I really hate it when my computer decides to have a mind of it's own. I have had nothing but greif from this laptop the last few Weeks, and I am about to throw it out in the snow. I am now using my hubby's desktop, to write this. Windows Vista sucks, there is nothing more I can say about it. Apparently they have had issues with Vista and "wireless". It like to boot me offline everytime I get a page loaded and then not only boots me offline, but boots my husbands computer offline as well. It completely shuts off the router, and I am tired of trying to figure out a solution to the problem. This has been happeneing for quite a many years now, but never this bad.

So, I just thought i'd popp in and make an appearence. Hopefully I will get this under control soon.

I thought I'd post a few herbal "self" pampering recipes. The goddesses know, we all need a little time for ourselves and a bit of pampering now and then. I know I do! Remember......whatever your doing throughout the day, sometimes, you need to take time for yourself, even if it is for just 10 minutes. I know it may not seem like alot of time, but hey......it is enough to ground yourself and just let your head and muscles relax, even for a moment.

The kids might be screaming, hubby is nagging...whatever the case may be......whatever it is, it can wait for just a minute or 2.  Good advice from my Great Grandma. As a mother, homemaker, and the like....I wholeheartedly agree. All to often we get caught up with everyone elses needs and wants, and put our most basic needs aside. Ladies...think of yourselves once in awhile, even if it is just a cup of coffee, while your green clay mask drys (tightening your face to an immobile position, which isn't a bad thing, you don't have to answer any ones questions......just shake your head and point to your face and lips.....like...... "I cant move them...sorry!" LOL)

In short, we deserve a little "me" time, even if it is brief.

A very uplifting face or body wash if you like. What a way to refresh and wake you up.

I don't knw what it is about soups and stews, for me it's just comfort food. Nothing like a warm steaming bowl of a hearty soup or stew...yummalicious! This is a recipe from my great grandma debbie. This was passed down to me by my mother. I hope you enjoy it, as it is great!!!!!!

Great Grandma Debbie's Hungarian Goulash

2 Tbs. oil
2 Lbs. Beef Stew Meat
1 C. sliced onions
1 - 1Lb Can tomatoes
¾ C. diced green peppers
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
¼ C. dry red wine
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. dry marjoram
1/8 tsp. dry thyme
1 Tbs. corn starch
2 Tbs. water
Cooked Noodles

Heat oil in dutch oven, add beef and brown well on all sides. Add onion, saute untill tender. Add tomatoes, peppers, tomato paste, wine, bay leaf, marjoram, & thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hrs. or until the meat is fork tender. Mix corn starch and water, stir into hot mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Serve over cooked noodles.

This herbal protection charm is perfect to keep with you in your car. It provides protection for you while you are on the road--not just from physical damage to your automobile, but also protection against any of those mishaps that occur on the highway.

You will need:
1 six inch square of white or gold cloth
Red embroidery thread
Needle
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. burdock
1 tsp. clover
1 tsp frankincense
1 piece of Dragon's Blood Resin
1 tiger's eye (gemstone) chip
1 sprig of rowan or ash

Embroider the algiz rune on the outside of the cloth. If you can't embroider, you can use red fabric paint. When done (or when its dry), lay the cloth out with the algiz rune touching the table. Raise energy and charge the herbs for protection. Place them in the center of the cloth. Add the Dragon's Blood Resin and the tiger's eye. Catch the corners of the cloth together and bind with red thread. Bind the sprig of rowan to the charm and keep with you in your car for protection on the road.

Known in the herbal world for its culinary and medical qualities, burdock has earned itself a name forever in history.  In fact it was part of the space mission. And all because a man took his dog out hunting.

One day in the early 1940’s a man called George de Mestral took his dog out on a hunting trip.  On their return both he and the dog had burdock seeds attached to his clothing and the dog’s fur.   De Mestral was a Swiss inventor and he became curious as to how these seeds stuck to both him and the dog.

When he looked at the seeds through a microscope, he saw that the seeds were covered in tiny hooks which would latch on to anything that looked like a loop.  Thus the hooks caught on to fur and hair and certain clothing of passers by and thus were spread over long distances. No wonder this herbs plant was so prolific.

