Sunday Morning Scrub

Start your Sunday morning breakfast with a menu of fresh coffee, cinnamon French toast, eggs and more.  Oh, what shall I do with the ingredients sitting on the counter?  I know!  Re-use them!  

Grab a glass bowl and mix up a batch of a wonderful aromatic body scrub to enjoy with your Sunday morning shower. 

Recipe:                         

1 cup fresh used coffee grinds

1 Tablespoon of table salt

About 1/3 cup of olive oil or coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Optional: about 10 drops of fruity essential oil

Mix well.  Add a bit more oil if the scrub is not saturated to make it moist to wet.  Take it to the shower with you.  After you wash, gently scrub your body.  This scrub is wonderful for your feet, elbows, knees and hands if you just scrub a little more than gently.  Rinse yourself and the shower surround.  Your shower and or tub will have some oil residue.   Clean the shower with a baking soda and vinegar paste. 

If you only have time for a quick facial scrub, use the following recipe and gently scrub your already dampened face and neck.  You skin will be left oily, so follow up with a bar of Castile soap or your favorite non-drying gentle facial soap, and rinse well.  A bit of the oil will remain, naturally moisturizing your skin for the rest of the day.  Clean the sink with a baking soda and vinegar paste. 

Quick facial recipe:

Two tablespoons of fresh used coffee grinds

Teaspoon of table salt

Teaspoon of cinnamon

Tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil - just enough to form a moist paste

Your skin will be left soft and smooth with a hint of the cinnamon scent. This recipe is great for guys.  I tried it on my husband’s face this morning.  We had some bonding time and a bit of fun.  He wants me to do his feet next.  Since he always makes our Sunday breakfasts, I think his feet deserve such a treat.

If you have any coffee grinds or mix left over, just add it to the compost bin.  It’s all natural and all good.  This scrub can be made for pennies with ingredients most of us already have on hand.  You are welcome to purchase a 6 to 8 ounce jar of coffee scrub for prices ranging from $7.00 to $37.00 and I’ll be yelling in your ear, “Make your stuff at home!”

Engineers v Biologists

There are science and math jokes out there.  There is no point searching, ‘cause they are not even witty to a nerd like me.  But, I did make a short story out of the standard style of comparison (not quite) jokes. 
Here goes:

A biologist and an engineer hunt for the elusive strongest vine in the world.  They think they see the plant robustus vinefera in the woods, but they cannot get to it.  The plant grows on the opposite side of the swamp.  The biologist asks the engineer, “What do you see?”  The engineer replies, “It’s that straight vine with the flowers jutting out at right angles; the one that is actually holding up the tree.”  The biologist disagrees and talks for the next hour about the symbiotic relationship between the tree and the vine and how the plants and animals interact … and that’s why it’s the strongest vine in the world.  The engineer asks, “So, which vine are you looking at?”  The biologist replies, “The one that meanders along its length, but falls vertical with the buttery florets opposite each other.”

Okay, not sidesplitting comical, but at least, “Aw, that’s stupid,”… with a smile.  Anyhoo…

The mighty Mississippi is raging and the engineers are fighting with nature to control the beastly waters.  The river used to wind through the forests and fields.  The floodplain was wide and capable of handling upstream flows, snow melt and storm waters.   Early Americans lived with the river’s wild ways and took care of the river, as the river’s bounty provided for them.

One day, along comes Mr. Commercial Interest and the desire to make nature better for making money shipping goods.  Engineers designed levees, locks and dams, confining the waters within a defined width to ensure deeper waters for vessels carrying coal, minerals, forestry and agricultural products to ports around the world.  Conduct an internet search for Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway as an example of waters created for commercial navigation and the seven year fight against the channel.

Pour water into a plastic cup.  Squeeze the cup.  See, the water rises within the container.  Now, imagine the scope billions of times over.  The Mississippi got hugged too much and is now pushing back; mad at the engineers.   The engineers are now scrambling trying to save homes and farms and the U.S. is spending millions to manage this disaster.  We biologists, won’t say, “Told ya.”  But, you know what we’re thinking.

Nature wins… period.  In the near future, I believe that the biologists and contemporary engineers will work together to restore the landscape and make provisions to mitigate historic decisions to control the mighty Mississippi.  Okay, maybe I’m too optimistic, but it is my hope that the politicians and money changers will do what is best for everyone.  Nah, I’m not believing what I just wrote.  Big business will get what they want and everyone else just has to move.

There are some engineers and biologists who are interested in doing the right thing.  Yes, and they are African American.  The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) website header tagline states, “To increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”  An equivalent organization home for biologists is the African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA) [Blog].   The statement on their website includes, “The AAEA is a national, nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing human, animal and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources and increasing African American participation in the environmental movement”.   

