Upon noticing that the bees seem to be extra busy in September, the remember the bees motto was born. I am happy to say that I plan the yard here as a chemical-free sanctuary for beneficial insects including bees. It is a great thing to go out regardless of the time of day and see them buzzing about, hundreds of them! It is rewarding to see even a small patch of healthy nature-doing what it is supposed to do. Keep in mind the essential role played by bees and other pollinators. The native bees seem to prefer the sunflowers and the honeybees (not native) seem to prefer others such as Salvia, Caryopteris etc., They may be picky about flowers, but we aren’t picky about bees. The above photo is an example of at least one type of ornamental plant-Stonecrop, or Sedum, (a drought-tolerant plant also), that both honeybees and native bees visit regularly. It is rewarding to see all of them swarming around it. The photo shown is a honeybee. The native bees that favor this plant are very tiny, too hard to see here. No matter; they’re all welcome here!

You might enjoy making a beneficial insect sanctuary in your yard as I have. Salvia, Russian sage, Caryopteris, butterfly bush, Agastache, are a few plants that they tend to favor and will swarm them.There are ample options of plants that attract them.

Have a good one.

-O

Related writings:
Speaking of Your Wellness Diary
Helping the Native Bees to Thrive

You’ll have to excuse the fuzzy photos taken with my stoneage camera ha ha, but I’m always ready to share and review a product aligned to the philosophy here. This tissue company is not only tree free, but also helps to ensure equal rights for women, being a women owned company. I hope they get rich! I’m glad to help them do so. They’re doing a good thing for humanity and the planet. After all, true abundance is not at the expense of another and doesn’t take away from others, but adds to, helping other lives/beings to thrive also. Diversity. I love finding creative, smaller, independent businesses like this, so I’m always eager to share when I do
https://truegreenpaper.com/

Also, as promised, I said that I am wanting to reduce the amount of plastic that I use; here are some plastic free kitchen bags; they’re made of plants! While they are a bit more expensive and not as strong as plastic, to me that is worth it, living lightly.
https://repurpose.com/

Reducing plastic and sustainable paper. Bamboo is awesome! it grows right back.
Feel it with me! It feels good and right for a reason.

-O

Similar writings:
Food Recommendation
Speaking of Your Wellness Diary

Yeah, it’s a Darner, and hemimetabolous.

The word is called gentrification. I invite you to look it up. You will see exactly what is happening here. This is a photo of that old, historic church I mentioned; notice the wrecking crane. I called it in 2020. I wrote about this in my second memoir; I mentioned that it’s only a matter of time until that iconic building is torn down. I may have called it, but honestly, it happened even faster than I thought it would.

Being a young country, America doesn’t have a long history anyway, but we can’t build one because icons of history are constantly being torn down for the next shallow addition to the ever sprawling metropolis. You used to say “God’s green earth.” But it is actually God’s gray earth because it is all being covered in asphalt and parking lots. I’m no gambler, but I will bet money that this historic building (one of the oldest in the area) will be replaced by more medical buildings, so more disease mongering. After all, everybody knows there aren’t enough city-sized medical plazas.

This is a major change with multiple ripple effects. By that old church was an open field where your kids could go play. In the paved area there was room to ride bikes, skateboards and scooters. If you are local to the area, you probably have your own childhood memories on and around these very grounds. Kids today get blamed for spending too much time inside playing video games, etc., Yet, I’ve said it before; the alternatives are all being taken away. It’s not like your kids will be allowed to play in the parking lot of the new medical plaza. Security would be on them in a flash telling them to leave and play elsewhere. Elsewhere. “There’s a park on the south side of the city; go there.”

America has become a materialistic nation full of shallow, and conflicted interests. We like to refer to our constitution “we the people” yet, what does that even mean anymore? And what exactly is left for “we the people?” You already know the answer. The remaining leftovers (that word makes my skin crawl; trickle down economics is a yucky term by itself-medieval) can go away at a developer’s word.
Now you are seeing why I have written about this complex maze of issues of individual, societal and global health for years and I’m opting out of some of this hogwash that we are spoonfed on a daily basis. There is too much of it to not add insult to injury.

Well anyway, I hope you will study the meaning of the word gentrification, be willing to take a look around and truly see. It is yet another thing that we aren’t told about American capitalism, (which needs a leash like other countries have wisely put into place) that you will be obsolete by the time you are 40. It is my sincere hope that “we the people” can stop the denial and pull them together in time to make real change, the kind that lasts.
Owen

Related writings:
Rooted to Ground and Center
Speaking of Your Wellness Diary
Words of Wisdom from the Coffee Shop
The New Empire; Marriage??
The Tesla and the Camel
http://wellnessdiaries.com/p-post/
An Age to Stop Driving?

