What makes a good mother? In the wild, motherhood is a harsh reality of life. Correction must happen swiftly and decidedly, or death might ensue. A quick hoof to the head or a bite on the back seems harsh in today’s world of protective parenting. According to this article, even plants perform acts of motherhood …
In my post, Connect in Place, I talked about how plants communicate with each other. Today, I want to talk about how they communicate with us. Plants have physical ways to communicate their needs to caretakers. If they need water or have too much water, they droop. If they need nutrients or are under attack …
Although we only have a 1.5-acre lot, we have enjoyed absolute privacy because our neighbors on all sides of us have large acreages. But recently there has been a change and now we have a new couple who live close by my gardens. In the mornings, they like to walk the driveway that lines many …
Do you talk to your plants? I am fascinated by the idea of plants communicating with us and with other plants. I’ll explore both topics this month. Today I will look at how plants communicate with one another and later this month, in The Language of Flowers, I’ll look at how plants communicate with us. …
I was listening to an episode of my favorite mental health podcaster, Brooke Castillo titled “How Are You Feeling?” Have you listened to any of Brooke’s podcasts? They are amazing, so much information and personal growth – for free! She talked about increasing your vocabulary of emotion words. We get into such a habit of …
When pain gets in the way of a garden project you are working on it’s frustrating. You feel upset as a result. You feel powerless and not in control. Pain is an abusive partner in this relationship when viewed this way. Blaming pain gives it power over us When the actions of pain control your …
Chronic pain turns me from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. Well my pain doesn’t do this, my thoughts about my pain do this. This week I have ridden an emotional roller coaster as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have mentally committed both to double, complete knee replacement surgery, and I don’t need, nor will I …
Years ago, when I was a young adult, fit and beautiful and newly married, newly graduated from college and embarking on a professional career, I remember a discussion among my co-workers about housework. I casually said that I never vacuum the carpets because it hurts my back too much. This statement was met with outrage …
Today’s topic on pain relief is about what I call soothers. Some people call this self-care. When I say self-care what image do you conjure up? A nice massage with the calming scent of lavender essential oils being rubbed luxuriously into your aching muscles and joints in a candle-lit room with gentle music playing? Wouldn’t …
I can hear Cher’s voice warbling those words. That song is stuck in my head today, as I look at my skin and chastise myself for not wearing sunscreen in my youth. How could I be so stupid? I was an agronomy major working for the University Agricultural Experimental Lab. Grad students set up test …