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Native Flute: Voices of the Wind

05/09/2013 in Fun Stuff, Living in Beauty, Music, News, Old Ways, Reviews, Thoughts by Evelyn | No comments

“The flute and its music are indigenous to this land, it comes from being here.”

~ Ken Light

This gorgeous Rosewood Flute is handmade by Brent Haines of Woodsounds

September 2006, Seattle, WA. – the first Flute Festival I attended. The weather was picture perfect for the first 2-day long Flute Festival. I arrived early so as to not miss a second. The grounds slowly filled as the day progressed. I spent the afternoon in a workshop, a beginner’s flute class, with the very lively and animated Clint Goss. As the afternoon drew to an end and above our beginner’s tones, I could hear through the open windows the mystically serene songs drifting in from the stage outside – the more experienced players had arrived and began to play. My entire soul, every cell in my body, transformed into the lightness of an Owl’s feather drifting silently through the air with the vibration of the sound. This was surely heaven.

For me, there is something about the sounds of the ancient instruments, the hand drum and flute, that resonates with the core of our humanity. The spirit comes awakened. It’s more than beautiful music, it’s the voice of the wind. The long-lost messages and wisdom of our ancestors bringing me home. When I find myself in that place I long to remove myself from the insanity of this modern world. To be back among the wildness of nature, in the presence of that which is no longer tangible in today’s conditioned and regimented world. I wonder how and why we allowed ourselves to become so removed from something so civilized and enlightened of merely being present in this life.

I have since moved to the mountains of North Carolina and have awaited the opportunity to attend a Flute Festival again. In today’s email my wait is over. As I opened Brent Haines newsletter I became swept away with a little story he included, I would like to share that here…

“I have been inspired and touched by the people with whom I have spent the last week or so with here in Chinle and Nazlini. There are many differences between our cultures. The beauty of the culture I am currently in has captured my heart and filled me.

Brother in-law, Darrel, told me about the joining of the hands when two people meet. Each person says Ya-te-hey. He said the swirls in our fingers tips and the swirls in our palms. The swirls in our bellies and all the swirls of energy in our body. There are lots of swirls that make us up. These swirls are all just like the swirl of the Milky Way Galaxy in which we live. When we great someone we join our hand to their hand and say Ya-te-hey. The Ya means universe. So it is very literally the greeting our our universe and your universe meeting when we shake hands. This is done gently You do not need to show grandma how strong you are by crushing her hand in a firm grip. So the hand shake is ever so gentle. Yet it is the joining of two Universes. And how powerful is this?”

I sat there thinking about what I had read and thought how meaningful Brent’s story is, how it showed such honor and respect – far beyond the sensation or gesture of an ordinary handshake. This is how life should be.

I scrolled slowly down through the newsletter and came across yet again some of the most amazing looking and sounding flutes that he has available right now (see the image above). I know that the Rosewood this flute is made of is quite rare because some years back Rosewood essential oil was no longer available, my half full 15ml bottle of Rosewood essential oil stays neatly in my case and every so often I open the cap to inhale the divine aroma. The preciousness of life.

Brent has this to say about this flute…

“Honduran Rosewood Burl is my favorite wood. With the rich red, purple and black swirls, the beauty to the eye is unparalleled. The aroma is magnificent and will fill the air in the room you play your flute in with a sweet wonderful scent.

The sound is clean and pure yet round and full. Incredible projection. If you are looking for the best possible wood for look and sound, this is the wood.

Unfortunately, it is quite rare. I am always keeping an eye out for the wood, but only am able to find it every four years or so. If this wood is calling to you, give me a call right away as if I do have it now, I will likely not have it for much longer.”

I met Brent at the Flute Festival in Seattle and saw his amazing works of art. I also heard them being played by artist flutists, like Robert Mirabal – who will be the topic of my next post in a few days. Needless to say, Brent’s flutes are the cream of the crop in terms of beauty of appearance and sound. They are quite possibly unmatched.

Scrolling down further in the newsletter revealed a piece of news that took my breath away. On June 6-8, 2013 there will be a flute gathering, Renaissance of the North American Flute Foundation (RNAFF) at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in eastern Tennessee – which is practically right in my backyard!

R. Carlos Nakai, who I also saw in Seattle, will be there. As well as, John Sarantos, JJ Kent, Ken Light, Johnny Lipford, Randy Granger, Jan Michael Looking Wolf, and Rona Yellow Robe.

~~ Register Here for the RNAFF Flute Festival ~~

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Community – The wave of the future is here

09/16/2012 in Fun Stuff, Intelligent Designing, Making A Living, Natural Building, Old Ways by Curt Siters | No comments

Shoals Creek EcovillageIt seems as time progresses that an ever increasing number of people are starting to stand up and say “I want to live in a real community!” However, what defines community is somewhat elusive and can be highly variable. The definition of community depends upon the individual, family, or even a group of people.

