The Hungry Ghost in the Backyard

Every time I emerged from the back door for much of the summer, I was haunted by the sounds of the Hungry Ghost. I look up and all I see is a white face floating in the backyard. Reminiscent of No-Face from the movie Spirited Away (2001). Her name is Thelia. She is a white-faced […]

Building for Ice Giants

With the turn of yet another season, fall has arrived and winter has reared its frigid head (at least for those in the Northern Rockies). The temperature here along the southern shores of Lake Erie are still in the upper and middle 70s, but the trees have noticed the shortening of the day and the […]

Three steps forward

The barn is finally finally nearing completion. It’s been a long haul to get here and I’ve had a ton of help for which I’m grateful. Funny thing, I was talking to my friend Skip last year and showed him the drawings of what the barn would look like and he asked me, “why does […]

A Story of Hawthorn

“There are only two things: energy and its direction. One needs both energy and a direction, the direction is the dream you have, and you have plenty of energy – knowing you. So “Never Give Up!” for me is to continue to attempt to build the dream, the love life, the Path with Heart. I […]

On being a stranger in an alien land

After nearly 49 years (minus a couple of weeks) I find myself on what may be my first legitimate vacation. Leah and I have come back to her homelands to visit her family and to celebrate her grandmother’s 100th birthday. Back to the desert that is Southern California. After the obligatory helloing and howdies, I’ve […]

Mirror, Mirror…

…on the wall,Which herbal ally shall I call? I’m hosting a class this Saturday on how to self-assess according to constitutional indicators, energetic patterns and imbalances, and environmental and social factors. “What does all that mean?” Well, I’ve learned that many folks have experiences that lead them to believe that herbs don’t really work that […]

Where things stand

The past 5 months have seem tremendous change here at the farm. Time is a funny thing. Some days it seems like it’s dragging along like cold syrup and then suddenly a month has fled and I’m left wondering where it went. Winter has finally decided to leave our little corner of the world alone […]

WHO WANTS A CRACKER??!!!!

Green Blood

The breath of life rises green from the earth. I imagine ancestors rising at dawn to witness the sun marking their ancient calendars. Giving them hope for the seasonal dawning of new life. Giving them hope for food, medicine, the materials for shelter, and the melting of snow and ice. Watching the nascent buds and […]

Sweet Blood

Through Love all that is bitter will be sweet, through Love all that is copper will be gold, through Love all dregs will become wine, through Love all pain will turn to medicine. Rumi I’ve spent many hours breathing the steam of boiling maple sap in the last month. Making syrup isn’t just about boiling […]