June...Is All About HIM!

As if the world didn't already know that society at large revolves around the minds and doings of men... we thought we'd rub in the idea that this month - it's ALL ABOUT THE MEN. In particular...it's all about the ones who pro create little men so that our world may stay populated and sometimes... downright jam packed in certain areas of the world. In June, a complimentary societal habit of ours is to reward the men of the planet their just due. Thus, in the name of their exclusively gendered brand of 'planetary seed sewing' and worldly contributions.... we have just a few neat nick knacks that we think YOUR MEN would love!

After all, if a man can't busy himself all day long with tinkering, building, collecting, tackling, achieving or conquering...what's a man to do? Some ex-wives might even ask, what are they good for all together? Yet most of the Mothers of the world need only look down at Daddy's little girls and see that brightness and beauty and even world enlightenment can evolve out of the 2 year old terrors that abound presently at their feet. At EHS, and on behalf of all the Father's of the world, we've dedicated a section to the man you love to love! We've got an arsenal of outdoor grills, wine glasses, yard and garden goodies and yes, even the proverbial couch.... where he can snore away to his heart's content.

What ELSE could a man want?

A Return To All Things Organic

Is it just an age thing or is the electronic age making all of us fuzzy-minded? Back in the early 50's and 60's, daily life was quite simple and organic. Just tap in and watch an old 'Mayberry RFD' or 'Leave It To Beaver' re-run if you didn't actually live thru it. You'll get an instant sense of 'clean, healthy living' when it wasn't actually labeled that. Yikes! What 40 in-between years can do!

Ipods, computers, cell phones and 'texting' are such the rage...but at what price shall our bio-energetic human bodies pay for all the 'time saving' products we've invented? While we madly attempt to drive, put on make-up, text a pal and dictate into our voice activated devices, we think we're so-o-o-efficient. But at the end of the day, we're all scrambling to health clubs and yoga studios and attempting to prod our overly burdened bodies to suddenly, in 1 hour flat, de-stress.

Just what is wrong with being simple minded and sitting by a river with a fishing pole anyway? One way to go back to easy living is to go cold turkey. Let it all go. Get a li'l ol turntable, a few records and dance on the porch with your honey. You may have to wake up the next morning to the ol' ratrace all over again, but for one night...one simple, humble and ordinary night....you can just 'be' that. Simple, easy-going and actually relaxed!

Then 'We'll sing in the sunshine....we'll laugh every day-aa-ya-yeah...we'll sing in the sunshine...then I'll be on my way!' OK. Quick trivia! Who wrote and sang that song? No cheating on the internet! Exercise your MEMORY or engage in actual human relations and ask 'Pops'.

The Many Things One Can Do With A Big Pot

Confession time. Have a seat and speak boldly through the semi opaque confessional as your Priest urges you to come to truth. The truth is; you've used your big pot for MORE than just cooking. The truth will set you free. Confess.

Your faithful old pot. It's been with you for decades. It's been through spaghetti-thin times and fat, roasty times with you. And it has a few secrets of it's own. Oh, if only pots could talk. Pot would say that it was used to save the leaky roof from ruining the rug. It was used to soak a foot when a child was stung by a bee. It was used to haul dirt, and even as a pail for scrubbing floors. It held a moldy casserole that you absentmindedly left in the oven for a few days.

It was what you used to carry the poor dead canary to it's backyard resting place. Yes, POT KNOWS things you haven't even told your best friend. Now that you've confessed and cleared the decks of your consciousness, maybe it's time for a new set. Start fresh. Create new memories. We break up with our boyfriends and husbands. You can break up with your pot. Grab a bottle of wine if you think you'll need help getting through the loss. But do it. Be bold this year. Put your old pot to rest. Bury it right next to the beloved canary. After all, it WAS a sacred ceremonial vessel at one time past, whether it was designed to be...or not.

The Bamboo Rev-O-LUTION!

Long, long ago our Western Way of thinking about bamboo was akin to the movie, 'The King and I'. Bamboo was known only to be a vaguely foreign idea hailing clear from 'the other side of the world'. As the sixties and seventies bloomed, bamboo became a sort of cult style hippie kool thing and pieces of it made their debut as carved ash trays, baskets, clucky wind chimes and swinging, groovin' doorway beads.

