Black Wood-ear

On Mountain Rose Herbs' facebook, someone posted an inquiry on blood thinning herbs:

I'm inquiring about an herb that will help thin the blood from blood clots. Tired of the 4 aspirin a day thing. Anybody know any good herbs?

Here is my answer, though not necessary to be scientifically correct. Posted are pictures of black wood-ear in both dried (left) and expanded (right) forms.


Try black wood-ear, which is available in any Chinese grocery store. Chinese believe that eating black wood-ear can help in thinning the blood.

The black wood-ear is a kind of edible fungus, like mushroom. Since the most common form available is the dried one, what you need to do is first soak in water for half hour, rinse and pinch off the black "root" or anchor points, then soak the black wood-ear for another half to one hour until they are fully expanded to its original form. Drain the water before cooking. You can stir fry the wood-ear with vegetables and/or meat. My favorite way of cooking is boil a cornish hen with black wood-ear in half to 3/4 full pot of water for one hour. Add ginger root and cooking wine to shimmer at medium heat. Add salt and pepper five minutes before cooking is ready.

25 Most Important Alternative Energy Companies

Recently I have been doing research on green energy companies and their stocks. The following article is the one I came across today while DOW lost 165.07. The solar energy stocks especially suffered a loss because of selloff for profit and run!

Alternative energy is big business — and getting bigger. The industry includes hundreds of companies that make a piece of the continuously expanding jigsaw puzzle that is the alt energy space. Rather than trying to pick winners and losers — which at this point is probably impossible — we’ve tried instead to identify the 25 companies we think will shape the alt energy industry for the next three to five years.

Here is the list:

1. First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR)
2. SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWRA & SPWRB)
3. Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP)
4. Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL)
5. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE)
6. LDK Solar Co. Inc. (NYSE: LDK)
7. Solar Millennium AG (OTC: SMLNF.pk)
8. BrightSource Energy (privately held)
9. General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE)
10. Vestas Wind Systems A/S (OTC: VWSYF.pk)
11. Siemens AG (NYSE: SI)
12. China Longyuan Power Group Corp. Ltd. (Hong Kong)
13. ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB)
14. Iberdrola Renovables SA (OTC: IRVSF.pk)
15. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM)
16. Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP)
17. Cosan Ltd. (NYSE: CZZ)
18. Advanced Battery Technologies (NASDAQ: ABAT)
19. A123 Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE)
20. Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXWL)
21. Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI)
22. American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC)
23. Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE)
24. Bloom Energy (privately held)
25. Areva (France-CEI)

Read more: The 25 Most Important Alternative Energy Companies - 24/7 Wall St.

http://247wallst.com/2010/10/19/the-25-most-important-alternative-energy-companies/

Fern Fiddleheads - Wild Harvest, Pure Organics

The brown plants are dried fern fiddleheads. They are harvested from the wild in China, called Jue Cai or Mountain Lobster. They are edible and pure organics. A good source of vitamins A and C.

Guess What They Are

Shown in the above two pictures: they are plants, they are organics. Guess what they are and what they are for?

Basil - My New Passion

I used to like cilantro as a child because of its sweet penetrating aroma. I especially liked to pick and clean cilantro for the New Year's Eve feast so my fingers had the lingering aromatic smell. Not any more. I have now my new passion for basil, or the sweet basil to be exact.

I was first introduced to basil for the well-known Taiwanese cuisine SanBeiJi, a pan-fried chicken with fried basil leaves and sesame oil. The basil smells so good, I started to grow it in our backyard garden. The dish cooked with our organic basil is so tasty, that is when I became addicted to the sweet basil. I bought the basil seeds to grow but didn't succeed. I bought the basil seedlings from the supermarket, but they wilted and died before I got the chance to transplant them. Finally the past spring I bought eight healthy organic (?) basil seedlings from the Worthington Farmers' Market, and it worked out pretty well.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a tender low-growing culinary herb in the mint family, and it is easy to propagate by cuttings. The strong clove scent of sweet basil is derived from eugenol, the same essential oil as actual cloves.

The word Basil comes from the Greek basileus, meaning "king". Many cookery authors consider basil as the "king of herbs".

Mountain Rose Herbs

Today NPR’s morning edition introduced a Eugene, Oregon-based company Mountain Rose Herbs, which undergoes substantial growth despite the great recession. Eugene, Oregon was a place we planned to relocate and visited last year. Herbs or plants in a broader sense are my lifelong passion, and organics are my new-found interest. All the above three reasons led me into an online research on this company Mountain Rose Herbs.

