Wishing you 'enough' this year

I Wish You Enough
By Bob Perks

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

Baby I Like It Raw

Baby, I Like it Raw from Sickly Cat Network on Vimeo.

How we handle our milk-

Udder is washed & dried

Milker is placed on goat

Any hand milking is done in a stainless steel pail

Every 3 or 4 goats, milk is taken from the portable milker & poured into stainless steel totes. 

Then kept in a cooler with ice bath while rest of the goats are milked.

Temperture of a goat averages 102°.  The milk is already at 60°-64°

when milking is finished.

Milk is strain immediately into glass jars.

Placed in our 3 door cooler -

Stored in glass jars until needed.

FDA declares you have no fundamental freedom to choose the foods you eat

There is a growing movement of folks wanting to eat and buy healthier foods.  More and more this means they are going to farmer's markets, joining CSA farms, or finding a couple of individual farms to get as much fresh, foods they possibly can.  

We are starting to see folks seeking out the small farm producer, one who hasn't gone to 'dry lotting' their animals and/or is trying to keep to a more diverse sustainable type methods.  We are seeing commercial farms practices re-evaluated.







This movement is effecting the pocket book of big corporate business'.  So much so, that they have lobbied hard to get some laws changed.   One of the first was to soften the 'organic regulations' so they couldn't miss out on this buying trend in the grocery stores.

Now the FDA under the guise of 'food safety' has come out finally and said you have no fundalmental rights to choose what foods you eat., and you have no rights to pick and choose the foods you wish to feed your children.  

If the FDA/corporate farms have their way, there will be no more farmer's markets much less farmily farms.

Read about it here-



http://www.naturalnews.com/028757_raw_milk_FDA.html

Raw milk battle reveals FDA abandonment of basic human right to choose your food


by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor



(NaturalNews) The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), an organization whose mission includes "defending the rights and broadening the freedoms of family farms and protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods", recently filed a lawsuit against the FDA for its ban on interstate sales of raw milk. The suit alleges that such a restriction is a direct violation of the United States Constitution. Nevertheless, the suit led to a surprisingly cold response from the FDA about its views on food freedom (and freedoms in general).



In a dismissal notice issued to the Iowa District Court where the suit was filed, the FDA officially made public its views on health and food freedom. These views will shock you, but they reveal the true evil intent of the FDA and why it is truly a rogue federal agency.



The FDA essentially believes that nobody has the right to choose what to eat or drink. You are only "allowed" to eat or drink what the FDA gives you permission to. There is no inherent right or God-given right to consume any foods from nature without the FDA's consent.



This is no exaggeration. It's exactly what the FDA said in its own words.





You have no natural right to food

The FTCLDF highlighted a few of the key phrases from the FDA's response document in a recent email to its supporters. They include the following two statements from the FDA:



"There is no 'deeply rooted' historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds." [p. 26]



"Plaintiffs' assertion of a 'fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families' is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish." [p.26]



There's a lot more in the document, which primarily addresses the raw milk issue, but these statements alone clearly reveal how the FDA views the concept of health freedom. Essentially, the FDA does not believe in health freedom at all. It believes that it is the only entity granted the authority to decide for you what you are able to eat and drink.



The State, in other words, may override your food decisions and deny you free access to the foods and beverages you wish to consume. And the State may do this for completely unscientific reasons -- even just political reasons -- all at their whim.



This has all emerged from the debate over whether raw milk sales should be legal. But the commonsense answer seems obvious: Of course raw milk should be legal! Since when did the government have any right to criminalize a farmer milking his cow and selling the raw, unpasteurized milk to his neighbor at a mutually-agreeable price?





The U.S. government's secret agenda to eliminate raw milk

Raw milk has been in the spotlight recently as defenders of the food are constantly battling with state and federal authorities over the freedom to buy and sell it. At the national level, the FDA has been on a ruthless crusade to eliminate all sales of raw milk everywhere. Lately, the agency seems to have shifted its tactics from attacking raw milk dairy farmers directly to going after raw milk "buying clubs" and "cow-share" programs, which effectively bypass the draconian laws in many states by establishing private contracts between individuals.



