Mairzy Doats...

"Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?"

I grew up on this song & Oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal cookies and later Granola & Granola Bars and knowing oats were good food and good for your health. Much later I learned how good oats were for your skin, used externally, as well.

Oatmeal's many skin care benefits have been known since antiquity. Its skin-soothing powers were known as early as 2000 BC, and to this day, the FDA cites it as effective for relieving dryness and inflammation, clinically shown to help heal dry, itchy skin. Many people who suffer from eczema find that an oatmeal bath helps releive their symptoms. Oats are totally hypoallergenic unlike many of the ingredients that are given to people who have eczema by doctors. Oats can also soothe chicken pox, mosquito bites, and dry skin (caused by excessive central heating, pollution etc.) They soothe mild burns, any type of irritated skin.

Because oats are slightly rough, they are also a gentle natural exfoliant, softening & smoothing the skin and you will find colloidal (finely powdered) oatmeal in soothing body soaks, moisturizers and soaps.

(from the RealAge website)
"There are four reasons why your skin adores oatmeal," explains New York City dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD:

1. Dryness fighting: Oats contain polysaccharides, which become gelatinous in water and leave a fine protective film on the skin, preventing dull, flaky dryness.
2. Moisturizing: Oats are full of healthy, lubricating fats.
3. Defense building: The proteins in oatmeal help maintain the skin's natural barrier function, which ensures that the world outside the skin stays out, and what's inside the skin stays in.
4. Pore cleansing: Oats are filled with natural cleansers (called saponins) that gently remove dirt and oil from the pores.
To reap all of these benefits, Wechsler suggests treating your skin to a colloidal oatmeal mask every week or two. Here's her super simple recipe -- good bet the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

The Skin Doc's Smoothing, Soothing Oatmeal Mask:

2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 tablespoon honey
1. Put the oats into a clean herb or coffee grinder on the finest setting, and process into powder.
2. Pour into a small bowl and stir in hot water and honey. Let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Wash face with warm water. While skin is still damp, massage paste onto face, circling around eyes and mouth. Leave on for 10 minutes.
4. Remove with tepid water and a washcloth. Apply your favorite moisturizer to seal the deal and set the glow.
P.S.: Don't stop eating oats just because you've transformed them into a beauty treatment! They're hard to beat as a source of health-protective soluble fiber -- and eating a high-fiber diet can make your RealAge up to 6 years younger.
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Here are a few more radiance promoting, totally natural, make them yourself oat recipes from NaturalNews:

Oat and Brown Sugar Scrub:

2 Tbsp. ground oats
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. avocado
5-6 drops of the beautifying rose essential oil.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth paste. Gently massage onto damp skin, and rinse off with warm water. Increase the dose for a full body super scrub.

Oat and Honey Milk Bath:

½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup almond milk
5-6 drops of lavender (to ensure that you truly chill out in your bath!)
Place the ingredients in a small, natural fabric bag, such as hemp, muslin or cheesecloth. Hang the bag under the faucet as you fill the tub, then put the bag into the bath as you soak up the goodies.

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And, of course, you can enjoy these benefits as well from Simmons special Unscented & Almond scented Oatmeal soaps, both are rich in organic colloidal oats and rolled oats to maximize the soothing effect on your skin.

By the way, here's the rest of the song:

"If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy"

Summer Activities

Whether your inclination leans to gardening, hiking, or lounging by the pool, you can be sure the summer months will have you and your whole family spending time outdoors.

Be sure you do the simple things needed to keep that time happy & safe - without the unhappy results overexposure to hot weather can cause.

1) Drink lots of water! Not soda, beer or juice... Water. Dehydration is a factor many ailments, up to & including Heat Stroke. You are not always thirsty when you need to be. Know the warning signs: Irritability, confusion & dizziness, headache. Children may be fussy & tired, sleepy & less active. Infants can be fussy or not be urinating as much as usual. Read more here.

2) Use sunscreen & be moderate about time in the sun. Don't be extreme in either direction - we need to get out in the sun to be healthy, but over expose not only leads to painful sunburn and a risk of Melanoma, but to early aging of the skin. Learn more.

3) Protect dry skin. If you garden or wear sandals during these hot, dry months your hands & feet can take a particular beating. Between the dirt, heat & washing often to clean up, the skin can dry, crack and become callused. Be aware of this & remember to wear gloves &/or use products that protect the skin from losing its natural moisture. Check out our natural products, formulated especially for this purpose .

Here's to the best and most enjoyable Summer for everyone!

Outta this World

In the space of only a couple of weeks we have had 3 eclipses visible from here. THREE spectacular celestial events. WOW!

Those who know me know I'm in love with natural phenomena - see my earlier post: Phenomena.
These eclipses are no exception.

First we were right in line for the May 25, 2012 Annular Eclipse of the Sun, the so-called "Ring of Fire' eclipse, where the entire Sun is not blocked out, but leaves a circle around the moon's Dark Disk.
Last night, the full Strawberry Moon was partially eclipsed by the Earth's shadow.
Today, RIGHT NOW, the planet Venus is  in Transit across the face of our mighty star. No one alive today is likely to see this again, the next occurrence is in 2117.

These events help me internalize what it actually means to live on a planet orbiting through space in a cosmic dance with moons and stars and other planets. I am elated and humbled by the experience.

Experiencing these, and other, phenomena bring me to the moment in such an exciting way. Here. Now.

I am filled with joy to be part of this astounding universe.

Picking up Chicks...

Befitting Spring, we recently picked up some new chicks, the avian kind. Meat birds - Cornish Cross - not laying hens (we are trying another breed, Freedom Ranger, later as well). Our hens are in overdrive and we only add new blood to our laying flock every two or three years.

