A New Heartsease...

Beating Inflation: Rosewater & Facial Cleanser

Homemade Rosewater facial toner and freshener

 

   Rosewater is gentle and soothing to skin. It hydrates the skin and reduces inflammation. It is slightly astringent - reducing large pores and tightening skin. Rosewater benefits all ages and types of skin.

    Rosewater has been a beauty aid since ancient times. Today it can be costly to purchase. So, we lovely ladies on budgets have the option to save money by making our own!

    The easiest method requires NOW Rosewater Concentrate or rose hydrosol*, distilled water, and witch hazel. A small bottle of rose concentrate will last for months.

    Witch hazel is slightly astringent, reduces inflammation, and reduces irritation.

    Mix 1/4 cup each distilled water and witch hazel. Add 10 to 15 drops of rosewater concentrate. Mix and store your "use" bottle at room temperature. Any leftover rosewater should be stored in the fridge.

    Use an empty, clean spritz bottle to mist your face. Or, you can dampen a cotton ball to apply the rosewater. The resulting rosewater when made with rose concentrate, or hydrasol, will be clear in color.

    If you grow fragrant rose bushes, you can make your own rosewater by gently swishing six rose blossoms in water and draining them on a clean towel. Gently remove the petals.

    Add the petals to a stainless steel pan and add enough distilled water just to cover. Simmer gently for 35 minutes, or until the petals have lost color, then strain off the water and set aside to cool. Add 1/2 tsp vodka - as a preservative - for every cup of rosewater you've made. Mix this half and half with witch hazel, if desired.

    Add the rosewater to a small spray or lidded bottle. Keep any leftover rosewater in the fridge. Spritz onto face or use a cotton ball to apply. Use rosewater before applying a moisturize.

    A rosewater spritz on hot days, especially if cold from the fridge, is a wonderful refresher!

    Dark pink or red roses will color your rosewater beautifully.

    NOW's Rosewater Concentrate is available online or at most health food stores that sell essential oils.

Rose hydrosol* - a product of the distillation of essential oil of rose - is available from Mountain Rose Herbs. Click the link below.

https://mountainroseherbs.com/

    

This simple facial cleaner requires only two ingredients.

 

     To make this facial cleaner simply mix equal parts extra virgin olive oil and castor oil.

    Olive oil has many skin benefits, such as deep hydration, gentle exfoliation, elimination of fine lines and wrinkles, reduction of  inflammation and puffiness, it conditions dry skin, and soothes irritated skin.

    Castor oil is also called, "Palma christi", which translates to "hand of Christ" because of its many healing properties, such as treating the pain and inflammation of arthritic joints, strengthening and growing hair, as a skin moisturizer, for deep cleansing of skin, eliminating fine lines and wrinkles, reduction of inflammation and stretch marks, increasing circulation, and it's healing to wounds and scrapes.

    Simply mix equal amounts of olive oil and castor oil in a jar. I like to re-use a clean pump jar which it makes it easy to dispense just the amount I need to cleanse my face. 

    Washing your face with soap - even, so called "moisture rich" soaps is drying to your skin. There's also the danger of allergy, rash, eczema, and irritation. Soap is made with fats and lye. If the soap has not sufficiently "saponified" - allowed to age long enough that the lye is neutralized - all types of skin problems can arise. While soap is fine for washing one's body, it can be too harsh for the delicate skin of the face and neck.

    To use your olive oil and castor oil mixture, express a little of it into your hand. Rub your palms together for a few seconds to slightly warm the oil and massage it over your face and neck - chest, too, if desired.

    Next, run a wash cloth under very warm water, wring it out, and apply it to your face and neck (chest, too) for a few seconds. Then gently wipe the oil from your face. Finish by splashing your face with cold water.. Gently pat your face dry and mist with rosewater. Rinse the washcloth and hang it up to dry.

    A tiny amount of the cleanser may be applied to the fingertips and used to massage into your scalp for a healthy scalp and follicles. Any excess remaining on your hands after cleansing your face may also be rubbed through your hair. Use only a little so your hair doesn't look oily.

   My favorite three-part beauty regimen consists of my homemade Rosewater, the two-oil Facial Cleaner, and Skin Essential Anti-Aging Serum. See my post previous post:

  Skin Essential Anti-Aging Skin Serum                 

 

    I (and others) swear my skin looks at least 10 years younger than my age would suggest! At 73-years old my skin isn't dry, thin, or crepey, but plump and clear.

    My goal isn't to look like a 40- or even 50-years old, but to have the healthiest, softest, best-looking skin at any age...and to look a bit younger, too.

    While there is some cost to acquire the ingredients to make these cosmetic items, you'll save lots of money in the long run. And, your skin will be healthy, moisturized, and clean!

    

   

  

Beating Inflation: Disposing of the "Disposables" - Floor Cleaning Sheets and Pads

    Despite all the "flap" that inflation is down - and it is - but generally only in areas that have low or no impact on most Americans' budgets.

    Yes, the economy is strong. The rich are getting richer while the rest of us are paying more money for the things we need...food, utilities, rent, entertainment...and well, everything!

    U.S. households are simply spending more on less food and the same utilities which continue to creep upward in price but not quantity.

    Gasoline is also on the creep and rents are up, too. Just last week two of my neighbors moved from the condos they were renting nearby because they couldn't afford the rent hikes they'd just received.

    It seems we're all held hostage to the two or three mega-companies that own all the supermarkets, the semi-monopolies of utility companies, and OPEC which decides, globally, the prices we all pay at the pumps! 

    If you're planning on doing some home improvement projects, here's another area where prices have increased...materials and labor!

    It can be depressing to believe that we have no control over any of these increasing costs. And we don't, if we continue to do the same things in the same way.

    Sadly, incomes just don't keep pace with the type of inflation that most affects our households and our lives. Thus, budgeting and cutting back on "non-essentials"...entertainment, eating out, staying closer to home, buying only essentials at the supermarket...can only take us so far. What we need is changing up the way we spend money, how we do things, and the habits we've become accustomed to.

    I'm taking steps to rein in expenses and so can you!

    Mostly I'm re-adopting techniques from my years as a homesteader. Then, I made or grew practically everything I needed or ate.

    I live in a condo now, so growing my own food is no longer an option except for the few herbs I've sneaked into the landscaping beds. I have supplanted growing food with some foraging skills that do save me money and lower pharmacy costs to a degree.

    However, there is still much more that I can do and am doing.

    Anyone can "home-make" - rather than buy - most of their own body care and house cleaning products! You'll save money and exposure to harmful chemicals. And, your skin and hair will be clean and nourished and your home sparkly clean and kept, too.

    The first step is to dispose of - not buy - those disposable, single use  products that one "conveniently" uses once than discards. That's like throwing money away! Disposable products are simply manufacturers' ruses to keep you spending money on the same things, like, forever! 