Since 1987, Mountain Rose Herbs offers one of the most thorough selections of certified organic herbs, spices and botanicals in the United States. Dried herbs, plant extracts, essential oils are among their products, sustainability and fair trade are their pledge, executive pay cap is the lowest level nationwide, not more than 3.5 times of the entry level pay.

Another interesting finding is the Columbines School of Botanical Studies, also based in Eugene, Oregon, which offers an educational program ranging from entry level lectures in community herbalism to a two plus year program including botany, ecology, wildcrafting, plant pharmacy, physiology, pathophysiology, and clinical herbalism.

With all these interesting people, business, and education opportunities, I might have to reconsider our relocation plan.

Blackberry

Blackberry, the common black berry, not the phone!

Behind the Chapman Habitat, along the bike path in the Summitview Park, there is a patch of wild blackberry (Rubus Species) bush. We knew its existence since last July when we started our routine of walking and biking. Still, it was a surprise when we encountered another biker yesterday, who parked his bike in the roadside and stopped for picking the berries. It was then we found out this year the bush has yielded the best ever ripen blackberries! We went back today to pick up more berries for our before-bed fruit snack.

Wild blackberries are like the ones you buy, but better. Among the best-known berries in America, you can find them wherever you live. The toothed leaves are compound — divided into segments, called leaflets. Since the leaflets, like your fingers, originate from a point rather than a line, the leaves are called palmate-compound. Each leaf usually has 3-7 sharply-toothed leaflets. In the spring, sweet-smelling, white, 5-petaled, radially-symmetrical flowers about as wide as a quarter drape the bushes. The fruit, which ripens from mid-summer to early fall, goes from green to red to black.

Mulberry, also edible, resemble blackberries, but they grow on thornless trees, not thorny canes, in late spring and early summer. We picked those mulberries, too, though the kids lost interest pretty soon. The mulberry is not as sweet as blackberry, kind of mushy, attracts some small insects which is hard to get rid of.

Pick blackberries that come off the bush easily. These are the ripest and tastiest. Eat as is, add to cereal, drinks, pies, cakes, fruit sauces, or fruit salads. Try creating your own blackberry recipes.

Caution: Kids who race recklessly for the best berries often get scratched. Wear old clothes when you collect. The thorns may tear them, and the berries, which are good for dyeing, may stain clothing.

Poison ivy often grows near blackberries, and they looks somewhat similar, but poison ivy always has three leaflets, no teeth on the leaf margins, and no thorns.

THE SONG OF THE BLACKBERRY QUEEN
by Cicely Mary Barker

My berries cluster black and thick
For rich and poor alike to pick.
I’ll tear your dress, and cling, and tease,
And scratch your hand and arms and knees.

I’ll stain your fingers and your face,
And then I’ll laugh at your disgrace.
But when the bramble-jelly’s made,
You’ll find your trouble well repaid.


THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKBERRIES
English Legend

The English tell you never to eat blackberries after early autumn. Here’s why: When the Devil was kicked out of Heaven on October 11, he landed, cursing and screaming, on a thorny blackberry bush.

He avenges himself on the same day every year by spitting on the berries, which makes them inedible. (Some people say he pees on the blackberries!) He avenges himself on the same day every year by peeing on the berries, which makes them unfit for human consumption.

That really hurt!

Monday - Cleaning Day

I usually do the laundry and carpet vacuum on Mondays, a habit I have got into for not too long, since we had our cat Lyra, perhaps even later when we had our floor replaced completely last Thanksgiving.

Our old front-loading dryer quit working for some time, and the top-loading washer broke a couple of times. We fixed it ourselves, and it was still functioning by the time when we decided to buy a new set of washer and dryer. We chose the front-loading washer and dryer from Home Depot for $800 before last year’s Black Friday. It is said that the front-loading washing machines are highly efficient in saving water and energy. The super fast spin cycle reduces drying time and is easier on your clothing, too.

I used the stocked non-HE Tide detergent for a while. Finally I bought HE Tide liquid detergent to wash the clothes. I don’t think there is a big difference between these two detergents, it is merely for the peace of my mind. I also tried cold water for more energy saving. Neither for bedsheets and towels nor for kids’ clothes.

Be sure to clean out your lint filter after each load — it can decrease your energy use by up to 30 percent. To be even greener, you can sun-dry the towels in a clothesline on your deck or air-dry the jeans, which take longer dryer time and are still quite damp on hand. It is especially beneficial in adding some moisture to your room in dry winter.

