How To Grow Long Healthy Hair

Everyone likes long, healthy, shining hair full of body, but few people want to do what it takes to achieve that. I am talking about long hair here, not mid or shoulder length. If you can't pull it altogether up into a pony tail, its not long. Long hair is considerably less trouble than anything other than very, very short and sheared off. If it is long enough to clip up or braid, it is no trouble at all and needs to be washed a lot less.This is a picture (above) of Crystal Gayle, Loretta Lynn's little syster and a good vocalist in her own right. I have used a few pictures of her in the post because of her long, healthy hair. I do not know what she does to maintain it.

I am growing long hair now, really really long, down to my waist and all one length, eventually, when it gets there. I have done a lot of research lately on growing long hair. Listed below are a few sensible things I have learned to get it there and keep it healthy.

This is too long and needs about a meter cut off the bottom.

The first key to healthy hair is eating right and drinking lots of water We all know how to eat right, whether we do it or not. Everyone in this day and age knows that you need lots of veggies, some fruit, some meat and some fat. Leave the sugar and saturated fats alone. Ideally you should eat only natural things, REAL food (but who does that?) and drink a lot of water and we all know how much "a lot" of water is, too.

When you have that under control (and I'm not there yet, but moving towards it) here are other things you can do that make a big difference:

a) Don't use a brush of any kind. Use only a very large toothed comb and be gentle. File off any rough spots on it. There is a wooden pin brush and a boar brush out there that are suppose to be good for long hair but its a new thing. Try it at your own risk.

b) Keep all chemicals away from your hair, including stripping or harsh shampoo, peroxide, perms, straighteners and hairspray.

c) Wash only when absolutely necessary using shampoo as little as possible. You can get away with a little shampooing at the scalp only, but very little and not often. Let it gently rinse through the lenth of your hair and out. A healthier alternative is to use cornmeal on your scalp when you need to remove oil and rinsing it out. It helps to remove dirt and oils if you massage your scalp for a few minutes, breaking up the deposits there, then wash. Baking soda makes a good natural stripper, but don't use it often. Conditioner alone can be used to remove contaminants, especially if you have dry hair. Use a conditioner for your hair type to also remove tangles so you can comb it carefully and gently. There is a large movement out there to do away with shampoo altogether and these people have clean, healthy hair. Do some research if you are interested.

d) Keep it as tangle free as possible at all times to make the combing less damaging. It helps to comb your hair before you wash it and keep it straight while washing it. Don't pile it on your head, let it hang down long while you gently clean it. When you wash it, treat it gently. Very gently remove any tangles with your fingers. If you have something in your hair that you carefully cannot comb out with your big comb or work loose with fingers, cut it out. Never, ever tear tangles out of your hair with a brush, better yet, don't use a brush at all.

d) Use a slight acid rinse at each wash, after everything else, to restore the correct ph balance to your hair and help remove shampoo residues. Any vinegar mixed with a little water will work well. Lemon juice and water also works but might lighten your hair slightly. Strong tea works well but will darken your hair.

e) Rinse out the vinegar with clear icy cold water when you are finished, as cold as you can stand it. The icy cold water will make the cuticles lie flat helping to keep it from breaking. It will make it shinier too.

f) If you have dry and/or damanged hair, deep condition it once a month with a natural oil. Olive oil works well. Warm it up and apply to hair. Wrap your hair in a towel or a plastic shower cap and leave it on all day or over night. You will probably need to use a little shampoo in the wash to remove it. Follow the guidelines in "c" above.

g) Keep all electric appliances away from your hair. This includes curling irons, flat irons, hot rollers and crimpers. Never, ever put that kind of heat on the ends of your hair, no matter what kind of stuff you put on them to protect them. If you want curls, use gentle pin curls or roll it up in a rag and tie it. You can actually go to the store with your hair rolled up on top of your head in a rag and tied. It looks cute. It's quite curly and wavy when you let it down. NEVER USE VELCRO ROLLERS! and don't sleep on rollers, crushing your hair against them (see "d" below). Put soft ones on the very top of your head where you won't be sleeping on them.

