Nature's Stunning Abstracts - Masterpiece "Paintings"

 

"Each man’s necessary path, though as obscure and apparently uneventful as that of a beetle in the grass, is the way to the deepest joys he is susceptible of; though he converses only with moles and fungi and disgraces his relatives, it is no matter if he knows what is steel to his flint."

  -Thoreau journal entry; excerpted in Thoreau and the Art of Life

 

 

"The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention."
 - Julia Margaret Cameron

 

 

“The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, 

for I have seen the shadow on the moon, 

and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church”

- Ferdinand Magellan

 

"Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." 

-Thoreau journal entry; excerpted in Thoreau and the Art of Life

  

 

"Life is much too important to be taken seriously."

 - Oscar Wilde

  

"Between the banks of pain and pleasure the river of life flows."

 - Nisargadatta Maharaj

 

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - 

the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science"

 - Albert Einstein from Living Philosophies

 

 

"One is never so strong as when one is broken."

 - Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan

 

 

"Hand over the controls to the universe and go along for the ride. 

When you're a passenger, 

you can appreciate all the beautiful scenery that you might otherwise miss."

Author unknown

Swollen Lymph Nodes and an Herbal Remedy

So, once I arrived at work yesterday, I realized my lymph nodes in my face and neck were quite swollen and very painful...ack.  It hurt to talk or chew, plus I had some upper back, neck and shoulder tension.  Not having much on hand, I just kept hydrated, took some Vitamin C, and made up an herbal remedy when I arrived home.  Thinking I may have the start of the flu, or worse, I knew I needed to act to hopefully nip it in the bud since I am leaving for a trip in a few days.

This is what I did, along with a Zinc lozenge.

Using what I had on hand (meaning I may have used other herbs had I had other herbs on hand), I decocted, in about four cups of water,  a few tablespoons of Red Root and a small handful of dried Elderberries to which I infused a few small handfuls of Red Clover.  I strained this and saved the marc to re-use the next day.  I split it into two doses,  having one before I went to bed.  To each dose, I added a dropper each of Usnea and Propolis tincture and a spoonful of raw honey.

Golden Propolis from my Bees.

When I awoke the next morning, the swelling and pain was reduced to less than half.  I drank the other dose and made my second decoction with the leftover marc, making two more doses, one of which I will have tonight, the other tomorrow morning.  I will make another batch if needed tomorrow afternoon.

Look at that beautiful, rich, full color.

Here is a photo of the beautiful Usnea I harvested for the tincture.

I will harvest some Lemon Balm from the garden today and add it to a bath tonight to help relax the muscle tension.  I'll also infuse it in my evening dose above for its anti-viral effects.