The View From My Boots: Public Meeting Scheduled re: Sand Mining Permit

(From The Melbourne Times)

PUBLIC MEETING:

ADEQ (Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality) will hold a public meeting and hearing December 3, 2009, in Mount Pleasant, AR to accept comments on a draft permit for construction of a process water recycling pond for Bluebird Sand, LLC in Izard County. The meeting will start at 6:00pm.

Take a look at my books and other places I've published:

(Click on the cover to view at Amazon.com)

A Mile in Her Boots is a collection of true adventure stories by women working in wild outdoor occupations, from smoke jumping to biology, river running to professional falconry, horse packing to atmospheric science, and more.

The Back Road to Crazy is a collection of stories by wildlife biologists around the world whose on-the-job adventures range from hilarious to hair-raising.

You can read excerpts of my stories from both books in the"Other Topics: 2007, March" section below.

I also write for MaryJanesFarm magazine, Your Big Backyard Magazine, The White River Current newspaper, and occasionally for The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's Bugle magazine. Click the pics below to visit these periodicals.

Tips, Recipes, and Resources for Natural Living

House Cleaning:

I use ONLY white vinegar, baking soda, and peroxide to clean everything in my house: windows, appliances, countertops, sinks, tubs, floors, carpets, toilets...everything.

Laundry Powder:

Borax and Washing Soda. Use about 1/4 cup of each for an average-sized load of wash. You can buy both in the detergent section of most stores (washing soda can be harder to find). Often, I just use straight borax. In hot water, it supposedly has a bit of a bleaching effect, which comes in handy around my house.

Dish Detergent:

Seventh Generation liquid dish soap for hand washing and Ecover tablets for the dishwasher (until I figure out homemade alternatives).

Deodorant:

Ask any hunter - baking soda is THE BEST. Dust a bit under each arm and stay scentless all day. Just don't do it on wet skin - ouch.

Soap (face, hands, and the rest):

Dr. Bronner's pure liquid castile soap by the gallon.

Toothpaste:

Tom's of Maine (or sometimes baking soda & peroxide)

Perfume:
Blech! I don't care for it at all - gives me a headache. But I can appreciate the slight scent of a drop of essential oil (like honeysuckle, mmm) in my unscented lotion.

Lotion:
Beauty Without Cruelty Organic Botanical Lotion. It's thick, organic, and perfectly fragrance FREE. Sometimes, though, I just use straight organic coconut or olive oil...or butter if I get a bunch on my hands while cooking...

"Feminine Protection":

No, I don't mean my shotgun; I'm talking about monthly matters. The Diva Cup (www.divacup.com)

My Quest for Bottle-less Shampoo...

After admitting (sadly) that homemade hair care doesn't work for me, I tried a shampoo bar (much like a bar of soap). Shampoo bars come in planet-friendly paper wrapping, and they have the added cost benefit of not being full of water, which is the #1 ingredient in bottled shampoos. Sadly, my hair still felt yucky. So, my solution for now is to buy bottled shampoo and conditioner and DILUTE the heck out of them. Seems to be working so far. My favorite brand is Aubrey Organics. Some people use straight aloe vera gel for hair conditioning and styling, but I'll have to try that some other day. As for hair "gloss," which is vital to those of us with frizz-prone curls, plain old glycerin or castor oil work great!

Comment from reader djh/texas...

try the j. r. liggetts bar shampoo. it works way better than burt's bees and BB was recently bought by clorox. also i've found that chandrika and grandpa's pine tar soap both work well but not quite as good as j. r. liggetts.

Want to check out the safety of the products you're using? Look them up at the Skin Deep cosmetics safety database.

UPDATE: YEA! We've been using JR Liggetts thanks to DJH's comment above, and we're all pretty darn happy. I rinse with apple cider vinegar occasionally for best results, and a smigde of leave-in conditioner works best for my dry, curly hair (no in-shower conditioner at all). Progress!

Fruit and Veggie Wash:
I spritz produce with a spray bottle of peroxide and let it sit for a couple of minutes (I read in Paul Pitchford's Healing With Whole Foods that peroxide "denatures" pesticides. True? I don't know for sure, but I figure it can't hurt). Then, I do a quick wash with dish soap and rinse well.

Chicken Feed:
Pure pasture bugs and greens in the summertime. Come winter, we go for broke (literally) and order Organic Layer ration from Countryside Natural Products. That stuff looks so good, I'd eat it.

Bulk Natural Food:
Azure Standard's truck-route delivery is now available to my rural corner of the country. Quality food, great prices. Check it out at www.azurestandard.com. We love it!

The View From My Boots

Public Meeting Scheduled re: Sand Mining Permit

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A little more about me...

Take a look at my books and other places I've published:

My “Fishy Poems” won the Preschool Fiction category of 2009 Assoc. of Educational Publishers Awards

Other Topics

My last painting (2 long years ago)

Beguiling Blogs

Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

Links I Like

Tips, Recipes, and Resources for Natural Living

Followers

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My Wish List for Calico Rock