Category: Nature

Animals, Appreciation, Books, Christianity, ecosystems, Exhaustion, Faith, gardening, Gratitude, Herbs, Homesteading, Nature, Plants, Writing

Winding Down

Lisa Burbank

“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127: 1-2)

As summer winds down, the garden–what little I planted–dies back, herbs and flowers go to seed, and at work, summer reading ends. On this last, we all breathe a sigh of relief. This year, we nearly tripled our participation, which fills me with joy to see so many neighbors and friends enjoying their summer with good books, fun games, prizes, and snacks.

On the homestead, I’m harvesting more cherry tomatoes than I know what to do with…except maybe as a healthier snack instead of reaching for chips or popcorn. Brussel sprouts are still growing, as is some cabbage (despite the cabbage larvae that nearly decimated both earlier in the season…). We have a few small sugar pumpkins, and some unnamed variety of heirloom bean drying in their pods on the vine. Something ate the peas. The green beans didn’t produce nearly as much as the amount of plants suggested. And it’ll be quite some time before I know if the American chestnuts (a hybrid designed to bring this legendary tree back from extinction by grafting it to a Japanese root stock that is resistant to the blight) survived the long winter in refrigeration and then into the ground.

Yes, we still talk about relocating…now more than ever due to the cost of living and the explosion of “urban development” in this once-rural community. But I leave it in His hands.

For now, I’m working towards making this place, this space, as self-sufficient as possible. The fixer-upper needs a ton of work, and now costs me far more each month to hold on to than it’s market value suggests. Perhaps there’s a solution down the road. Perhaps not. And between cats and herbs, we’ll need a Mack truck to do that relocating. Still, what is slowly happening here fills me with joy.

In addition to some veggies, I planted hibiscus, borage, bee balm (although it is not true Monarda didyma with it’s scarlet petals, but another hybrid with magenta petals; the hummingbirds don’t seem to mind…), catnip, calendula, rue, tarragon, and basil. This last, I simply love the smell…and the taste of fresh pesto mixed into some gourmet pasta. This weekend, there are plans to pick up some elderberry bushes from a friend who has an overabundance of them and doesn’t know what to do with them all. What a blessing!

Speaking of birds, though our little flock of chickens and ducks is down to just 7 geriatric birds, the wild birds are visiting in abundance. The birdhouses hosted new life yet again this year. The chickadees, cardinals, juncos, sparrows, titmice, nuthatches, and grackles are now joined by blue jays, mourning doves, orioles, woodpeckers and, yes, hummingbirds. And the mountain mint I planted a few years’ ago is covered with honey bees, bumblebees, and various other bees that I am unfamiliar with. I’m still waiting for the big bottle-blue wasps that tend to feast on mountain mint. I’ve only seen one on occasion this year. When I maintained the herb garden at the living history museum, their mountain mint was covered with these striking-looking wasps.

Again, what blessings! And I’m savoring every one…no matter how small they may seem.

The revisions on the first novel are about 3/4 of the way done. I’ve also started another book. This one, a Young Adult tome. So, despite once again neglecting this blog, it has not been due to laziness, or a lack of respect for any readers still out there. I’m hoping as we head into fall, and the work in the garden, the yard, etc. winds down, that I’ll have more time to devote to it, to develop some healthier, more sustainable habits so I won’t fall off the proverbial blogging wagon again.

Of course, this blog is also going through a little mental re-vamp as I go about my job at work, chores here on the farm, or write/revise books. All-in-all, I’m looking forward to the months ahead. This is my favorite time of year.

May God bless you & keep you!

Holidays, Memories, Nature, Nostalgia, Scripture

Snow??!?

Lisa Burbank

“Come now, and let us reason together,” saith the Lord: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

I’m one of those weirdos that actually likes snow. I think it’s the memory of an unexpected snow day as a child. They were always a special treat. If you lived in Rhode Island in the 60s and 70s, no doubt you hated anyone who lived in either Foster or Gloucester since these rural communities were always the first to receive the benediction of “No school, Foster/Gloucester!” from the infamous Salty Brine (a Rhode Island legend).