African American engineers and biologists have studied and worked in an atmosphere that has limited cultural concern about the needs of communities of hue.  Yet these specialists have excelled at their chosen professions, working within a system that is deficient in African American representation, particularly in leadership.  They focus on all of us, with consideration of the interests of populations underserved by mainstream decisions and actions.  Soon enough, all American communities will be equally respected, thus creating a diverse, safe and healthy environment much better than we have today.

We are all in this together.  The strengths of African Americans in both fields ensure our continued existence in the most sound and wholesome environment possible.  We should shout out the brilliance of African American biologists and engineers.  America must listen.  These African Americans may ultimately rescue the U.S. from the nation’s poor historic infrastructure and development choices. 

Thank you, in advance.

Thanks: publicdomainpictures.net

Grass or Weed?



Maryland Governor O’Malley signed the Fertilizer Use Act of 2011.  The law establishes requirements for specialty fertilizers and sets maximum limits for nitrogen and phosphorous in fertilizer.  It’s about time.  Oh, my, we have got to save the Chesapeake Bay!  Mouth and eyes wide open with hands on my cheeks.

Property owners use excessive amounts of lawn chemicals in search of the perfect luscious single color deep green lawn.  It’s past time for these practices to stop.  Most of the chemicals run off into streams and end up in the Bay.  The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in America is suffering ‘cause we want to keep up with the Joneses.  Now, if someone violates the new law, they will be fined.  One or two thousand dollars should be enough for someone to start enjoying the lawn with multiple shades of green and those cute little dandelions.

Okay, what do we do?  Can we make our own?  We’ll yeah, but you won’t hear it from me.  There are many homemade recipes online including ingredients such as beer, soda, syrup, soap, ammonia and some that even include liquid lawn fertilizer.  What?  Unless you are a botanist with a background in soil science, you are highly likely to be wasting your money on these lawn tonics.   It has taken many years for commercial fertilizer companies to come up with a mix for specific geographic areas and most of them will not be right for your particular lawn.  Much of the fertilizer sprayed and spread on lawns gets washed away in the rain, so folks tend to over fertilize hoping some it will stick.   Walk around and look at those hay colored lawns.  Dollars and common sense down the storm drain.  Meanwhile, the Bay is dying under the pressures of excess nutrients and sediments that flow from our houses to the homes for the fish, oysters, turtles and ducks; very lame.

Plants are sensitive and susceptible to burning from misapplied chemicals, be they natural, organic or poisonous.  Your lawn is an ecosystem made up of vegetation, worms, insects and the occasional mole.  Those living organisms do just fine.  It’s us with the problem, well, not me.  How ‘bout that?  My lawn, more like a diverse patch of weeds, vines, flowers, grasses, ants and other species unknown is pretty, to me, and the kids love picking the purple and yellow flowers.  I like it just fine.  My neighbors spend tons of money on chemicals and hired lawn cutters…. and they still have dandelions, clover, and mud.    If we have a bald spot, we scrape the soil, add seeds and water.  Soon enough, grass and weeds fill in the spot.  Done. 

We have got to change our mindset about the aesthetic yard.  Gardens are beautiful.  A small grass lawn area is fine.  Native grasses, various trees and shrubs are even better.  Check out Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping in Maryland.  Plants suited for your home environment are less costly; do not require much watering and maintenance; and they provide habitat for the birds, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels and the sneaky cat that roams our neighborhod.  One day, the Bay may recover.  I hope so. 

Let the weeds begin! 

Wetlands What’s Up

What is that mucky dark wooded depression at the bottom of slopes at the edge of the road?  What is that long stretch of grasses that reach out to the river?  What is that scraggly looking area with the short trees and crooked shrubs?  They are all wetlands; forested, emergent and scrub-shrub and they all benefit our human environment.  But, they don’t look so pretty.  The aesthetics of the swamp, marsh, and bog are in the eye of the beholder. 

All of these areas have functions and values including habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species such as birds, snakes, frogs, beavers and deer; food chain production; nutrient removal; groundwater recharge/discharge; water filtration; flood water storage; erosion control; and they provide recreational and educational opportunities for us. 

Not all areas that appear wet are wetlands.  A wetland is identified by water loving plants; soil that is soaked in water; and water that is around long enough to influence the soil and vegetation.   There is a huge field of study that focuses on wetlands.  There are wetland and wildlife biologists, soil scientists, ecologists, and botanists who all play a role in identifying wetlands; learning about wetlands; educating the public; and managing these areas to ensure their special functions and values continue to sustain our environment. 

What does it mean to us?  Wetlands are an important part of the diverse land and water forms that make up the earth. Wetlands represent the base of our food chain.  The creatures that make up our seafood rely on these areas for the earliest stages of life.  Wetlands filter pollutants that can impact the juvenile and adult species of fish¸ shrimp, crabs and oysters that make up our Sunday dinners and summer cookouts.  Wetlands also hold onto storm waters and release them slowly so that heavy rains do not destroy the land with fast flows of high waters.  The wetlands along rivers, bays and oceans act as buffers between tides and higher elevation land.  The plants in these areas break up wave energy;  slow water flow; and keeps the water from reaching banks that would wash away upon direct contact with fast moving waters.   