For some it is just reaching out to and interacting more with their neighbors while others are leaving the cities and joining like minded people to start a whole new village – eschewing what they consider the oppressiveness, the high crime rates to find or build something better. They all want something better for the future. A place where kids can run free and have fun without their parents having to worry.

Toni Morrison was quoted in Essence, July 1981: “I don’t think one parent can raise a child. I don’t think two parents can raise a child. You really need the whole village.”

Two incidents recently came to mind about parenting and children. Once was the police were called, several times, on a mother because she wasn’t close enough to her children who were riding bikes in the cul-de-sac where they lived, while the mother was sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard watching them. The second involved a mother who was actually arrested because she was in the house and her children were playing in the mothers front yard.

When I was young I was like most children in that you respected your parents (even if you pushed the boundaries). You played in the front yard, the back yard, the neighbors yard – but you didn’t dare cross the street unless mom & pop said you were old enough and responsible enough to do so safely and that very act opened up a whole new world to explore while getting bumps, bruises and dirty! Then, when you were old enough to ride your bike without supervision the world was yours for the taking.

The world was decidedly different back then as every adult in your neighborhood kept an eye on you – not spying mind you. Just an eye on you if anything should happen that you needed help.

People are looking to return to those days, at the very least for safety and freedom. The freedom to not have the police called on you because your child was in your front yard and you were inside.

Reflecting back, I guess I could feel the changes that were happening. As I got older and would very often be out on 40+ mile solo bike rides by myself it seems that people were drawing in more to themselves and “hiding” in their homes. Interaction between neighbors was declining. Fewer gatherings – parties, celebrations and such. It has now reached a point where people have become fearful, distrustful and unthinking as they are starting to impose their values, morals and beliefs on others.

In the 1970′s, growing out of the short lived commune movement, a new way of thinking began to emerge. It really wasn’t new as it was how our many generations back ancestors tended to live. By gathering into small communities for safety and for the good of everyone by trading goods and services. Now 40 years out, this idea is once again starting to take root, sprouting from seeds planted long ago.

These communities were pretty self sufficient having most of the goods and services they needed right there, but trading with other villages when something was not immediately available. Economics was not a problem. If one village had collapsed it did not, as a general rule, cause surrounding villages to collapse, but then again, back then there really wasn’t anything called an economy that ran by complex rules. There was no “globalization”.

Evelyn and I are working with a couple of other folks to develop a new community, Shoals Creek Village, around the simple concept of a hyper local economy, but doing it in a way that we will be able to use it as a model for creating and building out other communities under the umbrella of My Eco Oasis. We are involved because we believe all communities could be better and feel that this project will help show the way for them to explore ways, both old and new, to make themselves better, safer and healthier for their citizens.

We are looking for people to help us, in whatever way they feel drawn, to pitch in. Soon we will be calling on people, artisans, agrarians and others to come and live at this new wonderful community. In the meantime join us on Facebook at Shoals Village and My Eco Oasis if the the idea of joining or creating a community appeals to you.

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

Taking a Stand on Organic Regulations Again: Organic Fraud

07/12/2012 in Cooking, Food, Making A Living, News, Old Ways, Reviews, Things that Suck, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

How refreshing it was to watch (see video below) Michael Potter, Chairman and President of Eden Foods, in his testimony before the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Many are too young to remember that back in the early 1990s there was quite a bit of concern and protest going on in the health food stores and among the organic food co-op’s. The fear back  was that the USDA and the now NOSB would ruin the organics industry in some manner.

Prior to the USDA taking over organic regulation it was actually quite difficult for growers and farmers to meet the very strict organic regulations. While we weren’t certain back then how the new takeover would change the entire industry we did end up seeing the change happen within a relatively few years and it wasn’t good.

Large corporations who have purchased most of the our nation’s organic food industry and farms include: Coca-Cola, Cargill, General Mills, Kraft and M&M Mars, Kellogg’s, and Heinz, to name a few.

With the change in who regulates organics also meant the demise of thousands of small family owned organic farms. Stoneyfield Farms is one perfect example of how a wonderful food product can change virtually overnight and become nothing more than just another average commercial yogurt producer whose product is no longer truly organic, not to mention the fact that the product tastes disgusting as a result.

About 43 years ago, Michael Potter founded Eden Organics, back in the days when the word and label “organic” actually meant that something was super pure and truly natural. During those days, carrageenan, which is a seaweed-derived thickener that has a controversial health record, was not considered organic and was not allowed in a certified organic product. Also on the list of not organic ingredients was synthetic inositol, an ingredient manufactured using chemical processes. Today, those ingredients are permissible in labeled certified organic products. Worse yet is that GMO foods and ingredients are also allowed in labeled certified organic products.

