Favorite Formula's from Beekeeper's Digest by Deborah Dolen

Excerpt The Beekeeper's Digest Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White

Favorite Formula’s From Beekeeper’s Digest (Excerpt)
Copyright 2006 Deborah Dolen Photo of Deborah Dolen courtesy of World News
The bee is such a magical pest, among many other credits, we owe 30% or more of our food crops to pollination from bees. In 2007 many bees started dying as their immune systems seemed trashed. They were catching everything so it was hard to isolate the cause. Rumors from cell phone towers to pesticides were rampant. This was distressing news to me also. It took a few more years for me to understand Monsanto, a relationship to Monarch Butterflies dying just from being brushed with genetically modified corn pollen-that I began to understand my take on what may be responsible for dropping the immune systems of the bees. Cornell University conducted the Monarch Butterfly experiments. Cornell knew as early as 1999 there were serious environmental ramifications regarding altering DNA and then introducing it into our food chain.

About the same time we had bee issues in the states I was filming in London when I received an invite to be a teacher on a Mercy Ship. The specific area had to do with teaching beekeepers in Africa what finished products to make with their bee by-products and I would stay on a rather new ship. I actually found that to be a fascinating challenge, I had been wanting to learn beekeeping. If I had been able to attend I would have been with the best beekeeping master the world had to offer on that ship and on land. I also had waited ten years to be accepted into the Mercy program and the timing could not have been worse. I caught pneumonia in London and spent several week recovering in Florida. While in bed recovering I studied more about bees and bee by-products. I ended up writing a book as a permanent way of teaching products people can make with bee by-products in lieu of my absence. The beekeeper’s digest is a result of my passion for bees and my odd gift of industry.

In the book I discuss it is important, as just a consumer, to know your source of your honey. I buy bee by-products from the least polluted areas, even as high up as north Canada. What they are pollinating off of can also be medicinal, so I also buy from areas in Oregon that are plush with Eucalyptus and lavender fields. This is essentially how the Manuka honey zone became popular in New Zealand. So, I buy honey from everywhere as long as I know the pollination source and its attributes.

My favorite honey recipe is a medicinal type syrup. You can also do many variations of this basic syrup and they are discussed in the recipe below. Vegetable glycerin is not a must, and can be substituted with more honey in its place. But vegetable glycerin is a really good humectant for dry mucus membranes. It is not always easy to find locally though. I dubbed this recipe “United Kingdom” because I was in London at the time I wrote it and was with a bunch of herbalist at Napier’s. Their input helped me build this recipe and its variations.

Basic Honey Cough Syrup with Lemon and Glycerin: United Kingdom

Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2006-2011

Makes 8 ounces or 234 ml
2 lemons
4 Ounces Vegetable Glycerin (117 ml)
4 Ounce Honey (117 Ml)
The recipe is basically one part honey to one part vegetable glycerin. Heat the lemons by boiling them in water for 10 minutes. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Add the glycerin and honey. Take 1 tsp as needed. Cute if packaged in Boston Round type bottles.
Variations of Cough Honey and Glycerin Cough Syrup
You can get fancy and add any of the following to enhance your basic recipe. ¼ part to all Triple strength Horehound Tea, and/or a Teaspoon of whiskey (if for an adult.) ONE drop of Thyme essential oil. Thyme is VERY potent and could be hard on the liver. One or two drops is enough. A drop or two of Anise essential oil (tastes like licorice.) Menthol crystals can be added and would dissolve in the heat phase. ¼ teaspoon of menthol crystals if you have them.
In addition to Horehound's expectorant and demulcent qualities, as an antispasmodic it helps to relax the coughing spasms so common with bronchitis. The added sweetness of horehound candy/cough drops that are available commercially makes the very bitter herb more accessible. Or one can obtain Horehound's healing qualities with a tea, tincture, or syrup. Hyssop is similar in chemical makeup and function to horehound but is much less bitter. Both of these herbs mix well with peppermint. Some other herbs that can be helpful in treating coughs are: wild cherry bark, violets, osha, bee balm, slippery elm, nasturtium, red clover and plantain. Ginger, ground cloves and cinnamon can also be great variations. Cinnamon by nature is very strong. Like Thyme, be very prudent with it.

Gardeners Hand Crème Makes 6 Ounces or 170 Grams
Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2006-2011

2 Ounces Castor Oil (56 Grams)
2 Ounces of Olive Oil (56 Grams)
2 Ounces of Beeswax (56 Grams)
2 Tablespoons of Sterile Warm Water
1/2 Teaspoon White China Clay
½ Teaspoon of Borax

9 Drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
9 Drops of Orange, or Mandarin Essential Oil
Using a dependable heat proof glass measuring cup, melt the beeswax in the microwave for about 5 minutes—continually watching it. Remove with gloves and stir. Heat a few more minutes if the beeswax is not almost melted.
Remove again with mittens to avoid being burned. Slowly add the china clay in while using a hand held whipper or whisk and then add the water with the borax into it while still whipping. Add the essential oils last. Your creation should start looking “fluffy” and is ready to go into containers. Use a spatula to work it into you jars and avoid air pockets. If it is not binding, try to whip more and add another teaspoon of borax.

