Self-Employment Health Care Blues

I can't believe it. People are letting the corporations scare them into complacency over changing our health care system.

Follow the money and you can see that the insurance companies and drug companies have a lot to lose. They are lobbying hard, advertising like mad, and spreading the message that a single-payer plan, a public option, expanded Medicare, or any other idea that doesn't increase the profitability of their interests - is a bad idea.
They are taking advantage of the fact that you can easily scare people into believing anything. Well, Roosevelt was right, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself". As a tool to manipulate people it has no peer.

Well, here's the deal from my vantage point:
As a self employed person who belongs to no other group I cannot get reasonably priced health insurance with any kind of real coverage. That's if I could. I have been denied because I have a condition that is not life threatening that is common to about 80% of women over 40. Ridiculous.
I believe that deciding to provide basic health care to all Americans is a moral duty of our Government. I would be thrilled it a unified Congress would just issue the statement that they believe Health Care is a right of the American Citizen and that they intend to work to make it a reality. Then they can fight all they want about how to get the job done.

There are lots of working models around the world to choose from. In the book, "The Healing of America", the 4 main models are described, pro and con. Hopefully we can take the good parts and make something that fits our American culture. But the key is reigning in the Insurance and Pharmaceutical corporations that are currently pulling all the strings. Talk about holding all the cards! These businesses can afford to pay to influence political leaders at all levels and to influence, quite successfully, the citizens as well, through advertising and what can only be called propaganda - promoting their self-interests.

Read this article for some insight about how Big Business uses Madison Avenue to control the direction of our Socio-Political future.

But I don't despair. I believe by getting the ball rolling towards Health Care reform we have an opportunity for future changes. And if we, the People, actually rise up from complacency and work actively toward what I consider part of our Nation's founding ideals. From the Preamble of the Constitution (In interpreting whether the proposed project constituted a "public use", the court pointed to the Preamble's reference to "promot[ing] the general Welfare" as evidence that "[t]he health of the people was in the minds of our forefathers". ( Ellis v. City of Grand Rapids. ) , and the Declaration of Independence as well; "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". If "Life" does not include basic Health Care protection against preventable death I think we are missing the point.

Ah well. There is a lot of information out there for everyone to see. Do the research and make up your own mind how you would like to see our nation treat it's citizens in this regard.

Coopus Optimus...

This post is for the birds. Chickens in particular. Our laying hens had lived in temporary housing since we moved here in 1977. This year we put the finishing touches on the Ultimate Hen Coop and the girls finally have the deluxe housing they so richly deserve. Our steady egg production and happy hens indicate that they appreciate it.

It's testimony to how easy it is to raise poultry that they did so well in the various housing they were given. From a tiny 4 foot high by 4 foot wide by 2 feet deep coop to refurbished pig and goat pens, they still provided us with eggs and meat. Unfortunately they also provided a lot of the local wildlife with meat and eggs as well.
EVERYTHING likes poultry! And we have a wide variety of predators here: coyotes; fox; hawks; skunks; bobcat; cougar; raccoons... All fond of a chicken dinner. And rats, snakes, and squirrels enjoy eggs. And mice like the feed... The list goes on and on. Our eggs were fabulous but, given all the native competition, they were also rather expensive.

We had plenty of time to ponder the perfect hencoop and all the features that would make it most useful to us and the hens. Here are the things that ended up on our list:

1) Roomy. We wanted to make sure there was enough room the hens would not be too crowded. When crowded they have problems from illness to aggression. We also wanted to have room to raise meat birds part of the year. The bird's indoor portion of our coop is 6 feet by 10 feet in size, with a covered enclosed 10 by 10 foot space outside.

2) Easy to clean. Chicken manure is a wonderful thing. It can also be really disgusting. We wanted the main poop collection area, that is, the area where they sleep, to be dry and easy to access and clean. And cleanliness helps prevent parasites and other negative health issues.
One big step toward this was pouring a cement slab for the chicken's living area and putting their roost on hinges so it could easily be raised out of the way. It attaches to a hook in the ceiling. We also have a hinged lower wall behind the roost that opens so we can easily shovel out the manure mixed with bedding (wood shavings).

3) Safe. With all the hungry critters in the woods we know we have to be able to completely lock up our birds when there are predators in the area. We wanted to have both indoor and outdoor safe areas. This means a roof to protect from hawks as well as fencing that a skunk won't dig under or a raccoon dismantle or climb over. Foxes and bobcats can get in tiny openings, too. We also have a door that closes from indoors via a pulley system to lock the girls in at night, and a door separating their covered yard from the larger outdoor run. On nice days when there have been no predators about recently we can turn them loose into the world at large.

4) Sturdy. We can get a lot of snow here in the winter. We learned that chicken wire holds snow really well, until you are under it trying to do something. And it will also collapse under the weight of snow, taking wooden supports with it.  A solid roof that sheds snow was a must.
Also, any loose boards that can be pried make entries for a variety of critters. Solid siding is important.

5) Well ventilated. It gets hot here in the summer. Poultry wilts, wings sagging, which can result in health issues and egg production going down. Having good cross ventilation in the coop makes a world of difference. We were lucky to have scrounged 3 free windows that open from the dump/recycling center. We also put in a solid vent that is "screened" with chicken wire.

6) Versatile. We wanted ample room for the birds, to separate an injured bird, broody hen, or raise hatchery chicks. We wanted this space to be flexible, so in the chicken part of the coop we made chicken wire doors that could separate an area when needed, but open out of the way otherwise.

7) Human friendly. This means storage space, easy access to all parts of the coop, and lighting. It also meant a covered entry so we wouldn't get soaked unloading feed during the monsoon... I mean, rainy season.

