Backyard Foraging

I’ve just come in from my garden bringing small handfuls of flowers to dry. Gosh I’m having so much fun! I’m so happy my husband is a good gardener, because I’m not, but I’m loving the fact I can do something with the plants. It’s like foraging, but just in my yard. I may be kind of a fake forager but hey, why go somewhere else if I don’t have to?

So here’s some of what I’ve been gathering. I labelled them for you In the photo. I’d already bottled the rose hips, but those tiny flowers are wild roses. They smell heavenly but they’re pretty small. I picked those yesterday morning so they’re partially dry already. 

All of these things will be made into either oils, tinctures, salves, teas or Potpourris. 

I decided to make a couple of things while I’m waiting to gather up my botanicals. Below is an eye serum, and a hot flash roller. 

I started getting hot flashes at 50, and I’m still getting them. The hot weather doesn’t help and tends to set them off, as does wearing a mask, oddly! This stuff seems to be working pretty well for me!

The eye serum is to help with dark circles under your eyes. Mine aren’t that bad, but I’d rather use something natural that’ll resolve the issue than slather on a bunch of chemicals. I guess the caffeine stimulates and gets rid of the darkness. 

I always knew coffee was good for me. Hahaha

I will add the recipes for these two near the bottom of this post. 

In the meantime, our heat arrived a month early - - - I am so thankful for central air!! All our igloos have melted now. 

That’s a joke, for those of you who may be wondering. 😂 Not a great joke, but I try. 

So, I am slowly filling up jars and enjoying the thought of doing something with them. I’m scouring through my herb books daily, learning and trying to retain the information, which is almost overwhelming but super interesting. 

You’re probably wondering about the egg shells. I’m thinking about making my own toothpaste because I don’t like the fluoride they put in the store bought ones - - - and I know you can buy them without, but they’re a small fortune and I can make it myself so much cheaper.

The blue spruce needles are for tea (from the tree in my backyard) as are the rose hips. Both have amazing qualities and are good for you. 

I’m going to have to go forage in the backwoods for the pine needles I want for teas. I have to convince my hubby to go with me because there’s bears in them thar woods - - - although we’re more likely to run into deer, to be honest. 

Speaking of animals, my son named one of his chickens after me. I feel honored - - - I think. He says the chicken will provide for him (eggs) like I’ve provided for him most of his life. Of course, that’s a stretch because he left home at 18 and he’s 38 now. (I hope you’re all really bad at math. Let’s pretend I had him at  10 yrs..........actually, no, that’s bad too). Never mind. 

Anyway, here’s the recipes for the Eye Serum: 

Ever Blossom Caffeine Eye Serum

And the recipe for the Hot Flash Oil:

Live Well Zone Hot Flash Oil

 

I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!

Blessings to you and yours!

Carmen

Victoria to Sooke, BC

Recently I added a segment called "Livin' in the 'Loops" to this blog. I think it's important to feature your hometown and the areas you live in. Since I live in Beautiful British Columbia, I will sometimes share something about living in BC for those of you that want to visit or are just curious about the North. This is the second piece for that segment. Enjoy. 

While it's true that I live in the 'Loops (Kamloops, BC), my husband and I met in Victoria and as such Vancouver Island has always held special meaning for us, plus it is one of the loveliest places in BC. There is always a bit of a breeze off the ocean and the heady smell of fresh clean ocean air. Victoria, the capital of BC, has an English influence with a bustling Inner Harbour graced by the Grand ol' Empress Hotel. The James Bay area borders the Inner Harbour on one side and the ocean on the other, which is where we go hunting for sea glass. We often 'stay' near the Inner Harbour and walk around enjoying the bustlers, artists, sellers and open air theatre that is a part of the harbour throughout the warm summer months.

SOOKE

Our last trip to Vancouver Island brought us to Sooke which is a small town bordering a bay near the southern tip of the Island. There's an interesting little story we heard from the locals about a Pirate ship that pulled into the bay many years ago and hid there from those pursuing them. The bay does seem like a perfect hiding spot for a fairly large ship and its entrance could easily be missed from the ocean. Sooke is surrounded by lush greenery and many beaches. You may have heard of the Sooke Potholes as well.

The Best Western Prestige is one of our favorite places to stay when we're there. We recently went to execute a will and unfortunately, to bury a family member. In the mornings we'd go to the restaurant at the hotel and enjoy our breakfast on the balcony overlooking the bay. It is a happy, relaxing way to start a busy day. The seals hang out under the sun on a pile of logs near the fish cleaning station by the docks. You could see various sealife when walking the pier. The sound of seagulls and the odd bark of a seal amidst breaths of fresh ocean air makes you ponder the possibility of staying forever. 

The courtyard

From the Pier looking back

Seals sunning on the logs near the cleaning station

The Marina

Another view of the Courtyard

Early morning fog hugging the waters

Due to the fact that this was such a busy trip, we took an hour out of one day to drive out to Shirley. It's about 20 minutes down a country road with not much traffic. It seems there's nothing much out there, but when you get to Shirley there is a little coffee shop on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere that is always busy. This time we were treated by a girl taking our order who seemed to be auditioning for a part in a play. She was entertaining, fun and quirky. Right up my alley! We enjoyed our food in a garden on one side of the building. It was a nice break.

We're back in the 'Loops now and resting up from our unexpected week long trip. In spite of the nature of it, we love the Island and often go and visit. If you're thinking of coming to Canada for a visit, don't miss Vancouver Island. It's totally worth the trip. If you're lucky, you may even see a pod of killer wales, some dolphins, or if you make it up to Coombs, some goats on a roof.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good week,

Blessings

Livin' in the Loops...Kamloops

Today I'm starting a new label on this blog called Livin' in the Loops.  While born in Holland, I only spent about 6 years of my life there, then we immigrated to BC. Canada. We lived in Vancouver, Burnaby and Lillooet. Once I was out on my own I lived in New Westminster and eventually Victoria where I met my husband. A job landed us in Kamloops where we've lived since 1984. 

Kamloops is nestled in what's called the Thompson Okanagan Valley area of beautiful British Columbia. It's the meeting place of the North and South Thompson rivers, which empty into the Fraser by Lytton. Our climate is semi arid, and you notice that when you drive in from anywhere, pretty much. We have nice hot summers and in the winter we get snow and cold temps. Our Springs are not too terribly rainy and Autumn is my absolute favorite. Kamloops is a wonderful place to live. There is so much to do both winter, summer and everything in between. 

I want to share this beautiful province and city. Maybe it'll be a summer market, a quaint restaurant, a person or place of interest - - we have it all. 

Here's a beautiful photo of the area. I love the way the waters come together in this one.

Kamloops!

Next time I will post something different, but today you have an introduction to Kamloops.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Blessings,

Carmen