Honey-O-Bit Candy Almond Honey NougatBit of Honey/Almond Candy

Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2006-2011

No honey book would be complete without this!

1 Cup of Honey
1 Cup of Sugar
2 Cups of Dry Powdered Milk
2 Ounces of Almond Paste or Crushed Almonds

To Make:

Melt the honey, sugar and almonds until reaching 270 degrees F, stirring constantly as not to scorch. Let cool to 180 F and then stir in dried milk powder. Allow to cool to 110 degrees F and then roll onto a cutting board. Cut into rectangular chucks. Allow to harden. Wrap in wax paper to store. This makes about 6 dozen pieces.

A Variation of this high energy treat is known as Halva.

2 cups brown sesame seeds1/2 cup flax seeds4 T honey4 T sesame oil
Finely grind all dry ingredients together and then slowly add warm honey and sesame oil. You can roll these into balls and store in the refrigerator. We like to dip ours in “dipping chocolate” and at times add pistachios to the mix.

Excerpt The Beekeeper's Digest Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White

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Hurricane Ike: Two Years Later September 12th, 2008 by Deborah Dolen

Two Years After Ike by Deborah Dolen (Images courtesy of The Weather Channel)

By Thursday September 11th, 2008 we knew we were going to get directly hit by Hurricane Ike near Galveston TX. I watched the storm approach on radar on StormPulse.org while I talked animatedly to my friends back in Florida. They could not believe we were getting the bullet they dodged. Hurricane IKE hit Galveston and downtown Houston Friday very late night September 12th, the brunt of the storm actually passing through in the early morning hours of Saturday the 13th of September 2008. It tore up downtown Houston, glass from its ethereal buildings lay sprawled on the ground. I went through IKE with my golden retriever, Ringo, who had himself been through Katrina and Wilma. I had been through Charlie and a number of other ones in Florida. Ike was the worst hurricane I had been through.

My dog and I could not leave the area to avoid the storm because we were not really from Texas and had no car there. My fiancé (now ex) was busy trying to protect his expensive stereo system and this marked the very end of that relationship. He had a car and demanded we could only leave if his valuable stuff went with us. I decided facing death would be better than being stuck in a car with my soon to be ex, on a packed highway, so I sedated Ringo with Benadryl that Friday evening and we slept in a walk in closet. Ringo succumbed rather quickly and good thing he did.

By midnight it was loud, IKE sounded like ear piercing jet engines. The sound was that of lot of energy. Every two minutes for the next four hours sounded just like jet engines preparing for take off. That is exactly what a hurricane sounds like. Immense jet engines preparing for take off. Close to one o’clock in the morning very loud bangs could be heard of objects hitting the house. In my area it was basically fences, chimneys and anything else not secured down. We lost electric just before the clock struck midnight of the 12th going into the 13th of September 2008. Little did we know we would not see electric again for days, even weeks. Over on Galveston Island, 20 minutes from where I was, well over 100 people lost their life. This was because many did not take it seriously. Some cell phone calls were made, people on the island commenting the water was up to their knees at 2:00 in the morning, and then never heard from again. After the fact, I learned many pets were left in cages and on leashes, when even the Mayor of Houston warned “death was immanent” for anyone staying on Galveston Island. If I knew this is what some people do I would have gone to the island and started letting pets loose or taking them to downtown. Anything would have been safer than being on Galveston Island during IKE.

The resulting days were very hard with ice being a major commodity and being up against real Katrina Pros to get some. They knew what to do, and were beating 2 bag per person minimums with counting their kids and pressing H.E.B. grocery clerks for all of it. They would walk away with ten or more bags. Bottom line when you stood in line for two hours there would be no ice left. My only saving grace was where I lived was influential and we got electric back up first. I recall the lights coming back on at two o’clock in the morning. I thought someone was putting a flashlight in my eyes-and kept asking them to stop. I finally awoke to seem the whole house ablaze with light and ceiling fans that finally worked.

The only bright side of Hurricane IKE was Halloween and autumn decorations went up for the first time anywhere I recall in September. Residents of the IKE hit areas could not wait to change the theme and psychologically moved forward as fast as possible. There was another bright side. A major cold front came in unseasonably early and stayed. It greatly helped those who had no electric or air condition. But Hurricane IKE re-defined my future and I am sure many others also. As every Halloween approaches I will never forget IKE. I am back in Florida with Ringo, my Golden retriever and kissing the Florida ground.

