For starters: that cover! It spoke to me immediately. But what is beneath the beautiful artwork is equally delightful. While I have enjoyed all of Sonja Yoerg’s novels, TRUE PLACES has to be my favorite, with its juxtaposition of nature and affluent suburban living. If you enjoy book club and upmarket women’s fiction in contemporary settings – … [Read more...]
Universal Well-Being And Planetary Considerations
What will it take for us to let go of our endless debates and finger-pointings over global warming or global climate change? When will we begin to truly recognize that the heart of our human existence and survival is the planet Earth and all it holds? As E. B. White noted decades ago, everything we do or hope to achieve is intimately reliant on … [Read more...]
Book Review: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
I was fascinated by WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING when I first learned about author Delia Owens’s background studying wildlife in Africa, and her awards as a nature writer. I was in the mood for a book lush in setting and critters and love of the earth. I had hoped this book would fill that need. When the introduction discussed the roots of this story – … [Read more...]
Fast Facts on Hurricanes
The month of September is peak hurricane season. The Atlantic Hurricane season is June 1st through November 30th. So as Florence makes her way slowly down the Atlantic coast, it seemed a good time to compile some fast facts on hurricanes. A hurricane is a cyclonic tropical system that draws energy from the warm moist ocean air and expels … [Read more...]
Then The Giant Wasps Came
The odds were running high against the young Kohlrabi plants from the start. They were an impulse buy spurred on by my childhood memories of eating them raw and fresh peeled from my grandmother’s garden. I love Kohlrabi's sweet cabbagey flavor. I'd never seen Kohlrabi for sale in our local garden center before. Nor had I seen them locally … [Read more...]
Walking In Nature — A Basic Tool For Creative Multitasking
Author Julia Cameron points out that one of the most valuable tools for creativity is one of the simplest — walking. When she wrote THE ARTIST’S WAY she didn’t address exercise until week 12 in the program. In IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond, which was written twenty-five years after … [Read more...]
Mule Deer Shows Some Tough Love
This mother mule deer in Arizona, doting and attentive just a week before, warns her young buck away. Why? It turns out she is pregnant with a new fawn, and that she’s taught the year-old buck all she can about survival. Her hormones have kicked in, and her brain is wired for the survival of the new fawn growing inside. After the new fawn is up … [Read more...]
Words: “The Field Of All Possibilities…”
When all the stars align in our favor, we tend to feel a sense of self-satisfaction that the universe has fallen into place for us. But instead, maybe we should feel a sense of humbling recognition that among the field of all possibilities, we have fallen into place within the universe. After all ... "... the field of all possibilities is … [Read more...]
Topi’s Camping Adventure
What did you do this summer? That seems to be the universal question of greeting as summer winds down and we begin to migrate back to our normal routine of work, school, and fall social occasions. Of course, how you react to the question usually depends on how you feel your summer ranks on the spectacular summer vacation scale. If you had … [Read more...]
Book Review: THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli
Wow. I could probably stop there, honestly, because that’s about all you need to know. But… I can’t do that because I loved this book too much not to talk about it. THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli is an intense portrayal of yet another of America’s darkest periods of history. And it is told through the perspectives of three fascinating characters: … [Read more...]
Would Your Ideal Americans be — Honest, Kind, Strong, and Responsible?
These days, it is kind of hard not to believe the great American divide is all around us. As proof we are bombarded daily with endless examples of a society divided by class, race, gender, politics, finances… And not to dispute the many deep divisions that do exist, but -- could it not also be true that we tend to see what we focus on? Could all … [Read more...]
Blueberry Season Is Here — Enjoy The Bounty
During blueberry season it is easy to find fresh blueberries in abundance in grocery stores and farmer's markets. We have the added treat of having fresh blueberries growing in our yard. Plus, I know that the fruit was grown without the use of pesticides. This June our berry bushes are producing better than ever and we are getting at least … [Read more...]
Book Review: PECULIAR SAVAGE BEAUTY by Jessica McCann
In Jessica McCann's PECULIAR SAVAGE BEAUTY you get a front-row view of the horrors of the American Dust Bowl. Your skin will sting with torrents of dust, your eyes will burn from the grit, your heart will race. Yes, you will feel for the jackrabbits escaping the biting dirt, and the birds falling from the sky. And, you will fall in love with RJ, … [Read more...]
FDR’s Words: ” Forests Are The Lungs Of Our Land “
The Dust Bowl was the worst drought in U.S. history, covering more than 75 percent of the country and affecting 27 states severely. The drought lasted nearly a decade, from 1930-1939. It's impacts lasted decades longer. Topsoil from the drought lands were swept as far east as the Atlantic Ocean more than 2,000 mile away. Approximately, 2.5 … [Read more...]
Words To Live By: “Nature Brings Solace In All Troubles”
Within her diary, first published as THE SECRET ANNEX and later published as THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, Anne Frank expresses her belief in the healing power of nature -- "amidst the simple beauty of nature...will always be comfort for every sorrow... nature brings solace in all troubles": “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or … [Read more...]
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