Garden Plum
Welcome to the gardenplum.com healing blog. Read here for thoughts and inspirations about the collective consciousness of the world as we grow and develop through these changing times. Spirituality, herbal healing, the law of attraction, prophecy, abundance and prosperity- delightful creations and thoughts gather here.Archive for Farmhouses
I Have a Question
Yesterday I was in a big retail store, and I saw a new t-shirt line POSITIVES. It looked exactly like the Life is Good t-shirts, which run about $20 in a sporting goods store. These were $6 each.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think its a free market and knock-offs are just part of the market? Or do you think that they stole a great idea?
I know Life is Good, once they made it big, went on to do some nice work by starting a non-profit called Playmakers bringing joy to children experiencing ilness or poverty.
How does our culture view this?
When I find the world over-complicated like this, I return to thoughts about nature and the way earth was intended to be used. If two farmers are both growing tomatoes – I do not see any ethical issue or competitiveness going on. If two hunters bring deer pelts, also – no problem.
The problem is we are so far off the path of sustainable living, that man can justify stealing other people’s ideas, changing a few words and pictures, getting the lawyers OK, print the tshirts halfway around the world – for the benefit of making a profit. Followed by the argument “the right to be positive is not exclusive.” (oh boy I can hear it now). This is currently how the world works and people are admired for this type of handywork, and they laugh all the way to the bank. And some consumer might see $6 for $20 and they join in on the wonderment of “buying at a steal”!!!
And these are the guys who are winning. For now.
THE FUTURE OF THE CONSUMING WORLD – 80% OF OUR OWN PRODUCTS IN 25-50 YEARS
I was recently watching a TedX video featuring John Piotti, ED of Maine Farmland Trust. He spoke words of wisdom on this very aspect. He said, “…in 25, 30 or 50 years, economic reality is going to be such that its clear that the best use of farmland is for growing food. For right now, we’re in this place where we haven’t internalized all those externalities, and we don’t take into effect the full cost of food and the system is broken.” WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
Happy Day After Earth Day!
What Creeks, Streams and Rivers Do You Pass Along Your Way? Do You Notice Them Everyday?
The water can hear you.
Bring your voice! Pour
your heart into the river.
Say “Thank you. I love you.
I promise to care for you…
With purest intention,
may all water be BLESSED,
restoring it to life sustaining balance.
You are the river!
So many of us have beautiful river stories, but we forget them. Its time to remember everything about our water and to learn as much as we can to protect this essential life-giving element! What creeks, streams and rivers do you live near or pass along your way? Please begin to at least notice them everyday. Bless them with your attention, your awareness. These are the words of Debbie Berrow, the creator of these wonderful sculptures. This is her latest creation entitled River Keeper.
Sound Healing: Funny but True!
Last week I experienced a tuning fork attunement. I had some idea about sound healing, and I thoroughly believe music can heal, so I knew that this would be beneficial to me. But I had no idea what form it would come in! LOL!
Within an hour of coming home from my uber-relaxing session with Pam Pendlebury, LCMT, I had a sudden urge to go out back and pull out that rusting swingset that was thrown into the woods by previous owners. I drove the truck out there determined, despite May flies and rusted bolts! Upon pulling out of that area, I stopped at 3 other areas and dug up old car parts, barbed wire, tires – well you can see all the CRAP I pulled out of the earth! Next was the barn. Soffets, drip spouts, OUT OUT OUT!
Long story short, I had a major metal imbalance in the land around me and the forks pointed it out to me in the funny way that they do. This one happened to be fast and furious! There was an entire second load after the one pictured. Unbelievable. Pam just laughed at me, she called me funny. 
Tuning forks are designed to create a vibration of sound that is at a pitch that has been forgotten since the pyramids. Hidden similar to the dead sea scrolls, these pitches are (i am not a professional) considered equal to “the Om” and if you google tuning forks you will get a litany of the forgotten pitches that heal our bodies and connect us with the divine. My favorite part was when she touched the fork to my heart, the vibration was incredible!
Pam is an excellent massage therapist, art teacher & art therapist if you are local feel free to contact me to get in touch with her.
You’re on the Right Track Now
Yes we are. Each of us is individually experiencing a realization that something feels better. Something feels more right. Things are aligning.
No? Not for you? It will. Trust and have faith.
Not by coincidence, I was prompted to revisit the deep teachings of the Nicotiana flower. On the surface, it is traditionally used for treating addiction (nicotine), but read further.
