Marching Logos

Display at the Willits Holday Fair.

Busy, busy Sunday!

Cut soap I made yesterday.  I still need to bevel and polish it.

DH and I picked and shucked corn.  Parboiled them.  Bagged them up in freezer bags.  Put in deep freezer.  50+ ears.

DH picked the last of the pears.  I'll make more pear butter with them.  We got more pears than the turkeys got.  So, a good picking year.

I've got lavender now dried waiting for me to strip the petals from the stems.

Small amount of calendulas still drying.

Tomato Harvest

VIEW OF A NATURAL PERFUMERS STUDIO

http://tedevioletas.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/tour-olfativo-constante-el-estudio-de-mandy-aftel/

BLACKBERRY SEASON



YARROW READY TO HARVEST


Collected the yarrow plant today.  Tomorrow I'll distill it for hydrosol. 
Not sure what I'll use it in yet.  This is in my front yard.

 

FRONT GARDEN IN BLOOM

 

 

 

 

GARLIC & POPPIES

 

I've been picking the garlic scapes and shallot scapes as they become ready.  I used them in a compound butter along with preserved meyer lemons, lemon zest, & parsley.  The poppies are spreading around our place and we love them. 

 

http://gardening.about.com/od/herbsatoz/a/What-Are-Garlic-Scapes.htm

HERB INFUSED OILS AND SALVE

Third great blog post from Mountain Rose Herbs.

http://mountainroseblog.com/diy-herbal-salves/

MAKING INFUSIONS AND DECOCTIONS

Another great blog from Mountain Rose Herbs.

http://mountainroseblog.com/medicine-making-basics-herbal-infusions/

MAKING TINCTURES AND EXTRACTS

I've been making tinctures and extracts for me and my family for many years.  I love the plants and the process of making them.  Below is a tutorial from Mountain Rose Herbs on making tinctures and extracts.  Mountain Rose Herbs is a very trustworthy company and a great place to get supplies.

http://mountainroseblog.com/guide-tinctures-extracts/

WHITE DEER

I've seen these deer many times in the morning from 101 and up close when visiting friends near Ridgewood Ranch.  They are so cool.

 

 

 

The Willits News

Spotting fallow or white deer is a special treat for most area residents. Usually they are glimpsed out of the corner of one's eye as you speed down Highway 101 on the Ridgewood Grade.
While these deer are not native to the area, they have been a local fixture since 1949. The herds band together in familial groups of from 10 to 40 depending upon forage. They were first brought to the area by Charles Howard of Seabiscuit fame. He purchased them from William Randolph Hearst's zoolike residence in San Simeon. They escaped from captivity and have made their home in the area for more than 70 years.
Fallow deer , or Dama dama, are one of the most commonly domesticated deer in the world. The species originated in Turkey and Iraq and was brought to England by the Romans.
Mendocino County's fallow deer are born a light brown with white spots and become a light cream color in their first year. The deer coats typically darken during the winter.
The males have palmate or flattened antlers, which they shed each winter. Males and females make sounds similar to a dog's bark when distressed. (photo by Steve Eberhard)

SIGNS OF SPRING IN MY YARD

 

 

 

                                                                    DAFFODILS

                                                            GRAPE HYACINTHS

                                                               VIOLETS

SENSE OF SMELL
http://tiny.cc/c2lguw

This is a video of a perfumer giving a 14 minute presentation on the Sense of Smell.  I enjoyed the talk and learned a few things.

ESSENTIAL QUOTES
"Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time." ~ unknown

"To accomplish more, redirect your mental energy by continuously reminding yourself of all the things you do right" ~ Brian Koslow

Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival." ` Dalai Lama

TRAINING YOUR BRAIN TO BE POSITIVE

Excellent blog post on learning to be more positive.  Love it!
http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/225683

MEDICAL FORM
Every Jan. I update a form very similar to the one in the blog listed below.  It's so much easier to hand the form to the front desk person at whatever dental/medical, etc. appt.  I highly recommend having one.
http://tiny.cc/5xxasw

GREAT INFO ON COLOR AND DESIGNING A LOGO

Add caption

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Per usual I start the year counting inventory.  Then I evaluate all my regular soaps and see what I need to make more of.  So today I am printing up all the formulas for the required soaps to make.  Then I am ready for a soapmaking binge over the next 6-8 weeks.  Busy, busy, busy.  Of course, regular life continues with all that it entails.  I pace myself to keep it all together.