who changed my life. An ex doctor who was trying to teach folk to prevent illness, rather than struggle with drugs after getting ill. We got to talking and I told him I worried about inheriting my folks health problems, mom had osteo-arthritis, and dad had rheumatoid, and there was cancer and other stuff too. He introduced me to two anti-inflammatory herbs, ginger and turmeric. Now turmeric is being proven to be nearly a miracle herb, it can do so much. I have never had any joint aches or pains and have avoided most old age problems so far. Today I will tell you a little about this amazing herb. All this information comes from the new issue of Mother Earth Living, a truly wonderful magazine Studies have now confirmed that turmeric can ward off brain disease, cancer, digestive disorders and much more. Turmeric, or Curcumin is the most important herb in your medicine cabinet. It has many benefits, it protects the nervous system , is an anti inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer and anti Alzheimer's protector. It ameliorates arthritis better than the drug Voltaren without the drug interactions. It discourages blood clots, by lowering levels of bad cholesterol. There are many ways to get this product into your diet, the easiest is a capsule a day, they are very inexpensive compared to drugs, about $3.00 a month. I take the capsules, plus most everything I cook has powdered turmeric and ginger added to it, I like the taste in soups and vegetables. If you wonder, turmeric is the yellow color in mustard, so eating that instead of sugar laced ketchup is a good thing for your health. There is so much more, I will continue next week to give you information. It has been a wonderful weather week, and the deck finishing is done, have a couple of spots to touch up, but it looks so nice, and is the one big job I am happy to get behind me. Still have some clipping, repotting etc. to finish up before the cold weather arrives, but reports this am say next week will have more warm days, near 80. Yea. Made a batch of Pine Tree salve yesterday, it has been brewing on my cupboard for 8 weeks now. Looking at some other products to get made up as Christmas gifts, nice to be home and have the time to spend creating again. Hope this finds you in good health, eat pumpkin and fall squashes, they are so good for you. See you next week.

Hello Again. Recipe for scouring Powder

This is the end of my first week as a newly retired(again) person. Got 2 coats of Restore on 1/2 of the deck the first of the week with my son Doug's help, but the rain began and is persisting so waiting for a few dry days to do the rest. In the mean time, have canned some pears, made pear clafouti and cleaned out some cupboards and closets. Have one more closet to go, making progress. The latest shooting in Oregon is very sad, but gun laws are not going to stop this. My Bible study this morning pretty well told me the truth, read Ephesians 5, 1-16 and you will see. Do you use grated parmesan cheese? Never toss those shaker cans. If you take equal parts of salt and baking soda, mix well and put in those cans, you have great scouring powder. I like to add a few drops of lemon essential oil for scent. When buying soda, go to the laundry area and get a big box, it's much cheaper that way and useful in so many ways. I put out a batch of humming bird feed last week, saw a hummer yesterday but most of the syrup is still in the container, think they must have left us for the season, will miss the cheeky little guys. Always enjoy watching them. We are still mostly green, a few red and yellow leaves here and there but hoping for a lot more fall before winter moves in. Started Christmas shopping, have a few things set aside, some even wrapped. Nice to get a jump on the season. Spent the early part of this morning cleaning the front room, all vacuumed and dusted, if I get the house stuff done now, can get back outside next week when the sun finally returns. Hope you are enjoying this cooler weather, nice break from the heat. Just not ready for snow yet. Stay well, see you soon.

Back on Track Home made scouring powder

Today marks the end of the first week of retirement(again). It's been busy, got 1/2 of the deck refinished , 2 coats or Restore, with my son Doug's help on places I could not reach. But then the rain moved in, its almost cold today, and more rain coming the next few days. Hope to have some sun by the first of next week and be able to get back to work. In the mean time, I have canned pears, made pear clafouti, and cleaned out closets and cupboards. Just finished vacuuming and dusting the living room, and now its time for coffee. My Bible study this am was a case in point for the latest shooting in Oregon. No gun law is going to help this problem, we are not following God's rules and therefore Satan is taking over. Read Ephesians 5, 1-16 and it will point out this fact. We need to ask God to help, although it seems we have let it slip too far at this point. I recently bought a new food processor, and one of the things I love for breakfast is this: Put 1/2 cup of ice cubes, 1 cup of water, 2 cups od organic baby kale, 1/2 sliced banana, 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple, 1 t cinnamon and 1 t honey in the food processor and whirl til smooth. Its a taste that I have begun to crave, love the stuff. I watched the Chew this week, Lisa Oz talked about their family's smoothies, she adds protein powder, but after reading up on that, I would rather add a little of my Fage organic yogurt, protein powder in some larger amounts over time can damage kidneys. So I will try adding some yogurt for protein staying power. Do you use grated parmesan cheese? Never toss those shaker cans. A great home made scouring powder is equal amounts of salt and baking soda, and I like to add a few drops of lemon essential oil for scent, mix well, put in the shaker can and you have made your own safe cleaner. It does a good job. If you look in the laundry area of the store, you can buy large boxes of baking soda really cheap, along with vinegar and a few other items you can create almost any household product you need, I will be giving you some of those recipes again as we get reacquainted. Glad to be back, to have time to do things I like and sit here with coffee, looking out at the side of the mountain. It's time for the hummingbirds to leave us again, had one yesterday but the feeder is nearly full after a week, so most of them must have left. Will miss them. It's still very green here, just a few peeks of red and gold here and there but will be a while before we get into fall color. I have started Christmas shopping, nice to have a few things set away. Have a good week, please pray for our country, and for the Christians who are being persecuted. Til next time, stay well.

absence

After a year off, a return to the work force, and the paying off of my house, I am returning. Hope to have new stuff for you in a few weeks.

Back Again

I have been out of the loop for about a year, went back to work but retiring soon and looking forward to reconnecting with you all, hang in, I will soon have new stories, articles and recipes to share.