August Morning Light
August morning light, like the ancient bird of myth, resurrects from the black ashes of night, Immortal wings spread steadfast, illuminating, exposing, […]
Celebrating Our Connection to Nature
Silence is one of the many gifts that comes with a 4 a.m. wake-up call. I unwrapped this gift for about a year or so. No alarm clock needed because I had a project, and a project that I loved exploring. The quest was to lay down my thoughts on our environment and to create ways that each of us could benefit a struggling Planet Earth by discovering our interconnection with nature. Research grew essential. And research took me from poets of […]
Magic, Surprise, & Healing
Besides mullein’s unique look, soft leaves and medicinal value, in truth, what really attracts me to mullein is its history and hints of its ability to ward off evil. Blame it on my Catholic upbringing. If holy water could defer the wicked from my soul, why not a plant?
How Breakfast at a California Marie Callander’s Led to Santa Fe’s Coyote Cafe for Dinner
Still new to each other, I met Clif for breakfast at the local Marie Callander’s after buttoning up the final days of […]
A Prayer for Healing
When I understood the challenge ahead in my personal battle with a cancer still to find a cure, and a projected two year longevity prediction, it was time to dig in for answers—all while avoiding the world of quackery and misinformation.
There’s often news of such patients overcoming the incurable and substantially extending projected survival times. Admittedly, those patients hold infinite amounts of discipline that I’ve yet to achieve.
Today I Cried
Today I cried. I don’t cry easily. Like a 50 foot storm driven wave, sadness swept over me. Indifference, greed, phony piety, […]
Native Plants for Native Pollinators & Birds
The underlying cause of this gardening semi-failure, was my view of a pollinator garden was wrong. It was for my pleasure, not for the betterment of native species. But isn’t that just like a human? We take on an idea without connecting the dots to the big picture. I ignored the very premise of my book “Connection with 48 Natural Contemplations”—interconnecting with nature.
A New Mexican Holy Week
On a Good Friday I drove to Albuquerque. Thousands of the faithful walked north along Interstate 25. They sought the healing miracles of the sacred sands within the Santuario de Chimayo in the village of Chimayo, nestled in a valley, lined in cottonwoods and pastures within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains 24 miles (38.4 km) north of Santa Fe. From Albuquerque, the distance nears 80 miles, but the distance is unimportant to those who make this annual trek.
1968. Canned Heat Explodes
Hollywood. Sunset Strip. 1968. Indeed, Eight Miles High. The Vietnam War grew uglier by the day. Since January the nightly news rolled reel after reel of the Tet Offensive and the brutal American loss. In February, President Johnson, set on curbing draft deferments, made graduate students draft game.
North of Santa Fe, It Takes a Village
Dixon, New Mexico is home to historic acequias (irrigation ditches) that remain protected by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago, signed on February […]