In a cow-share program, you buy a share of the cow's produced milk, and you pay a cost of the cow's upkeep. It's sort of like CSA shares for farm veggies, but with cow's milk instead of veggies. This arrangement drives the FDA absolutely batty because it bypasses their authority and allows free people to engage in the free sales of raw dairy products produced on small family farms.



But why is the FDA hell-bent on stopping raw milk from being sold in the first place? Think about it: What is it about this particular whole food that has regulators working overtime to make sure you don't drink it?



It certainly has nothing to do with food safety, as the FDA commonly claims is its reason for opposing it. Raw milk's track record of safety is phenomenal, and all legitimate studies indicate that it's actually less prone to harbor harmful bacteria than the pasteurized stuff (which is all dead, modified milk anyway).



According to a Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) report, between 1980 and 2005, there were ten times more illnesses from pasteurized milk than there were from raw milk. And most of the reports that link illness outbreaks with raw milk provide little or no evidence that raw milk was even the culprit.



But apparently the facts don't really matter to the FDA (is anyone surprised?) because the agency continues to repeat false talking points about how raw milk is inherently dangerous and that drinking it is "like play Russian Roulette with your health".





Big Dairy behind push to eliminate raw milk

The real reason why the FDA opposes raw milk is because Big Dairy opposes raw milk. Just like Big Pharma, Big Dairy has worked very hard behind the scenes to steer FDA policy in its favor. And according to some recent reports, Big Dairy is one of the primary forces trying to eliminate raw milk because it threatens the commercial milk business.



Recently in Massachusetts, for example, the state's Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has been targeting raw milk buying clubs that purchase raw milk from rural dairy farms and have it delivered to urban drop-off points where many of the customers live. Raw milk sales are legal in Massachusetts as long as they are done at the farm, and the state has long tolerated buying clubs, which are convenient for customers and technically perfectly legal.



But this situation now seems to have changed. MDAR recently sent cease-and-desist letters to four buying clubs even though there is no Massachusetts law that prohibits their existence. When club members challenged the legitimacy of the warnings, MDAR decided to propose a new regulation to specifically outlaw buying clubs. (They just can't stand the fact that people are buying raw milk, can they?)



Get this: Scott Soares, a Massachusetts legislator who is friends with the MDAR commissioner, held a preliminary meeting in advance of the May 10th proposal hearing to discuss the matter with interested parties. Fifteen educated and passionate consumers and farmers of raw milk showed up to challenge Soares, who ended up revealing to them that "large dairy producers" had contacted him to push for raw milk restrictions.



To make matters worse, it was revealed that Soares failed to follow proper protocol by not opening a docket to keep a record of all interactions relating to the proposal. So not only did Soares reveal that he's basically bowing to political pressure from Big Dairy by supporting the restrictions, but he's also violating proper legislative procedure in the process.



So what we have here is a classic case of a large and powerful industry pushing government regulators to outlaw competing products so that it can monopolize the market. It's the same thing that Big Pharma does in getting the FDA to destroy nutritional supplement companies. But now it's happening with raw milk, too.



What's next? Will all farmer's markets be outlawed because the veggies haven't all been irradiated or pasteurized?



As usual, it's all about the money, and as you follow the money trail all the way up to the federal level, you find the same thing happening everywhere: At the FDA, USDA, FTC and so on. U.S. government regulators have become monopoly market enforcers for Big Business, and they won't let anything get in their way... not even personal health freedoms or just basic access to food.



I'm sensing a Ghandi moment coming on here. Somebody is going to have a powerful public demonstration against tyranny by drinking raw milk in the same way that Ghandi led his followers to harvesting salt. People have a natural-born right to real food, and the FDA is violating human rights by attacking producers of raw milk.





Unconstitutional position of the FDA

It's not really news to the folks in the natural health community that the FDA opposes personal health freedoms, but according to the FTCLDF, the FDA's recent response to its lawsuit is one of the agency's boldest statements yet about how it views health freedom in America. It practically turns the FDA into a dictatorial Gestapo-like agency whose mission is to destroy the U.S. Constitution and deprive people of their natural rights.



Not only does the FDA think it has the power to regulate interstate trade; it also thinks it can regulate intrastate trade (which means buying and selling within state borders). In fact, the agency made this very clear on page 6 of its dismissal when it wrote, "It is within HHS's authority...to institute an intrastate ban [on unpasteurized milk] as well."



