Divided we fall...

It’s hard to comprehend somedays to an outsider what it happening in the United States regarding Cannabis laws. I don’t understand how a country called the UNITED states of America can be so ‘UN-united’.   It is one thing to be fighting for the same rights across Canada - from Coast to Coast we continue  to fight for our rights to grow our own medicine and legalization.  

Imagine being a mother in the united states when  your child is suffering, dying from illness you know Cannabis can help - and only a drive away, a state away, the medicine, possibly even the CURE, is readily available IN your country - for others. If you live in a state not yet legal, you are out of luck.
It must be frustrating on an entirely new level, I am grateful I cannot comprehend.

When I hear other advocates discussing with parents of ill children “Move to Colorado!” - it grates my nerves.  
You have no idea the stress parents are already under, illness, hospital bills, family stress,  job security, bills - it’s endless.
Then to have to pick it all up and move away from your support groups, ADD new stress on top of it regarding living situations, schooling,  leave your family & friends - JUST so your child can access Cannabis. A right that should be provided to every child in need. 
I don’t understand.  Do not get me wrong - if my child was sick - my bags would be packed!    ...Why should they?

I can image many Americans understand even less, especially the ones that are suffering, are incarcerated, lost their family and jobs for simple possession charges a state over from one that is legal. 
Recently, a young man was arrested in Texas and  possibly sentenced from 5 years to life. ‘FOR Brownies.’  A substance never proven to kill anyone - could you imagine - IF the pharmaceutical companies were held accountable and charged with each death?  
Jail for BROWNIES!? 
When cousin Jim is baking and selling  legal brownies only a coupe of states over? 
What does U stand for in the U.S.A, Eh?

Before you tell someone to pack up their bags, understand what they are dealing with and why not help them explore other options and rights. Get media attention  and community support (if time allows) IF parents must leave, have family and friends fight to bring them home and EDUCATE others on Cannabis! If you really want to help.

I was asked ‘why touch so much on American topics?’ 
What topics are strictly American? 
What are strictly any countries? 
Not Cannabis,  it is a world wide problem and I focus on ONE love.
xox <>< 

Good Morning! And  a good one it appears to be so far, thank God.
I have had a terrible past few days, almost as bad as just after surgery. My twitch waking me up at 4 a.m., so powerful it has me crying before I'm out of bed.  And it does not stop. It takes on average 3/5 bong hits JUST to get it under control this past few mornings. JUST to get it to start to give me a break.  
When it is as bad as it is.. I can not walk properly, I can not read, I can not use the computer, I can not function.  The shots of pain I get  instantly stop you in your tracks! Right from the top of my head down now to my chest.  The several days, I've hardly been able to function past 3 in the afternoon. Exhausted, mentally and physically.  What do I worry about - seeing my son and husband watch this. I know it breaks their heart every time.  My days consist of moving from one seat to another - thank GOD, I can draw, or I don't know what I'd do :(  I pray a lot too. 
I have to go and see my Dr. I have decided NOT to renew my license to use cannabis. 

Who does not love Pooh!? I do!  Winnie the Pooh! 
I do not love to cook, but over the years I have been given a few cookbooks and I can't part with this one.  It is simple and has a few drawings and quotes. Well I came across this and instantly thought MEDICATED!  So easy - just trade up the butter for medicated butter or I used Medicated coconut oil. 
(included toon on bottom)
I love medibles, especially when you are not feeling well. I have never been a cigarette smoker and only have a couple of puffs with the bong a day, usually at night when my pain is more intense.  I'm not really a  joint smoker -it burns my throat,  what ever works... 
I enjoy edibles and these are perfect. I LOVE LEMON.
I made them - it was easy IMO, MUST stir constantly. I only went the 7 minutes and it is  a soft toffy, the next batch will be the brittle so I can break up some for travel.
To think in a few months canadians wont have the option of making thier own edibles. 
A much safer and easier way for many to medicate. Especially those who can not and do not want to smoke. I smoke because my twitch reacts almost instantly to a bong hit. I can get a break for a few minutes - the bong it is. As for arthritis - edibles are best for me - it is more of a soft body  high... I like to be in control of my medibles, I have work, chores and stuff to do - I don't want to be stoned on the sofa in front of the TV unable to function, if that was the case I'd take OXY. 
 I MAKE the strength I KNOW I NEED for MY body. Enough said. 
Edibles as I understand will be considered illegal in a few month. 
Who are the criminals? 
xox <>< 

Recipe from the Book: The Pooh Cook Book
Milne/Ellison  McClelland & Stewart    
Some available on E bay - great book for kids and adults!  <>< xox
Note* recipe below is just how I make it,  try to research a few and see what one you prefer and I let it simmer longer than an hour most times.. usually 3

A friend had some plants taken from his back yard.  I am hoping it was just some thoughtless kid and NOT someone he knows.  He is upset and stressed. I GET IT. 

