Deborah J. Martin's Blog, page 14

On Bitchy Labels

My dear friend, Kallan, posted a blog on labels this morning. Toward the end, she talks about the label “bitch”. I dislike labels and always have because I’m me and there’s no one else like me. (At least I hope not. One of me inflicted on the world is enough. ) However, as you can see here, on my Facebook page and on my Twitter header, I proudly own the “bitch” label. Do I consider it derogatory? In most cases, yes. But I chose and choose to make it a source of strength:

I came of age when th...

For the Newly-Independent Witch

We all know times are tough, especially for someone just starting out on their own. I can remember how tight I had to pull my belt on more than one occasion. You want herbs for cooking, health and magic but can’t afford to buy one herb for one need. What’s a witch to do?

Toward that end, I’ve compiled a list of thirteen (!) herbs that will do triple-duty for you…they all can be used in cooking, for minor health issues and in magical workings.

This is a quick guide. It certainly doesn’t go in-de...

Polar Vortex Fallout

In case you didn’t know, mountains have micro-climates. We’re on the southeast side of a mountain and the worst of wind and cold seem to go right over us. We’re generally a degree or two warmer than just 400 feet downslope. Although I cover the more sensitive plants, we’ve managed to dodge the bullet winter-wise…until this year.

While not the coldest on record (which is -16°F), 7th January saw the temperature here drop to 0.3°F and it never made it above freezing that day. The month continued...

Upheaval! Cover Reveal!

At long last, I have a cover! Whaddya think?

The book is already formatted so I’ll have it up on Kindle, B&N, & Smashwords within a couple of days. Happy Reading!

The post Upheaval! Cover Reveal! appeared first on Herby Lady.

City Mouse Builds a Country Garden

I was raised in the heart of the city. We lived in apartments (without even a balcony) until I was in my middle-teens. Mom hated to cook so our meals were pretty basic and apart from salt & pepper, the only herb in our house was the cinnamon sprinkled, along with sugar, on my morning toast. Gramma was a little more domestically-inclined: before they moved into an apartment when I was 8, she had fresh peppermint growing in the yard to garnish our iced tea. (I’m exaggerating. But not much.)

So,...

On Essential Oils

The Internet is a wonderful place to find information. It really is. But some of the time, the information is incorrect. And it pisses me off.

What prompted this post: a page I follow on Facebook shared this page about making “Rosemary Essential Oil”. It was shared numerous times before and even after another lady and I corrected it in the comments, thereby spreading the misinformation even further. The instructions tell how to make Rosemary-infused oil. While I have nothing against infused oi...

“Upheaval” Excerpt

I know as “The Herby Lady” I’m supposed to be all about herbs but I’m having fun writing fiction. There’s nothing more satisfying than writing someone you know into a story…and if you don’t like them, writing them out of the story!

That said, I can’t seem to get away from herbs. To prove it, here’s an except from the upcoming Upheaval: Ogre’s Assistant #2:

After lunch, she took me into her greenhouse, both cats following. “I understand Gregory did a lot of energy work with you and what you did...

I’m Spring Cleaning & You Benefit!

It’s the Spring Equinox here in the northern hemisphere and I have some “cleaning” to do. You see, the publisher of A Green Witch’s Formulary sent me a double order of my books and I have stacks of them in my office.

Because I’m a neat-freak & those stacks bother me, you benefit! From now until Beltane (1st May) or when I run out – whichever comes first, I’ve marked my inventory down to $7.50 instead of $13.95. That means you US folks get an autographed copy shipped to you for less than the co...

Adventures with Kyphi

So…you have probably heard of Kyphi. No? Ooh…you’re missing out.

Our friends over at Wikipedia describe Kyphi as “a compoundincensethat was used in ancient Egypt for religious and medical purposes”. The good folks over at Ancient Egypt Online list four different sources for Kyphi recipes.

Since getting called by an Egyptian god, I figured I ought to do something kinda familiar to him so decided to make a batch of Kyphi. I opted for a modified version of that found in the Harris Papyrus but then...

Ack! Pollen Season…

…started two weeks early this year & caught me unaware. Itchy eyes, itchy skin, a little sneezing (which is bound to get worse if I don’t do something). Of course, it didn’t help that today, the US Forest Service did a controlled burn and smoke permeated the better part of two counties…

It’s time to take more frequent showers to get the pollen off my skin & out of my hair; grab the sterile saline solution* to rinse my eyes; and start drinking three cups per day of a Nettle infusion to combat r...