We received a few inches this morning here in Connecticut. Not exactly a white Christmas since it’s a couple of weeks’ away, but I’ll take it. The only drawbacks are the shoveling, as it’s heavy and wet this time, and my spine isn’t as young as it used to be, and having to drive in it because, even though the schools are closed today, the library will likely be open.

Still, I love the first snowfall. And the world really does look magical today. If you are driving somewhere in similar conditions, take it slow. Safe travels! If you’re lucky enough to have a coveted snow day, enjoy the rest and brew a cuppa for me!

May God bless you & keep you!

Basket Weaving, Coppicing, Creativity, ecosystems, Emergency Preparedness, Herbs, Homesteading, Nature, permaculture, Prepping, Scripture, Trees

Coppiced Hope

Lisa Burbank

“For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.” (Job 14:7)

I have a short stack of books checked out on coppicing trees. A few years’ ago, I watched a YouTube video about a man who coppices the trees on his land for firewood to heat his home. It struck a chord.

When I first started with the notion of homesteading, my original plan was to move to a bigger property. But then I started watching videos, reading blogs, magazine articles and books about people homesteading right where they are, right now. And it got me thinking: what can I do here?

Originally, I thought I could tap the many maple trees in my yard for syrup and sugar…until I learned the difference in maple trees and discovered that my maple trees are mostly Norway maples, an invasive species to Connecticut that does NOT produce maple syrup.

Despite their invasiveness, the Norway maples are beautiful. So I’ve let them stay.

However, one of the reasons they’re considered invasive is because they grow fast. They also throw their seeds everywhere and it doesn’t take long for a new sapling to grow up. I have a young one growing through my fence as we speak (definitely NOT optimum). A also have a few that grew close together over the years so that they appear to share one trunk that has split in multiple directions. A friend of mine cut a couple of those splits, leaving a few feet of trunk standing. This was years ago, and I was furious at the time, but new shoots have grown up from that cut stump. I have an endless supply of firewood right at my disposal…if I learn how to manage it all correctly.

I know about as much about coppicing as I did about maple syrup. Hence, the stack of books on coppicing that I have checked out from the library. About all I do know is I will have to invest in a chainsaw and, probably, a decent ladder. (Again, I’m a complete novice…)

One of the books talks about planting willow where there’s a lot of wet, boggy land (Van Driesche 215-217). I have that, too, towards the back of the property. My ducks love it, but they’re about the only ones who do as the grass grows in thick tufts and any lawnmower gets stuck trying to cut it down (I’m also looking at learning how to use a scythe…). Willow can be debarked to make baskets. And the straight whips will also make good stakes for the garden when needed. I don’t know if I have enough boggy land for this last endeavor (although basket weaving is something I have enjoyed in the past…). It might behoove me to simply plant some water-loving herbs, like Joe Pye Weed, Black Cohosh and Solomon’s Seal (the latter doesn’t like its feet too wet…). That might be enough to mitigate the muddy mess.

But there’s hope springing in my heart as I contemplate the many potential ways I might make this little one acre holding work for me.

What are some of the possibilities you see from where you are right now? I guarantee you, if you put your mind to it, they may prove endless.

May God bless you & keep you!

Works Cited

Van Driesche, Emmet (2019). Carving Out a Living on the Land. Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont.

Animals, Appreciation, ecosystems, Environment, God/Jesus, Homesteading, Nature, Scripture

If You Build It, They Will Come

Lisa Burbank

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.” (Exodus 8:1-2)

If I was Pharaoh, I’m not sure this would’ve been considered a punishment in my eyes. Perhaps Pharaoh didn’t either because, as I remember from Scripture, he didn’t let the Lord’s people go…and in came the frogs. God’s word is true.

I also didn’t built “it”…not intentionally anyway.

