Tips for Perfect Summer Feet

Tips for Perfect Summer Feet

by | Jul 2, 2020 | Asheville, Beauty, Style, Women

Feet don’t usually require much attention when it comes to looking good; they are usually hidden from view under socks, shoes or boots. But the summer months mean that feet are often on show and need some extra attention to look attractive. Here are 5 tips for perfect summer feet.

Get rid of hard skin

Add one tablespoon of salt and one cup of milk to a bowl of warm water; soak feet in the solution for 15 minutes to soften the skin and make it ready for removal. Use a pumice stone to scour away the hard skin, and finish by scrubbing thoroughly with a soft body brush.

Give feet an intensive softening pack

Massage a generous layer of olive oil into your feet before bedtime and cover with a thick pair of socks. Leave overnight to allow the oil to fully soak into your skin. For areas of hard or extra-dry skin, squeeze a capsule of vitamin E oil, or evening primrose oil, onto the affected area for extra softening power.

Remove any stray hairs or unsightly bits

Bunions, corns, athlete’s foot, and other foot conditions can usually be easily treated with over-the-counter preparations or prescription medications. Pluck any stray hairs on toes and feet, or wax if necessary.

Treat yourself to a professional pedicure

A little time and money spent at the salon can work wonders for your feet. Most pedicures also come with a relaxing foot massage which will improve circulation to your skin. A professional pedicure will also ensure that your nails are cut correctly, helping to reduce the risk of an ingrown toenail.

Add the final touches

Invest in a cooling foot spray to keep your feet fresh and hydrated during the summer months. Add the finishing touches with a few pieces of foot jewelery, toe rings, anklets, or even a small tattoo if you’re feeling brave.

For the Birds

For the Birds

by | Jun 5, 2020 | Asheville, Birds, Lifestyle

By Gigi Steel

It’s hard to imagine anything more peaceful than sitting in a rocking chair with a beverage and listening to songbirds as they flit around your backyard. Whether you live in the city or the country and whether you have a backyard or balcony, you can attract birds with just a few simple steps.

Birds need a regular supply of food and water, so the first step in attracting them is to provide fresh water and quality food. A clean water supply not only provides birds with water to drink, but also gives them a place to bathe and preen. Bird baths work great but must be cleaned regularly to discourage the growth of bacteria and algae. A water feature with a pump will keep water moving to help avoid this problem. Many birds enjoy misters. On a sweltering afternoon, they will playfully dart in and out of the water mist.

Purchasing high quality bird food will keep your feathered friends healthy. It will also encourage them to come back for more and raise their families in your backyard.

Remember that different varieties of birds have different preferences of what and how they eat. Putting out their favorite food will encourage them to come for a visit. Cardinals prefer to stand on a flat surface while eating dried fruit and sunflower seeds. Bluebirds seek out open spaces and find mealworms irresistible. Chickadees eat a variety of seeds, nuts, and insects. They prefer to dine near trees where they can quickly fly away to safety. Hummingbirds require a specific type of feeder, and will search for blooming petunias and bee balm. Offer food and install feeders to attract the kinds of birds you enjoy watching. For safety concerns, birds will typically go to a feeder placed high enough where other animals can’t interrupt their meal. Keep your feeders clean. Damp and moldy seed and feeders can spread disease. If the food isn’t eaten, don’t allow it to accumulate and harden. Clean it out and start over.

Pretty bird houses can provide decor to your outdoor space and a safe spot for birds to raise their young. If building a birdhouse on your own, learn how big the entrance hole should be to accommodate the bird species you want to attract. The hole may look small to you, but to a bird, it looks like a safe place where larger birds can’t intrude.

A habitat of trees, shrubs, and flowers will encourage birds to come to your backyard and make it their home. Fruit trees, berry-bearing shrubs, and long grasses offer natural sources of food and nesting material. Birds also seek out tasty bugs to eat. A scrap pile of logs at the corner of your yard will soon host enough bugs to feed several bird families. After you begin feeding birds, it’s important to continue feeding on a regular basis or they will move on to a more reliable source.

By taking care to keep your space a safe and welcoming sanctuary for birds, they will see this as an invitation to visit and make your outdoor space their home.

Where Can You Plant Your Eco-Tree?

