Wednesday, December 6, 2017

adventure


JDW I WNS & AEC 

 The Jane and Dean Wilson Informal Wildlife Nature Sanctuary & Agricultural Educational Center 
   otherwise known as the 
AUSTIN ROAD ADVENTURE

   (Please send all correspondence to 5660 Austin Rd.  Camden, MI  49232)

Trivia:

How many pieces of property comprise the JDWIWNS & AEC?  
4

When was the first piece of property acquired for this project?
  November 1979  (NorthEast 120 acres)

What years were the other 3 parcels added into the adventure?  
  Mable Moss’s or SouthWest 100 acres in Spring of 1983
Albert’s or NorthWest 80 acres in 1987
Jake’s or SouthEast 80 acres in 1999

Please describe the condition of each piece at the time it was included into the adventure:
  NE: open areas plowed wheat fields, rare trees,  large gravel pit area, wooded areas heavily logged the previous year, no wetlands or ponds 

  SW:  open areas plowed wheat fields, rare trees, wooded areas recently logged, wetland drained

  NW: open areas plowed wheat fields, rare trees, wooded areas continuously logged

  SE:  open areas plowed crop fields, rare trees,  wooded areas recently logged, wetland drained 

Please describe the current condition of each piece in the adventure:
  NE:  open areas in permanent pasture with abundant & varied trees, wooded areas intact,
5 acre wetland, 2 small and 1 large pond established  

  SW: open areas in permanent pasture (not currently grazed) with occasional, varied trees, 
wooded areas intact,  wetland established, 10 acre permanent grass hay field harvested twice a year  

  NW: open areas in permanent pasture (not currently grazed) with occasional, varied trees, 
northern most field planted into trees, wooded areas intact

  SE:  open areas in permanent pasture with occasional, varied trees, 2 wetlands established, wooded areas intact 
   10 acre permanent grass hay field harvested once a year, northern most field planted into 200 conifer trees  

How many times does the St. Joseph River flow through this adventure?
  Twice

Please describe the condition of land surrounding the Austin Road Adventure:
   open areas plowed crop fields, sprayed with chemicals, rare trees, open areas and wetlands tiled and drained, wooded areas continuously logged, multiple active small (50 - 250 animals) CAFO 's (Confined Animal Feed Operation), fresh manure spread regularly on limited acres, frequently near surface water ditches  

What is meant by “permanent pasture” and why are these areas significant?
    Land in “permanent pasture” was plowed one time, planted into pasture (diverse mix of grasses and legumes), and has since been allowed to thrive.  It has not been and will never be plowed again, under the current stewardship.  
Pasture is not always an accurate descriptor since much of the land here is not currently grazed by farm animals. 
 One could use the word meadow to describe “permanent pasture” areas.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadow
A meadow is a field habitat vegetated by grass and other non-woody plants (grassland).[1]
Meadows are of ecological importance because they are open, sunny areas that attract and support flora and fauna that could not thrive in other conditions.  They often host a multitude of wildlife, providing areas for courtship displays, nesting, food gathering and sometimes sheltering if the vegetation is high enough. Many meadows support a wide array of wildflowers, which makes them of utmost importance to pollinating insects, including bees, and hence the entire ecosystem.    

As mentioned above, the “permanent pasture” areas are significant because they provide HABITAT for plants and animals.
The significance of “permanent pastures” also lies in the natural formation of TOPSOIL that occurs in these areas. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsoil  
 Without topsoil, little plant life is possible.  Conventional agriculture encourages the depletion of topsoil because the soil must be plowed and replanted each year.  The United States alone loses almost 3 tons of topsoil per acre per year.[10] This is of great ecological concern as one inch of topsoil can take between 500[11] and 1,000 years[12] to form naturally. On current trends, the world has about 60 years of topsoil left.[12][13]


What is meant by wetland and why are these areas significant?  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland  
A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.[2]  Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, carbon sink and shoreline stability. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life.

As mentioned above, wetlands are significant partly because of the WATER PURIFICATION and HABITAT they provide.  