This is the FDA trying to run rampant over States' rights. The federal government, after all, isn't satisfied to exercise control over the limited powers granted to it by the U.S. Constitution -- it wants to overthrow the tenth Amendment and dictate rules, regulations and laws that the states are being forced to follow.



This is blatantly unconstitutional. The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids the federal government from intruding on the laws of individual states, and is only allowed to wield powers expressly granted to it by the Constitution (powers granted by the People, in other words).



There is no power granted to the federal government to ban the sales of raw milk. I've read the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and I never saw it mentioned in there. The very idea, by the way, would have seemed bizarre (and downright stupid) by our nation's founders, many of whom actually operated farms and drank raw milk themselves.



According to the FTCLDF suit, the FDA is clearly operating outside Constitutional authority by forbidding raw milk from being transported across state lines from states where it is legal to sell it. And for the FDA to arrogantly announce that it has the authority to ban intrastate raw milk sales shows just how tyrannical and oppressive the agency has now become.



The FDA, bluntly states, has become an enemy of the People. It is taking away the rights that your forefathers helped protect (often with their lives). The FDA is destroying what your fathers and grandfathers fought for in World War II. It is attempting to terrorize the raw milk producers of America and run them out of business through a campaign of threats and intimidation. This is the agency that's supposed to be working for the People? Give me a break...





Even private contracts aren't a fundamental right, according to the FDA

But it gets even worse. On page 27 of the dismissal, the FDA also states that Americans do not have a fundamental right to enter into private contractual agreements with one another, either.



Huh? Are you kidding me?



Buying clubs, cooperatives and community supported agriculture programs (CSAs) all rely on private contractual agreements in order to operate. People contract with each other to obtain clean, healthy food from the sources of their choice without government intrusion. But now the FDA is saying that people don't actually have this right. To enter into such a private contract to purchase food, milk or even water is a violation of federal law, the FDA now claims.



You are just a subject of the King, you see, and you have no rights. You must eat and drink what you are told. You must behave in a way that is allowed by your King. You have no rights, no protections and no freedoms. You are a slave, Neo.



The "substantive due process" clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, however, assures people of this right when it states that no person shall "be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law." And being able to make personal food choices without having to obtain permission from Big Brother is definitely included under this clause.



But the FDA -- aw, heck, all of Washington for that matter -- doesn't honor the U.S. Constitution in any way, shape or form. The document is little more than a tattered piece of American history according to the Nazi nut jobs running federal agencies today. They are no more likely to respect the Constitution as they are to leap from their desk job chairs and magically transform into flying elephants.



But all hope is not lost... there are things you can do to fight for your freedoms.





What you can do to protect food freedom

According to David Gumpert from The Complete Patient, raw milk is a proxy issue that really addresses food freedom at large. Whatever is decided about raw milk will set a precedent for everything else.



That's why it's so important to support raw milk freedom whether you drink milk or not (I don't drink milk, but I support raw milk freedoms nevertheless). Not only is legalized raw milk beneficial to small, family farmers who are able to maintain livelihoods because of it, it also supports the local food economy. It's also, by the way, a whole lot healthier than pasteurized milk!



On January 28, 2009, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced HR 778, a bill that would end all federal restrictions on interstate traffic of raw milk. It's along the same lines as the current lawsuit which challenges the constitutionality of such restrictions in the first place. You can read the entire bill at the following link:

(http://www.ftcldf.org/docs/HR_778_I...)



The FTCLDF has a petition page where you can contact your Congressmen and urge support for HR 778. You can even ask your Senators to cosponsor it. Please support this effort by signing this online petition.



Even more urgent than this is the need to express your opposition to a "food safety" bill going before the U.S. Senate called the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act". Also known as S. 510, this bill, if passed, will drastically increase the FDA's power over food and make it very difficult to obtain natural, unprocessed foods of any kind. It would give the FDA completely power to irradiate, fumigate, pasteurize or otherwise destroy every item you consume, from fruits and vegetables to dairy products.



Remember how I said that the FDA (wrongly) thinks it has the power to regulate intrastate trade? Well S. 510 would specifically grant the agency this power. The FDA would then have the power to destroy all small, local farming, gardening or dairy operations in your home town, even if your state expressly defends your rights to engage in such activity.



