heritage

That Lucky Deep Freeze
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That Lucky Deep Freeze

Hail Brave hearts

The big chill is storming us.  Cold snow has arrived.  From the cozy interior of our homes, we think big.  Winter fun! This is one of the best times of the year!

A frozen river to occupy the afternoon.  Crisp winter weather at -10 is a welcome change to the blistery cold that makes this day possible.  The continued overnight lows below -20 keeps the ice cold and thick enough for our weight.  Caution though.  These rivers have rapids, the water is swift flowing and sometimes is too fast to freeze thoroughly.

Today’s adventure is along a river to a sought after view.  The wide expanse is fully frozen now and our group walk with ease along the covered water.  Ice is welcome now as we snowshoe this path.  An opportunity that will only present itself in the awesome winter.

We pick our way to the bottom of the river bank and walk with relative ease along the snow covered water.  All the while remarking on our good fortune to have this chance to explore an area that is never available to us.  The thickets of willow and stands of evergreen show us locations of ground and islands along this braided stretch of waterway.  Animal tracks appear in the snow and the tiny creatures hide from our view.   We are mainly walking on the gravel flats between the river channels, so we are more safe in our travels.  River travel can be perilous with areas of thin ice throughout.

There’s an interesting formation of hills and valleys all along the river bank.  Walking would be difficult in this area due to undulating land formations of steeply cut hills reaching to the river sides without much river bank to follow.  Our destination is a canyon, 7 km up river which is impossible to reach at other times of the year.  Our good fortune is the deep freeze.

This year our temperatures plunged to an awful -50 overnight during the Christmas holiday season.  Four days of icy blasts with daytime highs of -35 kept us busy with indoor games and indoor holiday cheer.  Now the result is a wintery wonderland with the fun of river travel. which is not always available to us.  Oddly and usually, the good comes with the bad.  Today is overcast and light snow is falling.  This is a surprise to us, since no one had noticed snow in the forecast.  It might be a localized squall.  However, this is good also, since we need the snow to keep us skiing, snowshoeing  and enjoying the fabulous fun of the season.  We also need the snow for our spring melt and moisture.

The snowfall is increasing and visibility is declining.  Open patches of river can be seen ahead.  We have to call off our plans for today, with only 1.5 kms remaining.  Oh well.  Luckily for us -30 is in the forecast for the next 3 days and we will have the good fortune of more deep freeze.  The open areas of this river should freeze again and we plan for another trip to this area next week.

Walking On A Frozen River | Red River | Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada | Walking Virtual Tour in 4K – YouTube

Meanwhile, the ski hill has received more snow.  It’s all good.  A change of scene and a change of game.  Winter has been wonderful to us.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

February 24, 2023

Gun Control
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Gun Control

Good Day Brave Heart

It’s seldom a bad day with so much to do.

Exit the warm contentment of the cozy, familiar structure to the bright snow-covered future that awaits you in the outdoors.  It’s a fantasy world of snow laden trees, martins leaping along the way and birds chattering to each other.  What do they say?  Only your own spirits will determine their message.  The sundog shines in a glorious ring around the sun, indicating a weather pattern on its way.  The brightness of this glory world is the psychedelic wonder of yesteryear.  It’s no wonder that they thought that LDS was safe.

Minds bend in the staggering difficulty of the task.    The unfathomable human experiment of the day.

Hunting and trapping, the need to survive, the human is a new predator in this place.  Now the competition for the food supply has increased and new hunters are on the land.  Hunters with families and small mouths to feed.  Tiny tots with growing pains, hunger pangs and shill cries.  Feed us! cloth us! save us! The howls stop when the hut vanishes in the snow and the hunt for animal tracks begin.

This new human brings a new kind of weapon to the wild world of big game hunting.  Gone is the bow and arrow, now it’s the rifle.  Guns.  Guns to protect us, guns to hunt with, guns to be dependent upon.  Guns for survival, guns for livelihood, guns for trade and barter.  Guns.   Only the need for ammunition is a drawback in the use of guns.  Stock the larder with as much provision for the winter as you can, and don’t forget the main one, your gun.

Unlicensed weapons have as many as you want to.  No one is watching.

