"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -William Butler Yeats This past week we joyously enrolled our children in the local Waldorf school for the coming school year. It has been an arduous path, wrought with twists and turns, and we are so very happy to have arrived where we set out to be, and at the beginning of a new journey. My discovery of ...
Arriving by Canoe
Sometimes, it's really nice to go somewhere you can't get to with a car. Whether you walk, climb, or paddle, there is a certain satisfaction in going somewhere no vehicle has gone before. One of my favorite ways to do this is canoe camping. You can have your pick of campsites, often creating your own on a sandy lake shore. You can pack much more cushy than when you go backpacking. ...
Veneta Farmer’s Market
This Friday, I'll have my Mountain Hearth Handcrafts booth at the Veneta Farmer's Market. If you're in the area, come on by to hear some live music, buy some fresh local veggies and visit my booth! It should be a grand time! Here is the link to the Market's web page: Veneta's Downtown Farmer's Market ...
A Walk in the Wetlands
One of the many things I love about living out in the country where we do, is being near a wildlife area and reservoir that attracts more than 250 species of birds all throughout the year. We drive past it every day on our way into town and see wild geese, pelicans, ducks, redwing blackbirds, and great blue herons. My kids are getting very good at spotting them. In the Fall hundreds of "V's" ...
Springtime in the Country: A Tour in Photographs
Spring sunrise over the back field Our garden An apple branch we trimmed this Winter becomes a living garden fence post! Roses dripping with rainwater Spring chickens Ms. Frizzle the bantam frizzle rooster (any Magic Schoolbus fans out there?) The neighbor's field to the East, in bloom with native camas Birds nests from my craft room Birdhouse in the old apple tree ...
Free Range
A while back, my kids were helping to make signs for carrying in a parade. The theme was based around "I Dream of Jeannie", and we were all making signs that said "I Dream of ......" My son's signs all said "I Dream of Happy Chickens." That says it all right there. Chicken happiness is a big priority in our home. Over the past week, the chicks were really ready to go outside ...
Building a Nest
I just have to say that I have been having a grand time lately making birds nests for my Etsy shop. As I get settled in this year in our first home, a solid 1934 farmhouse, it seems fitting somehow that I should create nests. I find something very inspirational about roots, and I have been using invasive European beach grass roots (a fine example of eco-friendly crafting and invasive species ...
Something Fresh
Have you ever come across some new music that you thought was so cool, everyone should know about it? Well, I'd like everyone to know about "Something Fresh." Imagine a collection of recipes featuring fresh, local, in-season ingredients, accompanied by a CD of songs by contemporary folk musicians about each recipe. The songs are all kid-friendly and adult-fun, and tout the wonders ...
Happiness is a Steaming Pile of Woodchips
Have you ever noticed how when you decide on something you really want, I mean really decide on it down in your bones, the thing you asked for often comes your way? Call it abundance, or call it what you will, I have been fantasizing about having yards and yards of wood chips and all the things I would do with them since we bought our place. I have really strong feelings about ...
Lessons in Stumps
On Mother's Day this year, I found myself camping in the middle of a clear-cut with my family, thinking about how to foster a sense of environmental stewardship in children. You may be thinking that this is some sort of radical environmental meditation, or perhaps a new form of Eco-tourism. Actually, it was neither. We set out intending to camp on this beach we found north of Reedsport, accessible ...