Category Archives: Information

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Cats and Affection

There are a number of ways in which cats show affection and trust, and not all of them are as immediately obvious as curling up into your lap and purring.

Blinking:  If they feel threatened or uncomfortable, a cat will do its level best to keep its eyes open.  Blinking, or half-closed eyes are a sign of trust.

Grooming:  If a cat allows you to groom it, and even more if it grooms you, this is a sign of acceptance and trust.  Cats use mutual grooming for stress relief and relationship building.

Head Rubbing:  This is a combination affection and mark of ownership.  Cats have scent glands on their faces, and when they rub their head against you, they are marking you as their own.

Stomach Display:  This is one of the deepest signs of trust a cat can give.  However, presenting the stomach does not necessarily mean asking for belly skritches.  Depending on the cat, trying to do anything to the belly, even if presented, will provoke a defensive response, no matter how much they like you.

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What the labels on Eggs actually mean

Certified Organic:

This means the hens have been fed an all-vegetarian, chemical free diet.  No pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or commercial fertilizers can be involved in any stage of the process.  They live uncaged, and must be allowed outdoor access, but the specifics of outdoor time are not regulated.  Third party verification is used to check compliance.

Certified Human:

This means that the eggs are from uncaged bireds, but there are no requirements for outdoor time.  They must be allowed to engage in natural behaviors, and the density of population is regulated.  Third party verification is required.

Free Range or Free Roaming:

This would be a wonderful label if there was actually any check for compliance.  It should mean that the birds are either raised outdoors or have daily access as needed/desired.  However, as there is next to no regulation, this label ends up meaning very little.

Cage-Free:

This means the birds are not kept in cages.  However, it does not require anything beyond that, and is neither regulated nor third party certified.

Vegetarian-Fed:

This indicates a more natural feed given, but says nothing else about conditions for the birds.

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Nutritive Herbs and Infusions

Choose one of the nutritive herbs (nettle, oatstraw, red clover, linden flower, violet leaf, horsetail, passionflower, cleavers, chickweed, lemon balm, or mullein leaf).  You may add a little of one of the mints or others for flavour, but choose one of the primary nutritives.  Place one full ounce, by weight, into a quart jar.  Canning jars work splendidly for this.  Fill the jar to the top with boiling water.  Stir and add until the herbs are saturated and the jar is as full as you can make it.  Screw on a tight lid, and steep for four to twelve hours.  Strain the liquid, and refrigerate.  Drink at least one cup a day, up to four cups a day.  Rotate the nutritive chosen every few weeks.

You can also do similar with another set of herbs, sometimes called “longevity” herbs.  These also fall into the nutritive category, but the ways in which they improve the body directly effect the impact of aging on the body.  They are:  dandelion, nettle, burdock, and oats.  Oddly enough, some of our most pernicious weeds are also some of our most potent allies in herbal medicine and nutrition.

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Introducing a Cat (House)

To begin with, before bringing a new cat home, you need to wander around your house and assess safety as you would for a toddler.  There seems to be a consensus that you should not leave out anything you would not leave out and handy to a 2 year old.  Keep in mind that there is not really an “out of reach” for a cat without putting it in a cabinet.  With some cats I have known, that isn’t even enough, but it should suffice in most cases.

Keep all medication away from cats, especially OTC painkillers.  Both aspirin and ibuprofen are toxic to them, and Tylenol contains acetaminophen, another cat-specific toxin.

Antifreeze is toxic to cats.  Then again, antifreeze is toxic to most things that are not a car, so you’ve probably tucked that away somewhere safe already.  Similar statement applies to cleaning products.  Again, unless you lean towards green and non-chemical cleaning, they are fairly toxic.

Remove potentially dangerous houseplants – peonies, lillies, hyacinths, mistletoe, and evergreens.

Keep your toilet lids down.  Kittens can drown trying to drink the water, and if you treat the water in the tank, adult cats can poison themselves doing the same.

If you keep cut flowers around, make sure all elements of the arrangements are non-toxic.  A lot of ornamental plants are poisonous to both cats and people,  but the cats may actually chew on them.  (Lillies are a good example.)

Keep the flue to your fireplace closed.  Cats are more than able to climb up a chimney, and between the soot, and the getting out (if you have an indoor cat) this can cause all sorts of complications.

Take care with ironing boards.  They were not made stable enough to stay standing after being assaulted by a leaping cat.

Take precautions with electrical cords.  Some cats will chew them.

Do not leave unattended candles.  Cats are drawn to warmth, and could knock them over, or singe themselves, or worse.

