Thursday, December 15, 2011

Still Moment

Jesca Hoop is the voice of the little adobe corner-market house on Franklin, in a burning-sky desert in autumn. She is the first days of sweater on the front stoop, of glowing windows, and a dirt drive, and starlight obscured by branches. Oh, that sweet certain spot. Nothing but aged wood floors and adobe smells like aged wood floors and adobe. Breathing in the world's expansive and varied fortunes, and out my uncertain intention - it was the house of waiting, and I, at the mercy of absolute contingency.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Herbs to Share with Your Sweetheart, Be They of the Human or Animal Kingdom.


As I write this, I am waiting to pick up my first ever cat companion, “Mr. Meow-gi,” also called “Tommy the cat,” from the veterinary clinic. I always thought of myself as a dog person through and through but then, one fateful eve about a month ago, I more or less fell into the role of a cat owner. I adore their independence and ability to turn grown men into bumbling, baby-talking idiots with a coy and calculated look (such coveted gifts!). So, with felines on the mind, I want to share the all too overlooked wonders of Catnip with you!

Most of us think of catnip purely as a kitty cocktail, something to entertain and intoxicate our furry friends of the feline persuasion. However, to stop there would be selling short this incredibly multifaceted herb. Common catnip, Nepeta cataria, is a member of the mint (or Lamiaceae) family. It has been long used by humans as a tea, infusion, tincture, and even smoked for its calming effects, to ease upset stomachs, reduce fevers, chills, aches and pains, and to help relieve joint pain and rheumatism. I like to drink catnip as a tea, in a blend with chamomile (Matricaria recutita) , oatstraw (Avena sative), and passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) to alleviate anxiety and promote rest and relaxation. Considering these characteristics, it might not be surprising to learn that catnip shares a similar chemical structure with the Valarian plant.

…but those are just reasons why us humans love catnip. Your cats love it because it contains a terpene called nepetalactone. When cats inhale this fragrance, they begin to exhibit the range of actions associated with kitty intoxication, purring, rolling on the floor, etc, likely reacting to similar “feel good” pharamones. Interestingly, only cats over the age of eight months usually respond to the herb, and even after those eight months, 10%-30% of cats will not become susceptive to the nepetalactone in catnip’s stimulating effects. That same terpene, nepetalactone, is also a potent insect repellant, and has been tested and reported to be more effective than DEET against flies, mosquitoes, and even roaches.

This Valentines Day, consider showing love to yourself and your furry soul mate by sharing in some catnip and a candlelit salmon dinner.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Head Banger's Balm : Newest Complete Product to the Nomadica Apothecary Line!

I completed the newest product to the line yesterday on a mad herbal spree which included the design of the label (all of my product labels are hand drawn and designed by myself). What a wonderful way to spend a rainy day! I sold seven of them that night and have enough left over to fill the other existing orders for the product. By the end of the night however I got two more orders for Head Banger's Balm so I guess I'll be making a new batch this week along with the others that are on que in the apothecary!

Head Banger's Balm is a salve infused with oils of feverfew, skullcap, and meadowsweet and combined with aromatherapy oils of lavender, peppermint, and rosemary - intended for cranial massage for relief of tension headaches. We could all use a little tension taming, I'm sure - especially around the holiday season. I hope all of you who have already or will be receiving one of these new balms really enjoy them and finds relief from pain and tension built up in the head, neck, and shoulders! Plus its a great excuse to get someone to give your gourd a good rub down, or motivate you to take some quiet time to do it yourself! Happy holidays, and keep your eyes peeled for all the wonderful new products coming out of the Nomadica Apothecary this week!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Drink Your Vitamins for Seasonal Wellness: The Wonderful World of Teas, Infusions, and Tonics!


I had an interesting interaction with a customer at the co-op just the other day. A woman was disappointed that we didn’t carry “Chamomile Tea” in bulk herbs. When I pointed out a full jar of sunny yellow, honey scented flowers labeled “Chamomile” she looked surprised, “Is that the same stuff they use in the tea?”

