…à quel point elles aiment brouter les feuilles et le fruit charnu de l’arganier noueux, natif du Maroc. Elles vous diront que c’est un jeu d’enfant que de grimper dans cet arbre; et parfois, 8 à 9 chèvres s’amusent à faire courber les branches ondoyantes du vieil arbre; elles ne s'inquiètent pas d’endommager l’arbre ou de le détruire. Elles prennent plaisir à cueillir le fruit avant même qu’il ait mûri. Après tout, ce sont des chèvres. Les chèvres vous diront... qu’elles savourent l’huile succulente que recèlent les noyaux tandis que les Berbères trépignent d’impatience devant leurs caprices…

We often tout the benefits of a cold shower, cold water. Years ago I wrote about the cold in   ‘Go Cold so no Cold’.  It’s winter. It’s flu season.  It’s time to remember cold can be good. Be 2, or 3 or 4 years old in Siberia. Have your parents take you outside and rub you down with snow.You do not get the cold or flu. Or live in Sweden. Have your parents pour very cold water on your head.This is a routine. Especially during flu season.So no flu. Be an adult. Take the cold showers, or snow rubs, or cold lake dips alone, or with friends. Take your…

Squeeze the Colgate. Brush the teethCovergirl dark on eyes beneathRevlon the lips, a kiss so sweetApply Estee cream. It can’t be beatMaybelline the lash, a divine allureThis routine?  It is less than pure How much more can the skin endure?   You may have just drowned in siloxanes.   SILOXANE. “Is that the same as silicone?”, you ask?  Similar yes. If you have never heard of siloxane, now you have. Beware. Be glad that you are reading this. It may be in your fast or processed foods, packaging, toothpaste, deodorant, soaps, detergents and cosmetics. A…

  Had a rough year? Does it help to know you aren't the only one? Some days may be so bad you couldn't care less about the rest of the world. We get it. We've had those days too. Thank goodness the end is in sight. By the spring/summer, we hope to be back to a ‘normal’. Or hopefully a better normal, but a normal without cumbersome masks and difficulty breathing. A normalcy of being able to hug friends and family and not being deprived of the necessity of closeness and physical affection! just around the corner! Hang in there. Until then, let's take advantage of a quiet slow holiday. No…

Masking is a challenge  To be effective, the mask needs to be snuggly placed across the bridge of the nose, flattened against the cheeks and secured under the chin. But all too often, we are witnessing on others, or perhaps ourselves, a mask that is too big or too small.  Masks that are so tight we feel the suffocation, so loose we hear the wind tunnelling, so misshaped it cannot even find the chin. But the worst is the mask that pops the nose.  In this scenario, the mask has dropped completely off the nose, still hiding the mouth but exposing the nostrils. This…

10% off Summer Must-Haves Neem Body BarNori-Neem SoapSheamu Butter (both sizes)Shargan ButterZinc Oxide Blend (tub and tube)July 8, 9, 10 only Wednesday, Thursday, Friday3 day Special Summer must-haves never change. We love the outdoors and while adapting to the new rules and staying safe, there are still  the Canadian summer go-tos! Neem Body Bar Hiking in a provincial park?Golfing at dusk?Camping under the cedar trees?Fishing for pickerel at dawn? Or quietly enjoying the rhythms of lapping lake waters?  Whenever the activity ventures…

“Amazon delivery!  Wahoo! My new shadow from ColourPop is here, Spiker.” Val chimes to her pet lab as he barks his approval. She then rips open the package and being smart and savvy, peruses the label. “OK. Label. Let’s see what you say. Everyone is telling me to READ YOU. So here goes.” Val scrunches her face as she skims the listing. The ingredients do not seem to be making much sense.   “OK. I’ll admit I do not understand the ingredients but, then, who does? “ Val explains to Spiker as she nuzzles his ears. “All my friends are using cool eyeshadows…

Dictionary definition before Covid 19:moosenoun: 1. a large deer with palmate antlers, a sloping back, and a growth of skin hanging from the neck. It is native to northern Eurasia and northern North America.  Dictionary definition during Covid 19:1. same as above 2. the distance of 2 metres required in ‘social distancing’ *advised during the Covid 19 pandemic based on the length of a moose verb: to separate a distance of 2 metres between people to achieve required ‘physical distancing’*“The lineup moosed into place to await entry into the grocery store” adjective:the…