The mindfulness focus this week is circle of influence…contemplating the reach of our actions and what if anything we can do to change the world. Sadly this is not inspired by the garden, but instead by the ongoing gun violence in this country. It is easy to be overwhelmed by … Read more
The view out our window on Friday morning looked like we were inhabiting a Loreena Mckennit song. Even as the weather app was assuring us there was no precipitation in Denver, we walked out into air that was wet, thick, and cold. Grey mist hung in the air and a crystalline film enveloped trees … Read more
Arguing With Winter I am not a fan of winter or the darkness that accompanies it. The sun sets in Denver just after 4:30 PM this week, making for a very long night. And although the weather can be balmy here when the sun is up, temperatures can plummet twenty degrees after … Read more
We have arrived again at a place of darkness. I’m not speaking figuratively. It’s just dark outside! Because of time change and the approaching winter my drive home from work is enveloped in darkness. The Denver sun sets at 4:49 PM today. I feel much resistance to this annual cycle, preferring long days of sunshine … Read more
Tenacity is the mindfulness focus word for the week – the ability to hang on through numerous set-backs. It is inspired by the few plants in my garden that are just persisting despite the frost, cold, and winter on the way. Calendula is one of those tenacious plants. Calendula is an annual, … Read more
Rest As a Natural Cycle Red and golden leaves are falling from trees, seed pods have formed on annuals, and plants are hunkering down for the winter. For gardens in the colder regions of the country, we are entering a time of rest. There is a natural cycle to this that plants don’t … Read more
Hawthorne berries(1) are brightening up my back yard at a time when many other plants have faded away. The tiny apple like berries all all about heart healing and so have provided inspiration for this week’s mindfulness focus…heart centered awareness. Western herbalists have used Hawthorne as a heart tonic for centuries. The … Read more
Hope in Action is the mindfulness focus this week, inspired by seeds forming on fading garden plants. I think there are more seed heads than flowers in the garden right now. Cosmos, calendula, echinecea, marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias…seeds are everywhere. Seeds always seem hopeful to me. They represent new life even as the plant … Read more
Embracing What Is – that’s the mindfulness focus for the week. Dreary Days in Denver A run of cold dreary days has marked the beginning of fall in Denver. With the passing of the equinox last week, came clouds, grey, and rain. This is not the usual weather for Denver, where even in … Read more
Praying Mantis as Garden Helper Praying mantises are elusive insects and quite carnivorous. They are a boon in a garden that is overrun with insect pests. But they are indiscriminate and will eat anything that crosses their paths, including other beneficial insects and their mates. I’ve been in Denver nine years and have never seen … Read more
