Ben Gorski

I'm a high school teacher. Is there a place to learn more about the SKIP book?

Nice looking structures and garden. Seems like you have a nice place to come back to...good roots... Happy travels!

Judith Browning wrote:

Ben Gorski wrote:chameloan plant(Houttuynia cordata) works and grows quite well in most gardens and prefers some shade and will SPREAD...almost as bas as mint..yet i'd say a bit less...but still SPREADS via roots/rhizomes quite readily.

I want this plant! ...had not heard of it before.

I'm working on more 'spreaders' to push back on grasses (Bermuda mostly) and rampant vinca, etc.
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It's health benefits and edibility are real bonuses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata

Will have to see if any of my plant exchange friends have it....

If your friends don't have it I can probably send you some in the Spring after things thaw. I eat a few leaves raw now and then and I like to add it to herbal tea blends I make during the growing season with other fresh herbs(tulsi, lemon balm, mint)

I have a berkey at home after using it in the Mountains of Ecuador. I have the black filter one here and Every weekk or so I can see a build up of rust colored particulate at the bottom of the filters. I rinse out this and get a copper colored water in the top chamber which i spill out...so it seems to work well. The chlorine taste is gone too and water tastes rather pure.

The one i use in Ecuador utilized the white filters and after a few days one could see the sediment build up. I drank that water there straight frm the tap and it was fine but still the berkey cleaned it up.

the Doultan seems similar but Brit based.

chameloan plant(Houttuynia cordata) works and grows quite well in most gardens and prefers some shade and will SPREAD...almost as bas as mint..yet i'd say a bit less...but still SPREADS via roots/rhizomes quite readily.

bruce Fine wrote:I had an experience not too long ago. it was middle of night, put a block of wood in the fire and it was buring real good, wanting to go back to sleep I thought I'd put another log in the stove and off to dreamland I'd go.
well I opened the stove and the burning block of wood fell out. without thinking I grabbed it and threw it back in the stove. my thumb and first finger just about stuck to the burning coals on the outside of this block of white oak.
man did it hurt. kept thinking what a stupid thing I had just done. I got to the freezer and found a bag of green beans. I held onto that from bag of beans for hours till the sun came up and then some. well it worked with some positive thinking and attempt to freeze my burned digits I have minimal damage and no blisters, some dead wrinkled skin, good luck getting finger prints off me.

Reminds me of the time I was shaving with those 'old-school' shavers that use a double edged razor blade...we i dropped it and caught it by the razor part mid-air and then promptly released it again...So now I just try and school myself mentally right before engaging in such activities. ..."knife falls---jump away"."knife falls---jump away""knife falls---jump away""knife falls---jump away"..till THAT is in my mind

Positive thoughts/intentions help and its great you went in that direction mentally.

Burra Maluca wrote:

Personally I would prefer a 'true' perennial that will seed freely and live to seed another year.  That way I get broccoli to eat every year plus seed of the best plants to share without losing my mother plants.  

I had this happen in my Fukuoka gardening style attempts. Kale(Forager Kale), carrot, garlic and planted jujube trees and emerald carpet raspberry in a sandy beach area to which i brought in wood chips and some compost....2 years later the Kale has 'naturalized' just like you mention and seeds itself yearly. so that throughout the summer I have baby kales and now larger ones which I gather, chop, freeze, and use in stir-frys and such.  there is only partial Sun and it is North facing yet it is a few feet lower in a sort of min-valley type of micro-climate.

IN listening to the "ways of knowing forum" (https://www.waysofknowingforum.ca/)

I heard the idea of a sweat lodge as ceremony for life guidance. Also in reading the Frenchmen's 1st contacts/interactions with the Native people here I came across the use of A "Sweat Lodge" ceremony done for a month every few days to bring vigor back into a weak Frenchmen. The Natives would also rub the body of the Frenchmen.

I have also heard "Phillip Deere" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROSIkvYiWjY) speak of getting his health back via a Sweat Lodge.

Now can we use a sauna or similar type of structure to emulate the Sweat Lodge and receive similar benefits...

How long does one spend in a Sweat Lodge?  

Are any Herbs or other ingredients used ?

thank you for your time. !!  

ps we just received a foot of snow or so...  I have done and heard of going into a sauna and then running out into the snow and rolling in the Snow only to return to the sauna...any idea of the origins or purpose?

Make a poultice of Comfrey Leaf or root(add just enough water to vortex in blender for root) .

If you have access to Clean Clay. you can make a paste and apply.