    An easy one I started with years ago was the sheets and pads that I use to clean my floors. My floor cleaner happens to be a Swiffer. I love my Swiffer! It's one of the simple ones that doesn't squirt or vacuum anything. I use it to dust up lint, cat hair, and "bits and pieces", and damp mop my wooden and laminate floors between bigger mopping jobs...but I don't purchase those reusable sheets and pads. I make my own!

    I simply make reusable, re-washable sheets by cutting 11-inch by 12-inch squares from old cotton tee shirts, synthetic shirts, or flannel pajamas...any type of washable fabric that has an affinity for lint, hair, and dust makes a great dusting sheet. Simply cut as many as you think you'll need...usually two to four. A couple in the cleaning cupboard, a couple more in the laundry waiting to be washed and used again, and again, and again.

 

Several unassuming fabric squares that are washable are perfect replacements for floor dusting sheets.

 

    I've probably saved hundreds of dollars on replacement dusting  sheets and pads over the past 15 years!

 

Old cotton tee-shirts, flannel - any fabric that loves to attract lint - may be cut into a 12" x 11" rectangle, attached to your floor duster, and used to clean your floors.

 

    Likewise, I've saved $$$ on "making" my own mopping "pads", too! To damp mop my kitchen and laminate/wood floors I simply cycle old terry face/wash cloths into mop "pads" I use on my Swiffer. When a wash cloth gets a little tatty - too much so for the bath - it gets cycled into my stack of cleaning cloths.

    To clean the floor, I dampen a wash cloth, ring it out, attach it to the mop/duster head as I do with the dusting cloths. Then, using a spray bottle of homemade all-purpose cleaner or liquid wood cleaner, I spritz the area of the type of floor I want to mop.  

    I also use my re-purposed wash cloths to clean mirrors and windows with homemade glass cleaner, and to clean and sanitize counter tops, and more, using a homemade antiseptic cleaner.

    If you use dish cloths, these too, can be re-purposed into floor cleaning cloths when they get too stained or worn for use in the kitchen. The little woven "waffles" trap dirt nicely.

    There's really no need to purchase disposable, single use products, or even spend money on reusable microfiber cleaning cloths. However, these are a better option than disposable cloths. If you have them use them. If they fit onto your brand of floor duster/mop all the better!

    In upcoming posts I'll share - among other things - how to make your own homemade personal care and cleaning products that will save you lots of money.

    It doesn't take much time to mix up a batch of face oil or cream, shampoo, lotion, or laundry soap and other household cleaners. A few minutes spent every few months is time well spent that will keep your dollars in your own pocket!

    In case you missed my posts on homemade shampoo and laundry soap, the links follow...

 

https://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a014e8aba6c94970d014e8aba75d7970d/post/6a014e8aba6c94970d02b68539ca82200d/edit

 

https://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a014e8aba6c94970d014e8aba75d7970d/post/6a014e8aba6c94970d02c8d39d71fe200d/edit

 

 

 

 

 

        

    

    

    

   

       

 

 

Homemade "Mix and Use" Liquid Laundry Soap

 

The "flap" on how to make your own liquid laundry soap will save you money!

 

    Whether you're irritated or have resigned yourself to high prices at the supermarket, it's an issue that's not going to right itself anytime soon.

    We can blame inflation on the President - who is powerless to lower prices due to our capitalistic system,  or we can complain that Congress is too busy infighting (and won't act because the price-gouging companies/CEO's donate liberally to their re-election campaigns), or we can actually do something about it through self-empowerment.

    Here's the flap on how to save money by making your own "mix and use" liquid laundry soap!

   Recently, I've decided to revisit the days when I was a do-it-yourself kinda gal and made all my own body care and household products while living on my Utah homestead.

    Older, and now living in a condo in Idaho, I'm re-empowering myself - and saving money - by making my own laundry soap as well as other products most of us purchase at the market.

    In my homesteading days I made bath soap, and my grandmothers laundry soap which I grated, melted, added few more ingredients thereby creating my own laundry soap powder which worked well and everything subtly smelled of lavender because of the lavender essential oil I added to the mixture.

    These days most folk are just too busy to make soap from scratch, grate it and turn it into laundry powder, so I've engineered an easy-to-make laundry liquid that will get your clothes clean and save you lots of money!

    You'll need a few supplies, but the initial outlay is likely to be less than a large box or bottle of laundry detergent, and your supplies will make many gallons of laundry liquid! The list of needful items is as follows...

    Dr. Bonners lavender or peppermint liquid castile soap (in a pinch you can use any liquid soap you already have...dish soap, liquid handsoap, etc., and baking soda,washing soda, borax, essential oil/s of peppermint and/or lavender.

    Borax and washing soda are found in the laundry/household cleaning aisles of most supermarkets. I've also found them at hardware stores.

    Buy a large bag or box of baking soda (you'll be able to use this in other cleaning products I'll show you in future posts.

    Water is the remaining ingredient.

    There's no making or grating or melting of soap. We simplify the process by using liquid soap products.

    I try to match the essential oils I use to the scent of the liquid soap. If you use an unscented liquid soap you can use lemon, orange, or other essential oils you prefer...just use 50 drops instead of 40.

    You'll need a clean, empty one gallon jug, or two or three smaller jugs for storing your laundry soap.

 

Easy-to-make laundry soap.

 

Recipe: Liquid Laundry Soap (makes slightly less than one gallon)

1/2 cup Dr. Bonner's lavender, peppermint or plain liquid soap

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup washing soda

1/4 cup Borax

40 to 50 drops of essential oil of choice (lavender or peppermint)

Scant 1 gallon of water

    Heat a quart of water in a microwaveable container to boiling, or boil the water in a pan on the stove.

    Add borax, washing soda, and baking soda and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool.

    Pour a quart of plain, cool water into your gallon container. Add the borax and soda mixture. 

    Add the liquid soap and essential oils. Stir or gently swirl the jug to mix the ingredients.

    Top off the jar with plain water - leaving about 8oz headroom. Leaving headroom allows you to shake the jug to remix the ingredients before each use.

    You'll use...

1/4 cup for small loads

1/3 cup for medium loads

1/2 cup for large loads

    If you have an HE (high efficiency) washer, use half the recommended amounts shown above.

    *A mess proof solution for avoiding a sticky measuring cup is to toss the laundry liquid and the measuring cup into the washer. I use and re-use the large plastic measuring cap of previously purchased laundry detergent for this. Of course, whatever measuring cap or cup you use must be plastic! Both laundry and cup come out of the wash clean!

    I use empty, clean one-gallon vinegar jugs for my homemade liquid laundry soap. You can use clean, well-rinsed bleach jugs, or you can simply use an empty laundry detergent jug. 

    Your laundry room will smell so good on wash day that you'll actually enjoy the task! However, the scent may dissipate in the heat of the dryer.

    You can toss a clean cotton cloth, scented with a few drops of essential oil, into the dryer at the end of the drying cycle. Then allow the clothes to tumble on the "no heat" cycle for a few minutes.

    By making your own liquid laundry soap you'll empower yourself and enrich your own pocketbook instead of companies that are overcharging for their products and getting even richer by doing so.