What I uncovered about Nicotiana is its’ powerful action of reconnecting humans with the Earth. Reconnecting with a way of living closer to her. For those of us that live in cities or any type of industrialized place that is considered far from nature, the tendency can be to turn to cigarettes to ground yourself and reconnect with the earth, via smoking a plant.
Nicotiana can squelsh urges if you are trying to quit addictions, but it does this through a much deeper means. It reconnects us to that place that modern facility and function has disconnected us from – the simple act of living on the earth naturally, eating the food that we grow ourselves, planting a garden, talking to neighbors, having a sense of community. Being a positive part of our own ecosystem.
Trusting.
Trusting ourselves and man to do the right thing. Kind of hard to swallow isn’t it? Isn’t the number one reason we smoke, drink or do drugs is because we are hurting and want to feel better? And isn’t the reason we are hurting usually because somebody did something “to us”? Trust, trust, trust. Trust people, trust the earth and the ground that we walk on. Trust even more when the pain is greatest. Don’t clam up, shoot up or drink up because that’s what they want. The more we shut down and enslave ourselves, the more our power is somewhere besides within us. Nicotiana Flower Essence is a powerful ally to help during times of tumultuous growth and community rebirth.
A specific example of a positive change, a snapshot of “Nicotiana in action” is Ben Hewitt’s recently released book The Town that Food Saved. Awakened by a sense of urgency, the small impoverished town of Hardwick, VT recently experienced an uprising in getting back to the earth. They created their own re-birth consisting of a localvore movement, re-establishing of local farming and food economy, and at the heart is a local foods restaurant called Claire’s.
Through determination and a strong connection to the earth, this project persevered despite discouragement and negativity. Nicotiana connects people to the earth to give them the strength they need to rise above the times.
Nicotiana gets my vote for being the current Hot Flower Essence, the *Plum* pick of our current times. And Kudos to Ben Hewitt for being and outstanding example. Here is more about Ben here, and if you really want to see him “on fire” see what he says on FOXNews about our current food and financial system. One GROUNDED dude!
Pretty as a Picture
Ah, what a gorgeous picture perfect Post & Beam Cape. I love sharing these properties with you. Please come and live near me and bring your natural wonders! On 4+ acres, and across from a horse farm, just like us here at Garden Plum! Yes we get a daily visit from Dr. Pepper & Freckles as they dig through the snow to find wintergrass. A heated garage…your herbal endeavor?
Back in the day:
Cook on the cookstove, without electricity. There’s a woodstove here too – a four flu chimney allows you to use all of these electricity-free charmers.
Nights of comraderie? The description reads “deck and pergola with an incredible wisteria bush”. Wow…
Will post more as they become available!
The Environmental Footprint: Shopping online vs. instore
Yes!
Dr. Mercola published an article today that shopping in-store can have up to a 50 time larger carbon footprint than shopping on-line!
The studies, conducted by MindClick GSM and Carnegie Mellon University’s Green Design Institute, site “Typically retailers have products shipped from a distributor to a regional warehouse, and then distributed to individual stores. This requires not only extra energy but also extra packaging. Customers then drive to and from the store, and take their purchases home in another package, typically a plastic bag.”
Back in 2001, when I started Gardenplum.com, I wrote about its’ impact, envisioning the reduction in strip mall development, the reduction of big malls, and all of these factors being gentler to the earth. Its really rewarding to go back and read my words from almost a decade ago:
Plum Philosophy. Here are the points I observed about how much online shopping could reduce environmental impact:
1) Omit the gas & oil used to drive.
2) Omit the pollution omitted from the muffler of the vehicle.
3) Omit the money spent on the gas.
4) Avoid hazardous driving conditions & unwelcome weather.
5) Omit the chance of a motor vehicle accident.
6) By visiting retail stores less often, it decreases the demand to build more retail stores, which has a direct positive impact on sprawl. (Sprawl is the new construction of buildings, wherein the buildings ‘sprawl’ across the land like a destructive machine.)
Our local mall, The Steeplegate Mall, in Concord, just filed for bankruptcy. The on-line industry has surely had an impact in commercial development and building strip malls and tarred parking lots. The outlook for Mother Earth is definitely looking brighter every day!
When I was a small child… I drew a conveyor belt factory type object where food appeared in a magical box in the kitchen… and later saw a version of this on Stark Trek
and the Jetsons
where the food just appeared after a few buttons were pushed…
Perhaps an organic version of this is that our food will be just outside our door… in our newly designed sustainable gardens and greenhouses.
