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A TOUCH OF NATURE
February 15, 2004 Issue

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DONNA'S COMMENTS
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This seemingly long winter here in Virginia has me fervently thinking of
Spring even though the groundhog saw his shadow earlier this month which
indicates a longer winter. I remind myself that the groundhog has only a
39% record of accuracy, so I will believe Spring is truly "just around the
corner."

Having moved here a few years ago after living 20 years without snow and a
real winter season down south, I have not yet adjusted to four months of
cold weather. I admit that central Virginia in the Piedmont area has what
is known as a mild winter, but I miss having my doors and windows open so it
seems long to me. It slows us down since there is less on our activity
calendar since outdoor events tend to be left behind with my cold-natured
hubby having no interest in "freezing." That tends to put on a few extra
pounds that will be walked and worked off in the Spring.

It offers long mornings of reflection and bright and sunny afternoons of
birdwatching from the breakfast area window in the kitchen. Our cats seem
to prefer the indoor viewing time also even though they have a kitty door
for access to the screened porch. The squirrels spend more time eating from
the piles of corn I spread around the backyard so they don't fight each
other for "king of the hill." It also keeps them off of our birdfeeders and
is a cheap price to pay for the entertainment they offer our cats.

In the peace and quiet of Walden Woods, Henry David Thoreau found what was
for him, and has been for countless people since, a wise and tranquil
approach to life. Out of his experiment in serene living has come a book of
enduring beauty and inspiration, one of America's most beloved classics -
Walden, named for the woods and the pond Thoreau so loved.

" Simplify your life," Thoreau urged his readers. "Don't waste the years
struggling for things that are unimportant. Don't burden yourself with
possessions. Keep your needs and wants simple, and enjoy what you have.
Simplify! Don't fritter away your life on non-essentials. Don't enslave
yourself for luxuries you can do without. Don't destroy your peace of mind
by looking back, worrying about the past. Live in the present, enjoy the
present. Simplify!"

I've decided it's time to visit Walden Pond. We are planning a trip to New
England in May to visit this place I've often read and thought about. The
book has been like a familiar comfortable pair of slippers that you put on
as you come in the door and sit down to let all the cares of the day roll
off behind you. It's been a comfort and an encouragement to me in many
ways.

Hope you had a happy Valentine's Day! We had some folks over the night
before to play the Newlywed Game. All couples had been married at least 25
years, so you can imagine many of the questions were changed to protect the
innocent [and poor memories]. :-)

Hugs and Blessings to You!
Donna

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CRITTER FACTS
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BONOBO

Sound like a new video game? Nah, it's a pygmy chimpanzee that lives in the
Congo River Basin. Cute as can be! Bonobos are the rarest of all great ape
species and no one knows how many survive. In fact, most people don't even
know they exist! These amazing primates, who are so much like us, remain
shrouded in mystery.

Along with chimpanzees, bonobos are genetically our closest living
relatives. They have strong social bonds that are strengthened by sexual
behaviour.

Life span - Bonobos live for up to 40 years.

Statistics - Bonobos are 70-90cm in height. Males weigh 39kg and females
weigh 33kg.

Physical Description - The bonobo is very similar in appearance to the
chimpanzee, but it has longer, thinner legs, a more slender frame and a
narrower face. Its facial skin and hair are black, and it has a prominent
white tail tuft.

View photos and hear their voices here.

Distribution - Bonobos live in a small area of land south of the Congo
river.

Habitat - They inhabit lowland rainforest and swamp forest.
Diet - Bonobos mainly feed on fruit, but also consume shoots, leaves,
flowers, seeds, bark, pith, herbs, invertebrates and small vertebrates.
Behavior - They are diurnal, terrestrial and arboreal. Communities number
anywhere from 20 to more than 100 individuals. They are less aggressive than
chimpanzees, and avoid other troops. Each night, they build a new nest to
sleep in. They move quadrapedally and bipedally.

Reproduction - Bonobos have a gestation period of 225 days. They give birth
to one young, and very rarely have twins. The young weigh 1.9kg at birth.
Bonobos often engage in sexual behaviour, sometimes with members of the same
sex. This serves to strengthen social bonds within the troop.

Conservation status - Bonobos are listed as Endangered. There are only about
10,000-15,000 left due to destruction of their habitat and hunting by humans
for meat and as pets.

See some great photos of bonobos at this site.

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THOSE AMAZING BIRDS!
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BIRD FACTS / HOME STUDY

On a day that an American Robin fledged, it was fed by researcher Arthur
Allen as much as it would eat. The bird managed to down a full 14 feet of
earthworms.

Most songbirds feed each of their nestlings an average of 4-12 meals per
hour.

One male House Wren in Illinois feeding 12-day-old nestlings brought food to
the nest 1,217 times between 4:15 AM and 8:00 PM - an average of once every
47 seconds.

These bird facts are from the Home Study Course offered by Cornell.

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RAIN FOREST FACT
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Temperatures hardly change from day to night, season to season and year to
year in a rain forest. Rain clouds hang heavy in the air and heavy
downpours are common. The rain forest is an amazing place!
They are the wettest lands in the world. As much as 260 inches (660 cm) of
rain may fall during a single year in some places.

More than half of all species of land-based animals and plants are found in
rain forests. People have also lived deep in the heart of rain forests for
thousands of years.