A couple of autumns ago, I drained the kiddie pool with which my ducks used to swim. As always, once drained for the winter, I propped it up against the outside wall of the barn to keep the rain from pooling up inside and then freezing, thus, possibly cracking the “pond”. Well, winter winds and/or heavy snows knocked the pool facedown. The following spring, the pool was full of water, but upside down.

Said kiddie pool is quite large, and especially heavy with all that water pooled up on it. The drain is now at the “top”. And, it seems like every time I start bailing the water out of it, we get more rain and it refills. This past spring, I started to bail and noticed some frog eggs amidst the dead leaves and duckweed floating on top of the stagnant water so I left it alone. Come summer and on into fall, I’ve had quite a number of tadpoles swimming around in that “pond”.

This weekend, friend Robert came over to help reinstall the inside door to the basement. There was a point where he needed to use the skill saw, which would produce a lot of sawdust in a small and confining place, so he recommended I step outside until he was done.

I wandered over to the chicken coop to visit with the chooks and ducks (Incidentally, the ducks have been given smaller pools that are easier to manage…there are also fewer ducks these days).

Then I wandered over to the upside-down pool-turned-vernal-pool. The tadpoles have either been eaten by the family of stoats we discovered living under the Florida room floor, have morphed into their adult selves, or have gone deeper since a recent frost (Do tadpoles hibernate like their adult counterparts? Or do they die off in the cold?). However, I found three rather large frogs, and another that looked to be either a juvenile, or perhaps simply another smaller species of frog (or are some of these toads??).

No matter, I am thrilled with my new neighbors and now spend every evening visiting. A vernal pool was in the “future” plans for this homestead; what a blessing to find Mother Nature produced it herself.

May God bless you & keep you!

19th century, Community, Friendship, gardening, Herbs, Homesteading, Minimalism, Nature, No-dig Gardening, Plants, Prepping, Scripture, Tradition, Wild Edibles

Locusts and Honey

Lisa Burbank

“Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:4)

I see John the Baptist as more of the doomsday prepper type than a homesteader in the Bible, yet his simple lifestyle as described in Matthew 3 above serves as an inspiration to anyone who walks this path. “Simple” is the operative word. We don’t need much. We don’t need fancy gadgets or expensive anything. We need the basics of food, clothing, and shelter, and as we walk this walk, we find our tribe, our community of support. That’s important, too.

I found a member of that tribe many years ago when I worked in living history. We’ve never “hung out” together. Rare have we socialized outside of our shared living history employment, but we also share a passion for growing food and medicine, and living a simpler life. He was my mentor when I served as a volunteer docent in the herb garden there. And he taught me a lot.

This weekend, Mom, Robert and I traveled over an hour and 20 minutes (in New England, that’s a long drive…chuckle!) to listen to a talk of his about preserving the harvest without electricity. Using time-honored practices of root cellaring, fermenting, and drying, he reminded me of so much that I had learned while working in living history, but he also had some modern adaptations for those of us without a root cellar. Who knew an old Styrofoam cooler filled with damp leaves could be just as effective, if not better, than a wooden box in a basement filled with wet sand for preserving carrots and parsnips?

However, the real reason we drove all that way (Bless you, Robert, for piloting that drive!) wasn’t so much about the talk, though that was informative and interesting. Instead, it was to pick up some seeds for planting here at The Herbal Hare Tomestead (No, that’s not a typo; writer & librarian here).

You see, Rich worked for the American Chestnut Foundation (ACF) for many years helping to revive and restore the American Chestnut, which was decimated by chestnut blight, a fungal disease that spread quickly throughout our Eastern forests in the early-20th century, making it extremely difficult for the trees to reproduce, migrate and evolve. ACF has been working towards a blight-resistant American chestnut tree for many years (learn more here: https://tacf.org).

Roasted chestnuts are delicious. Though a tree nut, they taste a bit like a baked sweet potato. They’re also good for you. They’re a great source of fiber, which is good for digestion. They can help control blood sugar levels as they are low on the glycemic index. They contain antioxidants and minerals, such as magnesium and potassium, which can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and manganese, which can reduce the risk of cancer. They also contain copper to strengthen our bones and give a boost to the immunity system, and are loaded with B vitamins, which can help balance our nervous system and improve our brain function. They’re also gluten-free and help reduce inflammation.