How do you think I feel when I worry about he proposed future of medical Cannabis in Canada today?  Not being able to afford medicine that Storm needs. Medicine I need. 
I get it.

Someone stole the plants - to get high. Not thinking much about anything other than themselves and getting a BUZZ. The real buzz is the BUZZ kill  a patient now is dealign with over a plant. Suffering - a few months supply of medicine gone. Thief.

If this PLANT were decriminalized and be as IT SHOULD  - a seed to plant for all human kind - no one would need to go around and STEAL it! 
What other weeds do people do around and steal!? Not my dandelions.  

Prohibition is turning people into criminals over plants. 

Not the Plant and not the person - that is HUMAN NATURE, to want to feel good. 

Please THINK before you consider lifting a plant you might see  that does NOT belong to you.  It could mean a lot more than getting high to someone - I could mean them being able to keep their job, or function with their family.. it could mean life or death. 

A Thief is a Thief. If they steal from one with no guilt, they will steal from another. 
It is sad. I don’t think anyone ever trusts a thief again. Including themselves.

I also feel there is an entire beautiful energy surrounding this plant - bad karma if you ask me.  Not a high I would enjoy.  Not one someone who truly appreciates cannabis would do.
VOTE  & GROW it. 
xox <><

I LOVE my dogs!  I call them my Girls, my entourage! LOL  Why? Millions of reasons but the obvious is the unconditional love and companionship you get from a dog.  Never has my awareness of my girls for my health been so apparent. Quite simply THEY keep me going.  They get me up, make me play - Daisy will drop a ball in my lap until the cows come home.  They are constant reminders as well, to LIVE in the moment.

Scruffy is our rebel and is getting in trouble from time to time, I can scold her (NOT HIT) and a few minutes later she is by my side as though nothing happened.  They are smart, intuitive, funny, entertaining, loving... it’s endless.  There are many days when I wake not feeling that great already, usually woke up by my twitch - this can also make one slightly grumpy..  the next thing I know Poppy realizes my eyes are open and jumps on my face ;D, Scruffy crawls over for a morning  tummy scratch and Tequila give an acknowledging growl ... soon Daisy will be up and then all go out for a morning ‘visit.’

Its a routine! Yes, it is also work.  Work I love. I would be lonely with out them, especially since the past few years I’ve practically become an a hermit.

I often go outside and just sit and watch the dogs  the next thing I am laughing out loud - everyone does - Daisy will be flinging Poppy, Poppy chasing Scruffy and  knows the short cuts because she can’t keep up with them- it is a source of endless amusement and I love it. Better than a T.V.   I’d be lost without them. Which brings me to Cannabis - LOL  You knew that was coming. I read yesterday an article staring Cannabis poison was on the rise with pets :
http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/2013/09/pet-marijuana-intoxication-rise/  
For years I have had opportunity to have the conversation & asked Vets. to provide me with 'proof' - none have to date. This article above tells of two dogs that ‘did die’, IMO it is presumptuous to say it was the cannabis alone, It could have been something else in the edible. I had, a few years ago 2 dogs die, I lost Hunny from BEEF bones that were too hard on her tummy. I almost lost Tequila and Scruffy at the time too!  Another that got into my twitch medication - a prescribed medication and only had abut 3 pills.
Our dog died in my arms, we did not make it to the vet in time... 

AND YES if you do call the poison control for your pets YOU ARE CHARGED, the site says $35. They won't even give you the info until you provide a credit card.
I KNOW.  I paid $70 AMERICAN!!  They could NOT tell me at the time a location of a emergency clinic - they gave me an address in Illinois, which would be o.k. If I did not live in CANADA, that phone call was a JOKE. (blog on it - tag dogs) THIS is also FEAR mongering to an extent. 
Please don't be fooled. YES, please take precaution with your medicine from animals and kids! It can be upsetting, even if your dogs gets cannabis, you worry, they pass out.. if you are not prepared it can be frightening, I was frightened the first time it happened to our dog, Tequila. SHE likes it most and will sneak bud if she can.

