Canoeing, kayaking, floating, swimming — I was born to be on the water. Lucky us: We LIVE on West Chickamauga Creek, the boundary between Walker County and Catoosa County in Northwest Georgia. Our 6-acre Spirit Tree Farms property is across the creek from the #ChickamaugaNationalMilitaryPark (actually in the Southeast corner of the park, where there’s a…
I spend a lot of time observing nature as I wander and work in the woods, creek and fields. Whether on my property near the #ChickamaugaNMP in Northwest Georgia, at my relatives in Arizona, Wisconsin or Washington, or traveling around this fantastic country (and world), I’ve always loved seeing God’s creations, and how they work…
Lots of folks are out harvesting elderberries, especially the North American native American Elderberry, or Sambucus Canadensis. Health benefits abound! BUT, many people are posting photos of Pokeweed or Pokeberry (also known as Pokesalat) on social media, and asking: Are these Elderberries? NO! And knowing the difference when you’re harvesting elderberries is critical! Pokeweed berries…
Wildflowers and butterfly beauty is one of the best parts of rural life. As people go back to the woods or the fields, focusing on being self-sustaining and off-the-grid, one of the first questions they ask is: “What should I DO?” One of the most vital things I tell them is what they should NOT…
Today my wife and I went out to the lower meadow to pick blackberries with thorns. About 20 minutes later, we made a fresh blackberry cobbler, and I wrote this poem about the experience: It reminds me of the time I visited a rose garden in Freiburg, in the southwest corner of Germany, just south…
Something I’ve been doing for awhile is now named Forest Bathing. Because I believe Forest Bathing — emersing ones self in Nature, feeling the natural harmonic — is a way to relax, to connect with the Earth, to connect with God or a higher power, I’ve been going to the lake, the river, the mountains,…
Every place has pests and problems to deal with, its own Trouble In Paradise. Wisconsin mosquitos and cold, Arizona’s oppressive heat and poisonous bugs and snakes, Washington state’s rain and mold and rain and dampness, Georgia’s bugs and heat and humidity and CHIGGERS! As part of the #LightTheWorldNow #BuildHisKingdom project, I was thinking about the…
I’ve recently seen several unusual living creatures in and around my place (aka: Hickory Hill Haus). I thought I would start cataloguing the wildlife and, maybe, if I get the chance, take photographs of the different wildlife here. Broadhead Skink (Eumeces [Plestiodon] laticeps): At least I think that’s what these are. I saw a large…
A New Project: Vashon Island Treehouses My brother Gene Kuhns Jr. has always been a “doer”. With his wife Jan by his side (and often, slightly in front of him), they get more done in a week than many folks get done in a year. That’s why I’m excited and anxious to watch the progress…
You might think you’re on Nature’s treasure heap. You might be weeping for the beauty of it all. You might want to share it with the entire world. Certainly, you want to share it with family and friends, the people who matter the most to you. Why? Because you think, hope, wish and pray they’ll…