How Does Your Garden Grow?

Several years ago, I was in the car with my husband. I think we were in our neighborhood, perhaps headed to the grocery store. We passed a yard where the young man of the house was toiling away at his flawless lawn. The grass was a lush carpet of thick, inviting, green. As he bagged up the clippings from the lawnmower and carried them to the side of the road, I imagined the trips he'd taken to the local hardware store for lawn feed and weed killer. It struck me then of how hard we work... Continue reading

Balance – It’s the Best

Pandemics and Gardening I love to garden. I am not necessarily great at it. But it is, most certainly, great for me. With one caveat. Balance. Planting, constructing, working with seed, reveling in the sites and sounds of the outdoors: this has been all I have been able to do. It takes me away from fear and panic in this unbelievable reality we are all sharing. ThrushBluebird dadEscapee All the while, my house is a mess, my brushes lay idle by my easel, my guitars sit lonely and... Continue reading

There’s Food in Your Yard!

My daughter introduced me to foraging a few years back. In an earlier post, As God is My Witness I'll Never Go Hungry, I detailed the beginnings of my attempts at foraging. I thought now was a good time to present the topic of extending your food supply with what is more than likely already in your fridge or growing in your yard. Keep it Growing! Romaine in cups I rely on live food. In addition to my salad- and greens-dependent self, I have a pair of rabbits who expect daily greens.... Continue reading

Soothing Anxiety in a Pandemic – A Meditation Practice by Anne Bailey

Morning at the Camden Longhouse Nature heals. Lately, I've been waking up just after four in the morning with no chance of going back to sleep. I'm going to assume I need to see the world wake up more than I need the slumber. Bathing in the joyous music of the birds and the bugs is worth rising at such an early hour. A symphony of tweets, chirps, and clicks is supported by the staccato hammering of a woodpecker. These sounds fill my soul with delight as the sky goes from black, to smoky... Continue reading