The Lake, The Farm & The Sun

Growing up, my all-time favorite place to spend a summer day was at Lake Holcombe’s Big Swede’s “pond”.  This is not actually a “pond”.   I’m not sure of the exact term for this body of water; it’s more like a small spring-fed lake.  The water is so clear you can actually see the spring water bubbling to the surface and tiny fish rush to fresh legs as they enter the water.  As an adult, I spent day after day laying on the beach tanning while my two children carried on the tradition of summer days swimming at “Big Swede’s”. 

(You can visit Big Swede's Resort yourself and swim in that same pond...
http://www.bigswedes.com/ )

As a child I remember my mother slathering me with Coppertone sun tan lotion and as an adult I slathered myself with tanning oils for that “deep tropical tan”.  Now, at almost fifty my back is covered in sun spots and age spots that I have to watch carefully for any signs of cancer.  I wish I’d known then what I know now.

My worst sun experience surprisingly did not happen on Lake Holcombe.  It happened quite by accident on the “farm”.  We call our place in Abbotsford “the farm” because it has a greenhouse, a barn, a pole building and 40 acres.  It’s not really a “farm” compared to our neighbors or our wastewater customers, who milk a thousand cows.  But to us, it’s our farm.   Because we began this journey as a greenhouse and nursery business the farm lawns are thick with a decorative shrub border grown out of control and trees, a fenced garden originally intended to be used as a lavender growing area, and lots of dog toys.  There is also an orchard and a weird side yard of apple trees and evergreens that were planted at the end of one of our first greenhouse seasons….back when we didn’t know that evergreens would shade out the apple trees.

Mowing our farm lawn is a herculean task.  It requires at least a weekly mowing, weed-whacking and constant maintenance to keep it looking good.  Now that I’ve relocated to Holcombe and the Abbotsford property has been left to the care of a neighbor’s lawn mowing business I realize why I was always strapped for time in the summer…the darn lawn!  Mowing and caring for the lawn is at least one full-day’s job a week if it is to be done correctly.

A few years ago I spent an unusually warm June day happily riding the lawn mower and tractor mower for the day.  It was not until I was finished that I realized I had acquired the worst sun-burn of my life.  I had worn my swimsuit and shorts that day hoping to get a tan.  My face, shoulders, back and the tops of my legs were glowing, fire-engine red and hot hot hot to the touch.  Luckily I owned a greenhouse and in that greenhouse I had many Aloe Vera plants.  I spent the next several days rubbing Aloe Vera on my burned areas and over time they healed. 

If you have an Aloe Vera plant you know that when you slice into it you find a thick gel substance that is 100% aloe. That's the good stuff!  If you have a plant, slather that on your burns for the best relief, or better still add a few drops of German Blue Chamomile and to the mix for even more anti-inflammatory help. Unfortunately the Aloe Vera plant enzymes quickly break the gel down into a watery substance. Companies add a thickener to reproduce the gel from the plant. When you buy "Aloe Vera Gel" in the store it is always infused with thickeners. Be sure to check your labels to ensure that your gel is using safe thickeners.

To find out if the ingredients in your products are safe, visit Skin Deep at:  http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

We sell after sun care items using only Aloe Vera water with no thickeners. It's safer and works just as well in a spritzer! We also do not include any Polysorbate binding agents so you can rest assured your only getting the good stuff...all you have to do is shake well before using!

This week we are introducing “After-Sun” care items in the store and on the web-site.  They hold an Aloe Vera base with botanicals and very valuable German Blue Chamomile to help soothe parched skin.

The Brown Barn Bath After-Sun Spritzer

Everyone here at The Brown Barn Bath Company hopes you have fun and safe Fourth of July! 

Chris