1/11/11

A little late with the happy new year. Just so glad it's over with.

Wishing us all some grace and happiness in 2011. We deserve it. Yes.

About 1/11/11.... It's my birthday. Whoopee!!! Maybe some study in numerology is in order??? Ha....that would be something. Me. Numbers. Funny.

About the photo. I have fallen in love with rose again. Of course I never fell out, but now my love is deeper and more intense. It is darker and more like obscession.

It's all good.

XO

Prunis dulcis

Prunus dulcis is a species of tree native to the Middle East. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus Prunus, it is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed. The fruit of the almond is not a true nut, but a drupe, which consists of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed ('nut') inside. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. (Wikipedia)

Why almonds? For the last month it has been a re-occurring topic that just keeps popping up!
Nothing major…for example; I switched from soy milk to almond milk (yawn).

On a more interesting note, I happen to live in an area of California where almond orchards abound and this month the trees are laden with fruit. My friend Karen who owns an orchard has shared some of the details of harvest time (now) and let me tell you….it is work!!! She will be crowned “La Reine d'amandes” at the harvest end.

I happen to love sweet almond oil. Wonderful for massage oil and a necessary ingredient in a high quality lip balm or hand and nail treatment. http://www.etsy.com/listing/54984066/hand-and-cuticle-balm-organic-shea

Oh…and I love to eat almonds. Great energy food when you are TRYING to diet. I like them plain and not smoked, sweetened, flavored.
Many cultures enjoy culinary delights using almonds (mandel). Norwegians use a lot of almonds in baking. I made “Prince’s Cake” many years ago and it was fabulous. https://www.sofn.com/norwegian_culture/showRecipe.jsp?document=Fyrstekake.html
French almond macaroon, Italian almond biscotti, German and Danish Frangipan (almond cake) Middle Eastern Sfouf (semolina and almond cake) and East Indian Badam Phirni (rice and almond pudding).

The cultural history of almond use is rich and quite interesting. Here is a brief peek from one of my favorite sites: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/almon026.html

Bitter almond -Prunus amygdalis var. amara (Rosaceae) is a different species than the sweet almond and has been used in the flavor industry. It is used is dilute quanities due to the potential toxicity of the constituent amygdalin which is a cyanogenic glycoside and quite deadly. It has been replaced with synthetic benzaldehyde and can provide a sweet “cherry” note to perfume blends.

Summer's End

Not nice how Summertime has just come and gone so quickly!

An interesting paradox happens with old parents of young children. My son is only 8 and I turned 50 this year and found something to be true. Many elder adults say that time passes more quickly the older you get and YES it does. And why does this happen...someone please tell me!!

Is there a way to match up this gap? I can see that this is only my problem and that of only perception. I fear that I will be speeding though time and missing something while Jakob is on some other plane of existence. AND....I barely went swimming this summer.

Could that simply be the problem?

Well I won't let that happen again next year.

Wildflowers and Contests

We are soon approaching our one year mark living in Chico, California. The rain has been non-stop and the ground has soaked it up nicely. The rivers and lakes are full!! I have never lived anywhere as green as this! The flowers are everywhere and so many happy bees as well.

Last weekend I hosted the first Shasta EsScents contest with the prize being a lovely oil perfume that was won by Michelle Labrie from Waterville, Maine. Congratulations Michelle!

The participants had to list 3 wildflowers that grow on Mt. Shasta. I loved looking up the flowers myself and learning about the huge varieties and looking at the fabulous photos.

Shasta Wildflowers http://www.shastawildflowers.com/index.html is a extraordinary website and offers some field guides and CD roms. I think I must have one for my next hike on the mountain...once the snow melts.

When living in Mt. Shasta, one of the things I loved to do in the early summer was a hike to Castle lake or up to Horse Camp to enjoy the wildflowers. I couldn't really identify more than a half dozen or so and probably still can't. Many years ago I took a few weekend classes that consisted of hiking around Castle Lake or on Mt. Shasta to learn about wildflowers. Imagine that. I could not believe that I was actually given biology credit for this amazing experience. The instructor, Dr. Kenneth Beatty was a curious and gentle man. He was an incredible teacher and had a real love of botany and life science. I am sad to say that he passed away in February of this year. It is hard for me to imagine the many lives he touched in his 40+ year career at College of the Siskiyous teaching Biology. I will always remember him...and while I was a marginal student, he planted a seed in my heart that grew my love of flowers. I am sure Dr. Beatty is resting in peace-- in a bed of beautiful wildflowers.

Apples

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30755605&ref=sr_list_19&&ga_search_query=apple+tree&ga_search_type=category&category=art&ga_page=3&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

It has been a number of years since I felt the excitement that the change of season brings. Living many years in a climate where the change in seasons is fairly drastic has been an experience I have loved. Living in Chico, California is much more temperate than Mt. Shasta City. We now enjoy an amazinag growing season and trees and beautiful landscaping design everywere. It is such a beautiful little city with a wicked hot summertime... and it's end is indeed WELCOME. I do miss my apple trees...

Apples are at the forefront of my mind when Fall approaches. I have many apple memories ....picking apples off my trees, picking many rotten apples off the ground and tossing them over the fence...(shhh!) The sweet and cidery smell that my basement had when I stored boxes of apples over the winter. Drying apples, making applesauce and apple pie and every kind of apple dessert imaginable.