Can you imagine a SWAT team of FDA agents showing up at your door because you grew organic broccoli and sold some at the weekend farmer's market without fumigating it with poisons first? That's what's coming to your home town, everywhere across America.



S. 510 is the final version of H.R. 2749, which was passed last summer by the House of Representatives. There's still time to stop it, but we need your help. So please sign the petition linked above.



I know sometimes it seems like the politicians aren't listening, and for the most part that's true, but a massive outcry against this attempted takeover of food is sure to get their attention and may even force them to back down.



You can read all about both bills at the following link:

(http://www.ftcldf.org/news/news-foo...)



You can also contact your Senators by visiting this link:

(http://www.opencongress.org/people/...)





Join the Raw Milk Drink-In!

The Organic Consumers Association, by the way, is holding a Raw Milk Drink In in Boston today (May 10, 2010). Here's the announcement from the OCA. Please go join the drink in if you live near Boston!



Suzanne the Cow on Boston Common for "Raw Milk Drink In"



Raw Milk Enthusiasts Slam Proposed State Ban on Raw Milk Buying Clubs



Press Conference Precedes 10 AM Public Hearing at Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources



MOOVE OVER CORPORATE COWS! WE WANT PASTURE NOT PASTEURIZED! THE MDAR IS UDDERLY RIDICULOUS! MDAR'S RAW MILK BUYERS' CLUB BAN IS BULL! MDAR SHOULDN'T COWTOW TO BIG AG!



BOSTON - On Monday, May 10, 2010, for perhaps the first time since the park was used, prior to 1830, as a pasture, a cow will graze on Boston Common. The cow is Suzanne, a beautiful pasture-raised Jersey who gives healthy raw milk through Eastleigh Farm in Framingham, MA.



The occasion is a gathering of raw milk enthusiasts and dairy farmers who will bring a cow to the Common for a "Raw Milk Drink In" and then gather at the State House for a press conference.



The raw milk rally comes as the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) attempts to restrict the delivery of raw milk to thousands of consumers throughout Massachusetts. Earlier this year, the MDAR issued a cease and desist order to four raw milk buying club drivers who were delivering the milk to customers in urban and suburban areas of the state.



Who: Raw milk cow, farmers and consumers.



What: Photo opportunity with raw milk cow, "Raw Milk Drink In" and press conference.



When:

8 am Cow & "Raw Milk Drink-In," Boston Common

9:20 am Press Conference, State House

10 am Public Hearing, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

2 pm Cow leaves Boston Common



Where: Boston Common - Adjacent to Brewer Fountain, then Statehouse



Speakers available for interviews:



Doug Stephan, Raw Milk Dairy Farmer, Owner Eastleigh Farm in Framingham, MA, (bringing the cow).



David Gumpert, author of The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights.



Max Kane, a Wisconsin buying club owner who is currently fighting contempt of court charge brought by the WI Dept of Agriculture for his refusal to reveal his sources of Raw Milk.



Mark McAfee, the owner of Organic Pastures Dairy Co., the largest raw dairy in the country, based in California.



More Information:



Over three million Americans now prefer organic raw milk and raw milk dairy products over pasteurized milk because of its superior nutrition and disease fighting qualities and because it comes from small, local producers who pasture their dairy cows, rather than keeping them confined all day and all year in dairy feedlots on huge, disease-ridden factory farms.



There have been no reported cases of raw milk-related illnesses in Massachusetts in over ten years.



Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director for the Organic Consumers Association says, "We don't need a 'new solution.' Up until this proposed ban, everything has been fine. If there's any change to Massachusetts regulations, it should be a change to make it easier -- not harder -- for us to get the healthy organic raw milk and dairy products we want. This law would deny us our right to choose what we eat and drink."



 

Snap shots

If you would raise this panel just a little,

I could come out & give you goatie kisses

Emma's triplets-2 girls, 1 boy

Emma -one of my 2 gallon a day milkers

Audry-I figured out how to get the lid off

--those babies don't need all of this

Pictures

Koi in water tank

3 of the working dogs- Nina, Shelia, & Puppy who is deaf & was dumped out here a few weeks ago

the geese heading back to the barnyard

 after a swim & snacking on minnows

Banty hen who has hatched out 11 chicks

Little Sweetie sitting on 9 eggs

When she isn't sitting on eggs, she will follow me around

and likes to be held & petted.