 

*Notes:

    If you have smelly gym or work clothes wash those with the peppermint soap/essential oil liquid mixture. Your clothes will not smell like peppermint, but subtly clean and fresh.

    For bed linens and bath towels, I use the lavender mixture, dry the linens, then add a lavender-scented cloth to the dryer and run it on the "no heat" cycle for about five minutes.

    In future posts, I'll share other products you can make that will get your home clean, save you money, and prevent exposure to harsh chemicals.

    The next post is my most recent forest walk and what I found there to gather and enjoy!

    

    

 

    

 

 

 

 

    

    

 

 

   

    

To Go A'Walkin' In the Woods - Walk #2

 

A steep, narrow path branching off my main forest trail eventually leads to a road that leads to a lake.

 

    There's good reason to occasionally take this steep path...there are more black raspberries growing down there! It's also less trodden by other hikers and there are species of plants that don't grow along the main trail.

 

This young mullein hasn't completely sent up its tall, sturdy flowering stalk.

 

    Mullein grows on both trail and path, and I harvest its yellow blossoms to steep in olive oil. I only gather a few flowers from each plant.

    After six weeks, I strain off the oil to use as an earache remedy. I also make a tincture by steeping the leaves, roots, and stalk for six weeks in vodka. 

    The tincture may be taken by the dropper full for lung and respiratory issues and for strengthening the bladder, and as a wound healer. 

    I've recently learned that mullein's stalks and roots may be tinctured to alleviate backaches, as well. I've made a tincture just for this purpose and am interested to see if it works!

    Some herbs are "multi-talented", meaning they heal more than one health issue. Mullein seems to be one such herb.

    Another more "down to earth" use of mullein is as Nature's toilet paper. For this, the big soft, slightly hairy leaves are used. I've never used mullein for this purpose - and hope not to - as it seems disrespectful of the plant. However, in an emergency situation...

 

 

Oxeye daisies are related to our garden daisies! They grow all along the forest path, seeding in gardens, and popping up in road verges.

 

    I haven't gathered any of the daisies yet as they grow all season and into Autumn. They're usually steeped in olive oil and made into a salve to rub onto achy muscles and joints similarly to their other daisy family counterpart - arnica. 

    My store bought arnica salve is nearly gone and now that I've learned that Oxeye daisy works similarly, I'll save some money and make my own salve hence forth. To that end, I'll gather some and dry them for future use.

 

A welcome sight along the trail are the Oxeye daisies!

 

    The rose hips aren't ripe yet and neither are the huckleberries and elderberries. The black raspberries are done for the season, but coming along nicely are the Oregon grapes - also called, Mahonia. 

    Mahonia berries are now turning from green to dark purple and almost ready to harvest.

 

Preceded by fragrant, yellow flowers, these berries make delicious wine, jam and jelly, sauce, and syrup. Notice the holly-like leaves?

 

    Like elderberries, Mahonia aren't sweet or particularly tasty when eaten raw. Sweeten them, however, with sugar or honey and their "berry-licious" flavors become deliciously evident.

 

 

Last year I made a delicious sauce to adorn cream cheese schmeared Ritz crackers! A perfect "tasty bite" for guests.

 

    The yellow roots of Mahonia are a rich source of an antibiotic and antimicrobial substance called, berberine. As pharmaceutical antibiotics lose their efficacy against bacteria and microbes developing an immunity against them, berberine is being studied as an alternative.

    Here in Idaho two types of Mahonia grow. One is ground-hugging, and the other grows into tall shrubs. Both types grow useful berries and medicinal roots.

    I use elderflowers to make cordial, elderflower sugar, syrup, and mead. Elderflowers combined with in-bloom wild mint and yarrow - all dried - yield a healing soothing tea formula for colds, flu, and allergies.

    From the elderberries which ripen in a few weeks, I'll make wine and mead, a syrup, and dry some of the berries for winter use.

    I make my own Sambucus elixer to strengthen my immune system rather than buying the expensive health food store's version. Sambucus is simply the botanical name for elderberry.

    Here in Idaho, the elderberries appear blue, instead of almost black, due to a "bloom" similar to that which grows on grapes.

 

Elderberry trees can become quite tall.

 

    Earlier this season I gathered plantain...not the banana-like fruit of the tropics...but the low-growing herb that's common to wild places and sometimes lawns. It comes in a broad-leafed variety and a narrow-leafed form, called ribwort.

 

This is the broad-leafed variety. It's edible and medicinal.

 

This ribwort is in bloom!

 

    Both varieties are edible and medicinal. The broad-leaf variety is a more tender choice for a salad, but both work equally well as medicine for treating wounds and as a drawing salve.

    A few weeks ago I dried the plantain leaves I'd gathered. When they had dried I ground them finely and infused them in olive oil just to cover. I waited six weeks for them to steep.

    Then I measured out two tablespoons of the infused olive oil into a heatproof measuring cup, added 3/4's teaspoon of beeswax granules. I didn't strain out the herb but left it in the oil.

     I heated up this mixture until the beeswax melted and stirred the mixture thoroughly, then poured the liquid into a small, clean tin and allowed it to cool. 

    As the mixture cools it hardens into a salve that I'll use as a drawing salve when I get a splinter or to soothe insect bites and irritated skin. 

 

My herbal notebook of herbal medicines and the newly made and labeled plantain salve.

 

    The forest is a rich source for wild edibles and medicines all season long. My forest trail and adjoining path are not only a verdant feast for the senses, but pantry and medicine chest, too!

    In addition, studies have shown that spending time in nature reduces stress and strengthens the immune system simply by walking or sitting, camping, fishing, hiking, etc. 

    Stay tuned to this blog for our next forest walk to see what's going on as the Season matures toward Autumn!

 

 

    

   

    

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

    

 

 

 

 

 

Homemade Horsetail-Rosemary Shampoo and Two Hair Rinses!

 

Horsetail & Rosemary shampoo and Nettle Hair Rinse are natural products you can make yourself. Rosemary herb flanked by basil both of which aid hair growth.

 

    It's springtime! Time to gather and forage for ingredients to make hair- and scalp-healthy shampoo and rinses!

    Commercial shampoos contain chemicals that aren't friendly to your scalp or gentle on your hair. Yes, they get your hair clean, but they also dry your hair and scalp, stripping away natural oils that give shine, body and bounce to healthy hair. We want our hair healthy and clean of dirt, styling products, and excess natural oils, but not stripped and desiccated! 

    If you follow the instructions on some shampoo bottles they'll tell  you to wet your hair, apply shampoo and massage it in, rinse, re-apply shampoo, lather, and rinse again.

    This "twice shampoo' strategy insures that your hair will be dry, brittle, tangled, and lifeless.  It also means that you'll need additional products to moisturize and add body, to de-tangle and meld - temporarily - split ends. Furthermore, commercial shampoos destroy the natural ph balance of hair resulting in a dry, itchy scalp and exacerbating dandruff.

