Category: Miscellaneous

If it doesn’t quite fit under another category, it’ll be placed here.

A New Series on Ancient Medicine? Yes, Please!

I always find such good things in my email.  Homesteading tips, copywriting tips, updates on causes I follow, and so on.  Today, I got a heads up about a new documentary series from the creator of Sacred Science.

If you’re not familiar with Sacred Science, it was a documentary that came out several years ago.  It tracked 8 individuals with various ailments into the Amazon rainforest to see if Native medicine could do what modern medicine failed to do.

I enjoyed it very much and wound up buying the DVD and the cookbook (which features ancient and/or indigenous recipes from around the world).

Remedy, the new series, offers 9 episodes on various diseases and the herbs that can heal them.  A 10th bonus episode on reproductive, hormone and sex-related issues.  Each include interviews with experts on herbs, naturopathy, research, science, and integrative medicine to give you the real deal info.

The above link goes to a registration page, is not an affiliate link, and offers detailed info on each installment.  You would have to sign up to get the videos.  From Sept 5th to the 13th, a daily video will be sent via email and will only be available for 24 hours.  But if this series is as good as his first, it’ll be worth it.

If it’s the kind of thing you’re into, definitely check it out!

Hey Wayne, Save That Mighty Oak!

Those of you who know me, know that Oak is my favorite tree.  Those of you who don’t know me, know that now. 🙂

Sure, I love all trees but I have a strong affinity with Oak.  It’s long-living, deep-rooted, and said to be nearly impervious to lightning.  Personally, I also love it’s shape and its leaves.  And the way its broad expanse of leaves are the perfect shade to sit under on a hot day.  And the way it helps feed Nature’s little critters through the winter.

Sacred to the Druids, the Gaelic word for Oak (Duir) is where the word ‘Druid’ came from.  The Druids believed the Gods resided in the Oak and that catching a falling Oak leaf would bring good luck and prosperity.  It represents strength, wisdom, endurance, truth, and courage.

It’s also becoming a depleted resource, especially the White Oak.  Logged for its timber and highly valued as a strong wood to make ‘nigh anything with, it’s a victim of unsustainable logging practices.

squirrel in oak tree
I couldn’t imagine kicking this little guy out of his home.

Considering it’s a crucial part of any woodland habitat it’s found growing in, it’s so important that we make its preservation (and proliferation!) a priority.  Everything from birds to moths and butterflies to deer to turkey to the endangered Indiana Bat relies on the White Oak for its livelihood and even survival.

And Wayne National Forest is in a position to help the White Oak flourish.  While it’s being obliterated in areas less protected (a damn shame!), the Wayne can act as a safe haven for this mighty tree and the wildlife that depend on it.  The Wayne NEEDS to act to save this critical habitat facilitator.

For more information on this beautiful tree and ways to help, check out the Ohio Environmental Council.

As a side note, donating to this group is easy.  I do it through my local Kroger’s grocer.  They offer a way to donate a portion of your grocery purchases to a charity of your choice, and I chose OEC.  You just sign up on the Kroger website and choose your group (they have an extensive list).

Also, through Amazon Smile, I donate to Wilderness Awareness School, home of Kamana Naturalist Training and other awesome Nature-based initiatives.  Both are GREAT ways to donate to causes you believe in when you have no money to spare for it otherwise!

Back to the Back to School Grind

High school ain’t what it used to be, lemme tell you…

Getting the kids ready to go back to school sort of ran up and hit me in the face this year.  I knew it was approaching but didn’t expect that mack-truck-at-100-mph, out of nowhere feeling.

BTW, if you’re in Ohio, the Tax-Free weekend is THIS weekend!!  Friday thru Sunday.  I think the last few years they’ve done it, it was the 2nd weekend…but I could be wrong.  Either way, it leaves little time to shop, if you’re not prepared.

I managed to throw together a list (rather added to the school’s 4th grade list to include my oldest) and do some pre-shopping online last night.  Today, I went and got some of what they needed (shirts and supplies).  They still need jeans, shoes, haircuts and bookbags.  If the next payday or 2 don’t account for it, they can get by with what they have, but it’d be nice to have them totally squared away.