Wetlands are an experience.  There is nothing like standing on the edge of a huge tidal wetland.  You can smell the salty sea and watch the ducks and osprey hunt for food.  The sounds of the waves and wind are calming.  The various plants and sandy beaches make up an art scape that no human can replicate.   The forested and scrub-shrub wetlands are fun to tromp around.  You can jump over small streams; duck under fallen trees; touch the odd-patterns of tree trunks and limbs; and look at the beauty of the flowers, mushrooms and moss that make up the floor of the swamp.   Getting through a wetland is a challenging puzzle.  In some places, the trees grow so thick that you can’t go through them; some areas have high water; some have tufts of grasses that you can use like rocks to hop from one place to another.   Some areas have hard bottom and others have a soft mucky bottom where you can sink up to your knees.   With practice, you could learn how to get through a marsh, but do not count on coming out clean.  The hardest challenge is to get out of a wetland.  Usually, they are at the base of a steep slope.  Imaging climbing almost vertical up a steep slope using tree limbs to hold onto.  See yourself climbing up a narrow steep stream valley clogged with logs and limbs.  Wetlands are fun.  Next time you go, look for skunk cabbage.  This plant really smells like a stinky skunk.  Yuck!

Whatever, they smell bad and they are havens for mosquitos and snakes.   They are nasty, dirty and creepy.   Swamps are worthless and we should just fill them and build on them.  That mindset is what killed those folks of color during Katrina.   The damage would not have been so severe if the wetlands along the gulf were allowed to naturally increase from the build-up of sediment from the rivers.   There would have been a huge buffer of wetlands between the water and the people living in the low-lying areas.  Those low elevation areas were historically wetlands and the impact of Katrina is a devastating example of what happens when you push people into those “worthless” lands. 

Nature takes care of us, but we don’t take care of nature.  Nature happens; let it!  That’s what’s up with wetlands.

Earth Day 2011 - The War on the Environment

Every year we observe Earth Day by going to festivals and donating to organizations to support a commitment to work on causes ranging from going green to stopping pollution.   “Woo hoo…. Earth!”  While writing this piece, I burned electricity watching a commercial about the best dish detergent to wash the oil off ducks.   Next commercial featured dune buggies racing through the desert.  I’m so happy (whining). 

That company is using the oil spill disaster that killed people and tons of wildlife to advertise a detergent that is made of chemicals that poison our waterways.  Speeding through a beautiful desert spewing noxious fumes for the hell of it… really?  Flip the script already!  I’m still waiting to see the commercial about the detergent company at the detox center saying, “My name is ____ and I’m a polluter.  I’m here to say that I’m going to stop.”  Clap, clap, clap.  “Watcha gonna do?”  “Well, I can’t quit cold turkey, but I’m going to start by taking the diethanolamine out.”  DEA is a foaming agent and a carcinogen.  Suds don’t clean dishes.  If the oil doesn’t kill the duck, the detergent will… painfully slow. 

Some politicians want to cut, slash and burn the Environmental Protection Agency and gut the Clean Water Act.  The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment.   To p-r-o-t-e-c-t … all of us.  The CWA is the structure for regulating point source (discharging from a single location) pollutants into waters.  I’ll stretch it, but those politicians want to allow certain people to kill us… but not softly, of course. 

What is this reckless mad war on the environment?  It is money.  That’s it.  It costs more to do it ‘like’ right.  I don’t dig that notion.   Raise livestock humanely and there is no need for high-priced antibiotics; grow organic and there is no need for expensive pesticides; keep chemicals out of detergent and there is no need for costly solvents to dissolve those ingredients.  Voilà, I just made it ‘like’ right. 

Each of us is an eco-tyrant.  Our mere existence has an adverse impact on the environment.  Most of us are mini-tyrants; just a small footprint on the earth.  Many of us have ameliorated our impacts by doing ‘green’ things.  We are the eco-warriors, rebels supporting the cause.  Fight the power!  Earth Day is about all of us and our future.  We are the ones we have been waiting for to make the world a better place.  “… for you and for me…”  It’s not hard or expensive to do the right thing.  Just don’t walk down the aisle reeking from the perfumes obscuring the smell of those poisonous detergents.  Make your stuff at home.  Turn off the lights.  Put the trash in the can.  Done!

The Darker Side of Green


Do we lack interest in the environment to our detriment?  Yes, we do. 