You can see the nest boxes are located in the "human" area, taking no space from the hens at all, And are "double decked" with 4 boxes proving plenty for 14 hens.
The hens indoor area has a ceiling which creates an overhead loft for storage of various tools which are not in constant use. We also have a hinged shelf that holds a brooder (read: foil lined cardboard box) for hatchery chicks when needed, but otherwise folds out of the way. We keep the chicken feed and hen scratch in a metal garbage can for further protection from mice and such.

Everyone will come up with the design that best fits their needs and terrain, but we are tremendously happy with ours. 10 years in the planning, it paid off when we finally had the opportunity to build it.

A poem a day...

We occasionally get a wild idea to make ourself do something we have no time for. Here's one we had recently: write a Twitter length poem every day.
Given the restriction of only 140 characters I thought I might be able to do this, giving myself a little daily brain exercise. Here goes:

11/24 –
The mist is rising
This Autumn morning
As sun warmed breeze
Caresses night chilled Earth.

11/25 -
Morning dog walk.
I see, she smells, the day.
We both know
Cattle trucks have passed this way.

11/26 -

Rise early to prepare,

Food and kid projects,                                 

Music and lodging.                                    

Thankful we have it to share.

11/27 –

Family and friends

Are the mirror

Showing people are connected

One to another.

11/28-

Deep frost, like snow,

Crisp, bright,

With sky ice blue.

A day of clarity.

11/29-

Old sheep shed torn down.

Rotted wood and timber

Burns furiously

Its story now flame and ember.

11/30-

Lichen streamers

Wave from fir branches

Riding a canyon breeze

No one else sees

12/1-

December dawns

Bright and chill.

Yearling fawns

Nosing the frosty earth.

12/2-

Ducks drop from sky with a splash!

An aeronautic comedy.

No grace to this crash,

But it gets the job done.

12/3 –

Night wind howls.

Sings in the trees,

Roars through the canyon.

Liberating the last autumn leaves.

12/4 –

Too much to do!

Still at my desk working

As the full moon rises.

Hoping to finish one more thing.

12/5 –

Highest tide I've ever seen

On Humboldt Bay.

Sloughs are rivers, flats submerged,

Islands melt away.

12/6 –

Bitter cold night.

Ducks paddle

In frozen pond

To keep open channel.

12/7-

In the teens,

The pond a solid icy mass.

Poor ducks! They huddle
In a single liquid puddle.

12/8 –

Sunrise starts above

With pink-edged cloud.

Then pours light down mountain,

Through trees to ground.

12/9 –
Another freezing day.
We brave the wind and chill
Taking pup out for a walk.
Now must thaw: That wind could kill!

12/10 -
Where did the water go?
Vanished dead of night,
Temp. around 20
Buried pipes, no leak in sight.

12/11 –

The wild mallards return

On ice bound pond alight.                  

Slide, flapping, skating, skittering,

To onlookers delight!

12/12 – Precious elixir of life,

Water from the sky.

Without it follows strife,

We fear the well run dry.

If you like these, follow us on Twitter and get a poem daily, as well as information on special online sales and environmental and other news.

Stumbling into the Holi-daze...

Wow! Where has the time gone.?
Actually I sorta know - last month my back went out, and before it was healed (Hooray for chiropractors) we both caught what appears to have been the infamous H1N1 (or "swine") flu. It was a mild case, I think. We stayed in self imposed quarantine for about 3 weeks or so, with sore throat and fever and some congestion but mostly feeling short of breath. Cloudy of mind and weary of body, it was as if someone had stolen our oxygen.
So here we are, just before the holiday season and behind in everything except, thank goodness) soap. Fortunately we have everything here we need to make special gift assortments.

Our job this time of year expands to include making our customers gift giving easy. We choose combinations to please a variety of situations and make them as beautiful as possible, filling a range of prices in the hope of making something to fill most needs. It is rather fun, actually, seeing how attractive and practical and luxurious we can make any gift - all at the same time.

We love the challenge. We approach it as though these are the gifts we are giving to our family and friends, as, indeed, some of these have been.

We hope you appreciate our efforts and choose some of what we have at Simmons Natural Bodycare to offer in your gift giving this year.

War and Peace

Today, November 11, is Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day and Veteran's Day). It commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" 1918.
This date was declared a national holiday in many allied nations, to commemorate members of the armed forces who were killed during war. After World War II the name was changed to Veterans Day in the United States and to Remembrance Day in countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Armistice Day remains an official holiday in France. It is also an official holiday in Belgium, known also as the Day of Peace in the Flanders Fields.

Nobody celebrates the beginning of hostilities. But when peace is finally achieved (or, at least, the end of a given conflict), it is a cause to commemorate. And to remember.

The following poem, written by a surviving veteran of WW1, was inspired by the poppies that spontaneously grew on the disturbed soil of the battlefields. Hence the scarlet poppy came to symbolize the blood and sacrifice of those who fought and died.

Those in the Armed Forces deserve our respect. While there are many reasons for enlisting: some noble; some of necessity; some for adventure, these are the people who put their life on the line to serve our nation. While we may disagree about any given conflict, that is not the soldier's doing. Their ambition is to serve in the cause of good, not evil.

Our job is to try to make sure those are the only causes for which they are sent into harm's way. And to honor and respect those who serve on our behalf.

In Flanders Fields

By John McCrae 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

 Celebrate Peace.

Every Day - work toward Peace, honor the dead, respect the living.

River bummin'

Made it to Fortuna yesterday & while there, walked the puppy, Kumalie, on the Riverwalk Trail. To my amazement, all along this stretch of Eel River there were huge salmon leaping out of the water! I must have seen 20 or so. So very cool. I have never seen them jump in level water and, while some suggested they were being chased, I saw no indication of predators, be it seal, otter or other.