We had a dog, ‘Indy’ would run to the sound of the volcano being used. We have had several dogs ingest cannabis - they all just slept it off. Cookies, bud and medicated cocoa butter < they love it Scruffy would lick if off my hands if she could.
I have no fear of my dogs getting into Cannabis, to this day I am afraid to give them 'treats' and still have a heavy heart about my pills  now almost paranoid ;( one of life's hardest lessons for me. I never took another after I saw what only a few did.

Cannabis is a healthier option for pets as well compared to prescribed medications. 
ANYthing that comes into this house for my pets - if it says ‘not safe for children’ it does not come in the house! Even the toys I get the girls have to be newborn safe.
ALSO  pet vaccines, medicines, prescriptions - many designed for HUMANS.
All dogs -- from a Chihuahua to a Great Dane -- get the same rabies dosage.
Let me put that into perspective; a 3-pound Chihuahua gets half the dose that is given to a 1,200-pound horse! All dogs get 1 ml of vaccine, and horses get 2 mls of vaccine. What is wrong with that picture!?

 I have a friend who gives her dog anxiety pills ;(     - no comment. 
Really?  LIKE everything else  Vet medicine is a BUSINESS. THINK before you say o.k. to putting a pill in your pooch!! I started to research drug reactions for dogs and it is alarming, many have adverse reaction and can easily die, I am even more hesitant. 

I found this site informative and not too frightening: 
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/rabies-vaccination-13-ways-to-vaccinate-more-safely/

xox <><
Below my girls in action:

Now that’s an edible!

I  draw for many people, a few bakers the past few years - so I have tried my share of baked goods.  I am also in a situation where I have met many people who bake medibles. and I am even sent some in the mail and have to say there have been times where I do not eat or use the edibles that have been sent. I have even tossed several.

 Why?   I have no clue about who made them or how they were made, they can taste a little “off” or I can taste the cannabis... and like everything else lately I try to know what I put in my body - including GMO’s  so why should cannabis be any different?  

Unless I bake it in my own kitchen - I like to know what’s in it. ESPECIALLY with medicine. 

BUT I never know what to say to people. IF they ask. ”Did you like it”?  
 I always give my honest opinion and it might not be great, but I do it in hopes that they can make themselves better, not to drag someone down.  This is a competitive market like EVERY thing else so, step it up or move over.

Here is what I CAN SAY... This is how you do it! IMO
Below are photos of baked goods that we received recently.  
Each is CLEARLY marked ingredients, strength and even strain! 
WOW. 

I have had medibles from a few clubs and made such suggestions and then just watch.. some will and some won’t and those that don’t IMO will soon be out of business. 
Many patients do want some sort of clarity on what we are taking. We also want it to taste good! If a compassion club can't offer you an assortment  - then look for another compassion club. I think sooner or alter they all have to set certain standards.
IF you bake for a compassion club PLEASE  TAKE it up a notch!  

This is clear and professional and I was happy to sample. I have mentioned  this compassion club before because I know the quality of the baked good and yes I will say they are one of the best I have met. Why wouldn’t I - It is part of the confusion - anyway that I can help make it easier and eliminate any stress anyone is dealing with - been there done that!  You will fin a brochure from them in my special EXPO bag and a few other clubs I like and have had the pleasure of dealing with. (more on the bags soon)

If you currently use a club that does NOT present medibles like this - make the suggestion. Part of the problem is the sneakiness still associated with silly habits,  
food should be marked clearly for several reasons including allergies. 
Take the time.. add the detail of TLC - your patients will thank you for it. 

The compassion club that these baked  goods are from:

http://cannabisaccess.ca/

and I highly recommend them ;-)  
BTW according to Health Canada,  Medibles are ILLEGAL. 
One of the safest ways to consume... what a joke.

I can’t wait to see my friend Adam from Cannabis Access and many more people at the EXPO!! Got your ticket???
xox <><

Some will see this toon and think

"Where's the scale?"  
 My son asked...  “...skelator”  as he loving calls me, reminding me I need to eat. ;-)

I threw it out... I've stressed over that piece of *&^% for far too long in this life time! Before I was always on it, and all it did was go up!  Every morning I’d get on ... weighing myself, worried about the size of ‘my ass & gutt’ both of which I hated for years. O.K., I will say looking back... I was too heavy. I was usually around 180 - 210,  I’m 5’6”.  I see photos of myself and think - OMG!? WAS I that big?  I did not think I was that big, when I was there. 

Then, I was on it all the time lately with the opposite! Every morning stressing over weight I lost!  WTF!   LOL

When I get to 115 I panic.  I know I look too thin, I’m use to voluptuous.. I had curves.  ;-) So I thought, forget this! I tossed it! “Chucked it!”  (Thank you Candice, a post she made on FB, a while back).  