You may already know we go to extremes to house our happy hens (see our post "Coopus Optimus" ). While we love the birds, we love even more being able to tend to them with ease and convenience. If it's easy, we find we keep their lodging cleaner and well tended as we should. We are happier and the chickens are healthier &, presumably, happier, too.
To this end we built a brooder to replace the annual foil lined cardboard boxes we raised chicks in until they are big enough to be out on their own. Now in it's second year I am happy to report it is a great success and am willing to share it's design.

Using 1"x1/2" hardware cloth, J-clamps for connectors (Your local feed or hardware store should have these and the tool to clamp them. They are used for building cages), a utility tray (hardware store), the foil covered bubble insulation often used to wrap water heaters, and a couple miscellaneous handles, we built the cage.

The key to the project was wanting a brooder that was easy to clean. This entailed a removable pan that can slide out and be cleaned without disturbing the chicks.
 After much searching (baking pans, tupperware, etc.) we found these great Utility Trays at a local hardware store. They were big enough (18"x30" or more), but too deep (4" - 6"). But nothing else was even close to what we wanted. However, as there were heavy plastic we were able to cut it down to the 2" we wanted.
To finish it off we added a handle to one end.
Now we had the template for our brooder.

We hang short pieces of the insulation with wire to keep heat in.

 Next we built an elevated cage. The floor is very slightly larger than the dimensions of the tray, so it will slide in and out. The walls are 10" tall from the floor to accommodate the growing chicks for several weeks. To make it fit over the tray, that means the side & back walls are made from pieces of hardware cloth 12" tall, with the floor attached 2" from the bottom. The front wall is only 10" high and attaches at the floor, allowing a space to remove the tray.
We put a solid 'roof' on the back half of the brooder, and loosely attached the front half so that it could be opened to tend to our chicks.
We cut holes in the front to allow the use of a couple of rabbit feeder to use when the chicks were older. As new chicks they are not tall enough to access those feeders and we place a smaller chick feeder & waterer inside the cage.

Wooden knob is to open front 1/2 of top

Now, the most important thing for raising newborn chicks is keeping them warm. This is easiest to achieve using a light bulb. As we are off-grid and produce our own power (Power in the Storm), our out buildings are wired to 24vt power, similar to a boat. So we use marine 24vt bulbs.

Place insulated cover over lamp...

We use the insulated metallic bubble wrap to keep the heat in. We construct a 4-sided box to cover the back half of the cage, top & 3 sides, using duct tape to fasten the pieces. In the top we traced the edge of the lamp. Using that circle as a guide, we cut slits in the shape of pie slices so it fits over the lamp & keep the heat in.

$6 indoor/outdoor thermometer keeps track of conditions.

This year it was so cold when we got the chicks we made an additional 'inner sanctum' from a 10" wide, 3' long strip of the bubble insulation with a doorway cut into it. Taped into a cylinder, it fit right under the light to concentrate the heat (see final photo below). It works perfectly.
Now that it's warmed up we removed it and they are roaming more.

We regulate the temp. by wattage of light bulb (25wt or 50wt)

Now all you need are wood shavings, newspaper, or other bedding to put in the tray for the manure to fall into (it's just too disgusting otherwise). Turn on the light & add chicks!

Later in the season (when it quits raining) we plan to make a portable pen/chicken tractor so we can range our meat birds on our hilly pasture. We'll keep you posted.

Cozy in their new home

Breaking Bread Together...

Bread, in it's many forms, is a common tie for people all around the world. Since Biblical times bread has been considered so essential to the maintenance of human life that there was no act more social than sharing one's bread with others. 

It is comfort food, rounds out a simple meal paired with soup, salad, cheese. And even featured in a famous poem of love by Edward Fitzgerald.

"A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, & thou"

While I used to bake weekly when our children were growing up, since they left home I am not often inspired to spend the energy for a single loaf. We purchased a bread machine (which works great on our off-grid power) and much of our bread is baked there.
Then I discovered this incredibly easy method...

I am in love all over again! 
I had heard of this recipe it for some time. Our friend, Rose, made one & shared the recipe, which she found on the internet, a year or so ago (which I have here somewhere...). I found it again in M. Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything'. It requires almost NO effort & is SO good. 

NO WORK ARTISAN BREAD
Recipe: 
ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast
2 cups lukewarm water

The night before:
In a large bowl mix all ingredients. Stir until blended completely for a sticky dough. Cover (I use a hotel issue shower cap) and let sit in a warm place at least 14 hours. 
It will form a bubbly sponge and can acquire almost a sourdough tang.

Next day:
Around 3-1/2 hours before you want to eat it, scrape the sponge onto a lightly floured surface & fold 3 or 4 times. Use only enough flour to keep it from sticking to you. Cover & let sit 15 minutes. 
Form into a ball using flour sparingly, as previously noted. Place ball, squished together side down, on an untextured dishtowel with a dusting of cornmeal on it, sprinkle a bit more cornmeal on top, cover with towel & let rise until double or finger pressure leaves an indentation. 
About 1/2 hour before it's done rising set an ungreased covered baking dish/dutch oven in oven & turn oven to 450 degrees. 
After 1/2 hour has passed take HOT pan out, flip dough into pan, squished together side now up, & cover with hot lid, return to oven & bake, covered at 450! after 1/2 hour remove lid & bake another 20 to 30 min. Until golden brown.
Cool at least 15 min before eating

This artisan style bread has the best crust EVER! I always add a couple Tbsp. ground flax. I have made it 100% white, 1c. whole wheat & 3c. white, 50/50, & 100% whole wheat. 
The combos were the best, & the whole wheat has an unbelievable flavor and makes the best toast ever. Try it!!