De Mestral was intrigued by this hook and loop system and decided that it could be manufactured and applied to man-made materials as a means of joining things together. All he had to do was work out how to make the hooks and then the loops.   To begin with he received no encouragement whatsoever. Eventually a weaver in Lyons agreed to help him and made two cotton strips which worked in principle.  However the cotton did not last very long.  De Mestral decided to investigate synthetic fibers.  Nylon then was a brand new, state of the art material, and after some research, de Mestral discovered that if sewn under a hot infrared light, ideal nylon hooks resulted.

The loops were also made from nylon.  The process he developed consisted of heat-treating the loops which made them tough and resilient -necessary for repeated opening and closing the fastening.  However the fastener did not work well until after a long time of disappointment he finally found that if the loops were cut, the fastener worked perfectly.

From beginning to end, creating the fastener and then working out a satisfactory manufacturing process took 10 years.  In 1951, de Mestral submitted his idea to the patent office in Switzerland.  The patent was granted in 1955.  The name of the invention was Velcro, coined from the two French words, “velours” which means velvet and “crochet” which means hook.

The  ‘zipperless zipper’
Velcro was patented in many countries around the world.    A journalist in America  nicknamed it the “zipperless zipper” and said it was even more sensational than the invention of the zipper 25 years previously.

Fame did not follow immediately.  The early Velcro was certainly not attractive to the fashion industry.  Velcro’s acceptance began with NASA saw the benefits it could provide in helping spacemen to get in and out of their bulky spacesuits.   In the weightless environment of a spaceship, spacemen could store food pouches on the wall, and even stand upright with the aid of Velcro.  It was the publicity that NASA received that made people assume that Velcro was a NASA creation.    Then scientists began to think “outside the box”.

NASA uses Velcro in space shuttles in many different ways to combat the difficulties of being in a weightless environment.   It is a great way to anchor objects such as helping to keeping a meal tray steady in one place.  Apparently it has also been used as a nose scratcher inside an astronauts’ helmet! Once that concept of Velcro was accepted, other possible uses began to appear.  Skiers came next, again because Velcro made it easier to get into and out of their skiing gear.  This was followed by scuba divers and it became part of marine gear.

At last the benefits of Velcro fasteners began to be realized in more and more ways. It is fascinating to think that only a few years before people did not think that Velcro had any really useful advantages. How wrong they were.  Today many other uses for Velcro have been found. It is ideal for sticking badges on to uniforms.  The shoe industry uses Velcro fastenings.  The are numerous uses in the industry of children’s clothing, including Velcro fasteners on disposable diapers.  It has proved invaluable to people with certain disabilities.  It fastens bags and backpacks.  It is used in the upholstery industry for loose covers.  The auto industry uses it to secure mats.  It stops carpets from slipping.  It closes pockets securely.    It is used in medicine for orthopedic  braces.  People are inventing new uses for Velcro every day.

One of the amazing features of Velcro is its strength.  Given certain specifications as to how well the hooks are embedded and how much surface area is in contact with the hooks, a two inch square can support an 175 pounds (79kg) person.

One other fascinating fact about Velcro is that although it can stick a man to a wall, it is also very easy to pull the two pieces of Velcro apart.  How does that happen?  This is because when we undo Velcro we are doing it a little at a time.  However, if Velcro is applied to a rigid surface so it cannot be peeled apart, the bond is extremely strong and if the article is vibrating the bond even stronger.

As more and more uses are found for this amazing adaptation of nature.its worthwhile to ponder on the fact that this marvelous concept was there to discover from ancient times.   We just need to be able to see life in a different light and think “outside the box”.  When George de Mestral and his dog returned from an outing,  both with burdock burs on them, de Mestral was fascinated and wanted to know how that could happen.

Our story is not quite done.   There is now a science which is becoming more and more important as we look for better ways to run our planet.  It is called bio mimicry and it means imitating life. One of the things these scientists do is to look at natural processes and work out how they can be copied for our use.  That is exactly what George de Mestral did.

And that is the origin of his quote,

“If any of your employees ask for a two-week holiday to go hunting, say yes.”

However the real hero of the story is not de Mestral, it is the humble burdock herb which has been trying to  show mankind a better way to fasten things for centuries.  Incredible!

