Things That Make Your Skin Feel Good

McEvoy Ranch/80 Acres
We’ve been looking for a new body care line, but we’re picky so it took a while to find it. Gentle, smooth, and clean-smelling, 80 Acres was an exciting find! Made in California, 80 Acres’ is an offshoot of McEvoy Ranch, a 550 acre farm iwhich produces Tuscan style olive oil from it’s organically grown olives.

This past year McEvoy Ranch introduced their estate produced body care line, 80 Acres. They’ve developed a scent they call Verde, which has a fresh and clean fragrance, the kind of grassy smell we associate with spring days. We’ve tried these products and love them, and are eager for you to try them as well. Here are descriptions from 80 Acres:
Verde Hand and Body Wash
A blending olive oil and olive fruit extract, aloe vera, and a powerful medley of healing herbs and botanicals make this restorative infusion beneficial for hands or body. Richly hydrating so moisture stays in, leaving skin soft and dewy.
Verde Hand & Body Lotion
Nature meets nurture with this emollient and healing blend of olive, sunflower, jojoba and grapeseed oils infused with aloe vera, chamomile and lavender. Lightly scented and luxurious, the lotion penetrates quickly to smooth, soften and revitalize.
Verde Body Balm
Created by McEvoy’s gardeners for soothing, moisturizing and protecting skin from the elements, this estate-produced body balm is handcrafted with 87% organic ingredients.
Verde Olive Oil Soap
Handcrafted from the purest botanical ingredients, this luxurious cleansing bar deeply moisturizes with a rich lather and all the benefits of olive oil and refreshes with their signature Verde scent.

Rain, Snow, Sleet & Slurp

That's the weather report for today. Just back from the big Gift Show in New York where Sue and I examined hundreds of booths lining miles of aisles under a bright florescent sky (promising ourselves to accessorize with pedometers next year).

It's a crowded, somewhat chaotic, place—vendors from all over the world selling everything from glittery swan sculptures encrusted in quartzite and semi-precious minerals to alma mater-themed wreaths.

The show put green on its agenda, showcasing products made or re-made with the health of the planet in mind. While nearly everyone attempted to jump on the recycling bin and promote their product's environmentally sensitive bona fides, I was delighted to find that labeling has improved, and that "green" products are becoming more affordable and better looking.

Since I have to get out and shovel the ice off the sidewalk, I'll save the news of our new purchases for a future post. A tickler—we found a lovely new body care line made with olives organically grown on a California farm. Can't wait for them to arrive!

Plants Raves & Faves

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
Okay, I'm thinking about spring. I admit it. And about plants, and flowers, and temps above 5 degrees. Hydrangeas, in my mind, are quintessential garden plants, so they are the natural choice for my first plant raves & faves post!

Romantic and evocative of traditional gardens, hydrangeas are too often dismissed as old-fashioned plants out of place in contemporary gardens. For sure, the big blue orbs of Nikko Blue Hydrangeas can be found in all the wrong places, but usually hydrangeas are in perfect garden harmony.

‘Annabelle’ is one of my favorite old-fashioned hydrangeas—it is big, beautiful and exceptionally easy to grow. The flowers start off greenish and tight, expanding into fluffy six to ten inch white balls which make great cut flowers, and are easy to dry.

Basics: Annabelles thrive with morning sun, afternoon shade and moist soil. They should be cut back early March to about 18” in order to control growth and strengthen stems so they can support the heavy flower heads.

Look at http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/annabelle.html for information about growing Annabelle hydrangeas.

Photo credit:
Missouri Botanical Garden

My MIL

Is amazing. So here's a picture of Jane Hall, Ned's mom, hiding behind just one of dozens of quilts she's made to sell at the store. Then there are the fantastic covers on our beds—from Galen as Spiderman quilt to the white-on-white quilt I begged for. I can't sew, and wouldn't have the patience to do what Jane does, but am happy to reap the benefits! She makes people happy, her vibrant patterns and clever themes are attracting a lot of fans. This is a woman who doesn't stop—she's always helping family, does volunteer bookkeeping and tax prep work with seniors, and helps run a successful biomedical company! (Yes, quilts are here, $68 each for crib/lap throw size.)

Flower Power

So, you've received a gorgeous bouquet, unwrapped it, found a vase that's the right size, filled it with water, and artfully arranged the flowers. Now what—how do you keep the flowers looking fresh and healthy for as long as possible?

The best way to prolong the life of cut flowers is by controlling bacterial growth, storing them in the proper environment and feeding them.

Here are some easy tips:

• Be sure your vase is clean!
  
• Fill with luke warm water, except for tulips and other bulbs. If you want to encourage roses to open faster (which will also shorten their life-span) use warmer water.
  
• Remove any leaves that will be under water, and cut the ends of the stems at an angle with a sharp, non-serrated, knife or floral shears. Regular scissors can crush stems and prevent water from getting to the flowers.
  
• Use the little packet of floral 'food' that you received with the flowers. This anti-bacterial agents, sugar to feed the flowers, and a hydrating agent to help the flowers take up water more efficiently after a long period of forced dormancy.
  
• Change the water daily. This is the easiest way to slow bacterial growth which causes cut flowers to wilt and die. When you change the water take another minute to rinse the stems with fresh water.
• Cut the stems every few days, and slit woody stems.
  
• Keep flowers in a cool location, away from heaters or direct summer sunlight, and away from ripening fruit which emits ethylene gas and causes flowers to wilt more quickly.
  
• Remove flowers as they 'go by' to avoid contaminating longer lasting, healthy blooms.

For a longer article which includes caring for freshly cut garden flowers and has a recipe for floral preservative, read "Cut-Flower Care—How to Make Your Fresh-Cut Flowers Last," at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden website.