Deborah Dolen on Perfume Crafting with Exotic Oils Recipes and Formula's

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White

Making your own perfume or cologne is extremely easy if you have lots of time to just experiment with blending various scented oils. Almost all scents originate from the oil part of a botanical extraction. Even if a scent is not usually found in an oil form it is always best to try to find the oil version of the scent you like when trying to blend. Vanilla would be a great example. Vanilla is usually sold as water based (extract) but can be purchased as a much harder to find oil (essential oil)-however the oil based vanilla is going to last much longer in most professional applications. In a nutshell, I made my first perfume years ago by combining different precious oils, fragrance oils, flavor oils and essential oils I liked and had on hand. My formula was a mixture of vanilla, musk, neroli, vetivert, sweet spices, white florals (such as lilly of the valley, white rose) and oppomax. It took months to "build." For about a year I just dabbed the oil I formulated on myself. It was not until I took that oil mixture I adored and dropped it into a very high proof alcohol - did it "bloom" and blow me away. I cannot recall why I did that - I think I was just bored or trying to make what I did have stretch to also share with a friend. Dispersing the oil in a high proof alcohol gave the scent so many new facets. Like my creation went from two dimensions to several. Most importantly it made it "throw" just like the Chanel #22 I was trying to copy. Chanel had ceased making that arrangement years back and I could not envision living without #22. Number 22 was known as the "wedding" perfume made with only white flowers. Knowing this was a major advantage to coming close to a copy I liked.

Dilutions: What Makes Perfume Grade vs Toilet Water Grade?

I will call your final product a “compound” or “ester.” Once you have designed a great scent (compound) and given it a name it is going to be fantastic in any dilution! Your masterpiece “symphony” of oil based compounds will become more multifaceted with the addition of a high proof alcohol. A high proof alcohol such as Everclear 190 will “solve” your oils. Some states can only secure 150 proof and that is acceptable, but still not as good as 190.

Real perfume is usually 10-20% of the master oils formulation and 80% a very high proof alcohol. Some perfumeries add 5% distilled water in exchange for part of the alcohol but I never have. Colognes are usually maxim 3-5% of the precious formula with 10% distilled water. Toilet water is usually maximum 2% precious oils to 80% alcohol and 20% distilled water. Body splash is pretty much in the cologne dilution category. I do worry about oxidation of precious raw materials so I drop anti-oxidants such as dendritic salt and or vitamin E into my oil blends. ROE, Rosemary Oleoresin extract is also great and very powerful but can discolor the project.

Perfume = 10%-20% compound /5% distilled water/80% alcohol
Cologne 3-5% compound/10% distilled water/85% alcohol
Toilet Water=2% compound/18% distilled water/80% alcohol

Materials to make Perfume?

Beyond securing a high proof alcohol such as Everclear 190 and distilled water, you can draw raw materials to make your compound from many places. You are going to want to buy some atomizers when you are on a roll with a great scent or two. Sephora makes some really neat ones I buy on line. Always keep careful notes. Your best creation could be what you felt your worst mistake. My readers generally have the same materials around the house that I have in my lab. They generally already have fragrance oils, flavor oils and/or essential oils. My Chanel #22 copy had about 50% fragrance oil, 20% flavor oil and 30% essential oil because I drew from what I had. I made careful notes about my sources of each scent because, for example, a vanilla fragrance oil is no where near as strong as vanilla essential oil. This means much less vanilla is needed in my formula if I ever replaced vanilla FO with vanilla EO.

Your Blend Can Go Into Lotion and Crème

Your compound can usually blend right into an already made lotion or crème without adding alcohol. Vanilla is my absolute favorite ingredient, and in almost all of my formulas, but the down side is browning. Vanilla seems to “bloom” into pink dots and over a month’s time make the entire lotion a pinkish brown. It looks just like women’s’ cosmetic foundation. Although the change always freaks me out, many of my friends liked that attribute and felt it was more natural. I am still on the fence about the “blooming” but I still loving my vanilla.

Other Ways to Garner Scent

Many people do not realize water is the most used solvent known to man. When we make a cup of coffee we are using water to “solve” the parts of the bean we are after. This is also known as solvent extraction. Now envision putting barks, petals, spices (in whole or freshly crushed form,) citrus peels and/or moss in the coffee filter. The end result would be a melange of scent.

Looking at scent compounding another way, think of vanilla extract. It is made over time by placing the vanilla bean in a high proof alcohol. To save money and perhaps reduce any residual alcohol smell, some distilled water is added to most extracts.