According to the Ramsar Convention:
The economic worth of the ecosystem services provided to society by intact, naturally functioning wetlands is frequently much greater than the perceived benefits of converting them to 'more valuable' intensive land use – particularly as the profits from unsustainable use often go to relatively few individuals or corporations, rather than being shared by society as a whole.



Please list the educational activities available through the JDE I WNS & AEC:

 EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
 A ] Hand milking cows -
Etiquette, cleanliness, technique
 B ] Fresh cow care -
Differences in animal behavior, detect and resolve problem quarters, amount of milk to take on days 1 thru 7, monitoring for postpartum complications
 C ] Newborn calf care - 
monitor for temperature, nursing, stool, umbilical cord
 D ] Care of Milk -
Cleanliness, filtering, cooling, storage, allowing cream to rise, skimming cream  

 E ] Knife sharpening - 
technique, frequency  
 F ] Butcher -
Confine, kill, move, skin, gut, cut in half, hang, proper use of remains    
 G ] Pork processing -
from hanging carcass, identify and harvest various cuts, cure bacon, season and grind sausage, render lard, proper packaging and storage
 H ] Beef processing -
from hanging carcass, identify and harvest steaks, roasts, hamburger, tallow, proper packaging and storage  
 I ] Beef jerky -
Identify proper cut of meat to use, thin slicing meat, marination, dehydration, packaging

 J ] Cheese making -
time, temperature, pH and bacteria management to curds and whey; pressing and rind formation  
 K ] Cheese maintenance -
daily temperature and humidity management, weekly salt wash and oil rub, crack butter plugs  
 L ] Butter - skim cream, set up and clean electric 8 gallon churn, determine correct churn time, drain, rinse, and squeeze butter, proper packaging and storage  
 M ] Kefir - Grain function and care, time, temperature and volume adjustments

 N ] Maple Sugar - 
Tap maple trees: Identify maple trees, use of hand drill, correct tap location, homemade Elder wood taps
Boil maple sap:  fire safety and maintenance in the woods, 50 gallon sap pan management, correct sap depth and strength of boil, determine time to stop boiling 
Make maple sugar:  monitor and identify different stages of sugar bubbles, maintain correct heat to stir ratio, determine correct time to remove from heat, maintain stir and determine adequate granulation
 O ] Apple harvest & Cider pressing
use of ladder to pick from tree, collecting from ground, proper storage   
wash, chop, press, cider packaging and storing, use of remaining pulp  

 P ] Raw food tasting -  
kefir, milk, cheese, beef, egg yolk  
 Q ] Fruit dehydration -
Harvest and preparation of pears, peaches, apples; dehydration time and packaging
 R ] Cooking on a wood stove -
various heat locations, baking in the oven, adding wood, monitoring fire, water reservoirs  
 S ] Animal husbandry -
cows: approach, distance, reading behaviors, offering assistance and affection, halter training, moving single animals and large herd short and long distances 
lambs: halter training, natural behaviors, offering assistance and affection  
chickens: natural behaviors, dust bath, aggression, egg collection, noticing problems and offering assistance
Pigs: approach, feed and watering, pasture and fence maintenance
horse: approach, maintaining safe boundaries, reading behaviors, offering assistance and affection, moving short distances  

 T ] Fire wood - identify tree type, quality, safety, loading, stacking, splitting  
 U ] Natural material harvest and building project
 V ] Nature walk
 W ] Bird Identification
 X ] Tree identification
 Y ] Fence maintenance
 Z ] Wild herb and wild edible identification, harvest   
 AA ] Gardening  
 BB ] Discussion topics     

Does the JDW I WNS & AEC currently host any school groups?

  Yes.  A Montessori School from Dearborn Heights, Michigan currently brings 30 middle school students to the adventure 4 times every year for overnight trips.  They have been visiting for 10 years.  