Green Driving - Soft Pedal

The other day when I read the book of True Green - 100 everyday ways you can contribute to a healthier planet, I realized the way I drive the car - accelerating slowly, driving at moderate speed, and avoiding the need for hard braking, is also the green way of driving: lower carbon emission, less air pollution, and energy saving.

I drive this way in particular to show someone that you don't need to suffer being a passenger, let alone saving the fuel and money. I really appreciate those drivers who drive smoothly with the passengers' feeling in mind. Even though I am not a perfect driver, at least I have been trying. When we have kids in car, we would like to compete who is the first one to buckle up the seat belt. The kids are now pretty used to the seat belt without reminding. Thank goodness!

When I stop for a long traffic light, I switch to the neutral gear, and I try to plan my weekly shopping trips to combine multiple errands: return and pickup the library books, shop groceries, go banking, etc. I avoid short trips, such as dropping kids to school when it is very late. A car engine produces about 40 percent emissions when cold. I would rather see them to be tardy for school and get a lesson to speed up next day. Luckily, the school is very close, and it takes less than five minutes for the kids to ride bikes to school when it is not raining.

Other green ideas for driving: turn off the engine if you are stopping your car for more than ten seconds, as an idling engine consumes more fuel and produces more CO2 emissions than just restarting your car. Keep your car well maintained and your tires inflated to the correct pressure level which helps improve fuel efficiency. Avoid high speeds and use cruise when driving the highways. At 75 mph, your car uses 15 percent more fuel than it does cruising at 65 mph. This is something worth rethinking!

Controlling Garden Pests the Natural Way

How can you keep your garden pest free and your lawn beautiful without wreaking havoc on the planet and your health, while saving money? Try Nancy Sleeth’s suggestion on the following natural alternatives for controlling unwanted insects and fungi in the garden, which are easy to make. Some can also be used for house cleaning and insect control.

1. Basic insect spray – Repels insects; kills fungi and mites. Mix two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid soap into one gallon of water. To target fungi, add one to two tablespoons of baking soda. Add sulfur to kill mites.

2. Peppermint tea – All-purpose insect spray; ant repellent. Brew peppermint leaf tea. Cool and place in a properly labeled spray bottle.

3. Garlic spray – Repels insects. Mix two teaspoons of garlic juice, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and one teaspoon of liquid soap in one quart of water.

4. Banana peel repellent – Repels aphids. Place banana peels around roses and other plants.

5. Lemon spray - Repels white flies and soft-bodied insects. Also get rid of fleas. Boil three lemon peels in one quart of water. Let cool, remove peels, and put solutions in a properly labeled spray bottles.

6. Lemongrass wasp repellent - Repels wasps and the like. Place lemongrass in a vase on your picnic table to keep wasps away.

7. Vinegar spray – Combats fungal disease and black spots on roses. Combine three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with one gallon of water.

Lawn and Garden - How to be greener?

So back to the topic – how to make our lawn and garden greener?

The only vegetable we kept from our previous veggie garden is the roots of chive, which is a perennial, meaning it can come back year after year. It can also grow back once cut off above the ground several times a year, and in July the flowering buds can be harvested as well. The chives are great fried, sauteed and in soups, especially great for making dumplings!

We compost our kitchen scrapes, weeds, and lawn clippings in our self-made compost bin. Though I do not turn it over often, the free natural fertilizer would be ready for the vegetable garden in summer.

We seldom water our lawn, though I have to admit, our backyard grass is ugly-looking compared to our neighbors’ lawn. I have tried reducing the area of grass by planting flowers along the fence and growing ground cover plants in the shady area.

I plant most perennials over annuals in the flower bed. When I introduce a new variety into my flower garden, I take good care of watering at the beginning, then let it be itself to withstand our natural climate. Only the fittest survive, aha, Darwin’s natural selection. My jewel in the garden is Peony (Paeonia species), though not a native plant in eastern North America, which grows happily and blooms splendidly now in May. A must-have.

When we first moved in our house in April nine years ago, we had the most dandelions in our court. One neighbor showed us Weed B Gon he used to kill those pretty yellow flowers. We pulled and dug the weed year after year, and finally we have fewer and smaller dandelion plants in our lawn this year. We control its growth by skipping those poisonous lawn chemicals, which filter into our watersheds, and are ingested by people and animals.

This year we have another weed problem with abundant green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) seedlings. One dead ash tree was cut off last year, leaving space and resource for its offspring to compete. I pull and pull the seedlings whenever I step on the lawn, and wonder what the lawn would look like in a couple of years if I do let them grow. Many state park campgrounds don’t allow firewood from outside source, one of the main reasons is being afraid of the high germination rate of ash fruits (called samara).