I love Riverwalk. It is, for me, the highlight of the town of Fortuna on the North Coast. A biking, walking trail of some length bordered by the Eel River and pasture. These views are, respectively, looking South, SouthEast, and NorthWest along the river there.

In early summer I saw a congregation of around 75 (!!!) Merganser Ducks on a riverbar there. On the return leg of the walk they had disappeared -  then I spotted them further downriver diving, all in a frenzy.
Obviously they were feeding on something (Anchovies? Sardines? What comes up the Eel?). Very odd to see these loner ducks in a group like that.
Love it.
Nature phenomena of the river habitat.

Besides the ocean and mountains we have 6 rivers that define this area. In addition to the Eel there is the mighty Klamath, the beautiful Smith, Trinity, and Mad Rivers, and the Van Duzen river on which I live. The Van Duzen River has been federally designated as a "National Wild and Scenic River". Here's a view of kids in the Van Duzen in summer.

One last Eel River story for now... When I first lived in this area in the late 1960's I was standing in just-over-the-knee deep water in the Middle Fork when a huge school of shad went upstream. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of medium size shimmering silver fish filling the river, bumping my legs, backs sticking out of the water. This went on for several minutes.
Interestingly, it turns out the American Shad is a non-native species. From the Atlantic coast, they were introduced in the 1800's and are another migratory specie that lives in the sea and journeys upriver to spawn.

Be familiar with your local waterways. There is much to discover there and to enjoy. And knowing them will encourage you to work to keep them healthy.

In Memorial - Brio

We unexpectedly lost our 9 year old Border Collie, Brio, Oct. 18. A loyal, if neurotic, part of our animal family, Brio was happy with the way things were, especially if someone would play fetch with him. You could always find my husband by looking to see where Brio was. He generally would be on the step of the shop or house or barn - whichever.
He only wavered when there was company staying in our guesthouse, then he could be counted on to be sleeping on the step there.

Crazy fast and, perhaps, just a bit crazy, he would run in the direction he thought you would throw the ball or stick. Often this would be the opposite direction, but he would seek for 1/2 hour if needed to find that object so he could bring it back to play again. As have all our dogs (all dogs?), he loved snow.

Now he and our old Australian Shepard, Rosie, are both gone. She died at 17 in 2008. It was rather expected, she had slowed considerably her last few years.
But with Brio it was entirely unexpected.

He missed his canine companion, but when we got a new puppy 6 months later they became the best of friends. They played furious games of tag and follow the leader, particularly every morning and at twilight. He was busy teaching her all his (bad) habits.

And then one day last spring Brio was running and began to limp. The limp continued and became more serious over the next few days. It turned out he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It appears that in most dogs with the problem, the ACL slowly degenerates and becomes weaker until it ruptures, without any sudden injury.
We decided to have it fixed as the chance was high that his other hind leg would go, too, if we didn't. After the surgery we had a Border Collie in a crate for almost 2 months. He was a very unhappy dog.
After that he was never the same. He recovered well, and lost the extra weight from being sedentary all that time. Was playing with the puppy some, but not as much. Would fetch, but not as enthusiastically. Then, this past month, he started having days where he was just - well - depressed, as far as we could tell. He would not come out from under the truck to say 'hi' or play or eat. The next day - fine!

The day he died he seemed slow but OK in the morning. Followed us around and had a dog biscuit treat in the afternoon. But when our family came over in the evening they found him in his usual place, under the truck, dead. No visible sign of distress.
We miss him. Now we just have our one 11 month old Aussie pup, Kumalie.
She misses him, too.

Cider time. Autumn = Apples

Every year we borrow a neighbor's apple press and make cider from our apples and those we can glean from unharvested trees. It is a family affair and one that is work and fun deliciously combined.
This year is special as it is the first time 2 year old Lila can actually help in the process.
Today is the day - a storm is predicted and apples are ready, so this is it. Our semi-dwarf Empire apple is laden with zillions of small apples. They are sweet and crunchy. We have a box of Snow apples, pure white inside, and a couple boxes of the tart and mushy "mystery apple" from a tree that re-sprouted below the graft.
Jars are clean, the press is set up and we are ready to go. We pick apples and bring them up from the orchard. There are actually more than we expected.

First step is sorting and washing the apples. Any with bites in them, large bruises, or that are otherwise unacceptable get set aside for our chickens, compost, or a neighbor's pigs. The rest we place in a plastic bucket with holes drilled in it so we can easily rinse them with a hose.
Now the fun begins!

This press has an electric motor on the grinder. One of us washes apples, one (or two - a favorite kid job) feeds the apples into the hopper to be ground up. The ground apples fall into a cloth lined (old pillowcase) wooden basket beneath. There are 2 of these baskets. When one is full it is moved beneath the press, the cloth folded over, a wooden disk placed on top, and you turn the handle which turns the "screw" that presses down on the disk. Lila needs a lift to help turn the handle!
Beautiful golden apple cider runs out of the basket and into the pans we collect it in.
We run the pans full of cider into the house and funnel the juice into clean, disinfected jars, straining out any bits of apple as we go.
We leave extra space in the tops of the jars for expansion for the cider we freeze, and some we put in 1/2 gallon canning jars to Pasteurize for storing in the pantry.
Frozen cider, once thawed, tastes fresh as the day we pressed it, but fresh or thawed, you must drink it before it ferments. Pasteurized tastes wonderful, but not quite the same, and has a longer shelf life once opened. Best of all it takes no freezer space or electricity to keep.
Today's work resulted in over 20 gallons of cider to share! Wahoo!! Even so, we will probably do this one or two more times before we return the press.
The press we borrow is a Correll Cider Press.
These presses are the best! Our family is all pitching in so we can have our own, and we now have one on order that will be ready for us next summer.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
- Albert Camus,writer and philosopher (1913-1960)

Deep in Harvest Season - Overabundance!

