Random thoughts about amazing things

From my desk, I can see the corn grow. It’s tall, and a deep happy green. It is the tallest thing in my yard, second to the banana tree. This morning, I followed a nature/science link on New York Times’ website, which talked about the scent powers of elephants. Followed by a feature of the… Continue reading Random thoughts about amazing things

Go With The Flow

“Go with the flow” is the slogan for the Newberry crater area, just south of Bend, Oregon. A nice play of words on the whole lava phenomena. Nature flows with what is. Finding harmony within disharmony. I wonder about how to be more like nature? Natural. Passing a forest where there had been a burn… Continue reading Go With The Flow

Move, Flow, Meditate

  We often refer to mindfulness and being mindful. What does this mean? Literally, the character for mindfulness can be translated as “presence of heart.” Gather on the University of Oregon’s  EMU lawn at 6:00 p.m., May 22, for Move, Flow, Meditate, a first-time mindful event to awaken to now. Join an actively mindful function… Continue reading Move, Flow, Meditate

Cattails are dynamic, yet humble

(This article appears in the April 2018 issue of Take Root Magazine) When you see bunches of cattails lining the edges of water, do you think about using them to weave mats? Stop bleeding? Make pancakes? Stuff life jackets? Bind diarrhea? Ease chest pain? You will now! And that’s the short list of the uses… Continue reading Cattails are dynamic, yet humble

Go to the empty places

January is empty for reservoirs. They hold the void. There is no water, wake, or waves. Hardly anyone is there. You’d see them if they were; there’s nowhere to hide. I tromped around wondering about the emptiness. Which reminded me of the importance of being empty. My friend recommends going into a room empty. Especially… Continue reading Go to the empty places

Kombucha: taste and perspective

If you asked me, here is what I’d tell you about the tastes of kombucha. Pomegranate white tea brings out a burst of hope from each pomegranate seed involved. It’s a mix of blissed and blessed; straightforward and non-complex. A great one for the card-carrying kombucha naysayers out there. It is sweet and light and… Continue reading Kombucha: taste and perspective

Adopt. Cats. Meditate.

I went out and got two cats the other day. I looked online at the local shelter and though the goal was one, I chose two. They did not know each other. One radiated sweet, the other appeared cute and playful. After we got home, one was naughty, one was nice. The cute and playful… Continue reading Adopt. Cats. Meditate.

What is mental health?

© Mary Ann Petersen. Howth, Ireland.

We went from headaches to mental health fairly quickly. I asked him what he did for his own mental health? His answer: “I don’t know what it is.” Fair enough. An honest answer! A few beats passed and he asked, what do YOU do for your mental health? Touché! I told him that for my… Continue reading What is mental health?

Orcas Island

  I felt on the brink of magic. I was, Orcas island was next. Still, Anacortes is beautiful; you can walk on the beach or a boardwalk path if you have time before your ferry pulls in.   Anacortes is the place to drive onto ferries that go to Canada and the San Juan islands.… Continue reading Orcas Island