Close Up on a Community Garden

I was surprised to hear the words coming from his mouth only because they were so similar to words that I had used a week earlier in blogging about my community. “There is so much bad news in the world, that it’s great to have this garden – this is good.” Here I was in Miami Beach, FL seeking a good story and here was a good story and someone who feels exactly as I do telling it.

Victory Garden

 

Read the full post »

On Meat (via Nourishing Words)

A few weeks back Eleanor Baron wrote this post on eating meat. I know that many people who read my blog are interested in this topic and I found her words so elegant and eloquent that I wanted to share not only this post, but her well-written, well-intentioned blog, NourishingWords. Enjoy!

You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s a simple concept, really. Eat it if you know, first-hand, how it was raised and killed. Simple enough, in theory. But, most of us are pretty far out of touch with the raising and killing of our meat. For most of us, meat comes to us skinned, boned, cut in small portions and wrapped in plas … Read More

via Nourishing Words

Road Trip

I admit to being a bit of an ostrich but there are times when I’d really prefer to turn off the bad news. And, I’d rather bring about wider acknowledgement of the good. I’m fortunate in that I’m able to travel to some remarkable places each year and now, I’m going to try to focus on the amazing individuals and projects in those places.

Read the full post »

Inventing a New Year

On the first Sunday of 2011,  I slept until 10:10 am! Amazing. Clearly my body and perhaps my mind were in need of the rest. Ahhh. I felt refreshed and renewed and then, argghhh.  The reality of the clock set in. There was no way that I could get ready and get myself to the 11:00 healing prayer service that I enjoy attending. And by missing it, I was neglecting one of my main areas of focus for the year – to cultivate greater spirituality in my life.

Read the full post »

2010 Photos – A Year in Review

Are pictures worth a thousand words? I usually only shoot for 500. And I do shoot!

Howdy Y'all and thanks for reading the Blog!

Read the full post »

Beans, Books and Blogging

I’m cheering for Auburn in the BCS Bowl. Auburn is in Alabama – a state I’ve never visited. I don’t even like football much but I do read a mind-stretching blog by Professor Jose Llanes, of the Education Department there and hence, I now find some affinity with this Southern school.

flickr.com/photos/lulieboo - Go Tigers!

Read the full post »

My Wish for All of You

I’ve been trying to construct an appropriate holiday message. While the accepted thing is to garner a wish of Happy Holidays, it doesn’t fit my desire. I want something deeper and spiritual and more meaningful. One thing that has surprised me about readers of my blog is that you come from so many diverse backgrounds. You are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Bahia, Buddhist, agnostic, and more. You are from France, Romania, Finland, Pakistan, Belgium, South Africa, Australia, Switzerland, England, Ireland, India, Canada, the U.S.A. and others. I love our differences and it causes one message to resonate with me in particular.

flickr.com/photos/marissamullen

Read the full post »

Tammy’s Top Ten (t3 report) Easy Holiday Appetizers

I’ve had many comments from readers who thought the idea of knowing how to prepare one easy appetizer really well was a great idea. It’s that time of year when we’re invited out and it’s nice to take something along to share. So, I sat out to make a list for us with the rule being that I can’t link to a recipe. Rather if it’s truly simple, I can explain it in a few words and you can replicate it.

flickr.com/photos/ceanandjen/3133691882

Read the full post »

Louisiana Purchase?

My skin started to prickle as I drove into the underpass. Of course I was secure in my car even if it was dark and I was in a new neighborhood but, I was still thinking of my evening conversation. That guy on the bridge was there for seven days.

 

flickr.creativecommons/photos/shawnzlea

Read the full post »

Guest Post: Ollin Morales

Thanks to Ollin for the invite to guest post at his blog, Courage 2 Create. Click over there to read my contribution, after you’ve read what Ollin has to say about how nature can inspire us and our writing.

The Creator of Courage

By Ollin Morales

I walk through a little dirt pathway, hugged on either side by bright green grass. There are trees all around that seem to greet me in their silence. The little stream whispers, “Hello.” A leaf or two can be seen falling to the ground, with the power and grace of any Olympic diver. There, in this sacred place, you feel yourself embraced by a cool, tender brush of mountain wind.  There, you can almost swear the branches are speaking to you in a language all their own. There, you are almost certain that a squirrel, who freezes just underneath the sunlight as you approach, is reminding you of something you forgot. {That living occurs in the moment.}

Read the full post »