d) Lesson any friction on your hair. When it gets long enough for you to lean back on, don't. Rubbing the ends between your back and a chair is a good way to damage the ends. Pull it over your shoulder when you sit down or clip the ends up or braid it. Don't sleep with it loose. A long braid will hold it tight to keep it from the friction of moving around between your head and the pillow case in the night. Don't wring it out tight when drying or scrub the ends vigorously in a towel. Avoid all friction between your hair and another surface.

e) Do not put anything elastic in it to hold it, including cloth scrungies. Don't tie it tight in the same spot over and over again. That's weakens the hair there. Clip it up or braid it. Braiding is the style of choice for me, when I can get it all in a braid.

f) Constantly trimming the ends will not make it grow any faster. If you are maintaining a healthy length, trim it 1/2" every month just to remove the damaged ends. That is the normal rate of growth for the average, fairly healthy individual. If you think you hair never grows, it could be because your damaged ends are breaking off that much every month or you are getting a "trim". It will never get any longer if you lose it off the ends. If you think the ends look bad and need a trim, take off the damage and resolve not to need a trim again until it is the length that you want it. If you already have very damaged ends, you will have to eventually cut them off. You can wait to do this when it gets longer or you can do it before you start to grow it long.

g) Never cut your hair with anything other than very sharp scissor made specifially for that purpose. If you are going to be trimming your hair or bangs yourself, invest in a good pair of hair cutting scissors. If you take care of them and never use them for anything else, they will last you a lifetime.

h) Avoid hairstylists. Don't let anyone near your hair with scissors that you don't trust to do EXACTLY what you request. If you must have someone else trim the damaged ends off your hair, ask to see what she is going to cut off before she does it. Remember, it is not in the best interest of most salons or hairdressers if you don't spend money there regularly. If someone tries to convince you that your long, healthy hair should be cut, run screaming from the salon immediately! Otherwise smile politely and ignore every word they say.

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT TOO OLD OR TOO GRAY TO HAVE LONG HAIR !!!

The only way to really fix damaged hair is to cut it off, so minimize the damage in the first place.

New Painting of a Hen

I paint in my "spare" time. ROFL!! Anyway, I paint some in the wintertime when I cannot dig in the Earth and grow things and need to create or when I get a sudden inspiration. I have been painting lately and have finished a new painting this week. Its a picture of a hen, a female chicken. Not one of my hens but very similar. The picture came from a friend who also has chickens and I loved the photo so much, I just had to paint it, with her permission, of course.

It is handpainted in acrylic on 16" x 20" stretched canvas and sealed.

You can see a large resolution image of the painting by clicking on the title of this post. You can also see it on my art website at www.artbysheryl.com.

Making An Outdoor Evergreen Wreath

Making outdoor wreaths is much more simple than the indoor wreaths in the previous "Indoor Wreath" blog post.

For this project you are going to need grapevine dried into a circle, covered wire, thin light wire, pinecones and evergreen branches. You can also add any little red berries and bells that you might have and you will need a big bow.

Start with the same grapevine as in the previous post. The directions are the same as far as making the initial wreath, however, for an outdoor wreath you need to wrap the wire closer. All of the greenery stem will be held in place by the wire, so it needs to be wrapped close for a full wreath.

When you have the wreath completely wrapped with wire and the hanger on the back then you prepare the pinecones. Any pinecones will look good. I have both the short, squat, round ones and the long, curved ones. I am going to use the long, curved ones for this wreath. The pinecones are wired to the wreath so they can withstand outdoor winds.

After you have wired all of the pinecones you plan to use, you can start to attach them to the wreath. Wrap the wire around the wire on the wreath, securing the base of the pinecone. Take a small piece of wire and also secure the top of the pinecone to the wreath, making sure the wire does not show. This will keep the pinecones from coming off in a storm or hanging down if they become loose.

When all of the pinecones are attached, you begin to add the greenery.