Spring is so close

Three more calendar weeks before spring is officially here; but it has been creeping in little by little. My daffodils and grape hyacinths are pushing their green stems above ground. I’ve almost got the pruning of the fruit trees, the old grape vine and some of the bushes that are scattered around done. The Creeping Charlie is already sneaking into unwanted places keeping me on my toes….and bent over.

Silly Robins have been here since the first week of January.  The last two weeks have watched several flocks of geese heading back to their summer homes, and the little spring peepers sang as loud as they could a few days ago before our night temps nosed dived again. The old timers say when the spring peepers get froze back twice, the third time you hear them spring will stay.

Essential Oil Basics

Once a person starts soaping or making lotions it doesn’t take long to become familiar with essential oils. Obtain from buds, leaves, roots, seeds, bark, or petals of plants, these compounds have been used for their flavorings, odor, and medicinal purposes for centuries.

It may be of interest to know that the plant itself has a use for its own essential oil compounds. They help bring nutrition and carry away waste from the plant cells; and they help repair damage and help maintain the overall health of the plant. We are familiar with plants that can repel insects from themselves such as Citronella and Marigolds all because of the type of essential oil they produce. So it really isn’t any wonder that a lot of these compounds can produce the same effects with humans.

Essential oils can enter the body through the skin, and by inhalation. Applied on the skin, they are carried into the body by the follicles and sweat glands where they are then absorbed by the body’s fluid. Aromatherapy or the inhalation of essential oils, enter the body through the lungs and then absorbed into the bloodstream.

Even though we may acquire many benefits from certain essential oils such as-

  Promoting the healing process

  Stimulate & strengthen the immune system

  Stimulate blood circulation

  Stimulate digestion

  Eliminate toxins

There is also a flip side and care must be taken along with some individual research to avoid adverse reactions such as photo-toxicity, some may cause uterine muscle contraction and hormone like effects that pregnant women should avoid completely. Frequent usage and high doses of some may cause illness or organ damage.

When applied to the skin, it is always best to dilute the essential oil in a bit of oil before applying it to the skin. Dilutions are typically 2% - 10%. For adults, a 2.5% dilution is recommended for most purposes. For children under 12, 1% is generally safe.

Here is a handy conversion to help with oil blending--

1% = 6 drops per oz
2% = 12 drops per oz
3% = 18 drops per oz
5% = 30 drops per oz
10% = 60 drops per oz

Dead Sea Mud

This past summer I had the opportunity to try out a Dead Sea mud mask. At first I was a little hesitate to try it, thinking it would make my skin feel too dry. When I finally tried it on my face, just had to get my own mud source. My face felt softer, looked a little brighter and just felt clean & refreshed. Dead Sea Mud actually improves circulation and has been shown to provide relief to psoriasis, acne, & eczema.      Image via Wikipedia

Dead Sea mud has been literally been used for centuries. It is highly valued in therapeutic and beauty treatments which have been sought after since the days of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra.

Even today there are many spas along the shore line of the Dead Sea where people can go to enjoy the healing properties of the mud & water.

Read about some of the many benefits here.


We have taken our Dead Sea Mud & added a few botanicals for that extra TLC.

You’ll find it on our Spa page in the Soap Shop.

One of my favorite things

is L’oreal infallible lipstick.  It is a 16 hour, non kiss off formula that will still be on your lips even after a meal.  It is a 2 step application contained in a handy mirrored compact case.  One should follow directions when applying for maximum wear time.  The color goes on with ease and will feel quite dry after the 2 minute wait time.  Next apply gloss and you’ll have a glossy, moisturizing, color shine that will not leave lip prints on coffee mugs or loved one’s cheeks….and you’ll have a little color all day long.

Labeling Soap Ingredients

Was reading a thread on a forum site where someone had asked if anyone listed ingredients on the soap they sell.   Most soap makers do list ingredients so the consumer knows exactly what they are buying; but how they labeled varied greatly.   One gal even stated she never listed lard on her list (even though it was part of the recipe)  because she had a few folks that wouldn’t buy soap that contained lard.

Here are the basic rules that need to be followed and hope will remove a lot of the confusion out there.

