Jul 21, 2020 | Community
Every year, a beacon of life and hope blooms in the Founders Campus’ Café Courtyard native plant garden, with showy flowers, abundant colorful fruits and seeds, and brilliant seasonal changes in colors from the pale, thin greens of early spring, to the vibrant yellows and reds of autumn.
The garden, a cooperative project between the Lancaster County Conservancy and Moravian Manor Communities, was initiated by resident Mark Hirschman and Ron Deifenthaler, former Grounds Supervisor. Ron recruited residents Elaine Bell and Fran Hirschman for the garden planning, citing “they speak the same language … Latin plant names!” Together with Conservancy Plant Stewards, 16 species of flowers were selected that would be pleasing to all creatures, including two-legged (humans) and those with wings.
Elaine, pleased she was invited to be involved in the project, commented, “When I moved to Moravian Manor Communities, I thought gardening was something I had given up…I never dreamed I’d be involved in it again.”
In addition to being low maintenance, native gardens help wildlife by providing a vital habitat for birds; nectar for pollinators including hummingbirds, native bees, butterflies, moths, and bats; essential seeds and fruits for other animals; and shelter for mammals. Native plants also benefit the environment and climate, needing less water and storing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
This calming little haven is a favorite retreat on campus, for staff, residents, and visitors alike for spotting butterflies and bunnies, enjoying the varied melodies of songbirds, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Thanks to the Lancaster Conservancy for helping us with this gardening project, protecting our fragile ecosystem and saving nature one project and one community at a time.
Jul 16, 2020 | Community, Wellness
Gardening is good for the body. It’s good for the soul. And it can even support healthy eating, while cutting your grocery bill.
There’s something about working in the dirt and reconnecting with nature that reduces stress, tension, and anxiety. The American Institute of Stress indicates that in just 45 minutes of gardening, you can significantly reduce your levels of cortisol, helping you get better control on sugar levels, regulate metabolism, reduce inflammation and assist with memory formulation in addition to support better sleep. Gardening also provides for personal creativity and mindfulness. Imagine seeing a once overgrown garden rejuvenated at the touch of your hands, now bursting with color from new annuals and perennial blooms. It’s a chance to stop and smell the flowers, literally!
Another benefit of gardening is the full-body workout it provides. Gardeners know that getting down on your hands and knees to dig in the soil ensures that every muscle in their body is flexed and gets the heart pumping. In addition to strengthening bones and muscles, you burn calories while gardening too!
In addition, spending time outdoors in the garden helps us naturally obtain our daily dose of Vitamin D through the warming rays of the sun. Vitamin D supports calcium growth, bolsters the immune system, encourages healthy hearts and lungs, and may reduce cancer risks.
An apple a day can help keep the doctor away, but the bounty of growing your own food can fill your plate with a rainbow of colorful, vitamin-packed foods. There is nothing fresher mid-summer than picking a handful of tomatoes and pairing it with some freshly chopped basil, adding just-picked green beans or peas to your dinner plate, or adding some fresh mint to your ice tea. You’ll not only save money, but benefit from eating a diet rich in the freshest ingredients.
Community Gardeners
Out in the Moravian Manor Communities community garden, residents embrace their green thumbs and all the health benefits that from spending time gardening. Resident gardener Elaine Fulmer shares her experiences:
“As a newbie, I was very excited when I was able to get one of the garden plots! I thought there would be a waiting list. I got to meet some very nice fellow gardeners on the first day! So far, I have harvested a green pepper and several radishes! I’m going to have some cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes soon! And hopefully some delicate squash in a few weeks. I LOVE gardening! It’s great exercise and provides a sense of serenity. I love to nurture things – watching things grow and develop is amazing. I love to cook and using fresh veggies and herbs that I’ve grown myself makes it more fun. The exciting discovery was that there is a composter next to the garden plots so I’m hoping to resurrect that! I’ve been saving all my compostable at home and bringing them when I come to water my plot. I also got permission to plant a flower and herb garden near our patio. I designed it with native plants and hope to attract lots of pollinators. Since it’s near a walkway, I’ve been able to make a lot of acquaintances while I’m out there working. It definitely helped me to maintain my sanity through the last three stay-at-home months. The gardens are my happy place!”