We are having a bumper crop of fruits and vegetables and between running Simmons Natural Bodycare and preparing for winter we barely have time to rest!

If you're interested in a snapshot of harvest season on our homestead with recipes & food preservation techniques, I am chronicling it closely on our Eat Local Challenge BLOG - LocalVore Challenge.
From applesauce to zuchinni, dried pears to sour cherry liqueur, you will find our culinary saga there.

We've got worms!

Fortunately not the icky internal kind, but those great little wrigglers who till and enrich the soil.

A couple of years ago a friend gifted me a book, "The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms" by local author Amy Stewart. A wonderful treatise on the wonders of small subterranean creatures, it inspired me to add earthworms back into our tended livestock - but indoors this time. I cannot begin to tell all the amazing things earthworms do, read the book or check out this info.) but suffice it to say, they work diligently to their own end, which conveniently helps make the planet habitable for us all.

Back when we had a lot of critters (goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, etc.) and before we had a business, we kept a worm bin beneath our rabbit cages. One of the great symbiotic relationships of all time, of immeasurable benefit to gardeners, rabbit manure is one of the very best in the garden and one of worm's favorite habitats. The redworms we inoculated that pile with ultimately migrated on their own throughout much of our farm, and we personally introduced them to our vegetable garden where they could do the heavy work of moving nutrients and aerating the soil for us.

But that was a long time ago now, and I miss the wonderful abundance of worm castings and manure for vegetables, flowers, and houseplants. Our garden compost pile has become a happy worm habitat, and provides enough for us to use when transplanting and topdressing the garden, but I can always use more, and pure worm castings for houseplants and outdoor container plants is the best.

After looking into the many plans for home made and pre-manufactured worm bins and ultimately settled on the "Can O' Worms" recommended by Amy in her book.
We have had it going on our back porch over a year now, and we are hooked (you can get one at Abundant Earth). The basic idea in most of these is: worms move up in their world, looking for new food as they eat the old food, and leave behind nutrient-rich castings (yup, worm poo).
Worm bins are multi level condos, and as the worms move to the top level you can remove the bottom one and empty the finished castings onto your plants, moving the empty tray to the top to continue the process. Simple.

Things we discovered...
• You can overfeed them. If you do, what you end up with is a proliferation of fruit flies (vinegar flies). Prevent this by feeding less and/or covering the scraps you feed them with a thin layer of dirt or newspaper.
(An effective fruit fly trap: place a small amount of wine, red or white, in a small jar or bowl. Cover with plastic file or? and poke a few holes in it. The holes need to be slightly bigger than you may think, say 1/16" or so. this will catch a lot of flies pronto and they die hapopily intoxicated, I think!)
• Tea bags disappear faster than anything!
• Keep them moist. The worm casting "tea" you can drain off (see spigot on Can O' Worms) is great, if smelly, fertilizer.

There are a lot of preparations concocted by we humans for the benefit of plants. The nursery carries a zillion natural and synthetic things I can buy - but the worms do this job for me providing a soil conditioner and fertilizer that cannot be beat.
---

And how to clean up after getting dirty playing with your worms? Use Simmons Soap of course!

Autumn Hazards

 

I sometimes think that in late summer, when all the year's spring baby animals are effectively "teenagers", there is an overload of roadkill and other mishaps. Squirrel, faun, raccoon, fox, and skunk corpses line the highways. So sad.

Another problem, really an all year one, but possibly more prevalent this time of year is the ultimate stinker - when your dog gets skunked! Here is the recipe that works for a dog bath to get rid of the smell...

The Recipe

1 quart (or liter) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, H2O2.
Use fresh (unopened) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Hydrogen peroxide eventually turns into water (H2O).
*    1/4 cup (50 ml.) of Baking Soda
*    1 teaspoon (5 ml.) of Liquid Soap
*    1 pair of plastic or latex gloves

To Use
*    Bathe the dog outside or, if it's too dark or cold, in the bathroom with the door closed and window opened.
*    Combine the ingredients in an open container (do not store in a sealed bottle--it will explode).
*    Using gloves, wash your dog with lukewarm water and the mixture while the mixture is bubbling. Work the mixture well into the fur.
*    Be sure to concentrate on the area that was sprayed.
*    Keep mixture away from your dog's face and eyes (it's a harsh solution). (If your dog has been sprayed in the face, try a mild vinegar water combination.)
*    Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes or so before rinsing off.
*    Rinse the dog with lukewarm tap water. Don't wash the mixture into your dog's eyes (use a washcloth to cover the eyes if you're rinsing the head).
*    After bathing, check your dog's eyes. If they are red and watering, your dog may have taken a direct hit in the face. Skunk spray won't blind the dog, but it's very painful. Contact a vet.

How it works
Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, when combined, become a "chemical engine" for churning out oxygen. That's why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work. 

...and, no, I did not personally take that particular photo!

Taking the Challenge...

We are taking the local North Coast Co-op September "Eat Local Challenge".

For this whole month I am trying to eat foods harvested or produced only in our Northern California 7 county bio-region.

To chronicle this adventure I have a separate BLOG: LocalvoreChallenge

Learn more about the challenge at NorthCoastCo-op.com.

On a Green Volcano!

We just returned home from a trip to Lassen National Park.

