Ruph's Blog

Natural Pain Relievers

2008-09-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

For ages, our ancestors used natural products to relieve pain. If you don't like taking all sorts of pills for all sorts of ailments, you can still find natural solutions in your local pharmacy or grocery store and even in your own backyard! (Keep in mind that just about all medicines come from some variation of natural products such as herbs; so herbs or any other natural solution should also be taken in moderation. For serious conditions always consult your doctor.)

Witch Hazel - great for bites and burns.

Aloe Vera - an nice plant, which you can grow in your backyard or keep as a house plant, provides immediate relief from burns, sunburn, bites, and cuts. You can eat it or mix it inner chunks with other juices to improve it's taste. It's a very healthy supplement.

Gelatin Formulas - helps to strengthen the joints; providing components of collagen.

Licorice - It's a herb! And it can help relieve sore throats , upper respiratory and even arthritis through it's anti-inflammatory characteristics.

Baking Soda - helps with heartburn by mixing a little bit in water drinking it. But for a sweeter solution, hard candy or gum can also help because it promotes the production of saliva which can help remove the excess aid in the esophagus.

Garlic + Olive Oil - crushing clovers of garlic in a mixture of olive oil when warmed can help with ear infections by placing a few drops in the ear canal with a cotton ball.

Potatoes - don't just eat it, rub a sliced potato on sore feet. It also helps to toughen soft skin.

Teas - there are many variations of herbal tea that provide a wide range of health benefits. They are a good source of antioxidants among other healing powers.

Life Saving Foods

2008-09-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of great tasting foods that help maintain healthy bodies and can be deemed life saving considering the diseases and illnesses they help prevent.

Antioxidants - Foods Having a Good Source of Vitamin A,C, E and Selenium. (Antioxidants help protect the body from free radicals which attack our cells leaving our bodies subject to diseases and cancer.)

Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Spinach (vitamin A)

Green Peppers, Papayas, Oranges, Cantaloupe (vitamin C)

Almonds, Pecans, Wheat Germ (vitamin E)

Onions, Seafood, Cabbage (selenium)

Broccoli (vitamins A,C, and selenium)

Potassium-rich Foods That Can Help Lower Your Blood Pressure (High blood pressure can affect the body in many ways like over exerting your heart or damaging the inner linings of your arteries potentially rupturing them.)

Banana
Avocado
Baked Potato
Orange Juice
Apricots
Salmon
Cod
Turkey
Squash
Skim Milk
Broccoli

Foods With a Low Glycemic Index (A low GI results in a slower rate in which sugar enters the blood stream which in turn requires less insulin needed to be released to regulate the sugar. Too much insulin can cause you to develop diabetes, gain weight, have strokes or heart attacks, overwork your kidneys, and raise your blood pressure.)

Prunes 15
vermicelli 35
black beans, boiled 30
soy milk 31
apple juice 40
grapefruit 25
yogurt, plain 14
yogurt, fruit 36

Year-round Garden Tips

2008-09-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

The following tips are based on a Texas climate when spring is wet, summer is hot, fall is mild, and winter is cold.

Spring - This is the best time to start planning your yard and garden to look great for the year.

Clean up your flower beds and add new soil. Add weed killer to your yard.
Begin planting your flowers after the last frost. A good sign of when to start planting flowers is when the bulbs you planted in the winter begin to spring out of the ground.
Know the difference between perennials and annuals before selecting a spot for them in your garden. Perennials are more permanent while annuals only live for the season and then you have to replace them each year. So you might be asking yourself why buy annuals? Because they tend to have the most vibrant colors, cheaper to buy in bulk, they grow fast and fill in your garden nicely;plus it gives your the opportunity to give your garden a new look next year.
Add new mulch to your flower beds after planting. The mulch retains the moisture for your plants and looks great. Avoid getting mulch on your plants' leaves, they don't like it.
Start a garden and have fruit and veggies through summer.

Summer - There's not much more that you can do to you yard and garden other than take care of it. Take care of your investment.

