The Modern Hippy

     For the last few months I’ve been reading what my library calls “consumer education” books, such as The Omnivore’s Dilema and Fast Food Nation. It all started when I decided to educate myself more on the US food system,and “environmental toxins”. The whole thing started with The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend.

     I make jokes about how I’m on a depressing book reading binge. Honestly, it’s true. I’m addicted to learning new terrible things. The books I’ve read recently are: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, The Omnivore’s Dilema by Micheal Pollan, The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend, Drop Dead Gorgeous by Kim Erickson, and now The Hundred Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald.

      I’ve learned that diseased cows were slaughtered and sold to us. The pesticides sprayed on our foods aren’t just of the surface of the skin, but also in the parts we eat. Cheap food is subsidized by the government, so the actual cost is not what we pay. Once calves are old enough to wean they are shipped to feed lots and fed corn, which they aren’t built to digest. Their diet of corn has caused health problems with the cows and has created a crazy, often deadly e. coli bug. I’m learning that there really is little comprehensive testing of drugs before they are released to the unsuspecting public. And once they are released they are only taken off the market once people get really sick or die. And enough people have to do that before they even think about reacting to “protect” the public. Also, our water systems can’t filter out the chemicals that get flushed down the toilet in one way or another. So the rest of us, whom don’t want to or don’t have to use these meds are ingesting small amounts every time we go to the sink for more water.

     I’ve already made the decision that some time this year, once we have enough money and once I decide which water filtration system is best for the price, that we will become filtered-water-drinking people. I’ve also decided most fruits and veggies we eat will be organic. I buy wild fish, organic humanely raised beef as I can afford. We almost never take pills to ease a cold. All of our old meds – such as expired tylenol – are waiting for me to find the time to take them to a proper disposal place, because as I said, flushing them will only pollute our water.

     I have arguments with myself over what is best for our dog and cat to eat. Should I go completely raw? What is the appropriate amount of protein, carbs and fats for them? Is is a good idea to supplement their diets with a little canned food or dry food as long as it doesn’t contain artificial ingredients? How many vaccinations do they really need? Or do they need them?

     I was reading something a few days ago that mentioned drinking warm lemon water in the morning and before bed will help the colon to expel mucus. Gross sounding I know. However, the colon is incredibly important to health. Dirty colon, dirty body. So I bought a couple of lemons and gave it a try. A few couple of days into this lemon experiment, while I was drinking my lemon ginger tea, I realized that while citrus fruits aren’t among the Top 10 fruits and veggies to eat organically, I was placing the whole lemon slice in the hot water. So what was on the peal was going into my tea, thus into my system. Shoot. Now I’d have to buy organic lemons.

     After realizing my lemons needed to be organic I was feeling discouraged. I’m trying so hard to be healthier and mindful about what is healthy for the environment, but there is always something more. When those negative thoughts sneak in I try to remember this: just reading, learning and trying different things out is a big step forward. So many people don’t try. They don’t care, or believe that what they are ingesting is a “safe” amount. Safe as said by companies that sell them, or by the FDA, USDA, EPA, or CDC, or whatever other three or four letter organization. The thing is, if you dig a little, you will find people within these organizations, doctors, scientists – are thinking more along the realistic big picture. Perhaps it is safe to ingest that tiny amount of whatever synthetic ingredient found in your convenience meal. However, if you eat mostly processed “convenience meals” and less unprocessed whole foods (fruits and veggies etc.) those tiny “safe” amounts accumulate. Is the bigger amount still safe? Probably not. They didn’t test for that. Oh and by the way those chemicals that are supposed to be safe are not getting processed out of your body as fast as they should be, or at all.

     What is a hippy girl to do? Not give up! Keep reading, keep changing, keep pushing forward to find more. I’ll finish using those non-organic lemons. Next time though, I’ll buy organic. Remember the victories. I now buy only organic potatoes, apples, and carrots (among other things). I feel better than ever before. I don’t feel guilty about flushing old meds because I’ve changed. I won’t do that. A cleaner, healthier self is a work in progress, not an over night miracle. So when you start to obsess, or freak out, remember you aren’t alone, and something is better than nothing.

