This summer has gone so quickly! The fourth seems like just yesterday, yet the bins of school supplies appearing in stores announce that the end of the summer season will soon be upon us. I puttered a bit in the garden this afternoon, fussing over fruit trees and tomato plants. A Mary Oliver poem “I Worried” with the line “Will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it was taught, and if not how shall I correct it?” tugged at my consciousness, but then I only had the calls of goat kids and kid kids to pull me from my musings.

We’ve grown our little heard this summer. Underhill Manor now boasts 1 sheep, 2 dwarf milking goats (soon to be four), 4 geese, a handful of ducks (one with lovely blue wing tips), a large white bunny, a guinea pig, 2 cats, one dog, and assorted chickens. There is plenty to pet and see and enjoy, besides the normal array of chickadees, cardinals and squirrels. I once read a letter from Clare to St Francis, where she went on a bit about how incredibly she felt Gods presence in all things, the budding flowers and the bird calls. She gloried in the richness of their apparent poverty. I feel that, in the cool morning when I walk out the door and in sunny lazy afternoons on the hammock. How I wish I had the discipline to stay in that place of sweet emptiness and rest!

But perhaps I am a more active sort of saint, if a saint at all. I hear Theresa of Avilla kept folks on their toes. Anyway, there has been much to keep busy with this summer! Lots of swimming and kid’s activities. My mom is recovering from surgery, and we had been focusing more on creation care as a family. Besides making some lifestyle changes, we’ve tried our hands at making natural soaps, shampoo bars and deodorant! The deodorant recipe has proven highly effective in the hot summer weather and activity, even for the teens, so I am passing it along. The measurements are not exact (1 part could equal a tablespoon or a cup, depending on how large a batch you want to make)

1 part shea butter to 3 parts coconut oil

1/2 part beeswax

3 parts arrowroot powder (this absorbs sweat)

1/4 part baking soda (optional, the small amount does not cause us any skin irritation and helps fight odor, but if sensitive to it leave out)

1 tsp citric acid, lemon juice, or lime juice (this is also odor fighting)

*1 dropperful clary sage essential oil (this has antibacterial properties, killing the sweat smell)

*1 droperfull lavendar essential oil (good for skin and antifungal)

*If you are making a big batch, use more essential oils. This is the measure I use when making a 2 cup batch.

**optional: additional powdered spices. I like pumpkin pie spice with this.

Put oils and beeswax in saucepan on low heat until everything is melted. Turn off heat and added rest of ingredients while stirring. Pour into molds or small containers when mixed well. Citric acid will make the baking soda bubble a bit. This is fine. Cool in refrigerator until solid.

This deodorant work well anywhere that smells, I’ve seen it kill athletes foot when used on feet.

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