New Projects Around the Homestead

Winter has meant an inevitable slowing of homestead activity here in Ohio, but Rowan and I have done a few things around here. We took our herbs that were in containers inside for wintering over.

We made suet cakes and filled bird feeders for our feathered friends.

Our suet cake, hanging. Squirrels got it, mostly- but I did see goldfinches and cardinals on it.

We hung the seed on the front porch.

We went on an organizing binge and started thrift store shopping for baskets.
Here, Rowan plays with a thrift store toy.

I discovered plarn (plastic bag yarn).
I am making a rug for wet muddy feet for our back door.

There's on of those thrift store baskets, with my plarn in it.

Our backyard view of sunset.

Looking and Feeling Young

The other day, I got (what most people would call) a compliment on my looks. They said that I "didn't look 42", and "looked at least 10 years younger".

In addition to having some feyness, some healthy fat on my bones, and not smoking (anymore); I also didn't tan relentlessly when I was younger (yay, gothdom!). These things help a lot in keeping bodies healthy and not overly ravaged by time. But I also attribute my youthful appearance to what I eat and put on my body as well (and chasing a preschooler!).

I do not use commercial beauty products anymore, and I think this helps a lot. To clean my body and "make it up", I use natural products, most of which are much less expensive than commercially bought stuff and so much better for your body. I no longer use a foundation- and the last time I did, I was using tinted moisturizer by Dermalogica or Dr. Haushka. I don't put on a lot of makeup- and when I do use it, a liquid eyeliner (body shop), and a lipstick (I have amassed quite the collection) are about it.

I am still using the "no poo" and "no conditioner" that I wrote about last June. I think my hair is healthy and shiny. I also make our deodorant, our first aid creams, our cold medicines, and our moisturizers. I am in the process of making a migraine remedy making tincture of feverfew, white willow bark, and California poppy.

I have dry skin and I used to shower then oil my body (just a combination of good-for-skin oils, with olive as the base). Now I use a sugar scrub exfoliant that has plenty of oil and essential oils (I switch it up for fun- sometimes it is lemongrass for purification, sometimes I want tingly cinnamon!) and moisturizes as I wash. A month's supply of sugar scrub is about 21 cents- and once you invest in essential oils, you will have most of the ingredients around to keep yourself in supply. I only shower every few days because of my dryness. So I need to moisturize in between bathing. In the summer, I need a lotion (that I make myself)- but now that I am back in dry midwestern winter, I actually use raw unrefined shea butter on my face daily! I personally think it makes my skin radiant, and before it completely soaks in (it is solid at room temperature), it forms a weather barrier on my face that really helps prevent tiny eczema patches.

Speaking of eczema- I don't really get it anymore (again, I attribute whole foods and natural toiletries)- and if there ever is a tiny bit, it comes in smaller than a dime. Carrot oil or shea butter takes care of it immediately.

So, what does our family eat? There's a joke going around that "natural foods" and "organic foods" are simply what our grandparents called "food".

Here's an example: this week, when we had tacos, we went out of our way to get corn tortillas without crap in them (most of the standard supermarkets here carry tortillas with unpronouncible ingredients- bleh!). I cooked a pork roast (that came from a pig that was purchased in advance, raised on a farm in Appalachia, and slaughtered and processed with the cuts and preparation we specified) in the crock pot all day with onions, cumin, oregano, and salt. I soaked overnight, then simmered pinto beans all day and pureed them in the food processor with leftover bacon fat from our nitrate free, grass-fed bacon, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and cumin. We ate it with crap-free loca; Amish sour cream from the co-op, fresh made salsa (not by me, but local) and cheese. While the meal took all day to cook, there was little actual hands-on work for it. It was delicious and I have leftover pork for lunches and refried beans in the freezer for future meals.

So to make a long post short, I guess my "secret" is simple living and avoiding overly processed stuff. What are your secrets to staying healthy and young?

Yard Update (A photo post)

So as many of you know, I am starting an urban homestead here in Columbus. Transforming the yard has been a big project this year, and we haven't gotten it all done yet. For pics of "before"see here.

Here is the lush oasis our front yard is becoming:

Rowan, descending our stairs into the yard. You can see the rim of the huge planter box we share with the neighbors here.

My front yard. Wildflowers (mainly zinnias and sunflowers) create a wall all along the edge that borders the driveway. We get lots of bees and butterflies. The herb spiral, still unfinished (we have been only using free reclaimed materials and that takes time) has been overrun with morning glories and Delicata squash!