Cut the greenery into small pieces. I have collected both pine and cedar here. It takes a lot to make a wreath, more than you think. I made one large full wreath from one wheel barrow full of greenery. Any everygreen will make a nice wreath. I have also used spruce which looks very nice. I particularly like the cedar due to the sweet scent, but the spruce has a stong everygreen scent that is nice too.

This is about the right size for a wreath. I cut a small pile to start with and continue to cut them as I go.

Stick the bottom of the cut branch piece under the wire. I do across the wreath in one area first, getting the outside of the circle and the inside, as well as the front. It is not necessary to leave spaces for the pinecones as you can cut the tiny pieces hiding the pinecones off the branch later.

Go all the way around the wreath, making it as full as you can. When you have done the entire circle, go back and fill in any open spots until you are happy with the fullness of the wreath.

Using the clippers, remove any small pieces that cover a pinecone. Make sure you leave enough greenery to cover any wire.

When your wreath is completely filled in and finished, it is time to add the bow.

Directions for making a bow are on the previous "Indoor Wreath" blog post.

Wire the bow onto the wreath. You can wire two long pinecones handing down under the bow and some berries above it. You will need to attach wire to any berries, bells or other decorations you want to add. Everything needs to be wired on to withstand the freezing temps and winds outdoors.

Make Your Own Pizza

We LOVE pizza, especially homemade pizza. I have a good recipe for the dough that makes in my breadmaker. Well, it makes up to the "roll it out" stage. This dough recipe uses a cup of beer for the liquid which gives the dough an especially "yeasty" flavour that is really delicioius! It can be flat so you can save a cup of beer in the fridge for awhile, planning to make your own pizza dough.

You can put as much cheese as you want on your own pizza. You can put whatever toppings you like and as much of them as you want, on your own pizza. It is more trouble than buying delivered pizza but it is a LOT cheaper. It is more trouble than buying a frozen pizza from the grocery store, but it is a LOT better.

You don't have to use a breadmaker for this, its just easier. I let the dough mix and knead in the breadmaker. If you are using a breadmaker for this and are putting the ingredients in early in the morning to mix and knead later, or even the day before, it is important that the ingredients be put into your breadmaker in this order. This keeps the yeast away from the liquid, salt and sugar until it is ready to mix.

This is the pizza dough recipe we use:

1 cup beer or water (Use beer. It makes delicious crust!)
1 tablespoon shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour in Canada
or 3 cups bread flour in the US (I have no idea?? - anyone??)
1 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Put all ingredients into machine in the above order. Put machine on "dough/pasta" setting. When cycle is complete, remove dough and roll out to fit bottom of pan.

This recipe makes one extra large pizza or two small pizzas. I always make one extra large one.

I have a pizza stone, but I bake this in a pizza pan with bacon grease in the bottom. You can put melted butter in it instead, for a crispy crust, but we like it in bacon grease. I know, bacon grease is not healthy. Pizza is not "healthy". If you are eating pizza, with cheese and sausage anyway, you might as well add the bacon grease too. Walk it off :-)

While the dough is kneading in the machine, you can be gathering and chopping all the toppings. We use grated mozarella cheese, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon and sausage (no pepperoni).

I dry the very thin tomato slices between paper towel so they don't add more water to the pizza and I like to cook the onions and peppers in the bacon grease slightly so they are not crunchy on the pizza.

I used Italian sausage for this pizza because that is what I had, slicing them thinly before putting on the pizza. These were left over from two days ago. I prefer spicy breakfast sausage, myself. Because this is mild Italian sausage, I sprinkled a little black pepper on it before baking and some thyme, as well. I like to add thyme to everything I cook because of its antibacterial properties.

After the dough gets rolled out and put into the pan, I add the sauce. Spread it out over the dough, leaving an edge around the outside that is uncovered. After the sauce is spread on, add about 3/4 of the grated cheese.

Be careful not to overload the center of the pizza with cheese and toppings or it will take too long to bake, not getting done before the bottom is too brown. Most of the cheese and toppings go aroung the outside of the center, leaving the outside edge clear, as with the sauce.

