Cleansing

My daughter, in her explorations on becoming gluten free, brought home some books on Stanley Burroughs' Master Cleanse, which uses lemonaede made from freshly squeezed OG lemon juice, maple syrup & cayanne pepper in pure water several times daily, for 10 or more days.
I've enjoyed reading 'the complete Master Cleanse,' & am looking at how it would 'fit' in my life. (as a massage therapist, I spend 1/2 - 1 1/2 hours with each client - too much of a 'purge' wouldn't be good!)

Meanwhile, I got a few OG lemons & the suggested Grade B (more minerals, & actually the 'best' - & a bit cheaper!) yesterday, & drank a glass of the juice this AM. My sister-in law has suffered from gal stones, & begins her day with a glass of cayanne infused lemonade, so this felt like a good way to get some of the benefits!

Since beginning to use coconut oil almost exclusively, I've been steadily 'trimming' & my energy has consistently been good. I enjoyed seeing that Tom Woloshyn, the author of 'The Complete Master Cleanse,' suggests using coconut oil when you come off the lemonade cleanse.

I like to use Lalitha's chaparral cleanse several times a year, brewing a cup of tea each evening & drinking the following AM, & also have used Cleanse Powder, taking a spoonful & 'chasing' with water, & clear tea from the lovely Lincon City Herb Store. (from a 'rave' by a fellow shopper: "Mark will ship to all parts of the country. He is in my opinion, one of the BEST and most compassionate herbalists I have the pleasure to know. Here is the address and phone if you prefer to order through him. They have a FANTASTIC Chinese Herbal section, Bulk herbs and all sorts of vits. and minerals. Also books.
THE HERB STORE
3417 N.W. Hwy. 101
Lincoln City, Oregon 97367
PH: (541)994-9733 )

Meanwhile, my daughter's been making great gluten free bread, & chicken noodle soup (using rice noodles), & a lovely chicken curry, for which I made fresh coconut milk! MMMmmm . . .

Summer Festivals

This weekend there were several local festivals to choose from - Who's on Third here in McMinnville (used to be 'Turkey Rama,' before the turkey industry faded), The Country Faire (Veneta/Eugene area), the Salem Art Fair, & the Lavender Festival (inc open houses at a number of lavender farms)

I played my harp Fri for a couple hours at 'Who's on Third' to the foot traffic on our main street - & was on the front page of our local paper (photo by Marcas Larson)!

Today I danced for a couple of hours to a favorite band, Boka Marimba. Toward the end, a group of 4-8 enthusiastic small kids joined us on the pavement shaking things up.

This evening, we finally watched the sweet movie 'August Rush,' with (fairly) local guitar player Doug Smith performing some of the music! From his website: "Doug's playing can be heard in "Dueling Guitars", which is a guitar duet between actors Freddie Highmore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers late in the movie (Doug's playing Freddie's part).
"Doug can also be heard playing guitar in the Rhapsody which climaxes the movie. Yes, those are Doug's hands you see on screen! (And if you look fast, you can see Doug sitting with the orchestra as actor Terrence Howard walks behind him.) This is an inspiring story of the power of music!"
Watching the movie, I kept saying "OH! I think that's Doug!" he has a unique finger-style sound. Love his music when he performs at one of the local Wine Bars. The movie is truely inspiring - & one that prompts a lot of 'talk back' during watching - 'DON'T go with him! Just don't!!' . . . .

Natural beauty

I've always enjoyed playing with natural beauty 'fixings' - beginning with things like peppermint facial steams & such when I was in HS.

Recently found the ecoetsy blog, & this recipe for a natural deodorant! I love the Avalon Organics roll on - which I often find 'way cheap' at our local Grocery Outlet, but had to try mixing some up!!

Here's what I used:
3 T coconut flour (called for cornstarch)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 C shea butter
1/4 C coconut oil
5-10 drops neem oil (this is sticky, so had to gestimate!)
10 drops Lavender essential oil
10 drops Lemon essential oil
5 drops Clary Sage e. oil
heat oils (I put the container above the light on the hood above my stove for ~ 15 minutes) & combine. Add a bit more soda or starch if it needs it.
Viola!
It smells yummy, a bit gritty with the flour/soda, & will give a report after I've used it for a few days!

For a face scrub, I grind some rolled oats in my trusty electric 'coffee' mill, with dried lavender, rose & calendula petals. I may add a bit of cornmeal & clay for more 'grit.' I keep it in a small jar in the bathroom, & use rather than soap for washing my face.