What happens when a major storm destroys your backyard gazebo? Take two corners and sink them into the ground, making an archway with prayer flags and vining plants, of course!

After we got rid of those hideous shrubs, we tacked up trellises and I planted morning glories. They, um, like it here.

A look at the lush planter box from my steps.

Tiny details are hidden in the box like this.

And this.

My morning glories, the view from the porch rocker. It's like a lush green stained glass window.

Detox!

The older (and crankier!) I get the more I am convinced of the toxicity of everyday life in this culture. We are spoonfed products and ideas that harm the body, mind and spirit on a daily basis and this Witch is now actively working to simplify, detox, and create harmony within my body and on my little patch of soil.

I was thinking about this while showering today. I had just cut my hair (it is liberating to have short hair again, in a simple flattering style that I can cut myself) and was hosing off the little hairs from my body. I reached for my handmade body scrub and exfoliated, invigorated, and oiled my dry skin simultaneously. I then reached for my No Poo and Rinse and treated my hair. I was one of those that dyed my hair from the age of 15 and my hair was always a split-ended dry mess. Since stopping that and using homemade products it is healthy and shiny beyond belief!

I ran out of product, so afterwards, I went downstairs to make more.

Add essential oils of choice to a carrier oil. While many use sweet almond for skin products (and I do, sometimes for products whose fragrance is subtle and I want it to be noticed), this oil is plain old organic extra virgin olive oil. I use it for cooking, toiletries, and lighting. It is a great all purpose oil and everyone can find some!

While my last batch of scrub was rosemary/eucalyptus, this batch was lemongrass/wild marjoram/tea tree. That's what's great about making your own- you can change it up and create whatever you want! And you know exactly what goes into it.

Some people make sugar scrubs, others make salt scrubs. I do both. Both are inexpensive and exfoliating. Salt has cleansing properties while sugar won't sting any cuts you may have. It's up to you!

Mix infused carrier oil with salt or sugar. I use a non-porous mixing utensil- wooden spoon, not so good. I personally use a plastic chopstick that I stole from a chinese restaurant in San Francisco in 1997. 

My much-used bottles for No Poo and Cleansing Rinse.

No Poo is 1 TBS baking soda to every cup of water. Too astringent? Use less. Need more oil cutting? Use more. The ratio can be personalized.

Rinse is also 1 TBS apple cider vinegar to every cup of water and be adjusted as necessary.

You can also add herbal power to each by using an infusion for No Poo and an infused vinegar for Rinse. This Time, I used plain water for No Poo, but used a citrus thyme infused vinegar for my rinse.

I continue to make natural medicins and toiletries for myself and others. Boline is chugging along, and my next plan (now that I have a logo and final packaging complete) is to get the products into local stores (in addition to my online presence). I just listed a couple more remedies on Etsy, Poppyswap, Copious, and Bonanza today: Clove Oil, Vitex Tincture,  and Calming Tonic (Valerian and Hops tincture).

Medicine Making as Spiritual Practice

Yesterday, I made and packaged three new remedies for Boline. I thought that I would tell you about them (they are not yet up in any store for sale).

Clove

Clove Oil. This is a versatile remedy- check out all its uses here. As a dental topical anesthetic, safe for children and safe to use orally. Hence, many generations of folks have used it for teething pain or canker sores. (Rowan recently started cutting his two year molars and I had actually forgotten the drooling, runny nose, fussiness, and fever that accompanies his teething- I am glad we have this now!)
I am bottling it in two ounce tincture bottles and selling it for $5.


Calming Tonic. I made a tincture of valerian root and a tincture of hops buds. While I have both are available as simples, this combination is particularly potent! It is great for insomnia, stress, anxiety, PMS and the like. A two ounce tincture bottle is $12.


Vitex tincture. Vitex, or Chasteberry, is an amazing herb for most women. It is a hormonal regulator, meaning that whether you are having issues from too many hormones or not enough, it helps your body achieve balance. So it helps with PMS, menopause, heavy bleeding, night sweats, painful menstruation, and more. It also has been known to be used in trans women's formulas to assist them with their hormone regulation. I also seel this two ounce tincture for $12.


I make my remedies and even package them all by hand, slowly and with magickal intent. I create the labels myself and hand glue them on each package. I could buy pre-made labels, but I like the meditative deliberate quality of doing everything myself, with known non-toxic materials.

Valerian and Hops

I will be bottling an triple antibiotic oil and a ginger tincture soon. As soon as I buy more alcohol, I'll have a medicinal mushroom tincture (my reishi harvest is going really well!), an artichoke tincture, and a cinnamon tincture to start. The last two are to be combined with the ginger, hops, and gentian for a great digestive bitters formula I like.