Lest we forget! Here are some different areas of the same concept of eating well, reminder links to healthy beginnings:
Dr Fuhrman, and Dr McDougall to eating well.

You should try some of the recipes!

-Owen

Related writings:
Speaking of Your Wellness Diary
7 Step Guide

“You look around and you see a world that is impenetrable; it cannot be made sense of. You either raise your fist, or you say allelujah; I try to do both.”

-Leonard Cohen

Here is an interesting film project that my friend Elisa is doing about love and strengthening ties between East and West. The film is being produced in Taiwan. I donated, glad to support this cause. What a big undertaking! You can read about the film (available in English too) and see videos here:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-for-a-bl-tv-series#/

-O

One Degree Organics

These oats were given to me to try, and I must say they are excellent! I’ve written for a long time here that quality pays for itself. I like that this company is a small, family-owned/operated farm, that they care about food quality, and the environment. I also really like the logo “from farmers we know.” Now, that’s what I’m sayin.’ These principles that I have written about here for over a decade of small, local, slow down, simplify, know who you’re buying from and quality over quantity apply to much more than food, but food is always a great place to start. “If you want to you can start at the beginning.” -(Staples, O., 2013). Further, notice the glyphosate-free sign on the left side (it’s hard to see from the photo sorry about that). I love seeing packaging such as this that shows awareness of the environment and human health.

I can tell you that in taste and texture, there is no comparison. Food this good stands as a stark reminder of how fabulous real food should and can taste. Tracking down this brand is well worth the effort. I highly recommend it.

At any rate, enjoy your new brand of oatmeal! I drink some juice of the vine to that!

O

Related writings:

Food Ideas
http://wellnessdiaries.com/orphanage-that-grows-organic-vegetables/
Must See Food Revolution Film
Wellness Diaries Step-by-Step Guide
Recipe Idea

I was moved by this, so I wanted to share. Here is an orphanage in Acapulco, Mexico that grows organic vegetables for the kids. The program helps to not only feed the children, but also to send them to college.
I like what I read and see so far, so I donated:
Jovitasgarden.org

Just some thoughts: A concern I have recently heard is not knowing which ones are pure, and whether the funds are really going to the cause. This may be a valid concern in this day and age. It is good to have a healthy dose of skepticism, where one should be skeptical while navigating this complex and fragmented world. While I don’t claim to have all the recipes mastered for how to decide which ones are trustworthy, some wise words my brother once taught me, which hold true in so many aspects of life also shed light here. They are that belief (trust also, I might add) is ultimately a choice. Part of the power of giving/donating to a cause is to practice that trust, letting go and to set the intention free, releasing it to something bigger than oneself. Part of trust and faith for that matter is doing your best to your knowledge and study, yet accepting that you don’t have total control of every outcome, but understanding that the intention is a major part. It is very true that trust is a two way street and parties traveling both directions have an important part to play. That is a topic for another day. No doubt though; trust earns trust, and respect earns respect.

At any rate, have fun donating. It is fun too! It is like your own personal stamp and your creative flare toward how you would improve the world.

-Owen

I am not a doctor. Ideas on this blog are for entertainment only and are not intended to cure, treat or prevent disease. If you are ill, please seek the help of a medical professional.

Peasant observations here for ye:
It is the super Mega merger of human history-government and religion; there is practically no longer a line. They are merging.

This comes at an inconvenient time, because I was just realizing that I no longer had ants crawling on my neck and everywhere else when I thought about going to the jewelry store to notice, (not look) at different rings. “What do I prefer again, silver or gold”?

Now, for most peasants the decision is easy; he and his bride-to-be simply take the camel caravan to ye village parish, the traditional faith of the ancestors and get hitched.

See, there is a slight problem with this though because this peasant wants nothing to do with the empire and wants a divorce from it. He doesn’t have to file the divorce to either the church or the county because they both already left him high and dry a long time ago. Since the merge took place, he finds it difficult to trust either of them, so certainly neither one will be invited into his love/spiritual relationship, oh no. There is for men, a bipolar, double standard embedded with multiple and subtle contradictions.

Some RM’s left arms are caught in the gears of capitalism and debt for their shelter and cars. Yet, their right leg is caught in the gears of religion. They can’t even move. It is a nearly imperceptible subtlety, and a next to impossible predicament that has ensnared many men. Our goose is cooked as soon as we try. Because we tried the goose is scorched, blackened beyond recognition and everyone complains that we smell like smoke…

The empire is not invited. That means that we can’t even call it marriage. No calories burned over that though; one of my favorite books summarizes all too well in the title alone. Marriage, A History; How Love Conquered Marriage.

Related writings:

http://wellnessdiaries.com/the-time-machine-and-the-bumper-sticker/