This type of interaction is not uncommon in the bulk herbs department, and I realized that there is a popular misconception when it comes to the difference between “tea” and “herbs.” Part of this confusion might be due to the fact that there are technically two definitions for “tea,” one referring to the tea plant, Camelia sinensis, from which all “tea leaves” are derived (I am specifically referring to black, green, and white teas). The other definition refers to the actual preparation of steeping herbs or fruit in hot water to extract their flavor and beneficial health properties. Any herb can be prepared as a tea. For clarity purposes, from here on I will differentiate the two by referring to the tea plant as “tea” and the preparation of herbs in a hot water extraction as an “herbal tea.”

In my opinion, tea (in both cases) is one of the most under rated methods of taking herbs. We all know the wonderful antioxidant properties of black, green, and white teas. All three supply a friendly amount of anti-oxidants and Theanine, an amino acid shown to ease physical and mental stress, as well as improve mood and cognition. Additionally, taking herbs as an herbal tea, rather than in a capsule, is a very efficient way to assimilate the vitamins, minerals, and other health giving properties that they contain into our bodies. Especially during the cold seasons, a hot herbal tea is a soothing and delicious way to supplement extra nutrition into your daily regiment. Think of it as a way of drinking your vitamins! A hot beverage is therapeutic in its own right. Taking the time to prepare and enjoy your own herbal tea can be a stress relieving meditative daily practice, aiding both in your physical and mental health.

Many herbs are high in vitamins and minerals, and many of their nutritive properties are water soluble, meaning that they extract especially well into water. For a sore throat or a cough, preparing an herbal tea of slippery elm helps to extract the plant’s mucilaginous (slick and somewhat slimy) components and deposit them directly where they are needed – down the hatch, on the walls of the throat! Add a bit of raw honey and you’ve just increased your herbal tea’s antiviral potential, and enlisted another sticky soothing agent to help coat the inflamed tissue.

While an herbal tea is made by infusing herbs into water (usually 1-2 teaspoons per cup), an “herbal infusion” is a similar type of preparation that requires larger amounts of herbs and a longer steeping time to obtain a more significant concentration of nutritional benefits. A typical herb to water ratio in an herbal infusion is one weighted ounce of herb to one quart of water. A common way to prepare an herbal infusion is to fill a large mason jar with the suggested amount of herbs, bring water to not-quite-a-boil on the stove, pour the water over the herbs in the jar and screw on the lid, then let it infuse for 4 hours. When it’s done infusing, you can strain out the plant material before drinking. One easy way to do this is to prepare your infusion before bed, let it steep overnight, and sip happily the next morning! What a great way to start your day! You can also store your infusion in the refrigerator safely for 1-2 days, generally.

Nettle leaf is also a wonderful example of an herb that really benefits from a water extraction. Nettle leaf is known to contain high amounts of iron, calcium, chlorophyll, and vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, silicon, boron and zinc. It is also a good source of vitamins A, D, K and E and has long been a popular herb for allergy complaints, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties.

Nettle is also one of a number of herbs that are considered to have a “tonic” effect on the body. A tonic herb is one that is generally accepted as safe to consume over a longer period and contains nourishing and restorative properties to gently strengthen the system over time. Tonic herbs are fantastic candidates for herbal infusions. Other tonic herbs include oat straw, dandelion root, and raspberry leaf. A tonic dose is usually 2-4 cups daily, and is best used preventatively. This practice encourages toning of the body systems in order to be well prepared to fend off icky bugs that characterize the cold seasons (similar to the way that going to the gym every day will prepare you to safely run a marathon). However, if a seasonal bug does happen to get the best of you, both infusions and herbal teas are still greatly helpful after the onset of a cold or flu to promote healing and restoration – and dang it, they’re just so downright tasty! Swing by bulk herbs and ask me about more of my favorite herbs for herbal teas and infusions, and in the mean time, happy and healthy sipping to you all!

*As always, if you are pregnant, nursing, on certain medications, or are prone to allergies, it is suggested that you consult a trusted health practitioner before beginning to take herbs regularly.

