High Mesa Happenings

Working as a Team

 

"A pod of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of  Florida  have developed  a 

remarkable hunting strategy in order to catch fish. Another awesome 

thing about this technique is that only one female in the pod can 

create this ring, and it's always counterclockwise. "

 

From Jane Y-B,  friend of HMHC; thank you!

Posted by Nadette

Weather Up-Date on Upcoming Mixed Sweat Lodge !

Please find below an update on the upcoming Mixed Sweat Lodge at HMHC, this Sunday, January 24, 2010,  visit the blog again for tomorrow's update, or call Sonnie Licona, as the event draws closer. Thank you.

"Memo and I visited this morning and we continue to stand in the intention of having the Lodge on Sunday.  We also discussed the possibility of having a Pipe Ceremony with a feast to follow if the snow levels create a situation where holding the Lodge won’t be possible.  That being said – Mother Nature may have different plans.  It is snowing in Cloudcroft now and the roads are snow packed and icy.  I just checked the National Weather site and they are predicting a possible 12 – 25 inches of snow here by Saturday.  As much as we want to get the group together we would never want to risk anyone’s safety.  Travel in the midst of blizzard conditions can be treacherous.

I will send out updates tomorrow afternoon.

Mitakuye Oyasin,

Sonnie

575-430-3715"

The Three Snow Bears
Written and illustrated  by
Jan Brett

G. P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 978-0-399-24792-7

They Used to What ?!!

Cindy W., a long time friend of HMHC sent this interesting and entertaining piece. Thanks Cindy for this edifying talk into the past!

They used to use urine to tan animal skins , so families used to all pee in a pot and then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were Piss Poor.
But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot.They didn't have a pot to piss in and were the lowest of the low.

Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water , then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all, the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying: don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying: it's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying: dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

Getting quite an education , aren't you?

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could , bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food , causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth. Now , whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Divine Friends

Susan A., a long time friend of HMHC, sent this video to share with many of the HMHC friends and families who do love and care for dogs, and other pets.

Then, to celebrate and honor your pup(s,) enter your pet (s) in the

                            Dashing and Divine Dog Contest,

which offers “ owners a chance to showcase their dogs online, reconnect not only with their dogs but with friends and family, and raise money for their favorite charity.” (PRWeb)

The Contest is a caring gesture of  Studio O, friends of HMHC.

Be Kinder than Necessary

Thank you Peter S.,  friend of HMHC, for sending  us this message:

 

 Fish Story

A guy who lives at Lake Conroe (50 miles north of Houston ) saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.

It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had
obviously tried to swallow a basketball which
became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to
dive, but unable to because the ball would
always bring him back up to the surface.
The guy tried numerous times to get the ball out,
but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut
the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry
catfish.
You probably wouldn't believed this, if you couldn’t see the following pictures...

　

Be kinder than necessary. 'Cause everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Kids and Nature

Summer is here. Kids are home or grandchildren come and visit. 

There is now a new condition affecting our youth, and along a label for it: Nature Deficient Disorder. Click the link to find a NPR report and a book about this ailment.

Then, Nature lovers ! do with kids what you love to do yourself: go to a water park, go camping, find your favorite outdoor spot to read them nature and animal stories, draw and invent with them new flowers, animals, trees, places, etc. Just about anything that will inspire budding botanists!

And never mind that special bond and awe you inspire!

For more tips, visit The Green Life

Find fun printable Earth Coloring Pictures and Reading Activities at Love our Earth.

Written and Posted by NWH

Spiders to Know About

I don't know about you. Me,I have been gardening heavily for several months now. To basic house chores, I have attended, somewhat. Cleaning chores? Even less. Nowadays, my interior decorating definitively includes spidery corners. Sometimes going from one room to another, I stop dead in my track, simply because I wrapped my head in silk threads. My bathroom has been especially welcoming Daddy Long-Legs. Just seems to me, spiders are everywhere this season. I'm not being accusatory towards them. I am not afraid of them and don't really mind them that much. I rather find Daddy Long-Legs to be attractive in their appearance and because they send good omen about my relationships, I like them. Yet at the same time, when I see a spider, out of habit I mumble my native nursery rhyme:

 Araignee du soir, espoir; araignee du matin, chagrin.*

 So I pick up all those spiders who show up at night and lovingly carry them outside. Those that I meet in the morning, whack!... sorry guys. I almost always immediately regret my morning gestures and swear I will save a dozen a time; next morning. But this season, mornings have just been killers. So I decided to study and share with you the chart below. The chart was sent by Cindy Wilson, a Friend and Reader of HMHC. 

Thank you Cindy for sharing and saving lives!

* Spider in the morning,hope; spider in the evening, grieving. 

