Learning To Breathe

The weather here is far different than any other place I've known.  Here, it is often just as warm or warmer during the night then it was during the day.  One morning, when we woke up it was 20 degrees warmer than it was the evening before.  I always thought that when the sun went down at the end of the day, the temperature had to decline.

I have a special project for you.  Ready?  Take a deep breath in, then let it all out.  Simple, right?  Not always.  Before moving to BC I thought I breathed well.  It was during my first visit here last year that I became aware of how much better I felt, and breathed, and slept.  I was so much more relaxed.  Then, when I returned to California, I began a quest to clean up my immediate environment.  I became more aware of the existence and effect of chemicals in my house.  As many of you know, I am very sensitive to numerous common household chemicals and food additives.  We all live in a toxic world and so we cannot entirely eliminate all the chemicals from every surface and from the air we breathe, but I want to do as much as I can.  Product labeling does not require that ingredients are listed on the labels of cleaning products.  Additionally, I've learned that terms used on cleaning product labels such as "organic" and "pure" may be false.  

Shortly after I moved here,I was able to make my own chemical free laundry detergent with great results. I would like to share it with you.  Below, I also included for you the youtube video that I like for making the laundry soap. There are several variations on the internet, but they all seem to have the basics in common.  The gal that made this video is just funny too.  I really needed a toxin and perfume free soap. The bonus is that it is very inexpensive to make.  Each batch makes 10 gallons of liquid detergent, and uses very little of each product per batch. 

If you search for other videos, search "homemade liquid laundry detergent".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgY-Poz2Fiw

Here's the variation of the recipe I used:

First heat about 6-7 oz grated soap bar in 4 cups water, stirring until it is dissolved (about 10 minutes)(I cut this short with a drink mixer)  =)

Fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full of very hot water.

Add the soap mixture.

Then add 3/4 to 1 cup Borax, 1/2 cup Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup Baking Soda

Stir well. (paint stir stick works great)  Fill the bucket the rest of the way with very hot water, and cover for about 24 hours.

Stir again.

Fill a smaller container 1/2 full of Wash detergent, filling the remainder with water.

For each full washer load, use 3/4 to 1 cup detergent.

Now that the snow storm has blown in here and turned the land white, I still have much to keep me busy here.  I have been learning to cook a wide variety of the wild meats, mostly Moose.  They are so much better tasting.  Wild meat is much leaner and free of the hormones and antibiotics used in farm raised livestock.

To prepare for the coming spring, I have much time to learn about mini-greenhouses and cold frame gardening.  We live in a Zone 2 climate.  Gardening will be much different here.  We purchased a mini-greenhouse and I am anxious for Spring to be able to use it, but here, it seems Spring is a long way off.

Spring will also bring with it an explosion of wild herbs and the return of much wildlife.

Update: Nov 17, 2015: I still love this laundry soap, and I have yet to need to make a new batch.  It lasts a super long time!  It cleans very well for "regular" everyday laundry, but needs something extra for heavily soiled clothes.

Grizz and Starting Over

Yay!  I have finally settled the problems that I had posting on this blog site.  Silly me.  The trouble was all caused because I had not updated my browser.  Thank you all for your patience.  Even after I learned what the difficulty was, I then was delayed by being really busy.  Thomas was off work for the past week and our days were filled with fun, and a bit of work. Yesterday, Tom was out hunting and got a nice big Whitetail buck, so we spent the afternoon cutting and wrapping meat.

I am loving my time here.  There is so much to learn and so much to do that excites me!

First, our new pup, named Grizz, is turning out to be a wonderful pup for us.  He has grown up a bit and is now close to 40 lbs at 17 weeks old.  I love to watch Tom and Grizz play together in the evenings.  During the day, Grizz spends his time guarding the front porch and curiously explores small bits of the yard now.  I bring him in occasionally to gain "house skills", but he gets too warm to stay indoors for long.  He is a very smart pup and easy to train.  He has already learned to 'heel' on and off the leash.  He fetches and returns sticks and his ball.  Grizz loves his squeaky ball!  Today we had great fun and exercise when I took him out hiking in the snow.  He's going to be a fine trail companion.

There will be many adventures to share with you about gardening, all the plants and animals I encounter here, and healthy living ideas.  I have long been interested in organic gardening and foraging wild edibles.  There may not be Chamomile planted here yet, but there is a lot of the Pineapple weed, which is a close relative. I made a nice cup of tea with it last night to relax.

I have spent some mornings gathering Stinging Nettle leaves before the snow started. I was vaguely familiar with them in California, but have learned much more of their usefulness. We have a large patch of Nettles in the front yard. I steamed them and put them in the freezer to use like spinach later. They are very healthy, but this nutrition comes at a price. I have been stung on the fingers and hands several times now.  The stinging produces a numbing effect which lasts about 10 hours. There has to be a better way to harvest free healthy vegetables.

It has been very nice to get to see all the gifts from my bridal shower again. Most of my belongings have been boxed up ready for the move to BC ...for the last year.  I still have a lot of organizing to do before I can do some decorating and things will be limited since it is not our own place. But still it is fun to be able to start all over.