The stealthy aboriginal makes his way to your shelter.  Maybe you don’t have to hunt today.  Maybe all that you have to do is to trade him a good gun and a round of ammunition for a side of moose, a rack of elk and a hind quarter of deer.  Maybe he will give his own much needed furs, from that rabbit, for a gun.  The indigenous people need the fur more than the fur trader do, but wildlife is plentiful, and trade brings wealth to this family.  Wealth to one, survival to another, a deal is struck.  It seems like a win, win situation.  The stealthy aboriginal so experienced in the ways of this land, looking to improve his own lot in life.  A gun for his hunt, a gun for his prosperity and a gun to protect him from the devil.

The homesteader is saved.  No more psychedelic sunshine.  No more mind-bending winter exposure.  No more lethargic, seemingly drug filled indecisive wanderings.   He is saved.  Saved by the aboriginal bell of necessity.  The gun is more powerful than the bow and arrow.

A shot rings out on the still land.  The skilled new hunter has already conquered.  More will come looking for this kind of trade.  More will seek the European for guns.

Guns for survival, guns to protect us.  Guns.  A new way of life.

The Wild Canadian Year: Canada’s toughest season, with only the hardiest prevailing – Winter – YouTube

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

 

 

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A Treasure Trove

Hail Brave hearts

This spit of land that you call home is now your sanctuary in the wild.  A place of whatever contentment you can make of it.  Be it a small shack or a home for a larger family, these dwellings in the bush were a paradise to those who had no other place to call home.

The ardent adventurer, tough, skilled, a mind set on survival.  A hunter, a trapper, a woodsman.  Trained in survival skills to surpass the perils of cold, drought, hunger, hardship and the persistent diseases.  The people of the outdoors, of the woods and plains, but newcomers just the same.  Some of whom lived alone in an isolated place, apart from society, willing to live their lives off the land, from hunting, trapping and fishing.   An interesting and unusual difference from the life of bustling Europe, where this kind of existence was unheard of.  The hunter and trapper were a new kind of man, far different from the civilized person who was left behind in the cities.

A call to adventure, the need to explore, the will to gamble all of your possible potential in a game of chance which was for some, too large to play.  A new world.   An unheard-of life.  Was this properly explained?  The fur trade was booming. Furs and the call for furs filled the air, the ears and the brain.  The cry of fortune, the call of fame, the money, the land the freedom.  Now, it’s survival.

A twist of fate and the money’s not there.  A mistake in the route and the land vanishes.  Great brave heart, find your way!  The life of a hunter and trapper is filled with danger.  A life of perilous uncertainty awaits those who are unprepared.   The harsh land in the cold of winter.  A necessary fur coat, fur pants and mitts.  Fur!  The sound of the word is money in your pocket or survival on your back.  The much needed and so much desired, fur!

An exciting world of harsh possibilities.  Friend or foe might find you out there.  As remote and hidden as your selected place might be, strangers still might enter your life. Strangers with a map like yours, looking for refuge as well.  A sanctuary in the storm of life.  A cabin with a fire and a food cache close by.  Comfortable and warm, with a hot coffee on the fire, bread in the oven and a pot of stew.  The mouthwatering delicacies of life on the land.

A pregnancy is a delicate part of life.  The struggling embryo fighting to survive.  The will of this precarious life, demanding attention, demanding an existence, demanding to survive.  Joy!  Joy for the parents, joy for the offspring, a new generation brings hope for a family.  Hope for creation, for community for that blessed gift of life and eternity.

Now, above all else, that decision to embark on this challenge, becomes the dream of procreation, of fulfillment of care.  The dare that was accepted is now in fruition.

Dare!  I dare you to go there!

Now the hands of the clock have turned.  The hour is upon us.  Live or die, oh child of mine.

A Homesteaders Food Cache

HIDE YOUR FOOD. You Better Be Prepared. | Secret Homestead of Survival | MMNP Farm Series S1 E4 – YouTube

Written by Dr Louise Hayes

November 6, 20

 

 

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Build a Shack in Paradise

Hail Brave Hearts

The stormy waters filled with rapids, guide you further into the unknown.  Down the perilous pathway of water to a landing where unknown inhabitants greet you with curiosity.  Immigrants are unknown here. Migrants from other lands are unusual and suspect.  Strangers.  Strangers all are we.  Unusual groups of people meeting each other on land and territories already occupied by aboriginals.