After the cheese, I add the other toppings evenly spread over the pizza, topping it all off with the rest of the grated cheese and a little finely grated parmesan.

The pizza needs to be baked at exactly 400 degrees F. Your stove should be calibrated so you can be sure of the temperature. At least put in a stove thermometer and see if it is off. That way you can adjust the setting to get exactly the temperature you need.

Bake the pizza for exactly 20 minutes. One minute longer and the bottom will be a bit too dark. If you don't bake it long enough, the center will not be completely cooked and will be soggy.

After the pizza has baked for 12 minutes, put a ring around the outside crust area. We use this one that hubby made many years ago from another flat pizza pan. An aluminum foil collar will also work.

Remove pizza from the oven when the 20 minutes is up. If the center is soggy and not well done, you can turn the oven to broil and put the pizza in to broil for another few minutes. Leave the oven door open to prevent further baking of the bottom of the crust while broiling the top.

Remove the ring around the ege and let it cool a bit before you cut and eat it.

This crust is fabulous, especially made with the beer and not overdone. Watch the time and temp closely. It is easy to overcook the bottom.

I suppose one could freeze the other half of the bottle of beer in another container for use at a later date or make another batch of pizza dough and freeze it (if one doesn't drink beer, that is).

Lost and Found

We lost our farm dog, Barney. After having him as part of our family for 15 years, it was time for him to go. He was blind and deaf and having trouble getting around. He was not a happy pup. It was a sad day when I took him to the vet. I brought him home to be buried on the property where we can visit him from time to time. He will always be remembered with love.

We remember him when he was young and played mischevious games, when he liked to stalk people walking along the lilac covered fence and jump out at them when they reached the end, barking loudly. What great fun he had, laughing at them as they jumped and yelled. He would always run away laughing.

He was a marvelous guard dog with a very big bark. We used to shut him in the front guest bathroom when someone came to the door. They would hear him in there and be afraid of the very big dog, until we opened the door to let him out, then they would laugh out loud, as he only weighed about 25 pounds. That bark was fearsome, but he liked people.


He was spoiled and adored by all. He liked to get loving attention from his family, liked to sit at our feet and liked to be talked to. He was good company to have around, sometimes funny and pixilated, always loved.

We miss him. You can read about Barney in this previous post.





We have a new addition to our family. This is Chisel. He came to us about a week ago. He is a 1.5 year old and is a beautiful fellow. He is neutered and is a friendly, affectionate and loving companion. He is also a "mitten kitten". He has six toes on his front feet. He is an indoor cat and we hope will be the answer to the constant mouse problem, as well as great company. He is such a sweet personality and loves to be touched, held and petted. I am already having to make room on my lap for a computer and a purring kitty.

This is one of his favourite places. He likes to look outside.

He greets each of us with enthusiasm when he first sees us in the morning. He is always ready to be stroked, purring at the slightest touch and he is so smart! He only needs to be shown something once and he knows where it is. He has inspected every inch of the house by now. He is a healthy, playful and curious kitty. I am sure he will become a much beloved member of our household.


We are looking for another puppy now. A big dog puppy that will guard the property, us and our livestock. I would love a Great Pyranees but they are a rare find, especially unregistered (in a price range that we can afford). Hubby wants a German Shepherd, same problem. There is also the hip dysplasia problem with a GSD. A German Shepherd / Great Pyranees cross would be absolutely ideal. (If you have a pup like that and want a good home for him/her, please let us know.)

We do not want a hunting dog or retriever of any kind, not with chickens. The chase instinct must be minimized. We would like a herder or livestock guardian (LGD) class of dog. A great pyranees is an LGD with no chase instinct, bred to guard. Unfortunately, goldens and labs are both retrievers. The instinct to chase the birds, catch them, shake them, then drop them dead at our feet is bred into them for hunting. Labs are also not good guard dogs. The police do not use them because they can't train them to attack. For children that is a good thing. For foxes, coyotes, skunks, weasels and racoons, it is not. We do not want a breed that is bred to be agressive towards people, either.

