Some Good Medicine

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. I know the majority of folks out there are stressed and having a hard time with this quarantine thing that's going on, but as I said before...I've been living this way for years. Living with being stalked and harassed on a constant basis then treated as if I were crazy by family and strangers alike because they either couldn't or WOULDN'T understand what it's been like has basically taught me how to live in pandemic mode. I must say, while I empathize with folks who are beside themselves I DO NOT sympathize. It's hard to feel bad for people who poo-pooed, marginalized and abused me over the years. AND, ya' know what? At first I missed watching basket ball, but after a short while of having more energy to spend on my life I found I don't really care if they ever start up ANY major league sports any time soon. While I have been entertained by various sports over the years, I can not say my life is worse off for not having games to watch or celebrity/media bullshit to follow. I'm sure it's very difficult for the athletes (who love what they do as well as all the public accolades they normally receive) being kept from playing...but really...it's not essential. I saw an article recently that was kind of interesting. Evidently Disney doesn't want to pay sports casters what they have come accostomed to being paid anymore. I wonder if that is going to translate to the athletes and coaches and other staff eventually? Who knows? And who am I to care about it? After all...for a number of years I was doing sports commentary on social media platforms without being paid, simply for the love of it, and frequently stuff I said or did in that puruit was picked up by mainstream media who were bank rollin'.

Sports isn't the only venue/field being impacted this way. While I wish no ill will upon any individual or individual's career or small business, I can say that unfair competition practices have harmed my personal work and business endeavors over the years. I've watched many less qualified, less effective, less skilled, and/or less talented people run my efforts into the ground only to go and make money off the groud work I laid or intelectual property I created because of nepotism, greed, pettiness, politics, and/or any number of "isms". While there are many individuals and businesses out there I would be sad to see close after all this is said and done, there are even more who really had no business being in business to begin with. It's hard to feel bad about that. It's kind of a silver lining to the woes of current circumstances. It's kind of like all the work that's been happening here on The Kitty Pants Ranch over the past couple years. There were things on the property that were "pretty" and lush looking, but they were totally inappropriate for the environment or were actually causing other wider spread blight or contamination. What are Taylor Swift, Katy Perry or those Kardashians up to? Who cares.

Consider this...

Under a lush expanse of jasmine vine, Algerian ivy, and randomly dumped trash we uncovered what appears to be a Native California Apricot tree. The poor thing was fighting hard to survive and still had some leaves and braches that were growing. Once we got it all free of the "pretty" but totally inappropriate and harmful invasive mess, we found the poor tree struggling with an insect infestation that was caused by its previous entaglement. I got all the insects abated, trimmed away all the dead wood, and sealed the wounds of the tree with a tree bandage. Now, this tree that never even had flowers since we moved in HAS FRUIT growing!!!! And like I said...it looks to be a Native California Apricot. I'll know for sure once the fruit reaches maturity. But either way, whether it's an apricot or not, it is a productive, nurishing, fruit bearing tree that for too many years was being choked out by "pretty" but otherwise useless landscaping. I'm sure my neighbors will appreciate the removal of the destructive insect hot spot, and that dead wood made a lovely and tasty BBQ.

ALSO...

In my habitat restoration efforts since we purchased the property, I have refrained from using Monsanto products or any herbacides, pestacides, or animal repellants. It is exciting to watch other Native species finally popping back up places. Wild lemon balm, nettles, thistle, mint, cat nip, among other nutritious and medicinal plants are in abundance and I'm definitly taking advantage of the beautifully designed symbiosis of humans with greater Nature.

This is a stinging nettle leaf:

Many folks who don't know any better write this beauty off as a nuisance, but nothing could be farther from the truth. This plant may be a little prickly to handle but those pricks are noting more than "love bites". This is a hightly nutritious and helpful herb that can be used to treat sinus symptoms due to colds, flus and seasonal allergies. Sometimes I use it fresh to make a tonic soup, but yesterday I collected a bunch of tender shoots and leaves and put them in the dehydrator. The dried plant matter can be used to make a mild tasting but powerful tea, but I opted to start a tincture:

In this jar is 6 oz of vodka and an unmeasured, but significant amount of dried nettles. In two weeks I will have 6 oz of medicinal tincture that would cost me upwards of $50 at the store. But this only cost me about $8 - the cost of the 6 oz of vodka. AND this will last me at least 6 months. Not bad at all. In fact, I'd call that some good medicine.

Speaking of good medicine...

I got another propaganda letter from the ACLU begging for money.

Now, I'm all for American Civil Liberties, but honestly, I haven't seen how this organization has been doing anything to help ALL Americans. These days ALL AMERICANS have issues with their Civil Liberties, not just the special interest groups targeted by this shameless pan-handling for money. I mean, where the hell was the ACLU when folks were chipping away at MY Civil Liberties over the past 2 decades? Where were they when I was being assaulted and harrassed by people from many of the very special interest groups this letter is now asking me to financially support? Maybe the ACLU doesn't believe in Libertarians. I believe in All Americans, not a just a select few...so I guess maybe I need to sit down and write these extortion-propagandists a letter. A real letter. That sounds like some good medicine to me as well.