Fast forward 20 years and human beings have once again, topped themselves in terms of utter creativity regarding their usage of bamboo reeds. Now we've learned how to shred it into the softest, most luxurious shag rugs known to mankind.

Forget the bunny slippers, these shags are even snugglier! Yul Brenner may have made bare feet fashionable in the fifties, and Woodstock hippies may lay total claim to the au-natural eco-craze. But Anji Mountain bamboo shags take us right into the next century...cuz they're eco-friendly, ssssso ssssooothing on the feet and so very 2010 chic!

A Summer Water HEAD'S UP!

This morning we're going to take a reflective moment to focus on the importance of water. Why? Mainly because your humble blog writer stumbled upon a Yahoo article about our drinking water this morning. And it's a great reminder of how much we depend on it. After all; we bathe in it, we drink it, we cook with it, we lounge by it, we play in boats on it, we snorkel and explore within it AND it is one of the MOST VITAL items we NEED to survive. So here's a few fun water tips for the summer!

Drink smart! Do lots of water. Not soda. Not beer. Not kool aid. Do water tinted with mint leaves from the garden...or with lemon or lime...or with green tea...or with ice and a cherry. Be smart about your water.

Cook smart! Doing a lot of outdoor BBQ's this summer? Remember to have a fast access source of water nearby. Even if some just sits in a kitchen pot right next to your grill. Better safe than sorry.

Work smart! Stuck indoors too much this fine summer? Refresh yourself occasionally. Step into the bathroom, take a two minute break and splash your face! You'll be amazed at how revived you'll feel!

Play smart. If you're going to lounge and soak sun all day by the pool, make sure you take an occasional dip to cool off your body temperature.

Water is a great BIG part of our lives. Taking a moment to be grateful might just amp up greater awareness as to how and if we are efficiently using one of Mother Earth's greatest resources.

Rebuild Your Health On A Summer Tea Diet

Tea therapy has been around for centuries and everyone knows it has healing properties. But what does it really do? Recent studies declare black tea a potential heart tonic, cancer blocker, fat buster, immune stimulant, arthritis soother, virus fighter and cholesterol detoxifier. Wow! Not bad for a shrub that needs only be steeped in hot water.

The Boston University School of Medicine has had heart patients drink either plain water or four cups of black tea daily. In a month, impaired blood vessel functioning improved about 50% in the black tea drinkers. TF-2, the newly discovered anti-cancer compound in black tea, suppresses the Cox-2 gene that triggers inflammation, says research at Rutgers. And Milton Schiffenbauer of Pace University found that black and green tea deactivates viruses, including herpes.

So it doesn't matter that you pig out all summer long - as long as you drink your daily brew of tea. Boil it, fridge it, drink it and pee out all life's impurities! It doesn't take a scientific experiment to figure out that a little iced tea brew this summer can do your body a whole lot of good!

Where Will YOU Be on July 4th?

The wonderful thing about a holiday is that we are collectively FORCED to take a break, despite whatever stress is going on in our everyday lives. A 'holiday' gives us a great excuse to goof off and re-gain inner peace and tranquility - sans guilt. It doesn't matter that the Friday night turnpike to the shore is jammed to the max, or that the serene beaches are suddenly saturated with ant-like crawling creatures called 'other humans'; or even that there's an hour-line-wait at the concession stand just to get a Coca Cola.

No siree, when humans party on a holiday they go all out. And funny thing! They do it all together - all at once. Maybe the Hundredth Monkey Syndrome IS an actual scientific fact. After all, does anybody do ANYTHING different for a change during holiday time? If it's not a backyard picnic, or a jaunt to the shore cottage or an attempt to remain incognito as one snoops thru the neighbohood's garage sales - what else CAN a person do?

If you're not one of the lucky ones and you're limited to the backyard this year, that's ok! Just grab a few lounge chairs, a few friends, a few beers and swat knats all night. Lucky thing it's the fireworks holiday, cuz no matter where we may be stationed in life -we'll all be looking up on the 4th. Happy Independance Day y'all!