     A few months ago I started a hunt on etsy to find someone whom provided safe cosmetics. I read through countless ingredients list, profile pages. I managed to narrow it down to what I was looking for specifically – mineral foundation and eyeshadow. Which really, only narrowed it down a little. I eventually decided to try a sample pack from a little shop called Orglamix. I liked what she said, her ingredients lists, and the pictures were just so fetching!
     I love her stuff! I’ve ordered from her several times in the last few months. My makeup case has been recreated without chemicals. Cheri is my makeup girl!
     In December I ran out of my foundation so I ordered the large size for winter color. And got it, along with a couple of sample eyeshadows. Lovely! (The other time I ordered from her she sent a sample as well. I love samples!)
     Then yesterday, Rick got the mail and brought me yet another package. I wasn’t expecting anything. I already had my handmade shoes delivered a week ago. (Yes, handmade! With vintage fabric! I’m in love with them and will eventually do a post on them in the future.) I opened the package to find two of my foundation color! With the order form from December. I was confused to say the least. Today, I sent her a message and asked what I should do. I offered to pay for them, ship them back, whatever she wanted me to do. She sent me a quick note that it was a mistake, but don’t worry, they were on her! I still feel strange about keeping them. But since I plan on ordering from her indefinitely, she will definitely get more money from me. (I wish there was a way to tip through paypal)
     I wanted to tell everyone whom reads my little blog that Cheri at Orglamix is super awesome! Thank you Cheri for your kindness, and great service!

     Several weeks ago I started to experiment with my hair care. So far my hair experiments include washing my hair every two days, using conditioner only on the day I wash my hair. I also mix a blend of essential oils and witch hazel to increase hair growth and decrease oily scalp.
     So far it’s going wonderfully. Other than when I’m on my period, my hair is rarely oily, looks healthy, and is very shiny. I did accidentally discover that not using the witch hazel-essential oil blend allows my hair to become more oily again. I ran out of a couple essential oils and wasn’t able to redo the blend for a few days. The next day my hair was more oily than usual. Progressively it got worse over the next few days until my essential oils were delivered. Using it again, I’ve noticed a change – less overall oil again. So I’m convinced, even if my hair never gets thicker, it’s worth it.
     As far as more hair growth, yes I want thicker hair. It seems to fall out whenever I’m stressed, or even with dramatic seasonal changes. It does grow back however; I’d rather have too much than too little if I can help it.
     While I was is school several of the teachers mentioned that the essential oils such as rosemary and ylang ylang really do work. I’m sure it will take awhile to notice anything. I am using a couple of the oils that are older so they might not work as well for that. That’s fine though, as long as it works for decreasing oil production I’m happy and am willing to wait.
I also ran out of apple cider vinegar and haven’t used it in a week or more. I did notice that using it the day after I shampooed, while it was shiny, it did seem more oily, which was annoying. Perhaps trying it again on a day I wash my hair might be a good idea.

     Something new I’ve started is when the ends of my hair seem a little dry – they have been since it got really cold. By the end of the day I have enormous dreads. According to my hair stylist whom trimmed my hair recently, it’s fairly common in the winter. So I’m using the oil blend I made for my faceon my ends. It is jojoba, avocado, and olive oils along a few essential oils.
     I’m still not using product. Giving my scalp a break, letting it do it’s job without a lot of unnatural things seems like the best idea for me. Also, at the beginning of the 2010 summer I plan to cut a lot of my hair for Locks of Love. The healthier it looks the better. I am mildly concerned about having short hair and not using product. But as something I’ve noticed, while my hair is rarely greasy, its own natural oils seem to work like a gel sometimes, making it shiny and manageable. Our co-op does seem to have more natural product alternatives. Something will work. I might even be lucky enough to find something that will further help to nourish my hair. Until the next hair experiment!

     This year for Christmas we decided to cut down on the quantity of presents and go for quality instead. It’s not that we didn’t get good present before but there was definitely a lot of them. Since at the moment I am on a decluttering rampage the last thing I want to do is to add to someone else’s clutter. So this year, more thought, possible usefulness, and cost are always on my mind while wracking my brain for ideas.

     I’ve done some shopping on Etsy, at the craft store, at the thrift stores and our co-op. This year, so far things seem to be less stressful. The nice thing about doing things like this is it’s more eco-friendly. If you get something that is actually useful then it’s less likely to get thrown in the garbage after it’s sat amoungst clutter for several months or years. Of course shopping locally is important because it’s those local shops and companies that keep a local economy afloat, NOT Walmart. In fact, though I do still visit Jo-Ann Fabrics, it’s those huge chains that can hurt a local economy and the local people, perhaps even including you and me. On top of all that is the clutter consideration. I’ve been dealing with a lot of clutter because I’ve acquired many things I thought I needed in the last few years. Living in too much clutter isn’t good for anyone, so by getting something useful that will actually be appreciated and used you aren’t causing a challenge for anyone else.
     Some other ideas for Christmas(brought up by a friend of mine whom has done this herself), if you aren’t sure what to get someone or even what you want for a gift why not donate or have someone else donate to your favorite charity? In King County(think Seattle) most of the city run animal shelters are being shut down because of a lack of funds. This is going to be challenging for the remaining privately run shelters as they will be dealing with even more animals. Why not find a local shelter and find out what they need, buy it and bring it, or just right a check? Or if you can become a foster home for a dog or cat? There are also a lot of people whom may need help. Find a family in need or donate to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
     There are so many things you can do to make your holiday special in a different way; to take it out of the mainstream crazy rush. It’s limited only by time and imagination. And of course, like myself, I’m sure there are many people out there willing to share their ideas. So ask away! Happy Holidays!

