Happy (Everyday Should Be) Earth Day!

Here on the East Coast it's a rainy day - perfect for the earth. I see a lot of things that went on this weekend. I think it's great that people want to make a big deal about it but shouldn't we be doing these things everyday anyway?

So let's not talk about what you did this weekend for Earth Day, let's talk about what you have done for the earth.

What positive changes have you made?

Spring has Sprung!

Well it's definitely spring time in Jersey, it's going to be in the 80s next week...  I went ahead and took an inventory of what's popping up - other than a ton of Lamb's Quarters - UGH!

We have tons of scallion that Jared has been cultivating

They're pretty huge - I thought they were the leeks we planted years ago. We also have some pretty mint weed that been taking over one side of the yard. Jared believes it's Creeping Charlie.

And of course we can't forget about our Dandelions

Personally I love the way the yellow and the purple looks together, since they are complimentary colors  it's obvious they would be compliments in nature

On the other side of the yard we have a couple of our veggies coming in, here are Collards, Spinach and Kale

Our Asparagus is also doing pretty well. This is the year we can finally harvest them - yay!

Our herbs also did pretty well. We have some Sage 

and Oregano.

Let's not forget the rogues, here is some Lemon Balm that sprung up in an unexpected spot

and a Kale that popped up in the yard.

And of course we can't forget the Catnip that Lola found!

One of those days

I'm sitting here at lunch listing to relaxation music. Why? Well, I'm having one of those days at my day job and I needed to walk away. It's important to know when you've had enough and more  important to acknowledge those feelings. 

Photo Credit: koratmember

I strongly believe that being kind to yourself leads to being kind to others. I have more patience when I take that time out. 

Stress is a fact of life so we might as well learn to work it out of our system. Sometimes it's not always possible to physically remove yourself from the situation, this is where a few handy dandy techniques can help.

1. Breathe - taking a few deep breaths can help you center yourself and expel some tension.
2. Lower Your Shoulders - when we tense up our shoulders tend to creep up to our ears. By stretching them down as far as possible you're helping to release some of that tension
3. Relaxing Music - I'm a big fan of listening to relaxing music. Sometimes popping in those ear buds for a few minutes can help
4. Smile or Laugh - when you smile and laugh it's hard to be in a bad mood.  You may feel silly at first but it's definitely worth a try.

If that doesn't work then as soon as you can, take a quick walk around the block while taking deep breaths.

The important thing is to be aware and use the subtle techniques before you are overwhelmed.