Be careful with twine, string, ribbon, yarn, dental floss, etc….  Cats tongues are barbed, and long lengths of things can be involuntarily swallowed, as the design of both tongue and throat will just keep drawing the material down.

 

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Green Cleaning

Ideas collected from a variety of places.  Some I have tried, some I have not.  However, it is absolutely amazing what you can manage to clean with things you likely have in your kitchen for other purposes, rather than reaching for the bottles of chemical nastiness we have been taught are necessary.

Stainless Steel Sink:  Wet it down, sprinkle with baking soda, scrub, rinse.  Use a retired soft-bristle toothbrush and the same paste to clean the rim and caulk, and the rubber around the garbage disposal.  Line the sink with paper towels or rags that you have soaked in white vinegar.  Leave for 20 minutes.  Clean down again, this time with sponge and soapy water.  Rinse.

Garbage disposals:  Pour a half cup of baking soda down the drain, then a cup of water.  Boil a kettle, and pour the water down the drain.  Add two cups of ice and one cup of rock salt to the drain, turn on the disposal until it goes down.  Take a lime or lemon, cut in half, and send each half down the disposal.

Faucets:  Soapy water and a sponge, or vinegar soaked paper towels.  Using newspaper to polish them works quite well.

 

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Blue Cohosh (Cauphyllum thalictroides)

Name:  Blue Cohosh

Latin:  Cauophyllum thalictroides

Other Common Names:

Family:

Parts Used:  Root/Rhizome

Vitamins/Minerals:

Used for:  Primarily useful during childbirth, it helps to stimulate the uterine muscles and dilate the cervix.  Antispasmodic and antirheumatic.  Strangely, it can help to avert later term miscarriages.  Helps to deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Use in tandem with:

Directions & Warnings:  Usage during pregnancy or labour should be supervised.

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Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

Name:  Peppermint

Latin:  Mentha piperita

Other Common Names:

Family:  Mint

Parts Used:

Vitamins/Minerals:  Calcium

Used for:  Fights inflammation, is a bronchiodilator, has some effect against headaches, can be a coffee substitute, and is an effective element in cold and flu preparations.  It is also good for most digestive issues.  It can ease pain, and supports proper liver and nerve function.  One of the reasons it makes a good coffee substitute is that the stimulation it gives comes from a healthier angle.  Peppermint stimulates because of the nutritive value and by increasing circulation.  It wakes the system up, rather than agitating it.  Because it is kind of a catchall, I often use it to make medicinal teas more palatable, as it assists in mitigating unpleasant flavours.

Use in tandem with:

Uses for Pets:

Directions & Warnings:

Edibility:  So many different ways.  In water, in tea, in cocoa, in lemonade, in cookies, in cakes, in frosting, in…..  I also saw a suggestion for mixing sprigs of it in with peas, which I will have to try.

Other Uses for:  Bugs don’t like it when fresh and growing, so it can be used as a barrier along a house, or as an assist for more delicate plants.

Growing:  Mint likes shade, so if you have a darker area that you aren’t sure what to plant, mint is a good fill-in.  A bit literally, actually, because it really likes space, and will propagate itself in a number of ways all over the place.

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Bayberry (Myrica cerifera)

Name:  Bayberry

Latin:  Myrica cerifera)

Other Common Names:

Family:

Parts Used:  Roots and Bark

Vitamins/Minerals:

Used for:  Used as a poultice on sores.  It is an astringent.  Can be used to slow or stop bleeding.  Tea can be used as a gargle for sore throat.  It also improves circulation.

Use in tandem with:

Directions & Warnings:  Be careful with dosage, as too much can cause nausea and vomiting.

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Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)

Name:  Black Cohosh

Latin:  Cimicifuga racemosa

Other Common Names:

Family:

Parts Used:  Root

Vitamins/Minerals:

Used for:  As a natural supplier of estrogen, black cohosh is an herb that is useful for a wide variety of female issues.  The research studies have focused primarily on its use for menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, vaginal discomfort, and osteoporosis.  It also assists with incidences of menstrual migraines.  It is also useful for pms, assisting with a wide range of symptoms, and helping to ease painful menstruation.  It is useful during labour, facilitating effective contractions.  Also assists with the recovery after the child is born.  It is said to ease false labour pains, but overall I do not suggest using at all during pregnancy until labour has begun.

Use in tandem with:  Red Clover

Directions & Warnings:  Do not take this herb if you are pregnant or planning on becoming so.  Do not give this herb to children.  Also, if you begin having headaches after taking black cohosh, it is likely a sign that your estrogen levels are fine and you should use something else.  Sarsaparilla and Ginseng are decent substitutes.  Over 50 years of studied use in Germany have yielded no sign of toxicity, side effects, or drug interactions.

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