"I am a lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature." -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature and Selected Essays I spend many hours walking in nature finding my solstice. I take my time, enjoying the song of an Oriole, the heady amorous call of a tree frog. or the wind blowing the tall prairie grass on the ridge. These moments are precious gifts or what I call grace. I received one such grace a few years ago. From a very small age, my mother or Grandmother would...
We celebrated the arrival of summer with the summer solstice on June 21, and we move south with the rhythm of nature to meet the season of fire. The prairie is wildly active now – native plants seem to want to reach their peak earlier than normal this year. The stately wild bergamot has become heavy with blooms, and seems a bit exhausted with the effort as it starts to rest on the ground. Wild grasses abound, elders are full of green berries, and pleurisy root is not shy with its bright orange flower sprays. Native corn is tall and stately, forming tassels, the vining beans scale their height and pop bright pink/purple blooms, with the yellow blossoms of squashes...
Lisa's garden is a bit crazy this year. Especially when it comes to lemon balm. While she loves the idea of a grid-based organized garden, and spends hours enforcing tidy boundaries, she's learned to give up forcing a sense of order, and to trust the vital forces of nature. Share the 3 lessons that lemon balm provides...
Pictured above are the cuttings from the farm. They have grown tall and lushes. One of the closest emotional connections to memory is through scent. Each Summer Solstice I take this journey while brushing my nose upon a cluster of elderflowers, and inhaling the sweet delicate scent. As a young child I spent hours exploring the forest of our rural home usually arriving back at the house with my feet covered in dirt, because in the summer, I did not wear shoes. My mother scolding me as I try to walk in the house. We were suppose to wash off our feet at the wellhouse hand pump. I would forget many times for I was in deep thought floating through...
As part of a wellness regime, some folks participate in cleanses. You may have heard of cleanse or tonic, but what does that exactly mean? We asked Clinical Herbalist, Paige Hill from Oakleaf Herbal, "What is the difference between a cleanse and a tonic? How do I know if I need to cleanse or tonify?" "Cleansing is removing things, while tonifying is adding things back." according to Paige. She goes on to further explain why someone would need to tonify or cleanse: "Some people need to cleanse because they have excess of heat, toxins and other things that impede normal bodily functions. Some people need to tonify because their organ systems are weak, cold or needing nourishment." Paige...