The FDA describes soap as ‘A product which the non-volatile portion consists principally of an alkali salt of fatty acids’.   This means the combining of an alkali –usually sodium or potassium hydroxide, with fatty acids which are animal or vegetable fats or oils.    Additives may be included such as scent, herbs, colors, etc., as long as the additives do not significantly change or violate the FDA’s definition of soap.

From there soap can be considered a consumer commodity-meaning it is sold strictly as a product that will clean & nothing more.  So selling soap that just cleans exempts the product from the FDA regulations of labeling ingredients-does not exempts a seller from the FTC Fair Labeling & Packaging Act of providing contact information along with weight of the products and such.

Now, if the seller claims – soothing, moisturizing, beautifying, or any other type  of cosmetic claim, the product no longer a consumer commodity but a cosmetic and now falls under the FDA regulations of labeling ingredients -all ingredients must be listed along with FTC guidelines.    

Listing ingredients in descending order –the highest percentages ingredient listed first, next highest percentage and so on will always be considered correct.

Many of us make the mistake of labeling ingredients as Saponified Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, etc., thus omitting the listing of sodium or potassium hydroxide in the ingredient label since it is implied with the term ‘Saponified’.    I have done this in the past thinking it was proper; but it isn’t.   The type of lye used must be listed as a separate item in its proper place within the ingredient list.

If you have an ingredient list that looks like it is complete; but leave something out intentionally, you are now doing deceptive labeling under FTC-the Fair Trade Commission.   One could be held liable if those with allergies to the omitted ingredient bought and used your product thinking it was safe for them based on your ingredient listing.

Using terms on labels such as ‘Repels Insects’ now makes the product fall under EPA labeling requirements & usually must be approved by the EPA before marketing-unless made only using ingredients from their pre-approved list.

If you label your soap as something that cures, treats, or prevents a disease or any function of the body now drop kicks your product into the drug category and requires FDA approval before being marketed.

My Yoga Experience

Image via Wikipedia

Last fall I pulled some some muscles in my right arm.  Instead of getting better, it had gotten where I could barely lift it shoulder height.   By December I would wake up with it curled & locked tight against my body.    My left wrist was now strained from doing the work of both arms.  And if that wasn’t enough, I wacked the inside of my right ankle.  It was so swollen and had built up so much fluid that I was constantly limping, couldn’t put a sock on & couldn’t put it under the bedcovers –it was that tender.  

Just knew going to the doctor would mean being prescribed muscle relaxers, draining fluid off my ankle, maybe steroid shots and talk about physical therapy.  Decided I needed to try something -anything before going that route.   

Several years ago I had been given the AM/PM yoga tape with Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden.   At that time the gentle stretches didn’t seem much of a challenge, so it went into a drawer forgotten until 8 weeks ago.     I set a goal; would do the AM tape every morning before going outside for 21 days straight and do the PM tape a minimum of 3 times a week.  Doing something 21 times consistently is the average time it takes to build a habit.

By the third morning I was no longer waking up with my arm in a tight curl and I could lift my arm a little bit beyond shoulder height.   At the end of that first week I could lift my arm up straight up in the air.  The swelling in my ankle would be noticeably less each morning and it didn’t wake me up in the middle of the night anymore.  When I did the PM tape I notice the most relief with the ankle, so that was enough to keep me making time for the PM session.

By the end of the second week my pants were getting longer on me…had toned up my thighs and bottom enough that my clothes were hanging nicer on me. Was rarely out of breath, my posture was better, and I only noticed a slight tenderness in my ankle in the evening.  Now after 8 weeks my tummy is much flatter-rolls are gone & midriff is shrinking, and the only thing I’m doing different is a few minutes of Yoga every morning.    

The AM tape takes about 18 to complete.  This particular tape is meant for folks who are not into exercise, he not a stickler with getting the pose just so-that will come the more you do it.   About 5 minutes of the tape is spent doing a conscious relaxation –which proved to be a bit difficult for me to get the hang of really relaxing.   But it has made me realize what sort of chatter was going on in my head.   Most of my thoughts were going over the day before or jumping to tomorrow-hardly any time being spent in the here and now.  

So now not only is my body feeling & looking better; but have noticed a difference in my mental state.  There is no long an over abundance of useless chatter going on in my head from the day before.   No more flitting from one thing to another, am more focused, and by the end of the day instead of feeling exhausted, it’s a good tired  and feel happy with what I have accomplished during the day .  

