Never a dull moment. Don't let the grass grow under your feet. A rolling stone gathers no moss. These are some of the folk sayings that have been whirling around in my head as I contemplated this week's blog. I remember as a young mom with two very small and lively children, I used to think, "A dull moment would be nice....occasionally." Now, I find too many dull moments just plain boring. Fortunately, I have friends who keep things lively,, and I thank them for that. (Yo

Inflammation works much the same way in the body. Our bodies were created to hold health and well-being. They’re meant to support steady energy, clear thinking, calm digestion, and a nervous system capable of rest and recovery. When chronic inflammation enters the picture, leaks begin to form.

Let's talk about those critters. I know that opening picture might be off-putting. But stay with me. I thought now might be a good time while most of us and them are are enjoying out winter ways, and we’re not as worried about bumping into each other…well, except maybe the spiders. But, when the time comes, they can be found anywhere… Just the sight of a snake in the yard, a spider tucked into the corner of the porch, or the thought of a scorpion hiding under something you

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”— Matthew 6:28–29 Here we are in the New Year —and in the dead of winter—when most of the natural world is resting, dormant, or quietly hibernating. Yet a few valiant plants refuse to give up entirely. Thyme, oregano, sage, chives, mint, parsley, rosemary (with protection), winter savory, and lemon

That's my word for the coming year. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Many consider this a nonsensical word created for a nonsensical movie, but I think it's the perfect word for so many beautiful possibilities as I regain my inner vision and find my new normal. Goodbye to old things that aren't working.. .Hello to New Beginnings! To quote Mary Poppins, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious "[is] something to say when you have nothing to say."  The Oxford English dictionar

I know this is primarily an herbal and gardening blog, but some principles are universal and apply no matter our focus. One of those principles is goal setting . So today, during this final season of the Gregorian year, I’d like to dish a little dirt and talk about life goals. Growing up, I was never strongly impressed to set goals. I more or less willy-nillied my way through things, though I did observe my dad carefully planning his professional, family, and spiritual life.

Baby, it's cold outside today! Just look - I can see my breath. Did I mention it's cold outside? Love Me Tender No matter how many years we live here, how much we talk about it, or how much we plan for it, when really cold days arrive, we Southerners are always caught by surprise. Like, “What happened?!?”  We never fail to exclaim, “Oh, it’s so cold!”  Profound, huh? Then we repeat it throughout the day and into the night. And of course, we must do the breath test and compare

As we cycle into the deepest days of winter respite, I’m anything but  respiting. No, while the world around me is quieting down, I’m gearing up—preparing to sow the seeds for my spring flings: tomatoes, okra, peas, eggplants, peppers, squash, and anything else that catches my fancy. Now, before you think I’ve completely lost my gardening mind, let me claify - these aren’t the same seeds I’ve talked about sowing directly into the winter earth for overwintering. Those hardy va

Well!.... Hello!  Welcome to December.  Did you miss me?  I took a week off. (and I’m even kind of slacking this week)  I didn’t mean to, but it seemed like the world stopped for a moment, and I get swept up in the stillness.  Thankfully, It was filled with beautiful surprises.  Thanksgiving and gratitude.  I hope yours was as well.  Rest assured, even though I wasn’t communicating, I was a busy bee. And, I did think about and miss you.  Now, here we are in December.  Most of

Autumn is such a reflective time of year, isn’t it? At least it is for me. We haven’t yet made it to the melancholia of the barren wintry landscape. No, we are in the process of organizing, rearranging, putting away, saving and storing, and remembering how we did things last year or the year before and even how our grands led the way so many decades ago. I have such fond memories of going to my grandparent’s farm in south Mississippi for all the fall and winter holidays, as w

In many locations across the world, autumn with all of its glorious changes is showing off in the brilliant warm colors of fall. The last remaining spring and summer flowers are fading quickly, giving way to falling leaves, dried stalks, and wilting grasses. The urge to tidy up is overwhelming for many people as they relish being out in the cooler, sunny days and anticipate the wintry blasts quickly approaching. But as you survey your landscape while deciding what to tackle,

I recently lost one of my best friends, a friend who loved freely, constantly, and unconditionally. He was a dog named Journey. But he was so much more. As I've reflected, I've realized that "Journey" was the perfect name for this fella, because his life truly has been a metaphor for life itself. You see, a journey isn't just a trip or distraction. It's the purposeful unfolding of who we are meant to become. Journey travelled through many places and experienced numerous ch

The body inflamed Almost seven years ago, December 2018, I became primary (and sole) caretaker for my mom. At the time, she was 86 and...

Living in Texas means HOT summers. This summer seems especially hot, but I say that every year. In addition to the heat, it seems the...

Yes! WE do!!! My website isn't finished yet. I'll admit, I'm having a somewhat challenging time getting it up and running. I used to...