*For more information about making nutritive herbal infusions, check out Susun Weed’s blog, at http://www.susunweed.com/How_to_make_Infusions.htm.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Desert Makes all Things Clear



Volver! Volver! The desert makes all things clear again! Back from my New Mexican vacation, and I am inspired, motivated, and energized....if not a little unsure as to where to start. Reminded why this is my path, the mesas spoke clearly to my sense of calling. Invigorated by the crystal clear air and the wet red clay, out of the aspen forests and the bushes full of bright, plump rose hips, mats of mushrooms and fans of burdock leaves - I return to central Texas, somewhat hesitantly, and already longing for my home. But I recognize the opportunity I have here, it is why I've stayed this long, and not to take full advantage of it would be a lazy mistake. So into the apothecary I go, with new methods of formulations, into the cracked yellow forest of the city and its surrounding areas I go, to sit with the plants, and understand that the dry bleak state of things and this deplorable air that is not fit to breathe, is hurting them too. My biggest challenge is not to get bogged down by the responsibilities that I only am bound to by financial necessity and keep my path clear and in sight. I want to learn, to make, to thrive, WITH the plants, not from them. I still have so much to learn, so much to do, so much to LEARN! I must be quiet, and compartmentalize my time into working for money, and working towards everything else. Someday, dear self, you will be free! If you rise to the call now, genuinely, and diligently, you will one day be free.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Good morning

Out comes a new breeze from the fluttering amber drapery of the window to coerce me out of bed, from the kitchen an aroma of hot coffee and corn tortillas on the stove, and breakfasts in the garden. Oh autumn, please stay.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Dream a Little Dream



If the Nomadica herb trailer had a daughter, I could tour the world slinging seeds from my bike, and collect medicine on my way back home.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Creature Feature

People in YOUR life are taking initiative to make their own lives intentionally beautiful. Support these people with your praises, well wishes, and money! These individuals take risks to do what they love - help make it possible for them to thrive and continue inspirig all of us to do the same if we wish. Bravo! (Click on the following images to enlarge and highlighted names to be taken to their respective sites.)




ERIN CROMLEY is a fellow Wheatsville darling (cashier by day) who features and sells her gorgeous nature based work on Etsy. (Left) "Gratefully inspired, these scarlet begonias tucked into your curls will let them know you're not like other girls." Head dress and quote by Erin Cromley.

NETTIE TISO, the fashion fabulous firecracker of Penn Hill, sells her screen printed Racecar Apparel locally at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market, Parts & Labor, Creatures Boutique, and occasionally hot off the press from her back porch. (Below) Muscle car print and shorts by Nettie Tiso




Check out these workin' ladies' work - you can't pull off this type of craft without serious passion, self motivation, and fuck-all-go-getter-ness.

Support your fellow dreamers, real life humans, who dare to live a life fueled by art and elbow grease!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Jane of the Waking Universe

JANIE from Bryce Myhre on Vimeo.



Directed by Bryce Myhre & Carla Vargas-Frank
Written by Carla Vargas-Frank
Director of Photography & Editor: Bryce Myhre
Music: Michaela Pentacoff


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Opinion: Olivier de Sagazan "Transfiguration"

Speaking of performance art.

This is one of the most fascinating performance pieces I have seen in a really long time. The artist's name is Olivier Sagazan, and the title of the performance is "Transfiguration." Aesthetically, I can't help acknowledge the reminiscence of the video work of The Brothers Quay as well as Adam Jones who is responsible for most of the art direction in the stop-motion animation Tool videos. To be fair however, it is not known to me when Sagazan began this particular style of work, so whose influence came first (if influence exists directly or indirectly between the above artists at all) is unclear.

I've included two videos of Sagazan's performance. The first one, from what I gather, is a rehearsal before the official performance in the second video. In the second performance, the lighting is noticeably more dramatic, the physical performance more stage like, graceful hand motions frame the body (his literal body) of work. The pauses are a more affected, more intentional - and the effect is a more theatrical and self aware rendition of the first performance.

There are some aspects that I feel are more successful in the official performance, such as the order of his transformation. I like that Sagazan spends more time focused on just covering just his the face and that he remains in the suit longer,  incorporating its removal as an integral part of the metamorphosis. In fact, I would say that I prefer the overall pacing of the second version, the way it accelerates into a crescendo. I also enjoy, visually, the deliberate lighting compared to the first - although I do not at all think it necessary as far as content, other than for cinematic appeal.

