Yay! I recognized a Native Herbal plant growing in my own City

I´ve been an amateur noob forager for years....always interested in learning how to find local edibles in the natural environment of my home town in Northern Ontario, Canada.     I´ve watched too many youtube videos and finally had a breakthrough this week. I was able to find and identify a local plant that I had seen described as Mullein. The leaves and flowers of this plant can be dried and made into a medicinal tea. It has been described as helpful for many areas of human health. Note that this post is not intended as medical advice. All medical advice should be obtained from a licensed medical professional. 

The leafy parts you can see better in the photo below.

I had recently purchased tea bags of the Mullein Leaf to make tea at home to do a cleanse of the lungs. I do find the tea to be calming and has a similar taste and feel as nettle tea.

Rob Greenfield is a radical forager from the USA that I must admit I have learned a lot from. He has learned so much about what is readily available in his American environment to nibble on and assist him in living a healthy natural lifestyle.

It is that bond that nature lovers have with the earth that has always drawn in my respect. Itś not that we worship the earth. No....we worship God who created the earth and all that there is. There is a big difference between worshipping God and worshipping what He has made.

Anyway, there is a wonderful earthiness that I appreciate when I can make a connection between what I can find and identify in my environment and what I choose to eat. In this case, of finding wild Mullein... I have not yet chosen to harvest what I found, as I am using the tea bags that I purchased on line. But it is a big step for me to be able to even name something in the wild that I did not previously know and that does not come up in casual conversation.

So friends, have you ever found something in the wild that you were able to identify and actually consume? Did it work out well? Did you feel ok after consuming it? Or better yet, did that plant make you feel healthier? Calmer? Or more connected to the natural world?

Do tell :)

Blessings from Northern Ontario,  Canada.

Carla

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To Pray or Not to Pray

Perhaps you are wondering if prayer is a waste of time or not. 
I want to help you understand that prayer is one of the most powerful tools a human being can hold in their hands.

I was thinking this week about how to put this into words based upon my own experience. 

I have experienced that prayer determines my life and path. Life is not the boss of you. Your prayers literally create and direct your timeline and experiences. If you choose to not pray, you are allowing other forces to control and direct your destiny. Wouldn´t you rather be in the driver´s seat? Wouldn´t you rather see God move in your life and in those for whom you pray?

Never believe that lie that prayer is wasted time. Prayer is one of the most valuable expenditures of time in the universe. Prayer moves promotion. Prayer moves healings into place. Prayer moves protections into place. Prayer removes temptations.  Prayer provides opportunity for growth.

I want to add one more thing if you are deciding to invest some precious time into prayer. Be aware of who you are praying to. Pray to God the Father in the name of 

Jesus. It is the best way, in my humble opinion.

Don´t be afraid to make mistakes in prayer. God appreciates your willingness to try and communitcate with Him. He will welcome your presence before Him with open arms. Allow Him to bless you in this area of life and you will begin to see other people get blessed too, when you take the time to pray for them by name.

Thanks for listening.

Carla

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Land was barren. He dug 10-acre underground village & orchard

This, my friends is the story of a maker. Back in the days when no one needed permits to build or dig....the man simply created whatever he imagined in his own mind to create. No one stopped him. Perhaps some people tried....but he was persistent. Clever use of land and hand held tools....acres of rooms and indoor orchards designed to protect and nurture a perpetual harvest.

I was reading the comments beneath this video as it is posted on youtube....and one person commented about how the modern notion of permits stops folks from doing things like this. But I would have to say....that if God has given you the desire to build...you must obey what God has given you to do in this life. Yes, fight for the right permits....but never stop building.

Peace,

Carla

Eat Common Chives Right from the Garden

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Today I grabbed a handful of fresh chives right from the backyard and ate them raw....with no dressing or additives. Ahh....that to me....is living.

I discovered that the kind of chives we grow here are called "common chives".

They are almost maintenance free and grow back every year. They seem to like it when I pull away the weeds and dump a wee bit of new dark rich soil to their space.

Up here in Northern Ontario, it can be a challenge to grow foods easily, unless you have a sunny location and great soil. Some things grow easily and somethings require more effort than I am willing to provide at this time in my life.

Wild raspberries are another favourite that grows easily in our rough climate. Our location's climate is usually about 5 degrees colder than Toronto, Ontario, Canada....(just in case you are new to my blog and don't know I am Canadian eh.)

If you are thinking about planting some low maintenance food supply type of plants, I think that the common chive is a good option. It doesn't provide a lot of calories, but they freeze up well in a simply zippy bag....and you can throw them easily into your fave soup or stew or salad. I love plants that don't require fancy fertilizer or any special spot. They like to have their own space, free of weeds and they don't need much more than one square foot of space to produce a healthy patch. 

If you would like to learn from the Farmer's almanac, here's their link :https://www.almanac.com/plant/chives

Happy Growing Season, my friends.

Peace,

Carla.

Lecture 21: Periodic Lattices Part 2

Lecture 21Periodic Lattices Part 2

brought to youtube by M.I.T's online courseware

Professor is Allan Adams

For more information about this professor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Adams

I can not exaggerate the significance of what M.I.T's online courseware has given to the world. And by using the word "world" I believe I am being quite accurate. Classes such as the one pasted above are an excellent example of why "free" does not always coincide with "low quality".

M.I.T's OCW program is provided for free on youtube, which is also totally free to access to anyone with internet access and enough of a highspeed that they can watch  a youtube video without it pausing or glitching too often :)

I thank God for this access. And the more I look, I see that other Ivy League schools of higher learning are following this excellent example of providing free access for any human being to be able to virtually sit in on these university classes.

Do you value knowledge? Do you value your time? Increasing knowledge is a valuable expenditure of time. Do you agree?

An extra benefit of these classes is simply the mystical notion of "blessing by community"...or in other words...."the blessing of association". When you associate with those of great accomplishment and knowledge, (even if it is done virtually through your computer, laptop or phone) you are building up your level. When you respect knowledge.....more knowledge is attracted to you. You may even start to carry yourself differently. You may start to feel more qualified to enter into different kind of conversations with your colleagues or neighbors or those in the community....far or near. You will no longer be attracted to those who simply waste time.

What we value flashes through our eyes. Our gaze indicates what we are looking for. Our gaze leads us into greater knowledge and wisdom....or away from it.

If you are blessed with a high speed internet connection.....use it to fill your life with good things. Good connections, good mentors (yes, you can be mentored by those whom you have never personally met).....good examples, all will feed your life with the spirit of knowledge and truth and productivity.

Enjoy Friends,

Peace,

Carla.