When I cut meat out of my diet (except fish) in 2013, I knew needed to find a good way to load up on specific nutrients. I discovered breakfast smoothies and how quickly you can pack them with all the nutrients you need. I've had one every day since, except while traveling, because it's not easy to find … Continue reading Blackberry Sage Smoothie Recipe
Beginning a garden in Phoenix wasn't just going to be difficult because of the heat, I also don't own the property where I live and thus didn't want to plant anything into the ground. Could I successfully keep garden plants without planting a real garden, in Phoenix? The seasons are different from most other states. … Continue reading My green thumb
It was midnight in Alaska when I arrived. The trip was a last minute whim. I could see the sunset on the horizon. "Why is it light outside?" I joked to the women sitting beside me on the plane, both Anchorage natives. Aliza, with whom I'd be staying, met me at the arrivals in her big … Continue reading Anchorage after the breakup
Ever curious what it is like to raise a baby duck without other ducks? Remember baby Ballard duck? Would you believe that little Ballard had to learn to swim? Because he was raised with chickens, humans and a dog, he had to figure out swimming all on his own. Luckily the sensation comes quite natural for … Continue reading Learning to swim
The next step I took in my journey to reducing my environmental impact and creating a more sustainable way of living was to begin my worm (vermicompost) bin. It's a tricky endeavor in the desert. I read all the Pinterest posts on starting a worm bin and scoured the online forums and decided I was ready to … Continue reading DIY home worm bin – for beginners!
Now back to that nifty, sleek little compost bin on the counter. The tiny collector on the counter plays a huge role in our little sustainable circle of life around here. It is primarily fed banana peels (because I use a banana a day in my smoothies) but also regularly includes leftover salad scraps, onion … Continue reading The circle of life
The more I learned about sustainable farming, the more things I realized that I needed to change. I needed to use less plastic, ditch plastic bags altogether, switch to glass whenever possible, and recycle more than I trash. When we lived in Seattle I was impressed by the city's system of recycling. There was even a … Continue reading Do you know how to recycle? I didn’t
It all happened rather quickly. The first week we picked up the chicks and the next I was taking a quick trip over to my parent's (three hours away) to pick up my horse, where she had stayed while I was in Seattle, and my goat who had also been at my parents, but had been … Continue reading A tiny gift from the desert
One moment I had my dream job with the Community College Initiative near Seattle, the next I was in Arizona, wrapped up in warm blanket of 95 degrees. My life has always taken some interesting turns, I never do know where I'll end up next. Brent promised me from the beginning too, that hanging … Continue reading Meanwhile, back at the farm
I buried my toes in the sand and peered off into the foggy mist that hovered over the Kite Festival in Long Beach, Washington. It was cool, but not cold for an August afternoon. My hair whipped madly against the ocean air that was tickling the show kites every which way. Kite festivals draw an interesting crowd; … Continue reading To the beat of the foghorn
Poesie Sans, Souci 