Chestnuts were an important food in generations’ past. One healthy tree can produce, on average, up to 60 lbs. of nuts per year when fully mature (at about 20 years), but they start producing as early as 3-5 years. Hence, my desire to plant some here.

The Herbal Hare Tomestead is quite small at the moment (just under 1 acre). I don’t have room for the traditional fields of corn or wheat or rye (although I may grow a small patch of the latter at some point; more on that later). At present, I’m working towards raised beds for much of my herbs and vegetables, and a possible food forest where there is an overgrown half-acre filled with invasive species, such as Norway maples, Oriental bittersweet and Japanese knotweed. These last will have to be dealt with before planting, and maintained so they do not grow back, but the vision I have is possible with a lot of careful planning. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

I doubt I’ll be eating any locusts anytime soon (although I’ve heard they’re also delicious when roasted), but raising honey bees again is also part of the plan. And a food forest? Well, what better way to prep?

May God bless you & keep you!

Brothers & Sisters, Christianity, Environment, Faith, God/Jesus, Herbs, Holistic Health, Homesteading, Nature, Plants, Prayer, Self-esteem

Wednesday’s “Weed” Walk: A Re-Cap of My First “Live” Weed Walk

Lisa Burbank

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

On Saturday, June 3, 2023 I found myself staring down Imposter Syndrome with more resolve than real strength and conviction. I had prepared for this…but maybe not enough. Maybe I didn’t know enough herbs. Maybe I didn’t know enough about them. I took notes. Would they see me as more of a fraud if I had to use them? I didn’t study the notes enough. I didn’t memorize every fact, fable, or theory about each plant. I didn’t know every. Single. Plant. In the forest.

Dang! Who am I to call myself an herbalist?

Salvation came whilst standing in the short strip of meadow while waiting for everyone to join me for this “weed” walk. There at my feet were two of my best known—and loved—herbs: a dandelion, and plantain. This last is not the banana-shaped fruit found in many grocery stores. It is a type of crabgrass. And the dandelion? There’s a reason my Jillian is holding a dandelion in her mouth as part of The Herbal Hare icon. I’ve been drawn to dandelions since the day I took my first steps…or near abouts. My mother and grandmothers all had little Dixie cups filled with dandelion blossoms lining their windowsills when I was a kid.

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

Relax. Breathe. I’ve got this…at least with these two.

From there, I led a small group of 6—counting the lovely Australian shepherd who joined us for the walk; she said she got all of this, too—through myriad forest paths, up steep inclines and over rocky, dried-out streambeds. And, while there were a few stretches where that Imposter Syndrome kept trying to creep in again (we had about a 10 minute walk along paths lined with nothing but poison ivy, jewelweed, and Virginia creeper), I found enough to keep it interesting. There was even a note of praise on the library’s Facebook page later that day for the fun everyone had learning about some of the plants that share our little corner of Connecticut.

Here’s a recap of what we saw: Plantain (Plantago lanceolate), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis), Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), Cleavers (Galium aperine), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Hairy Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum pubescens), Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). It might be fun over the next few weeks to feature each of these for a Wednesday’s Weed Walk—except the Dandelion and Plantain. I think I’ve done at least two blog posts for each; I’ll have to put a link to them in the coming weeks. 😉

May God bless you & keep you!

Brothers & Sisters, Emergency Preparedness, God/Jesus, Healing, Herbs, Holistic Health, Homesteading, Nature, Plants, Prepping, Scripture

Wednesday’s Weed Walk: (Toxicodendron radicans)

Lisa Burbank

Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were. So they poured it out for the men to eat. And as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, ‘O man of God, there is death in the pot.’ And they were unable to eat.” (2 Kings 4:39-40)

No, I’m not poisoning anyone. I’ve been poisoned…by poison ivy.

