Air plants are an interesting looking plants with grassy or spiky leaves that require very little water to grow. Air plants are also known as “tillandsia” and sometimes refer to as bromeliads. But not all bromeliads are air plants. These plants require no soil.
I’ve never had one of these plants but am really interested in growing one soon. And just like Aloe Veras, they also have “pups” growing out of the existing leaves near the base.
In a time of water conservation, it would be best to have them as houseplants. And since they thrive high up in the rain forest (Cloud forest) and love the humidity, I think it would be great to grow them in the bathroom windowsill.
This neat air plant garden was once on sale at Viva Terra for about $80. The color combination is soothing. You can probably design your own version for much less!
They are suppose to be easy to grow and thrive just about anywhere. Upside down, hanging off tree limbs, or in a bowl of rocks. You can really get creative with these plants.
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Some of my succulent plants from my collection. The small Aloe Vera variety with white freckles were taken from a friend’s garden. They don’t seem to get any bigger but do have many little “pups” (the baby plants). I repotted them this weekend, but ran out of potting soil first. I am bringing one indoor and seeing if it will grow with minimal sunshine.
Aloe Vera plants are great since they don’t require much water (especially in the winter). And they are consider to be evergreen perennial succulents. But I’m not sure how well they will grow in other parts of the U.S. with longer winter. But here in northern California it is growing fine.
Another thing that’s great about Aloe Vera is the gel inside can be used to soothe sunburns and also to help heal cuts. I also like using the gel in my handmade soap. But the variety I use is not pictured here. I get the big ones from my mother’s garden. They are heavy and plump with gel in the summer months.
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I just came across some lovely children’s book illustrations by Akiko Hayashi.
The water color illustrations accompanying the stories make them so descriptive. Although some say the illustrations are out of proportion, I think that is what makes these illustration so much more imaginative!
There are many books illustrated by Akiko Hayashi. These books are for children ages 4 to 8. You can find many of them at Amazon or Barnes & Noble Bookstore.
Finding Little Sister by Yoriko Tsutsui, Akiko Hayashi
Naomi’s Special Gift by Yoriko Tsutsui, Akiko Hayashi
Miki’s First Errand by Yoriko Tsutsui, Akiko Hayashi
Amy And Ken Visit Grandma by Yoriko Tstutsui, Akiko Hayashi
Anna in Charge
Asae and Her Little Sister
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I’ve been infusing these organic herbs (I’ve collected from my mom’s garden) with vegetable oils for about 1 week now. I got the idea from Pure Skin: Organic Beauty Basics by Barabara Close.
You can read my little review of her book on my “Resources” page. 
I chose some light vegetables oils such as grape seed and sunflower. You can also use avocado, sweet almond, or jojoba oil as well.
I used two different brands of grapeseed oil. Basso brand is much more green then Trader Joe’s version. I infused them with dried and powdered kaffir leaves and gotu kola (Tiger grass). Both are great herbs not just for eating but for skincare as well.
For the sunflower oil, I infused with calendula flowers (the head).
This is just an experiment, so I made a small batch and used old spice jars to fill them in. Although I don’t have it in my photo, I did cover each glass jar with a cotton fabric. This helps the air to circulate without making the oils dusty or dirty.
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In honor of Earth Day - April 22nd I am honoring the ship, the songwriter, and the sea.
John Denver wrote this song in honor of Calypso and her French sea captain, Jacques Cousteau. Jacques Cousteau’s oceanography ship was named Calypso. Jacques Cousteau was one of the first to conduct many research on pollution and its effects on the ocean. He is truly a pioneer of preserving our planet.
To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean,
to ride on the crest of a wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and living,
in search of the answers of questions unknown
To be part of the movement and part of the growing,
part of beginning to understand,
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Ever since I was young, I’ve always been fascinated (if not in love) with all fruits. But tropical fruits really make my heart flutter. My list of favorite tropical fruits can go on and on, but I think the sugar apple tops the list. They have a very strange looking outside skin but are very sweet and yummy inside.
Sugar-apple fruit is high in calories, but is a good source of iron. They are also part of the cherimoya or custard apple family.  They are also referred to as custard apple. Cherimoyas have gained some popularity here in California. Recently I saw them at our local farmer’s market for $5 per pound and $3 a pound at the Chinese market . But if want organic one shipped to you, try ordering from Calimoya. They are a tropical fruit farm based out of the foothills of Santa Barbara, California. You can purchase from them when it’s in season. Their cherimoyas retail a 4 lb box for $42. It’s a bit pricey for me, but it’s shipped fresh and direct from the U.S.!
Recently I bought a bag of frozen cherimoya that was packed in Thailand. It was $3 for two medium size fruit. Not as fresh, but just as good! The skin outside looks very strange and lumpy, a bit like a soft pine cone. It was very “Out of this World” strange! But the inside smells great and the taste is even better. The texture and fragrant smell of this fruit is unforgetable. The inside is soft and sweet and to me it’s like eating a good ripe pear, mixed with pineapple, bananas, and even a bit of mangosteens. But it’s really difficult to describe in words, so you may have to taste it for yourself.
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The first product I ever bought from Burt’s Bees was the beeswax lip balm. And that was about 10 years ago! Burt’s Bees is the maker of natural personal care originally from Maine but now based out of Durham, North Carolina.
The story behind their success is interesting, even up to when they were sold to Colorox. The NY Times reported it was bought by the Colorox Company for $913 million in November 2007. In the last couple of years, L’Oréal paid $1.4 billion for the Body Shop and Colgate-Palmolive bought 84 percent of Tom’s of Maine for $100 million. These are odd arrangements. The only good thing I see is that maybe the corporations will start to become more “green” now. But I have to say I haven’t bought anything from the last three companies for a long while now. Except for Burt’s Bee.
But this post isn’t about how I feel about big corporations… it’s about my review of the Baby Bee Buttermilk Soap.
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There was a time when I use to eat tuna fish sandwiches a couple times a month. But ever since the news about fishes being contaminated with mercury, I have not been able to enjoy eating one without thinking about the level of mercury in it!
White Meat Tuna Fish on multi-grain bread with lettuce and tomato. Looks good, but eat in moderation. Photo from Sam LaGrassas Eatery of Boston, MA.
Fish contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve also noticed that countries that rely on fish as their main food source have a pretty healthy population too.
The EPA suggest you can still eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. These include shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
Fish to watch out for is albacore tuna and the bluefin tuna, since they have much more mercury than canned light tuna.
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I was interested in trying out teas from Mount of Olives because of the large selections they had to offer. And also because they were blended with pomegranate leaves. I know there are many health benefits to drinking pomegranate leaves tea and thought this would be a great tea to try.
The variety selection were all in a box named “Treasures”. It include Earl Gray, Jasmine Green, English Breakfast, Green Tea Chai, White Tea Berry, Jerusalem Mint, Sweet Apple Spice, and Soothing Chamomile.
Of all the choices, the one that I would drink again is the White Tea Berry and the Jerusalem Mint. You would think that having many selections to chose from I would find a real winner. But that’s not the case here.
And as much as I enjoy pomegranate, the pomegranate leaves made this tea much too bitter and strong. I’ve made pomegranate tea leaves and they are pretty bitter and not that good. I would only drink it as a digestive aid.
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I planted some “leftover” tulip bulbs in some flower pots and soon forgot about them. Surprisingly they are now in bloom! These plants do get lots of nice sunshine and shade throughout the day.
This is the pink tulip getting some shade. And of course my little Dessert Rose (which I prefer to call them, but they are really named “hens and chicks”) in the blue and white pot. They are succulent evergreen perennials. It is a super easy to grow plant.
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