A chance to land on untamed wilderness, but no, push on, push on.  Push on to the treasure, that pot of gold.  Follow your rainbow, find your dream.  The world was just as perilous then as it is now.  Tame the forest, fight for this freedom, if it’s worth fighting for.  Now that your path is dedicated to this life, this life you must live, or perish trying.  Live your great adventurers, this is the dream that calls you.  Live!  No point in complaining, in blaming and accusing.  No point in sorrow or despair.  This is the life that you’ve accepted.  Push on, oh brave hearts, that X on the map lies out in these regions somewhere.

The poverty of Europe, the wars, the disease, now left behind on this quest for freedom.  Fighters, maybe, escapees perhaps, adventurers always.  Come to Canada.  Your life lies here, if you can find your way.

The rivers of highways will guide you inland, inland to a place for  you to stay.  A place to build your home and to carve your future from the great wild.

The native peoples are somewhat quiet,  and somewhat peaceful.  If they will help you there will be a chance.  The land is fertile, but clearing is difficult, negotiations are made to occupy this place.  A place of wild wilderness, where the wildlife come into view.  A dangerous animal, a pretty deer, calling birds, but get on with it.  There’s no time to waste on wildlife viewing, no time to spare in planting the harvest, no time to wait in building a house.  Beware of the evils of the wild.  Too much muscle strain, too much isolation, a life too difficult for many.   However this is the chosen path, the way to divine freedom.  Flee from oppression, from the certainty of war, from starvation by poverty.  This must be better.  This X on the map.  This place, this freedom was worth fighting for.

Finally to arrive at your own place in paradise.  Rivers, forests, wilderness, wildlife, aboriginals, pestilence, strife and land.  The journey to this special place, the fulfillment of this dream, a destiny for all of us.  Now is the time to prove your education, skills, qualifications, abilities, aptitudes and determination.  Now is the time to build your house, your shack in paradise.  All of the time spent clearing the land, removing the brush, using the training that was taught to you.  Now you will know if you were a good student, listening well to an instructor so far away.  Now you will know if you are at the end of your journey, or if your new life has just begun.

Dream, oh great adventurer, of a life in a far off land.  Secure that piece of paradise.  Build your shack in the wilds.  Your homesteading life has begun.

 

Do-it-yourself house on the mountain. What did I find from that – YouTube

A house on a mountain with your own hands. Part 2 – YouTube

 

Written by Dr Louise Hayes

June 7, 2022

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For All of Us

Hail Brave hearts

Happy Mothers Day to you.

Storybooks and dreams, ambition, love, respect and adoration, the life long ties between a mother and her child.  The joy of living, the joy of giving.  The heart felt happiness in the growth of a child.  Nurture and care, dream and dare, this precious being is a wonder of creation.

Mothers and children, is a two way relationship.  Bond with those precious ones, as they grow to be the people that you need in your life.  From a tiny word, to a tiny step,, from a first smile to a first stand,  the accomplishments are huge and deserve the praises and rewards of being a human being.  Encouragement and care, after all, look at where we are.  We are someone’s parenting achievement.  We are someone’s blessed child.  We are someone’s dream  of fulfillment.  We are someone’s caring and need.  The parenting achievement that is you, is the parenting achievement that you should become. A wonderful new birth to a lifetime of family, family support and community. The giving and sharing is returned in so many ways.

This precious child, so filled with life and possibility, with all of the potential that you can give.  A parental responsibility is only a part of this interaction.  The joy of life is all of it.

All of your life to share with your loved ones, all of your life to be loved and to love.  This is for you, you awesome parents.  To love and be loved.  To pass this on.  To nurture the young ones and to teach them their responsibility.  Their responsibility to their family, to their community, to themselves.

A child is a precious life.  Enjoy is while you can.  These fleeting years are yours to enjoy.

Praises to you, you fabulous parents.  Praises to you, you wonderful mothers.

Happy Mother’s Day

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 8, 2022

Mother’s Day Short Film- I’ll Love You Forever – YouTube

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A Brave and Perilous Journey

Hail Brave hearts

In the era of yesteryear,  the land was young, and people from Europe sought passage to this place, seeking a new freedom, a quest for new life, a new self fulfillment, a new community, a new start in the world.  This was Canada, when it was young, a place for settlers to, call their home.  Strong people, adventurous, industrious, hard working and courageous, they flocked to this land for their rights to a new life.  Free of the constraints of power in Europe, the new colonialists forged ahead, seeking refuge, land, a place to farm and a place to call home.  This is us, in Canada.  Young, welcoming, offering a life to those who were willing to make the journey and to work for a life  like no other.