Overall, however, I feel that the first performance is most definitely stronger. The variety of faces that Sagazan builds in the first version are superior in sheer volume and diversity, and have significantly more personality - making them undoubtedly more compelling. The emphasis is on the nature and process of each transmutation rather than the "show." I feel that the official is circus-y and I am left with the aftertaste of a sideshow. The main factor that sets apart the first performance for me is, in a word: sincerity. To me there is sincerity in the simple, the un-showy, the awareness that there IS no audience (although the presence of a camera is perhaps arguable in all cases - though not comparable to a physical group of onlookers). The first performance illustrates the form itself and is less about performance in the thespian sense of the word.

Well, judge for yourself (if you have the artistic gall to make it through the entirety of them both) and then we can resume conversation.

Transfiguration "rehearsal" performance:


Transfiguration "official" performance:


There is not much on Olivier de Sagazan in English on the web, his own website is all in French, however I did find one translation of a portion of his site via Coilhouse.net .The aforementioned art site is an exciting discovery in itself - so much so that I've added it permanently to my list of links, but I digress.

Translation from De Sagazan’s site:
“I will address here the question of the artistic process and the genesis of a work of art. My approach works toward a personal application of painted sculpture and some skill as a biologist. This constitutes perhaps the driver and the limit of my interpretation.

I will rapidly give the elements of my theory of sculpture: materials and elements, to then get to the center of the subject: the transfer of ‘forms’ between the body of the artist and the work of art. At the start: an impression, a vague form, poorly seen, at best without a face, sensed again with the gut, something which one wants to draw closer."
His reference to the "transfer of forms between the body of the artist and the work of art" immediately brought to mind the likes of Orlan... and that discussion is for another day all together.
My research into Sagazan's art is only still in it's infancy. To put it bluntly, this guy is really exciting and doing some incredibly refreshing performance and video work. Maybe you'll hear more from me about him in the future. I applaud your curiosity if you have made it to the end of tonight's post. If you are as intrigued with these pieces as I am, please lets collaborate on SOMETHING, for dear god's sake!

David Byrne, "Playing the Building" New York



This is the type of installation art that gets my gears goin'

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Happiness is a warm inhaler.

Some updates from the new Apothecary/Art Den/Office/Play Room - our extra room has been referred to by all of these titles and has yet to have one stick. I moved my herbs and oils and medicine making accoutrements into "the room" the other day, because three digit degree heat and a big metal box unfortunately don't serve them very well. Heat can cause oils to go rancid faster, and herbs to lose some of their potency and color. So I will be crafting my herbal preparations in the house for the time being. Not so bad. Still no air conditioning in here, but its better than the mosquitoes and the heat compounded. A somewhat unsuccessful ceiling fan and a cracked window will suffice for the time being (at least the fan appears to be trying, poor thing, I haven't the heart to tell it that it's not helping).

Regardless, it's a busy room! Shabby, but productive. I suppose I've taken it over, Ryan doesn't spend anytime in here because its all my stuff mainly - books and art supplies and computer and herbs - and he's out gardening when he's home most nights but I DO spend lots of time, and it is in this room that a host of things are coming to fruition! My Bluebeard's Daughter project is going swimmingly! Quite literally. Yesterday we had a shoot at Hippie Hollow, took some water photos (and our breaks also) in the river. I'm very excited about it and the girls have been too. This makes me very happy. Here's a secret sneak peak at the series:


Don't tell anyone because it's not water marked yet, even this photo is still being tweaked, and I'm waiting to premier most of the photographs at the show because I'm a stuck up artist who takes myself too seriously.

In other art ventures, I have a new mixed media series that I will be crafting in ALL my abundance of free time in between working at Wheatsville, working at the Apothecary, filling out applications for a farmers market booth, building my OWN herbal line, failing miserably at playing on the softball team, working on the Bluebeard's Daughter project, being a contributing member of an intentional living community, and generally living/breathing/sleeping/eating. Naturally taking on another project makes perfect sense. The simple theme of this one is lungs. Representations of all types of the subject in as many mediums as my heart chakra can bust out. Mainly this was an obvious project because in the last year of suffering from - let's just call it what it is - chronic asthma and living off of a steroid inhaler, well I've become obsessed with all things pulmonary. Obsessed. From natural asthma remedies, to the chakra it corresponds with, to prana yama, and finally with the image itself.