In case you did not know, Mt. Lassen is a dormant volcano. It last erupted in 1915 and the area became a National Park the following year. While sleeping it still has many active bits and pieces with hydrothermal areas of all types: steam vents and boiling mudpots and hot springs. Relatively close to where we live (about a 4 1/2 hour drive), it is one of our all time favorites for a long weekend vacation.

Nonetheless, we had not made it over there in about 5 years and we were interested and excited to see the changes. One change is that the fumaroles at the Sulphur Works near the south entrance are growing. I am not sure what I think of this... The last couple of times we have been there it has been different each time. New vents open, old ones stop, and activity levels switch from one to another. Looking at it, you cannot forget this is an active planet beneath our feet. These pictures were taken a few seconds apart:

fumarole: noun, A hole in a volcanic area from which hot smoke and gases escape.

It is incredibly lovely driving over the mountain. High meadows and wooded peaks along with alpine views and impossibly blue volcanic lakes. The drives goes from about 5,900ft (1798m) to the highest point, a crisp and clear 8512ft (2594m). Awesome views. Fabulous hiking trails, short and long, for everyone to enjoy.

This is Lake Helen, right below Lassen Peak. It is so deep it really is that blue.

But the highlight of this particular visit was the new Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. Recently opened in September of 2008, this beautiful building is not only a comfortable and informative information center and food & rest stop, it is an awesome example of green building and sustainable, energy efficient operation. When done it should qualify for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. What a joy it is to see such a great public example of the benefits of energy conservation and good design. Yes! And the Park guides and displays speak to the benefits and need to go Green to help modify the human impact on this ever-changing planet.

We highly recommend checking it out. Still one of the best bargains on the planet and could become one of your favorites, too.

Beauty all around us...

I walk the puppy most mornings. Morning outdoors is a beautiful time, and I am always reminded of this. It is a side benefit of the walk. But I do not incorporate it into my life, perhaps, as much as I could.

Then I see something like this:


Wow!

"The Buddha was once invited to give a talk to a crowd of people and so he stood before them, and held a flower up, and did not say a single word. Scholars call this “the Buddha’s flower sermon.” And it is said that only one person in the audience understood what he was trying to say. To be honest, I am not entirely sure that I know what he was trying to say. But there are times when I think I do. There are times when the words must stop so that our eyes can be open to the beauty all around us." Rev. Chris Buice

See the world. Try to do it every day. There is nothing between us and beauty but our minds, really. It is everywhere.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

Phenomena

Thunder and lightning last night, fortunately accompanied by rain. We don't want any fires, and rain is welcome.

While I am rather nervous about lightning, I am still fascinated by it and marvel at its power. Early this summer we had an unusual Thunderstorm. Unusual in being so early in the year and in the abundance of lightning making strikes in our vicinity. The photo is of a tree which was hit about 1/4 mile from our house. A strip of bark was blasted off in a spiral down the tree. Awesome. Last year there was a silent lightning storm of cloud to cloud lightning. The sky was full, constantly full, of electric lace for more than 2 hours. Wow!

I love phenomena. When the spectacular comet, Hale-Bopp, was visible I went out every clear night to gaze in awe at it. I was actually offended when it had the nerve to no longer be visible. It was MY comet! How could it abandon me?

Phenomenon: (from Webster's online)
1 plural phenomena : an observable fact or event
2 plural phenomena a : an object or aspect known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition b : a temporal or spatiotemporal object of sensory experience as distinguished from a noumenon c : a fact or event of scientific interest susceptible to scientific description and explanation
3 a : a rare or significant fact or event b: plural phenomenons : an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, thing, or occurrence

A simple phenomenon can make my day. On what was otherwise a difficult day I saw a "V" of swans flying when I was driving through Eureka, California. The day changed from that moment. A bald eagle in an unexpected place - flying up a creek along Highway 101 in Leggett, Ca. An aurora, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station flying over last week. The Milky Way on a clear dark night. These things bring me to the here and now. They take my breath away. They remind me I love life.

Life is fleeting. I am well aware I have less time left than has already gone by and I want to cherish every moment. But these special moments make life exceptional. Make the mundane sublime. Be there. Be here. Now.

Oh - my aching dogies!

By the end of the day I am SO ready to sit down and kick off my shoes.

We work our feet harder than any other part of our body. They carry our weight through everything we do, often confined in shoes they only want to escape from. Especially in the heat of summer, when we spend a lot of time outdoors in sandals or flip-flops, they can get dry, callused, and cracked - making them even more sore. It's important not to neglect our poor dogies, happy feet make for a happy person!

Keeping feet healthy and in good condition is easy. First of all, there are simple daily stretches you can do to maintain flexibility and circulation in both feet and ankles.
Pick a time when you have a minute or two and sit in a comfortable chair. Remove your shoes and, simultaneously with both feet, perform the following moves holding each position at least five seconds:
• Point your toes, extending them as far as you can.
• Bend your feet up, pointing toes toward your head.
• Rotate feet at the ankles slowly making circles to the right, then to the left, repeating at least three times in each direction.
• Drop a hand or bath towel, crumpled, on the floor in front of you. Grip the towel with the toes of both feet at the same time, at least one foot (12 inches)apart and lift until your legs are straight out in front of you. Hold for ten seconds, then drop the towel. Repeat 10 times.

Massaging your feet at the end of the day brings up your spirits, helps you relax, and feels oooohhh sooo good.
Proponents of acupuncture and reflexology believe that areas in your feet connect to all parts of your body. Pressure points are stimulated to relieve stress and ailments elsewhere, so a good foot rub could help with other sore spots as well.

Pampering feet with a regular pedicure keeps them smooth and supple, healthy and beautiful. Including massage as part of a pedicure will give you the best of both: Relaxed, refreshed, beautiful feet!

