The years went by and I have not heard anything more of it.  But now it was recently reported that California will receive $2.25 billion in federal economic stimulus funds to develop a high-speed rail line.

The high speed train will run from Anaheim to San Francisco. The projected cost is about $42 billion and trains would be traveling with speeds up to 450 miles in no more than 2 hours, 40 minutes. Other extensions to San Diego and Sacramento are planned.

This is what the train will look like.  I wish the color combination was different.  Maybe silver and white.  Photo from Wired magazine.

There will also be 13 other rail corridors planned which includes a Midwest line from Chicago to St. Louis. And also one in Florida running from Tampa to Orlando. What I want is a rail train that runs from Miami to Washington, D.C. I think high speed rail would be great for commuters and other travelers too.

I can imagine this would make traveling much easier for many people. Especially for the tourist who want to visit California. Imagine visiting the beaches of San Diego in the morning and then crossing the Golden Gate by evening. The only thing I have to get used to is not being able to see the beautiful scenery California has to offer. From the valley and farmlands to the coastal view.  And at this fast speed, it’ll would seem like life is just passing by in an instant.

Construction would start in 2011 and be completed in 10 years, so that would be in 2020. Hopefully this method of traveling will offset pollution by cars, trucks and airplanes.

Also in 2020, China is planning to extend its high-speed network all the way to London. The rail line will fly through 17 countries at speeds reaching 200 miles per hour. China will be building the infrastructure in exchange for rights to natural resources of countries that benefit from the high speed links. It’s China’s key to a global economy.

This seems like a great way to travel too. But giving up your natural resources in exchange for high speed rail? I’m not sure how many countries will sign up for that idea. But who knows, China can be pretty persuasive.

Despite the controversy over California’s high speed rail, whether it would be finish in 2020 or 2030 - I am looking forward to some progress. As other countries have been using high speed rail for decades now and yet we in the U.S. have not even come close to building one. Japan’s popular bullet train is very interesting and efficient. Germany, France, and of course China all have their own high speed rail too.

When we walk in our supermarket aisle, we rarely think about where and how the food got here.  But his film will make you think twice. Beware, there are scenes with factory farm cows that is very disturbing.  But it does make you not want to eat another hamburger again.

This film explores the corporate side of farming in the U.S.  They mention Monsanto and their need to genetically modify seeds (soybean and more).

Monsanto have now increased their seed prices and many farmers are not happy. Now the Obama administration is looking into it. the New York Times reported recently, “The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.”

Monsanto isn’t just doing this in the U.S. but abroad too. They even want small farmers in South America and Mexico to use and rely on their seeds. And the villagers can’t win this battle, as the corn become cross pollinated and eventually end up as part of Monsanto’s GMO plant.

A great idea is to plant heirloom variety seeds saved by gardeners. My mom usually gets her seeds from other gardening friends. Especially seeds for eggplants and hot chili pepper. Seeds of Change is another great place to get organic non-GMO seeds.

After watching this film, I now read my food labels more closely now. I also try to support smaller family farms and business too. If possible, I try to avoid hydrogenated oils, cottonseed oil, and high fructose corn syrup.

I hope more people watch this film and demand healthier food and better farming practices.

A good way to start is to plan to grow some of  your own food.  You would be surprise how much tomatoes you can harvest each summer.  And nothing taste better than fresh beets and corn from the garden.

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan will be included in my must read list.

“Michael Pollan is the author of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, winner of the James Beard Award, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which was named one of the ten best books of the year by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Pollan’s new book Food Rules is now in bookstores.” - Books by Michael Pollan.

On another note: Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?

“Part of the reason is that a huge proportion of our food subsidies go to meat while only 0.37 percent go to fruits and vegetables. That makes meat and dairy artificially cheap, so we end up consuming more of it than we should, and getting fatter.” - GOOD.is

More info here from Good Medicine.

One of my favorite childhood memories was spent looking for four-leaf clovers on sunny afternoons with friends. And I usually ended up finding the most. It was probably because others gave up after a while, so the patches of clover was all for me. Sometimes I would even find 5 leaf clovers too.