For those of us who remember what food tasted like before the takeover all I can say is what is being sold and labeled today as organic is nothing more than a joke, the entire regulation and certification is shameful. Since the late 1970s I had gone out of my way and spent extra money for organic foods and products. Since 1999, I stopped wasting my time and money. What I’ve done instead is search out local small farms and individuals who practice the old methods and standards of organic. I have trusted their word for years, over the now meaningless certified organic label.

Once again, a few days after the most recent review on May 22, 2012, the NOSB board voted to keep carrageenan on the increasing list of non-organic ingredients which can be used in foods and products with the “certified organic” label.

It is beyond me how any regulatory body can approve known non-organic ingredients to be included in products with a certified organic label. I suppose the only real way we can get the organic industry back to the wholesomeness it was prized for is to stop buying certified organic foods and products altogether, if there is no profits to be made they will stop making phony organic certificates and claims.

To make matters worse, the onslaught of GMO seed is potentially contaminating not only the environment but organic seed and crops as well through cross-pollination. In my mind, the fact that GM soy can and is allowed to be fed to animals in certified organic feedlots is a huge step back in our evolution of maintaining a clean source of food for those who demand better.

Michael Potter says…

“The board is stacked. Either they don’t have a clue, or their interest in making money is more important than their interest in maintaining the integrity of organics.”

Michael Potter refuses to place the certified-organic label on Eden’s product, claiming it a fraud.

I am delighted that Eden Organics is speaking out about this. They are the only larger organic company that I am aware of that farms by the old regulations. Of course there are many beyond organic small farms dotting the county and I encourage you to seek them out through Local Harvest.

Previous posts on the concern and safety of our food:

Growing Flax: a story of beauty, prosperity and ruin

The Trail of Corn: going where no man or woman has gone before

GM Canola Found Growing Along Roadsides

FDA Says GM Salmon, Trout, Tilapia Safe for Human Consumption

Organic Certification: is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Sustainable Beyond Organic Meats: we ARE what the animal eats

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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“Green” Getting Back to Where We Once Belonged

01/21/2012 in Around the Home, How To, Old Ways, Saving Energy, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

Isn’t it interesting that going “Green” and doing things in an environmentally friendly way are all the rage? I wonder… how many of the Green Movement proponents know that it wasn’t all that long ago that we did do things that some aren’t so willing to do any longer.

A couple of years ago my landline phone rang and it was a well-known phone company trying to talk me into getting a cell phone, something I don’t care to own for many really good reasons. Feeling exasperated because I wasn’t buying into her reasons why they are so great, she said, “well, what if you’re out and your car breaks down!? Or, what if someone calls and you’re not home to get their call?”

I replied calmly and said, “I’d do the same thing I grew up doing. I’d wait for help once or twice in my lifetime when my car breaks down. As for people calling me when I’m not home, they’ll leave a message and I’ll return the call when I get home. In the meantime, I’m not buying another thing that lasts for 6 months to a year that ends up in the garbage.”

With fear in her voice she said, “Oh, I could never live like that, it’s too scary!”

I replied, “It seems scary because billions of dollars get spent every year convincing us of all the reasons we need to be scared. When we don’t buy into it we find the world is a far less scary place, not to mention a Greener place.”

It seems to me that there are many fear-based marketing tactics these days, everything from: germs, a missed call, bad guys all over the place who will get us, and things you can add to this list…

Things like;

Hanging washed laundry on a clothes line to dry; rather than using a dryer that uses a whopping 240 volts of electricity!

Kids walking or riding a bike or bus to school; rather than a caravan of parents lined up in front of schools twice a day.

Using cloth napkins; rather than buying paper napkins.

Using rags or old kitchen towels for dusting; rather than paper towels or the latest dusting gadget.

Using a kitchen sponge to clean up spills; rather than paper towels.

Walking to the store; rather than driving a 300 horse powered machine.

Planting a backyard garden for fresh veggies and fruits; rather than buying them from the super market after the produce has traveled 3,000 miles.  Continue reading ““Green” Getting Back to Where We Once Belonged” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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How To Cook Grass-Raised Beef

01/06/2012 in Cooking, Food, Health, How To, Old Ways, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

SteakHumans have been eating and cooking grass-fed beef for centuries. The unique properties of grass-raised cattle is the omega 3-6 ratio is about 2:1, whereas the omega 3-6 ratio in grain-fed cattle is about 20:1; the omega 3s are what cause inflammation, the omega 6 are anti-inflammatory – there’s a huge difference here! The meat from grain-fed feedlot animals typically contains only 15 to 50 percent of the Omega 3′s of grass-fed livestock. This makes it easier to understand one reason why grain-raised beef is a rather unhealthy food for us to eat.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is the other unique property of grass-raised beef. CLA is produced in the cattle’s pH 7 stomach. CLA is a nutrient associated with lowered cancer risk, higher CLA levels assist humans eating grass-raised meats in burning fat and putting on more lean muscle mass. Two facts that have been very well documented.

