We need to get outside, to breathe fresh air, to see the sun, to feel nature. There was a time, when I worked at Microsoft near Seattle, where I never saw the sun. Even now, memories of sitting in a closet-like room with no windows, where I had to walk out a door and look…
It’s a dream to find edible wild food, but you have to really look for mushrooms. Gene and Jan are interested in putting up tree houses on their acreage on Vashon Island, WA, and running a bed and breakfast. They also enjoy foraging for wild food (and creating their own, where possible). Dreaming of oyster…
A couple of months ago, I was mulling over what to do with the long grasses which are covering the north part of my property. I know some of the clumps are non-native and invasive species, while the other grasses seemed to be thatched pretty heavily, not allowing anything to grow. In addition, these grasses…
Two days after going away and then returning from a week-long trip to the Enchanted Isle that is Puerto Rico, I finally went out walking my few acres of property. Guess what? I kept finding new paths, new bits of nature I hadn’t experienced before. I discovered small plants, large trees with small budding spring…
It is often so/ that when we clear dross and junk,/ we find wonderful. Using a loping shears to clear underbrush and non-native privet from around the hardwood trees in my back yard reveals an undergrowth of black-eyed susans and other hidden wildflowers. Sometimes you have to burn the grasses and weeds from large fields,…
Elderflower tea may boost your immune system in the same way that elderberry juice does. This healthy tea, served hot or cold, is a refreshing drink that’s available in the early summer, well before elderberries are ripe. And tea from elderflowers is simple to make, with only a few things to watch out for. Check…