Water your plants and yard longer rather than frequently. Allowing the water to soak into the garden will cause your plants' and grass roots to grow deep searching for the water. If you water too frequently, your plants will grow shallow roots and won't be as sturdy.
The best time to water your yard is early in the morning. Watering at night will cause mushrooms to pop up everywhere almost instantly.
Continue to keep weeds out of your yard and flower beds before it gets out of control.
Don't try to plant trees and bushes in the summer. Trust me they won't survive.
Don't try to transplant flowers, bushes, or trees wait until the fall. Transplants causes shock to the plants. You can buy root stimulator to help when planting new plants or transplanting. But all the root stimulator in the world won't help a plant overcome 100 degree heat.
If you start getting brown spots in your grass, make sure your sprinkler is reaching that area. Sometimes you need to make adjustments. Also, Miracle Grow for lawns makes your grass greener than ever. It doesn't take long for brown spots to turn green again.

Fall - This is a great time to plan for next year and long term.

Plant trees and shrubs in the fall. This is the time when they establish strong roots between now and winter. Water your newly planted trees and shrubs with a deep soak often for the first few weeks for a healthy start.
Choose your spot for your trees wisely. If the tree will lose it leaves, flowers or fruits, keep it away from swimming pools and ponds. Decide where you want shade and what views you would want to wither block or avoid blocking.
You can also find some fall flowering shrubs and flowers to continue to have color throughout the year.

Winter - Another season for minimal maintenance and planning for the busy Spring.

At the end of fall, have your plants pruned and garden beds cleaned of any plants and annuals which have reached the end of their life. This will keep your yard looking well groomed and less work to go come spring. (Don't be surprised if later in the spring that some of your annuals start popping up out of the ground, they do have seeds you know)
During freeze warnings, cover your plants, shrubs, and trees as instructed; it only takes one very cold night to destroy your investment for the year.
Buy flowering bulbs which you can plant at the end of winter. They are great indicators of Spring and a delight to see when they sudden appear out of the ground in early spring giving your a jump start on your garden before your neighbors without lifting a shovel.

Five Great Places to Travel to in the US

2008-09-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

5) The entire West Coast. Hwy 1 thru Hwy 101.

4) Las Vegas - lively and entertaining even for the non-gamblers.

3) Niagra Falls - A vast display of waterfalls; not as tall but still a refreshing site.

2) Grand Canyon - unbelievable!

1) Yellowstone - an amazing place of unique nature and beauty. More than just geysers!

Fun Facts

2008-09-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Oil is actually dark green while in the ground, not black.
The Great Wall of China can not be seen from the moon.
Ants don't sleep.
The Statue of Liberty is actually named Liberty Enlightening the World.
Dogs learn to bark from other domestic dogs. Wild dogs don't bark.
Crickets don't rub their legs together to chip;they rub their wings.

Money Saving Tips in a Struggling Economy

2008-09-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Continue to contribute to your 401k especially if your company matches. Contribute at least the 6% in which your company matches. That's free money in which you can not make anywhere else.
Improve your FICO Score before making major purchases such as a bedroom set, car, or home. A lower interest rate will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
Pay more than the minimum on your credit cards. If you only pay the minimum it would take several years to pay it off and that's assuming you are not adding new debt to it.
Instead putting that new HDTV on your credit card, save up your money to make large purchases. You can earn interest while saving up your money rather than paying 22% interest. By the time you've saved up your money to make the purchase, they price may have gone down or you may realize you don't want it anymore and would rather use the saved money on something else or continue saving the money for a rainy day.
Never ever ever take cash advances from your credit cards. The interest rates are outrageous and you'll just dig yourself into a big whole. If you are desperate for cash, borrow from family or friends and offer to pay a more reasonable interest rate to them. Better yet, find a second job to make the cash you need.

My Favorite Things to Do...

2008-09-18T22:48:00.001-07:00

Sit on the deck and bark.
Sit by the fence and bark.
Sit by the door and bark.
Sniff Toby, my Yorkie brother.
Follow my masters everywhere and stay within 1 inch of their feet.

My First Blog Experience...

2008-09-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm Ruph. Welcome to my blog. This is my first blogging experience and I'm not sure how I got here. But since I'm here I might as well see what it's all about.