I have plans in the works for facial scrubs, deodorant balms, bug sprays, body and baby powders, and a muscle rub. Just need a few more ingredients for each recipe.


My herbs are growing! Echinacea, ephedra, calendula, feverfew, and more are making their debut and will be featured in my remedies next year. This fall, I'll be buying all my beekeeping equipment, so that I am ready for the spring. I'll also be building a green house for herbs and veggies during the winter.


I also finally created new uniform packaging for Boline products and am relabeling all my things. I am going to take them around to local stores to see if I can sell locally. I hope to be a part of the new harvest farmer's market just starting this year, and have a booth.

Before and After (Actually, During!)

My neighbors and I have been super busy creating the kind of yard that we want- one that sustains us with food, medicine, and respite. We had our work cut out for us, too. The property has been neglected for a while, since for the first two years the people in my unit were horrible and no one wanted to be in the yard near them. Before that, no one has done anything in the yard for quite some time.

Remember my horrible 1970's era bushes in the front of the house?

Ugly. A real eyesore.

And they hid gross decades of trash, too.

They are GONE. It was sooo hard getting those things out of that large planter box. First, we took a chainsaw to the shrubs. Then these horrible stumps with viney roots were left:

We are saving it to let the cukes and eggplants grow over them.

Don't let it's compact-ness fool you. Many of those long roots were cut off with shears or a saw. It took hours of grueling work and many people to get all 4 out.


What does the box look like now? It is in process, but here are some pix:

Long shot, from my steps towards the neighbors. Pond in the center, Plants and doo dads on the sides.

My neighbor's side is neater than mine. All my cool things were left behind with my peeps in CA.
Working on acquiring fun things.

Her side- I will have a matching lattice on my side for the morning glories we planted on my side soon.

Above my neighbor's side.

My foxglove.

My side has morning glories and other vines planted behind some Hostas.

Where my trellis will be by the end of the weekend- waiting for my morning glories to come up!

I have also made progress on other parts of the yard. The side has been cleared for veggies:

Before: We transplanted the wildflowers to the front, eliminating some grass.

After- tomatoes, peppers, cukes, eggplants, and more!

The herb spiral needs more bricks! Here it is so far, next to a small bed of herbs, framed by beer bottles. (I also planted wildflowers on the slope near the driveway, and they are coming up really well!)

My neighbor is ahead of me. She not only has her side bed filled with herbs and lettuces (hers is rimmed with wine bottles), but she has her trellis up for her vining flowers. (See mine on the lawn, waiting to be cut with my neighbor's dremel tool?)

Here's her side trellis and a salvaged stair rail (it was in the box behind those awful bushes!) for our green beans.

Lettuces and basil.

Basil and oregano

So there we are so far! I haven't shown you the back, but the neighbors got a FREE gazebo (minus the netting) off of freecycle, so we are growing thornless blackberries around it for shade. Pretty awesome, if you ask me!

What's New on Pinterest?

For those of you that do not know, I have pretty comprehensive Pinterest boards on many topics:

Making a besom, from my "Witchcraft DIY" board.

Witchcraft, Magick, and the Occult:
Witchcraft: a general board of images that pertain to Witchcraft. Gorgeous!
Witchraft DIY: A how-to board of quality links. Make mead, make cords and garlands, and more!
Kitchy Witchy: Retro and silly Witchcraft images I find.
The Occult: Links to Magick and ceremonial stuff.
Gods/Goddesses/Spirits/Beings: images and links to non-corporeal beings.
Melissae: All about bees and being a bee priest/ess
Pagan Parenting: resources and articles
Greater Pagan Community: links of interest to pagans in general.

Finger Knitting, from my "DIY for the Kids" board.

DIY boards:
DIY I wanna do Inside: indoor house and furniture projects
DIY I wanna do Outside: outdoor garden, building, and landscaping projects
DIY Remedies: herbalism for all of us
DIY Toiletries: chuck the toxins and make your own!
DIY Craft: all manner of crafty projects, links to how-to.
DIY for the Kids: fun things to do with kids
Homesteading/Sustainability/Frugal Living: gardening, canning, old-timey things we all should know.
DIY Home Care and Cleaning: how to care for you home in a non-toxic way.
DIY Apparel and Accessories: clothing and handbags, mainly.
Embroidery and Cross Stitch: lots of inspiration for things to make patterns out of, as well as tutorials.
Crochet and Knitting: tutorials and gorgeous patterns
Tricks and Tips: things you wish you knew when there is something to fix!
Emergency Kits: everybody needs them!

