Before I headed to the sunny back garden to pick some herbs...
I had to show you my husband's breakfast breadfruit hash
it's made like potato hash, only we think it's even better
with some onions, garlic, coconut oil...
diced up previously boiled breadfruit is sauteed in the pan till a little crispy on the outside...
and still soft on the inside...
and sprinkled with some sea salt
with breakfast over...
it was time to make a remedy for fleas on the dogs
when we lived by the seaside, we never noticed fleas on the dogs
but, when we moved to the farm...
we noticed fleas on the dogs
we have a three step remedy we use for fleas that won't poison the dogs
for a while, I used a natural herbal powder that worked pretty well
but, the availability of that powder was so unreliable...
I decided to make my own
besides, it's less expensive by far, especially when we grow our own herbs
all the ingredients shown on the powder can were already in my garden
rosemary, peppermint (or in my case, jamaican mint)...
cornstarch, baking soda and cedarwood oil were in my pantry cupboard
I cut several sprigs of rosemary and jamaican mint and hung them to dry for a few weeks
when they were dry enough to crush into a powder...
I took the leaves off the stems
and crushed them into as fine a powder as possible
a coffee grinder will work just fine for this
I kept the commercial herbal flea powder bottle for this because it already has the holes in the top...
to shake out the powder
I mixed 1/2 cup of cornstarch
1/2 cup of baking soda (this will also dehydrate the fleas)
1/4 cup of powdered herbs
a few drops of cedarwood oil (I used about 7 drops)
once thoroughly mixed...
I spooned the powder into the bottle...
using a spoon to lift off the lid
this powder alone will help aggravate the fleas enough to send them packing
I do use it everyday until all the eggs have hatched and gone
our three step flea-be-gone remedy is...
to take the dogs to the beach once a week and let them sit in the sea for at least 15 minutes
once we are home again and the dogs are completely cleaned and dried off...
I sprinkle and rub diatomaceous earth (aka, DE) into their fur
the DE cuts the fleas and causes them to bleed to death
then, I use the herbal flea powder to dust the dogs with for the next few days or until...
I see no more fleas
a little work but, I know the dogs are not being poisoned...
they enjoy their beach time...
and they love the massaging attention with the powders...
and it's kind of peaceful sitting with the dogs quietly and convincing the fleas to move on
if you have no beach where you are...
give your dog a bath using a non-toxic baby shampoo
shampoo will help kill those fleas and loosen up any eggs in the dog's fur
please let me leave you with a photo of a beautiful, if somewhat ragged, butterfly
I find the raggedness of this tiny butterfly a bit poignant
it reminds me of how with the passing of time...
I am getting old, too, and someday God will call me home
in the meantime...
how important it is to redeem the time the Lord graciously gives me
but, I know that in the end, the only thing that counts is God's grace in His salvation of me
from sin, from myself, from His wrath, from anything that is not lovely such as death
but, even in death, the time of it which is solely in the Lord's hand...
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
O Lord, truly I am thy servant;
I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid:
thou hast loosed my bonds.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and will call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:15-17
in the 1599 Geneva Bible translation in a footnote, it says...
I perceive that God hath a care over his,
so that he both disposeth their death,
and taketh an account.
how beautiful!
May your day or night be precious in God's grace.