Written  by Nature's Well to Healing; Posted by NWH

Carpe Diem! A Wilderness Awareness Workshop at HMHC

                                        

HMHCis most proud and excited to host a remarkable workshop on May 23, 2009, 9:00am till 6:00pm:

                                     Wilderness Awareness Workshop

"This cutting-edge awareness training designed for challenging times, writes Robert Bawol, M.A. and Instructor, has been built upon decades of real-world experience and continual refinement out in the field in deep wilderness and intense international arenas. Even highly experienced outdoors people and martial artists have been quite impressed at how much they have learned in as little as one day of awareness training. "

Robert Bawol, MA, Monterey Institute of International Studies; MMQ, International Institute of Medical Qigong, is the owner of Primal Qi Synergy.™ He explores diverse natural, cultural and energetic realms, including in Alaska, Uzbekistan, Mexico and Russia. Robert synergistically practices and teaches awareness, wilderness, herbal and qigong/energetic skills based on harmony and Fusion with the Universe.

The Awareness Workshop covers some of the following topics:

• Ancient Navigation Methods including Energetics

          • Danger Areas and Safety

• Energetic Sensitivity from Qi Gong and Systema

          • Basic Tracking Concepts

• Pulsation/Vibration Analysis

           • Vision Empowerment

• Environmental Yin, Yang and Qi Flow

           • Stealth

• Purification and Empowerment of Intuition

           • Birds as Awareness Aids

• Extensive Blindfolded Exercises

           • Animal and Human Movement Patterns

• Knowledge from a Distance

           • Instant Meditation and Brain Pattern Quick Shifts

• Critical Distance

“All over the world, adds Robert, Ancient Masters of these very powerful skills retained or recaptured the child-like aspects of joyful enthusiasm, energetic sensitivity, deep curiosity and intuition, the ability to silently observe and listen without premature analysis, a capacity to flex and flow with the vagaries of life, and an open mindedness instead of forcing rigid reality views upon situations. Thus the name Laughing Waters: A mindset of flowing like water with Nature, experiencing increased awareness and great joy while pushing your limits in exploration of this awesome Universe.

Awareness Workshops teach life-altering, highly practical ancient skills. These skills greatly empower energetic perception, safety, acute observation, Oneness, and smooth movement in any environment, whether wilderness or city jungle. Awareness training can also boost artistic creativity, and the ability to more fully live in the Now and make the most of it. In summary, Awareness training will have a positive impact on just about every aspect of your life!”

                                                        -:-:-:-    

This workshop is exceptional for its expertise, its content and presentation. This workshop is one of those that come around every so often, and when it is coming around to the area, carpe diem! or seize the day, the opportunity. A tool for our shifting times!

Visit PrimalQiSynergy to find more info, testimonials and FAQ,

                                                     AND   

                      Call 575-336-7777 or email to reserve your space! Now!

                     The number of participants is limited to 12. Cost is $110.

Posted by NWH

How is It at Your House? Barbara's Weekly

Today I read in Mother Jones that in America we waste 50% of our food. Now that was a shock to me, I knew that we are wasteful but that is ridiculous. We have folks right here at home who do not have enough to eat and we are throwing 1/2 of our food away????  That does not make good sense to me; does it make sense to you? How can we make a change in this pattern?

First comes awareness and then some action to change things. I know that in restaurants they have to throw a lot away for fear of giving it away and someone getting sick, just in case it is not really fresh. I have asked to take some home to my animals and the answer is always no. That is also true in the grocery store. I wanted to take some out dated produce home to feed the deer and other wild life and they could not give it to me; it had to be thrown into the LCSWA (Lincoln County Solid Waste Authority) and be trucked many miles to the landfill south of Alamogordo. It could a least be composted.

How is it at your house?
Having been raised on a farm I realize how much work it is to provide food for the table. So it saddens me to see family members discard food. We have a compost pile for food that is inedible. We have animals who will eat our table scraps along with their dog food. I will sometimes give food to family and friends rather than to see it go bad. I had some almond butter that was out-dated and one of my kids wanted to throw it out. I am eating it and there is nothing wrong with it. Sometimes I think that the food industry dates everything so that you will be compelled to throw it away and buy a new jar. The food industry is like any other industry; they are looking at the profit rather than feeding our nation.  

Barbara (January 26, 2009)

 

 

Click  How to... stop wasting food to view a few tips to do so.

Posted by NWH

 

An Unlikely Friendship? Not Really

The story On Elephant Sanctuary, Unlikely Friends appeared on a CBS Evening News.

Cindy W., Friend of HMHC, sent us this story below along with these words:

 

"This news item and video made me cry.  Finally something worth repeating and sharing. 

I totally agree with the reporter's last words [...].

Please watch and please pass along, liberally. "

 

Take a few minutes to watch the video, click On Elephant Sanctuary, Unlikely Friends to read the CBS commentary of the video, then send this link to your family and friends. Thank you.

Posted by NWH