My Friend Linda

Raising goats has given me many friends, but Linda Graham particularly has touched me deeply.  Her Nigerians, LaMancha's & Mini LaMancha's couldn't have had a better caregiver.   She loved her chickens, loved to cook, and once it got warm enough to dig in the dirt, she was out planting anything she could.    She had an infectious laugh, a tendency to look on the briaght side of things, and had a heart of gold. 

I never had the pleasure of actually meeting Linda face to face; but between our emails and phone calls back and forth we were close and am grateful that I knew her.  I miss her deeply.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.legacy.com%2Fobituaries%2Fheralddemocrat%2Fobituary.aspx%3Fn%3Dlinda-marie-graham%26pid%3D138104370&h=95f5eb6966692b0d40ba449cee35c951

Linda Marie Graham (1952-2009) Share E-mail Visit Guest Book


Linda Marie Graham, 57, of Sherman passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 at her residence. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, Jan. 4 at Dannel Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating will be Randy Thompson of Tom Bean Baptist Church, with interment following in West Hill Cemetery. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home on Sunday from 3-5 p.m.

Linda was born March 9, 1952 in Petoskey, Michigan, to George and Louise Berger Luther. She attended Denison schools. On March 8, 2008, she married T.J. Graham, although they had been together since March 15, 1995. Linda befriended the personnel from the 240th Assault Helicopter Company. She designed and maintained the website to tribute their service in the Vietnam conflict. An outstanding homemaker, Linda was the best cook and had the greenest thumb. She was known as the most down-to-earth person.

Linda is survived by her husband; father, George Luther of Waco; mother Louise Curtiss of Manistee, Mich.; sons, Cody Calhoun and wife Melinda of Benton, Ark., and Daniel Graham and wife Stacy of Maybank; daughters, Kris Baur and husband Kirk of McKinney, and Nycol Mosley and husband Michael of Melissa; brother, David Luther and wife Tessie of Grant, Ala.; sisters Janice Thompson and husband Don of Sherman, Eileen Breedlove and husband Guy of Quitman, Cindy Plocher and husband Tony of Quitman, Karen Collins and husband Mark of Quinlan, Sandra Keeley and husband Neal of Draper, Utah; and 13 grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be T.J. Graham, Michael Mosley, Kyle Baur, Don Thompson, Toby Farnham, and Kenny Farnham.

Memorials may be made to Home Hospice of Grayson County, 505 W. Center St., Sherman, TX 75090-7827.

Published in The Herald Democrat on January 3, 2010 print

Soap & The Flu

                                            

Image via Wikipedia

The flu season always brings in requests for me to make an antibacterial soap.  Neither my soap or the commercial antibacterial detergents will kill flu virus’.  However, a good hand washing with either product will lift and carry them down the drain.

The antibacterial detergents will kill bacterial germs-but at what price?   It’s ironic that since these products have been on the market there has also been an ever increasing rise of asthma, allergies, and chronic infections in our children.  We are also seeing more & more adults being diagnosed with a sudden onset of these same illness’. 

Research has found that using the antibacterial products are not more effective in preventing infections than if you used regular soap and water (read more here).

There are safer and less expensive means of keeping you and your household clean without harming your health.  You can find several ways to do this here & also here.

As the proverb states, there is nothing new under the sun and even this topic has been around for awhile. Read this reprint of a 1936 article on using soap.

Website Promotion

For limited time we are offering one of our new products
free with a $25 purchase.

8 ounces - Honey Scented Shampoo

Contains:  Water, Palm Kernel Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Fragrance

New Soap Scents

Have recently add a few new scents in the webstore
Click on any names to see description of the fragrance.

Studio 54

Midnight Rider – a large 6 oz bar

Piney Woods

Judging Soap

The first year I received the judges scoring sheet from the contest, I had no clue how they arrived at the score for the Wear Rate - how they came up with a score on how much water your soap absorbs.

Click on the word blog to read & see how Anne Marie judged this soap aspect. Was a little amazed that that much effort was put into the judging.

2009 ADGA Bath Competition

Since 2007 ADGA (The American Dairy Goat Association) has been hosting a Goat Milk Soap and Lotion competition. The two main restrictions they require are – no pre-made base -products are to be made from scratch; and must use fresh goat milk – no powdered or can goat milk allowed.