All kidding aside, I hate a bony ass! Poor Santa - I get it! ;-)  I feel my bones when I sit on a hard surface. I miss my bum!  The thing is I want to get healthy. So I am eating BETTER  (JUST say NO to GMO!)  and can’t seem to gain weight but I feel better! ;-)) So today I made Kale chips - I tell you I was thinking, I’m more addicted to these kale chips than cannabis! My friend Theresa introduced them to me. I don’t have a dehydrator so I make them in the over and it is a bit of work as I have to keep going and turning them. But it is worth it in IMO.

I also have to say, I was sent a beautiful gift, more than the person realizes I bet. Honey.  Medicated honey, from a friend I don’t take medibles from people I do not know. I have the best appetite with it! So does Storm!  
You know it’s not true! You don’t always get the munchies - I think that it’s a frame of mind. If you naturally always get the munchies that will only heighten it. 

I have eaten more in the past few day in a long time and I am craving all the good stuff ;-) Like Kale chips and nuts.  
Oh, I also made - homemade ‘almond joy’ today! I saw on PIN. 
NOM NOM NOM   
Click here for recipe: 
http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.ca/2009/04/coconut-truffles.html

The Kale chip recipe, as from my friend Theresa also below.
I do them in my oven at 150 and go down every hour and turn them when they start to crisp up I eat! LOL - They have trouble making it to a bowl! Really!  TRY them!! 

Either way - Glad I chucked that metal menace! It ruled for far too long! I shall let my body be my guide and love me how I am. Every inch! I hope to get my bum back too.. well at least 1/2 of it’s former glory. LOL   <>< xox 

Smoking your medicine. 

Once Cannabis is introduced to you as a medicine and you can't believe that you can experience the extent of relief from a plant you can't help but step back and think - WOW! 
These past five years has been transforming. Especially in the kitchen!!  I now use Sage for a mouth wash- I'm prone to cankers- well I USE to be! Now when I feel one starting - rinse with a sage tea and it's gone before it gets worse. Honey and cinnamon are a daily  spoonful taken in the a.m. to assist with arthritis, I have rosemary, basil and more on my window and plan to keep them there all year long!  
Looking back I can't help but feel cheated - WE had it right a long time ago, we ate healthier not processed, we medicated FIRST with plants.  We are always hearing about someone that is getting flesh eating disorder, some sort of stomach ailment, pain from pills- been there done that.  I for one feel    better -(twitch aside) than I have in years! 
I have a new book - medicine in the garden and I plan on using it FIRST before I put  toxic chemicals into my system . I KNOW pills sometimes help but I no longer believe it should be my first choice but rather - my last resort.    
So, in the past when I might have said to a friend in need- "Not feeling well ? Want one of my pain pills?"  WE all do it! We do not like to see those we love suffer.  Instead now I will inform them on Cannabis - and try to help them seek other alternatives. I will never offer a friend a pain 'pill' again  realizing now, I might just be offering them a future of addiction and other problems.   
From pill popper to plant pusher!!!!  Which would you rather be? 

TOP 10  Plants & Medicine
Top 10Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) 
Used medicinally for thousands of years, today it is used in the treatment of sleeping disorders, autoimmune diseases and glaucoma.
Coca (Erythroxylon coca) 
Cocaine was widely used as a local anaesthetic in the 19th century and coca leaf tea is taken for altitude sickness in South America.
Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) 
Galantamine hydrobromide, a compound derived from daffodil bulbs, is being used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) 
All parts of this plant, especially the berries, contain the extremely toxic chemical atropine. Atropine is used to relax the muscles of the eye and to stop muscular spasms.
English yew (Taxus baccata) 
The leaves of this yew are used in the synthesis of compounds called taxols, which are used in the treatment of breast cancer.
Fever tree (Cinchona succiruba) 
A native of Latin America, the bark of the fever tree produces quinine, which is used to treat malaria.
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) 
Digitalis has been used since the 16th century to treat heart disease and its derivatives are still used in modern medicine.
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) 
Opium derivatives such as morphine are still used as powerful painkillers in hospitals.
Rubbertree (Hevea brasiliensis) 
From rubber gloves to waterproof sheeting and prophylactics, latex plays an important role in health care and medicine.
Willow (Salix spp.) 
The bark of the white willow contains acetyl salicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin. It has been used for pain relief for 2,000 years.


xox <><