I don't know if this will ultimately help or hurt or neither. Maybe reproducing healthy lungs, and also how their condition affects my emotional and daily life, and life view (which has changed significantly in the past year) will help me nurture a better relationship with my own respiratory system. Maybe we'll finally come to terms with each other, kiss, and make up. Anxiety, wondering where I would fall in natural selection were I without my heroic pharmaceuticals, limitations of control in our lives, and meditations on mortality have all been under consideration since the lungs took a big dump on my overall health. It has literally at times put me into existential crisis!

It's really strange to me also, because I've never identified myself as an "asthmatic" - it's never factored in, much less defined to a large degree who I was. Now I not only consider myself to be an "asthmatic" - I'm a full on "asthmaniac." It's practically a shtick, and to a degree I've embraced it as a humorous caricature. But, worst of all actually is that technically, my lungs should be healthier now then ever probably! I don't smoke, I'm not around smoke the way I used to be, I'm healthy nutritionally and physically, I take pulmonary health supplements.....what the fuck, seriously. I still can't get off the damn steroids and breath on my own like a regular person should and does and takes for granted every day.

Well there's a tangent, and here's the conclusion. Whatever breeze has blown in that's brought all of this artistic charge into my life, keep blowin'. I'm producing the most I have since school, without the limitations of deadlines or assignments. Whatever you are, just keep a'blowin - I've got my sails out and am just gaining speed.

Letters to my Lover

Sometimes I wish that we were students in college and that we would stay up all night at 24 hour cafes together writing papers and studying for finals....is that weird!? I think it's because I'm at Epoch Cafe listening to these two people at the table next to me having a very academic conversation and reading to each other out of their texts to prove their points. Is it strange that I find that romantic?


Thursday, June 9, 2011

Asthma Kid Tip of the Day:


Ayurveda considers excess mucus to be a poison in the body that can be removed by omitting certain foods from the diet (namely meat and dairy, but also sugar and foods high in yeast), oil pulling, or using a netti pot among other methods. Since mucus is made up of protein and sugar, people with excess mucus (one cause of asthma) can also try supplementing enzymes like bromelain that help to break down protein in the body.

Bromelain is derived from Pineapple fruit and can be bought in capsule form at most health food stores. Additionally, the fresh fruit also contains anti-inflammatory properties, so asthmatics, eat up! This is a delicious ally of allergy and asthma sufferers everywhere! And no, piña coladas do not count.

Oil pulling is a method performed by swishing a tablespoon of cold pressed, unrefined sesame or sunflower oil backwards and forwards in your mouth - first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, before brushing your teeth or drinking any liquids, including water. Fifteen to twenty minutes is best, and at the end, the oil should turn from yellow and translucent, to white, thin and frothy.Don't swallow the oil, and rinse mouth with water when finished. Ayurvedic tradition teaches that during this process, the oil and the enzymes produced by swishing draw out toxins and bacteria and stimulates the body's elimination abilities. Daily oil pulling has been reported to improve gum disease, asthma, constipation, migraines, kidney disease, arthritis, other chronic and autoimmune disorders, and whiten teeth. All of these conditions have one thing in common, a toxic build up in the body! What do you have to lose? Toxins? And at the very least you'll have a lovely smile in the end!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Legend of Bluebeard's Daughters

The order had been given to extinguish the mad baron’s lineage
the bad seeds he had left behind.
Though born of many mothers
a particular shade of blue peeking from behind their lips
gave them away as his heiresses.
Their mothers, every one of them, slain –
beheaded by the hand of their patriarch
left the daughters orphaned, even before their birth
while still floating ignorantly in the belly of their bearers.
And even so, their willful little bodies crawled into the light with an unmatched tenacity –
a legacy that, it is said, they shared with their common parent.
and a fact that many believed testified to their inherited perniciousness.

If it wasn’t for a particular good citizen, a handmaid in the house of the Baron
the little creatures would have perished for certain.
For it was well known that Bluebeard abhorred the innocent,
surely then, a child,
much less a female child
much less such a unrelentless sequence of babes.