I spent the three day weekend doing yardwork with a friend. As many of you know, we’ve had both intermittent running water and an intermittent electrical line. Sometimes we have lights upstairs; sometimes, not. It seems to be most prevalent when it’s windy out. So our friend, who noticed some tree limbs hitting the power line coming into the house, decided to climb up the ladder and cut the offending limbs. I held the ladder…while standing in a patch of poison ivy.

So far, it’s not too bad. Itchy, yes. But it’s staying around the calf area only…unlike a few years ago when arms, legs, and even my face got nailed with it.

So what does an herbalist do?

Most of you probably know this little beauty:

It is (Impatiens capensis) or, as it is more commonly known, Jewelweed. Jewelweed is quite the prolific spreader. It likes both woodland and moist areas, or so I’ve heard, though it seems just as content growing along roadsides, too. Interestingly, it is also often found growing alongside poison ivy; nature, when left to her own devices, often provides both the malady and cure side-by-side. But that’s neither here nor there. Inside it’s hollow stem is a watery mucilage. Just break it open and pat (do not rub) along any skin that may have come in contact with poison ivy (use a new stem for each area if more than one possibly infected). Often it is enough to prevent a breakout of the dreaded rash to begin with.

I, unfortunately, did not do that.

However, the stems can be chopped up, placed in a double boiler (see how to improvise without a double boiler Here) and slow simmered with a lid on for a couple of hours (keep a close eye that they do not scorch). Gently dab on the offending rash.

An alternative is to make an infusion (you can learn more about infusions at the same hyperlink above) of spearmint (Mentha spicata) leaves. You can gently dab the infusion on the same as with Jewelweed or, as I did this morning, I poured half of the infusion into a cup and added enough baking soda to make a paste. This keeps the infusion from dripping and the baking soda will help to dry it up the rash. Sadly, while this last will help clear it up faster, it has to be reapplied frequently to reduce the itch.

(Mentha spicata) Spearmint leaves

May God bless you & keep you!

Creativity, Emergency Preparedness, Faith, Folklore, Gaia, gardening, God/Jesus, Healing, Herbs, History, Holistic Health, Homesteading, Nature, Plants, Self-esteem, Self-improvement

A Saturday Weed Walk

Lisa Burbank

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16: 5-6)

This one is live! As in, in-person…my first!

To say that I’m not feeling a bit of that “Imposter Syndrome” would be a lie. Yes, I am a certified herbalist…and a Master Gardener. Yes, I do know how to use herbs and make medicine, health & beauty aids. I know how to use herbs for scent and I have at least a rudimentary knowledge of how to make dyes with some. And, yes, there are certain ones I can readily identify in the wild.

However, a recent walk through the nature trail that I will be working from at this live event revealed there are a lot of plants I don’t know. And, in this particular setting, there wasn’t a huge variety of plants…outside of some invasive species. That being said, I identified enough that I can put together an interesting walk.

At least I hope so…

Again, “Imposter Syndrome”–I am plagued with doubts. However, if I was too cocky and sure of myself, that would be the road to failure. A little nervousness is to be expected and, like all things, the more often I do this, the more comfortable I’ll get with it…and, in the future, I’ll make it a point to plan more “weed” walks through abandoned lots and sunny meadows rather than deep woods and dappled sunlight since most of the herbs I’m most familiar with are typically grown in sunnier locales. ;o)

Despite my nerves, I’m looking forward to the challenge of creating a fun and interesting experience for everyone who decides to join me on the walk.

If you live in northeastern Connecticut, the “weed” walk is part of an event being hosted by the Brooklyn Middle School in Brooklyn, CT between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Wear your walking shoes because the terrain is uneven, rocky in places, full of roots ready to trip you up, and steep in some areas.

May God bless you & keep you!

Animals, Christianity, God/Jesus, Healing, Herbs, Holistic Health, Homesteading, illness, Nature, Plants

Wednesday Weed Walk – Oils & Salves

Lisa Burbank

“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing herb on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (Genesis 1:29)

Another way you can use herbs is by decocting them in oil. This can be for culinary purposes to dress up some salad greens, or used topically to help heal cuts and scrapes, and moisturize the skin.