Ideally I would like to trade paintings of wildlife or pet portraits for a puppy. I am working on that now with someone who has a great pyranees pup, but have not worked it out yet. I don't know if it will be a "go" or not. I hope so.


Another addition we are looking for now are chickens. We need more chickens. You can read about our chickens in this previous post. We sell every egg we get and could sell more. People come to the door asking for several flats of eggs (a flat is 30 eggs). What are these people going to do with all those eggs?? That doesn't leave any for us to give to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. One reason we like living on a farm is that we can provide food to those who need it. We need more hens. I would like a few dozen more and maybe a rooster or two so that our eggs are fertilized and we can hatch more in the spring. I have found a few people with chickens for sale that I would be happy to have, but they all seem to live in the Ottawa area, about a four hour drive from here. I can't do eight hours round trip just to pick up more chickens! Frustrating! There doesn't seem to be anyone in this area that has adult chickens for sale. I will persevere! I will find chickens and the right puppy for us.

Wish me luck in the hunt. In another year or two I might be looking for rabbits, bees, goats or one milk cow. Life changes. We will see how it goes...

Making An Indoor Grapevine Wreath

The first day of December signals a time for us to start decorating for Christmas. Ever year I make an outdoor Christmas wreath from evergreen branches cut in the woods and grapevine. This year I am going to make some indoor grapevine wreaths, as well.

The grapevines themselves were collect two falls ago, stripped of leaves (the chickens like these) and shaped into circles to dry. You can read about that in a previous post.

These are just loosely tied and left to harden in that shape. They can be tightened and wired into actual wreaths later. I did this two years ago but did not have the time to make any wreaths with them at that time. It has taken me two years to get around to doing anything with these shaped and dried grapevines. This year I am going to use them.

I am going to make indoor wreaths first. I will make the outdoor wreaths later this month.

The indoor wreaths are decorated with the tiny pinecones and acorns from our property, as well as ribbon and various dried berries, bells, tiny Christmas tree balls and any other tiny things you think will look good on it. I collect all kinds of things throughout the year at rummage sales and so forth, just for this purpose. Any tiny extras will look good on a wreath.

I collected acorns last fall and left them on the porch all winter. They made an excellent winter food for a squirrel, so I collected more this year and put them inside to dry. The best way to dry pinecones and acorns is with salt. Sprinkle salt on them and it will keep them from mildewing or rotting and will help them dry and open. I collected tiny pinecones and dried them this past spring so they are ready to use. I collected the acorns just a couple of weeks ago but they are still good to use now.

I looked around the field and found these to put on the indoor wreaths, also. I am not sure what they are but they are a weed and are still full of tiny seeds. I will have to be careful to collect all the seeds from these or they will grow in the flowerbed beside the porch or will scatter all over the floor of the craft room.

I am making the indoor wreaths, indoors where it is warm and I have a convenient plug for the glue gun. A glue gun is necessary for the little things. I don't use glue for the outdoor wreaths as glue doesn't hold the things on well enough for the blast of weather that it might get. I prefer to wire everything on the outdoor wreaths. They don't have many small items attached to them. A glue gun is a necessity for indoor craft work and you will need one for these indoor wreaths.

After you have the grapevine shaped and dried it is time to make a tight wreath out of it. I reshape it with my hands and tie it with coated wire. The type or colour of the wire is unimportant, as long as it is dark. We are going to cover it with ribbon. Hold the grapevine with one hand while wrapping the wire tightly around it to hold all the pieces in place. Done this way, you can use small pieces of grapevine, as long as you keep the thickness even around the circle.

After you have the grapevine shaped, wrapped tightly with wire all the way around and tied off, you are ready to move on to the next step - covering the wire with wide ribbon.

Start where the wire starts and wrap the ribbon around the wreath, over the initial wire and glue the end in place.

Continue on from there without cutting the ribbon, wrapping it around the wreath over the wire. You should glue it in place over the wire, in several places so it doesn't move off with wear.

