Rock Mountain National Park

Snow on the Range


First Anemone: "hello" (said in wispy michael moore voice with weird look on face).


An elk in a winter coat

Who's Your Daddy?

move over coco crisp - crispy is 28

Happy Birthday Crissy.

Vitalism

What is Vitalism?

“Life is growth and growth is change. The only death is stagnation.”
- Henry Lindlahr, founder of Nature Cure in America and Vitalist extraordinaire.



Vitalism is the study and the cultivation of the vital force, that power which comes from Life and Nature. Vitalism is not a pseudo science, but rather the science of life and empiricism. It is based on more than 3,500 years of human experience and observation; Greek-Arabic, Ayurvedic, Chinese Daoists/Chinese Medicine, Eclectic and Physiomedicalists (as well as many other traditional peoples) are all based in the practice of Vitalism. Vitalism is not a band-aid, but rather addresses the root cause of many symptoms of poor health; in herbalism it is a strategy for the resolution of both acute and chronic illness.

Vitalist Practices May Include Any Combination of:

Prayer and reflections, meditation, eating right for our bodies and food sensitivities, increasing sleep, hydration, proper digestion of food, stretching, increasing gentle physical and movement of the body, hydrotherapy, positive affirmations, and spending more time in nature.


Some Benefits of Vitalism and a Vitalist Practice:

Strengthens the consciousness of personal responsibility.
Strengthens will power and self-control, the bases of natural healing.
Incites purpose and calling as well as gratitude, forgiveness and tolerance.
Avoids heroicism and suppressive therapies and instead cultivates vital power, the “physician” within.
Allows for healing crises - a vital response for which the system has been preparing.

Lindlahr reminds us that Vitalism is from “beginning to end one grand, true prayer.”


Pictures from Tacuinum Sanitatis.
References: Lindlahr M.D., Dr. Henry. Nature Cure. 1922.
© 2007 Amy Rouse & Backyard Remedies.

Body Worlds

We've seen our share of dead bodies recently, but if you all haven't seen or heard of this exhibit you really have to check it out. Bodyworlds.com
A new form of embalming, or rather, what they call plastication of cadavers, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, etc. They have almost every part and cross section of the human body on display in a very tasteful and thought provoking way. Everyone donated their bodies years before, but they showed no names or details of the person's life; strictly science.

This picture of the skate boarder is cool, but doesn't do the intricacies of the work justice. The coolest thing that i hadn't seen before were the ears fully attached to the bodies, all the cartilage carefully preserved. They had a little pedestal covered in black velvet with the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup bones of the inner ear! so tiny and aptly named.

They also had a display of embryos. I cant even explain how overwhelming it was to look at these tiny flecks of human life suspended in fluid, encased in plastic. I could not believe how small they were at 3 weeks, 5 weeks and then to see the amazing growth from day to day, the beginning of week 5 to the end is so drastically different. And then at 9 weeks you can see the fingers and eyes and everything. I kept looking around to find the pro-lifers hiding behind the pillars, ready to overhear someone saying, "this is why abortion......", but i saw nothing but slightly watery eyes (through my own that is), nothing but geriatrics and seven year olds alike in complete awe of human life, in complete gratitude for the mothers, babies and humans that shared their flesh with us. This was awesome.

Highly recommend it to everyone who can get to it. There were nurses and docs and smokers all staring at the same emphysema ridden lungs. kind of wild. do it.

Ashlyn Arrives, NGs Add Aries

Happy Birthday Ashlyn Elaine Tyll.
Jasper, Jenny, Ashlyn and David.

MZR REPRISE

Looking for Mamas in Trouble.


Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the distance, the Dunes huddle at their feet.




had a great weekend down at the ranch in the san luis valley -- we have settled a little more into boulder and have started to enjoy the benefits of being able to walk to happy hour and stroll around nice neighborhoods wondering how people make their money. All of these things have major benefits, but it was so nice to be reminded of what quite sounds like. Driving out of the front range is like taking your self out off the fronts lines of life. We got to drive in a rented 4-runner courtesy of an unmentioned conservation minded 501C3; sweet ride.

i got my true red neck colors this weekend when i discovered the joys of the 4-wheeler. Seriously, I am in love. Its the kind of love i experienced when i discovered clinging to an inner tube tied to the back of a speed boat. This activity is probably more destructive to ecosystems and i cannot recommend it with a clear conscious, but if you have to do it, have fun.

Chato hitches a ride, tired of rounding up the heifers and chasing away the coyotes


The First Time Neil gets to be a Passanger in Life




its also calving season. saw lots of new babies being popped out; they just lay down and pop them out. Also saw a lot of problematic births with these first time moms. We helped pull one that didn't make it out and feed some newer ones colostrum they weren't getting colostrum or milk from their exhausted mothers.

Jeff Heels the Heifer


Neil Tries to get the Heifer to Roll Over


Using the Calf Puller to Help the Baby out.


Jeff takes crissy on a dune ride that's "just like the roller coaster at disney world."