These were the same type of clovers I remember as a child. Double the four leaf clover is double the luck!  Photo from flickr

So what do the leaves symbolize?

Each leaf is for FAITH, HOPE, LOVE and LUCK!

And if you find a 5 leaf clover, the superstition is extra good luck and attracting money.

I really never gave too much thought to the symbolism of the four leaf clover. Besides childhood fun and also seeing who would be the first to find the good luck clover. And being a kid, having good luck meant finding a quarter on the side walk. Which then meant buying and sharing 10 cent boxes of candies.

But at this age, I don’t think I’ll have much patience for finding any 4 leaf clover. It’s probably because I would be more interested in pulling weeds instead.

Here is more info on the story behind the 4 leaf clover:

“In Irish tradition the Shamrock or 3-leaf Clover represents the Holy Trinity: one leaf for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. When a Shamrock is found with the fourth leaf, it represents God’s Grace.

History of the four leaf clover:

The four leaf clover is a universally accepted symbol of good luck with its origin ages old. According to legend, Eve carried a four leaf clover from the Garden of Eden.

Druids held the 4 leaf clover in high esteem and considered them a sign of luck. In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote: “If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find some good thing.

The mystique of the four leaf clover continues today, since finding a real four leaf clover is still a rare occurrence and omen of good luck.” - source (Good Luck Clovers Online).

Pretty and colorful red tulip and some daffodils. I wish they were in pastel colors, as they always remind me of Easter eggs.

One of the neighbor’s apple tree, we suspect it’s crab apple blossoms.

These are some kind of purple flowering bush. I don’t know what they are called, but they are pretty. Update: I was told these are “California Lilac” or Ceanothus.

One more surprise… freesia bulb found it’s way into my bamboo pot.

iphone photos.

Dreyer’s new fruit bars are made with real fruit and are a great source of antioxidants which helps fight free radicals.  Superfruits have been hitting the market for years.  They include fruits that are high in vitamin C and are consider to be antioxidants.  It’s rare to see them made into popsicles, when they are usually sold as health supplements or juices.

These fruit bars don’t just sound good, but are good for you!  It is sweet, but is also tart and tangy too.  I especially prefer the acai and blueberry over the pomegranate.  I assume you can whip up some of these fruit bars yourself if you can get your hands on some acai berries.

There’s even elderberry juice included in the pomegranate bars.  I like that Dryer’s keep their ingredients good and avoid things like high fructose corn syrup.

Another new thing they are doing is helping communities grow more fruit trees.  You can visit their site and vote for a community park where fruit trees will be planted.  I voted for for Santa Rosa, Ca since it’s the closet park being selected that’s near me.  Communities with the most number of votes will receive a fruit tree orchard planted by Dreyer’s Fruit Bars.  They will announce 5 winners the first of each month, May 1 through Sept 1.

“Communities across the United States are ripe for renewal, ready to receive a complete fruit orchard provided by the Dreyer’s Fruit Bars brand and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. Cast your vote for one of our Communities Take Root participants and help them reap the rewards of their own fresh fruit supply. “  Photo from Dreyer’s.

On top of that, Dryer’s also uses 100 % recycled paper board for it’s packaging.  Way to go Dryers!

In his book, James share many homemade and economical recipes for both health and beauty fixes.

James Wong likes to think of herbs as your very own pharmacy (although few would think this). As mentioned by Wong from The Times Online:

“The problem, Wong believes, is that there’s a big cultural dividing line between conventional medicine, which is thought of as effective, proven and serious, and herbal medicine, which has the reputation of being a bit flaky.”

James also goes to explain that up to 50 per cent of over-the-counter medicines are based on chemicals that are extracted from plants. Aspirin, though now synthetic, was originally derived from willow, meadowsweet and the shrub spirea. Morphine-based painkillers are based on opium from poppies. And the birth control pill was originally isolated from the Mexican wild yam. The World Health Organization estimates that 80 per cent of the world’s population still rely on plant-based medicine as their way of health care.

Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda is also gaining more popularity in the west as more people look into alternative therapy.

