As a good sister, I went to cheer on my brother during his first triathlon this weekend. I have to tell you, it was really exciting to see people of all ages and ability levels just going for it. I loved the spirit of healthy competition and the rush of shouting for the athletes. My sister and I were in awe of some of the space-age gear. But after a fantastic morning, I went home with dozens of insect bites. Eh.

Flash forward halfway through the week to me, still itching, but trying to be moderately socially accepatable at work. It's annoying to be pitching ideas, only to stop and explain that, really, I'm not usually this squirmy, it's just that, well, I went to this sporting event ...

Tea tree oil helps, but it does have an overwhelming aroma. To fix my problem, I added several drops (10-ish) of Aura Cacia tea tree oil to a spritzer bottle filled with water. After I get out of the shower, I spritz the bites with the tea tree spray. It's like magic. Give it a try!

Contributor Jim Long writes about the way the web has changed his interations with other herb growers in our upcoming Aug/Sept issue of The Herb Companion. It's a fascinating discussion, especially since Jim has collected such amazing plants by blogging. One of the interesting plants that resides in Jim's garden is Udorn dancing tea plant (Codariocalyx motorius). Here is one of the YouTube videos he mentions:

You can see more on YouTube.

It's almost the 4th and I'm preparing for serious bbq over the weekend. So, what's a potentially malnourished girl to do? Consume fruits and veggies, clearly.

Some days, chomping on plants just sounds unappealing. Quick route? At lunch today I downed a shot of wheatgrass. What does it taste like? Brocolli and grass, shaken not stirred.

Do I feel superhuman health yet? Nah. But I feel fairly self-righteous about my vegetable intake at the moment. As for the actual health benefits, I'll have to ask Amy, our healthy senior editor.

Fact of the day: "Wheatgrass refers to the young grass of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum, that is freshly juiced. ..."