April 30, 2026
Tag: Dyes
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God, Glory and Gold vs. God, Glory and … Dead Bugs
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The cochineal is an insect slightly larger than a poppy seed. The bug’s carcass is the prime ingredient in creating a natural dye using carmine. Primarily a parasite, they are native to tropical and subtropical South America and up through North America and are collected from the pad of prickly pear cacti.
Past Article
January 28, 2021 8 Comments
For many Americans and Canadians alike, the border between our two nations is our first international border-crossing experience. I remember my first crossing; all I had to do was tell the agent where I was born. It’s more complicated today, but here is a postcard account of what it was like years ago.