Gardening Tips from the Experts
Stauffers of Kissel Hill, one of our local gardening stores, is a great gardening resource. At the Lititz Stauffers store, Jay in the garden department is a great resource too. “When it comes to companion planting, an old wives’ tale is to plant marigolds among your vegetables to deter insects, such as Aphids. Marigolds have a potent scent that supposedly deters certain insects and rabbits…however, I’m not a firm believer,” he advised us. “Planting chives and the onion family also repel certain insects, as well as Citronella Geranium, a nice lavender blooming Geranium, that can be planted in a vegetable garden to repel insects, such as mosquitos, which will help keep them away while you’re working in your garden.”
Jay also suggested a method to maximize your output in small garden spaces. “Square footage gardeners love what’s called Double Cropping. It allows you to plant your early crops like radishes, broccoli, and cauliflower and when they are ready in June, you can harvest them and then plant your ‘warm season’ plants such as green beans or street corn, in their place.”
In addition to Jay’s professional tips, Stauffers maintains a great video library from container gardening tips, starting seeds, summertime watering to edible gardening as well articles on growing your own food.
Jul 14, 2020 | Wellness
From Tansy Rodgers, FNTP (Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner), Health and Lifestyle Coach, Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, and Physical Therapist Assistant
Seasonal allergies can be miserable and cause even the best days to feel like a struggle. The good news is that there’s some natural remedies that may offer relief…so you don’t need to unnecessarily suffer through the sneezing, congestion, itchy and watery eyes, and more.
Why Allergies are Becoming More Common Place?
The number of people who suffer from allergies is growing, and there’s a good reason why. Not only are we becoming more flooded with exposure to pollutants and toxins, but our gut health and overall nutrition could be setting us up for experiencing greater allergy symptoms. Common allergen triggers include pollen from grass and trees, the fecal particles of dust mites, animal dander, certain foods, air pollution, beauty product ingredients, or even insect bites.
Allergy Response & Your Immune System
Diet, strong gut health, and overall health can make a big difference when it comes to seasonal Allergies, because allergic response has everything to do with the immune system. And, approximately 65% of our immune system’s cells reside in the gut. The body is like a bathtub — every time something enters the body (food, water, air, etc.), the body reacts to keep itself in a state of homeostasis. If too much goes into the bathtub, it’s going to overflow. This is the same with the immune system. Instead of overflowing, it gets overloaded and overstimulated and the immune system responds to what would normally be harmless substances as if it is a harmful foreign invader. This is why your gut health and your immune system strength needs to be addressed to find relief from seasonal allergies.
As prime allergy season is amongst us (at least in our area), I’m sharing some natural remedies and food choices that help to greatly lessen seasonal allergies. Not all of them may be as immediately effective as a medication, but over the long-term, they are quite effective.
- Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) – This is an age-old food that has been used for so many ailments, my favorite being for better digestion and heart burn relief. For allergies, the belief is its ability to reduce mucous production and cleanse the lymphatic system.
- Cleanse Your Nostrils – This is effective because it helps to prevent the offending allergen (or at least as much of it) from entering your airways. You can use a Neti Pot or a saline spray to get the job done.
- Consume Quercetin – Quercetin has been shown to prevent immune cells from releasing histamines, which are chemicals that cause allergic reactions. As a result, researchers think that quercetin may help reduce symptoms of allergies, including runny nose, watery eyes, hives, and swelling of the face and lips. It also helps to decrease inflammation. You can find it naturally in citrus and broccoli, but it is hard to get the dose you need. You may need to take a supplement to gain the benefits.
- Consume Nettle Leaf – Nettle leaf is another natural antihistamine that can be very effective as it naturally blocks the body’s ability to produce histamine. You can use a tincture or a tea, but it may be more convenient to take nettle leaf in capsule form. Nettle leaf is also great for decreasing inflammation and joint health.
- Eat More Anti-inflammatory Foods – Foods, teas, and spices with known anti-inflammatory benefits may play a role in reducing unpleasant allergy symptoms. Ginger and green tea have been shown to block a key cell receptor involved in producing an allergic response.
- Take A Probiotic – Allergies are the result of an imbalance in the immune system that causes the body to react too strongly to a stimuli. Many studies link the presence of beneficial bacteria in the gut with reduced incidence of allergies.
- Alter Your Diet – Sometimes dietary changes can be the answer to allergy problems. Try consuming more healing bone broth and eliminating foods that cause you sensitivity. Also, decreasing sugar and processed foods can bring you relief, since they both cause more systemic inflammation and compromise gut health. If allergies are severe, you may need some gut healing/rebalancing.