Education on Austin Road


Saturday, December 2, 2017

Opportunity

  "a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something"

        We were talking about a meeting to discuss how they could “help us” with the land purchase.  That does not sit well with me, that they are "helping us".  It is a terribly narrow view to say that we need help.  I want a clear understanding of what is happening out here on Austin Road.  There is a real opportunity here that is significant to many aspects of Earth life.  We are presenting an opportunity to significantly positively impact air quality, water quality, and sound quality (noise pollution) in this small part of planet Earth.  People talk about saving the environment but that is such a huge topic.  How does one save the environment?  One may throw a paper coffee cup into the recycling bin and turn down the house furnace while away.  All of this surely makes a difference and our actions together are cumulative.  But what if one looked at their local environment and was able to immediately and simply ensure the health of a small section of mother earth?  It is similar to Central Park in New York City.  New York is an amazing place and I imagine anyone who lives there or has visited would agree that if Central Park existed instead as a cluster of tall buildings and traffic-clogged streets, the entire City would reflect that horror.  The opportunity on Austin Road imitates the genius of Central Park.  Provide continued sanctuary for a small section of the earth’s natural health to enhance and support the surrounding area.  
We do not have a formal mission statement here in this place where we live.  By examining our way of life maybe one could say that our mission statement would include the phrases “have fun, relax, work just a little each day, take care of yourself so you can offer some love to others”.   There are formal organizations and tax funded government agencies that do have mission statements.  They have made it a priority to clearly articulate and publish their mission statements.  The project with the land out here is just an opportunity for these groups to follow their public declaration of mission.  
For example:
 "The purpose of the Michigan Nature Association is to acquire, protect and maintain natural areas that contain examples of Michigan endangered and threatened flora, fauna, and other components of the natural environment, including habitat for fish, wildlife and plants of the state of Michigan and to carry on a program of natural history study and conservation education."

The 260 acres in question have been protected and maintained since their acquisition by the Wilson family beginning in 1980.  As it comes up for sale in the near future, ensuring its continued preservation is an opportunity for MNA to fulfill its published mission.  

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

The mission of Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy (MMLC) is:
  • To protect natural, scenic, recreational, and agricultural lands and their natural diversity in mid-Michigan so rural landscapes are preserved,
  • To encourage and promote the protection of these lands and their natural diversity through education and other assistance.
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Lake Erie Region Conservancy is to identify, conserve, and protect the Lake Erie region's unique natural and cultural resources.  We also promote sustainable development through research and outreach.
The Nature Conservancy our mission:  Conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends

You are the ones who publicly declare what your purpose is.  We are a family that brought to your attention the opportunity to pursue that purpose.  Are you helping us or have we helped you? 
I am not saying that any of these organizations are obligated to participate in the project.  I am trying to clarify what is happening out here on Austin Road.  Maybe we are functioning as Real Estate Agents or Stock Brokers or just the local news.  The sale of this land will have unmeasurable impact on the surrounding environment.   There is a set of circumstances here that makes it possible to do something positive.  Opportunity  



Copperbelly Water Snake sunning himself next to our swamp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerodia_erythrogaster_neglecta
The copperbelly (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta) is a species of nonvenomous snake, which is listed as a threatened species.
Copperbellies live in lowland swamps or other warm, quiet waters.
Lowland and some upland woods are almost always part of the swamp habitat. Recent studies have shown that at least 500 acres (200 ha) of more or less continuous swamp-forest habitat is necessary to sustain a viable population over time.
These snakes have declined mainly because of the drainage, pollution, loss and filling over of their lowland swamp habitat and clearing of adjacent upland woods where they spend the winter (hibernation sites).
The copperbelly water snake was added to the U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants on February 28, 1997. The population that was listed as threatened occurs in southern Michigan, northeastern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio.



Thursday, November 9, 2017

Cheese making notes

Cheese is so wonderful.  I love cheese.    Sing : "Cheese!  Glorious Cheese!"
My friend Kathleen once accused me of having a "Cheese Problem".  She opened the refrigerator in my apartment and found two of the largest blocks of cheese sold at our local health food store.  There was little else to be found in there with the cheese.  Oh how I wish that Kathleen could see me now.  My head inside the vat on cheese day, wrist deep in fresh, salty curd.  She was right and life turned my "problem" into a lovely adventure.
 Here are some limited, incomplete notes taken during a typical Cheddar Cheese day here on the farm.  It all goes back to the education question.  I have been a poor cheese making apprentice, preferring to hover near the vat snatching bits of curd away.   But I know that the information and experience here is unique and a bit rare in this country.  So I started really listening to miguel and taking notes one day, with the intention of creating a cheese guide.  We have people visit occasionally on cheese making day and I love the idea of offering visitors a few pages of wisdom that can only come from many years of loving and making cheese.


 
draining whey from curds

filling molds with curd that will continue to drain whey and become...