    Chemicals and the intense heat of dryers and hot rollers aren't good for the scalp or the hair. They burn and dry the cuticles at the center of the hair shaft causing your hair to become brittle, the ends to split, and encouraging frizziness. There's some evidence that chemicals and excessive heat may cause hair loss due to weakening of hair follicles under constant assault. Daily use of hairdryers and curling irons was particularly implicated.

    There was a time when I would dilute commercial shampoos by mixing them with an equal amount of water in order to reduce their harsher effects. Some manufacturers caught onto the Internet advice to dilute shampoo to save money and to create a gentler product...and the effect of this was...

...to create a bottle top that couldn't be removed to prevent customers from diluting the product! Not all manufacturers have done this, but the manufacturers of the two brands I used once-upon-a-time have done so.

    I found a way around this bit of chicanery by simply making my own homemade shampoo. As a result my hair and scalp are happier and so is my wallet.

    I've been making my own housecleaning  products for decades, so it seemed reasonable to consider making at least some of my body care products, as well.

    There are several herbs that are good for your hair and smell nice, too. Peppermint, spearmint, lavender, and rosemary add a lovely scent to shampoo. Rosemary and basil have the added advantages of stimulating hair growth by nourishing the follicles.

    Nettle and horsetail strengthen hair as both are rich in hair-, nail-, and tooth-strengthening silica. Chamomile is gentle and soothing for those with damaged hair. 

   While it's satisfying to gather your own herbs to make shampoo and hair rinse, it isn't always possible. I can gather horsetail, but I need to purchase dried rosemary and nettle.

    Living in a condo, I'm subject to gardening restrictions. So, I end up purchasing some of the herbs I use and foraging for others.

    The local health food store sells bulk herbs and I also order from Mountain Rose Herb Co. (see the link below) in addition to foraging.

 

Horsetail grows wild along one of the forest trails near my condo.

 

 

 I'm snipping the freshly gathered horsetail into more manageable lengths for making shampoo and for drying some for winter use.

 

Recipe: Horsetail & Rosemary Shampoo (recipe may be increased)

2 TBS each of dried horsetail and rosemary/basil (or 4 TBS each for  fresh herbs)

1/3 cup of Dr. Bronner's liquid soap

1-cup distilled water

1/4 tsp oil (jojoba, almond, olive, grape seed)

20 drops of essential oil of lavender, chamomile, peppermint or rosemary, or a combination you like (rosemary & peppermint is my favorite combo)

    Heat the water in a small saucepan. Add the herbs and bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 

   

Horsetail and rosemary simmered and ready to drain.

 

    Strain off the herbs reserving the water in a bowl. The used herbs may be added to a compost pile or dug into the garden. Add a bit more distilled water, if needed, to equal one cup of herb liquid and gently stir in the liquid soap. Add the essential oils and the 1/4 tsp of oil (jojoba, etc).

    Mix and pour into a plastic squeeze bottle. 

    To use, gently rock the bottle to remix the ingredients. Wet hair thoroughly, then squeeze a small amount on top, sides, and back of head. Work into the roots and pull it down the length of your hair several times. Rinse out thoroughly.

    Homemade shampoo won't be as pretty or come in lovely colors (chemical dyes) as commercial varieties - and it won't suds up as much either - but it will get your hair just as clean without stripping hair of shine, body, or the natural oils that keep hair healthy and resilient. 

    It's not the volume of suds that get your hair clean! It's the  surfactants in soap - plant oils or animal fats - that are "saponified" in the process of making soap. Or, in the case of commercial detergent shampoos, it's the petroleum-based surfactants. Real soap doesn't create as much lather as detergent-based shampoos and is much easier to rinse out of your hair. 

    When using your own homemade, soap-based shampoo you'll want to follow with a rinse of an herb-infused, undiluted apple cider vinegar, or diluted - one-to-one with water - freshly squeezed lemon juice with a few drops of essential oil

    Soap-based shampoo cleans the scalp and hair and is somewhat alkaline. Following with an acidic rinse conditions hair making it less likely to tangle and nourishes the scalp, as well. This "one-two" shampoo/rinse regimen maintains the proper ph balance of the scalp reducing itchiness and dandruff.

    For the vinegar hair rinse you may substitute other herbs such as rosemary, lavender, chamomile, or mint and add your choice of essential oils. Don't use eucalyptus essential oil ! It is too strong even in tiny amounts!

 

Recipe: Nettle Hair Rinse

1 quart apple cider vinegar

Approximately 4 cups Fresh herbs, or 2 cups dried herbs

10 drops each rosemary and peppermint essential oil 

    Fill a quart Mason Jar completely with fresh herb material...or fill it halfway with dried material.

    Pour cider vinegar into the jar over the herbs until the jar is full. Stir with a chop stick or skewer to remove air bubbles. Add a bit more vinegar, if needed to fill the jar up to the neck. Don't add the essential oils yet.

     Screw on a lid and allow the mixture to soak/macerate for about six weeks. Then, strain off the herbs and add the essential oil to the jar and stir in.

    Pour some of your herb mixture into a plastic squeeze bottle or a spray bottle. Store the rest in its jar in a dark cupboard or pantry until needed to refill your "use" bottle.

   After shampooing and rinsing your hair, pour a palm's worth of herbal rinse into your cupped palm - or spritz it directly onto your hair all over - and massage it in pulling it down the strands of hair. Leave it on your hair and towel dry. The vinegary scent will fade as your hair dries. Your hair will be shiny and nourished and your scalp invigorated!

Recipe: Lemon-Chamomile Rinse

Half of a lemon squeezed and strained

1/3-cup distilled water

5 drops chamomile essential oil

    Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and strain it through a fine-meshed strainer or several layers of muslin or cheese cloth.

    Add the water and essential oil of chamomile. Pour into a plastic cup and massage into hair after shampooing. Don't rinse it out. Towel dry as usual.

 

    With continued use of your natural shampoo and herbal rinse regimen, your hair will recover it's body, bounce, and shine. You'll find that you don't need conditioners, thickeners, repairers.

    If you can avoid hairdryers and hot rollers, do so. Seek a style that doesn't require heat and chemicals to attain. Love the hair Nature gave you. It's part of your unique, personal style.

    Your hair and scalp will thank you!

 

Mountain Rose Herbs

https://mountainroseherbs.com/

 

* * * * *  

  I gather and dry extra horsetail for winter use. It quickly dries on top of my fridge on wax paper lined trays.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toilet Paper Conservation In the Age of Covid-19

 

Is this happening to you?

 

    Are you afraid you cannot buy more?

    Are the paper goods aisles empty of TP?

    Yikes! What are we all gonna do?

    Where I live there simply isn't any toilet paper to be had in the stores. And, it is a rare commodity online. I haven't yet been able to order any, but due to my slightly "survivalist" proclivities and LDS upbringing (year's supply of food, etc.) I've always kept a supply of needful things on hand at all times.

    If you have some TP and want to conserve it, I may be able to help you extend the supply you do have with the following suggestion:

    Use a minimal amount - three to five squares - for the "big" jobs...you know...#2 (aka pooping).