A few weeks’ ago I talked about using the double-boiler method to decoct herbs for medicine. Here we will use the same method but, instead of covering the herbs in the top pan with water, as we did in the previous post, we will cover them with some sort of oil.

Please do NOT use canola, sunflower, safflower, corn, or vegetable oil for this purpose; ditto for Crisco. All burn too hot and risk scorching the herbs, rendering them useless. The idea is to gently warm the oil, not fry the herbs. Olive, sweet almond, and grapeseed oils work best for this.

For those who may have missed the earlier post, if you don’t have a double-boiler, using a pair of sauce pans where one is slightly smaller than the other will suffice. You fill the larger pan about 1 1/2” – 2” with water then nestle the smaller sauce pan inside. There should be enough water in the bottom pan that the smaller sauce pan floats, but not so much that any water comes over the rim of it. You then measure your herbs into the smaller pan and, in this case, cover them with your oil of choice. Put a lid on it and slowly simmer for approximately 45 minutes, taking care that the oil doesn’t evaporate too much and the herbs do not scorch (as can happen even with these lighter oils); feel free to give them the occasional stir while they simmer, taking care to put the lid back on them as soon as you’re done. The medicinal properties will escape with the steam if the lid is left off.

As with a regular decoction, we also don’t use Teflon-coated pans, or cast iron, when making oils or salves. Both can leach into the final product. Teflon, if I remember correctly, has carcinogenic properties. It also flakes and chips and, even if new, there are chemicals in it that are best left out of either food or medicine. Cast iron is a great tool for cooking, but it can alter the medicinal properties of herbs, possibly changing their efficacy. I recommend either stainless steel, or enamel, when working with herbs.

If making an oil, simply strain the oil into a clean and sterile jar once it cools and store it in a cool, dark place until needed.

Herbs, such as plantain (not the banana-like fruit but the oft-mistaken-as-crab-grass) (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata), are good for drawing out infection, slivers, and other foreign matter. Calendula (Calendula officinalis) works well for treating bruises, cuts and burns, as well as the minor infections they cause. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) fights inflammation and has antibacterial properties; it’s also a good sunblock when used topically. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) helps new skin cells grow, reducing scarring. Equal measures of each, simmered in an oil, and massaged into the skin before a shower, or bath, works as well as any spa treatment for combating dry skin, and even wrinkles, leaving your skin healthy, supple and glowing. The combination also works well for cuts, burns, scrapes, scratches, and rashes, including diaper rash, although you may want to take it a step further and make it into a salve, or ointment for this last purpose.

To turn your oil into a salve, once the oil has simmered for 45 minutes, leave it on low heat and melt approximately ¾” to 1” square of clean beeswax into the oil, stirring constantly to get a creamy consistency. Once the wax has melted completely, add a drop or two of vitamin E oil (2 capsules should suffice for an 8 oz. canning jar), stir, and pour it into clean jars (or tubes; you can make a great lip balm for chapped lips in winter this way, too).

A word of caution: do NOT pour any beeswax down your drain; you will stop it up. Do NOT wash any pans or utensils in the sink that have had beeswax melted in them; same reason. Take anything used for melting the beeswax outside and pour boiling water over it repeatedly until the wax has been scalded off. Beeswax is safe for the environment and will do no harm poured into the grass or dirt this way. Another thing to bear in mind is that beeswax is highly flammable. The little flame at the top of a candle is of little concern but, please pay close attention while heating on the stove. Put the phone down, avoid distractions. A friend of mine once burned his mother’s kitchen down because he left some beeswax melting unattended on the stove and went to answer the phone…back in the day when we still had push button and rotaries on the wall and were attached to a cord…(I’m showing my age…)

May God bless you & keep you!

PS You can modify the above salve to use for animals, too. Omit the calendula and St. John’s wort (they may lick the salve and these two should not be ingested by animals). Simply use equal parts of plantain and comfrey and follow the rest of the directions above. My Mom swears by it for our animals.

