View from the mountain

I've been in the woods too long. I can no longer tell if I see things differently or if other people, in more urban areas, also look around and wonder if business, the media, the politicians have had a serious disconnect from - um - reality.

I mean, how can I save money if I buy something I don't need in the first place - at a discounted price? How can a news reporter presume to predict the news rather than report it? Why does a politician think we want to vote against the other guy... again... rather than vote for them for their own abilities and virtues?

Sigh.

That said, you have an idea of my mind set.

So as the weather changes to match the season, from winter chill to the budding warmth of spring, I find myself once again looking out at a world I see full of the hope and promise of warmth and sunshine and growth. And I yearn to make this primal awakening also an awakening of people and governments to the possibility of positive change. Coming, as we do, from the darkness of winter and fear for the future and our safety and survival it is no wonder we are timid.

Time to stretch and shake off the weight of winter and shackles of fear and embrace the changes that bring us to the future. I try every day to learn or do or work toward something new. A new experience, a new level of health, a new action that will help create the bright future I want for my grandchildren. And it is made ever easier by the multitudes of people around the world that are working toward the same bright time to come.

"This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

To Experience: Eat a new food, read a new book, meet a new person, learn anything new.
To Health: Take a walk, learn to dance (do Yoga, Tai Chi, a sport), eat better, eat less.
To Action: Volunteer, donate, plant a tree, read to a child, change to energy saving appliances.
And working to lessen our personal impact on the planet and enhance our impact on the people around us.

What we do as individuals grows to affect the larger community. And our small steps encourage us to make larger ones. I see it as time to break free from the dictates of big business that presumes to tell us what we want to own and wear and do. Time to educate ourselves independently of the media that restricts us to their small perspective of the world around us. And time to remind those in government that we are the ones paying their salary and that the money they spend came from us and we should have a real say in what it is used for.

But, back on the personal level:
My favorites: Any experience. Tai Chi, Bicycling, Gardening. Volunteering, creative re-using, learning life skills for sustainability.
Resources for information and inspiration: Heifer International, WE, Home Power magazine, and many, many, more. I'll add more over time and hope you will too.

What are your favorites? And sources/websites with tools to help?

Spring Fever

It snowed again over the weekend. I knew it would... the first daffodils bloomed on the south side of the house and there has hardly been a year where those poor first blooms did not get smashed face down in snow or driving rain.

I have piles of seed catalogs and have ordered our vegetable and some flower seeds for 2008. Some have already arrived and today I started the first of them, they will begin their life by sprouting in a window in the house. Our unheated greenhouse is no safe haven for tender tomato and pepper plants. With luck, by the time they are big enough to transplant into 4" pots, the weather will be settled enough to move them out to that greenhouse, to prepare them for life in the great outdoors.

When the days are dry and it is not snow covered or a muddy swamp, I have been weeding and top dressing the garlic and perennials such as asparagus and roses. Pruning never seems to get completely done - at least all the roses. Before our deer fence was done it was never an issue - but neither were flowers or fruit, so there is the bargain. I do the work to reap the rewards.

Klutz that I am, I bear the scars of my efforts. The rose thorns are vicious and I usually manage a scrape or two from the fruit trees as well. That, coupled with my forgetfulness about wearing gloves to work in the dirt and the resulting frequent hand washing, leaves my hands desiccated and spring isn't even here yet!

This is how we came to create Duck Butter, our solid bar hand (and foot) treatment. It not only soothes my poor sore paws, but helps restore them and keep them that way. No oil or lotion I have tried has had the same long lasting effect. We think of it as an industrial strength lotion.
To learn more, see Duck Butter on the Simmons Apothecary page.

About the name... OK, it sounds weird, but no ducks are harmed or squeezed in the making of this product. Duck Butter really is all vegetarian (not vegan, It contains beeswax), and the only possible connection to ducks is that it makes your skin water resistant.
Back in 1989 on a camping trip we met a talented and garrulous fellow named Johnny Tequila who played guitar and made up songs about everyone around the campfire right on the spot. Upon finding we made soap and body care products he crafted a song about us and a fictitious product... you guessed it, Duck Butter! It was a name looking for a product. When we first made our hard working solid salve some years later, it was obvious that Duck Butter had finally come into being.