Our Green Garden - Past, Present, and Future

We used to have a HUGE vegetable garden behind our backyard fence. It is a land parcel of EPA easement, belonging to another county. We cleared away the thick thorny bushes little by little over nine years ago, and I had an ambition to have a even bigger native garden surrounding the vegetable garden.

Then the backyard neighborhood was finished the development and some of those backyard neighbors called in their Home Ownership Association and claimed back that land in 2007. Our neighbors and we had to move the fence and plants back in a month. Lots of work, HARD work. A positive way to view this: it gave me an opportunity to redesign our flower and vegetable gardens, even though I had to discard some of the trees, flowers, and structures.

Now we have a self-made tool shed, a self-made two-bin wooden compost box, a self-made wooden picnic table, and flowers/vegetables everywhere, in the backyard along the fence, in the front yard beside the entrance, and on both eastern and western sides of the house. Lots of green, continuous blooming of colorful flowers. Everyday when I watch out to the window, I see flowers smiling back to me. What a joyful life!

And the future of our garden? Faithful comeback of all my perennials year after year, even greener and more colorful!

Worthington Farmers' Market

The Worthington Farmers' Market was probably the first farmers' market we had ever been to about nine years ago. We also visited other farmers' markets, and this turns out to be the one we like the most.

The Market is open from May to October on Saturdays from 9-noon. This year we went to the market first time on Saturday of May 29, 2010, which was already the fourth week of the summer season, even though the summer was not yet officially here. The market is conveniently located one block south of route 161 on High Street (RT. 23) in the downtown Worthington, Ohio business section.

They are an all Ohio Grown Produce market, featuring certified organic farmers and organically grown products. The Market is diversified with many kinds of products: vegetables, meats, fruits, large landscape plants, free-range chickens and eggs, cut flowers, herbs and perennials, and baked goods.

I bought eight plants of sweet basil, hoping they would grow better than last year. I also found the garlic scapes (from hard neck variety of garlic), and bought one bag for $3. Hmmm, I have to wait until tomorrow to stir-fry them with chicken breast meat. Yummy!

When our local supermarkets (Meijer's, Kroger) advertised their locally grown produce and labeled their exotic fruits with the country names, I didn't quite get it. I thought it was nice to show the kids that our foods were from all over the world. After reading the green books, I finally realized the labels are for the people to estimate the food mileage.

The average supermarket item is transported hundreds, if not thousands, of miles. The further the food travels, the greater the associated carbon emissions. To go green, you can buy local produce at the supermarket and the local farmers' market to reduce your food miles. Check labels to see how far the food has come, and choose seasonal fruits and vegetables that aren't from half a world away.

Produce Safety Guide

Organic food often comes at a premium price, thus hardly anyone can afford to buy all organic produces all the time. We have to limit organic purchases to the most important items for our family, such as milk, or buy the produce with least pesticide contamination more often.

Apples, cherries, peaches / nectarines, pears, strawberries and grapes are among the most likely fruits to be contaminated with pesticide residues, so buy organic as often as you can. Bell pepper, carrot, celery, kale, and lettuce are among the most likely vegetables to contain pesticides. Buy them less often or buy organic ones.

Kiwi, mango, papaya, pineapple, and watermelon are the fruits with lowest pesticide residues, so you can buy them more often with less concern. Same for the following vegetables such as asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, onion, sweet corn, sweet peas, sweet potato, and tomato. GREAT! All except papaya and tomato are my favorites. I wish I would take this list with me to the grocery shopping as a reminder.

In between the above mentioned produce with medium pesticide residues are banana, cantaloupe, cranberries, grapefruit, honeydew melon, orange, plum, raspberries, and tangerine for fruits, and cauliflower, cucumber, green beans, pepper, potato, mushrooms, spinach, summer/winter squash for vegetables.

Plastics Guide

One useful thing I learned from Micaela Preston’s Practically Green is the Plastics Guide, which decodes the recycling numbers and makes them sense to me in my decision-making choices. #1 PET or PETE, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, and #5 PP are considered safest for food and drink; while #3 PVC, #6 PS, and #7 other are better avoided due to toxic chemical leaching. A note to the catchall #7 plastics: if it says BPA-free, it is OK to use.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastic, which is found in many water bottles, baby bottles, and in the linings of metal cans for soup, juice, and baby formula. Small amounts of BPA can leach out of the containers and into the food or drink inside. The problem is magnified when items are heated, which is commonly done in microwave ovens. Numerous studies have indicated that very low dose of BPA can lead to heart disease, diabetes, reproductive effects and even cancer. Look for BPA-free on the label when you buy plastic containers.