The wild calls, with it’s howling voice, its watches with it’s thousand eyes, it hears with it’s sharp ears and vanishes into the bush, only to emerge at night and howl some more.

The crack of a branch in the forest.  Who’s out there?  Only a wild cat?  Only a bear?  Who lurks in the bushes and stalks us?  In the quiet of the forest, when the wind rushes through the trees, the clamour of restless birds, announce the presence of the stranger.  In the wild of the waterways, the rushing water tumbles over rapids and waterfalls.  Dangerous rivers, dangerous portages, dangerous stormy lakes, all lead to the wealth of a land of promise.  The new land of plenty, if you dare to seek it.  Follow the treasure map to the X that marks the place.  Here you will find what you seek, if you survive the perilous journey to reach it.

How long will this journey take depends on you.  It depends on your skills, your health, your aptitudes, fortitude and negotiation., or perhaps, stealth and quiet.  It’s a dangerous game, but for the many who sought this refuge in the wild, the high stakes must have been worth effort.  The right to own land, to have a freedom.

1670s in Canada – Wikipedia

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean is just the beginning.  A 5403 kilometer start to an uncertain finish in old Quebec City.  Such a long and tiresome journey for the the hopeful stalwarts of the day.   Alas, this is not the X on this map.  Old Quebec is not the treasure for this group of immigrants, longing for a fresh new start in a wild and uncompromising land.  This refuge in the storm is not for them.  This fabulous  colony, so fortuitous, the weary, grateful travellers can cast their eyes on the potential that awaits them.  A city!  It’s possible.  It’s possible to tame this land.  It’s possible to farm here, and to enjoy the benefits of a tenuous freedom.

There are freedoms from some things, but the land and it’s inhabitants are still in charge.  Push on, oh brave hearts, push on.  Seek your fortune.  Find the treasure.  It’s promised to you, if you survive.  So brave hearts, if you should choose to accept this challenge, your good fortune and perhaps fame awaits you.  Good luck.

written by Dr Louise Hayes

April 11, 2022

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The Power of your Garden

Hail Brave Hearts

Good health to you.  It’s all around us, in the food we eat, the daily exercise that we do, our social and spiritual interactions, education, work and play.  Heal us.

In the past centuries of homesteading natural healing was common sense.  To find the elements of medicine in our natural world, to relieve us from the threats of  common illnesses.  The day’s work must be done.  The days work cannot be left unattended.  A day off with illness was appalling for people who relied on the land for their survival.  Day after day after day, toil and work.  A days work was never done.  Plant your crops, tend to the animals, forage in the forest, sheer the sheep, knit your blankets, chop the wood, stoke the fire, day after day after day.

Salves and ointments sooth sore muscles.  Extracts and tinctures to ingest for your health.  Medicines from the great wild, from flowers, trees and grasses.  The soothing forest, the healing plains, find your medicines in the wildlands, there are cures out there.  A fine flower like Lungwort, a pretty daisy to ingest, a mighty spruce for your winter tea.  Plant your garden with healing remedies, to bolster the immune system against the constant threat of life threatening illness.

Plant your garden well, with vitamins, minerals, essential enzymes, herbal remedies.  Plant your garden to keep yourself healthy and to make you well.  A prized patch of Queen Anne’s Lace, showy Chicory for breakfast tea or coffee,  The careful selection of medicinal plants.

7 Evidence-Based Benefits of Wheatgrass (healthline.com)

The life of a homesteader in early Canada was filled with trials and tribulations.  A community of people, reliant on their courage and expertise to survive in a harsh, sparsely populated land where wildlife and livestock, collide.  The peace of the people, although essential, is not enough.  The forest and the land are filled with deadly surprises.  The forest and the lands are filled with healing and cures.  Venture out into the land, for it’s remedies that will save you.  Care and caution every day of your life, for what lurks in the shadows of the trees and tall grasses.

Hunting for wildlife is shared between wild predators and hungry humans. Livestock must be saved.

It’s an interesting life of essential skills and education.  How to build a house, how to build a fence, how to forage in the forest, what to plant, where to plant it.  Soil conditions, weather patterns, cold, stocking up for the winter, how to dry food, prepare meat, basic first aid,  sewing.  The list of requirements for homesteading goes on and on.  Build your cabin in the woods, beside cool waters, on fertile land.  A society of far flung people, a few kilometers apart, being the next door neighbour.  A neighbour right there, right beside, to help out if necessary.

