March is almost with us, and not too soon for my wishes.
I'm always ready and waiting for the earth to warm, the rain and snow to gradually give way to sunny days, in short..gardening weather.
While dreaming of all the changes and additions I have planned for my gardens this spring I was also touring garden sites all around the world.
Australia, Belgium, England, France and Japan have awesome gardens.
But...one thing I see regardless where I'm visiting, for the most part, gardens all seem to have many of the same attractions.
Then I came across this website, link below.
I was so inspired, I discarded what I had planned to write about and felt the desire to share this with you all.
This is what I call a very successful garden project.
Pacific Garden Mission~ Enjoy and let me know what you think.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1030/cover.html
Welcome to the upcoming Spring~
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
President's Day? Washington's Birthday? Both and More.
1796 -- The country first celebrated the birthday of George Washington during the last full year he was president.
1866 -- One year after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address on his birthday, February 12. Although Lincoln's birthday became a holiday in many states, it never became an official federal holiday.
1885-- President Chester Arthur made Washington's birthday a federal holiday.
1968 -- Congress passed legislation moving the observance of George Washington's birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in February.
1971-- The legislation passed in 1968 took effect in 1971. Some people think that the legislation combined the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington to create Presidents' Day. Congress never combined Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays. The holiday is still officially called Washington's Birthday.
Confused yet?
Don't sweat the small stuff, just be thankful if you are among the many who can stay home and not have call it a sick day.
Happy Birthday to all of our past presidents.
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Valentines Day-From Heart To Heart .
As with most holidays there are many stories passed down through history.
Some are so undocumented that we just have to pick the one we like best.
February has been the month to celebrate love since the Middle Ages.
I kinda like this version of Valentines Day~
The Man Valentine
A day celebrated with gifts, yummy chocolates, lovely cards, and sparkling diamond rings? What is the real story behind such a highly celebrated day?
Some say the day is named after a bishop named Valentine, who was stationed in the Roman Empire. Claudius II was the Emperor at that time. He thought that unmarried men made better soldiers, so he decided to make it a law that young men could not marry. Around 270 A.D., Valentine took pity on the ostracized soldiers who were not permitted to marry or see their sweethearts.
He became an advocate of these young lovers and began to perform secret marriages. He was soon found out and jailed. Emperor Claudius II attempted to convert Valentine to begin worshipping the Roman gods, but Valentine refused. Instead, he tried to convert Claudius to Christianity and Valentine sentenced to be executed on February 24, 270.
Another version of the history of Valentines Day tells that Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Just before his death, he sent her a note and signed it “from your Valentine.” An aura of romance surrounded his demise and those who knew about it spread the tale. Bishop Valentine became Saint Valentine with his fame extending to England and France.
After his death, Valentine then became what is known as a “Patron Saint.” Some considered him the spiritual overseer of an annual festival in which young Romans would distribute cards of affection to those they wished to formally see. This festival was held each February 14. There are Valentine cards in museums worldwide that date back to 1415.
If you have a great love in your life~celebrate it!
If you don't, celebrate yourself !
Happy Valentines Day !
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
A Good Man-A Great President .
This should have posted yesterday, for some reason it did not.
Abraham Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: "In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you.... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it."
Lincoln thought secession illegal, and was willing to use force to defend Federal law and the Union. When Confederate batteries fired on Fort Sumter and forced its surrender, he called on the states for 75,000 volunteers. Four more slave states joined the Confederacy but four remained within the Union. The Civil War had begun.
The son of a Kentucky frontiersman, Lincoln had to struggle for a living and for learning. Five months before receiving his party's nomination for President, he sketched his life:
~~
"I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families--second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks.... My father ... removed from Kentucky to ... Indiana, in my eighth year.... It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up.... Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher ... but that was all."
~
Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge while working on a farm, splitting rails for fences, and keeping store at New Salem, Illinois. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois legislature, and rode the circuit of courts for many years. His law partner said of him, "His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest."
He married Mary Todd, and they had four boys, only one of whom lived to maturity. In 1858 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator. He lost the election, but in debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860.
As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization. Further, he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.
Lincoln never let the world forget that the Civil War involved an even larger issue. This he stated most movingly in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Lincoln won re-election in 1864, as Union military triumphs heralded an end to the war. In his planning for peace, the President was flexible and generous, encouraging Southerners to lay down their arms and join speedily in reunion.