I tend to use locally made glycerine based soaps, BioKleen (made in nearby Vancouver Wa) for my laundry, with a tbsp of baking soda sprinkled on the clothes. (need to look for washing soda)

I've been using coconut oil for my main 'lotion' these days, but inspired by the shea/coconut oil blend, I just combined a Tbsp of coconut oil, one of shea butter, & a tsp of coco-butter, melting them above the light. Nice & smoothe!

I've made the switch to mineral based cosmetics - ordering them online, or occasionally picking some up at a shop in town. If you order from CMH, be sure to check for the monthly special! I especially enjoy her 'chameleon sparkle,' the shimmer veil, & the sampler sets. A small 'sample' size is < $2, so it's easy to try these.

Well, off to the 'salt mines,' & then this afternoon I head downtown to play the harp for our 'Who's on Third' Festival! If you're in the area, stop by :)

Roses n Rose Beads

Ooo - just stopped by Jane's blog & found this wonderful post on rose concoctions!
& a link to Kiva's blog & her new book for kids: 'I'm a Medicine Woman, too!' - sweet!

My grandmother Mary grew herbs & worked with them. Sadly, I never knew my grandmothers (this blog is named for my other grandma: Minnie Vestella). As a teen, I experiemented with making rosebeads, as my mother had an old necklace grandma Mary made 30 or 40 years before!

My first attempt to make rose beads, using a recipe from 'American Girl Mag' looked rather like raisins, as the instructions didn't include any mashing! Next go - round, I ran the petals thru the foley mill, & later ground them in the blender, with better results.
I used little brass beads from the fishing supply (my dad was a fly fisherman), as we didn't have any bead shops, & often strung them on fishing line. The outer necklace is ~ 40 years old, & made by this method. The inner, strung with rose quartz, about 20 years old, & made with my dried petal method.
Here's an article on making rose beads. (unlike the author, I haven't found other flowers to work very well for beads! I do add some lavendar to the rose petals at times, but I find rose petals to work best, & usually have an abundance.)

In an herb class in the late 80s, Glen Nagle suggested drying herbs whole, then whizzing in a small coffee mill (crispy dry) when ready to use.
Ah- ha! I could do that with the rose petals, as I tended to use a combo of fresh & dried for my beads. Viola, an easy way to store the petals (powdered or whole in zip lock bags or tins) & simply reconstitute ~ 1/4 Cup of prepared petals with a rose petal, lavender & rose geranium leaf 'tea' when ready to make beads.
I usually add ground cinnamon, nutmeg & cardamom to the roses, & have found that a small 'simmer pot' is ideal for the heating & mash making process. My original recipe called for simmering the petals an hour a day for 3 days. These days, I pour rose 'tea' over 1/4 - 1/2 C petals in a simmer pot, stir a bit, & cook for an hour or so.
Pour some tea for yourself as well - ahh :)
You can pop your mash in the freezer at any point, if you can't make the whole batch into beads!
I often simmer the petals the day before a class, then reheat the next day. You want your mash a 'playdough' consistency. Roll the beads in the palm of your hand, about twice as big as you want - they'll shrink! Yes, it's messy! But oh, so sweetly fragrant! I make several size beads, & like to string in patterns of 3s & 5s.
Set the beads on a small dish to dry for a day or so, till slightly firm, before piercing with a large needle. (if it breaks, just drop it back into the 'mash') Then, string on waxed carpet thread, hemp cord, or fishline, about a dozen beads on a string, & hang from pushpins along the edge of a shelf or above my pantry door.

I store the strings of beads & finished necklaces in tins & jars with rose potpourri, a few whole roses & sprigs of lavender.
When teaching a rosebead class, I buy small tins at the thrift stores, & make a bag or sprinkle potpourri in the bottom, to gift the students. The beads smell more fragrant when worn, as your body heat warms them. Just keep them dry, & they'll last a long, long time!

The necklace with pearls & glass beads was given me by a galfriend, (probably made with white or yellow petals, as the beads are paler) & the one with dark pink beads one I made for my mom, each of these are about 20 years old. Matching earrings are easy to make as well.

About 10 years ago I was interviewed for an article in the local paper, & have taught my 'dried petal method' for an herb group, at a local garden shop befor Valentine's Day, & at Country Gardens Nursery during the 'Tour de Plantes.'

Rose flower essences are some of my favorites! & a pinch of the dried rose powder is great for staunching blood - what a nice way to deal with a bloody nose!