In our minds that neighbour lives a long way off, but to an early homesteader, it was close by.  Their health and vitality was different from ours.  Cure yourself, you awesome human.  Plant your garden well.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 6, 2021

 

 

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Those Divine Weeds

Hail Brave hearts

Still exploring, still living that awesome adventure, still looking forward to the next great day.  Still working those muscles, still struggling with pain.  Not so!  Your diet could save you.

On and on the canoe is paddled, on and on, those muscles work.  Through rapids, portages, endless days on the water, trap the fur, bring it home, make a fortune for that clever, illustrious businessman.  Be the vehicle to their desires.  Work your body, your mind, your spirit to the bone.  Leave your loved ones, travel with courage, bring home that cherished dime.

The difficult life of the courier de bois, the homesteaders that followed them and the settling of Canada.  The price that was paid in life and livelihood, as the courageous Canadians make their way into the great wild.  Survive you must.

The land takes it’s toil and exhausts us.  The strain and stress of this life is full of great challenges.  There are dreams of gold but hardship is plenty.  Tell us your secrets.  How did you survive?

In the great wild, there is plenty, if you know what to look for.  There was game to catch, fish in the streams, fruit, berries and edible plants along the way.  Some of this is medicinal and works to cure that obvious.  Vitamin C for scurvy, vitamin A for your eyes.  The long days of sunshine gleaming off the water, the eyesore from reflections from the water without sunglasses, the sunburn, the pain of it.

Somewhere in the wilds of Canada is medicine for all of this.  Salves, ointments, tinctures, treatments for cuts, bruises, scrapes and burns.  Somewhere there are treatments for pain, vision loss, inflamed joints, sore muscles, pulls and sprains.  Somewhere there is treatment for disease and mental impairment.  Our healing is abundant and our forefathers prove it.  Somewhere in the great wild nutrition is abundant and the natural world gives us relief from aches and pain, from disease and keeps us well.  Somewhere in the wild, there is food that will save us, if you know what to look for.

 

Lambs Quarters:

Why was Lamb’s quarters used as an herbal remedy?
The plant was used traditionally as an herbal remedy for eczema, rheumatic pains, gout, colic, insect stings and bites. Also a decoction made from the herb was used to treat tooth decay. The sap extracted from the plant stems was used to reduce freckles and treat sunburns.

Lamb’s Quarters Uses in Cooking and Benefits as a …

http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/lambs-quarters-he…
See all results for this question
Why is it important to eat lambsquarter leaves?
Lambsquarter is an important source of food that can be considered a key staple, while at the same time it is also an extremely valuable medicine. When the leaves are chewed into a green paste and applied to the body, it makes a great poultice for insect bites, minor scrapes, injuries, inflammation, and sunburn.
  • https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/ingredient/Lambs-Quarters/267

    Lamb’s quarters contains more protein, calcium, and vitamins B1 and B2 than cabbage or spinach, making it a wild edible fit for Pop-Eye, our favorite green vegetable hero. It is also rich in iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and A. Lamb’s Quarters warms your mouth, is slightly salty, sour, and mildly spicy.

  • Lambs Quarter – Wild & Edible www.thegypsythread.org

    https://www.thegypsythread.org/lambs-quarter-wild-edible

    2021-07-27 · Internal uses range from treating diarrhea, relieving stomach aches, and for scurvy (due to the high Vitamin C content.) Lamb’s quarter tea is also known for decreasing inflammation and increasing circulation. Lamb’s quarter poultices are said to relieve itching, swelling, and relieve burn pain.

    Yarrow

    In short, Yarrow has the following medicinal uses:

    • wound treatment
    • stops bleeding
    • digestive herb
    • diuretic
    • anti-inflammatory
    • anti-spasmodic
    • anti-catarrhal (removes excess mucous from the body)
    • diaphoretic (reduces fever)
    • lowers blood pressure
    • stimulates blood flow in the pelvic area (especially the uterus)
    • antimicrobial
    • used for hemorrhage
    • used for treatment in pneumonia
    • used for treatment in rheumatic pain

    Purple Aster

    • Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes.

      Wild Asters medicinal uses | V I Farms

      Are there any medicinal uses for wild asters?
      Wild Asters medicinal uses. The warm infusion may be used freely in colds, rheumatism, nervous debility, headache, pains in the stomach, dizziness, and menstrual irregularities. This, together with A. cordifolius, has been compared in value with valerian. Aster aestivus …is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative.

