« October 2004 | Main | December 2004 »
November 30, 2004
Talking about community
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to talk about "Defining Community" at a conference held at Hancock Shaker Village, which is not far from here. It was a miserable damp day and we were in an unheated barn, but what a pleasure it was to talk about community, and the Encyclopedia of Community, with a knowledgable bunch of scholars and communards. I took this photo moments after we arrived--I love the turbulent autumn sky.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 4:30 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2004
Simply Salt
Over the weekend I was catching up - well, not catching up at all, but trying to get a little less behind. I found a couple of old-fashioned Mason jars and filled one with epsom salts and the other with plain old kosher salt. As simple (and cheap) as you can get in the world of beauty products, and I found myself thinking that I should put this in the blog. But, I said to myself, what good is using salt going to do, really? Will this help save the planet? 
No, it won't, by a long stretch. But what counts is the connections. Damage to the planet happens by a domino effect, and it's little things we do that reorient our thinking, and can reorient our connection with the natural world.
(The epsom salts, by the way, are good for soaking tired feet or a tired, stressed body, and the kosher salt I mix with rose-scented almond oil to make a body scrub.)
Posted by Karen Christensen at 5:50 AM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2004
A Hot Bath on a Cold Sunday
No, not soup or bread, but homemade bath oil, made from kitchen cupboard ingredients:
Egg-Cream Bath Oil
1 whole egg
1/2 cup sesame oil (or another vegetable oil; note: this is light sesame oil from the wholefood store, not the dark kind used to season Chinese food!)
1 Tbsp washing-up liquid
2 Tbsp rubbing alcohol (or vodka if you prefer - this is a preservative and helps disperse the bath oil)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp orange or lemon extract (or favorite essential oil or perfume)
Beat egg and sesame oil together until smooth with a wire whisk.
Slowly add washing-up liquid while you continue beating. A smooth, pale gold lotion will form.
Very slowly add alcohol (which will thin mixture again), and then the milk. The milk may be a bit difficult to beat in.
Add scent. You can also substitute your favorite cologne in place of all or part of the alcohol.
Use ΒΌ cup or more per bath. Store in refrigerator.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)
Giving Thanks
We've just celebrated the most American of holidays, Thanksgiving, with a free-range turkey, mounds of mashed potatoes and garlic-roasted squash, and even homemade pies this year. After the U.S. election result in November, it's been hard to feel thankful and even harder to feel happy about being American. But there is something special and restorative about an event we all - red states and blue states, vegetarians and meat-eaters, old and young - celebrate together. And it's good to see the earth's bounty so much a center of our festivities - unlike what you see in the manic shopping that started the next day! More about Christmas shopping to come.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 8:27 AM | Comments (0)