You don't need a spa to get the best treatment, here is a perfectly simple natural pedicure you can do to yourself or a friend (It makes a very special gift):

Start by washing feet, then prepare a soothing foot soak in a tub large enough to easily accommodate both feet.

Use water that is comfortably hot. For added benefits, add a few drops of essential oil to the soak, epsom salts, or a tea made from herbs placed in a muslin bag and infused in the tub of water (see herb chart below for a few suggestions).

Relax and, when feet have softened, use a nail brush to clean cuticles & nails followed by scrubbing all over with a mildly abrasive cleansing cloth, loofa, or ayate to remove dry skin. You can even use the bag of herbs as a washing cloth.

If needed, a pumice stone, terra cotta foot stone, or pedicure file will gently remove rough spots and calluses on soles and heels.

Dry feet thoroughly and trim nails and gently push back cuticles, as needed, then rinse and dry again.

Now massage deeply, paying particular attention to the instep, toes, & ball of foot. To leave feet in top condition use massage oil based on vegetable oil with essential oils (as noted in chart below) or use Simmons Cocoa Butter Creme.

Follow up with Simmons Duck Butter™, as part of the pedicure and other times as needed, rubbing it on dry heels and other problem spots to rejuvenate the skin and protect them from further damage.
If you paint your toenails, do it now, giving 2 coats for luster and adding a topcoat of clear polish, if you like, for extra shine. Make sure to relax and give ample drying time before putting on your shoes and resuming your day.
You can get foot care tools and Cocoa Butter Creme and Duck Butter™ at SimmonsNaturals.com.
Happy feet make for a happy you!

Herbs for foot care:
Chamomile - A, C, 1
Clary Sage - B, C, D, 5
Eucalyptus - B, C, D, 1, 2
Geranium - B, C, D, 2, 4
Peppermint - A, B, C, D, 1,2
Spearmint - A, B, C, D, 1, 2
Rosemary - A, B, C, D, 1, 4, 5
Thyme - B, C, 1, 3


Key:
A - Herb
B - Essential Oil

Use in:
C - Foot Soak
D - Massage oil

Properties:
1 - Deodorizing
2 - Antiseptic
3 - Antibacterial
4 - Antifungal
5 - Relieves stress, soreness

More easy exercises you can do while standing:
• Walk on your tip toes for 30 seconds, relax, and then from a flat footed stance, roll your feet out so you are standing on the outside edges of your feet. Hold this posture for fifteen seconds. Repeat this sequence 5 times.
This will help relieve aching arches.
• Place feet about one foot (12 inches) apart and squat down so you are resting on your toes. If needed, hold on to a chair or other steady furniture to steady yourself. Slowly roll back so you are resting on your feet, then slowly roll back up onto your toes. Repeat this as many times as you comfortably can, working up to 10 repetitions.
This will stretch and exercise your entire lower body as well as your feet, improving balance and flexibility while it strengthens and conditions the muscles.
Overall, walking is the best exercise for feet. It stretches, strengthens and improves circulation. Try to walk 4-5 times weekly for ½ hour or more.

The Teddy Bear's Picnic...

Here's to a spectacular Independence Day! An American summer holiday classic: Barbeque; family; fireworks; red, white & blue.

We love it and take the day off with family. But for us it really is just a prelude to going up to the Oregon Country Fair.

We have had a booth there since 1983 and can't imagine missing this counter culture celebration of life, conscious life, and living the dream.

Of course, that's assuming your dream is as ours - a sustainable green future with peace and tolerance and art and music and juggling for all.

See us at booth 73 at the fair, outside of Eugene, Oregon, the second weekend of July.

Summer's arrival...

in actuality, if not weather.

42 degrees this morning and all day cool, foggy, & gray. Even some drizzle.

Our spring has been unseasonably dreary and cool. From earlier thunderstorms to recent days of coastal fog (but we are NOT on the coast!), it sure doesn't feel like tomorrow is Summer Solstice.

On the one hand we yearn for sun and warmth and all that can be done outside on these long days. On the other it is making it a little less painful as we wait to complete a garden retaining wall to plant the bulk of our vegetable garden. But even with only 1/3 of the garden in production we have been harvesting quite a bit of food.

Last night we ate the first of the artichokes from the plants we planted in March. We have lots of kale and Swiss chard and radishes are now in every salad. We are on our third planting of lettuce and arugula, and the garlic is close to harvest. We have picked broccoli, the cauliflower is ready, and cabbages are heading up (already time to start seed for the fall cole!).

To get us a bit ahead, both of the wall project and the cooler weather, we have been planting our greenhouses with peppers, basil, cucumbers, and squash, as well as a few tomatoes. I am sure we will end up with more than we need (that is, plenty to share) as we usually do (despite the fact that the gophers ate 99% of the onions). Gardens are like that. Not to mention an addiction of the best sort.

If you have followed the news, you will know that 73 pounds of lettuce & 12 pounds of peas were picked this past week from the White House garden. The little organic garden Michelle Obama started at the White House has been feeding them for some time.

What a great example for the country. How to eat well, get exercise, and save money at the same time. Here's to an addiction that actually improves your health!!

Decisions, decisions...

For years we have tossed around the desirability of making all organic soaps, but the cost is so high it conflicts with our goal to make quality all - natural soaps affordable for everyday use.

How to keep natural and non-toxic products easily available to the most people...
Can you help?

Should we switch to all organic? Should we add an all organic line?
Click Here to take survey

I'm All Mixed Up...

...With herbs and spices that is!

We are cooking a pot roast in the solar oven today and when I reached for my seasoning blend (Meat Treat) I found the jar almost empty. Time to make more of this and my other blends as well.

