I walked this morning in Denver with the sweet smell of new rain in the air. It was a great reminder that spring is here. New growth is bursting up and out everywhere, helped along by the rain. Walking in the early morning with so few people out, it is easy to pretend that … Read more
As the world moves into surreal disaster movie mode with COVID-19, mindfulness practice is needed more than ever. It may require increased dedication. Here are four key points to consider as we move through the next few weeks. First – Breathe No seriously – taking slow deep breaths activates the parasympathetic nervous system. That’s the … Read more
Simple joys pop up when we are paying attention. A few weeks ago while walking the dogs with my grandson, we discovered a patch of crackle ice. If you live in no freeze zone, you may be unfamiliar with crackle ice. It’s a thin layer of ice that forms across sidewalks or pavement … Read more
Flax to Fiber One of my many garden goals for the new year is attempting to create fiber from flax…fiber as in thread, string, or whatever I can manage. I was inspired to explore this idea after reading The Golden Thread, How Fabric Changed History by Clair St. Kasia Humans have been making fiber from flax … Read more
New Year’s Resolution Re-Do. Have your new year’s resolutions faded from view? Most evaporate quickly. Maybe you are in the anti-resolution camp and never set any to begin with. If your resolutions have faded or you are just looking for an intentional practice you can get excited about, I have a suggestion. It’s an easy … Read more
Nothing says hopeful like the arrival of seed catalogs in the mail or in-box. No matter how bleak the weather or world affairs, seeds mean new life and beauty. They represent fresh starts and endless possibilities. That’s not a metaphor. Seeds actually mean life goes on. We plant a tiny kernel and a new plant … Read more
A blur of fur, a large fluffy tail, and a red ribbon trailing behind was moving quickly along my fence. It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. A squirrel had pilfered one of the pine cone bird feeders we made at Solstice. Coated in peanut butter and rolled in bird … Read more
Early this morning I was out in the cold and dark for a winter solstice sunrise walk at the Plains Conservation Center. A small band of us watched as the sun came up over the plains and illuminated the mountains to the west with a pink glow. It was the beginning of the shortest day … Read more
It’s been six weeks since I retreated to Middle-Earth. At that time, I was immersed in too much negative reading material. On my long slog to work I was listening to Hamilton, a book not only about Alexander, but the whole cast of founders with all their mis-steps, mis-deeds, and outright back stabbing. … Read more
There’s a post-it note on my back door that reminds me as I leave the house to “Invoke Joy”. Because, why not? It’s a challenging planet and we can each do our part to create more joy in a million small ways. Yesterday, while walking Luna, we discovered a tiny mandala[1] created right in front … Read more