Get outta my hair - and other sour tales

Probably the only truly natural shampoo is a bar soap shampoo. All others may come from natural sources, such as coconut oil, but this is coconut oil that has been chemically changed beyond all recognition (derived from coconut oil - cocamide, cocamidipropyl, etc.). But soap is by nature, slightly alkaline and leaves a film, both detrimental to the shine and texture of your hair.

What to do? Naturally?

Well, I remember when I was a little girl, my mother used to rinse my hair after shampooing with a cider vinegar solution. It wasn't until much later that I learned this was to add shine and prevent tangles. In fact, it was when we began making soap and were experimenting with shampoo bars that we were reintroduced to vinegar and lemon juice as acidulated rinses. By that time I was into herbs and began making herbal rinse formulas with particular properties.

By itself a cider vinegar rinse leaves hair soft and shiny, helps de-tangle, and can aid in preventing dandruff. It, as do all acidulated rinses, helps remove oils and soap residue and restore an acidic pH to the hair.
You can add the benefits of herbs to these rinses by making a strong infusion with them. Some herbs particularly helpful to hair and their reputed properties are:

Nettle (Urtica dioica) - nourishing and stimulating to the scalp
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) - conditioning, darkening at larger quantities
Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) - stimulating to the scalp and equalizing to oily skin, helps prevent dandruff.
Sage (Salvia officinalis) - purifying, cleansing and conditioning, enhances brunette hair
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) - to brighten and enhance shine, especially in blonde hair

RECIPE: Basic acidulated hair rinse - Mix 2 Tablespoons of strained lemon juice or cider vinegar in 1 cup of warm water and massage into scalp after shampooing. For best effect do not rinse out.

Herbal hair rinse - Use at least 1/2 c. mixed herbs for 2 cups of vinegar. Steep together in a jar without heating for at least 2 weeks, then strain and store in a dark glass bottle or dark place. Use by adding 2 Tablespoons of the vinegar rinse in 1 cup of warm water and massaging into scalp after shampooing. As with the plain rinse, for best effect do not rinse out.

But while I am on the subject of vinegar...
We have many herbal vinegar blends that we make for cooking so I thought I'd pass one along here - a favorite base for salad dressing. We even made a gallon of this to use at the reception dinner for our daughter's wedding.
Again, the important thing is to use enough herbs when you are making the flavored vinegar - 1/2 cup dried mixed herbs to 2 cups of vinegar.

Recipe: For this blend use red wine vinegar with the addition of basil, oregano, garlic and black peppercorns. We use about 12 peppercorns and 6 cloves of garlic per 2 cups of vinegar. Let the mixture steep in a dark place and shake occasionally to mix. Taste after a week and, if it is not strong enough, let sit another 2 or 3 weeks. When it tastes right, strain and store in clean, tightly capped bottles.
To make the salad dressing, mix 1/3 herb vinegar with 2/3 good olive oil or a mix of olive and other salad oil, as you prefer. Enjoy!

See our website Hair Care section for: J.R.LIGGETT'S OLD-FASHIONED BAR SHAMPOO.
The original formula for this incredible and unique bar of shampoo was discovered loosely placed in an old New England Cookbook. 100% vegetable oil formula lathers quickly, cleans well, and rinses out easily, leaving you with healthy, beautiful, and clean hair.

Welcome

Greetings,
As someone who moved back-to-the-land in the late 1960's with a desire to learn what it takes to live a self- sufficient life, I have amassed a lot of experience in many areas. One must truly be a Jack-of-all-Trades to live like this. It does not make anyone an expert... there are many ways to tackle any problem... But chances are I have tried much of what it takes and can tell you exactly what worked (or did not work) for me.

They say you learn from your mistakes and, if that is true, I have learned a lot!

We have been making natural soaps and basic bodycare products for sale since 1982 as the money making arm of this lifestyle.

I would love to share experiences and answer questions about green living, off the grid living, natural soaps and body care, chemical sensitivities, organic gardening, food preparation and preservation... you name it. Even the philosophy of this type of life.

Share your questions and thoughts with me and follow my posts as the year works through the seasons. For us that is the timetable of life.

Welcome aboard!