Rag Rugs - New Green Meaning

In America, rag rugs have always been the specialty of women living in the country or on the frontier. Rag rug methods were brought to the shores of North America with immigrants to the new world, and the hooked, 3-strand braided, loom woven and crocheted rugs are among the most popular ones. Rag rugs are mostly produced by recycling worn clothing or vintage sheeting, which is GREEN and fits well in the modern green movement. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

I started crocheting a few years ago, making little things for my daughter and home decor. At the end of last year, this idea of rag rug crocheting hit me right there when we were completing new floors for the rest of the house. I have tons of old bed sheets, every one has its story to share with my kids. I keep buying new sheet sets and duvet covers. Still it is hard to give away those old memories. You can imagine how excited I was to put those vintage sheets to a new meaning in my green commitment.

I have done two rag rug projects up to date, one in stripes, one in oval shape (sort of), both used in the main bathroom. The third and ongoing project will be a mosaic 3x5 rag rug for my home office.

Green Rugs - Authentic Oriental Rugs

Now that we have the new floor, it had been urgent for me to search green rugs to match the floor, because it was really cold in winter morning when I stepped down from my warm goose down bed.

At last not long after New Year 2010, I went to Polaris and shop at a local store Azia Oriental Rugs, which has been specializing in Persian, Chinese, Indian, and more oriental rugs for over 45 years. In particular, Sonia, the owner's daughter and the Oriental Rug Specialist, had been quite helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. We ended up having two room size handmade Persian rugs from Azia, one is 9x11-9, and the other is 8x10.

Interesting enough, both rugs are of Kerman Persian Rugs. Persia used to be a huge empire, and had its unique culture and art. Nowadays, Iran is the name for the Persian country. Persian carpets are the finest in the world and the carpet dealers have developed a classification for Persian carpets based on design, type of fabric, and weaving technique. The categories are named for cities and areas associated with each design, and Kerman rug is one of the popular designs.

Why is the Persian rug green?

• made of natural fiber - wool and cotton
• hand-knotting or hand-weaving (handmade)
• dyed in natural plant-based dye
• last longer and appreciate over time

Go Native in the Garden

The watering of U.S. landscapes, gardens, and lawns consumes billions of gallons of water every day. Nationally, 32 percent of residential outdoor water consumption is due to lawn care. To go native in the garden means not only growing indigenous plants but also following nature in care of the garden.

• Apply NO herbicide
• Plant groundcover in the shady area
• Grow our own organic fruit and veggies
• Recycle food scrapes and yard clippings by composting

2010 New Year's Resolution

My commitment to become greener or more environmentally responsible started from my New Year’s Resolution in 2010: eat less meat, exercise more. I have seen about 5 lbs to 10 lbs weight loss within two months. Well, not much, but it is a promising start.

The meat industry is a notorious environmental polluter, most of us don’t want to know about the details of the factory farms where the majority of the meat comes from. But it is important to understand the impacts meat production has on our Earth and our health. Being practically green, buy Certified Organic meat at least half the time. Being even greener, eat less or no red meat (beef, pork, lamb). Go vegetarian once or twice a week, use less meat in your meals.

It works for me and my family.

Green Flooring

Eight Reasons To Choose

Green Flooring...

1... is recycled and reduces dependency on oil.
2... meets government regulations for recycling.
3... can last longer than conventional flooring.
4... creates pride in ownership and contributes to a better world.
5... is safe for you, your family and the environment..
6... is recyclable to prevent needlessly filling up our landfills.
7... can save you time and money and makes you look and feel good.
8... ensures a healthy environment for future generations.

We chose the laminate floors instead of hardwood or bamboo floors for most of our house, though the kids' rooms retain the wall to wall carpet for the sake of warm feeling in winter. The laminate floor is much easier to clean, no odor problem which I had been worried for the kids’ rooms.

Green Kids - To be, or not to be

This spring the kids are taking the beginning golf lessons every Tuesday from SkyHawks. It is a two-hour lesson with lots of running besides learning driving, putting, and chipping.