    For peeing don't use any.

    Instead, use a personal rag or old, clean washcloth - each member of the family being assigned their own. Rinse and hang for the next pee. After a couple of days sling all the cloths into the washer and wash them. Be sure to have backup cloths for every fanny in your family while the current batch is being laundered.

    This idea probably won't work with young kids unless you do the wiping for them. The danger with kids is that they'll toss the rag in the toilet and FLUSH. This leads to BIG TROUBLE of the plumbing variety. This is not the time for a clogged loo.

 

Will the days of toilet paper abundance return any time soon?

 

    Another possibility is the installation of a bidet. It's eco-friendly and will vastly reduce the amount of toilet paper used to very little or none, leaving your tush feeling as clean and as fresh as those of the majority of Europeans that swear by this modality.

 

Bidet and toilet arrangement

    If your bathroom has room, a bidet is generally installed next to the existing toilet. If not, Amazon sells an attachment for your toilet that enables its use as both toilet and bidet. The price runs from $30 to over $300 for a variety of types and models. These are likely found online from plumbing suppliers, as well. Supposedly you don't have to be a plumber to easily and fret-free install it yourself...

 

Bidet conversion kit on a conventional toilet. A small hose hooks into the water supply coming out of the wall that fills the toilet tank. You aren't being cleansed by water from the tank or bowl...a comforting thought.

    The only downside of going the toilet-into-bidet route is that you'll be "douching" with cold water. Perhaps this is the reason for that "fresh" feeling bidet users refer to?

    I'm sure there's some way around the cold water issue...perhaps hooking into the hot water line of the wash basin and possibly having to wait for the water to warm up? Well, where there's a will, there's always a way. 

    I haven't done much researching on the bidet-conversion kit, so it's likely that the manufacturers have solved the cold water issue.

    A cautionary note to the National toilet paper woe is to secure your supply from toilet paper vandals. They're usually furry and scamper about on four paws. Don't be taken in by their cuteness or the fact that they're members of your household.

 

 

This is one type likely to be found lurking in your own home!

 

Cute and clever often go hand in hand.

 

    Stay safe. Be well. And, may the toilet paper fairies visit your home soon!

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Your Oven To Dehydrate Food In the Age of Covid-19

 

You can use your oven to dehydrate some foods.

 

    You can use your oven to dehydrate foods thereby adding to your food security. 

    Dehydrated foods are compact, require no refrigeration, and store for long periods of time. You can make tasty dishes, snacks, sauces, soups, desserts, gifts, crafts, and more, with your home-dehydrated fruits, veggies, and herbs.

    The "pros" of oven dehydrating:

    1. It's possible

    2. A convection oven has an inbuilt fan. Some even have a dehydration feature!

    3. You likely own an oven

 

    The "cons" of oven dehydrating:

    1. It's not energy efficient

    2. The oven won't hold as much food to dry

    3. It will warm up your home

    4. Not all ovens have low enough temperature settings

    5. You'll have to re-position the food trays to achieve uniform drying

    6. This may not be a safe option if you have small children

    7. You won't be able to use your oven for at least a day

    8. Most fruits take too long to dry by oven

 

    Check that your oven's lowest heat setting can go below 150-degrees, ideally, otherwise you'll likely slow cook it instead of dehydrating it. Many ovens have a "keep warm" feature. Even if your lowest temperature is 200-degrees, the fact that the oven door is left slightly open, will mean that the inside temperature is less than 200. So give it a try and see. Less than ideal, but still possible.

    Your oven will likely cycle on and off during the dehydrating process to try to maintain internal temperature when the oven door is slightly open, so not as energy efficient.

    You want to keep the oven door slightly open to mitigate moisture which will prevent dehydration. A fan to circulate air means a better dehydration.

 

    Okay let's get started. You'll need:

Some cookie sheets. Old battered ones are fine.

Some cooling racks (the ones used to cool cookies, etc.)

A fan

A chair or stool

Something to hold the oven door ajar

 

 

Cookie sheets and cooling rack combinations allow air to reach the underside of foods you're dehydrating.

 

    Air circulation is of paramount importance for dehydration. Without a rack system of some type, as pictured above, you'll have to turn the food periodically.

 

A chair or stool, and a fan will help with air circulation around the foods your drying.

 

    Position the fan so that it blows into the opening of the oven door as in the photo above.

 

You'll need something to keep the oven door slightly ajar. A garlic press, lemon reamer, whatever works.

 

    The inbuilt "stop" feature of the oven door leaves too large a gap so most of the heat will escape. You want the oven to be slightly ajar by an inch or two; enough so that air from the fan enters, but most of the heat is still retained inside the oven. Dehydration may take six- to 18-hours, depending on the foods you want to dry.

    Some foods need pre-treatment to prevent browning. Apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and bananas need this. Although potatoes do need it, too, most other veggies do not. Many veggies will need at least a three minute steam blanching. Steam blanching also means that your dried foods are more tender when re-hydrated.

    For that need an anti-browning pre-treatment, a dip in Fruit Fresh or acidulated water (to each pint of water add 1/2 cup lemon or line juice) does the trick. Again most veggies - except potatoes - don't need this.

    There are some vegetables that don't need steam blanching. Mushrooms, onions, garlic, frozen vegetables, rhubarb, and most fruits. 

    I mentioned frozen vegetables. Frozen potatoes need no pre-treatment or steam blanching. Simple thaw and spread evenly over the drying racks. I also buy bags of frozen green beans and corn. My favorite frozen vegetables to dry are thawed packages of mixed veggies containing corn, green beans, diced carrots, and peas...sometimes there's lima beans in the mix also. I thaw them out and spread them over the drying racks. They're handy to tote along on camping trips, or to re-hydrate when I want to make veggie fried rice and don't have any fresh vegetables on hand.

    Acidic fruits don't need a pre-treatment. Examples are citrus, pineapple, mangoes, strawberries, rhubarb, berries, and plums. 

    Foods need to be cut in 1/4-inch slices or cubes. Grapes, strawberries, cherries, cranberries, raspberries should be cut in half for oven drying. You may need to spray or rub a light coating of olive or other cooking oil onto the racks to prevent sticking.

    Arrange the foods to be dried in single layers on the racks so they aren't touching. Set them into the oven, set the temperature, arrange your stool/fan combination, turn on the fan.

    Every couple of hours or so you'll need to turn the racks 180-degrees and shuffle their positioning to insure even drying. Even so, you may find that the top of the food is drying faster than the bottoms of it. If this is happening use tongs to turn the food over so the bottoms are now better exposed to heat and air.

    I used to oven-dry foods before acquiring my dehydrator. The dehydrator is so much more efficient in every way. However, the oven will get you started until you can acquire a dehydrator.

    Onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and peppers are some of the easiest items to oven-dry, and some you'll use most often when you're out of the fresh versions. They dry quickly and on those occasions when I find them on sale, I will still use my oven for the overflow.