Where Can You Plant Your Eco-Tree?

by | Apr 3, 2020 | Asheville, Eco-Friendly

Are you taking part in the drive to plant more trees? As scientists confirm that we urgently need more greenery to counter global warming, individuals like you are rising to the challenge. But finding a place to plant a tree can be easier said than done, so here are a few suggestions:

In your backyard   If you have any grounds of your own, you may be able to accommodate a tree, but there are hazards to consider. If you plant it too close to your house, the roots could undermine the foundations in years to come. Meanwhile, the growing tree could eventually block out the view and sunlight from your home, depending on its type and position, so think carefully before going ahead. Some shrubs or a hedge might be more suitable for your space.

In a pot   If you have a patio, balcony or wide doorstep, it might be able to accommodate a potted shrub or dwarf tree. Any leafy plant will help the cause, and if yours threatens to grow too big for its setting, you can trim it back each winter. While doing your bit for the environment, you’ll also be enhancing your home with your attractive, new feature.

On common land   Take your tree sapling to a wild place, such as a common, heath or area of wasteland, and plant it in a fertile, sunny spot. You’ll need to check the status of the land first, though, to ensure that you are legally entitled to add your plant. Assuming that you’re free to go ahead, you may have the satisfaction of seeing more saplings take root around it in a few years’ time, and eventually perhaps even a little wood or orchard.

With permission, on privately or publicly owned ground

The last three venue suggestions for your tree given below are all dependent on permission from landowners. However, the likelihood is that many proprietors would welcome a new, freely given tree, especially for an honorable motive like yours.

In a park  Chances are the park will belong to the state or local civic department, but if not, they could probably inform you who the owner is. If you’re offering to provide your sapling at your own expense, the proprietors will probably welcome it gladly, especially in view of its public-spirited purpose. They may also be glad if you could plant it yourself, or assist in the task. Suggest adding a plaque explaining the purpose of your contribution.

In the grounds of a school   School grounds vary considerably in size, but if you know of one with spacious grounds, they’d probably be pleased to receive an extra tree. Your donation, and its environmental benefit, will also have an educational element for the students, bringing the issues around deforestation and global warming alive for them. With luck, other schools will follow suit when they see the all-round benefits of the project.

In other public or private spaces – There are all sorts of other potential places for your tree, most of them requiring permission. Your local hospital or retirement home would probably welcome a tree, for instance, especially one with cheering flowers or blossom. High street stores and services may also be pleased to accommodate a decorative plant on their premises.

With this list of ideas, you’re sure to find a great spot for your tree or shrub. What’s more, your example will inspire others to get planting, too, pulling together for the sake of Planet Earth.

Say No to Green Beer

by | Feb 28, 2020 | Asheville, Food, Holidays, St Patrick's Day

Beer stocks must go up on St. Patrick’s day weekend. It’s a given that the sales are astronomically high, when every bar, nightclub, and even house party seems to down green-colored beer by the barrel. But what about the drinkers who don’t care so much for beer? There are plenty of Irish-loving souls who have every desire to celebrate the wearin’ o’ the green, but would rather drink something sophisticated and delicious.

With those folks in mind, here are five suggestions for festive cocktails that aren’t just tasty; they’re also decidedly Irish. Whether you mix them up for your own private party, or sidle up to the bar and order one from your favorite drink slinger, you’re sure to find a favorite. Be sure to toast St. Patrick with everyone.

Irish Coffee

If you can’t get through the day without a coffee shop latte or two, the Irish coffee is the libation for you. Every bartender has their own variation, but the classic recipe calls for strong, hot coffee, sugar, whiskey, and a layer of heavy cream. If you’re making your own, you can experiment with your own proportions, or even add flavored whipped cream or sprinkles on top. Just be sure and do one thing without fail: make sure the whiskey is Irish.

Baileys on the Rocks

The taste of Baileys Irish Cream combines two great Irish traditions: dairy farming and whiskey distilling. The result is creamy and sweet, but with a whiskey kick you can definitely feel. Dozens of cocktails use Bailey’s as an ingredient in some elaborately American-style drink concoctions, but this is St. Patrick’s Day. Keep it simple, and keep it Irish, by having (or serving) Bailey’s Irish Cream in its pure form, over ice.

Emerald Isle

While gin makes for a somewhat less traditionally Irish drink, why should the beer swillers be the only ones to have drinks that are green? The Emerald Isle is a lovely color as well as a lovely cocktail, and it should please those who like to drink Martinis and Cosmopolitans.