I remember both of my grandmothers talking about the single cow they had that they milked. Or the canning they used to do, and how they hated it. Between my grandmother’s generation and mine, something went seriously seriously wrong with our food chain… we developed some of the unhealthiest foods in the 70′s and 80′s, as if we were running from farms and a natural way of living as fast as we could. To get to something better. I would like to continue to get to something better… by going back. The government agrees with me, as the USDA recently claimed that our food chain is unsustainable. Local farming needs to be re-established, here it is right out of the USDA’s mouth.
Shall we shoot for 2020?
Related Links: Hoop House Grants Now Available – Winter Gardens
Farmhouse in Weare
Horse property, herb farm, use your imagination!
10 mostly open acres, fields, ring, private location, here in Weare New Hampshire. Large sun porch off kitchen, open spacious rooms. Zoned agricultural, another great opportunity to establish farming near us here at Garden Plum Herbals!
Want to know more? Contact my green friend and Realtor Donna Merrill (603) 493-8309.
Another Gem – I Keep Looking for You! Bring on the Green, The Farms & The Solar!
43.5 Acres of Fields and Forest!
1040 square foot cottage with southern sunroom exposure overlooks beautiful pasture. Set back 400 feet from the road among stonewalls.
Make improvements or occupy as is while you build your dream on this 5 acre homestead. And the best part? Conservation Easement to be determined on remainder 38.5 acres. Perfect for agriculture, forestry, horses and livestock.
OK, make your offer and take the plunge. Deering Center Rd. is about 15 minutes from here! Did I mention the ridiculous price of $215,000???
Contact my Green Realtor friend Donna Merrill. I’ve known Donna for several years, she is here to help us! She specializes in farmhouses & horse properties. Email Donna if you like with questions, or visit her web site!
In the meantime, I’ll keep lookin’! I get a lot of feedback y’all like looking at these properties. I do too! I hope to see you in my neck of the woods soon!
Horse Property in Hollis & a Note on Sally Fallon of Nourishing Traditions!
Look at this horse property! This huge farmhouse is about 1.5 hours from Garden Plum.
A luxury home, a horse property with acreage, herbs and rooms for processing them – finished off with a hot tub. Looks pretty doesn’t it?
Very soon, once again, farming and herbalism will earn the keep which is an up and coming economic reality. Did you know the USDA is now saying they need local farmers and they are funding this effort? That certified organic, and authentic lifestyles are NEEDED because the way we feed people now is not working?! That our current food model is not sustainable? This means re-establish your gardens for food and medicine and soon this will be feasible once again. Mass food production is killing us, and we need to get back to basics and our U.S. Government is putting their money where their mouth is. CLICK HERE TO HEAR THEM SAY IT.
SALLY FALLON COMING TO NH!
I just received news Sally Fallon is coming to Nashua (next town over from this house) in November! Here is the info:
The Fourfold Path to Healing
Nashua, NH, Friday Jan 29- Sunday Jan 31, 2010
Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine. An incredible weekend of dynamic discussions, presentations and lectures with Tom Cowan, MD, Sally Fallon and Jaimen McMillan, authors of The Fourfold Path to Healing.
It does seem like lately New Hampshire has become a bit notorious for its herbal movement and abundance of herbalists and alternative medicine in the state. This means it is time for us to take our place of abundance as needed healers in the area as people become more aware of truth.
Sustainable Living with 7 Acres, Its Like a Blank Easel.
I haven’t blogged about farmhouses in quite a while and have been getting requests for more info so here is a nice one that is only about 7 miles from here. I always admire it when I drive by. One thing that catches my eye is “bridge over a small stream”- I have always wanted a small stream on my property so I could invite Angelica if she was willing! And it has a workshop (herbshop???) and a wood fireplace which is great for slow salve recipes.
With 7 acres the possibilities are endless aren’t they… come live near me, keepin’ it green, returning to a sustainable life! Its fun to dream the possibilities, feeding my house hunting fetish! This one could be fields of potatoes and fall veggies, hm… goldenseal in the forested parts… Ginseng??? Fields of St. John’s Wort? Its like a blank easel. Edible, medicinal, sustainable… BTW, Weare does not have a berry farm of any kind… another possibility!
Also, I’m happy to introduce you to my Realtor friend Donna Merrill. I’ve known Donna for several years, she lives here in Weare and has horses, chickens… is a vegetarian… and is working on her “Green Realtor Certificate”. She specializes in farmhouses & horse properties.
Email Donna if you like with questions! Oh yeah, the price is $214,900 if you are curious. Click any of the pics to see more info.
