My handsome Beaumont napping and my newest baby girl (photo-of-the-day) born last Saturday, Lacy Lou. Go here for the step-by-step photos I took of her birth at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital that include a darling video of Lacy Lou trying to stand up for the first time.
Listen …
Photo by Hakan Dahlstrom via Wikimedia Commons
You can run, but you can’t hide!
Photo by Steve Povey via Wikimedia Commons
The gallinippers are out for blood!
Yup, gallinippers.
They’re not vile villains from a scary sci-fi movie (although they do fit the bill).
Image from Bill Nye’s History of the United States (1894) via Wikimedia Commons
Gallinippers, as some of you may know, are mosquitoes.
Specifically, BIG ones.
Photo by Edibobb via Wikimedia Commons
Gallinipper (GAL-uh-nip-er): any of various insects that sting or bite, especially a large American mosquito, Psorophora ciliata (shown in the photo above).
Eeeks!
So, have you been lucky (or sly) enough to avoid these annoying and potentially dangerous pests this year?
If not, Erin McIntosh of Mountain Rose Herbs is here to help. Check out her recipes for non-toxic DIY repellants and bite-soothing spray.
The first recipe is a flower-water-based spray and the second recipe uses oil for a longer-lasting solution. Both contain catnip ingredients, since the essential oil found in catnip can actually be just as effective as commercial chemical repellents, without the nasty side effects from toxins like DEET. If you have fresh catnip growing in the garden, you can use a high alcohol tincture instead of the hydrosol. Pure grain alcohol (95%) will totally dehydrate the catnip, extracting the oils in about a week. I’ve also included my astringent spray recipe that can be used on bites to help stop itch and swelling.
8 oz organic Catnip Hydrosol
20 drops organic Cedarwood Essential Oil
20 drops organic Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops organic Lemongrass Essential Oil
10 drops organic Lemon Essential Oil
Slowly drip each essential oil into the hydrosol, counting with care as you go. Mix all ingredients in the bottle by shaking vigorously. Shake well before each use and reapply as often as needed.
8 oz organic Jojoba Oil or Almond Oil or Sunflower Oil
20 drops organic Lavender Essential Oil
15 drops organic Catnip Essential Oil
10 drops organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil
5 drops organic Rosemary Essential Oil
Slowly drip each essential oil into the oil, counting with care as you go. Mix all ingredients in the bottle by rolling the bottle between the palms of your hands. Shake before each use and reapply as often as needed.
This spray will help ease the itchiness and pain of bug bites. Plantain is a classic herbal remedy for itchy bug bites, while green tea is also super astringent. The cooling nature of peppermint adds a comforting sensation.
4 oz organic Peppermint Hydrosol
2 oz organic Green Tea, brewed
2 oz organic Plantain Tincture
3 drops organic Peppermint Essential Oil
Pour all ingredients into a glass spray bottle. Shake well before each use and store in the cooler for an extra refreshing chill.
Another good tip to know is that most bugs really hate aromatic smoke, but people love the nice smelling aroma! Instead of burning those chemical-soaked repellent candles, try burning a bundle of organic mugwort or white sage to smudge the area. You can also use the essential oil recipe blends above in a diffuser for an extra bug-away boost.
If you were to step outside right now and close your eyes, what would you hear? I might hear the whispering rush of wind through pine needles (my daughter’s most favorite sound on earth); happy hens clucking to one another; a songbird; or later tonight, the sound of bellowing frogs in my pond.
Few of us would hear exactly the same “soundscape,” but rarely do we think about how sounds characterize the surroundings we call home. How fun would it be to eavesdrop on one another’s auditory environments? And imagine if we could listen our way all the way around the world!
Photo by Petar Milošević via Wikimedia Commons
We could call it “traveling by ear.”
Photo by Jen Smith via Wikimedia Commons
Hold on to your hoops and dangles, girls, because we can do just that. A group of 35 professional nature recordists (who knew there was such a profession?) from around the globe have collaborated to develop Nature Soundmap, an interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our planet. “Combining high-quality field recordings with the latest satellite imagery, the project brings together some of nature’s most beautiful, interesting and inspiring sounds,” the team explains on the Nature Soundmap website. “Immerse yourself in a pulsating insect chorus in Borneo’s tropical rainforest, or climb the Himalayas and relax to the melodies of birdsong in an alpine meadow.”
Photo by Frameme via Wikimedia Commons
In effect, the entire world is at our ears. Many recordings in the site’s collection are “binaural,” meaning they’re stereo recordings made with two microphones capturing sound in 360 degrees, a technique that accurately imitates the natural experience you would hear with your own ears. So, where does an auditory traveler embark? Visit NatureSoundMap.com (no fees or membership required) and click on “Main Map.” You’ll see hundreds of little green place markers across the map. To move to a specific region, click on the map and drag it to the desired location. You can then scroll in to see specific markers. Click on one, and a box will appear, describing the soundscape of a particular place. Click “listen,” and get lost in the sounds of faraway places courtesy Mother Nature.
Photo by Moqureshi via Wikimedia Commons
Stitchers, are you ready? Enjoy this tutorial for jazzing up your kitchen using my new Milk Cow Kitchen fabric by Moda available at the FatQuarterShop.com and MaryJanesFarm.org
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