    When fruits are shrunken, dry, and malleable they should be finished. Low sugar fruits such as cranberries and rhubarb (actually a vegetable used as a fruit) that have little sugar content will tend toward crispness. It's hard to tell if foods are fully dehydrated when they're still hot, so allow them to cool a bit and check for doneness and dryness. They must be dry all the way through.

    If your foods aren't dry at day's end you can turn off the oven, leave the foods in overnight, and simply turn on the oven again the next morning. I do this with my dehydrator, too, if I've waited until late afternoon to start it up. It won't harm the fruits or veggies to sit overnight in a cooling oven or dehydrator.

    Don't do this with meats. I'm not giving instructions for dehydrating meats with an oven for food safety reasons. If you are adamant to oven-dry meats, the Teresa Marrone book, "Dried Foods" (see my previous post) will tell you how to do so. Dried meats should be refrigerated or frozen or they're likely to go rancid.

    Store your dried foods in lidded jars or Ziploc baggies. Potatoes I store in paper bags due to their propensity to mold even if they appear dry.

    Your dehydrated foods may need to be re-hydrated before using. My favorite method is to put veggies into a heatproof bowl or cup. Just cover with water then microwave for 30 or more seconds and allow to sit for 30 minutes. The liquid left over is great to use as a flavoring in sautees, soup stocks, or sip as a hot beverage.

    If you're making soup, re-hydrated veggies may be sauteed in butter or oil, then added to the mixture for simmering. If a soup or stew is set to simmer for 40 minutes or more, the dried veggies may be added straight to the soup as they will re-hydrate sufficiently during cooking.

    For recipes made with dehydrated vegetables that haven't been sauteed first, I like to add a pat of butter or a drizzle of oil before serving to add a mouthfeel of silkiness that only a bit of fat can give.

    Dehydrated fruits may be used to make pies, cakes, added to nut mixtures, and eaten as is. Most fruits dehydrate to a sweet flexibility that makes them tasty as snacks with no preparation. Apples, bananas, pears, mangoes, pineapple,and peaches come to mind.

    I like to make a muesli using my dehydrated fruits, pan-roasted nuts and seeds, and old-fashioned oatmeal. I take this camping in a Ziploc baggies. It makes a nice breakfast by adding some hot water or milk and letting it soak for about 15 minutes. I also make "overnight oatmeal by putting everything on to soak overnight. Add some hot milk and you have a nearly instant hot and satisfying breakfast.

    Adding dehydrated foods to your food security-system is easy, compact to store, and you'll always having something to eat whether camping, traveling, when times get tough, or you run out of a fresh ingredient.

 

I store a pantry's worth of food in a box! 

 

    Be well. Stay safe!

    

 

 

 

    

    

 

Dehydrating Foods In the Age of Covid-19

Today I'm drying potatoes.

 

    At this moment, my dehydrator is working away to dry the sliced potatoes I loaded into it this morning. After submitting them first to Fruit Fresh to keep them from oxidizing and browning, then a steam blanch for eight minutes, followed by a dip into honeyed water - another treatment to prevent darkening, I laid them in single layers on the trays of my dehydrator. Fortunately, most foods I dehydrate don't require this much preparation for dehydration! 

    My dehydrator holds about five medium-sized potatoes worth. Most often I'm drying a variety of different vegetables (or fruits) simultaneously, but having acquired five potatoes, I decided to dehydrate all of them.

 

I dehydrate in my balcony's storage closet. Although not noisy, the dehydrator is out of the way while it operates.

    My dehydrator is about 15 years old and gets fairly regular usage. It's not one of the most expensive on the market, but it is one of the simplest to use and I've always gotten good results from it.

    My dehydrator is a Nesco American Harvest. Although there are recipes for making jerky and fruit leathers, I've only ever used it to dry fruits and vegetables. It has four trays and a ribbed base for laying out the items to be dehydrated. I bought mine at Ace Hardware and they can be ordered on line. Nesco makes a variety of dehydrator types. My model is the least expensive - $36.00 - at Home Depot.

    Dehydrated foods are compact so you can store quite a bit in a small space. Studies have shown that there's a little nutrition loss when foods are dehydrated...Vitamin C particularly. Dehydrated foods are rather pricey, so home drying is the frugal option.

    I add dried foods to recipes, especially if I've run short of the fresh versions such as, onions, garlic, tomatoes, celery, leeks, and mushrooms. However, I dry just about everything!

 

This delicious soup is made entirely of dried veggies and minute-style rice. The veggies were re-hydrated, sauteed in a little butter and simmered in a reconstituted beef stock. 

 

    I don't use the dehydrator for mushrooms. These I simply slice or quarter - the stems are diced and used in sauce and gravy mixes. Mushrooms are air dried on a tray lined with waxed paper, parchment paper, or a paper towel. They dry in a few days out of the way on top of the fridge. They, and most of the items I dry, are stored in Ziploc baggies and labeled. Greens, such as kale, cabbage, and collards are better stored in jars because they crumble easily.

    Dried potatoes are stored in paper bags because if they are not absolutely dried, the whole batch will mold. They can look and feel dry but the slightest amount of moisture and the batch is ruined.

    Most fruit will be leathery and flexible when dehydrated because of their natural sugars. Vegetables are firm and crisp.

 

Foraged wild plums seeded and ready to dehydrate.

 

    There are many great books that will guide you through the process of drying foods. And there are a variety of methods and dryers to choose from. You can even dry some foods in your oven!

 

The book on the right is the one that came with my dehydrator. For years it was the only one I used. A few years ago I purchased the Teresa Marrone book, "Dried Foods" which has a greater selection of fruits and vegetables one can dry.

 

    The Teresa Marrone book also has tasty recipes for using your dried foods, such as baby foods, gift and camping mixes, sauce recipes, and more. The Nesco booklet also tells how to use your dried foods in recipes and has some fun projects for using home dried herbs in crafts, potpourri's, and making tasty chips and snacks.

    My method of operation has always been to dry some of the foods I grew. When I lived in my Folk Victorian cottage/farmhouse I grew nearly everything I ate, and my dehydrator was used often, along with freezing - I had a large chest freezer - and my home canning stored in a large walk-in pantry.

    Now, living in a condo, my dehydrator is my main food storage strategy with a bit of freezing - what my fridge's narrow freezer will hold. I don't have a pantry, so I've co-opted the narrow linen closet in the hallway near the bathroom to serve as my pantry. I now store towels in a basket in the bathroom and sheets on my closet shelf so I can claim the luxury of having a "pantry". Dehydration allows me to store a lot of foods in not much space. If the electric goes out I don't lose all my food storage.

    I can no longer grow much in the way of food due to lack of a garden, but do use the portion along my balcony railing to grow a few edibles. I get about six hours of sun a day in the Summertime and I can grow a few crops such as lettuce, scallions, herbs, spinach, lettuce, arugula, some types of tomatoes - those that need less sun such as cherry tomatoes and yellow tomatoes - and surprisingly I can grow pole beans in pots! While my balcony harvests are limited, some of what I produce goes into the dehydrater.