Just for Fun! Extraction Project

In 16 ounces of a high proof alcohol (2 cups) put lemon citrus rinds, cinnamon sticks, a vanilla bean (partially macerated- spliced- for maximum flavor,) crushed whole nutmeg or any other peel, rind, aromatic you can think of. Petals are OK but do brown. Allow to sit for a few months, shaking a few times a week. Filter through a coffee filter. For a stronger result do it a second time. I call this “folds,” such as “four fold” if I repeat the process 4 times. The end result should be a wonderful aromatic base you can spray around your home. Keep this away from heat because alcohol is very flammable.

A very comprehensive list I created years ago is here:Designer Perfume Notes Indexhttp://www.mabelwhite.com/Recipes/PerfumeFormulas.htmDeborah Dolen on Perfume Crafting with Exotic Oils Recipes and Formula'shttp://deborahdolen.blogspot.com/2010/07/deborah-dolen-on-perfume-crafting-with.htmlDeborah Dolen on How to Make Perfumehttp://deborahdolen.blogspot.com/2011/05/deborah-dolen-on-perfume-crafting-with.htmlIntroduction to Making Perfume and Most Important 66 notes to Have: Propensity Charthttp://petalscience.com/ by Deborah Dolen

Years before this I made a comprehensive list of top, middle and bottom notes of perfume favorites. Below is part of that list.

In alphabetical order:

Adoration
Floral

Top Notes: Freesia
Heart Notes: Apricot blossoms

Alexandra (Alexandra de Markoff)
Semi-Oriental

Top Notes: Italian Iris, South African marigold
Heart Notes: French Jasmine, Moroccan rose, French jonquil
Base Notes: Indian sandalwood, Singapore patchouli, Reunion island vetiver

Aliage (Estee Lauder)
Chypre-Green

Top Notes: Greens, peach, citrus
Heart Notes: Jasmine, rosewood, pine, thyme
Base Notes: Oakmoss, musk, vetiver, myrrh

Alchimie (Rochas)
Floral-Oriental

Top Notes: Blackcurrant, bergamot, grapefruit
Heart Notes: Acacia, jasmin, passiflora
Base Notes: Sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean

Amarige (Givenchy)
Floral-Fruity

Top Notes: Mandarin, neroli, violet leaves, rosewood
Heart Notes: Gardenia, red fruits, ylang-ylang, acacia farnesiana, mimosa
Base Notes: Musk, vanilla, tonka bean, woods, ambergris

Amazone (Hermes)
Floral-Fruity, this is a dry scent (not too sweet)

Top Notes: Mandarin, neroli, violet leaves, rosewood
Heart Notes: Daffodil, hyacinth, narcissus, black currant bud, iris, jasmine, raspberry, lily of the valley.
Base Notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, cedarwood, neroli, ylang-ylang, oakmoss

Amour Amour (Jean Patou)
Floral-Fresh

Top Notes: Bergamot, strawberry, lemon, neroli
Heart Notes: Jasmine, narcissus, rose, ylang-ylang, carnation, oregano, lily
Base Notes: Vetiver, honey, musk, civet, heliotrope

Anais Anais (Cacharel)
Floral-Fresh

Top Notes: White Madonna lily, black currant bud, hyacinth, lily of the valley, citrus
Heart Notes: Moroccan jasmine, Grasse rose, Florentine Iris, Madagascar ylang-ylang, orange blossom, Bourbon vetiver.
Base Notes: Russian leather, musk

Angel (Thierry Mugler)
Oriental, chocolate-vanilla

Top Notes: Fruits, dewberry, helonial, honey
Heart Notes: Chocolate, caramel, coumarin
Base Notes: Vanilla, patchouli

Animale (Suzanne de Lyon)
Chypre-Floral

Top Notes: Neroli, bergamot, hyacinth, coriander, greens
Heart Notes: Jasmine, rose, pimento berry, ylang-ylang
Base Notes: Patchouli, vetiver, musk, labdanum, oakmoss

Anne Klein
Floral

Top Notes: Greens, galbanum, hyacinth, neroli, cassie, bergamot, aldehydes
Heart Notes: Bulgarian rose, mandarin, lily of the valley, jasmine, orchid, rose
Base Notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, vanilla, amber, benzoin, musk, civet

Anne Klein II
Oriental-Ambery, vanilla

Top Notes: Peach, rosewood, greens, lemon
Heart Notes: Lily, jasmine, rose, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, orris, carnation
Base Notes: Vanilla, amber, sandalwood, musk, patchouli, civet, benzoin

Antilope (Weil)
Floral-Aldehyde

Top Notes: Grasse neroli, bergamot, chamomile, sage, aldehydes
Heart Notes: Lily of the valley, jasmine
Base Notes: Patchouli, iris, ambergris, vetiver

