I spent a few hours with a toad this week. I sat with it in the garden, watching its movements and observing they way it lives. I have had a fear of toads (and frogs and snakes too) since childhood, when I spiked a high fever involving hallucinations of amphibians and reptiles crawling out through […]
Our garlic scapes are now coming fast and furious! They are a wonderful byproduct of growing garlic, since by harvesting, the garlic bulbs grow much larger. In the interest of making no waste, we use every single one! I get asked a lot what we do with them all, so I thought others may have […]
When I think about what it means to me to be a ‘Permaculture Parent’ I feel that it really is defined by my approach to life. Looking for ways to live more in line with the Permaculture principles is a way of approaching life. When I change, those around me change. When I learn, those […]
The downside of a digitized culture is that it makes it so easy to feel like we’re ‘missing out’ on things. Here I find another place where I’m unlearning what has been bestowed upon me. I will on occasion experience feelings of loss because of the choices we’re making as a family to diverge from […]
Beneath the greatest of mountains there is the same structure of matter. All matter being comprised of the same basic elements. How amazing to be able to look around and witness the diversity and abundance made possible by the tiniest of particles. What whispers of truth ride on a spark? Or hints of purpose rest […]
Young salsify buds and leaves The salsify has spread across our property. A main criticism of planting salsify is that it spreads so readily. I haven’t figured out why this is a problem yet. Usually we hold out until fall when we harvest salsify roots, but since we have such an abundance of shoots in […]
“A weed is a plant whose virtue is not yet known” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson This is a photo tour of five ‘weeds’ likely growing in your yard that you can eat! We use all six to make our ‘weed salads’ which we eat all summer long! The children love finding and eating many of these […]
“If we don’t change our direction, we’re going to wind up where we’re headed” -Native American Saying I had the extreme pleasure of attending a lecture given by Starhawk last week. I decided that her message was too important to keep to myself, so here are the salient points that I came away with… The […]
I confess to shopping at the dollar store on occasion, usually to purchase craft supplies for my children. But recently while sitting at my computer scrolling my way through Facebook’s skewed representation of the lives of other people, I came across an article about crafts you can make from items purchased at the dollar store. […]
How the plants make it look so effortless. They push with ease thought thick soil and rocks, heavy and compacted from winter’s weighty presence. Foliage pronounces itself just by being. There are no grand ceremonies for their change. They come and fill their full potential just by awakening to the world above the earth. Not […]