     (August)
     In the last few months I’ve noticed my hair getting more brittle and looking less healthy. I’ve had very little spendable money in the last few months so I put off doing anything. Then I had a chat with a friend whom brought something back to my attention. She says that washing your hair daily is hard on it. I’ve heard this but never worried until recently. She washes her hair only a couple of times in a week. To clarify, she only uses shampoo a couple of times in a week. She still gets it wet and runs her fingers through it to spread out the oils. Her hair always looks fabulous. So, while we were camping I tried it out. The first shower I didn’t wash my hair with shampoo. I had washed it the night before we left so there was no product in it. It didn’t seem too gross – though I could still feel the oil. The next day I did wash my hair and could tell not all the oil had washed away. My hair was super soft and shiny. About a week after we got back from our trip, while I was twiddling my thumbs – work hours were cut back to nothing – I decided to give it a good try.
     My friend said that after awhile of washing every other day, her head produced less oil. Then she let it go 2 days before washing and it gradually adjusted the oil production again. At first it was gross and super oily, but her body regulated itself. I had heard of this relating to body oil, such as on the face. I have super oily skin, no problem with dry skin here! When I was going through puberty I washed my face too much and it got grossly oily. After I stopped washing it so much it decreased a little, to something more tolerable – though still pubescent oily.
     My friend also mentioned that her hair doesn’t tangle anymore. The natural oils seem to keep her hair silky and knot free. I want that! Sometimes I have dreads on the bottom layer of my hair at the end of the day! I don’t want dreads, they aren’t for me. Some people can pull them off. I am not one of them – nor do I want to try. So letting my hair oil up a bit may be worth the constant breaking from untangling “knotty” hair.

     I’m about 6 days into my experiment. It’s easy to comb through my hair now! I love that! I’m on an every other day regime. The no wash days have been interesting. I’ve felt gross, but perhaps it’s just my obsessiveness, not actually being gross. The days I don’t wash I rinse and massage my scalp. Rinsing my hair helps to distribute the oil through my hair. I do use some conditioner as an extra guarantee that tangles will come out. Yesterday was my first glimpse into what sort of hair I may get at the end of this. It was so healthy looking that Rick noticed it. My hair isn’t tangling at all now. It’s so exciting!
Aside from not using shampoo every day I’ve tried not to use any hair spray. I did one day, a no wash day – that was the disaster day that I used too much conditioner. The fly-aways are tolerable. I’m rediscovering things to do with my hair that don’t require spray or that won’t show how greasy I feel my hair can get. Braids, pigtails and little messy buns help to control my long hair now.
Stay tuned for an update on my hair experiment. I want to try to give it thorough cleaning using oil! Haha, sounds crazy huh? Well, we’ll find out!

     Current:
     It’s in November, I’ve been doing my hair experiment so long that is it no longer an experiment but habit. I’m washing my hair every two days now. I feel pretty good about it. My scalp is producing less oil. Sometimes the second day I don’t wash I feel a little funky but if I remember to work my natural oils through the whole length of my hair it’s fine. (I have super long hair, so when I’m lazy, it’s challenging to make sure I got my whole head massaged and natural oils distributed.)
     I recently did the “oil cleaning oil” experiment. Several placed mentioned that using something like jojoba or coconut oil can help to further clean the scalp in a safe, non-drying way. Since jojoba isn’t actually an oil but a liquid wax resembling our own natural sebum (oil) I thought it might be the better choice. So I took a really long shower. First, I applied the oil to wet hair and worked it all over my scalp, taking care to make sure everything was even and massaging it in. (Massage helps with desquamation of the skin. Got to get those dead skin cells off so new healthy stuff can surface. It also increases circulation which is paramount for healthy tissue and thus scalp and hair.)
     Then I just went along with my shower normally. At the end, I massage my scalp, worked it all through my hair and then used shampoo to remove. After a few shampoos, perhaps four, all of it was out and I applied conditioner to the ends of my hair just in case.
     The result: If there was any build up from product, it felt gone. In fact, my head felt naked. All the washing got rid of the jojoba and my oil, which may my hair feel very strange, almost dry. As far as I remember there was no problem with over production of oil the next day due to the washing or jojoba. In about a month I think another oil treatment might be a good idea, this time with essential oils.