The spirit that guided him was clearly that of his Second Inaugural Address, now inscribed on one wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.: "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds.... "
On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, who somehow thought he was helping the South. The opposite was the result, for with Lincoln's death, the possibility of peace with magnanimity died.
Lincoln was born in Hodgenville. Hardin Co. Kentucky
Lincoln was our 16th president
From 1861-1865
Lincoln died April 15-1865 in the AM after being shot at Fords Theatere in Washington DC by John Wilks Booth, an actor.
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
*Article is in part information taken from A government site about our presidents.*
Abraham Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: "In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you.... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it."
Lincoln thought secession illegal, and was willing to use force to defend Federal law and the Union. When Confederate batteries fired on Fort Sumter and forced its surrender, he called on the states for 75,000 volunteers. Four more slave states joined the Confederacy but four remained within the Union. The Civil War had begun.
The son of a Kentucky frontiersman, Lincoln had to struggle for a living and for learning. Five months before receiving his party's nomination for President, he sketched his life:
~~
"I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families--second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks.... My father ... removed from Kentucky to ... Indiana, in my eighth year.... It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up.... Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher ... but that was all."
~
Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge while working on a farm, splitting rails for fences, and keeping store at New Salem, Illinois. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois legislature, and rode the circuit of courts for many years. His law partner said of him, "His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest."
He married Mary Todd, and they had four boys, only one of whom lived to maturity. In 1858 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator. He lost the election, but in debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860.
As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization. Further, he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.
Lincoln never let the world forget that the Civil War involved an even larger issue. This he stated most movingly in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Lincoln won re-election in 1864, as Union military triumphs heralded an end to the war. In his planning for peace, the President was flexible and generous, encouraging Southerners to lay down their arms and join speedily in reunion.
The spirit that guided him was clearly that of his Second Inaugural Address, now inscribed on one wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.: "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds.... "
On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, who somehow thought he was helping the South. The opposite was the result, for with Lincoln's death, the possibility of peace with magnanimity died.
Lincoln was born in Hodgenville. Hardin Co. Kentucky
Lincoln was our 16th president
From 1861-1865
Lincoln died April 15-1865 in the AM after being shot at Fords Theatere in Washington DC by John Wilks Booth, an actor.
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
*Article is in part information taken from A government site about our presidents.*
Saturday, February 09, 2008
February Do's In The Garden.
Gardeners are sitting on go during the month of February.
A few things most of us can do now regardless where we are located.
Plant cool season vegetables. (kale, lettuce, onions, cabbage, and some greens.)
Divide any perennials you wish to seperate, have rootings from, etc. ( rosemary, thyme, sage, some lavenders, and oregano.)
Prune fruit trees and roses. (There are many good websites that will guide you in the
proper way to prune.)
Plant fruit trees and roses.
Plant regional bulbs. ( calla lillies, etc.)
Clean your garden tools and wash and disinfect any pots and planters from last year.
Order any seed or transplants you wish to have by planting time in your area.
( most places will ship according to your growing zone.)
I'm looking forward to the spring. To feel the warm sunshine on my face, the dirt between my fingers and watch the beginning of life take shape as the tiny little growths spring up here and there.
What's your garden plans , do share~~
Have a Fun February~~in the garden !
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Chinese New Year-The Year of the Rat~
Guo Nian Hao...Happy New Year~ If you are of Chinese decent.
Chinese New Year is determined by the Lunar calendar, this year it falls on the 7th of February. It's actually a 15 day celebration when the working masses of China can take weeks of holiday to celebrate their families, both living and deceased.
The traditional color for this very celebrated holiday is Red, it is believed to ward off evil spirits.
White and /or black is never worn or used since it is associated with mourning and loss.
The rat marks the commencement of the cycle of 12 Chinese Zodiacs and thus are associated with enterprising and aggressive qualities.
Celebrations vary, the underlying message is one of peace and happiness for family
members and friends.
~~
Some traditional foods used in the celebrations are: Lotus seed-signifies many male offspring.
BlackMoss Seaweed-Exceeding in wealth and success.
Bamboo Shoots-contenment and all around wellness.
Un-cut noodles-represents long life.
~~
Coriander is known as Chinese Parsley and used in many recipes of both traditional and the more international fare.
~Some Chinese Proverbs worthy of their space.~
The more completely we give ourselves, the more completely the world gives back to us. ( The Buddha(c.563-c. 483BC), India.
Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking.
If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.
To your Fun and Fabulous February! Always something to celebrate.
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Organic, Natural, Sustainable, or Deadly?