    •  Aster aestivus…is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative. Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes

    • Aster Plant Uses – Learn About The Edibility Of Aster Flowers

      https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/asters/edibility…

      2020-08-30 · The flowers and leaves can be eaten fresh or dried when eating aster plants. The Native American people harvested wild aster for a multitude of uses. The roots of the plant were used in soups and young leaves were cooked lightly and used as greens.

       

    • Daisies

    The Medicinal Herb Daisy The herb may be used for loss of appetite as it has stimulating effect on the digestion system and it has been used as a treatment for many ailments of the digestive tract, such as gastritis, diarrhea, liver and gallbladder complaints and mild constipation.

    Wild daisy is a plant. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicinal tea. People take wild daisy tea for coughs, bronchitis, disorders of the liver and kidneys, and swelling ( inflammation ). They also use it as a drying agent (astringent) and as a ” blood purifier.”

    The young flower heads or buds can be added to salads, soups or sandwiches; or the flower heads used to decorate salad dishes. The leaves can be eaten raw despite their bitter aftertaste, but are better mixed in salads or cooked and might be used as a potherb. The buds can be preserved in vinegar and used in cooking as a substitute for capers.

    Nutritional profile

    It is both an anti-inflammatory herb and a vulnerary (improves circulation) herb. Drink daisy tea for the plant’s health-giving and restorative properties. A modern study of wild edibles used during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–95) showed that daisies contain 34 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

    Common Thistle

    The roots have been used as a poultice and a decoction of the plant used as a poultice on sore jaws. A hot infusion of the whole plant has been used as a herbal steam for treating rheumatic joints. A decoction of the whole plant has been used both internally and externally to treat bleeding piles.

    Save yourself, with the delicious, nutritious weeds of the wild!  Our great ancestors had nothing else to eat.  The knowledge  of the food value and medicinal value of these weeds offered to us by the aboriginal people of Canada, saved us then and could help us now.  Eat, drink and be well.

    written by Dr. Louise Hayes

    August 22, 2021

     

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It’s the Tea up here

Hail Brave hearts

Your health, fitness and wellbeing are imperative!  The awesome adventure of your life is within your grasp.  Focus on the achievement, propel yourselves to this destiny.  This is what you live for, life for all that it’s worth.

The aches and pains of your body, cry for help. What remedy will ease this pain and cure the discomfort of the joints and muscles?  The daily workout is becoming the daily grind.  So much tension, so much repetitive strain.  Muscle tension and fatigue.  The more the body works, the more it is capable of work, but the getting there is more difficult than being there.  Our powerful power packs of nutritious blends help us, massage and muscle relaxants work for us, but there are other cures out there.

Way back on the farm in bygone years, the daily toil was a constant strain.  The tilling, the planting, the harvesting, the gain, all come at a price that the body and mind must endure.  Early mornings, long hours, fatigue and toil, provide a constant demand for good nutrition and rest.  The powerful berry patch resolves vitamin and mineral deficiency, but what about the rest?  Perhaps there’s another cure in the berry patch.  Perhaps there’s more to the backyard harvest than we collect.

Tea is one of the most highly consumed beverages in the world.  It’s part of traditions, customs and daily life.  A cup of tea is a welcome drink on a cold winters day or a cold brewed tea on a hot summers day.  The value of some kinds of tea is a powerful cup of anti-oxidant, vitamin, mineral and enzymes that help to complete a balanced diet.  These are the teas that some will find in their own back yards.

There are many opportunities to harvest tea.  Your backyard oasis is calling you, tempting the impossible, rid your body of pain and suffering, add an additional cup of tea.  The red raspberry patch has the additional potency of raspberry leaf tea, or black currant leaf tea, dandelion tea, fireweed tea, apple leaf tea, nettle tea, blueberry leaf tea, to mention a few.  The advantage of tea is the leaf is ready before the berry is and is easier to pick.  A tea needs fewer leaves than berries for a pie, so this is also an advantage.  However, is it healthy enough as a replacement in a lean berry year, or as nutritional benefit at any time?  Perhaps.  This is a list of health benefits of fruit leaf tea.  Be careful what you pick, some of your harvest has poisonous leaves.