     Other things: I’ve almost completely stopped using product. Perhaps, I may replenish my stock with more healthy alternatives, but I don’t need them now. As weird as this sounds, the natural oils in my hair seem to act as “gel” allowing my part to stay where it should. But I have to make sure that I spread the oils all throughout my hair and not forget, or my scalp will look oily.
     For the last two days I’ve been using an essential oil blend I made awhile ago. Though it is a little old, there should be some benefits. Once it’s gone I’ll make new, probably in a spritzer. The blend contains rosemary, ylang ylang, cedarwood or cypress( I can’t remember which), maybe some rose? It’s supposed to be good for oily skin, and hair growth. Not that I am actually loosing my hair but so much of it falls out that it can’t hurt to try.
     I also recently read a “blog post” from a friend of a friend whom mentioned that she uses apple cider vinegar on her hair. Doing my own research, I’ve found it fairly common. Apple cider vinegar is supposed to balance the pH in one’s scalp. Tomorrow, I’ll give it a try. The blog post I read said not to use it more than say once a week because it can dry it out a little. Also dilute because straight vinegar can be irritating. Also, making an herbal infusion/apple cider vinegar rinse is on the agenda. Being the herbal junky I am, my shelves are packed with home grown herbs, though adding a few more to my arsenal would be fun and beneficial.
     This journey on a more healthful road has been exciting and frustrating. Overall, my body is healthier and happier than it’s been since I was a child. All of my failed or forgotten experiments have been worth it. I’m cultivating my independence from – dare I reference the over-used term – “the Man”. I don’t need to run to a doc every time I sneeze (I’m sick at the moment, but getting better really fast). I don’t need to spend $100 on skin care products that contain ingredients that probably would show up stored in my fat and may or may not cause cancer. It’s exciting to be “rediscovering” things that maybe were common knowledge 50 or 100 years ago, that we forgot about, because we stopped trusting our instincts and started trusting narrow minded science or medicine. Don’t think I’m crazy enough to not believe science (I love science), but it’s a fact that it’s always evolving to include “new” things that we didn’t know about before, or forgot about. Until the next post about more modern hippy adventures.

Fresh herbs prepped to dry

     Planning my herb garden the end result, after all the dirty fun of course, was to have herbs to dry for cooking all winter long. Or at least until then ran out. So to save me money. So far, so good! I’ve dried so many herbs so far! Although, the end is in sight soon. The annual herbs are slowing because of the seasonal change. Margoram has already died, though that might be do to up rooting by an excited, energetic dog.
     I did some research about drying herbs. It seems that two weeks in the magic time listed by many people. I’ve added a few more weeks sometimes with those herbs like sage that are softer and more succulent. Don’t want mold to ruin anything. Hanging herbs on the wall or laying them out on plates, out of the way of the cat has worked best for me. Remember to keep them out of direct sun light. Store the herbs out of sunlight if you can. I have mine on a shelf in the kitchen. There is no direct light on them because of where the sun rises and where the window is.
     I’ve done some experimenting with drying herbs. Fennel is not supposed to dry well, but I left it out for almost a month and placing it in the jar I could still smell the black licorice scent. I have heard that sage doesn’t dry well. No problems so far. Cooking with both dried and fresh sage isn’t a lot different. Not a lot of flavor is lost with the moisture.
What I have noticed is that cooking with these fresh herbs requires a lot less. Sometimes the flavor is completely different that grocery store bottled cooking spices. Rubbed sage, even organic can’t compare to the stuff from my garden. It’s awesome! I can hardly wait until next year when I plant new and exciting herbs!

Beautiful Ocean View from Bellingham's Boulevard Park

     Rick and I took a walk in Bellingham’s Boulevard Park last week. It was mostly grey with some sun peaking through making the water sparkle. I love this park. Though, it can seem busy, everyone seems to keep to themselves and does their own thing. Here is a place you can be alone in a crowd. It feels great. Even if the weather is questionable, you will probably find a beautiful ocean view.

Soup Planned

     It’s soup season again! Though I prefer summer weather I love fall foods! Squash, corn, and soup are the foods for us in autumn. I’ve enjoyed two new soups made by friends and family in the last two weeks. For the whole summer, four different soups! All wonderful. I will be making my own renditions of the most recent soups over the next couple of days.