Antonia's Flowers
Floral

Notes: Freesia, jasmine, lily of the valley, magnolia, fruits

Apres L'Ondee (Guerlain)
Floral-Ambery

Top Notes: Violet, bergamot, cassie, neroli
Heart Notes: Carnation, ylang-ylang, iris, rose, jasmine, mimosa, vetiver, sandalwood
Base Notes: Vanilla, musk, amber, heliotrope

Aromatics Elixir
Chypre-Floral

Top Notes: Chamomile, orange blossom, bergamot, coriander, rosewood, aldehydes, greens, palmarosa
Heart Notes: Jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, tuberose, orris, carnation
Base Notes: Sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver, patchouli, musk, cistus, civet

Arpege (Lanvin)
Floral-Aldehyde

Top Notes: Bergamot, neroli, aldehydes, peach
Heart Notes: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley
Base Notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla, musk

Asja (Fendi)
Floral-Oriental

Top Notes: Fruits, citrus
Heart Notes: Bulgarian rose, Egyptian jasmine, ylang-ylang, cinnamon, nutmeg, mimosa
Base Notes: Sandalwood, musk, vanilla, amber

Azzaro
Chypre-Fruity

Top Notes: Fruits, gardenias, aldehydes
Heart Notes: Jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, orris
Base Notes: Moss, styrax, amber, vetiver, patchouli

Azzaro 9
Floral

Top Notes: Pineapple, aldehydes, mandarin, bergamot
Heart Notes: Jasmine, foxglove, tulip, wisteria, clematis, lily, mimosa, rose, orange blossom
Base Notes: Sandalwood, cedarwood, musk, moss, vanilla

Bal A Versailles
Oriental-Ambery Spicy

Top Notes: Grasse jasmine, Bulgarian rose, Anatolian rose, May rose, Farnesian cassie
Heart Notes: Sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver
Base Notes: Musk, ambergris, gums, resins, civet

Balahe (Leonard)
Floral-Ambery

Top Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, clary sage, coriander, pineapple, plum
Heart Notes: Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, orange blossom, orchid
Base Notes: Vanilla, vetiver, sandalwood, musk, civet

Bandit (Robert Piguet)
Chypre-Floral

Top Notes: Artemisia, bergamot, gardenia, aldehydes
Heart Notes: Jasmine, orris, rose, carnation
Base Notes: Moss, castoreum, patchouli, amber, vetiver, civet, myrrh

Basic Black (Bill Blass)
Floral-Fruity

Top Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, ylang-ylang, cardamon
Heart Notes: Rose, violet, coriander
Base Notes: Patchouli, oakmoss, sandalwood

Beautiful (Estee Lauder)
Floral

Top Notes: Bergamot, galbanum, lemon, cassie, fruits
Heart Notes: Rose, ylang-ylang, lilac, violet, lily of the valley, carnation, sage, geranium, rose violet, narcissus, orange blossom, mimosa, marigold, freesia, chamomile, tuberose, jasmine, neroli, jonquil, magnolia
Base Notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, musk, vanilla, cedarwood

Bellodgia (Caron)
Floral

Top Notes: Rose, jasmine, lily of the valley
Base Notes: Spicy carnation

Bijan
Floral-Oriental

Top Notes: Ylang-ylang, narcissus, orange blossom
Heart Notes: Persian jasmine, Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley
Base Notes: Moroccan oakmoss, sandalwood, patchouli

Bill Blass
Floral

Top Notes: Galbanum, hyacinth, pineapple, greens, bergamot, geranium
Heart Notes: Iris, tuberose, carnation, ylang-ylang, orris
Base Notes: Amber, sandalwood, benzoin, cedarwood, oakmoss

Blue Grass
Elizabeth Arden

Top Notes: Aldehydes, lavender, orange, neroli, bergamot
Heart Notes: Jasmine, tuberose, narcissus, rose, carnation
Base Notes: Sandalwood, musk, tonka bean, benzoin

Bois de Iles (Chanel)
Floral-Aldehyde

Top Notes: Bergamot, petitgrain, coriander, aldehydes
Heart Notes: Jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, iris
Base Notes: Vetiver, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean

Boucheron
Floral Semi-Oriental

Top Notes: Sicilian tangerine, Calabrian bitter orange, apricot, Persian galbanum, African tegetes, Spanish basilica
Heart Notes: Morrocan orange blossom, Grasse tuberose, Madagascar ylang-ylang, Moroccan jasmine, Auvergne narcissus, British broom
Base Notes: Mysore sandalwood, amber, Indian Ocean vanilla, South American tonka bean

Bvlgari
Floral

Top Notes: Italian bergamot, Spanish orange blossom, Ceylonese cardamom, Jamaican pepper, Russian coriander
Heart Notes: Bulgarian rose, Egyptian jasmine
Base Notes: Green tea, woods