I find myself a rather lazy cook. I want to have my herbs and spices pre-blended so I don't have to formulate them for every meal. Over time I have learned of or invented herb and/or spice blends for everything from steak to tofu, Mexican to Chinese. For us the process begins in the garden.

Here are 3 blends of herbs we grow, dry, and combine to brighten our meals:

MEAT TREAT:
Rosemary - Easy to grow perennial in the ground or a pot. Impervious to bugs or deer.
Sweet Basil - Hot weather annual, easy to grow, pick repeatedly to keep from flowering and it will grow back.
Thyme - The regular sort, varigated or plain, perennial with tiny leaves. Harvest before it flowers.
Bay Leaves - Mediterranean Bay (the kind you get in stores) is milder. If you use the west coast native Bay Laurel, use it sparingly. We have a Mediterranean Bay tree in a large pot!
Garlic - OK, we buy garlic granules by the pound and use that. It is slightly coarser than garlic powder, and is definitely NOT garlic salt. I store it in a glass jar with airtight lid.

FISH FEST:
Lemon Thyme - Wonderful fragrant perennial, easy to grow and harvest as for Thyme (above).
Lemon Basil - Another wonderful basil. Loves hot weather. Annual that you can harvest it repeatedly and it will rapidly grow back as do all the basils. Just remember to cut it above 2 new leaf shoots.
I have never found Lemon Basil or Lemon Thyme in a store, so plan ahead and grow your own if you want to try this blend.
Dillweed - The feathery leaves, not the seeds. Plant this annual once and it will re-seed and grow forever.
Oregano - Another hardy perennial. Greek is milder, Mexican stronger, use accordingly. We prefer Greek.
Sweet Marjoram - Very fragrant annual. Relative to Oregano, used with eggs, vegies and meats.
Celery leaves - I actually grow a specific type of celery that mainly produces leaves. When I have tried to grow nice stalks of celery I always got wimpy stems with lots of leaves anyway - it just does not like our climate. I also save the leaves from celery (organic) I buy at the market and dry them in a colander after trimming them from the stalk.
Garlic - (See above)
Onion Powder - this we buy as well.

ITALIAN SEASONING:
Oregano, Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic
See above for all of these.
Fennel Seed - We buy this, toast it lightly in a small, heavy pan (we use cast iron) and then crush it slightly with a mortar and pestle.

PREPARING THE HERBS:
All the herbs listed here are harvested early in the morning after the dew has dried off of them, and hung in bunches by their stems in a well ventilated place out of direct sunlight. I like to use a rubber band to hold the bunch and a twisty-tie from vegetables I purchased at the store, or string, tied on to hang them by. The rubber band conveniently stays tight as the herbs dry and the soft stems of basil and others shrink in diameter. Woody stemmed plants such as rosemary and thyme have no problem. As to the bay, I just prune off a very small branch full of leaves and dry it and that lasts us a year or 2!

When dry, strip the leaves from the stems and store as whole leaves in airtight containers (we use glass jars) in a cool, dark cupboard. When you make a blend or use the herbs directly in cooking - that is the time to crush or chop them. Once broken they will lose their aromatic and flavor qualities faster.
By the way, you can save the stems and bundle them, tie with cotton or jute string, and throw on hot coals when grilling for herbally smoked meats.


ASSEMBLING THE BLENDS:
This is the inventive part. I never measure anything unless I have to, and cannot begin to give you exact measurements for any of these, but I do have some "rules of thumb". In all the blends you use equal amounts of the large leafy herbs (basil, oregano, dill, celery).
Grind these coarsely with a herb grinder (there are many styles, I like the Mouli Parsmint best - shown in photo) or chop with a knife. Thyme, more condensed, should be around 2/3 the amount of one of the others after grinding. Ditto rosemary. You can run the rosemary through the grinder as well.
To 1/2 cup blended herbs add 1 large bay leaf, ground, and/OR 1 Tablespoon garlic granules OR 1 Tablespoon onion powder, or 2 teaspoons fennel seed, as called for. If you use bay laurel, use less.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then store in an airtight container until used.

USING THEM:
Sprinkle Meat Treat over chicken, turkey, whatever, before cooking. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons to oil and vinegar with 1/2 teaspoon salt for a nice herb vinaigrette.
Sprinkle Fish Fest over any kind of seafood before cooking. Also sprinkle with a bit of lemon pepper or a squirt of lemon juice.
Italian seasoning can be added to tomato sauce for pasta, lasagna or any tomato dish.

YUM! I'm hungry just thinking about it all. Now off to transplant my basil plants (sweet, lemon, purple (for salad dressing), mammoth (mild - good in salads), and Thai). I think ahead, as I work in the garden, to the harvest and culinary delights ahead.

Eating Well...

We have been planning our garden for months.

Late winter is spent perusing seed catalogs and choosing what we need. We generally start tomatoes and peppers indoors in February, cabbage and other cole crops soon after. But only since April has the weather been such as to allow us to play in the dirt outside.

Our cole crops, onions, lettuce, chard, and peas are now planted in the garden proper. We also have overwintered garlic, leeks, multiplier onions, and early spring greens and radishes already producing in barrel containers made from the drums our soap oils come in. These barrels are critter proof and have good drainage, unlike the garden's heavy clay soil. We also filled 2 whole upright barrels (with drain holes in them) with soil and planted an artichoke in each - yet another attempt to foil the gophers from another of their favorite delicacies.