Our Shacks

This week, author Wm PAUL Young came to give a talk to folks interested in his record breaking book, The Shack.
Wow!
An 'unassuming' man, at 5' 6" we were eye to eye, a relucatant author - after years of 'prodding,' his wife Kim convinced him to write this book 'for our children,' to explain some of his pain, & his healing, a humorous, kind man, Paul is a delightful speaker.
Several years ago, riding MAX in & out Gresham (OR) for one of his three jobs, he finally began jotting down ideas, first on paper, eventually on a computer. & finally had a 'finished product' to run off - at Kinko's, 15 copies - for their 6 kids. Mission accomplished, project finished . . .

Except . . .

They gave some of those copies to friends, & people kept wanting to give it to thier friends, . . .
& somewhere along the way, Paul gave a copy to the only 'real author' he knew, who had some friends in LA (movie folk) . . . who became interested, & flew Paul down . . . . ehem, Paul flew himself down, to talk about 'movie' possibilities . . . slight problem.
For a book to become a movie, the producers would like to see 100,000 copies sold. Now, most books, even good books, only sell ~ 5000 copies. A really good book, one that becomes a 'best seller' sells ~ 7500 copies, . . . & he didn't even have a publisher at this point.
So (after being turned down by 'secular press' as 'no nitch, & too much Jesus,' & Faith based press as 'no nitch, for it, it's too 'edge-y' . . . a couple of friends ('Windblown press') put together a publishing company, & they did their first run of 10,000 books (only the printer sent 11,000), set up an ordering website, & they were in business.

After several runs, selling 1.2 million books out of Brad's garage, with < $300 spent on marketing, & folks calling Barnes & Noble & Amazon wanting it - but since it was 'self' published, no one had copies to sell . . . & a major company finally picked it up.
It's now sold > 4 million copies.

What's so special about 'the Shack'??

A story about 'Mack' (told from his perspective - through a 'friend') who has had a 'great sadness' & is invited by God (whom his wife calls 'papa') to come to a shack in the remote Wallowa mountains . . . where he meets Papa, Jesus & Serayu (Se rrra u - Iranian for 'Wind'), & begins a journey of inner healing.

Paul's own 'great saddness' experiences, a overtly 'religious,' & angry, missionary father, spending his early years raised by tribal New Guinea tribespeople, the Dani, & being molessted by them, going to boarding school at 6, where the 'big boys' come in & molest the little kids the first night, . . . (u-tube clip on this)
He spent 11 years coming thru his saddness, visiting the shack, walking down railroad tracks at night, screaming into the wind, . . . .

& came out the other side cleansed, with humor, with a great love for the human condition, & a sense that we're loved by Papa & the rest beyond our wildest imaginings. His stories about people touched by the Shack, & their own journies of reconcilliation (which Archbishop Tutu also bespoke) are inspiring, heart rending. You can read his blog, or watch him on u-tube & again. (I love this 3 part series - with an interviewer in Atlanta).
You'll also notice some 'stay OUT of the Shack!' clips - Paul comments that his most public of these critics hasn't read the book!

An 85 year old man, who called the 'office' (Windblown press - his friend's garage in CA) from Australia - & broke down in tears. 6 phone calls, & many tears later, he got out his request - he was on pension, he didn't have a bank acount nor e-mail (necessary, at that time, to order books from the web-site), the book had brought him so much healing, he wanted to order books to give others. They helped him set up both account & e-mail, & - at 85 - he took up 'odd jobs' to earn money to buy books . . . .

He spoke of the unexpected response among perpetrators - the woman in a WA state prison, (20 - now 40 - copies were circulating among the inmates) who asked Paul after a talk, if he thought 'Papa' really cared about her . . . he whispered 'Papa's especially fond of you' & the tears cascaded down.

From Paul: What has really resonated in people - people are tired of 'working their way into God's heart' systems - people are tired of that!' He talks of folks' idea of God often being 'Gandalf with an attitude!' Paul sets out to change this image for others, reflecting how it changed for him.

Personally, I've felt more connected to Goddess traditions, Original Blessing, & a sense of being cherished by that essence, this isn't 'new news,' but there's such power in these 'group conscious' raising books!

A decade + ago, Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield was particularly powerful for me. Also personally published, this book & it's sequels offer ways of looking at our own control dramas, & shifting into a higher way of relating to each other.

Another Year (quoted with permission)

In the dawnbreak stillness

Two steps past dew lights fading

She wonders at the First Born’s kindness

And at the world’s parading

What will become of mice and men?

Why does an inch of growth take years?