Health Benefits of Raspberry Leaf Tea:

What are the health benefits of red raspberry tea?
High in vitamin C and gallic acid as well as other phytonutrients, the effects of raspberries and red raspberry tea have been show to help protect the heart and circulatory systems and slow down the advancement of age-related diseases, according to the Berry Health Benefits Network.
beneficial in weight loss.
 Drinking raspberry leaf tea is just as beneficial for people suffering from cold, flu, psoriasis, eczema, acne, obesity, indigestion, constipation, high blood pressure, aching joints, and general inflammation.
Health Benefits of Blueberry Leaf Tea
Blueberry leaves are rich in antioxidants, which have a number of different health benefits, including lowering fat levels and potentially protecting against hepatitis C. A cup of blueberry tea beside a spoonful of fruit. This amazing kale pesto is only 210 calories and anti-oxidant rich!
Potential Health Benefits of Blueberry Tea
  • Improved heart health. . High levels of potassium make blueberry tea a heart-healthy beverage.
  • A stronger immune system, that can make you sick less often and speed up your recovery.
  • Better brain function. Blueberry tea can help your brain work better. 
May Boost Heart Health. Blueberry tea can provide a boost to your cardiovascular system.
May Improve Cognition. 
Might Improve Digestion. Gallic acid is a naturally occurring potential antioxidant in blueberries.
May Improve Immune System. Our immune system can be bolstered by both
May improve vision
May improve kidney function
May help as an anti oxident
May improve bone density
May improve circulation
 Health Benefits of Black Currant Leaf Tea

The major benefits of this tea include its ability to strengthen the immune system, boost skin health, and induce sleep, among others.

  • High in vitamin C
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Antiviral and antibacterial properties. [2]
  • Reducing inflammation throughout the body
  • Protecting the skin against various conditions
  • Inducing sleep and preventing insomnia
  • Boosting mood
  • Regulating hormones
  • Improving cardiovascular health
  • Optimizing digestive function
  • Anticancer potential
  • Treating cold and flu and infections
  • Improving memory
  • Preventing urinary tract infections (UTI)

Side Effects

Drinking an excessive amount of this tea can result in a number of side effects, such as the following: [5]

  • Complications of pregnancy
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Potential bleeding disorders
Health Benefits of Nettle Tea
    1. Nettle Tea for Muscle Pain. Nettle tea is widely consumed to treat muscle pain. 
    2. For Cardiovascular Health. You can maintain your blood pressure levels 
    3. It Maintains Healthy Kidneys. You can reap numerous health benefits from nettle
    4. Improves Digestion. 
     Nettle tea is a delicious and beneficial beverage that helps reduce oxidative stress, relieve pain and inflammation, and lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It also gives relief from urinary problems, soothes allergies and hives, gout, and improves skin, hair, and bone health. The tea is a detox drink that helps reduce hay fever, boost the immune system, protect the heart, and optimize digestion among others
  • Fights oxidative stress
  • Source of antioxidants
  • Blood tonic
  • Hair & nail care
  • Improves kidney health
  • Relieves menstrual problems
  • Increases lactation
  • Promotes weight loss
  • Used for skincare [10]

Health Benefits of Fireweed Tea

  •  Balances digestive health Promotes relaxation Builds immunity Improves mood Strengthens circulation Supports the kidneys and urinary system Detoxifies.

    2020-08-02 · The antioxidants in fireweed benefit the digestive system, the circulatory system and the immune system, the lungs, and the skin. Fireweed tea isn’t just dried is fermented. Fireweed tea has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries in Russia and can be a powerful aid in digestion and cultivating a healthy gut biome.

    2018-08-13 · Health Benefits of Fireweed. Traditionally, Fireweed has been used to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. It is also considered useful against wounds, tumors and prostate enlargement. Aside from the previously mentioned health benefits, fireweed also promises advantages for the following ailments: Promotes relaxation; Boosts immunity .

    2021-06-11 · Fireweed is used for pain and swelling (inflammation), fevers, tumors, wounds, and enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH). It is also used as an astringent and as a tonic. How does it work? Fireweed might contain substances that reduce swelling (inflammation)