Our rain forests are so important!

Click here to help rainforests with a free click.

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GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE- Restoring the Balance
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THE FUNGUS AMONG US
From eNature.com http://enature.com

They appear like magic, and often in places where they have never been seen
before. Their scents vary wildly: Some smell like anise, others like fruit,
cucumbers, green corn, creosote, fish, radishes, rotting meat, garlic, or
raw potatoes. They range from dull grays and browns to brilliant reds and
oranges, sometimes fantastically polka-dotted; their texture may be frilly,
shiny, slimy, bumpy, or smooth. You can find them on trees, in the grass,
underground. They can cost hundreds of dollars an ounce and are served in
the most sophisticated restaurants. People hunt them like treasure. And some
of them can kill you. While much of North America remains in a deep-freeze,
in some areas February marks the beginning of mushroom season.

Mushrooms are among the most mysterious of life forms. Some kinds are edible
-- and delicious. Others cause hallucinations and other psychological and
perceptual effects, and have been used in spiritual rituals. Many species
are unstudied, their ingestibility unknown. And a number of species contain
dangerous toxins, many of which are not yet fully understood.

Every year poison centers and emergency rooms treat people who have been
poisoned or made ill by mushrooms. These range from people taking "magic
mushrooms" for their hallucinogenic effects to gourmands who have tragically
misidentified a species to toddlers who have swallowed mushrooms growing in
the backyard. Unfortunately, no simple test can determine whether a mushroom
is edible or poisonous. The only way to be certain is to positively identify
the species you have found. Only experience can teach you to recognize
characteristics that differentiate edible species from poisonous ones, and
with some species you cannot be too careful. Some mushroom hunters will even
examine a mushroom's spores microscopically to be sure their identification
is correct. In short, before you eat any wild mushroom, check every possible
feature and clue, consult field guides or scientific literature, and be 100
percent sure of proper identification (consulting experts if necessary).

Only those w ho truly know what they‚re doing should even consider eating wild mushrooms.
If any doubt remains about the edibility of a species, do not eat it.

Many mushrooms cause mild to severe poisoning, and only a few cause
life-threatening illness. Some mushroom toxins affect the central nervous
system, others the peripheral nervous system, and most cause mild to severe
gastrointestinal upset. Some people react adversely to species that are
harmless to most or to species that they have eaten before without ill
effects. Below is a list of mushroom toxins, some of the species that
contain them, and a description of the symptoms known to occur.
Read more about the specific toxins of various mushrooms.

The rest of the story

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NATURE'S BOUNTY FOR US
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Nature offers essential oils with potent properties that can be used in many
areas around the home. For health, bath, beauty, and household cleaning
supplies. Here's our featured recipe for this issue:

MOISTURIZE-YOUR-SKIN BATH OIL

Nourish your skin with this amazing bath oil that mixes into your bath water
and leaves you soft, moisturized, and fragrant.

1/2 cup any kind of massage oil
1/8 cup vegetable glycerin
1/8 cup castile soap
8 drops Bergamot
6 drops Rosemary
3 drops Patchouli
3 drops Peppermint

Combine ingredients in a large, glass measuring cup for easy mixing and
pouring. Mix with a wire whisk until ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Store in a container with a narrow neck, so it will be easy to pour into
your bath. From "The Aromatherapy Recipe Guide".

Read more about the benefits of these oils, find other recipes, and purchase
oils.

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" GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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GETTING RID OF OLD COMPUTERS

Used to be that you could find many people eager to take an old computer
especially among schools and thrift stores. Not any more!

Computers are now a significant part of our hazardous waste stream. The
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition estimates that the 315 million computers
expected to become obsolete by the year 2004 would contain, among other
hazardous wastes, 1.2 billion pounds of lead, 2 million pounds of cadmium,
400,000 pounds of mercury and 1.2 million pounds of chromium.

Many municipalities have banned disposal of computer and television
equipment into the normal landfills, so here's a few options for you:

#1 - Consider upgrading your computer instead of throwing it away or price
repair if it's broken.

#2 - List it for sale or search to see if somebody needs what you have at
this website:

#3 - At last resort, call your local municipality and ask about programs for
obsolete computers in your area. A Massachusetts company has devised a way
of melting down computer plastic and using it to fill potholes! Who knows
what computer reusing entrepreneur may be living near you? Check this
website for ideas.

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MUSINGS: POETRY & PROSE
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WHAT IS LIFE?

It is a flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.

-- Crowfoot, Blackfoot Warrior and Orator

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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SOCORRO DOVE SET TO RETURN TO WILD AFTER 30 YEARS

The Socorro Dove, endemic to the tiny, isolated island of Socorro, which
lies off the northern Pacific Coast of Mexico has not been recorded in the
wild since 1972.

It was extirpated from the island through a combination of hunting, cat
predation, and habitat loss. Fortunately several birds were captured in the
1920s, and these formed the nucleus of a breeding stock that may now provide
a lifeline for the species.

http://www.abcbirds.org/birdcalls/v7n3/socorro.htm

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to somebody you know. It's how we grow! Thanks!
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DISCLAIMER:

The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for
informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed by our sponsor "The
Herbs Place.com" This is a personal publication by Donna Watkins. The ideas
and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by
anyone either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Donna Watkins or
" The Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from
any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its
publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or
defamation.