So swooped them up, she did, the servant,
quickly under her apron
severed the chord and delivered each one to the tall brick house
with crumbling corners and a decidedly sagging roof
where so many other children had been taken and set
bundled in a course sack and screaming,
they who had befallen quite a similar fate
with a knock on the door
and a hastening of feet against the cobbled streets,
a nose with a lantern prodded out into the night
from the dark of the doorway
finding no one.

There is a clearing at the end of the world
to where the villian’s daughters were banished.
Just follow the girl with the unkempt laces
past the empty purple house and under the fallen tree
deep in the brush just a spell to the left and then twenty-two paces due east
There will you find the notorious clearing
where the maidens were left to fend off wild beasts
and the hunger that would inevitably ensue.

But parish, they did not.
Instead, the forest enraptured them
browned their skin and caused their fingers to callus.
Its inherent abundance came willingly to their aid
and for the first time in their ill-omened lives
the girls were mothered.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Heal Thyself

BIG EXCITING UPDATE: The Dead End Herban Homestead Trailer has been moved to it's permanent location on the east side of the new house, out of view from anyone (which has, to this point been virtually EVERYONE) who would debate its right to occupy any location it has been on up until this point. This means that starting today jars will come out of boxes, preparations that have been brewing during the move, that have long since needed pressing, will be pressed - and the trailer will finally become a productive home and creative workspace for all of the preparations I have had filling my head for months upon months. Here is one project of personal priority that will commence immediately:


Working on my new asthma blends, a line I call

"Respirate"(res-PEE-rah-teh)"

Respirate Herbal Extract Blend:
Holy Basil
Ginger
Coltsfoot
Amla
Mullien
Neem Leaf* (Yerba Santa will be substituted for this in first batch due to unavailability)
Thyme


At least this is my first try at my respiratory blend, I want to keep it simple because I feel that when you add too many herbs to your blend, that you're not getting as much benefit from each individual herb per dosage as you could. Seven is the magic number in this case, and that's even on the higher end for my taste. It may go down to five by the time the concoction is complete and ready for use. Sometimes plants don't tell you whether they want to be used for something in particular until you get right down to it. I chose these based on research of course but also intuitively which lung aides stuck with me during the researching process.

Holy Basil or Tulsi is my big favorite currently (pictured above) - it's as if it was sculpted from the earth with me particularly in mind! It is both a nervous system adaptogen AND a respiratory tonic. Perfect for high strung little asthmatics like yours truly! Just smell the herb - dried or fresh - and you will see why such a love affair exists with this plant. It is infinitely uplifting, and who can remain so tightly wound in such a state of bliss? Also, since anxiety is a big factor and one cause of asthma, the combination of a nerve and a lung tonic in one is pretty ideal.

I am also brewing up a chest ease salve to relieve tightness and coughing with Nigella (Black Cumin seed) oil, beeswax, white onion, ginger root, and eucalyptus essential oil and a tea with chamomile, mullein, blue violet, hyssop, lavender, and lemon balm (intended to be taken with monarda honey)

Hopefully this will buy me some time in the mold capital of the world (or at least so it seems to my lungs right now), and help some others later on if I find them to be effective.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Let’s Hear it for the Little Things in Life (Sprouting Seeds)!


Do you have garden envy? Sure, everyone’s raving about the great planting weather and showing off their bronzed shoulders and newly rough hands from working in the yard – but what if you don’t have a yard? What if your space or schedule (or any myriad of things) keeps you from a sprawling, outdoor garden? The answer is sprouting seeds, which can be grown without much sun and indoors (indirect sun is usually plenty for these little guys). While the rising temperatures outside might soon be too much for our little seeds or beans to endure, a stable temperature of seventy to seventy-five degrees is the perfect condition for successful sprouting. Don’t for a second let your botanically well-endowed neighbors tell you that sprouts are somehow less impressive, either! In fact, next time you bring your bowl of sprouts to the neighborhood block-party potluck, you just tell those garden-jocks this: A) Sprouts are highly nutritious and more bioavailable due to the natural enzymes that they develop. These naturally occurring enzymes also make them easier to digest than un- sprouted seeds or beans. B) They’re economical! A little goes a very long way, some can grow up to thirty times their size! C) Who needs to keep track of planting seasons? You can grow fresh sprouts throughout the year – and the varieties are as vast as there are delicious!
At this point you can see it on your neighbors’ faces, they’re impressed and, of course, they all want to know how it’s done. So, being the generous and community loving person that all Wheatsville owners are, you give them these helpful pointers: First, soak seeds overnight (some large varieties may need a bit longer). Second, pick a sprouting container. On a glass jar, rather than a lid, use a screen or a muslin cloth, and just flip upside down to drain. A sprouting jar is the traditional method, but bags are great for grains and beans because they don’t require any light at all. However, remember to swish the sprouts around when you rinse (as you should, around every 12 hours to prevent mold) so that the roots don’t grow into the weave of the fabric. In either case, don’t forget to keep them well drained. Finally, you can store your harvested sprouts in your refrigerator, continuing to rinse them every couple days.
There’s nothing sissy about growing your garden in a jar or bag rather than a raised bed in the front-yard. I think whoever first said that’ “the best things come in small packages” must have been a “sprouter” him/herself. And you too can soon be a sprouting aficionado!