 Courtesy of http://www.startaherbgarden.com

Fun Folklore:In the Middle Ages, knights often rode into battle with a sprig of burdock, which was said to protect and promote healing, particularly of the feet. A charm of burdock root, gathered under a waning moon and strung around the neck, will ward away evil influences.

I hope you've enjoyed the fun Facts & Folklore about Burdock, Stayed tuned for spells with Burdock!



 

Arctium lappa
[ARK-tee-um LAP-uh]

 

Family: Asteraceae

Names: Beggar’s Buttons, Clotburr, Bardana, Happy Major, Hardock, Burrseed,Personata,Great Burdock, Hurrburr, Hare-burr,Cocklebur, Sticktight, Personata, Love Leaves,Cockle Buttons, Fox’s Clote, lappa, lappa minor, thorny burr, clothburr, gobo (Japanese),Bardane (French), Klette (German), Lappola or
Bardana (Italian), Bardana (Spanish); Lopan (Polish); Niu bang zi (Chinese)


Description: A large herb, with tall stalk and huge leaves. Height to 10 feet and width to 3 feet. Flowers are round heads of purple on 3 to 4 foot stalks. Leaves are wavy, dull green on top, with fine, gray, downy undersides, to 20 inches long. Supported on stout stems that rise from a central location. Fruit is a sphere of brown-gray burrs. The taproot is up to 3 feet long. Blooms from mid-July to September.

Cultivation: Biennial. Zone 3. Germination in 6-10 days. Space 2-3 feet apart. Ideal soil temperature 70F. Soil, dry, medium rich, well drained, with pH of 5-8. Full sun. Sow seeds directly into the garden. Many herbalists mix wood chips and sawdust into burdock beds to keep the soil loose so roots are easier to

harvest. Harvest the roots during the fall of the first year or the spring of the second.

History: Scientific name is from the Greek words for arktos, meaning “bear”, and lappa, meaning “to seize”. The English “bur” came from the French word for “woolly” - “bourre”, and the word “dock” is from Old English, referring to large leaves. The leaves of Burdock closely resemble those of broadleaved dock and it was originally called “burdock”, a kind of “dock with burs”. Broadleafed dock and burdock were used by farm women who wrapped their butter in the large cool leaves to keep it from melting on the way to market, so Burdock may be a corruption of “Beurre [butter] dock”.

Velcro was developed by George de Mestral of Switzerland after observing the burdock seed’s hundreds of tiny hooks through his magnifying glass. It is mentioned in three of Shakespeare’s plays: Troilus and Cressida, King Lear, and As You Like It. The large heart-shaped leaves were once used as masks in ancient Greek drama to cover the faces of actors when they performed, which is where the name Personata may have come from.

another claim stated that the root, eaten with fat meat, cured lust.

The most popular western use of burdock root is as a primary herb in blood purifier formulas. It is also used to cleanse the body of uric acid and other residues that accumulate from rheumatism, arthritis, and gout. Seeds are sometimes used for skin problems. The shredded leaves have also been folded into egg whites and applied as a skin dressing to accelerate healing. Tests confirm that it kills both bacterial and fungal infections. French herbalists have used the fresh root to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics because it contains the easily digestible starch “inulin”. It is also believed, but not proven, that the root regenerates liver cells and stimulates the gallbladder. Burdock is used in many parts of the world in herbal cancer treatments, was an ingredient in the Hoxsey formula, and is one of the four ingredients in the Essiac formula.

 

If your looking for a great book that will give great ideas to create a magic space in your garden, then this is the book to get.

I loved how she includes the flower folklore. A handy dandy guide to anyone that wants to know the "what's" and "whys" of flowers. What it's purpose is and why. I for one love folklore, it adds mystery, and a whimsical feel. When a person walks into my garden and asks "what's that flower?" I like to tell them, "oh that's calendula, hey, did you know......" LOL I definitely learned a few things I didn't know about my flowering beauties and their sometimes dark past, from this book.

There are sections for moon gardening and astrological timing, as far as planting goes. Floral and herbal spells, and a great section on container gardening and what flowers to plant to protect the home and garden.

Granted I am just touching the surface here, and I wouldn't want to spoil a good read!

So here's a link  to amazon.com for this book.