Photo from Amazon.

I have not read James Wong’s book yet, but think it would be a useful and interesting read. Along with his book, comes a BBC production of his show with the same title. 

James give the show a fresh perspective on something most people rarely think about.

After watching the show, I didn’t realize England had such a variety of fruits.  James even managed to find wild Goji berries growing off the coast of England.  But he doesn’t suggest we pick them as they look very similar to the deadly variety of another berry.  But he does make it look easy to grow your own Goji plants.

Also noticed in England, they say “HERBS” where the “H” is not silent. They also say “green fingers” and we say “green thumbs”. I like how that sounds too.

Schisandra or Chinese magnolia vine is a twining climber plant with both.  The plant is native to the Russian far east and northern China. It is similar in appearance to a clematis and can easily grow 10 to 20 feet in a season.

The leaves have been described to be slightly heart shaped with a citrus lemon scent.  The fragrant white flowers appear in spring and by autumn produce bright clusters of red fruits.  The leaves also turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

These bright red berries remind me coffee berries and grapes at the same time. I would love to try growing one of these vines. They could start to bear fruit in 3 years. Photo from Fair Life.

Backyard Gardener’s website listed the following requirements for successful planting.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 9
Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun
pH Range: 5.5 to 6.5
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Water Range: Normal to Moist

Since I am in Zone 9, this plant would do well.  I mainly want to harvest them for the berries. As the dried berries are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The Chinese call it “wu wei zi” meaning “five flavor fruit”. The five distinct flavors consist of sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty. Due to these qualities, it has been recognized and cultivated in traditional herbal medicine.

Gaia Herbs noted that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it has been used to support a healthy functioning endocrine system, digestive system, and to support normal liver function as well as a convalescent tonic herb when the kidney system is involved. The dried berries are boiled to make a tea.

It has also been known to be a natural mood booster and also help with liver health and alertness or attention span. It is a great herb for dealing with insomnia and other sleep problems, such as night sweats.

The folks behind Fair Life herbs of Hong Kong had this story to share:

“American scientist Dr. Silvia Reinhold declares: “I have given 20 tinnitus patient Wu-Wei-Zi berries. 2 months later, 19 of them had no more problems with the terrible buzzing in one’s ear because their blood circulation was functioning again. The improvement of the blood circulation could be easily verified in the inner ear.”

That sounds interesting as I know some people who have complained about tinnitus. Drinking the dried berries as tea should help.

Seed packets available at Terrior Seeds. $3.25 for 15 seeds.

Raintree Nursery also has the plant, but you’ll need both sexes present to produce berries. $22.50.

More plant info at Natural Elixir and Kalyx.

Here is a better and more close up look at the ripe berries.  They remind me of tiny red grapes.  Photo from Wikipedia.

This branch is brimming with berries.  Photo from Z Natural Foods. They are also known as Seaberry, Siberian pineapple, or Alpine Sandthorn.

Sea buckthorn oil and powder is commonly used in skincare and soaps. It can also be taken internally as herbal medicine. The oil is full of are vitamins A (derived from -carotene), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (-tocopherol). If taken internally, it is full of antioxidants and is good for your intestinal tract too.

Sea buckthorn oil is mainly used to promote the healing of skin such as burns and eczema. It also helps improve skin condition, especially with dryness and wrinkles. Sea buckthorn oil reminds me of other good oils such as Rose hip and carrot seed oil.

Last summer I saw real sea buckthorn bush at the International Fruit Orchard. I don’t remember if there was any fruit at all. Next time I visit, I will have to take a photo of it and try sampling some of the berries.

ln Europe the fruit is made into sauces or jellies and as a base of liqueurs. The juice is sour and has an orange passionfruit like flavor when sweetened. Blended with other fruits, or by itself, it makes a delicious juice. It is also used widely in Europe and Asia as a healing oil and for other medicinal purposes. - Raintree Nursery

They are suppose to grow well on fairly bad  or sandy soil. If possible, I would like to grow some of these at my mom’s backyard garden too. Across much of northern China, and in other countries, it is grown to prevent soil erosion. And it is also used in food and medical preparations. 