Foster a love of small things this season!

Well, just for good measure, here are a few bonus sprouting facts from primalseeds.org to blow away those neighbors:
1. Grow mung beans near bananas. The fruit gives off a natural plant growth hormone known as ethylene gas.
2.Alfalfa means “father of all foods” in Aribic and can be sprouted in 5 days.
3.Sunflower sprouts are tasty but prone to mold, it is recommended that they should be sprouted and eaten after 2 just days.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Flitter Flutter

There are so many incredible joyous tasks to be done, and I am just a singe person, an ever so distractible person.

Monday, March 21, 2011

La Criatura Sonora



I know the time will come when I will have to go back to the desert. I use the phrase "have to" with much weight here. I am a desert creature, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The desert is dry and I am oily. The desert is hot and I perspire easily and profusely. The sun is mighty and my skin glows copper as the desert floor. In that thin air I can communicate more freely between worlds - or maybe they through me. I can see what the physical eye normally does not see where the veil is less dense. The space is vast, the mountains are tall, the eye reaches far and I do not feel boxed in. My heart is open wide - wide as the distance between mountains or the visible curve of the earth. A gila monster would not thrive in the swamps, though it might take pleasure in the way the slick moss feels on its back. Soon it will start to rot and wither, maybe from the inside out as I have. And regardless of its love for those creatures of the mire, it would be time to return to the dust.

Valentines Day "La Bomba de Amor" Package

Here are some photos of the Valentines day products I created for Angelena. Better late then never!


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Hypnosis and Sugar Pills

It is my belief that "placebo" is not necessarily to be written off - what heals heals! If the placebo produces the results that are desired, then it has done the job. I think of it being akin to using a back door route to allow a sick person to heal himself. Certainly not many people in our culture believe that they have the power to heal their own illness without pharmaceuticals. The placebo (or other methods which employ the "placebo effect") seems to create a sort of self-hypnosis that reminds our bodies that we already have chemicals inherently within ourselves that heal and aid in pain relief, including naturally occurring opioids, which you may know as endorphins. So, can I hypnotize myself well again? Franz Mesmer is unfortunately indisposed presently.


Listen to Radio Lab Program on Placebo effects here.:
With new research demonstrating the startling power of the placebo effect, this hour of Radiolab examines the chemical consequences of belief and imagination.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Opuntia Botanica



The Opuntia trailer is officially underway! I've finally busted through some spring cleaning, ripped out some crumbly particle board, scrubbed walls and pulled out random plywood boards, de-cobwebbed the windows ad screens and begun to move a few herbs and other accouterments into the space. After an almost-meltown while realizing how much work there actually is to be done to the trailer and having only little old me to put in the elbow grease - I decided, first I make the inside workable and pleasant, THEN paint and de-coup the outside and deal with other structural issues.

Realistically, this may be more of a stationary apothecary, rather than a roaming workspace. Logistics pertaining to the size of my car, the title, and the overall roadworthiness of the trailer are all concerns that I don't have the time or energy to take on presently - maybe in the future. But for now my top priorities are basically preparing the interior to be functional for my herb crafting and for guests to stay in if we should have any (and we will - SXSW is just around the corner). Exterior beautification comes next - and maybe will only take a day or two if I'm efficient.


Holy is the day! ... let's all go worship the sun!