 Brie  





Cheese making notes for 'cheddar' recipe 

 - WARM - 
Stir milk occasionally while it warms to 27 d Celsius

  - CULTURE -
 Add culture.  Powder culture is sprinkled onto surface of milk and allowed to rest without stirring for a few minutes as temperature rises to 28 d.  Stir culture well into the milk.  
Culture added for this “farm house cheddar” is KAZU, a mixture of cultures.  There are meso and thermaphillic cultures, meaning medium (meso) temperature and heat (therma) loving bacteria.  

 - WARM -  Stir milk occasionally while it warms to 31 d

 - REST -  With the temperature at 31d and the culture well mixed into the milk, now the whole batch will rest for one hour.  

 - RENNET - 
After one hour has passed add the Rennet.  Also bring temperature back to 31 d if there has been any cooling over the rest period. 
Rennet is added directly to cold water that is roughly 10 times the volume of Rennet.  For example, if Rennet to be added equals 2 ml, then add this small amount to 20 ml of water.  Add this mixture to the milk and stir well.
Adding too much Rennet does not produce noticeable changes or problems.  
Not adding enough Rennet or using old Rennet can cause the curd to be not firm enough.  This soft curd allows the fat to leak out and that is no fun.  We want all the fat in the cheese.  

 - REST - 
With the temperature at 31d and the Rennet well mixed in, now the whole batch will rest for approximately 45 minutes or more.  

 - CURD - 
After 45 minutes has passed, visually inspect the curd that has formed.  The desired curd is firm and offers a “Clean Break” when cut.  Holding a knife with blade parallel to the cheese, direct the knife point into the curd at a 45 degree angle.  Insert half way and then slowly lift up so curd breaks over, or falls over the blade.  There should be clean lines as the curd releases and breaks away from itself.  Not seeing a clean break means that more rest time is required.  Come back and check again in a bit.
The 45 minute rest time following the addition of Rennet can vary.  For example, spring time milk has less solids and can take longer to set up.  Winter milk is richer with a lower percentage of water so it will tend to set up in the expected time.

 - CUT CURD - 
Slice curd into smaller and smaller pieces being fairly gentle in the process.  The curd cannot be cut too much or too small.  The pieces will begin to float in the whey and eventually they will just move out of the way of your cutting device.  
Stir the whole batch and examine curd size, cutting up any large pieces that are found.  Stirring also breaks up big groups that are sticking together.  

 - WARM & STIR -
 Over a 45 minute time frame, warm the whole batch up to 38 d.  Temperature should be rising gently and consistently so that as 38 d is attained, 45 minutes has passed.  This time block of time is needed to allow the _________.   Stir the curds gently and frequently to prevent clumping and keep them floating in the whey.  

 - TEXTURE - 
 After 45 minutes with the temperature at 38 d, allow the batch to rest.  The curd will be ready for the next phase after the desired texture has been achieved.  Texture is determined by grasping curds in the hand and squeezing firmly.  Open the hand and the resulting blob should release and  separate when flicked with the thumb.  Curd should feel elastic.  Each curd has formed a thin “skin” that keeps it gently separate from neighboring curds.  
During this rest period of 0 to 30 minutes the curd should be stirred occasionally and observed for texture changes.  The pH of the batch is changing towards acid.  If the pH becomes too acid then the curd may feel crumbly, hard, without elasticity.  

 - Drain Whey - 
to be continued...



 

Friday, September 15, 2017

Education?