     The first soup I’ll be making is a Mediterranean soup with a chicken base, with tomato and clams for a different taste. My mom first made it two weeks ago. It was so good, it may become a favorite.

     The second soup, as made by a good friend, was a vegetarian black bean soup. It was spicy and thick. Rick even said that the way it was made he didn’t feel like he was missing meat. At the moment money is tight. Meat is expensive when compared to veggies or bulk dried items. Money saved is good. Nutrition kept is even better.

New Soup Goals

     Last year, I spent the fall and winter, and even a few summer days perfecting chicken soup. I discovered roast chicken makes the best stock and froze a ton of it. This years plans are to experiment outside the basic chicken soup. I want to add beans, use only stock, try vegetarian (for fun and financial). I want a soup to discover a soup I’ve never had before – or make a soup, I’ve never made before. It will be an exciting soup searching journey! Gluten-free of course!

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Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Loaf

     This summer my parents have a zucchini plant. It was so cute when I planted it. And now, all that “hard” work paid off! It has produces so many zucchinis I’ve lost count. Not wanting to waste them and having fond memories of zucchini bread, I decided to make gluten-free zucchini bread. Four or more tries later, it is still the best zucchini bread ever! It just gets better with each loaf! Even people whom are not gluten-free nuts say it’s good!

     After searching for a few minutes online, I found one recipe that seemed to be the easiest to modify. This is the end result.

     Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe:

     Set oven to 350 degrees.
o 2 eggs
o 1 cup sugar, unbleached
o .5 cup of oil, safflower
o 2 tsp. of vanilla, fair trade
o .5 tsp. of baking soda
o .5 tsp. of cinnamon
o .5 tsp of salt
o 1.5 cups of gluten-free flour (I use Red Mills Gluten-Free All-purpose Baking Flour.)
o Pinch of Xanthan Gum, optional
o 1.5 cups of shredded zucchini, organic if you can
o 1 cup of chopped walnuts

     Mix the first four ingredients, then add the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Carefully, (slowly if you can) add the gluten-free baking flour and xanthan gum. Then mix in the zucchini and walnuts.
     Grease and flour a loaf pan. Pour, taste if you want and bake for up to 75 minutes, or until a knife comes clean. (I’d say tooth pick but that would be promoting disposable items which I would like to avoid.)

     Notes: Xanthan gum is optional because we don’t like the way it tastes. I’ve tried it with .5 a tsp, 2 pinches, 1 pinch, and a dusting that was so small it couldn’t be considered a pinch. People will tell you that it doesn’t have a taste. However, it does have a specific texture that it adds to whatever it mixes with – slippery, almost greasy. We don’t like it. The eggs in this recipe hold the bread loaf together well enough. It only becomes slightly more crumbly without it. So in my opinion, xanthan gum is only to be used if you don’t want to use eggs.
     Other notes: I have also substituted walnuts with almonds. It’s still good, but I prefer the walnuts. Oh and please excuse the odd bulletting, I don’t know what’s wrong with my word, it’s temperamental.

Nifty tea pot that made the raspberry leaf tea

     On search for a printer, Rick consulted the almighty Craig’s List. The best option he found, was a chic moving out of state selling her printer-scanner combo. Saturday morning, while dealing with the effects of the drinks from only hours previously (gluten-free of course), we headed out to Kellog Road. The chic had mentioned that there were some kitchen things she was getting rid of as well. Being very picky I was skeptical of finding anything I liked or could use. Also, being very minimalistic now, I didn’t want to bring home anything unnecessary. To my surprise, and Rick’s satisfaction we found some things that we could use – for free!
     My favorite of the batch was a wooden cutting board, originally from Ikea. And a cute little tea pot that matched my rice bowls. The perfect little tea pot has been used several times in the last three days. You can put loose leaf tea in it. There is a little “filter” to keep the leaves from pouring out the spout. I love it!
     Today I am making another pot of raspberry leaf tea. I’ve been feeling tired all over and have had a scratchy throat since Friday. As I mentioned in my post Raspberry Leaf Tea – A Woman’s Tonic, this tea is packed with lots of vitamins and minerals. That’s just what I need to keep from getting officially sick. So far, paired with resting and eating well, it seems to be working.

     Today, as part of my afternoon spent hibernating, I’m enjoying that tea with some peaches. There is something so satisfying about wrapping my cool hands around a warm cup of tea, breathing in the sweet earthy smell. To complete the homey feeling the window is cracked. The rain is falling creating a familiar, calming sound. (In December, I’m sure that will no longer feel calming but depressing.)
     So thank you Rick for searching Craig’s List and thank you Kellog Road girl for my lovely new tea pot that is just right!