Weeds & Seeds Swap

The opportunity to tell you about this is exciting to me, because we love patriotic music, AND because my hubby just got a brand new player.

If you are looking for music to play at your weekend barbecue or garden party, or to enjoy yourself any time from now on, on Friday, July 3rd, in just a few days, you can download an album of 30 songs for just $1.99. The album is called A Salute To America, and usually goes for close to $10, so $1.99 is a wonderful deal. This is the Amazon MP3 “Deal of the Day”…and now that I’m seeing this for the first time, I’m wondering what deals they have other days of the week. As a matter of fact, I just visited the link, and I believe it said it was $1.89 now for the album, so you may want to see if you can get it right away if you’re interested…I’m going to check again and see if I’m right about that amount as soon as I finish typing this, and then will call my husband so he can download it for us.

We have quite a number of people who set off fireworks around our lake on the 4th of July, and we like to sit out on the deck in the evening and look over the lake and watch. This would be a good time to listen to music like this and take a few moments to reflect on our Nation, and what makes it great…the words of these great songs will inspire you. No matter what challenges may come along the way, we are a blessed Nation, and have much to be thankful for. I thank God for those who made it possible for us to even have such a day as Independence Day to celebrate!

Black Walnut, which goes by the botanical name Juglans nigra is not something many of us will be planting in our gardens, but if you have a tree on your property, you have probably come across the nut or hulls on your property. This hardwood tree grows in the US, Canada, Europe and even in parts of Asia.

Medicinal properties are said to be in the roots, leaves and hulls.

Greeks and Romans used Black Walnut for skin conditions such as fungal infections, and Chinese use it for pain in the lower to mid-back, constipation, asthma and other uses that show this plant has a number of medicinal qualities. It promotes healing of sores in the mouth and throat. It is also a parasitic.

What Science shows:

• The hulls are high in tannins which is why some use it to rid the body of intestinal worms/parasites.
• Studies in U of Missouri in 1960’s seemed to show it helped with blood pressure and had some properties that may have anti-tumor affect.
• Black Walnut hulls are quite high in Vitamin C
• Past studies with an extract form showed it showed it contracted smooth muscles of rat and guinea pig intestines.  Such activity is helpful in the elimination process
• Please contact me if you would like references for any of the above.
• Black Walnut can be purchased in capsule and extract form.

 Image from http://www.marietta.edu

 

If you are planning a stop or a stay in Branson, Missouri this summer, you will be there when the gardens and natural habitats will be at their best. While there are MANY things to enjoy in Branson, like the entertainment, golf courses, boutiques, restaurants, and more, you’re likely to find me looking for some places to appreciate the outdoors if the weather permits, like:

• The Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area
• Mark Twain National Forest
• Stockstill Park
• Table Rock State Park

If you like golfing, the scenery is beautiful at the new Payne Stewart Golf Club, managed by Hilton, which has two exceptional locations to stay in the area, the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel.

If you have children, there will be plenty for them to enjoy..there’s the National Kid’s Fest at Silver Dollar City, the 10th Annual Clown Jam (hey, I wonder if my friend who is a clown will be there…I’ll have to ask her!), and there are theme parks…my children are grown, but when we’d visit parks with rides, Daddy usually did the rides with the children while Mom watched Then when we would visit museums…yes, they have those in Branson too, I’d be the one who would be enjoying myself and using the opportunity to teach the kids in a fun way.

Of course there’s all that entertainment Branson is known for. There are about 49 theaters in the area!

Please make sure to visit the hotel special and package web pages when you visit the links provided above and below for the best possible pricing and choose between two of the nicest accommodations in the area.

It has been a while since I focused in on an herb, not necessarily because it is growing in my garden, but because of my 20+ year fascination with herbs, and their culinary and medicinal properties.

This picture, used with permission, shows the bushy plant with it’s berries that goes by the botanical name ruscus aculeatus.  Years ago I remember an acquaintance using Butcher’s Broom and another product often used for oral chelation to save their legs, they were in danger of losing them because of complications related to diabetes.  I remember the person describing the feeling coming back in the legs as circulation returned, amazing memory.

Butcher’s Broom is native to western Europe, the southern states in the US, and in some areas of the Mediterranean.  Though it looks like a bush, it is part of the Lily family.

