When we were reading the mountains of paperwork involved in buying our new place, we discovered we had a spring with holding tanks and grandfathered-in water rights on adjacent BLM land up the hill. The fellow who lived in the house told us that about once a year, we would need to go up and clear out the pools of leaves and debris, and check the pipes in case an elk kicked them loose, to get the ...
Life
A Sneak Peek at the New Homestead
Moving has been keeping me busy...too busy to write a blog post about the new place. But, I thought I'd give a sneak peek at the new homestead which will be the future subject of many, many writings to come. Every day it seems, some new flower opens up. Currently there are several colors of rhododendrons, wild irises, orchids, lilacs, roses and the list goes on and on... I feel ...
Farewell to the Farm
As Spring is a season of growth and change, it seems fitting that we should be reflecting that growth and change in our lives. As the blossoms were emerging and raining fragrant, white petals from the cherry trees, I packed up my household in the little farm cottage that I rented the last year and a half, and moved on to a homestead of my own. Although this was very different from the sad goodbye ...
Fairy Slippers
This week while hiking on the McKenzie River trail, I encountered a delightful treat. These delicate pink orchids were just coming into bloom on the forest's mossy carpeted floor, interspersed with the white Trillium and Yellow Violet. It was quite lovely. I wasn't familiar with this orchid, but it occurred to me that I hadn't been hiking the Cascade trails this early in the ...
Spring on the McKenzie River
It's finally here! Happy April! ...
Snowshoe Backpacking at Maxwell Butte
One of the things I enjoy most about living in the Willamette Valley is the ability to be up in the mountains or down by the ocean all within an hour's drive. It keeps a good balance of snow and sand in one's life throughout the year. Upon returning from our week long Redwoods road trip to the coast, my partner and I headed out for another adventure with some friends to spend the night in a ...
Spring Break Shenanigans: A Redwoods Road Trip
My first favorite song I can recall from childhood was "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson. Maybe it was the fine country guitar playing, or perhaps Willie's awesome braids, but those lyrics "On the road again, going places that I've never been, seeing things that I may never see again, I just can't wait to get on the road again" were very formative in my early years. I have always enjoyed a good ...
A Walk on the Wild Side: Wild Nettle Chocolates
Spring is a busy time around here, and while I have been busy wildcrafting delicious stinging nettles for tea, soups and other delicious dishes, I have also been busy making my handcrafted bean-to-bar chocolate. A wild harvested Amazonas bean from Venezuela came my way, so I decided why not combine it with wildcrafted powdered nettle? I ended up with these delicious, dark chocolate leaves ...
Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Wildcrafting Nettles
Spring is a good time to be out foraging for wild greens, and my very favorite, most choice of these is the stinging nettle, hands down. The flavor, the nutrients, the vibrant green color, and even the element of bravery involved in picking put this at the top of my list. There are just so many different things you can DO with nettles, I think I could have a supply on hand always and never grow ...
Spring Equinox Eggs
To celebrate the Spring Equinox, my children and I carried out our usual tradition of naturally dyeing eggs. Even in the middle of life's busy shuffle, we managed to fit this in late last night, and I'm glad we did, because they were a cheery thing to wake up to and usher in the turning of the year towards Spring. We have been doing this for several years now, and have our reliable standbys ...