Plantago major (Plantain)
Symphytum officinale (Comfrey)
Calendula officinalis (Calendula) (Yahoo Images)
Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort) (Yahoo Images)

Works Cited

“Calendula.” Image. Yahoo Images, The Spruce, 2023. https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=images%2C+calendula&fr=mcafee&type=E211US0G0&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thespruce.com%2Fthmb%2Fya4XvTRXaP-lCwxTXQ89Zkmac7M%3D%2F1874x0%2Ffilters%3Ano_upscale%28%29%3Amax_bytes%28150000%29%3Astrip_icc%28%29%2Fgrowing-and-using-calendula-1402626-26-f3f6f07fcc594a79b1a792f863a4a8e6.jpg#id=19&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thespruce.com%2Fthmb%2Fya4XvTRXaP-lCwxTXQ89Zkmac7M%3D%2F1874x0%2Ffilters%3Ano_upscale%28%29%3Amax_bytes%28150000%29%3Astrip_icc%28%29%2Fgrowing-and-using-calendula-1402626-26-f3f6f07fcc594a79b1a792f863a4a8e6.jpg&action=click

“St. John’s wort.” Image. Yahoo Images, Premier Seeds Direct, 2023. https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrNPwMJs2RkeVsfr.KJzbkF;_ylu=c2VjA3NlYXJjaARzbGsDYnV0dG9u;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNjI4NTcEX3IDMgRmcgNtY2FmZWUEZnIyA3A6cyx2OmksbTpzYi10b3AEZ3ByaWQDNXcyeVpSbWhUcmVGektGYlN2OENXQQRuX3JzbHQDMARuX3N1Z2cDMgRvcmlnaW4DaW1hZ2VzLnNlYXJjaC55YWhvby5jb20EcG9zAzAEcHFzdHIDBHBxc3RybAMwBHFzdHJsAzIzBHF1ZXJ5A2ltYWdlcyUyQyUyMFN0LiUyMEpvaG4ncyUyMFdvcnQEdF9zdG1wAzE2ODQzMjEyMjg-?p=images%2C+St.+John%27s+Wort&fr=mcafee&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Ai%2Cm%3Asb-top&ei=UTF-8&x=wrt&type=E211US0G0#id=5&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.premierseedsdirect.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F09%2F60501429.jpg&action=click

Brothers & Sisters, Christianity, Creativity, Faith, Forgiveness, Gaia, gardening, God/Jesus, Gratitude, Holidays, Nature, Religion, Writing

He is Risen!

Lisa Burbank

“Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’.” (Luke 24: 45-47)

I’m a day late with Easter greetings but, I decided a long time ago that I would avoid making any posts on Sunday, the Lord’s day. I may have broken it once or twice but, overall, I tend to rest on the seventh day. If it was good enough for God to rest after 6 days of creation, it’s good enough for me.

Anyway, I hope your Easter holiday was special and filled you and yours with joy this year. Mom and I spent the day at a friend’s house, enjoying good food and good conversation. Today I “O.D.ed” on black jelly beans (is there really any other kind???), having given up sweets for the Lenten season. However, after satisfying my deprived sweet tooth today, I hope to continue the good habit of avoiding sweets except on rare occasions.

And though I failed to read a chapter of the Bible each day as vowed, still, I spent more days with it than not, cognizant of those failures, and He allows for another recalibration.

He makes all things new. After Easter, I always feel a sense of new beginnings. Maybe it’s Mother Earth waking up to the warmer temperatures. Maybe it’s the anticipation of this year’s garden. Whatever it is, I am filled with hope and expectancy, looking forward to the growing season.

I also start a new class next week: Short Story Writing. I’m looking forward to this one. I’m hoping it will help improve my writing habit since I will have new stories to turn in each week…another area of life that needs recalibrating.

What are some areas of your life that need recalibrating? I’d be delighted if you’d share below.

May God bless you & keep you!