 

Pole beans along with Grandpa Ott morning glories, grown in a pot on a bamboo tepee on my balcony last year.

 

    My dehydration strategy is to dry some of whatever I purchase, forage, or grow. If I buy a small bag of potatoes, I'll get a second one for dehydration. However, I usually only buy two or three at a time for fairly immediate consumption and then buy double that amount so there'll be some to dehydrate.

 

balcony-grown fresh pole and bush beans.

    This method has served me well over the years and I highly recommend it.

    Dehydrated foods are now my main tactic for food security, especially at a time when the availability of goods is, or could get a bit iffy, depending on how this viral contagion goes.

    The health experts are predicting that even if we get a handle on this present outbreak of Covid-19, they expect we'll have another resurgence this Fall. This is a good time to implement plans to add to your food security - not by hoarding - but buying a couple extra items of canned goods, foods to dehydrate, dry goods like beans, pasta, rice, and toilet paper. Most market presently limit purchases to two of any one item. Consider and plan for what you'll do if our water supply becomes compromised. Make a plan!

    What if the folk who insure our safe water supply become ill?

    What if the supply becomes contaminated?

    Just in case, you might want to start saving plastic and glass containers over one quart capacity. Even wax milk cartons can work in the short term. 

    I mentioned above that it's possible to use your oven to dehydrate foods. In my next post, I'll show you how to do this. In the meantime, acquiring a dehydrator will be more economical, efficient, and better designed for dehydration than your oven. Still, it's best to start where you can with what you can - right now! - until you acquire the better option.

    Stay well. Stay safe! Keep others safe by following all the guidelines! 

 

Dehydrated potatoes from a previous batch.

 

    * * * * *

    

Whatever space you have available may be turned over to food production. It may not yield a lot, but it will be so tasty. Planting "seeds of hope" for a brighter, tastier future uplifts my spirits!

 

Woods Walk, "Back Burner Items", and Self-Reflection In the Age of Covid-19

Here in Northern Idaho we're not (yet?) confined to our homes.

 

    Although bars and restaurants are closed to entry - we can still pick up food at restaurants on a "drive thru" basis - there remain a few things left to us that we can do to maintain that much-needed social distancing. Going for a walk or a hike are a couple of those things.

    Nature and bodily movement are physically gratifying and emotionally uplifting. While gyms are out, walking, hiking, and gardening are physical activities that we can still enjoy until the stay-at-home orders are issued here, as they have been in some States.

    Where I live in Northern Idaho, we do suffer insufficiency of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, rice, bread, chocolate (?!), pasta, and most recently avocados!

    Thanks to my LDS (Mormon) heritage...six generations! - I was programmed early in life to maintain an emergency supply of food and other needful things at all times, such things as are now missing in the stores these days.

    I also dehydrate and store the extra produce that I buy on sale - buy one to eat, buy another to dehydrate. I'll blog more on food dehydration and storage in the next post.

    Check out my previous blog post series on "Elective Frugality" for some ideas on how to survive things like what we're going through right now. While I predicted that a recession was coming, I had no idea when I posted it, what we'd soon be going through. Such things are cyclic and will come again, often with decades between that lull us into a sense of false assurance and security.

    Being a pet owner I also have in storage, dry and wet cat food and kitty treats. 

    As soon as I heard from my water/sewer company that they were cutting back on personnel, I filled every jug, quart jar and bottle I have (a quart or greater capacity) with water and set them on the floor of my laundry room under the ironing board, next to the washer and water heater...about 14 gallons worth. As I empty 1/2-gallon nut milk cartons I'll clean and fill those, too. If things start to look dicey, I'll fill my pint canning jars, as well. 

    Living in a small condo, I don't have a lot of room to store bottled water, but I do save bottles, canning jars, etc., for making homemade herbal vinegars, herbal tinctures, canning and pickling, and have called them all into service to store tap water in case things go badly, and the folk that service our water supply and keep it pure are unable to do so.

    I also save and reuse gallon vinegar bottles because they are sturdy and I can use them to haul water when I go dry camping. Those are now filled and sitting in the laundry room. I'll have to look into getting a water purifier...

    Those flimsy gallon-size plastic bottles that you can buy distilled and spring water in, eventually begin to leak as their seams fail. They don't hold up for long term storage of water. But, if I had one I'd fill it to!

    If the lack-of-clean-water scenario doesn't occur (hopefully it won't), I'll simply use that stored water for my potted plants and crops this summer.

    Tap water may be stored in clean bottles and jars for about six months without treating it. For longer storage there are methods found on-line to keep the water pure for longer periods. It's cheaper (more frugal!) to store your tap water, rather than purchase water!

        

 

    Share my adventure! Watch the video...of course, YouTube will take you to a #@!!$& commercial first!

 

    

Joanne and her "doggy girl", Sophie

   

    Of late, I've been not only reacting to the virus situation by taking stock of my resources and going for hikes and walks, I've also been looking for that not-always-apparent silver lining.

    Is there a silver lining if people are sick and dying?

    There is, IF you're not living that tragic outcome in a personal way...yet. 

    Tragedy and trial have a way of grounding us and bringing us to a realization of what's truly important in life...if we are open to the possibility.

    On the trite side, is that I can read those books and magazines that have been awaiting my undivided attention. Oh, I can finally begin the knitting projects that have been on the back burner. These things will keep my mind occupied and give me a needed mental and emotional break from the non-stop Covid-19 news coverage.

    Another, use of my spare time is to get back to my blog! I'd promised readers that I'd share some of the "perks" of Elective Frugality, such as Natural Abundance, Easy Elegance, and Simple Grace.

    A time, such as we are presently enduring makes these techniques and values, well, invaluable. I took an extra long and lazy Christmas and New Year holiday, and put my blog on the back burner for these many months while I dealt with chronic and debilitating back pain.

    Fortunately, that pain is now healed. So, back to business. Perhaps, in some way, the things I share may aid others in enduring this time of uncertainty. Personally, I'm contributing money and food to charitable organizations to aid those that don't have what they need. Perhaps, my blog will be of help, or inspiration, or share a useful idea, as well.

    The things I worry about and pray about are my friends and family, most of whom are in the virus-dangerous ages of 50- to 90- years old. Balancing fear, sorrow, and worry with faith, prayer, and helping others in whatever capacity we can, is likely what will get many of us through this tribulation.

    Being 70-years old (in a few weeks) puts me right into the dangerous category targeted by this virus. Yet, I cannot see living my life huddled in fear.

    I'll do - and am doing - what is reasonable to protect myself and others, but will strive to keep a positive attitude, too. This is something that will make my days, however many more remain, easier to bear under both legal and self-imposed restrictions.

    Having reflected - and acted upon - the physical ways to (hopefully) survive all this, it seems that there's more to be looked at here.

    I've also been reflecting on the more ephemeral emotional and spiritual responses that will allow me/us to face this pestilence with wholeness and grace.

    I do not believe that God sent this virus to punish humankind. God doesn't punish us, we punish ourselves by violating His and nature's immutable laws.