Emerald Isle Recipe

1 jigger gin

1 teaspoon green Creme de Menthe

1-3 dashes bitters

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a Martini glass.

Wild Irish Rose

If you only know Wild Irish Rose as a cheap liquor store wine, don’t admit it on St. Patrick’s Day! The name also belongs to a classic cocktail that is as far from the hobo-preferred rotgut as a soy burger is from filet mignon. Again, choose a good Irish whiskey (like Jameson or Bushmills), and you’ll taste the results.

Wild Irish Rose Recipe

2 oz Irish whiskey

3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz grenadine

2 oz soda

Pour all ingredients over ice into a rocks glass and stir.

St. Patty’s Girl

The least “real” Irish drink on the list, the St. Patty’s girl is very much an American invention. It is, however, a frothy, sweet concoction that will please those who want a dessert-like cocktail. You’ll still get credit for the fact that it contains two Irish ingredients: Bailey’s and Irish whiskey. To make the drink, mix one shot of Baileys, one shot of whiskey, one shot of coffee or chocolate liqueur, and one shot of espresso in a blender. The result is a creamy blend that combines the best of the States and the Island in one.

There’s no reason to succumb to the green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, no matter how popular it may be. In fact, the beer usually tinted green at most bars is about as Irish as baseball. Enjoy sipping on one of these cold cocktails that pays homage to St. Patrick’s native land. Who’s the most Irish now?
You are!

Mother Nature’s Magic

Mother Nature’s Magic

by | Feb 28, 2020 | Asheville, Lifestyle, Self-Discovery, Uncategorized, Women

By JeanAnn Taylor

This past January I ran into that brick wall known as, The Flu. It was a hard hit that put me in bed for over a week. When The Flu hits, you have no decisions to make; it makes them for you. The only thing to do is to wait until The Flu says, “You can get up now.”

While lying in bed day after day, I had time to think about what I want 2020 to look like. Of course I’ll keep dancing.

Of course I’ll continue to sew, crochet, paint, and write; but what needs to change to make my life fuller, happier, healthier? The answer I came up with is to spend more time outside. Like most people I know, my life in work and play demands indoor time. Yet being in nature—surrounded by growing, buzzing, tweeting, blooming, and other enchanting mysteries—has so many benefits good for our body and soul; outdoor time is worth making a priority.

In the 1990s, the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku began. As many Japanese traditions follow common sense, simplicity, intention, and authenticity, this practice, which translates into “forest bathing” is another way to live with these virtuous ideals. Forest bathing doesn’t require water, bubble bath, or a soaking tub. It simply requires that you spend time in nature where your mind can meander with no predestined intention. The only requirement is that you slow down and notice. As you wander through the woods or park, be mindful of the scent of blooming honeysuckle. Pay attention to how the wind feels as it blows across your skin. Touch a tree and observe how rough or smooth the bark feels on your hand. Look up and watch as birds fly above you. Listen as leaves crunch under your boots, as a waterfall cascades into the river, and as a songbird alerts her family of your presence. Be awed while watching butterflies puddle at the river bank, as bees flit from flower to flower, and as water bugs dive into the lake. Walk barefoot to absorb electrons from the earth, and dip your toes into the icy water of a mountain stream.

An important component of forest bathing is in the action of walking. Walking is considered to be the single most important thing we can do to improve our health. Along with reducing stress, managing our weight, and warding off many diseases, walking inspires creative thinking by delivering more blood flow to the brain. Without the distractions of cell phones, emails, and to-do lists, your mind is free to unconsciously process ideas and predicaments. Answers to questions and dilemmas that seem impossibly overwhelming often appear as if by magic. Combine walking with nature-focus and epiphanies can happen.

Spending time outdoors can also help us sleep better at night. The natural rhythms of light and dark can be distorted by our modern lifestyle of constant, artificial lighting. Going outside to watch the sunrise or sunset, or to gaze at the stars, can help to reset our internal clock. Awareness of weather also keeps our days and months from blending into each other. When we spend our lives in a controlled climate, every day feels the same and we mindlessly miss the experience of the seasons. This can lead to a loss of perspective.

This spring, take a walk in the woods to look for tiny wildflowers popping up to say, “Hello.” Breathe in the fresh, cool air, and feel inspired at a waterfall. What you’ll find as you lose yourself in nature is—yourself. Go outside, follow your nose, and accept the healing gift of outdoor wonder.

Please send your thoughts and ideas to me at [email protected]

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