Spicing Up the Holidays
My inner child has been whining, “WHY?” for the last several days. WHY do we associate many warming spices with the holiday (Yule/Christmas) season? I’ve just spent a couple of hours browsing the Internet for answers and...
Temporarily Abandoned Project
I have a problem. I had an idea for an online course, based on my books (which are an outgrowth of my passion): teaching medicinal and magical herbalism together. I started writing it and made good progress … something like 70 pages...
Nail Fungus: Eew
Three years ago, I picked up a fungus under the nail of my pinky finger. Don’t ask me how, I don’t know. What kind of fungus? Don’t know and it doesn’t matter. It didn’t bother me unless I looked at it. Then, it did...
Practical Herbs 2: A Review
I’m going to preface my remarks by warning you: I’ve been a Henriette Kress fan for years and was thrilled to get a sneak peek at her new book. Practical Herbs 2 is as wonderful as Practical Herbs. Down-to-earth advice for a variety...
Hallowe’en Rant
Warning: may be profanity-laced. I’m irritated. NB: I am not a historian. Just a somewhat-intelligent woman who happens to be a witch. It’s that time of year … the media feels a need to talk to “real” witches...
Rainy Days & Mondays
Lovely wake up … rain soughing on the metal roof while a cold front breezed through the window that made my nose cold while the rest of me was warmly snuggled under the covers. Fresh hot coffee … Maks and Mischa feeling energized...
Cat Nip
(No, I’m not high in this photo. I have an overbite. And I forget my tongue sometimes. Wanna make something of it?) Meow. I’m Mischa and I’m hijacking DJ’s blog today to bring something of extreme importance to your...
Don’t Sneeze! It’s Goldenrod.
Solidago nemoralis Well, maybe you’ll sneeze, if you have an allergy to members of the Asteraceae family and you stick your nose right in it. But Ragweed has green flowers with pollen that will float on the slightest of breezes. The pollen...
On Privacy
Hello. My name is DJ and I have a problem. I’m addicted to privacy – especially Internet privacy. I actively dislike sites that offer something free … in exchange for my name and email address. I know if I give out my email...
Growing It Alone
Today I posted this picture on Facebook: This is the one Calendula in two beds that has bloomed. None of the others have even budded, yet! And as you can see, there’s plenty of room between this one and its neighbor, although I...
Life – Connected
Not being able to get out into the garden much due to all the rain has given me a lot of time for reflection. Below is a magazine article I wrote several years ago that shows my ruminations: I live in the woods and frequently have city friends...
Growing Herbs (Pictures are Deceiving)
I’m stuck inside due to the horrendous rain (which will wash out the July 4th celebrations, too) & the only “garden” I can do anything about is my one indoor herb: Stevia. It’s a rainforest herb … likes lots of...