My earliest memory of my Granpap, as we called him, was him heading out into the hills down to the river behind the family house in a coal-mining Patch Town in Southwestern Pennsylvania. He was going mushroom hunting, and would not let me come with him for all my pleadings,…
I hike the trails around my town everyday as a part of my morning ritual – it prepares me for the day – but usually just a 1-2 mile trek with my faithful Golden Retriever at my side. I was reflecting the other day about the mountains I have hiked…
So, you planted a few zucchini and yellow summer squash in the hopes of some yummy fresh veggies on the table. If you are in New England, like northern New England, they have just now started to fruit. Thanks to the fabulous weather this summer they are going to fruit,…
Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber’s book The Art of Time details how people today get more done, but with less satisfaction. He and others note how we confuse quantity of things done with quality of experience enjoyed. He writes, “We now tend to simply do nothing thoroughly, we just try to do more…
The surging popularity of essential oils and aromatherapy may seem like a New Age trend, but they’ve actually been around for centuries. They are natural remedies with incredible power and there are many essential oil resources online giving worrisome blanket advice about their use. Because of the strength of essential…
As I am observing another trip around the sun today, I thought I might reflect a bit on the traditions behind birthday celebrations. In research, I found that many of the customs surrounding birthdays have evolved from Pagan ritual, but have been embraced by countless cultures and religions worldwide. For…
Living here in the Great Northern parts of NH, we generally experience the plague of Black Flies in the spring and summer, and now the threat of mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus. This year seems to be unremittingly brutal. Let me introduce you to the essential oil that is at…
I have been in love with all things grapefruit since my childhood, so we are talking some 58 years plus here. Grapefruit in the morning for breakfast was my absolute favorite. Keep your Cocoa Puffs, Rice Krispies and Cap’n Crunch, your bacon and sausages and waffles and pancakes and give…
I have spent the last few months in my community newspaper focusing on Essential Oils and their benefits as well as their warnings. So, I wanted to lighten up the conversation to talk about the herbs and and flowers that can be used fresh from your garden to brew up…
Roses play a prominent role in our lives. We marvel at their intoxicating fragrance; we enjoy the beauty of our favorites; and we give them to our loved ones to celebrate special occasions. The scent of rose always takes me back to my Grandmother’s garden in southwestern Pennsylvania in the…
The Monarch Butterfly and I “Just living is not enough, said the butterfly, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” ~Hans Christian Andersen As a child I was always fascinated with the gardens of my grandmothers in the rural mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania. I loved the colors, the scents…
Roses ~George Eliot You love the roses – so do I. I wish The sky would rain down roses, as they rain From off the shaken bush. Why will it not? Then all the valley would be pink and white And soft to tread on. They would fall as light…