Things Stink Around Here!

Long Pond September 2012

Things really stink around here! Literally!

After two weeks of rain which included the effects of Hurricane Isaac, this is what our pond looks like. See that oily residue on the top of the pond? That's been present now for about a week since the rain stopped and as the water level lowers.

This is what happens after every major rain.  Our pond does its job. It's a storm water retention pond that receives all the road run off. As yucky as it is to look at right now, our pond helps keep our intracoastal waterway and ocean a bit cleaner. The pond and surrounding plants & land serve as a sponge - soaking up and filtering toxins.

In our own bodies, we have a similar watery pond that filters toxins - our liver.  Over the summer, I have been conducting a series of body cleanses. This latest one requires me to take a strong tincture of cinnamon, cloves, peppermint, oregano, orange, grape root & pau d'arco. You think with that combination, I would smell like a bakery in the Fall.  Instead, I stink!  I am now bathing at least two times a day.

Cormorant in Long Pond

I understand that with cleansing, odor is considered normal. I am purifying and cleaning the toxins out of me. As well, I am encouraging healthy organisms to freely swim in my internal sea - just like cormorant, brim, and turtles call our pond home.

Encouraging wildlife into our backyard has been a 16 year project!  When we first moved in, the entire back side of the pond was regularly mowed.  Over the years, we allowed the natural vegetation to return creating a riparian zone. The riparian zone provides an important wildlife corridor in our backyard for bobcat, raccoons, and alligators. These animals have provided hours of enjoyment for us to witness them in their habitat. As I write these words tonight, a giant Luna Moth landed on my office window.  I have seen so much from this window. I have witnessed a hawk swoop down and kill a snake, otters eating fish on the banks, and crows buzzing an owl.

Giant Luna Moth at Window

The current film on our pond reminds me to continue to clean up my act. There's more we can do to decrease the toxic load on our earth's waterways as well as the toxic load in our own internal waterways.  One simple thing is to change cleaning products.  Here's a basic recipe for making your own general household cleaner.

Combine in a spray bottle the following:

- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 3 TB isopropyl alcohol
- 1 tsp. tea tree oil
- 10 drops another essential oil of your choice like lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, orange, etc.

Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water.

I use this cleaner all over my house from kitchens, to bathrooms, to Yoga mats.  Join me and make a small change. And while we work on cleaning up our act, silently, the pond continues to filter, just like our livers - making our home the sanctuary where life thrives.