9 Day Liver Cleanse

Tomorrow completes my 9 day Liver Cleanse/flush/detox

For 3 days I ate 3 meals of greens and 3/4 c organic brown rice. I drank masala chai, bancha green and herb tea.. and when I really got hungry I munched on broccoli slaw.

The second 3 days, I drank a medical food called 'UltraClear Plus'...a non-inflam. ingredients. I could have up to 6 drinks of this stuff, by the end of the 3rd day I was ready to chew something!

Last 3 days, greens and rice again! Tomorrow is the LASTday yippeeee..Then I HOPE to only partake of really healthy foods!!

Wish me luck!

Grape Vines from Macotera

Greetings All,

The days are growing longer, and I for one am very pleased this time of year. It is time to get things going in the garden, and with the bees as well.

The soil is resting, but the good ground cover weeds are growing. We will till the cover crop in soon.

My cousin Frank brought back cuttings from some grapevines that grow in our family's village of Macotera, Salamanca, Spain. Frank goes every year to visit his family there. At any rate, when I heard of these vines from the old country I just had to have some. Frank gave me some cuttings off the vines, which are merely branches. I propagated these in soil, Fortunately they did take root, and I ended up planting 26 plants. They did great, but the first year in the group, the deer ate them up on May 19th ( the anniversary of my Dad's passing ). I was so saddened. But the little vines, true to the nature of a "Chaparo", continued to grow despite adverse conditions.

After battling deer for 3 years, I think I will finally have fruit this year. I am not trellising them, but head pruning. This affords a strong thick stem, which will bear the weight if the vines.

The photos reflect cuttings I am starting this year ( because one can never have enough grape vines ), and a 3 year vine which I head pruned!

So Many Bees

Just a few days ago I inspected the 3 colonies. The weather here has been unusually warm. As much as 82 degrees in Corralitos, which is just a stones throw from here.

At any rate, the bees looked great, robust and healthy with plenty of honey stored. I am curious though. If a queen bee is supposed to lay much less in the Winter,I don't know where all the bees are coming from??? Ha ha...I will check them again in Mid-February, to work on keeping them from swarming.

Following Mrs. Cuthbert's Lead-Doggie DNA

My niece Christine recently performed the DNA test on her beloved dog, Fergie. Since we have this crazy new pup, and have NO idea what she might be comprised of, we also ordered a kit. It has not arrived yet.

Here are our guesses as to her mix = Chihuahua, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pincher, Italian Greyhound. Whatever mix it is, well...is equivalent to one crazy ass dog!

You can see a photo of her here on an earlier post. The picture doesn't want to upload for me today...

Delicious Vegan Meal "American Style"

When I say I eat Vegan, people look at me with such disdain. It is amazing. I am so grateful to live in an area of the US where most anything "Whole Food" is embraced. At any rate. Here is a great vegan meal for you to try if you like.

Delicious "Field Roast Grain Meat". This stuff is amazing. It looks like a small roast, and is stuffed with a concoction of squash, mushrooms and other yummy stuff. It takes only 15 minutes to heat.

Menu

Field Roast with Hain's Vegan Gravy
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Organic non-GMO corn
Steamed Organic Broccoli

I boiled organic potatoes, mashed them when done ( leave some of the potato water in the potatoes ). I added "Veganase", and LOT'S of granulated garlic, as well as some "Earth Balance" and a bit of unsweetened soy milk for the right consistancy. Really a down home healthy meal.

One Year Vegan Anniversary

My one year "Being Vegan" anniversary is almost here. Well, almost Vegan, I did partake of cheese here and there, and maybe something might have had egg in it...hhhmmm. I feel terrific, and I can thank Christina for encouraging me along the way.

Perhaps I shall add some of my incredible exciting recipies here for you all to see, mmmmmm.

Thinking of Spring Swarms

With the unusually warm temperatures this January 2009, I am forced to think about bees swarming in Spring. Last year my one and only hive swarmed on March 3rd. Not a bad thing, natural actually. However there are steps I must take to hopefully avoid my 3 colonies from swarming. That's another story.

I am writing this now to encourage any and all of you to understand that swarms of bees are fairly harmless. Swarms must still be treated with caution, and should be removed by experienced beekeepers. They SHOULD NOT BE destroyed with pesticides, lighter fluid, fire, or any other asinine method.

Why fairly harmless? When bees prepare to swarm, they prepare for their journey by gorging themselves upon honey in order to have enough food for their travel. This seemingly makes it very difficult for the thorax to assume the "sting position", also, they have no home to protect. They are on a mission to get to a new home. This all applies directly after the bees swarm. If it has been a few days, and the bees become hungry this is called a "dry swarm". A dry swarm can be very testy, that is why it is best to call a beekeeper, or swarm catcher. Someone who will not kill the bees.

I agree with a fellow commercial beekeeper, Dana Mumm. She feels honeybees should be protected. They are like the "canary in the mine", and are reflecting negative actions made toward the planet doncha know!

So come on people, WAKE UP with me...take care of Mother Earth. Stop using chemicals, pesticides, stop polluting the planet.

Peace Out~*~*~