Herbs

Have you been pruning your herbs this summer?
I have and I am delighted with the results. I have been able to use the "cuttings" for various things. I have added the peppermint cuttings to oil and have allowed this mixture to infuse for the past month in my closet. I have also added oregano to olive oil as well as to vinegar and have allowed this to ferment as well for a month. I have also dried some oregano in my stove for a few days. I have crumbled the results into a jar that I will use with cooking.   
   And the plants that I have pruned are growing strong. Where I have cut two or three new branches have appeared. It is neat to see. At first I just pruned the tip. But now I prune near the bottom of the plants. Even better results.
   Jesus also spoke of pruning in John 15:1-8. Now it makes sense. He just wants us to be real. The cutting may hurt but the results of a more beautiful plant, more fruit is so worth it.  I think many of us have been pruned these past 4 years. It has not been easy saying good-bye to the credit cards, the big house, the selfish lifestyle. But the results of prudence are  pleasant people to be around. Perhaps a more grateful nation. It is no longer about me and my family it is more about us and our community, our world,  I think. 

  I am not sure if you are regular drinkers of peppermint tea. I have not been. But talk about pruning and purging and cleansing. Peppermint tea before bed might be the ticket!! I tried that last night instead of the green tea. Wow. I wonder if anyone has patented mint  tea for weight loss?  I am now becoming a mint tea drinker. I am glad this plant is so easy to grow!!!
God's blessings come in so many different ways.

Become the ant, not the grasshopper

   I am moving red and purple clover from all other parking lots and empty lots to my lot. The red and purple clover is taking some time to root though. But I am sure they will. The white clover is already growing. I put some on the hillside beneath the cedars and it seems to be doing fine.
And smelling very nice.
 
I am starting to think of the winter and next spring. And I will need to prepare for spending less money by buying preservable food now. Like strawberries/cherries  on sale that  I can turn into jam with tea water. I am not sure how strawberry- mint jam will taste but I am sure it is worth a try. 
Prices for things will continue to increase. I am not sure about even electricity next year. So we need to plan now. One of the robots who can see the stock market trends ahead of time by being able to bring all the connections together predicts that there will be no action between December and May of next year. So start your own preparations my friends.
Become the ant that stores the food for winter and not the grasshopper who plays all summer and is looking for help from the ant in the winter.

meditating

  The wise woman builds her house,  But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

                                                                                                      Proverbs 14:1

I have been meditating on this verse for a few weeks. Whenever I am driving, doing the dishes, sweeping the floor I am muttering these words. I question the words... What does it mean to build? Am I wise woman? What is the difference between the wise and foolish woman? So for me to build I need bricks, lumber, wiring, lights. How do I obtain these? So I am asking Jehovah  to show me where these things are. 

These are His words and so He is responsible for teaching me how to build, and how to obtain the items needed. I am responsible in asking for directions. For building up my husband, my children and others whom I am in contact with.  I am responsible for looking for new ways to protect my family from sickness. 

Since my discovery of the good things in the peppermint and chives that are growing in my garden I am making an effort each day to incorporate some in each meal or in the tea. I add chives to the sauces, and salad. I add mint to the green tea we are already drinking and to the salad.

 Here is another verse I have been meditating on:

 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.              Psalm 1:3

Does this mean I need to move to a place of trees and a stream? Or does it mean I am already  planted where I need to be and I need to look at my circumstances differently? 

 What do I need to do so that I can harvest fruit?--get fit, plant, make dirt, spend time in the garden.  

Am I prospering? Not really. Why not? Or  I am spending the money wrong that I do receive? How can I spend less-make more soup!! How can I learn to be more wise? Read!!

Is there fruit in my garden that I do not know about? Dandelions, mint and chives!!