Byblos
Floral-Fruity

Top Notes: Mandarin, grapefruit, cassie, marigold, bergamot, peach
Heart Notes: Honeysuckle, gardenia, mimosa, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, orchid, rose, heliotrope, violet, orris
Base Notes: Musk, vetiver, pepper, raspberry

Byzance (Rochas)
Floral Semi-Oriental

Top Notes: Citrus, cardamon, spices, greens, mandarin, aldehydes, basil
Heart Notes: Jasmine, tuberose, Turkish rose, lily of the valley, ylang-ylang


Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White


The full list is located here for the moment:
http://www.mabelwhite.com/Recipes/PerfumeFormulas.htm

Hands Across the Sand June 26th, 2010 by Deborah Dolen (RSS/API Dolen Images)

Hands Across the Sand June 26th, 2010 by Deborah Dolen (RSS/API Dolen Images) Click photos for full image!

Hands Across the Sand is a movement that started in Florida Saturday, February 13, 2010, and grew global exponentially within months. On the fateful February day thousands of Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the US Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in the near and off shores of Florida. Florida’s Hands Across The Sand event was the largest public gathering in the history of Florida.

Hand Across the Sand Mission is simple “To organize a national movement to oppose offshore oil drilling and champion clean energy and renewables.” Click here for the Hand Across the Sand main website. On June 26th, 2010 thousands of people on just about every beach across the globe got together around noon their respective times and held hands for five minutes (or so) to demonstrate their love and passion for our waters as well as stand up for the primary mission “stop the drilling.”

The Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had a huge impact on awareness of the health of our waters as well as escalated the membership and commitment of Hands Across the Sand members. If you live near a coastal area hands Across the Sand is a great way to meet people with mutual interests.

To date over one hundred million gallons of crude have entered the Gulf of Mexico. Another issue stemming from the BP Oil spill is the vast amount of Corexit being deliberately dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. BP Oil is doing this because it helps the “visual” aspect of less dead birds, but it submerses the oil and kills far more fish. The only good thing about the dispersant is BP Oil cannot get nearly as much of it as they would like to get! No amount of chemicals can match the millions of gallons of crude exiting the sea floor.

It is my opinion a good storm will pass through the BP Oil area and blow all of that oil out. In major storms the water turns out whatever is in it. So, anything BP Oil was trying to conceal will be very visual at the end of the day, or in this case by the end of the summer. All BP oil did was prolong the visual of the disaster for public relations purposes and are needlessly killing more fish to do so. Beyond the fact BP Oil should pay to have super tankers in our Gulf, and should have been asking for them since day one – the sun will naturally degrade some of the oil. Absent any involvement from humans, the sun can degrade the crude more naturally than anything BP Oil is trying to do. Dropping dispersants to “pretend the oil is not as much oil there” (as there really is) simply kills our fish and eventually that oil will come up anyway.

The Gulf of Mexico naturally seeps about 40 million gallons of oil a year. The differences are, it does not seep all in one place, at one time, or near a fragile coast line such as the Mississippi marsh lands. Nature does have a way of taking care of things and it is my hope the oil does turn out in a storm before the winter months arrive while the sun is still hot enough to help degrade the crude. If we have a winter like last year, with water temperatures dropping under 55 degrees Fahrenheit, we could have some semi solid gunk that will be worse to deal with, and much less help from the sun to degrade it.

Photo’s and videos I took are from Anna Maria Island June 26th, 2010.

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The Birds of BP Gulf Oil Spill: Canola Oil Baths! by Deborah Dolen (RSS/API)

The Birds of BP Gulf Oil Spill: Canola Oil Baths! by Deborah Dolen (RSS/API)

Ever wondered how they clean birds dripping with oil? Once the traumatized bird has rested a day or two, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research staffers are dipping the birds in canola oil first, which is an excellent gentle solvent to the harder crude oil. After that the birds are popped into a 104 degree bath which is their natural temperature. Tri state staffers say it can take 45 minutes and 300 gallons of water to wash oil off a pelican, and three people – one to hold the beak could be the obvious. Some rescue groups go ahead and put a salve in the bird’s eyes so they are not affected by the soap when cleaning.