Apple Pie.... my favorite. No I'm not going to post a recipe. I am proud to say that I can peel, core and slice an apple in 30 seconds. No fancy tool needed. But alas...that was the old me and I have changed and am NOT the baker I was. In fact it has been a number of years since I last peeled an apple!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22660477&ref=sr_list_8&&ga_search_query=apple+tree&ga_search_type=category&category=art&ga_page=4&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

The Isle of Apples

Avalon means the Isle of Apples, a fruit sacred to the Dark Goddess. Celtic Kings received the Goddess's magical apples of immortality and went away to live with Her in the Hollow Hills. An apple was given to the Kings of Britain to signify their sacred marriage to the Goddess of the land. The apple which Eve gave to Adam was the maligned Goddess's sacred fruit of eternal life.
Cutting an apple across reveals the magical pentacle of the core, the Virgin Kore, Morgana, the underworld Goddess hidden within Demeter, the Earth Mother. This five-pointed star in a circle was the Egyptian hieroglyph for the underworld womb of transformation. Avalon is such a place of transformation.
Cutting an apple across reveals the fivefold pips which form a pentacle, the symbol of Kore, the Dark Virgin Goddess. Apples were thereby thought to be dangerous fruit.
Apple games are played on Hallowe'en at the end of October, during the Samhain Festival, which is sacred to the Crone Goddess. In patriarchal folklore apples were dangerous fruit, the Old Woman's apple was often poisonous. http://www.kathyjones.co.uk/

The Isle of Avalon means the Isle of Apples and today the slopes of the island are still covered in small apple osrchard. Photo by Simant Bostock

AUTUMN EQUINOX

On September 22nd of 2009, we celebrate the Fall or Autumn Equinox also known as Mabon, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Alban Elved, Alban Elfed, Mehregan, the Higan-e and Winter Finding depending on the derivation. Whatever the origins, the Autumn Equinox is universally observed as a time for celebration and gratitude of both harvests and of the hearth as a symbol of family, friends and the home. The name "equinox" itself is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), therefore the length of night and day, light and dark are equal. On the day of the fall solstice, the sun enters the sign of Libra: the constellation appropriately represented as scales and balance. It is also associated with apples as potent symbols of death, rebirth and transformation. (Avalon is one of the Celtic names given for the Island of the Blessed Dead and literally means the "land of apples.") examiner.com

Here the nights are cooler, the air smells like dried plants and dust. The Earth is spent. The harvest is in and I am weighing, measuring and evaluating this years crop. I am offering thanks and am in awe of such bounty! I will go inward and check in with myself and see where I am going now. Time to be still and see where the balance is. Then.....I will make pie.

Have a wonderful Fall Equinox!!

~~~Ragna xo

Introducing Grand Coeur Parfum

Grand Coeur Parfum

While I have been working on a number of perfumes over the last year...this one came to me VERY quickly. I needed to make it ...and get it done. There was a creative frenzy and this is the product that I am over-joyed with!!

Big Heart….really big.

The heart of this perfume is all about the most precious and fragrant flowers of perfume history. Beginning with the ROSE…will I ever be able to make a fragrance without rose? I think not. I love her too much!!
Pure botanical absolutes of Rose de Mai, Egyptian Rose, Edward Rose, Moroccan Rose and Turkish Rose Otto are combined in this exquisite blend but do not overpower it. Like a resplendent bouquet, rose rounds out and complements the divine headiness of more floral beauties….Jasmine grandiflorum and Jasmine Sambac. Exotic Frangipani adds openness and green to the delicate sweetness of the florals. Distinctive Tunisian Neroli adds a deeply pure citrus note and Cassie absolute, from the Acacia flowers of Egypt lends subtle and powdery spicy warmth. Lots of flowery blooms that will take your breath away…while opening your heart…big.

Grand Coeur begins to capture your attention first with top notes of Egyptian Bitter Orange, Bergamot and black pepper. Dry down notes diffuse slowly with warm Wild Myrrh, Vintage Patchouli, Vanuatu Sandalwood and Amber notes.

Made with 100% pure botanical ingredients: essential oils, absolutes and concretes. Blended in fractionated coconut oil.

Available in 13ml glass roll on bottle. Perfect for your purse and travel.

Price: $55.00
Sample vial: $3.00

Shasta EsScents ~~

How do you like this painting of Mt Shasta? An artist from Washinton did it for me. You won't see this actual location as I asked her to paint in the Birch trees.

Shasta EsScents Blog #1

Well....taking the plunge today!!!!

After about a year of thought I have decided to start a blog and it feels just right! It took some time to "get over myself" and work through all the obstacles concerning starting a blog. The list includes the following, and more:

Time commitment
What could I possible say?
I'm not witty at all and might have to respond to witty people.
I could bore people to tears.
NO ONE would read it and I would be alone in blog land.
People would hate me for it.
I would reveal my less than perfect puntuation, grammar and spelling.
The pressure would make it too hard and it would be WORK. I don't need more of that!
And the list goes on....

I don't know exactly what has changed other than "everything" and "nothing". I am a braver person it seems and that is a good thing.

My motivation to have a blog is:

I have a product I want to sell. Honest truth:)
I love reading other blogs and articles that relate to my products and interests and I can share this with others.
Because I think it will help me learn about my industry and provide a better product.

I will share more about that....later~~

Thanks!! x0