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’ve been immersed in making soap for holiday gifts again this year. This is not soap from scratch, but instead the easy melt and pour glycerin soap that is available at craft stores. Someone else has done the hard work of creating the soap base. We just melt it and shape it into … Read more
One week ago, many of us spent Thanksgiving day recognizing the things we were grateful for. We might have taken turns around the dinner table or posted our thoughts to Facebook. Perhaps we made an actual list on paper or in our heads. And then we moved on. It can be easy to … Read more
There is a fable that goes something like this: A young boy shared with his grandfather that he was angry with a friend. The grandfather told him that there are two wolves inside each of us fighting for control. One is angry, greedy, selfish, and sees itself as separate from the rest of the world. … Read more
Green organisms respond quickly to small changes in soil, water, sun, and wind. They also respond to other plants and insects by changing their own chemistry. Often this is instantaneous. It is hard to imagine what it would look like for a plant to not show up or be present. They don’t have … 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
75 degrees is the high today in Denver, but it will change to cold and snow overnight. I’ve pulled in all the green tomatoes, green beans, and basil, and covered hardier plants with frost cloth. Gardeners constantly have their eyes on the weather and know that it can be unpredictable, with quick … Read more