Confusion seems to be the norm with so many who would like to be healthier in body. Every company from billion dollar ratings down to ma and pa roadside stands are tauting the advantages of organic, natural, and/or sustainable.
Ask me and I'll stand with the Ma&Pa ideas with full steam ahead.
Eating for our health is so simple-in thought. However, when it comes to actually putting that thought into working mode, it does take some effort, education, and a really big dose of determation in changing, not only our thoughts about food ( and its purpose) but also about our willingness to regroup and sometimes start at the beginning with a whole new plan.
We, as a society, have for too long, depended on big industry to grow, process, and tell us what we should eat, simply by placing it on the shelf in a oversized super-market.
For too long we have refused to say no to things we know are not in our best interest, simply because it is inconvenient. The other option would be to find our own way of understanding and putting into action, the controls over what we put on our family table.
Organic, natural, and sustainable are all terms that, in their simply and un-adultrated meaning should give us answers and a very easy place to start.
But, enter misleading information on labels and in marketing all across many fields-it becomes a task that many will give up on and return to allowing big industry to fill their need for "mealtime."
When we are looking for a starting point, consider these moves, take out of your diet all those things you know to be a negative, those you are unsure about, educate yourself in, read labels, search for the freshest possible way of buying.
Farmers Markets, CSA farmers, and food co-ops. In most cases these options will supply you with healthy choices and a plethora of information.
Be cautious when shopping very large "Organic" sources, some are the real thing and some are to be filtered, as with any large outlet. Products come to them from many sources, look at the source.
I'm sharing with you some places I trust, for many things.
Information, both good and bad. Clean and healthy products, through sources I can verify. Honesty through the years of being in the industry of their chosen field.
Some for their willingness to buck the system of big regulations that sound good on paper but has many flaws that amount to deceitful practices.
I trust you will find helpful, at least a few of these resources.
Do feel free to contact me if you have questions or need an ear.
http://www.localharvest.org
http://www.greenpeople.org
http://www.organicconsumers.org
http://www.edenfoods.com
Eden foods is a company worthy of getting to know.
They stand by their knowing of what organic foods are supposed to be.
Refusing to become USDA certified because they don't agree with the mis-use of the label,(with the USDA's acceptance and sometimes even their own injection)
Eden foods can be found in healthy markets around many sections of the country.
EatWell-BeWell~
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
Ask me and I'll stand with the Ma&Pa ideas with full steam ahead.
Eating for our health is so simple-in thought. However, when it comes to actually putting that thought into working mode, it does take some effort, education, and a really big dose of determation in changing, not only our thoughts about food ( and its purpose) but also about our willingness to regroup and sometimes start at the beginning with a whole new plan.
We, as a society, have for too long, depended on big industry to grow, process, and tell us what we should eat, simply by placing it on the shelf in a oversized super-market.
For too long we have refused to say no to things we know are not in our best interest, simply because it is inconvenient. The other option would be to find our own way of understanding and putting into action, the controls over what we put on our family table.
Organic, natural, and sustainable are all terms that, in their simply and un-adultrated meaning should give us answers and a very easy place to start.
But, enter misleading information on labels and in marketing all across many fields-it becomes a task that many will give up on and return to allowing big industry to fill their need for "mealtime."
When we are looking for a starting point, consider these moves, take out of your diet all those things you know to be a negative, those you are unsure about, educate yourself in, read labels, search for the freshest possible way of buying.
Farmers Markets, CSA farmers, and food co-ops. In most cases these options will supply you with healthy choices and a plethora of information.
Be cautious when shopping very large "Organic" sources, some are the real thing and some are to be filtered, as with any large outlet. Products come to them from many sources, look at the source.
I'm sharing with you some places I trust, for many things.
Information, both good and bad. Clean and healthy products, through sources I can verify. Honesty through the years of being in the industry of their chosen field.
Some for their willingness to buck the system of big regulations that sound good on paper but has many flaws that amount to deceitful practices.
I trust you will find helpful, at least a few of these resources.
Do feel free to contact me if you have questions or need an ear.
http://www.localharvest.org
http://www.greenpeople.org
http://www.organicconsumers.org
http://www.edenfoods.com
Eden foods is a company worthy of getting to know.
They stand by their knowing of what organic foods are supposed to be.
Refusing to become USDA certified because they don't agree with the mis-use of the label,(with the USDA's acceptance and sometimes even their own injection)
Eden foods can be found in healthy markets around many sections of the country.
EatWell-BeWell~
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)