Over at the International Bird Research Center in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, wildlife affected by the BP Gulf Coast oil spill have dear friend in Jay Holcomb Jay Holcomb was named Oceana's Ocean Hero for 2010. He responded to California oil spills during the 1970's and early 80's as a volunteer before joining the staff of IBRRC during the ARCO Anchorage Spill (1986). He has either led or been on staff for virtually all IBRRC spill responses since 1986 including the M/V Treasure oil spill in Cape Town, South Africa (2000) and handled the aviation operations during Exxon Valdez spill at Prince Edward Sound. His staff is highly trained and they work as a team. One of the most common questions poised at Jay is “Does the wildlife know they are being helped?” Jay says “No! They are wild animals and highly stressed by handling and captivity. Most likely they regard us as predators that are about to eat them. Although some species like penguins, pelicans and murres will act more friendly as they become accustomed to being fed fish by humans, they need what is termed "flight space". This is the space between them and humans that allow them to feel comfortable when in the presence of their care takers.” ~Jay Holcomb

Watch footage of Jay explaining how they clean the incoming birds at ground zero for the BP Gulf Oil Spill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQSubToXKDo&feature=related in another news segment more bird cleaning procedures are discussed by Jay. Here Holcomb is giving a slew of interviews but each one is unique from the last and lessons learned are vast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUyy4XGapR4 Port Arthur Wildlife Rescue Worker’s also allowed footage of how they handle the incoming “patients.” Cleaning Crude off Birds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDyjHcZ8rEc.

In watching the video’s in Holcomb’s operation you not only see how the birds are cleaned, but the cute “hotel” they get to rest at after they are cleaned. A video shot of wildlife volunteer training in South Florida is also very educational. In the video below the teacher discusses the fact the incoming oil is “weathered” as in not extremely toxic, but yet still nasty stuff you do not want on you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9TotAzcrz8&NR=1 One new technique in oil spill bird rescue is allowing the bird to rest a day or two before being washed as not to upset their hormone balance and rhythm. This has dramatically increased the survival rate in oil traumatized birds.

Mid June 2010 about 53 Pelicans are expected to arrive in Tampa Bay, via the Coast Guard for release. This will re-socialize the pelicans in an environment much like the habitat they are from.

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Read about Ringo a dog flown in from Katrina. Official Bio of his owner and short Bio. RSS Syndicated Feeds on the environment. How Twitter is best used. Deborah Dolen Books on Amazon. Review of her books on Open Library, Paperback Swap, Good Reads and ReviewScout. You can also read Google Profile. Deborah Dolen on MySpace Facebook, and Flickr. This is our favorite blogspot. See Deborah Dolen on YouTube and her last book written London Apothecary and book.

BP Oil: BEYOND POLLUTION by Deborah Dolen (Dolen Syndicated RSS/API)

BP Oil: BEYOND POLLUTION by Deborah Dolen (Dolen Syndicated RSS/API) click photo to see aerial photograph from comerical airliner

New York Times has a great updated oil spill traker map.

BP Oil has been frantically dumping a gargantuan amount of Corexit into the gulf against the EPA wishes, not to just disperse oil, but to alter the appearance of how bad the oil spill truly is. The Corexit dispersant causes the oil to emulsify into the water and subsequently not float on the surface to be an eye sore. People cannot get “as upset” about what they cannot see. Like a magician, BP Oil distracts us with the one hand [Top Kill] so we do not notice what the other hand is doing [fish kill.] Corexit is anti-freeze folks.

“BP to EPA: Talk to the hand because the other hand ain't listening”

Excellent Spill Surface Tracker updated daily at CNN http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/29/interactive.spill.tracker/index.html

May 20th, 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency demanded BP Oil cease using Corexit products as an oil dispersant. BP Oil ignored them, but why? Researchers at USF scientists said the use of dispersants is causing the oil to be as dense as the water so it does not float. Huge underwater plumes that are miles wide and miles deep, although they have not pegged the source. Essentially a more substantial amount of the oil should have been floating on the water so at least the sun could degrade it naturally, or clean up crews could better contain it.

"The Impact on Marine Life is Death by Suffocation"

BP Oil deprived the interested people and mother nature to better handle this. Sure it would look ten times worse (it is) but adding colossal amounts of anti-freeze to the Gulf of Mexico to manage the oil spill is unconscionable. Furthermore Boone Pickens, on Larry King Live, a man who spent a lifetime on the oil industry demurely noted the “Top Kill” attempt will most likely not work and the true answer is in the relief wells. The relief wells are months away. Until that time “action” labeled events to stop the oil geyser such as “Top Kill” and “Junk Shot” are just words to keep us pacified, distracted and our eye off the ball. The ball being all the horrific amounts of anti-freeze BP oil is dumping right into the Gulf of Mexico.

The impact on all marine life is death by suffocation. Oil and Corexit are loved by algae which grows rampant and takes all oxygen out of the water. BP oil is deliberately suffocating our marine and wildlife so the spill does not “look so bad.” BP Oils hierarchy of needs at this time is to reduce pressure from the press and public even if that means visually making the spill less visible. They have absolutely no ethics at this point and should be moved away from the area allowing objective parties in to handle this.