This year we are building a retaining wall and leveling out the main part of our garden. It sets back our planting dates by several weeks, so we are starting even more plants indoors to be ready to transplant when the project is done. It delays our garden harvest gratification, adding to the bit of envy we feel seeing all the early bounty in the Farmers' Markets out on the coast where the climate is so much milder (see our blog post: Time Travel - into Spring).
On the other hand, now that these markets are up and running for the season, we can get a preview of the garden delights to come.

No matter where you live, you probably have access to locally grown fresh food. As big and as urban/sub-urbanized as the United States is, there are still community gardens, small farms, and local markets virtually everywhere. Getting food from the area where you live is a good experience for many reasons. Not only is the food fresher, you get to experience what is "in Season" and close to the earth, and you support your local farmers. On top of that, the carbon footprint of local produce vs. that which has traveled hundreds (if not thousands!) of miles is much, much smaller. And, environmentally speaking, that is a huge benefit even if you leave out the part about supporting your local ORGANIC farmers.

So how to locate sources of fresh local food near where you live?
One way is to use the "Eat Well Locally" search tool to the right of this post. Another great tool is LocalHarvest. Use it to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area. Enjoy!

Garden planning - to share...

We had four of our grandchildren here for a week in April. Once again it went from snow to summer weather in this wildly variable spring weather that has become the norm. But we had enough lovely days to begin the prep work on the garden.
In the photo you see Emily and Devan with the last of the carrots. We grow our winter carrots in the 1/2 barrels you see to the left, and it was time to take them out and replace them with lettuce and other spring greens.

Part of our garden plan is to have intentional excess to share with those who need it most. One local county food bank, Food for People, is promoting the national "Plant A Row for the Hungry" program. In the past we have taken garden excess down to local food distribution centers. Yes, everyone does appreciate good organic tomatoes, cucumbers, and even (!) zuchinni.

Another good example of one person's idea blossoming into something wonderful, the Plant a Row program can boast that: "Since 1995, over 14 million pounds of produce providing over 50 million meals have been donated by American gardeners. All this has been achieved without government subsidy or bureaucratic red tape — just people helping people." Not bad. Good, organic, local, REAL food getting to those who need it most. And a good example of how we can easily share the benefits of our personal success.

Our business, Simmons Natural Bodycare, is tiny. Barely a blip on anyone's business radar and never to be a candidate for the Fortune 500. But we can contribute to the greater good in a way defined and proportionate to our own good fortune. Thus we give a percentage of soap sales to Heifer International, our favorite all around holistic organization to help end hunger and care for the Earth, and we plant a tree through Trees for the Future for every 12 bars of soap we sell. Our success equals greater donations automatically. Yet, if our business has a tough time we still donate, just less, so it does not cut into our ability to help however we can afford to.

I am fortunate to live in this rural mountain community where neighbors look out for each other. I like to feel that, as a world community, we can be as caring.

Music - the universal language

I cannot help but believe that music touches us all. Playing for change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect and bring peace through music.
Enjoy...

Habitat for one and all...

Spring is bursting out all over. Our area is green and fertile - green with new grass and buds swelling on the trees. At the moment water is abundant and the earth is juicy with potential. This is not always the case (see our post "Water, water everywhere" ) A home full of abundance for human and animal and plant life alike.
I sometimes wonder if those urban dwellers who rarely get to see a mountain, forest, or other wide open and wild expanse, realize this is the source of what makes life possible on Earth.

There is a great learning song for kids by Bill Oliver:

Habitat, Habitat, Have to Have a Habitat
You have to have a Habitat to carry on!

Hear it online.

The ocean is a habitat, a very special habitat
It's where the deepest water's at
It's where the biggest mammal's at
It's where our future food is at
It keeps the atmosphere intact
The ocean is a habitat we depend on!

It is a wonderful ditty to help remind us that this fine planet is a home shared by a large community of creatures, all intertwined. And with Earth Day coming up, a good reminder that our actions all effect the quality of the Earth/Home we share.

While we ponder how to solve the big crises of war and poverty and economics, we cannot afford to let the bigger issue of habitat destruction become collateral damage, a side effect as it were, of our way of life. It is not only the obvious issues like clear cutting and oil spills and CO2 emissions. It is not just changing to energy efficient appliances and not littering. It is tied to every aspect of everything we do. If we poison our home it will make it impossible for us to live. Seems obvious, but it is insidious. The way of life of the human race has changed to where many of the material things we strive for ultimately work against our long term future. Maybe not so long term, anymore.

But there is a growing consciousness of this. There have always been people who recognized that all "progress" wasn't necessarily positive and that understanding has grown. Coupled with tight economic times it is becoming more common to consume more wisely and less excessively. To make choices that are maybe inevitable but also very beneficial.

The river is a habitat, a very special habitat
It's where the freshest water's at
For people, fish, and muskrat
But when people dump their trash
Rivers take the biggest rap
The river is a habitat we depend on!

If each of us makes a commitment to keep their tiny portion of the planet healthy, to keep our room clean, so to speak, it can only make a difference. I have always believed that no action is too small as each bit adds to the whole and helps create the momentum that is so crucial to making change.

People are different than foxes and rabbits
Affect the whole world with their bad habits
Better to love it while we still have it
Or rat ta-tat-tat, our habitat's gone!

Humans are the ones with the power to make a difference. The best way to display our power is to make life on Earth a sustainable proposition. We can do it. We can't afford not to!

One way we can work toward this goal is to use products that are biodegradable. Merriam-Webster defines this thus:

bio·de·grad·able adjective
: capable of being broken down especially into innocuous products by the action of living things (as microorganisms)

Cotton shopping bags are biodegradable, plastic ones... not so much. The soaps and detergents that go down your drain need to be biodegradable - not to leave their byproducts in soil, rivers and the sea forever.
Find our biodegradable soaps and products on our website.