Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? My usual “pumpkinpalooza”, as my grand-daughter Amanda calls it, did not materialize this summer. My time spent in Pennsylvania and my distracted-ness upon returning certainly impacted the pumpkins. The okra were also a bust this year. My white currants were prolific, but life got in … Read more
Cosmos flowers, blooming everywhere in my yard, are the inspiration for this week’s mindfulness focus – dependability. Cosmos are annual flowers that blooms in mid to late summer. They grow easily and are at home in a wide range of soils.(1) They self seed, meaning they will plant themselves again for the next … Read more
Return to Center – this week’s mindfulness focus was inspired by my tiny goji berry plant that is not actually dead. Denver was brutally hot the weeks I was away. And when I returned all the leaves had shriveled and fallen off. I chalked it up to one more sad thing. But this … Read more
I returned home from Pennsylvania to find my gardens very much alive, in spite of the blazing Denver sun. Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family who were watering. As I wandered through the gardens, I discovered three tiny pears on my pear tree. And that is a small miracle. … Read more
Grief is like a river. Sometimes it is just meandering, and quietly tugging at your heart. At other times it is a raging river threatening to capsize the boat. But it seems to me that even in the worst of it, there are places of refuge. I am so grateful for the … Read more
In a week when I have lost one of the dearest people to me on the planet, writing is again a challenge. However I know that Sam (1) enjoyed reading my blog posts, most of which were inspired by things the two of us talked about. So he would be happy to know I … Read more
There is a tree across the street from the window I’ve been sitting at for the past few days. It’s actually across the street and behind another house. But it’s a massive tree, maybe 70 feet high, so you notice it right away from the window. It is not just the size of … Read more
Courage is the mindfulness focus word for the week, inspired by borage (Borago officinalis) in flower throughout my yard. Even though I’ve worked with courage as a focus word already this year, the borage plants and life events are calling me to revisit the concept. About Borage Borage has a strong association with courage. According … Read more
The obvious choice for this week’s mindfulness focus is the summer solstice, which takes place mid-week.(1) (Although maybe I am just looking for a reason to post a picture of the Stonehenge I created in Minecraft, as I am quite proud of it.) Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and … Read more
Wisdom is the mindfulness focus word for the week, inspired by sage ( Salvia officinalis). Sage is flowering now in various places around my yard. The shrubby plant has soft strongly scented leaves and tiny lipped purplish-blue flowers whorled around many stems. It is loved by bees and drought tolerant, making … Read more