Grain-raised cattle has a pH 4 stomach, which is quite acidic and doesn’t produce much CLA.

This means that even if you do chose leaner cuts of grain-fed beef you are still not getting any of the benefits of CLA, which may explain why many who do choose leaner cuts for health and weight loss find limited benefits.

No matter which way you look at it and analyze it, grass-raised beef out-shines grain-raised beef any day of the week.

Already we can see huge dietary differences in these two farming methods and the impacts to our health and wellness… and this does mean that we will want to cook our grass-raised beef in a different way, the ways humans cooked meat before grain-raised meats came into the picture.

The grass-raised beef fat is less and somewhat different and is healthy for us to eat. I think the largest difference I’ve found is that you really don’t want to grill, broil, roast, or cook your grass-raised beef fast as this causes the meat to become tough and dry.

Slow cooking, using a slightly lower temperature, is the way to go! This is why I also enjoy the Slow Food movement, it’s helping us to restore the way food once was handled. prepared and eaten.

If you don’t already have a source for grass-raised beef and other meats I highly recommend US Wellness Meats, they are a favorite of ours!

Grain-fed beef which contains considerably more fat is more forgiving of sloppy cooking and too high temperatures, whereas grass-fed beef needs a little extra attention and care; the same care people have taken in preparing food over the centuries.

How To Cook Grass-Raised Beef  Continue reading “How To Cook Grass-Raised Beef” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Braised Slow Cooked Beef in Red Wine with Onions and Carrots

11/20/2011 in Cooking, Food, Health, How To, Old Ways, Recipe by Evelyn | No comments

This is one of our all-time FAVORITE slow cooked grass-raised beef recipes! This recipe is a good example of how to slow cook meat too.Grass-raised Beef Roast

It takes only 10-15 minutes to prepare and while it’s cooking for 4-5 hours we can be out doing gardening or other work, how much better does it get than to smell amazing aroma’s coming from the kitchen while you’re outdoors doing yard work or gardening! Not to mention, coming indoors hungry and having this incredible meal ready to eat!

You will need:

  • 1 thick cut of grass-raised Beef (any cut and size is great, however, it must be 2″ or more in thickness though, we prefer grass-fed beef from US Wellness Meats because it’s healthier and better tasting)
  • 1 cup of Red Wine (we like to use Merlot)
  • 1 Onion, diced thickly
  • 6-8 organic Carrots, sliced into pieces about 1/2″ thick (bite-sized)
  • 2 TBSP Coconut Oil
  • 4-5 cloves Garlic, chopped
  • water

Method

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a heavy Dutch Oven pot, over medium on your stovetop, melt coconut oil, then place your cut of beef in and allow to cook on each side until dark brown; about 4 minutes or so on each side.

Lift the meat out of the Dutch Oven and put on a plate while you cook the onions in the same pot (do NOT brown your onions!)

Before onions brown, add red wine; allow wine to cook for about 3-4 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.

Put beef back into the Dutch Oven, add carrots and garlic, then add enough water to just barely cover the ingredients.

Put a lid on the Dutch Oven and place in the preheated oven. After 3-4 hours remove the lid and let cook for one more hour (doing this evaporates out some of the water, making a more robustly flavored sauce).

After a total cooking time of 4-5 hours, remove Dutch Oven from oven and left sit for 10-15 minutes before serving (that part is REALLY hard to do!)

Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

More of our favorite recipes:

Pot Roast and Baby Vegetables

Yummy Lamb Meat Loaf

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

Thyme Crusted Sablefish

Serving Tip: We like to serve this slow-cooked meal right from the Dutch Oven so the meat never leaves the juices it’s been cooking in; simply allow each person to break off a hunk of beef with a fork (this is so easy to do as the meat is fall-apart-tender!). Then, spoon out some juices with carrots and onions onto meat, potatoes, or noodles.

Leftovers Tip: If you’re fortunate to have a large cut of meat and have leftovers this recipe tastes delicious reheated -or- slicing the meat and making a sandwich! Makes my mouth water just typing this recipe!

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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He fits into the landscape

10/11/2010 in Living in Beauty, Old Ways, Reflections & Discoveries, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Luther Standing Bear - Oglala Sioux ChiefThe American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of the forests, plains, pueblos or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers; he belongs just as the buffalo belonged…

Luther Standing Bear

(1868-1929)

Oglala Sioux Chief

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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