That word is difficult for me.  Someone I hold in high regard mentioned that education was important to them.  So I am thinking about it.  I guess it depends on what you mean, on what I intend to say with the word education.  The part that turns me away is school, the formal part.  The part that feels good is learning, the experience piece.  I graduated from the University of blah blah blah with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and stood at the bedside of my sick patients knowing that I understood very little about how to care for them,  to be their nurse.  I had a prestigious school behind my name and it was all smoke and mirrors when it came to blood and pain and real human suffering.  My education had required and included very little hands on experience.  After 12 years I left my education and a successful nursing career and now call myself a farmer, what ever that means.
Informal, that’s what I like.  The informal nature of the education that goes on here at the farm.  Where do I begin?  It starts when people visit here and see that we really do walk around barefoot.  Through mud and gravel, thistle patches, wood piles and dense pastures, our bare feet touch the earth and guide our way.  People come here and learn that female cows have horns.  They are so confused when they see with their own eyes, horns on a beautiful fat cow that also seems to be sporting a full udder in the rear.  How can that be?  The education that goes on here is profound in its simplicity.  It breaks down our societal conventions and unquestioned ideas about the world we live in.  Cats and chickens eat from the same bowl, happily?  Yes.  Curds and whey finally makes sense as they watch miguel turn 25 gallons of milk into 25 pounds of cheese.  Butter milk’s mysterious relationship to butter becomes clear as 3 gallons of it drains out of the churn, leaving behind bright grains of butter waiting to be rinsed.  When people come to visit here, they receive only the education that they are open to seeing.

We have a list of “educational activities” that was created as a retrospective examination of our personal calendars and photos from the last 6 years.  Just reviewing and remembering who came during what time of year allowed a list to form that describes nearly 30 different experiences this farm life offers our friends and family.  Everything from butchering a pig to boiling maple sap into sugar, creating a tight fence line to animal husbandry, all the things we call life here are amazing opportunities for someone who lives a different way.  This place provides the space and the resources for learning things that are rare in our current society.  The teachers are found inside each person as they are able to be open to receive.  We guide them as we are able, mostly just doing what we do to live and trying to answer questions along the way.  This farm is an education center if one wishes to call it that.  We love this way of life and we desire to connect with anyone who shows interest in the activities that sustain and fulfill us.



FARM EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

 A ] Hand milking cows -
Etiquette, cleanliness, technique

 B ] Fresh cow care -
Differences in animal behavior, detect and resolve problem quarters, amount of milk to take on days 1 thru 7, monitoring for postpartum complications

 C ] Newborn calf care - 
monitor for temperature, nursing, stool, umbilical cord

 D ] Care of Milk -
Cleanliness, filtering, cooling, storage, allowing cream to rise, skimming cream  

 E ] Knife sharpening - 
technique, frequency  

 F ] Butcher -
Confine, kill, move, skin, gut, cut in half, hang, proper use of remains    

 G ] Pork processing -
from hanging carcass, identify and harvest various cuts, cure bacon, season and grind sausage, render lard, proper packaging and storage

 H ] Beef processing -
from hanging carcass, identify and harvest steaks, roasts, hamburger, tallow, proper packaging and storage  

 I ] Beef jerky -
Identify proper cut of meat to use, thin slicing meat, marination, dehydration, packaging

 J ] Cheese making -
time, temperature, pH and bacteria management to curds and whey; pressing and rind formation  

 K ] Cheese maintenance -
daily temperature and humidity management, weekly salt wash and oil rub, crack butter plugs  

 L ] Butter - skim cream, set up and clean electric 8 gallon churn, determine correct churn time, drain, rinse, squeeze butter, proper packaging and storage  

 M ] Kefir - Grain function and care, time, temperature and volume adjustments

 N ] Maple Sugar - 
Tap maple trees: Identify maple trees, use of hand drill, correct tap location, homemade Elder wood taps
Boil maple sap:  fire safety and maintenance in the woods, 50 gallon sap pan management, correct sap depth and strength of boil, determine time to stop boiling 
Make maple sugar:  monitor and identify different stages of sugar bubbles, maintain correct heat to stir ratio, determine correct time to remove from heat, maintain stir and determine adequate granulation

 O ] Apple harvest & Cider pressing
use of ladder to pick from tree, collecting from ground, proper storage, wash, chop, press, cider packaging and storing, use of remaining pulp  

 P ] Raw food tasting -  
kefir, milk, cheese, beef, egg yolk  

 Q ] Fruit dehydration -
Harvest and preparation of pears, peaches, apples; dehydration time and packaging