My oldest starts high school this year.  High school!!  And, high school ain’t what it used to be, lemme tell you.  Now, the list of classes reads like a college course catalog and Ohio offers different KINDS of diplomas – stuff like STEM Honors diploma, Arts/Theater Honors Diploma, Social Sciences Honors diplomas, etc.

They brought back Civics/Government, and Economics/Financial Literacy, which I’ve long said should be required learning before graduating.  You know how many kids the last 10-20 years were completely (!!) unprepared for the real world, couldn’t manage their money, and had no clue about how to be an active, aware citizen?  I’m glad these are back!

But they’re even offering things like Structural Engineering, Broadcasting, Publishing, and Ceramics.  They seem bound and determined to turn kids out who are college-ready, career-ready (some courses are designed specifically for vocational-prep), and well-studied.  Several of the classes on the list were ones I didn’t see till I was in college.

I only hope all this great learning is designed to be easy on a kid’s brain.  Too much homework has been shown to be counter-productive.  If they’re designed well, learning will be on-going, hands-on, and flow naturally.  If they’re not, kids will be overwhelmed with too much information and be stressed.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the papers sent home and how much homework the kids get.

Are you guys ready for the back to school grind?  What are you doing to prepare?

Ups and Downs of the Feline Variety

Well, it looks like all the kittens have been born.  We had 12 one week, 4 several weeks later and an unknown number a couple weeks after that.  The last mamas had theirs outside and they were well-hidden.

The first dozen are now about 3 months old and doing well as outside cats.  Our porch is their hangout and shelter in the heat and rain.  The 4 Artemis had went outside to finish weaning (where her sisters had their litters).  Unfortunately, they seem to have wandered off and one was found dead a few days ago. He’s in the pet cemetery, under a shade tree out back.

Same with her sisters.  I haven’t seen their babies at all and haven’t heard them in their hidey-holes for nearly a week.  I fear something may have happened but have seen no evidence of it, save for one left for dead in front of the barn.

That little guy, no more than a couple weeks or so old, was brought in and cleaned up.  None of the mamas wanted anything to do with him, so I’ve been bottle feeding him.  The good news is he’s doing well; eating better every day and getting increasingly vocal.  Artemis even comes in and cleans him occasionally.  She’d feed him but for her restlessness and his reluctance to latch on when she is laying still.  My best friend suggested the name William the Conqueror, for his strength and courage.  Another friend suggested Hercules.  They know my affinity for historical/mythological names and both are under consideration.

group of kittens like mine

The black male cat with a badly broken paw that’s been hanging around all spring (and fathered many of our black kittens, surely; the rest are likely Harley’s) has also not been seen for several days.  He is sturdy and can hold his own well, messed up paw or not, so no clue where he wound up.  2 of our males, Garfield and Morris, are getting aggressive.  This is balanced by the gentlemen of our brood – their daddy, Ginger, and Harley and Poto – acting as protectors of the mamas and babies.  Ging and Poto have already been neutered; the rest are in need of it.

But, first things first…the ladies need spayed to prevent another huge wave of kittens.  We have 6 of breeding age and can only afford to do 3 at a time (thank you CareCredit!).  With any luck, no more litters in the meantime.  We can’t afford too many – way past our limit now – and they are hard to find homes for.

Such are the worries of a crazy cat lady.  🙂

Catching Up With Myself

It has been WAY too long since my last post.  2018 has completely run off with me and I apologize for the delay.

Though the house still isn’t in the shape I’d intended by now, other things have been getting done.  The barn is damn near emptied out, the garden mostly planted in, and Summer Break is under way.  Oh, and can’t forget the more than doubling of our cat crew…I’m officially a crazy cat lady!  Of course, these are all things I should have been chronicling as they happened (otherwise why run a personal blog, right?).

When I renewed my blog a few days ago, I decided to revive and re-structure it.  So, some things will be changing while others will be getting more frequent use.  The upgraded plan included ads, so those will be a new development.  Not sure yet but the theme and layout may change also.

The most important changes, though, will be with the content.  New pages, sub-pages and a plan for content that’s useful to readers, more regular-like.  The categories will be broadly varied but the idea is to provide great info, resources, and ideas for each of them.

