What's missing from this picture? The front lawn. When we bought this house, it was just a little beige island in a sea of lawn. An acre and a half of lawn to be more accurate. I was really not interested in mowing or watering all that lawn. I knew that beneath it lay some great farming soil, and I was out to grow a lot of food, so I decided the lawn had to die. I ...
Sustainability
I Am a Nurse Log
I Am a Nurse Log "I am a young seed − Air, water, soil and light areWhat I need − If I’m going to grow up right, ohYes indeed − All of this is within sight But all the competition down on the forest floorReally has me wishin’ for something to give me more I need a NURSE LOG, I need a NURSE LOGI need a NURSE LOG, I need a NURSE LOGNurse Log lifts me up − And never lets me down. I am an old tree ...
Use Cloth in the Kitchen: Save Money and Trees!
Paper towels, paper napkins, and paper lunch bags. Most households go through huge quantities of these every week without questioning the cost and the amount of waste generated. Have a little spill to wipe up? Grab a wad of paper towels. Setting the table for dinner? Be sure to put a napkin at each spot. Packing everyone's lunch for the day? Fold it all into a neat little brown paper bag. The idea ...
Raising Nature-Centric Kids: It’s All About the Little Things Around You
Kids love the outdoors. Given any opportunity, they jump in the dirt with abandon, marvel at little bugs and creatures, collect rocks and flowers, and make themselves right at home. More and more frequently, I am hearing about things like Nature Deficit Disorder and how children are spending more time plugged in and less time tuned in to the outdoors. Diagnoses of ADD, ADHD, ...
Going to the Country Faire
For many of us, the term, "country fair" likely evokes images of livestock shows, prize pumpkins, canned goods, pies and barn dances. While these are all wonderful things, here in Oregon, we have a whole different kind of country fair. Started in 1969, the Oregon Country Fair was created by a group of artists, musicians and visionaries, and is still going strong today right here in our ...
My Father the Hero!
In honor of Father's Day, I want to let you all know that my dad is a hero. Really! He backpacks, he hunts elk, he builds things, and in all his spare time, he lends a hand to conserving land. When I was growing up he helped form the North Olympic Land Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to land conservation. Last year, he won the Cox Conserves Heroes award from the ...
Happiness is a Steaming Pile of Woodchips
Have you ever noticed how when you decide on something you really want, I mean really decide on it down in your bones, the thing you asked for often comes your way? Call it abundance, or call it what you will, I have been fantasizing about having yards and yards of wood chips and all the things I would do with them since we bought our place. I have really strong feelings about ...
Lessons in Stumps
On Mother's Day this year, I found myself camping in the middle of a clear-cut with my family, thinking about how to foster a sense of environmental stewardship in children. You may be thinking that this is some sort of radical environmental meditation, or perhaps a new form of Eco-tourism. Actually, it was neither. We set out intending to camp on this beach we found north of Reedsport, accessible ...