Interested in learning more about wellness from Tansy? Visit her website at www.tansyrodgers.com.
Jul 9, 2020 | Community, Culinary, Family
With a delayed start to barbeque season this summer, the resident grill masters and BBQ lovers alike at Moravian Manor Communities are firing up the cookers at the outdoor pavilions and atop the Tree Top Terrace. If you smell something amazing around campus and the surrounding Lititz neighborhood, its likely residents’ special recipes making you feel hungry.
Ed Noyalis’ grilling meat of choice is filet mignon, with a Dijon mustard marinade. His specialty for potluck picnics is grilled zucchini. And Ed has a tantalizing sauce for “Steak Diane,” for which friends are begging to know the secret ingredient.
Jul 7, 2020 | Family
You’re likely sick of your home right about now after several months of stay-at-home orders. But now that it’s summer, vacation season, what can you do that serves as a therapeutic mental refresher from home base.
1. Take a walk like a tourist: To see your hometown in a novel way, start taking walks as if you didn’t live there. Explore a street you’ve never walked down before. Look more closely at the blooming flowers, gardens, wildlife and even the sky.
2. Check out local hiking or biking trails: Now that you’ve paced or cycled through your neighborhood enough times to memorize the cracks in the sidewalk and dips in the road, it’s maybe time to see what nearby hiking or biking trails exist to blaze a new adventure. If you’re leery of uneven paths, order a pair of hiking poles that are growing in popularity (online they run from very low $19.99 and $24.99 from Target and Dicks Sporting Goods respectively, to $38 and 58 at REI). You can hit the trails with one of several Apps such as:
- AllTrails – 50,000+ trail guides for hiking, biking and more. It even lets you save a trail for offline use so you can take your trail guide to the field. Filters for dog-friendly, kid-friendly and wheelchair-friendly trails make narrowing down a choice easier.
- TrailLink – track down more than 40,000 miles of multi-use rails-to-trails.
- Gaia GPS – lets you check out a plethora of hiking trails across the country.
- Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder – a database filled to the brim with info on national parks, national forests and all other federal recreation destinations. It also includes every state and local park in the nation.
- Map My Hike – uses your phone’s sensors to track and log your hiking route, complete with information on pace, distance, calorie counting and route navigation. In addition to logging your own hikes, you can search and download other nearby routes.
3. Delve deeper into the world around you. See a star and wonder what constellation it’s part of? Ever look at a plant and wonder what it is? There is an APP for that!
- Star Walk 2 – identify the constellations above you when you’re outside in the evening or figure out where to look for any stars or planets you want to see.
- Sky Walk – Star Constellations – open this app, point it in the sky and it names off the celestial objects right in front of you.
- ISS Tracker – track the International Space Station with this app, that lets you know peak days for viewing when it’s passing overhead of wherever you are.
- Seek by iNaturalist – helps identify plants and animals, shows you commonly recorded flora and fauna near you, and offers observation challenges you can do to earn badges.
4. Pick up a club or tag alone in the cart. If you’ve never golfed before or just puttered in the past, maybe now’s the time to get out on the course. Even if you’re not into golfing, you can join your spouse in the same golf cart (households are permitted to ride in the same cart) and bird watch or enjoy a change of scenery.
5. Pick up a paddle. While navigating unchartered “waters” during COVID-19, boating could be a way to explore a little beyond your home. Check out www.discoverboating.com/go-boating-today to find local boat rentals near you.
6. Get a license and “Go Fish!” – Fishing is PA is permitted, and another perfect socially isolating activity. Visit www.fishandboat.com to answer any questions.
7. If you prefer to keep even closer to home, consider rearranging rooms in your home so that they feel different. Paint or redecorate. Sleep in the guest room a few nights. Or dust off the old tent and camp out for an evening. Anything that breaks out of the ordinary can be refreshing and provide a mental vacation from everyday life. Check out Sherwin Williams Color Snap Visualizer, where you can upload and “paint” your own photo to try out different colors. The App “Room Planner: Design for IKEA” uses 3D to help you renovate or redecorate your home.
Staying home is an adjustment for everyone. But there are still plenty of ways to thrive during it all. Try out one or all of the suggested activities above and share your experiences with us on Facebook.