    May we receive His Grace?

    Most certainly, although it may not always come the way we think it should. We might even miss it simply by neither asking for it, or not even looking for it.

    I've asked myself, "What Grace and Blessings are given me presently?"

    As I've begun to list them - mine will be different than yours most likely - a page has begun to fill... 

    Taking time to be grateful in times of trial will be a worthwhile exercise. We may find that we're suddenly grateful for the very things we've taken for granted...a home, those we love, an income, wellness, perhaps money in savings to tide us over. Toilet paper, food security, a place to walk...yes, even chocolate!

    These things and much, much, more!

    If you've lost your job, my prayer is that you have savings, or are able to apply for unemployment, that God and others will come to your aid...and hopefully that the government will bail YOU out this time, instead of BIG corporations like they did last time...they're talking about many good things to help people and small businesses. Let's pray they do it. Let's pray that those who truly need help will receive it this time around.

    If you have loved ones who've died, or are ill, my heart and prayers go out to you. This is a good time for us all to pray and ask for comfort for ourselves and those that are ill.

    It's also a time that calls for inner reflection.  Asking ourselves what is truly important may aid us in realizing that we are ALL God's children, regardless of where we've come from, our race, our beliefs, and so forth.

    The Coronavirus isn't a respecter of persons, or political orientation. It is an equalizer, for none are safe from infection, regardless of age-related severity.

    Are we being given the opportunity to rise above our petty squabbles, bigotries, political ideologies, etc.? 

    What is the "weight" and worth of an idea? A philosophy? An ideology? 

    Absolutely nothing if it doesn't heal, feel as other feel, or aid them! And it's worth less than nothing if it harms others, physically, mentally, or emotionally, or is used to oppress them.

    I'm thinking that leaving harmful, divisive, bigoted mindsets behind - and the stupidity of war - would only benefit and elevate our entire species. We are all God's children, He doesn't favor one above another. Perhaps it's time we all realized that what one does to the whole, one ultimately does to oneself.

    We are our brothers' keeper!

 

* * * * * 

    *If you're unable to find alcohol-based hand sanitizer - which is still missing from the shelves in most stores - see my previous blog. You'll find a recipe to make your own. The ingredients are still mostly available.

     In the meantime, God Bless us all, each and every one!    

   

 

 

 

 

Autumn Camping Trip - Yakima Sportsman State Park

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In the desert-like area around Yakima, Washington this campground is an oasis of trees and animals, and a quiet, calm spot for people to camp and relax. This large leaf may be from the "big leaf maple" native to Washington State - Acer macrophyllum

 

    I've just returned from a two-week camping and visiting trip. My first two days were camping days. I stayed at the lovely Yakima Sportman State Park. I'd hoped to have additional camping days during my trip...but Winter intervened...

    My first two days were in the mid-50's and the nights in the 30's. I was cozy in my Jeep bed. Click the following link to see how I made my Jeep serve my RVing and camping needs without buying another vehicle, and instead using the one I already own and how I made my car bed!

https://heartseasecottage.typepad.com/gails-garden-at-heartsea/2019/08/car-camping-my-way.html

 

    

Tall trees, and hedged in on three sides by wild roses, made my campsite a private Eden.

 

    Not all the campsites were screened from view of other campers, but some where. There were a few other campers in the park due to the lateness of the season. Most were in RV's where privacy is maintained by the RV itself. There are also spots for tents, van and car camping. As many of my activities such as cooking, clothes changing, and sitting occur outside my car, I found a very private, secluded site.

 

With the hatch up and the car backed into my campsite I have a view from my car bed into the rose hedging and trees where I can relax and read or watch the varieties of birds that inhabit the park. Behind the car, out of site, is my folding camp chair and table. My "booth" sits between camp table and car.

 

    I've erected my "booth", a changing room/potty tent for privacy when doing these things. The booth has an open top for ventilation or a solar shower (though nothing to hang the solar shower from...a tree limb would serve or a shepherds hook?) so I've put a tarp over it in case of rain.

    To use the booth one side unzips for stepping into it. I keep a collapsible stool inside of it so I have a place to sit to put on shoes. The stool also raises the collapsible potty to a comfy, usable height. The potty may be moved into the car at night for those pesky nighttime nature calls and is the right height for in-car use where it sits next to the middle of the bed. It has a lid that securely covers it. Thankfully. Kitty sand has a part to play, but I will get into that subject in more detail another time.

    

 

Reading, relaxing, knitting, and sleeping, this car bed is eight-inches-thick comfort! I have a down sleeping bag, a wool blanket, and an afghan I'm crocheting - mostly done - for cozy comfort on chilly nights.

 

    I have three bins that I take on my trips. A small one, and two larger ones. One holds pots, pans, eating utensils, knives, towels and wash cloths, plates, cutting board, glasses and cups, matches, and lighter, and fire starting sticks for recalcitrant campfires. It's a kitchen in a bin! I have a set of two plates, cups, utensils, cups, and glasses.

 

My kitchen set up occupies one end of the camp table at my site.

 

    On the  camp bench is a small bin that holds spices and tea bags. The larger bins holds my kitchen items. On top of the table is my old Coleman single burner stove. The kitchen towel is draped over a one gallon bottle of water so it can dry. A can of chili is at hand for making Frito Pie. My insulated cup keeps beverages hot or cold and I can re-hydrate dried veggies in it by adding hot water.

    Not in the photo is my utility bin. It's the same size as the kitchen bin and serves dually as a bedside table in the Jeep. The utility bin holds tent stakes, a 5'x7' tarp, wet wipes, a roll of plastic bags for my collapsible potty (I will do a post on potty use), and the collapsible potty, an ax, a hammer, a tent stake puller, cording, a roll of duct tape, spring clamps and other odds and ends. 

    Under the front seats of the car I keep a folding table, a folding shovel, and a first aid kit. On the passenger side floor I store three gallons of water, food bags, the stove when traveling.

    The passenger seat holds my small, rolling suitcase and my personals bag for hygiene, washing up, medications, etc.

    My mobile pantry consists of a large bag in which I keep a variety of dehydrated foods and homemade soup and meal mixes. Also I carry minute rice, quick cooking barley, dehydrated pinto, black, and white beans, some "minute" grain mixtures, powdered milk, chicken bullion, and arrowroot.

    I also use those sectioned wine totes from the market. One holds my canned goods and small 8-oz cartons of almond milk, packets of tuna, antiseptically packaged tofu, soy sauce, Tabasco, toasted sesame oil, and olive oil. Another, with the two end sections opened up carries spare propane canisters, while the intact mid sections hold batteries for flashlight and camp lantern and candles for my backpack lantern. 

    My old Igloo Playmateice chest totes things I need to keep cold for a few days such as meats, cheese, beverages. Ice from my ice maker at home will last for about three days.

    Future posts will describe how I prolong my ice supply, why I store and carry my water in vinegar bottles, my "potty Protocol" and other things I've learned from past camping exploits and new things I'm learning about car camping in an SUV!