 R ] Cooking on a wood stove -
various heat locations, baking in the oven, adding wood, monitoring fire, water reservoirs  

 S ] Animal husbandry -
cows: approach, distance, reading behaviors, offering assistance and affection, halter training, moving single animals and large herd short and long distances 
lambs: halter training, natural behaviors, offering assistance and affection  
chickens: natural behaviors, dust bath, aggression, egg collection, noticing problems and offering assistance
Pigs: approach, feed and watering, pasture and fence maintenance
horse: approach, maintaining safe boundaries, reading behaviors, offering assistance and affection, moving short distances  

 T ] Fire wood - identify tree type, quality, safety, loading, stacking, splitting  

 U ] Natural material harvest and building project

 V ] Nature walk

 W ] Bird Identification

 X ] Tree identification

 Y ] Fence maintenance

 Z ] Wild herb and wild edible identification, harvest   

 AA ] Gardening  

 BB ] Discussion topics    


Day of the butcher  
Friends sharing contentment after a long day of processing piggy   




Sunday, July 16, 2017

frog blog


I want to write about my life here.  How can one put into words the peace of frogs singing.  Is it peace?  If it is, I want more of it.  Are they singing?  It is unlike any song.  Yet it is the oldest song.  The frustration is that these words are inadequate.  I am not capable of using these simple words to capture the feeling, the deep soul touch of frogs singing.   There is a bedroom downstairs that is cooler, more comfortable to sleep.  I don’t like to be hot.  But the frogs call to me.  I refuse to sleep downstairs because I cannot hear the frogs.  From this room upstairs, the frogs are right in my ear.  As I lay in bed falling asleep.  In the middle of the night when I wake from a stressful dream.   They call to the deepest parts of my being, call me back into the peaceful sleep that they want me to have.  Frogs are there for me in the morning, their song made even more beautiful now that layers of birds have joined the chorus.  Poetry.  As I learn to write poetry maybe the way frogs touch me will find expression.  They expose an ancient place in my heart and it feels unlike anything before and yet it feels like the most familiar, most sacred thing.  



This place is restructuring me.  Tearing down old ideas.  Living out in the country, isolated from all I knew before.  But maybe its the frogs that are doing it.  Sure one must live in a place like this to hear the frogs.  But living way out here and not listening to the frogs would let the restructuring pass by.  I have been listening.  I am hearing what they say.  It is the I part of me that is true.  When I say I have been listening, its the I part of me that is beyond my damaged personality, beyond all my pain and past hurts that get carried around and displayed in pathetic episodes over and over again.  The frogs go right past all that.  They give a kind nod on their way by, but they don’t spend any time there.  The frogs go deep.  They go right in, fearless, because they know what lies inside.  And that’s what they want.  They want the truth.  

I guess its like vibration therapy.  If OM is the universal vibration then frogs are the earthly, constant offering to us tiny humans who can only hear bits at a time.  Frogs are kind and reliable.  They sing whether we listen or not.  They want me to hear but they sing the same regardless.  There is no lessening of their song if I don’t hear.  It goes on anyway.  When people move away from here, leaving the song behind, frogs are not sad.  They sing for the sake of Love, for beauty.  Like a pear tree offers its fruit, frogs sing.  Not because they want someone to come and enjoy the sweet treat.  Just because they enjoy participating in the creation of Love and wonder.  Not hearing the frogs does not diminish the offering they make.   Their offering to the expansion of Love is whole and pure and could not ever be enhanced or diminished.  It is perfect.  Understanding that from my mind is impossible.  Mind doesn’t understand perfect, does not accept it.  That is what makes the frogs’ song so beautiful.  It cannot be heard with the mind.  Only my heart can really listen and hear the frogs singing.  That’s why it is so confusing sometimes.  My heart is listening and changing and my mind is off in the corner all confused and hurt, what is that perfect sound and what do I think about it?  Nothing.  You don’t think anything about it.  Just drink it like a warm glass of milk on a cold winter morning.  Let is wash over you like a hard rain on a hot summer day.  Let yourself soak into the song of the frogs, like your toes sinking into the heavy, clay mud around the spring.  Rub it in to your dry skin and feel the sound nourish what you thought was lost.