Our environment is fundamental to our health.  Health and vitality are determined by environmental factors.  Our community does not have control over broad decisions that affect our environs.  The chemicals and radiation are produced by industry and we are the customers.  Transportation, development and land uses are determined by business and governments and we are the users.  We need to change these realities and make decisions from the base consumption level that will tilt the environment towards our favor.   How?  There are many ways and lots of ideas to help.

The starting point is us.  We can avoid living in degraded conditions and buying chemical laden food and products.  We can keep our neighborhoods clean; cook healthy meals at home; and make our cleaning and personal products ourselves.  We can reduce excessive driving; try not to live too far from work, family and friends; and we can vote for representatives who support our agenda.  My family has changed over the years and we re-use, recycle and make stuff at home as best we can.  We compost and we have started our organic garden.  It has been hard to change habits, but we are now rewarded with lower utility bills; smaller grocery tabs; and good health.

Do we lack interest in green jobs to our disadvantage?  Absolutely. 

We also disregard the potential for high-paying careers and business opportunities in biology, ecology, botany, geology and other environmental disciplines.  We could be working in the beautiful outdoors hiking, researching or boating in consulting, recreational and public service domains.  Getting paid and having fun; sweet!  We could be making development decisions; grant decisions; and corporate decisions involving huge amounts of funds that could affect the bottom lines; dollars and our environmental future.  There is an extreme absence of persons of color in green careers.  Why?  There are too many reasons to count and not enough studies to back up theories. 

The initial effort begins with us.  We need to be educated in these fields in order to make a difference.  The ready, willing and able are the ones who can take advantage of opportunity.  My parents prepared me by allowing me and my siblings to run through the woods and streams.  Our Dad owned a fish store when we were kids.  We grew up with a house full of fish, hamsters and dogs.  We were not wealthy, but we had parents who supported us and allowed us to explore.   Education was most important in our upbringing; following the footsteps of our educated aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and other extended relations.   We must educate ourselves and our children in ecological topics and support our families as they learn and grow towards green professions.

The darker side of green must materialize; otherwise, the negative trends of economic distress and environmental injustice will continue to adversely impact our community. 

Black Organic is here.   Are you coming?

Food Future

Gardening is our future.  We must grow our own food on our own terms.  Why?  Commercial food is tainted and t’aint healthy.   A huge proportion of large agri-business farm foodstuff is genetically modified organism (GMO) or hybrid.  GMO products have been genetically changed by inserting animal or other plant genes into vegetables and fruits grown for human or animal consumption.  Hybrids are plants where the traits of two or more plants are combined to create a plant with a particular desired result such as color, texture or sturdiness. The goal is to get a faster growing; larger volume; or disease resistant food, nutrition be darned.  This stuff is not natural and the result is a sickly obese population. 

These man-made creations are designed to maximize profit and destroy small and organic farmers.  Once a farmer goes GMO, he cannot go back.  These farmers are not allowed to collect seeds from their fields.  They are hooked to the GMO seed seller like crack dealers.  Every year, they must go back to the seller for new expensive seeds.  If your small farm or garden gets contaminated by the nearby GMO field pollen, you become the crack head; mind lost over dizzying lawsuits for “stealing” GMO.  Agri-business and the food producing industry wield so much power that the majority of farm subsidies goes to them, not the small farmer or farmers of hue.  We support this nonsense because we do not grow our own food.  Let’s change the dynamic and live happier healthier lives.

I will be organic gardening with my sister this year.  We purchased heirloom organic seeds and we will not use pesticides or herbicides.  We started our seeds indoors and they are already sprouting.  We will grow some now and save some of our seeds for next year.  Organic seeds can be purchased from local markets or garden stores and these can be grown over the next two years.  These seeds are not packed for long term storage, so get to gardening.

We also purchased a variety of heirloom seeds, correctly packed, that can be stored for the next ten years or so.  We will also gather seeds produced by our fruits and vegetables, dry them and plant them.  You can purchase longer term seeds from a survivalist or emergency seed bank.  Be cautious about the packaging.  You must not purchase seeds wrapped in plastic.  Look for acid free paper and air.  If the seeds are frozen, quality and germination potential can be lost.  Store your container in a cool dark dry place.  If you want to store them in a can or bucket, poke holes in the container to allow air flow.  If ever there becomes a devastating emergency, you must know how to start and maintain your garden.  Purchase books or print off web pages and pack the information in a water tight container.  Study this information and grow in knowledge along with the garden that you start this year.

The world is already in food crisis.  Prices are escalating fast and many cannot afford to buy the appropriate foods for proper nutrition.  We must take steps now to prevent food security problems.  Find a spot in your yard or patio for container gardening; work with a friend or family member who has a sunlit backyard; or go to a community farm or coalition.  Obtain a plot of land and get to work.  Gardening can be tough and it can be fun.  In the end, you will save lots of money; improve your health; and you may be able to barter your produce for goods and services. 

Get going and tell me.  “How does your garden grow?”

Thanks: publicdomainpictures.net