I want a garden. I want to be able to take a seed, place it in the earth, watch the plants grow, harvest the spoils and collect seeds to do it all again the next year.
I don't want a flower garden. My interest is agricultural and ecological. I want to know where my food comes from, that it is grown without chemicals, reduce my ecological footprint by having food that comes from my back yard instead of Mexico and have a personal relationship with the earth.
I find it very sad when kids don't know that carrots are grown in the ground or even that I myself didn't know what part of the plant peanuts grew on until very recently. I actually thought they grew on a tree like other nuts. Turns out they aren't truly a nut at all, but a legume. More closely related to peas than walnuts.
Alas, I am not allowed to grow a garden in my rental unit's yard. I am being discouraged to even keep my compost because it's "ugly". I have secured myself a spot in a community garden, however, am dubious about whether or not I'll actually make the effort to go across town regularly to tend it. I am a busy person and usually end up zoning out with a movie, a book or a bath at the end of the day.
That being said, I WANT a garden. So I am determined to give it a bash. I am putting it out there, to all of you that this is my plan. I am going to buy myself some seeds and get planting! I will try to remain accountable and let you all know how it goes.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Oil pulling
Okay, oil pulling is just bizarre!
For those of you who don't know, oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil around in your mouth as it collects toxins from your body then spitting it out. I have been curious about this for a while now, but have never attempted it due to a fear of the texture. Until today...
I absolutely hate feeling dirty or unhealthy in any way. Don't get me wrong, I like to get my hands in dirt and dig my feet in sand. But I have a nail brush next to my sink for such occasions. I clean my ears with a q-tip each and every day - sometimes more than once. Clean underwear and socks are a must. I can't sleep unless my teeth are clean. As for health, I take 8 pills every day to ensure I get enough vitamins and minerals on top of the 5 servings if fruit and veggies I try to make sure I get. I'm one of those people who goes to the doctor for everything. (Except things like colds. I don't understand why people go to the doctor every time they get the sniffles.) I try to heal myself naturally before taking prescribed drugs, but I feel better having a professional diagnose the issue.
So recently, I have discovered that my canker sores are not just from biting my lip (as I frequently do), but have a deeper cause. So I finally decided to give oil pulling a try.
What a bizarre sensation! First, I dislike the taste of sesame. I regret choosing sesame oil over coconut. I LIKE coconut! But it was suggested from multiple sources and people as being the best oil for the job, so I went with it. Second, my fear of the texture was confirmed. Though it was pretty awful, it only took about 30 seconds of swishing it between my teeth before it was no longer really oily. Then it felt more like swishing milk. But it still tasted like sesame.
I passed the time by listening to my book while I had a bath. The longer it was in my mouth, the less gross it felt, but I could also feel my mouth getting fuller. Instead of the original tablespoon of liquid, my mouth was full! I didn't make it the full 15-20 minutes as suggested. I stopped at 12 when my mouth felt like it couldn't hold any more liquid. So I spit. The oil had changed colour completely! It started out almost black and ended up a milky beige.
That convinced me that some sort of change had occurred. After rinsing my mouth out with some water, I could still taste a hint of sesame, but my mouth felt better. Cleaner. Just... less scummy. Not that I had a really scummy mouth, it's just the best way I can think to describe it.
I shall continue to practice oil pulling. I think I will do it in the morning while I'm in the shower. Perhaps focussing on washing will pull my attention away from the sesame. I hope to see some improvement to my overall health within the next week or so.
For those of you who don't know, oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil around in your mouth as it collects toxins from your body then spitting it out. I have been curious about this for a while now, but have never attempted it due to a fear of the texture. Until today...
I absolutely hate feeling dirty or unhealthy in any way. Don't get me wrong, I like to get my hands in dirt and dig my feet in sand. But I have a nail brush next to my sink for such occasions. I clean my ears with a q-tip each and every day - sometimes more than once. Clean underwear and socks are a must. I can't sleep unless my teeth are clean. As for health, I take 8 pills every day to ensure I get enough vitamins and minerals on top of the 5 servings if fruit and veggies I try to make sure I get. I'm one of those people who goes to the doctor for everything. (Except things like colds. I don't understand why people go to the doctor every time they get the sniffles.) I try to heal myself naturally before taking prescribed drugs, but I feel better having a professional diagnose the issue.
So recently, I have discovered that my canker sores are not just from biting my lip (as I frequently do), but have a deeper cause. So I finally decided to give oil pulling a try.
What a bizarre sensation! First, I dislike the taste of sesame. I regret choosing sesame oil over coconut. I LIKE coconut! But it was suggested from multiple sources and people as being the best oil for the job, so I went with it. Second, my fear of the texture was confirmed. Though it was pretty awful, it only took about 30 seconds of swishing it between my teeth before it was no longer really oily. Then it felt more like swishing milk. But it still tasted like sesame.
I passed the time by listening to my book while I had a bath. The longer it was in my mouth, the less gross it felt, but I could also feel my mouth getting fuller. Instead of the original tablespoon of liquid, my mouth was full! I didn't make it the full 15-20 minutes as suggested. I stopped at 12 when my mouth felt like it couldn't hold any more liquid. So I spit. The oil had changed colour completely! It started out almost black and ended up a milky beige.
That convinced me that some sort of change had occurred. After rinsing my mouth out with some water, I could still taste a hint of sesame, but my mouth felt better. Cleaner. Just... less scummy. Not that I had a really scummy mouth, it's just the best way I can think to describe it.
I shall continue to practice oil pulling. I think I will do it in the morning while I'm in the shower. Perhaps focussing on washing will pull my attention away from the sesame. I hope to see some improvement to my overall health within the next week or so.
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