*peek HERE to see my decided color scheme for the exterior.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Music to Make Your Beds By

Tasseomancy | A Take Away Show | Diana from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.



This video is taken directly from Lady Lavona's Cabinet of Curiosities (I provide a link to her page, which I particularly enjoy). She's a source of interesting artists and jewelers and musicians and sorcerers to be sure, but rarely does anything catch my attention as much as this enchanting song. Tasseomancy is a sister duo, and I haven't been so moved by new music in quite some time. Their voices are truly stirring and there is a distinct air of magic and something dark and alluring. Apparently their music is influenced by death ritual, hebraic song, war drums, ancestry and myth. Combined with Sari and Romy's rich, at times airy voices, Tasseomancy sound like they come from another time. And the mandolin lends itself to this effect even more.

I have a feeling I will be painting and likely dreaming to this band frequently this season. This is the kind of musical discovery that keeps my heart light and my ears ever perked to the possibility of new inspiring sounds - even when the prospect of other current music makes me feel like "what's the use."

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

For now it's all and dreaming and drill bits.



The days aren't long enough to accomplish what I want in my desired time-line. There just aren't enough days of the week - and I am impatient. Just ask my roommates how nuts I go on my days off. I only have two days a week to get everything done that should take me an entire week. But, sigh, the rest of the week I work to realize the dream of someone else. So many projects bubbling in this dome, scratched across three calendars, rattling around in my head and nagging me in my sleep. Oh, the woes of a passionate woman! Don't feel bad, I wouldn't have it any other way. Stagnancy makes me ache for crunch time.

THIS weekend, I've committed myself to starting and finishing all of the preparations that need to be mailed (and with any luck they will be mailed tomorrow!)- priority to the Valentine's day package "commissioned" from me by Angelena Vargas. She gave me total freedom and so far as the time of this blog being written, this is what I imagine it will consist of (who knows what it will morph into by the time the day is done, these projects have a tendency to shape themselves).

- Damiana infused, warming massage oil.
- Lovers Tea
- Love Spell Herb and mineral bath

Angelena also has a long-time-coming "gypsy box" as she refers to it, that will be full of magical items and personal herbal confections such as feathers, talismans, desert dream salve (mugwort and chaparral infused oil, with essential oils of sage and rose, to encourage lucid dreaming), a hand bound book for keeping track of her own magical practices (and she is a very powerful witch indeed, whether or not she affords herself the title), and a solid perfumed cheek rouge, naturally tinted with beet - I call this one "Beetnick." Oh, the cleverness of me!


Photos of the finished projects will follow - maybe tomorrow? Along with "before" photos of the trailer. It will be in a state of "before" for quite a while. Check back soon!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Stupid Cupid


Here's my somewhat silly blurb from the Wheatsville Weekly email for the week of January 26th. Its a little cheesy (just the way they like it) and pretty innocent. In my own practice, I'm in the midst of concocting a true lust potion that packs enough of a punch to enamor the dead - or at least raise its pulse. I'll be sure to post the final recipe and, if your lucky, you might just get an attractive vile in the mail, tied with a ribbon and a note that reads, "drink me" for V-day. Do you feel lucky?


Damiana and Rose Petals s for Valentine's Day!

While Rose's delicate and intoxicating fragrance needs no introduction, you may not know that Cleopatra used this famous flower to seduce Mark Antony. Passion-inducing Damiana, while lesser known, has been used traditionally to help sweethearts spice up their love life and contains antidepressive and mood elevating properties. Both are great in an after dinner tea, sprinkled in a bath, or infused in your favorite wine! Here's a simple formula that's sure to impress your special someone this Valentine's day:

1) Start with your favorite red wine (a higher alcohol content is better for extraction, especially when using fresh herbs).
2) Choose you favorite aromatic herbs: Ginger, mints, licorice or cinnamon for a stimulating effect. Oatstraw, lavender, sage, and catnip for a calming blend. Rose or damiana for love - or choose your own favorites!
3) Combine herbs and wine either in a mason jar or the bottle itself if it has a screw-top, and let it sit for two weeks (shaking occasionally).
4) Separate out herbs with a cheesecloth or a mesh strainer before serving.

Serve with chocolates and a romantic string quartet!