You can use Christmas ribbon, as I have here, or ribbon that matches your livingroom if you want a permanent, non-Christmas, wreath. You can also wrap the wire with paper ribbon or wide raffia. Just be sure to glue the narrower ones in place over the wire.

When you reach the beginning, cut the ribbon and glue it in place. We are going to cover this beginning spot with a large bow, so glue all the ends of all ribbons and wraps used, in this same location, so that none of the ends will show when the bow is in place.

Your next step will be adding the satin ribbon in curls. Glue the end at the "beginning" position where you glued the ends of the other ribbon.

Roll and curl the ribbon looselly, glueing it at each spot. Don't pull it tight. You will get better curls if you leave it very loose.

You may need to move it around a bit to make the best curls and find the best location for glueing. After a bit of practice, this part gets faster and easier. Take the satin ribbon all the way around the front of the wreath, back to the beginning. If you are going around the wreath with it twice, just keep going. If you are changing colours or stopping here, cut it and glue it at the "beginning" place. You can also wrap it around the back of the wreath for a different design.

This "beginning" spot will be where the large bow will be attached. It can be the bottom of the wreath or the top.

When you decide where the top of the wreath will be, it is a good idea to put on the hanger at the back before glueing a lot of little things onto the front of the wreath. Turn the wreath over on its face and use a bit of wire to make a hanger.

When you are happy with what has been done so far, it is time to make the bow. You can use the same ribbon you wrapped around the wreath or a different yet coordinating ribbon to make the bow. First cut a piece of wire about 3" long to secure the finished bow. You will not have both hands available to cut the wire after you make the bow, so cut it now and have it ready.

Leaving one long end hanging down, make the first loop. Clench the ribbon in what will be the center of the bow and keep holding it tightly, shaping it with your other hand. This does take a bit of practice but you can take it apart and continue to play with the ribbon until you are happy with it. Twist the ribbon so that the outside is always facing front, holding the twist tightly in the center with your fingers.





Make the loop for the other side, clench it in the center and let the ribbon hang down for the other end. Cut it off the same length as the first side.

Keep holding it while you use the previous cut wire to twist around the center and hold the ribbon in place. You can make a bow with two coordinating ribbons, twisting one wire around the center of both.

Cut a tiny end off the same ribbon or a coordinating colour and make a folded strip to wrap around the center of the bow, over the wire. Glue this in place at the back of the bow. You can make as many loops as you want, for a bigger bow. Just keep making loops with the ribbon, twisting the ribbon so they are all facing outward. When the bow is full enough, leave the end handing as described in the previous paragraph.

Glue the bow in place on the wreath, covering the "beginning" spot where all the other ribbon ends were glued. If you have been careful to keep these ends glued close together, the large bow should cover them all quite well. If not, you can wrap that spot with wide ribbon until the ends are all well covered, then glue the bow on top of that ribbon.

When you are happy with the ribbons and bows, you can start glueing on the natural decorations. I have a lot of small pinecones and acorns and they are free, so I use a lot of them. I like the look of the pinecones sticking out all around the sides and the middle. I put those on first, since I am using so many of them.

Fill in the spots evenly with acorns, keeping the wreath artfully balanced. The seed pods are next.

Some pinecones and small decorations can be placed above and below the bow.

After the natural filler is in place, you can add the colourful decorations. I try to place these where they will cover up any glued ribbon spots that show or any other small problem areas. The larger, brighter and more visible ones come first. These are placed in a fairly balanced pattern around the wreath.

The small decorations are then glued wherever they are needed and are scatted about, still keeping the wreath balanced.

I used small gold beads that I have had for years and not used, some fake red berries cut from another decoration that I bought for this purpose and took apart and some small bits of baby's breath.

Red and Green baby's breath looks good on Christmas wreaths, but I only have white at the moment and I think the white helps to brighten it up, if needed.

When you are happy with your wreath, hang it in a place of honour on the inside of the front door, on the wall or on the door to another room in your house.