The list is finally out for the 2009 ADGA Bath & Body Products Competition that took place last week. Was very pleased to find my name listed as a third place winner in the Handmade Fragrance Lotion category this year. It is the first time I have entered one of my lotions in the contest.

It has been wonderful to place in a category the last two years; but what I find the most valuable is the unbiased feedback, on the judging score sheet that is returned on each product submitted. This feedback is very helpful in improving my recipes for even better products.

Neem Oil

It's that time of year when I start mixing up Neem oil for spraying on the garden and sprays for us & the animals.

Neem oil is the oil pressed from the seeds of an evergreen tree Azadirachta Indica that originated in India and the surrounding south Asia region. The medicinal properties of Neem have been found in texts dating back thousands of years. Use of this oil can benefit gardens, pets, and people.

Neem oil can be used in the home garden and approved for organic farming because it has insecticide properties that are safe to use on vegetables and fruits but doesn’t harm pets, children or the environment. It will repel a variety of garden pests such as the mealy bugs and Japanese beetles. It will also control black spot, powdery mildew and rust, and it does this with no harm to any mammals, birds, or helpful insects like the honeybee, ladybugs, nor will it harm earthworms. Neem oil can be sprayed around areas for mosquito control, and even used on skin as a repellent.

For a botanical pesticide use 1 teaspoon of pure Neem oil per quart, or 4 teaspoons per gallon of water.

Neem oil is high in Vitamin E, contains emollients, amino acids, and fatty acids. It is soothing to dry, cracked, and damaged skin and can help restore skin's natural elasticity. Neem oil has much in common with tea tree oil in that it also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can be useful in combating acne, eczema and fungus. It can also help in the lightening of scars and pigmentation, and be used in shampoos to relieve itchy scalps and control dander.

This oil does have a bitter taste along with an unpleasant odor that has been described as a mixture of garlic and sulfur. Blending additional essential oils with Neem can help to mask the scent, Tea Tree oil and Lavender essential oil are a couple that work well in masking the scent and share similar properties.

With spring approaching you may want to consider having this oil handy to use in your gardens, on your pets for flea control, and in your soaps and lotions to soothe irritated skin.

Please remember if you choose to add this to a product you are selling for skin care avoid phrasing such as insect repellent, healing or anything similar will knock your product out of the cosmetic category and into a pesticide or drug catagory.

Some formulas to get you started—

Garden Spray
Neem oil does not mix with water, so adding some liquid soap to the water will helps to emulsify. For a general purpose spray mix at a rate of 0.5% to 1% Neem oil to water. If fighting a severe problem you may use up to 2% Neem oil. For a 5% dilution you would use 1 teaspoon of Neem oil in 1 quart of warm water with a ½ teaspoon of liquid soap. Shake frequently while using. Spray early in the morning or early evening; spraying both the top and underside of the leaves. Keep in mind Neem does not work like a ‘kill it now’ pesticide. It interferes with the hormones of the chewing and sucking insects that interrupts the life cycle. Applications may be repeated in 5 days and after rain.


Neem oil can add to the shampoo that you are already using at a rate of ½ oz Neem oil to 8 ounces of shampoo to sooth dry itchy scalps and control dandruff.

Neem oil mixed in a carrier oil may be used for direct skin application. ½ oz of Neem to 8 ounces of oil.

Keep ringworm, fleas, mites, and biting insects from making your dog miserable by adding some Neem to the doggie shampoo. Hot spots and mange treat spots with a 1:1 ratio of Neem to a carrier oil and apply.

Broccoli/cauliflower salad

My sister fixed this and it became an instant favorite of mine----can accompany a meal or be a meal in itself.

3 heads of broccoli (3 good size heads from large stalk)
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds kernels
1/2 pound of bacon
1 cup of golden raisins
2 or 3 green onions chopped
-------
Dressing-
1 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar

While you are cooking your bacon, wash & chop veggies. You remove the tiny heads of the broccoli & cauliflower from the stalk so they will look like this-



Add the sunflower kernels, raisins, & chopped green onions to the broccoli & cauliflower. Crumble cooked bacon into the mix.

In a separate bowl mix the mayo, sugar, & white vinegar. Pour & stir dressing onto your veggie mix. Can be made the night before-but wait & add the dressing before serving.

Enjoy!