    Health Benefits of Dandelion Tea

    1. Protects Bones. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body.
    2. High in Vitamin K. Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble vitamin.
    3. Cleanses Liver. 
    4. Fights Diabetes. Dandelion tea and juice help people with diabetes.
    2019-02-08 · 7 Ways Dandelion Tea Could Be Good for You 1. It reduces water weight If you’re feeling bloated, dandelion tea could provide relief because it acts as a diuretic.
    2. It Could Promote Liver Health Dandelion root has long been held as a “liver tonic” in folk medicine.
    3. It Can Act as A Natural Coffee Substitute
    There are a number of impressive health benefits associated with dandelion tea, including its ability to detoxify the body, regulate digestion, help in weight loss, prevent cancer and other chronic illnesses, protect the skin, and increase bone strength, among others. Dandelion tea has many amazing health benefits.
    Health Benefits of Apple Leaf Tea
    1. oral health, prevents tooth decay
    2. prevents Alzheimer’s
    3. fights Parkinson’s
    4. Control of all types of Cancers
    5. Lower the risk of Diabetes
    6. Reduce Cholesterol
    7. Grow a healthier heart
    8. Break down gallstones
    9. treat diarrhea and constipation
    10. treating discomfort bowel syndrome
    11. Prevents hemorrhoids
    12. weight loss treatment
    13. cleanse your liver
    14. increase your immune system
    15. avoid cataracts
    16. rich in antioxidents
    17 averting asthma
    18 increase endurance
    19. promote bone health
    20 improve night vision
    using the leaves only can improve your skin. acting as a treatment for acne and dark spots and blemishes.  It’s a treatment for darks circles and puffy eyes and helps hydrate the skin to improve radiance.
  • There is also evidence that the leaves can heal obesity, arthritis, bronchial asthma and prevent some cancers and chronic illness

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 1, 2021

Staycation
by

Staycation

Hail Brave Hearts

In our time of isolation and loneliness, the great adventure alludes us.  Where will our dreams take us on our earthly mission of journey and exploration.  Hail Brave Hearts, the adventure is here.

We seek the joy of holidays and vacation time, the sun and sand, the culture and cuisine, the history and the marvels of modern man.  We journey frequently to lands abroad, to seek the fulfillment of international travel.  We find enormous pleasure in speaking other languages, engaging in their conversation, frolicking in the fun of their tourist attractions.  We miss this immensely.  Cancelled flights, cancelled holidays, cancelled time away from all of the stress and routine.  Time for a change.  Time to break free of it all and escape to the holiday dream world of other lands.  We saved for this, planned for this.  This is our refuge and our right.  For those of us with home ownership in foreign lands, this pandemic is an outrageous atrocity, forcibly confining us to our homeland.

Here at home we stay.  Here at home we play!

As usual, the welcome winter spreads her cloak of magnificent snow all around the ground.  As usual, we pull on our best winter attire and most fun sporting gear and head for the great outdoors.  The winter has been mild and magnificent.  So much snow!  So many ice rinks and lakes to skate on, so many back country trails to glide along, so many downhill ski resorts to ski on, so much hockey to play.

The winter birds chirp and cheer us along as we smoothly sail through the forest.  The wildlife stare.  Our frustration with our confinement and solitude evaporates into the warm sunshine.  Fresh air and snow, warm winter breezes, sunscreen and winter fun.  Life is good.  It can’t get any better than this.  A back country ski lodge at the end of pleasant winter’s ski day.  Canadian gourmet to rave about.  Excellent snow conditions, fabulous scenery, family, friends, companions.  The twinkling starry night in the heavens above.  This is what Canada offers.  It’s thrilling!  So much so, that this kind of wilderness experience is sought after by many.  It’s a unique privilege, to cast your worries away and venture into a remote location, accessed by only those few who know about  it. One of those secrets that keep us healthy and happy and searching for more.  This kind of holiday is as good as it gets.  Canadian culture at it’s finest.

Now we head home, for more opportunity, leisure and fun.  Our sporting days in the great Canadian wild are never over.  We will never be done.  Just one more day, in this fabulous vacation land, to ski our day away.

Yet another perfect day.  The snow is soft and the ski runs are long.  The scenery is the majestic Rocky Mountains.  The views are incredible.  Due to pandemic bliss, the ski hill is full of people, but not as busy as it would otherwise be.  The lift lines are short.  There’s seating in the chalet.  There’s room at the Inn.

https://www.skibanff.com/play/events-calendar

Spending our time and money in our homeland, has been a good business practise for us.  Help stimulate the economy,  keep your neighbors employed,  enjoy the adventure of your own country.  It’s been a pleasure.  So much so, that I wonder if we’ll miss these no fuss days, without a line up anywhere, no traffic on the highway, endless vacant trails.  ,The bliss of having it all to ourselves.  This too shall end.

Hurray for the vaccine!

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 17, 2021