One Tuesday after we came home from the lesson, I told Nosaj to take a shower and Einnob to have the ice cream drumstick first before taking shower, because she was the last person to have the sweet treat. Jason said: “I want to take a bath today.” When I pushed on, Nosaj declared: “I don’t want to be green today. I want to take a bath!” I was amused by his response and realized my going green attitude does have an impact on my kids. Therefore, Nosaj took a bath, and Einnob took a shower, though longer than five minutes – our goal, because she had to wash her hair today.

The first day my blog went green was also Einnob’s first day taking a five-minute morning shower. I wonder which way is greener in saving water and energy, getting her into the American way of taking daily shower, or taking showers when it is necessary, say every other day or less. There is also concerns of washing away human skin’s natural oil if showering too often. Same effect could happen to the hair making it drier and easy to break.

We used to take a one-hour shower once a week during the college time over twenty years ago. It is one of the best schools in China, has the best resources the government can provide for educational institutions, and is located in China’s capital city, Beijing. Can you believe that? I survived and still memorized those old good times… I tried to spread this way of shower to my southern hometown folks. They thought the northerners were barbarians!

It is said that every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than ten gallons of water. The average bathtub faucet flows between three and five gallons of water per minute. Thus, taking shower is not necessary to be greener than taking a bath. It all depends on how much time you spend in the shower room or bathtub and how much water you use. Jason, it is fine for taking a bath and being still green.

Jennifer Aniston said she takes a three-minute shower because she found out that every two minutes in shower uses as much water as a person in Africa uses for everything in their life for a whole day – drinking, bathing, cooking, and cleaning … everything! When you become aware of all the things you do, and the effect those things have, you want to make a small changes. Like with water. It is very interesting to me though it might not work to Einnob and Nosaj. Therefore, my practically green ideas of shower/bath for the green kids are:

Take a five-minute shower.

Plug the drain in the bathtub before turning on the water.

Use less shampoo and conditioner.

Use less body wash liquid soap.

Pause the water while soaping.

Lazy Days, Itchy Days

I have been lazy these days...

I like to pull weeds from our yards in the front and in the back, every morning after I am done with my daily walking. The weed used to be dandelions, however, this year it is the weedy green ash seedlings. Lots of green ash seedlings are clustering in the grass, the offspring left from a dead green ash we cut down last fall.

The lawn is now becoming greener with less weed, then I saw some three-leaflet POISON IVY creeping here and there. Sometimes my hand is getting to touch or has already touched one of those tiny leaflets! Oh, my bad dream of those itchy days... is finally HERE!

How do I treat the poison ivy itches? Basically, I don't want to take any prescribed medicine. I apply herbal essence oil or ointment to the itching spots. I washed with hot salty water. I pinch and punch, I jump and stump... (just kidding!) Time heals my itching problem eventually. Usually it takes ten days to two weeks. So I am still itching, and it is getting better.

Bad news: Nosaj has itching rash starting from his neck. Poor baby!

Plant a Tree - Tree of Graduation, Tree of Birth

Planting trees is a wonderful way to help the environment since trees produce oxygen which everyone on earth breathes to stay alive. Planting trees also help stop the effects of global warming and save energy. It is the way to go green.

There are other more exciting reasons to plant trees. Twenty years ago, our class planted a tree of magnolia in celebration of our graduation. Memories of four-year college lives together slide slowly down the hill and past the place where other tress will dwell. Twenty years later and in less than two months, we are going to have our first class reunion. I am getting excited to see the tree of graduation again! What story is she going to tell us about her life on campus along the little pond?

Planting a tree is also a great way to commemorate the birth of your new son or daughter. If you have older children, don't leave them out. Plant a tree in honor of their kindergarten graduation and later perhaps their wedding. Make it a family tradition of planting a tree for all memorable family occasions. It is never too late to start planting trees.

My daughter's tree is a Japanese Maple from Dawes Arboretum on an Arbor Day, and my son's tree is Gingko biloba from the court yard of the old Botany Building in the Buckeye Country. The trees are growing in our backyard year after year, just like my kids, healthy, strong, and elegant.

Earth Day - Celebration of 40th Anniversary

April 22^nd, 2010 was the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day has come and gone, Year 2012 is looming. If the doomsday is real, what are the most important things I can do within these two years? I asked this question to myself and my kids. I looked back and thought that going green is the right one I have been doing and will continue doing.

This is a blog of my everyday effort to go as green as possible and in a practical approach.

iGoGreen 2010

Today, I thought of this name iGoGreen2010. Luckily, it is available in both Yahoo and Google by adding the Year 2010, which is quite appropriate for now.

Hooray! Now I have more things to do. A bit overwhelming, though.