The American and the Spaniard

My baby brother, Alec, (I know he is 23, but he will always be my baby brother!) has been staying with us the past few months while he is in limbo waiting for graduate school to start later this year. It has been so fun to have him around, and I am enjoying every minute, as I know it is rare for a brother and sister to get to spend this much time together at this "adult" stage in life.

Tomorrow Alec is flying across the Atlantic Ocean to visit his beloved for a few months, who is currently located in Spain. Pili is her name, and she is just a delight to be around- beautiful inside and out (not to mention that gorgeous Spanish accent!). 

Cheers to LOVE and happy travels!

Here are some photos that I took of these adorable lovebirds the last time they got to see each other back in December. So cute.

Love from Lola

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

Happy Love Day to all! On this day of celebrating love, I decided Lola would get to be the center of attention, as she is the object of so much of our love and affection.

Lola has amazing exuberance for life and all things that she loves: playing frisbee, hunting for birds, and snuggling with her two favorite human pack leaders. We love this wiggly, excited bundle of love!

Such a sweet sweet face- just makes us melt.

It was quite the windy day, and her awesome ear wings were flying!

She lives her whole day for frisbee time.

Happy Love Day to everyone!

La Luna

La Luna, the Moon. My dad's favorite memory of me was when I was little, about 2 years of age. Mom (then carrying a peanut-sized being that ended up as my awesome little brother), dad, and I were on a sailing trip with my aunts, uncles, and grandparents in the Carribean. I hear it was quite the fun trip, and I was in heaven with all the attention a first-born grandchild seems to get! Since there were quite a few people on the boat, sleeping quarters were a bit tight so I would sleep with my parents. With a great view of the stars and moon looking out of the skylight at night, I would always sit up and stand to point out and exclaim, "the MOON!" with the exuberance a child at the wondrous age of 2 beholds. My parents would laugh as they pulled me back down to the bed, "Yes, Rachel, the moon. Now lay down and go to sleep!". I would of course ignore them and when the moon was found again I always let them know where it was.

"I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults, who, at best, know only a fraction of what they say. The reason is simply that children know everything with their whole beings, while we know it only with our heads." - Jacques Lusseyran, n.d.

I still have a fascination with the moon 24 years later, and I think we all have a sense of wonderment when the time is taken to really absorb the beauty of the moon. This picture is from Monday night's not-quite-full moon rising in the east, taken in our backyard. Can you see the trees crossing perfectly to form a 5-point star around the moon?

I brightened the next picture so you could see the star easier. Pretty cool! 

Herbs

Lately I've been learning about how to use herbs to heal, nourish, and stay healthy, the Wise Woman Way. Not only have I been learning, I've been watching people heal with these easy to make herbal remedies. These ways have been around for thousands of years, passed down through generations by women all over the world. An excerpt from a book I am reading, called Healing Wise by Susun Weed gives you a bit of an idea of what this is all about:

"I see the wise woman. From her shoulders, a mantle of power flows.

I see the wise woman at her loom. Every thread is different, each perfect and splendid, alive with sound and color. 

I see the wise woman. She is old and black and walks with the aid of a beautifully carved stick. She speaks in song, in story, in dance. She lives in every herb. 

I see the wise woman. And she sees me. She winks at me and spreads her arms. 

"These are the ways of our grandmothers, the ancient ones. Every pain, every plant, every problem is cherished. Night is loved for darkness, day for light. Uniqueness is our treasure, not normalcy. 

"These are the ways of our grandmothers, the ancient ones. Receive abundance with compassion, knowing you will be food for others. Know that dying is a portal just as birth is. Celebrate all comings and goings, they are the turnings of the spiral.

"These are the ways of our grandmothers, the ancient ones. The joy of life is the give- away. You are the center of your universe. You are the axis, life's matrix, the still point in the ever-moving. The designs of the universe radiate through you. You are god/dess, unique and whole." 

I see the wise woman. And she sees me. She smiles from shrines in thousands of places. She is buried in the ground of every country. She flows in every river and pulses in the oceans. The wise woman's robe flows down your back, centering you in the ever-changing, ever-spiraling mystery.

Everywhere I look, the wise woman looks back. And she smiles."

These two beautiful jars contain a Raspberry Leaf infusion... 

If you live in the Kansas City area, you can find a wide variety of herbs at Phoenix Herb Company, or you can go foraging in your own backyard or a nearby park!

This is a garlic honey that you can make by following these simple instructions or you can watch this short video clip. It may seem like a strange pair, honey and garlic, but it really has a lovely taste!

If you want to know more about healing with herbs, please feel free to ask questions!