Who will remember unsaid longings?

Who’s close enough to wipe these tears?

Another year, somewhere past noon

And in the quiet breathing

It’s Grace that fills the largest wounds

And brings us back to being.

-William P Young

Eye Exercises

I found a post on the Coconut Oil Forum from a gal who's begun doing Tibetan Eye exercises to strengthen her eyesight. I looked it up & found this eye chart plus instructions - How fun!! The suggestion is to do these exercises twice daily, & to begin & end the session with eye 'palming.'
The author (name not cited) makes an interesting comment on the role rancid oils play in eyesight deterioration: "This type of damage is from the vegetable oils in the polyunsaturated configuration of the oils treated with hydrogen, (Trans fatty acids), [which] causes the rancidity (free radical damage) of cellular fats." - another reason to use coconut oil, don't you think?

My dad used a similar pattern regularly, & my kids recall his 'eye exercises.'. He was part Cherokee - did this come from something he learned growing up, or something he read??
Byrle's Eye Calisthentics didn't use a chart, each pattern involved looking to the very edge of ones' field of vision. They included: circling the eyes clockwise & counterclockwise, looking up & down, back & forth, & in a figure 8 pattern (which includes the diagonals in steps 4 & 5 of the Tibetan pattern!)

There is also a sweet acupressure self massage that I found in a calligrapher's cook book - 'Pots & Pens Three' these lovely drawings & text are by Andrea Heid.
I found the same Chinese set online here. There are also u-tube videos, inc. this one showing a child doing the exercises!

I remember reading an article about an elderly Chinese woman who did these daily, & could still do fine embroidery with out glasses into her 80s or 90s!

I include eye palming, face & self-massage at the end of my Tai Chi/Qigong class. It will be fun to add my dad's eye calisthentics into this pattern.

Sunny Friday

Harry Potter camp came to a delightful finish yesterday. My daughter-in law Angie brot her kids back, & stayed to help us with the prescool group. Here they are with their big coz., climbing the tree in my daughter's front yard. Today they're back home, to the relief of their old dog, who wasn't sure what had 'happened' to his babes!

After HP Camp, my dau & I went for fabulous pedicures - ah :) I love the flowers on my big toenails! & today I receive a massage - so doubly blessed!

The camp ended with a BBQ & salads (many good n green!) yesterday, & a cake topped with 'crispy treat 'castle walls!' Friends who are in SCA brought an armload of capes, so I wore one as I 'signed' the songs.

My daughter sent of cell samples for gluten intollerance testing - & this week the results came back for her family, & all 4 of them have the gene - tho not necessarily active yet - good to know & begin making the shift! She said the test showed both her parents have the marker as well (oh-oh!)
So going gluten free! She already has to watch for egg yolks (no mayo or dressings w/ egg yoke, or pizza brushed with egg, or . . .) & peanuts. I've been trying to avoid soy.

As an adult, I've found I 'do better' & don't produce as much mucus (always had a stuffy nose as a kid) when I don't eat much wheat - rarely buy bread (usually choose sprouted), & don't prepare or eat much pasta. But I've still enjoyed the occcasional pizza, & always go for whole grains. Rice & quinoa are my grains of choice, & I've been enjoying the forays into using coconut & sorgham flour. So we'll be doing more of that! She's ordered some books, & another field trip to the 'red mill' will be fun.
I do better with yogurt than drinking milk - tho I love it raw, I think I'm better off not drinking it. Bring on the coconut :) I made coconut yogurt yesterday, using my 'Greek God' yogurt (delish!) as a starter, & it turned out well. I made some tapiocia to help it 'firm.'

Yesterday the Farmer's Market was in full swing, & I picked up some fruit & a few goodies my CSA share doesn't inc - artichokes from the coast, kohlrabi & fresh basil. I keep the basil at room temp., in a glass w/ a bit of water in the bottom. A couple of stems from last week's bunch grew roots, so I planted those with my tomatoes!

Our favorite edible pod pea is Grau Eaten or 'dwarf grey sugar'. With it's lovely lavender & purple blosssoms, it rivals sweet peas in the 'pretty' dept, plus produces the yummiest peas! Years ago, my friend Diana's 3 year old would casually walk around the house & start picking pea pods whenever they visited - usually joined by my two kids!

Well - time to do something with this lovely, sunshiny day! The sweet Mormon boys who came to my door this week asked if I needed help on anything - 'the garden?' Do all the weeds & overgrown grass - show?? Sigh. Love gardens, but fall down on upkeep . . .