Archive for September 10, 2008

Skincare: Part II

September 10, 2008 at 11:34 pm · Filed under Botanicals, Health & Well Being ·Tagged , ,

In the past couple of years I have become much more interested in taking good care of my skin. Especially the skin on my face. I have been blessed with good skin and want to keep it that way. As I am now settling into a new decade, I have found these little freckles on my face becoming more apparent. I have spent my early 20’s hanging out at the beach without much care for my face or skin. But I am lucky, my face isn’t showing much sign of distress or wrinkles (yet). Possibly since I don’t smoke, drink (unless it’s a celebration), and try to eat right and exercise too.

I have read tons of books on skincare and am learning more about the special ingredients used to help fight these blemishes. Milady’s publishes a good book with the list of ingredients and all their benefits/concerns. Some of these natural ingredients that help fight freckles include, mulberry extract, licorice root extract, tamarind fruit extract, aloe vera gel, and rice bran oil. And of course you can also put yogurt or rub a slice of lemon on your face. The lactic acid from the yogurt with gently help fade the freckles. And the citric acid from the lemon will do the same. Many fruits also contain natural AHA’s ( alpha hydroxy) to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and signs of aging. The fruits include grapes, apples, and watermelon.

Mulberry fruit photo from Ladd Arboretum & Ecology Center. “ It is named for the color of its buds, rather than the color of its fruit.” That answers my question as I notice the berries start off white/greenish and then ripen to red, and finally deep purple. Mulberries are one of my favorite trees.

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Google Map

September 10, 2008 at 6:35 am · Filed under News, Travel

How cool is Google map… now they have street view too? I thought this was really neat. Good way to check up on those front lawns. I wonder if it’s time to mow them or maybe bring out the goats to help trim it a bit.

Here is a little clip of the streets of SF Bay area. On a clear day you can see the green mountains in northbound going towards San Francisco. Here’s an image of a lost guy here.

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Goats are Great

September 10, 2008 at 6:08 am · Filed under Animals, Business, Inspirations ·Tagged

The first time I ever saw a goat was at the SF Zoo, the petting zoo actually. They are really cute and funny animals. The kids love to be around them and they are great with the kids too. M is better with animals than me, so he had lots of fun brushing the coat. I just stood there watching, until I decided to see for myself. Their fur is not very soft, definitely not like a cat, but much more tougher… maybe more like a Pot Belly pig.

The latest news I have to share about how great goats are come out of Washington state. Goats do a great job of clearing up land that has been taken over by unwanted shrubs and vines. They can eat up blackberry bushes (thorns too) with no problems at all! This popular method of clearing up land with goats grew out of southern California. It began as a great way to clear the foothills to prevent wildfires. Now that people are more interested in “green living”, the idea of using goats are becoming more popular. The benefits of using goats really out weight the use of machines or manual labor.

In Bellevue, Washington goats were used to clear out a steep quarter-acre lot. It took four days and 60 goats to chew throught the blackberry vines and Scotch broom. Even local gardeners jump in by hauling away the goat droppings to use as fertilizers – all free and organic. The contractors saved about $6000 to $9000 by using the goats. You can read more about it at seattlepi.com. The goats go for hire at about $450 a day for the goats, a $250 transportation fee and extra for setting up their fencing. I will have to remember to hire the goats if there are ever some clearings to be done.

But the neatest thing about goats is that they have the best milk around. Very nutritious. People who are lactose intolerate can still consume goat milk. And soap made with goat’s milk are the best. Leaves you feeling very pampered. I think someday I would consider having a few herd of goats too. Maybe in about five years time. First I have to get over the fact that animals just smell funny!

Photo from Seattlepi.com Pictured above is some of Craig Madsen’s 270 rented goats. I love how the goat is thinking, “Don’t bother me, I’m trying to enjoy these vines.”

Note: Goats are also great at getting rid of kudzu vines in the Southeastern U.S.  Read more about kudzu from my other post here.

The best way to get rid of kudzu without herbicide is to bring in some goats and llamas to eat them up. The story comes from Chantanooga, Tennesse newspaper. The goats eat the lower vines, while the llamas and it’s long neck can reach for the higher vines. The llamas are also great for protecting the goats from predators. Llamas have claws on their hooves for extra protection. Betsy Bramlett writes, “In the fall, the goats ate mature kudzu leaves and swept the area clean. This time around, they’re charged with “nipping the kudzu in the bud” as new shoots emerge.” I think these goats and llamas will be one healthy herd.

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