Another reason BP is not really stressed about their ultimate impacts is that they have reached the billion dollar liability for pollution. Once a company has reached their potential maximum liability per Federal law, does it really matter anymore? Not really. Unless the dropping of the dispersant can be considered a second independent incident, as it is.

Deborah Dolen is an author who lives on the Gulf of Mexico near Long Boat Key. Deborah is shown in the photo with her Dog Ringo by her side over looking the Gulf of Mexico. Ringo was rescued from Katrina, and sent to Plantation, Florida where Wilma hit before Deborah Dolen could go get him. She flew a private plane to get Ringo and drop off supplies for 10 vet rescue centers. Together Deborah and Ringo got through hurricane IKE where they were staying near Galveston Bay in September of 2008. The two got to see the devastation of IKE first hand, as well as Hurricane Charlie when Deborah was staying on that side of the gulf. Deborah Dolen has been through Bonnie, Frances, Charlie, Ike, TS Gabrielle, and Ringo has been through Katrina, Wilma and Ike. They know what weeks without electric and other necessities is all about. You can join Deborah Dolen at MySpace http://www.myspace.com/deborah_dolen or see her RSS Feeds on Twitter http://twitter.com/DeborahDolen or check out her new site dedicated to oil and water environmental issues http://www.deborahdolen.org/

Read about Ringo a dog flown in from Katrina. Official Bio of his owner and short Bio. RSS Syndicated Feeds on the environment. How Twitter is best used. Deborah Dolen Books on Amazon. Review of her books on Open Library, Paperback Swap, Good Reads and ReviewScout. You can also read Google Profile. Deborah Dolen on MySpace Facebook, and Flickr. This is our favorite blogspot. See Deborah Dolen on YouTube and her last book written London Apothecary and book.

BP Oil Crises "Let The Dolphins Eat Cake" by Deborah Dolen (Dolen Syndicated RSS/API)

written by Deborah Dolen (Dolen Syndicated/RSS/ API) photo of Sarasota Bay by Brandon Clifford, Utah!

The live feed of BP's Top Kill attempt is here:I often wonder if BP Oil ever really desired a truly permanent oil pipeline shut off. I also wonder if some of the chaos is really “about them” trying temporary solutions when they could have already invoked a permanent one. True, BP Oil officials are upset, but are they upset about the same things we are? Doubtful.

It cost BP a billion dollars over nine years to build and maintain Deepwater Horizon. It is not an old rig at all. According to a victim of the Deepwater Horizon explosion the rig had hundreds of millions of barrels of oil underneath it. If true, that makes a value of the oil underneath over a trillion dollars. Under the Federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) BP Oil is only liable to pay a billion for each incident.

Whoever capped the corporate liability of a crises did the environment no favors and also never factored in inflation since the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Was a cap necessary? No. Disasters are disasters because no one expects them. So, how could we ever know the true damage of any disaster before it happens? But thanks to the 2000 OPA plan BP Oil officials know their maximum risk is a billion and they have already reached it, technically. After you reach your maximum exposure do you care to do anything but save the golden goose?

BP Oil officials do not live on our gulf and they do not care. We are letting the fox guard the chickens and we must have other experts in there who are objective to stop the oil flow. My vote is to get all BP Oil interests out of that area. This may have always been the real problem. It does seem like the BP Oil’s position is “if the dolphins are hungry, let them eat cake” because dumping massive amounts of bitter-sweet Corexit is going to be accepted as cake.

"Corexit dispersant is propylene glycol is anti-freeze"

Corexit is propylene glycol which is known to us as anti-freeze kills countless animals a year who mistake the sweet potion for water. I hope the anti-freeze they are using to disperse the oil is considered another pollution incident because it is and could have been avoided and it is deliberate polluting of our waters. I had been sympathetic to BP Oil long after my colleagues were yelling ”Boycott BP Oil.” If BP Oil was paying the bill why would we want to choke their profits needed to pay the tab? Because they continue to poison our waters and I now “get it.” All of the money in the world is not going to fix the damage they deliberately still engage in.

Deborah Dolen is an author who lives on Sarasota Bay in Florida. Photo on the left is Deborah Dolen with her best friend Ringo, over looking the Gulf of Mexico. Ringo is a Golden Retriever she adopted from Katrina.

Read about Ringo a dog flown in from Katrina. Official Bio of his owner and short Bio. RSS Syndicated Feeds on the environment. How Twitter is best used. Deborah Dolen Books on Amazon. Review of her books on Open Library, Paperback Swap, Good Reads and ReviewScout. You can also read Google Profile. Deborah Dolen on MySpace Facebook, and Flickr. This is our favorite blogspot. See Deborah Dolen on YouTube and her last book written London Apothecary and book.