In time, this site should become a place you want to return to, like going to a friend’s house for a glass of tea and good conversation.  In the meantime, thanks for bearing with me.  🙂

Ringing in 2018!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

2017 has been a crazy year in many ways, and been rewarding in others.  The good news is we can resolve to make the changes that improve the stuff we didn’t like.  We can look ahead with hope and take action.

I hope y’all enjoy your last night in 2017 and ring in 2018 safely.

Duties, Delays and Docs: A Summary

I did not mean to stay away this long.  It’s been a wild month.

I got caught up with a writing project I was working on for a client, which was way more work than I originally anticipated.  Then, my family and I passed around this awful Ping Pong cold for a couple weeks.  We spent Samhain, and my birthday, sick and it put me further behind on my project.  Lovely, LOL.  Thankfully, my client worked with me through it and extended the deadline.

Then, I had to train for the Election Day duty I signed on for a few months ago.  It wasn’t easy to do so much sitting for 15 hours straight but, considering that some countries don’t have democratic elections or ones in which citizens are involved at all, I felt honored to have been part of it.

A visit with my primary care doctor uncovered an issue (enlarged vein) that a previous doc found way back in 2012 but never mentioned to me.  Why?  Who can say, but it was the same doc who messed up a surgery I had that year and got kicked to the curb.  Oddly, another doc missed it in another ultrasound done 2 years later.  I have a check-up with my new specialist scheduled for sometime next month, so I’ll bring it up then and discuss my options.

I finally have a moment to breathe, in between events and with my project draft now in review.  With any luck, it won’t need much, if any, editing and we can move on to the next phase.  Fingers crossed, especially since I’m in discussion for another project that will ride alongside this one.

So, I apologize for not getting my Samhain installment posted on time.  My OCD isn’t happy about it not getting done and I’m hoping to get it before Yule’s installment.  In any case, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday…eat well and enjoy the time with loved ones!

Wildcraft’s on Sale!

Heads up, y’all!  The Wildcraft game is on sale, until this Thursday.  Typically, it only goes on sale in the winter, around Christmas-time, I believe.

For those who hadn’t heard of it yet, it’s a board game that teaches herbs and is cooperative (rather than competitive). My kids were stoked to get it for Christmas a couple years ago.  And, us adults enjoyed playing it too.  I also got their Herb Fairies set last year, when I was homeschooling my youngest.  Heck, the whole she-bang they offer is very cool.  If you’re into herbs at all, Learning Herbs is definitely worth a look-see!

If you have heard of it and  been on the fence about buying it, or waiting for it to go back on sale, now’s your chance.  Till Thursday, it’s down to $19.99 and you still get all the bonuses.

Image result for wildcraft game

Misplaced Myths #2 – Medusa

Back in the day, I had a blog called Misplaced Myths.  It contained various myths, legends and tales turned sideways and over-analyzed, sometimes to a comedic extent.  Needless to say, it was fun to write and I decided to bring it back here as a regular feature.  (Re-)Introducing Misplaced Myth Mondays!

Medusa:  Ancient Anti-Feminist Rhetoric?

According to legend, Medusa was a Gorgon who had snakes for hair and a face so hideous, it would turn a person to stone.  She lived with 2 Gorgon sisters, who shared her distaste for mortal man.  Perseus killed her by cutting her head off, aided by a reflective shield given to him by Athena.  He then used her head as a weapon before giving it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield.

Another, less known, aspect of the legend was that Medusa was once beautiful.  So much so, in fact, that she was said to inspire jealousy everywhere she went.  She was raped by Poseiden in Athena’s temple, which enraged Athena so much that she made her the hideous creature of legend.  Perseus was credited with saying he felt her punishment was deserved.  Some hero.

Medusa-Bocklin

It seems the story is rife with victim-shaming, but is it also a piece of anti-female propaganda?  If Medusa was, in fact, a rape survivor, wouldn’t it make sense that she’d prefer living apart from men, with other females who felt as she did?  Perhaps, it left her not caring about her appearance, or even trying to be less attractive.  Was she really cursed by Athena, or did her hair simply become so disheveled that it resembled snakes to those who looked upon her, turned to stone in their shock and disgust?

What is the takeaway from a story like this?  It makes you wonder who’s really the hero and who’s the monster.

Got a myth you wanna see misplaced?  Gimme a holler!