Twig toothbrush

 After much research and trying to find a local supply of twigs, it was satisfying  to discover that my local supplier of twigs was all along right in our front yard. A willow tree. In this case, black willow. 

Another plus is the bark of this tree contains salicin and this used, with a little preliminary education, as a pain reliever. Salicin is the major component in aspirin 

YouTube videos are available to educate one how to use the twig for cleaning your teeth. You begin by chewing to create a brush at the top. 

This chewing action in turn begins the work of cleaning your teeth, beginning with the back molars used for the chewing. Then the brush is used to clean all surfaces and long strands of chewed twig can even get between teeth the way floss does

Seriously? What an amazing thought how mother nature is so perfectly designed for supplying  everything for our existence, even  tooth brushes. All by the father’s will, of course, dear Lord Krishna.

Well, the past couple days I put my first-ever twigs to the test. I’m happy about how clean my mouth has been feeling every time. For anyone interested, here’s  a video to get started: 

And Wikipedia lists some trees located in North America to do  the job: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeth-cleaning_twig

August 2023 update: I found out that the thicker stems of curry trees, aka "sweet neem", can also work. We got plenty of curry plants around here!

Carrots for breakfast

That’s right. Carrots (New Talavan farm fresh, too!). I got off long ago the well beaten path of sugary sweet foods typical in the American diet. And breakfast over here has been evolving ever since.

 

The carrots pictured below accompanied some vegie rice with chickpeas and a bowl of sweetened yogurt.

Yesterday it was daikon radish and beets sautéed  together with their accompanying greens alongside freshly fried urad dahl dosas.  

Of course, we all crave some serious sweetness now and then, so things like cooked sweetened cereals and pancakes have not been discarded. It’s just nice to have a widening variety of choices and flavors for good health and Krishna’s offerings.

Tulasi Gets Elevated

Tulasi just wants to serve. And occasionally we get a chance for a little extra service for her.

 I started noticing browning on the tips of some of her leaves. So I went to a couple expert devotees for advice. Here was the reply:

“This is often diagnosed as black mold... If there is a way to elevate Tulasi Devi off the surface She is sitting on to create an air pocket underneath Her, this usually clears it up.”

Each Tulasi devi is now sitting on a cake rack for air circulation. I hope it helps! 

Later Note: Their advice worked!  :):):)