spring is here! April 24, 2011

Look at what I found today just down the road from my house:

dandelions!

6. Thou shall not commit murder/kill dandelions.

Happy Easter.

organic. April 20, 2011

My mother and I were recently in Texas for business meetings.. hers being with fellow educators and mine being poolside with the intense, southern sun.

I may or may not have messed with Texas..

By day we accomplished a lot in our respective meetings. For example, I am a new shade of red. [Apparently that 4 month Hawaiian base ‘tan’ of mine faded after a few weeks under layers of winter clothing..] After  long, hard days of work we enjoyed dinners with great food and company. I really enjoyed meeting these folks and hearing their ideas amd perspective on things.

One of the things we talked about was bees and food – I know, imagine that. People always ask what the deal is with the bees and my answer is always something along the lines of: people are greedy and it shows in our food industry, which bees have a major impact on. As a result of this, I am now wondering what organic means to people.

Organic. What does ot mean to you? Wait, before We begin this whole deal I will consult my ever so reliable friend, Merriam-Webster, to clear up any confusion.

Organic. or·gan·ic [ôr-gnk]

a: archaic

b:  of, relating to, or derived from living organisms <organic evolution>;
of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides

c: forming an integral element of a whole : fundamental

d: having properties associated with living organisms; Resembling a living organism in organization or development; interconnected

I guess I get so jazzed over this topic of organic because it has been bastardized by Corporate America. It is now a current craze and you can even find a large variety of “organic” products at large chain stores that will remain nameless in my blog.

I don’t mind if great things are exposed to people in ridiculous waves as long as it’s beneficial, but when the core reason or belief is totally bypassed it really changes things. It’s almost like the meaning or representation of organic or natural things are propaganda now. The meaning appears to have evolved into a new thing.

When I buy/grow/use organic, it’s because I am looking for something wholesome for both me and the earth. Organics have the potential to change the world in ways a lot of people don’t think or really care about. I could go on about it for quite some time but I am truly curious what it means to people. Feel free to comment or email with your answers.

What does it mean to you?

organic is not just for dirty hippies!

battles, beeswax and bongo the dog April 4, 2011

poochms Bongo

This is the happy doggins, Bongo. He gladly escorts us around to hives throughout the season, making sure to clean up any spilled wax chunks or honey along the way. He usually keeps critters at bay around the yard but with this winter’s unforgiving temperatures, this pooch hasn’t had as much time outside as he’d like. Now that spring is here, everyone in the natural world is out and about looking for whatever they can get to hold them over for the next few weeks.

Just last week we had a couple raccoons scoping out some hives. Usually, they walk to the hive entrance, knock a few times until bees fly out to see what it is and CHOMP, we are down a bee or three.. The raccoons will do this until they’ve had enough. Imagine this over time – particularly in winter. It’s something we need to keep an eye on and also be prepared for. A common way to prevent this is with a board we place in front of the hive. We pound several nails into the board so they are sticking up, ready to poke into paws of the intruder.

 

With the warming temperatures, Bongo has been spending more time outside establishing his turf again. On a midnight romp the other day he crossed paths with feisty raccoon lingering around the bee yard. They battled it out and poor Bongo came back to the house with a chunk of his neck missing.

punk from north country

I’d post a picture of the wound but it’s pretty nasty so I will save you the sight. After cleaning it out, Mike used some of our natural beeswax lotion to help ease the pain and soothe the wound. It seems to be working because Bongo isn’t too concerned with the missing patch of skin and fur on his neck. Just a coupe days later it is scabbed up and healing nicely.

I’ve enjoyed making these natural cosmetics but it’s even better when you get to see them proving their medicinal properties to be true. Beeswax has several natural healing properties, particularly with skin conditions. It’s anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial qualities as well as vitamin A (promotes cell reproduction) greatly speeds up recovery time. Also, don’t forget that raw honey has similar (and more) healing properties. I use it on cuts all the time. Give it a try~~