Date-with-a-parent box, from my
"New Family Traditions" board.

Resource Boards:
Natural Parenting: non-toxic attachment style.
Tricks and Tips: (see above)
Building Community: Where to start?
New Family Traditions: Things that please me so much, we are making them happen in our home.
Customs Worth Resurrecting: old timey customs that never should have went out of style.

Recipe and Food boards:
Recipes to Try: general board of things that don't fit into specific categories below
Beverages
Veggies
Baking and Candies
Crock Pot
Freezer and Make Ahead (includes Canning)
Condiments and Larder (includes Canning)
Carcuterie and Pescuterie: make your own salumi and preserved fish!
Entertaining and Gift Edibles
Slow Food and Sustainability
Outdoor Cooking
High Tea
Homesteading/Sustainability/Frugal Living (see above)

Hellen Keller, from my "Important People" curriculum board.

Homeschooling Boards:
Resources (General)
Math
Science
Reading and Literacy Development
Health and Life Skills
Art
Music
Printables
Religious and Multi-Cultural Curriculum
Social Studies
Physical Education
Politics and People's History
Important People Curriculum

April Fools Day Cupcakes (they are really
meatloaf) from the "April Fools Day" board.

Holiday Boards:
Advent and Other Countdowns
Thanksgiving
Cinco de Mayo
Yule
Earth Day
Valentine's Day
Halloween
Hannukah
Beltaine
Oestara
Midsummer
Lughnasadh
Mabon

Valentine's Day for the Birds!

Samhain
Imbolg
MLK Day
Christmas
Mardi Gras
Tu B'Shvat

Purim
Pesach
Easter
Dia de los Muertos
Sukkot


Groundhog Day
Mother's Day

Make Beloved Dead ornaments
"Samhain" board

April Fool's Day
Norooz
Krampusnacht

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
Yom Kippur
Rosh Hashanah
Shavuot

Plantable Paper for Earth Day

...and believe it or not, there are more than that! And I participate in several group boards on organic gardening, food and more. Click on the link above to check out my boards. I will be adding more pins and boards each week.

A more sustainable life

We moved to Ohio because we wanted to have a lifestyle that was still urban, but slower.We wanted to make time for living sustainably- in harmony with the earth, its cycles, and its other inhabitants. You know, like a Witch should!

Since moving to Ohio in mid-February, we have started the following:

We are making our own kefir.
At the rate my son drinks it, it is more economical
and healthy to make it ourselves.
Organic raw milk!
Plus, no more plastic bottles from the store!

Speaking of bottles, in addition to recycling, we are saving
our glass bottles to edge our garden beds.

We have started wildcrafting walks as a family.
This bouquet came from our last walk, where
I discovered delicious sassafrass! 

My library is mostly unpacked...

Herb books, mushroom books, lots of reference guides!

We obviously need to drink more wine.

Seedlings. These are thyme, cilantro, and tomatoes.

This pond will be cleaned and moved into a huge front box
along with morning glories, trumpetvine, and other decorative plants.
It's gonna be so much better than the ugly bushes that are there now.

Rowan on the porch.

Our current wild side yard, which will become raised beds.

Rowan "helping".

Putting the plants debris in the compost pile

Our first cleared out area on our side of the yard.
It was totally overgrown.

This is one of the few heirloom organic seed companies
that isn't owned in any way by Monsanto.
Their stocks go back to the 1700's and are
amazing in their variety.
Order a $5 catalogue to help support their efforts, please!

Seedlings for kohlrabi, peppers, tomatoes,
sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers.

Seedlings for basil, rosemary, strawberry, echinacea,
parsley, and more.

This awful 1970's era bush is going to go.
It will make room in that huge brick planter box
for a pond, gorgeous vining flowers and trellises.
On the rim will be containers of even more flowers.

The bush, partially cut back, reveals trash. Boo!

My latest order from Landreth Seeds:
lots of herbs and pollinator attractors!

My worm bin has some "tea" to use on my
plants already!

Using the dryer less. When I do, I am saving my dryer lint and
putting it in egg cartons with beeswax for firestarters.
The neighbors have a lovely firepit that they share.

We are using soap nuts now in cotton bags instead
of clothes detergent. We can compost them when we are done.
We have a compost pile in the back, as well as the worm bin.

Worm food!

All over, people are starting to do more sustainably-conscious things. What are you doing?