Sasktchewan, Canada also has cultivated sea buckthorn that was originally brought over from from Siberia in the 1930s. Sea buckthorn oil from Saskatchewan yields a high quality product.

Z Natural Foods has seabuckthorn powder for sale in 5 lb bulk at $85.  I wish they had a smaller size for sale, as I’m willing to give it a try.  At Mountain Rose Herbs, 1 oz sea buckthorn oil goes for $24.  Also very pricey!

I was able to find some sea buckthorn oil in gel caps.  I wanted to try using them on my face for the “brown spots” on my cheek due to sun exposure.  Actually the spots aren’t too bad, I’ve been told they are more like cute freckles.

One capsule can yield about 3 applications. The sea buckthorn oil has a very bright yellow color much like turmeric.  And it can stain your clothes if not careful.  It also smells ten times better than carrot seed oil.  I just apply it directly on the skin versus mixing into a face balm.  So check back with me in 4 weeks time and we’ll see if there’s any improvement.

More info:

Purdue University Horticulture

Sea Buckthorn Production Guide (Canada)

All these ingredients are a “dream” in natural skincare. The rose hip powder is full of Vitamin C and carotene.  Oatmeal naturally helps soothe and relieve minor skin irritations.  Both the rose hip and oatmeal are finely grounded and makes for a smooth bar with gentle exfoliation.  In addition, the shea butter helps with extra skin moisturizing qualities.

Pure shea butter has been known to help with fading scars, treating eczema and psoriasis. Dry lips and skin also benefit from the application of shea butter. And it also help deal with stretch marks and uneven skin tone as well. This list really goes on and on.

The rose shea dream facial soap is scented with rose fragrance, to remind you of a stroll in a blooming summer rose garden.

Ingredients:  Oils of olive, palm, safflower, coconut, Shea butter, rice bran and grapeseed oil.  Distilled water, sodium hydroxide, rosehip powder, colloidal oatmeal, and rose garden fragrance oil.

Other commercial facial soaps including many skin nourishing ingredients too.  But they are quite expensive,  such as Clarins beauty soap at $15 or DHC Olive soap at $22.  So I think the Rose Shea Dream is a steal! And also lovingly handmade from scratch by me (Cambree in California) and in small batches.

On an environmental note, the handmade facial soap bar has less packaging, so less waste and no plastic bottles necessary.  Handmade soaps are gentle on your skin. They are also biodegradable and thus better for the environment. They contain no parabens, sulfates, or artificial color.  Now available at my Etsy shop.

The bodhi tre and leaf is an important symbol in Buddhism.  As Buddha achieved enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree.  I took this photo many summers ago at a Buddhist temple in northern California.

The reclining statue of the Buddha in Uttar Pradesh. - Photo from PBS, The Story of India. There are also statues like this found in many Buddhist temples in Laos and Thailand.

Here is a little synopsis of Buddha’s life from the University of Minnesota, Mankato:

“The historical Buddha was born Prince Siddhatha Gotama in Kapilavatthu, near the present-day border of India and Nepal, on the May Full Moon day in 623 B.C. His parents, King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, had waited for a child for a long time. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced at his birth.

At this time India already had a rich spiritual heritage. It had been prophesized there would soon be an ascetic who would realize the ultimate truth and become the greatest teacher. According the Hindu tradition, five days after his birth seven Brahmin priests came to the temple to name the baby using astrology and forecast his future by reading his body signs. Each of the Brahmins said this baby would become a universal monarch or leave his princely life to become a world spiritual leader. The youngest priest, Kondanna, was so confident that this was the future Buddha that he left the priesthood to wait in the forest for his future teacher.”

And here is the preview. Check your local listing here mark your calendar!

This documentary explores the life of Prince Siddhartha of India, whose spiritual quest for enlightenment gave birth to Buddhism. The film is narrated by Richard Gere and includes interviews with the Dalai Lama.

The Wisdom of Buddha as recited by a lovely young lady. Also from Youtube. “I am awake.”