Historical Use Info: 

Information is available about this pretty bush with it’s bright red berries that dates back to early Greek civilization when rhizomes (a stem of the plant that is underground to which the roots are attached) were used for inflammation and the circulatory system.  Pliny, a naturalist from the early years after Christ’s death, used it to successfully treat varicose veins, if you believe his description of seeing the swellings become flat.  Other early uses include laxative and diuretic, rejuvenation.  In Europe it has been used medicinally for over 2000 year.  The more current herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper called it “the plant of mars” siting it’s strong cleansing and “opening” abilities.  The herb has been listed in Materia Medica since the 14th century, and as an approved therapeutic herb in European Pharmaceutical Codex.

What Science Says:

Scientists have discovered, while looking for new sapogenins, that it contained actives that were necessary for the synthesis of steroids. It contains ruscogenin, a steriodal, that is similar in structure to diosgenin, the active given much acclaim for it’s benefits in the herb Wild Yam.  Perhaps this is why it seems to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Other pharmaceutical studies have found that butcher’s broom has vasoconstrictive properties, which means it may benefit those with varicose veins, phlebitis, and hemorrhoids.  Also other properties in the plant have been found to reduce “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and may reduce coagulation of the blood…keep this in mind if you are taking blood thinners and giving thought to using this herb.

There is more that I could share, but must run, please know that you can contact me any time if you would like me to cite where the information comes from in my posts, I have that information…none is used without permission.

All the usual disclaimers apply…I’m not a doctor…do not use this information to diagnose…if you decide to use this for your own purposes you are responsible for the outcome.

My husband is from the beautiful and magnificent State of Colorado. I may have shared with you before that I am always amazed that he has found a way to feel at home here in New Jersey, but living in the rural setting that we do is helpful with that, I’m sure. We have had the opportunity to travel out there on a number of occasions during our now-30 years of marriage, at least 5 road trips, and the rest by plane. Each has their advantages.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Telluride Tourism is offering a special for those who want to take in the incredible beauty of Telluride and the surrounding areas. They are offering a ticket free for every 3 you buy. As I type this I feel the pull to be out there again, and I’m sure my husband feels it on a regular basis as his family is all in Colorado. There are many weekend events and festivals to please the whole family, and the beauty of nature is all around you in many forms.

May I also say that the visittelluride.com website is a beautiful thing to behold, many wonderful pictures of Colorado, enough to may me want to hop on the next plane and to make my hubby homesick.

Comfrey - May be Moving to a Sunnier Location   We have a mixed-bag of weather this weekend, my husband will be happy to know that the weather will be cooler than it has been for the past couple of days, the temperatures are perfect for me, but he likes it below 80 degrees.  The trees are doing their wonderful work of shading our cabin home until the mid-afternoon hours, and the gardens are bursting with green, herbs taking over and running wild, and I think I might just let them.  They got an early start this year, so look like they usually do about a month from now.I am delighted with how lush everything looks, and will be back shortly after I’ve spent some “shutterbug” moments taking some pictures to add to this post.  My husband and son may not be as delighted with how lush the lawn looks, it will need a good mowing.This weekend, along with remembering what our military and veterans have done and are doing for our Nation, I plan to add color to the gardens, and a few vegetables.  I will be purchasing annuals to fill my hanging planters and planters on the deck, and to add plant between and around my perennials.Wishing you all a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

 Horseradish, with a “touch” of Mint I have my work cut out for me here, mint taking over as usual, and it smells wonderful!

There are few things more beautiful than a lovely arrangement of flowers, and all of us women love to receive a beautiful bouquet.  Since it’s Springtime, and the garden shops in our area are bursting with plants, I often give my mother a hanging planter full of colorful blooms.

But in this post I’d like to share something with you that is even more beautiful than a bouquet, it is the gift of life that you may be able to give under certain circumstances. This is a gift you can prepare to give when you become a mother, something that will make the birth of your child, the moment you enter the beautiful world of motherhood even more special. I have been seeing a lot of information about the ability to give the gift of life to ones you love by saving blood from the umbilical cord of your baby when the child is born, because it provides stem cells that can be used to treat many diseases…studies are showing this to be true.  For those that feel that other methods of stem cell research are controversial, you can be assured that this approach is safe, and not controversial.

Cryo-Cell is a place that can provide you all the information you need in advance of the birth of your child so that you have Cryo-Cell U-Cord stem cells available that can be a match to many of your blood relatives. Approximately 175,000 families have taken this step since 1992, and now you can too.

Please visit the site and see the research, the pricing, and how easy it is to give this gift of life…if you are a mother, giving to help others can be one of the greatest gifts you can receive.

Whatever you decide, may I wish you a most wonderful Mother’s Day!