Druid on the Trail: the Foster-Blake Woods Preserve
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
1M ago
Sometimes I want to share details of a hike to highlight the region and celebrate simply getting outside to explore nature. Other times I want to demonstrate how hiking can deepen your spiritual practice in ways beyond the obvious connecting to the land. On Saturday, my family took advantage of the sunshine to hike the Foster-Blake Woods Preserve just outside of Clayton, NY. Despite the brilliant bluebird sky, the temperatures had plunged back to their typical February lows, so it was a frigid day for a walk! That said, we’ve been amassing a pragmatic collection of hiking layers which we put t ..read more
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Braiding Sweet Grass: a Book Review
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
2M ago
The audiobook of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It is surrounded by evergreen branches and lichen knocked from the trees during the wind storm. Photo by M. A. Phillips 2024. If you read one book this year, make it Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Rarely does a book grip my soul so entirely that I know I will turn to it again and again. Braiding Sweetgrass was one such text. Written by an indigenous botanist and professor, it has become one of those handful I would pack if I had to evacuate my home. It ..read more
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Happy New Year! Reflections and Goals
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
3M ago
Just like that, it’s 2024, yet I can’t help looking back further to 2004. Like many others in my generation, I’m reeling from the fact that so many songs and movies are now twenty years old. I was a senior in high school twenty years ago. Now poof! I’m nearly forty. Time is a curious thing. I was only just finding my way on a Pagan path back then. I didn’t identify as a Druid or Irish-inspired polytheist yet, but I was groping toward it in the dark; Brigid’s flame of inspiration was a pin prick on the horizon. I hadn’t even found a group to practice with, but my boyfriend at the time gifted me ..read more
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Pagan Parenting: Including Winter Solstice at School
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
3M ago
‘Tis the season for numerous holidays! Thankfully, where I am, there’s been a greater emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I come at this as both someone in education and a parent. I also happen to be Pagan and am raising my child in these traditions. When she started attending school, advocating for myself became more important because I was also advocating for her. As is so often the case, representation matters, and it means the world to her when our holiday is also acknowledged! If you are in the situation where you want to communicate with your child’s teacher about your celebrat ..read more
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Druid on the Trail: Redwood Hill Preserve
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
3M ago
A beautiful tree warns of the cliffs and creates a dramatic focal point on this short hike. Photo by M. A. Phillips 2023 December has felt uncharacteristically warm, so I encouraged my family to join me on a short hike at one of our favorite local trails: Redwood Hill Preserve. Part of the Indian River Lakes Conservancy here in Northern NY, this trail is a family-friendly delight. It is fairly flat and relatively accessible, though the Seven Oaks loop may be a bit tricky for some due to roots, rocks, and puddles. Still, at 1.2 miles all around, it’s a really enjoyable jaunt in the woods. If yo ..read more
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Druid on the Trail: Bear Mountain
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
4M ago
The wooded summit of Bear Mountain in Cranberry Lake, NY. Photo by M. A. Phillips After prayers for safe passage, my family headed out on another hiking trip. This time, we headed to Bear Mountain in Cranberry Lake, NY. This is a smaller mountain in the Adirondacks outside of the high peaks region. Now that temperatures are dropping and we’ve had some snow, a lot of larger mountains have icy conditions. Being unaccustomed to winter hiking, we’re taking it slow and playing it safe. Despite my best efforts to plan, we didn’t know the trailhead parking lot would be closed. It’s attached to what w ..read more
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Druid on the Trail: the John MacFarlane Trail
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
4M ago
A view of the John MacFarlane Trail including the historic Zenda Farm in Clayton, NY. It was recently an uncharacteristically warm day in November. After an appointment, I decided to take advantage of the weather and go for a short walk at a nearby trail in Clayton, NY. The John MacFarlane Trail is part of the larger Zenda Farms Preserve of the Thousand Islands Land Trust. I hadn’t been for several years and wanted to see if it’s change and how I’d feel taking the walk on my own. The 1.5 mile trail loops around what is normally a meadow in the green half of the year. The tall grasses and wildf ..read more
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Druid on the Trail: Starting My 46er Journey with Cascade Mountain
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
5M ago
A patch I got to celebrate climbing Cascade Mountain and some books I purchased to better prepare for and appreciate future hikes. 2023 A few weekends ago, I did something I’d been wanting to do for years. Along with my husband and daughter, I climbed one of the 46 high peaks in the Adirondack Mountains. Specifically, we made it to the summit of Cascade Mountain. It’s the 36th tallest mountain in NY State at 4,098′, and wow, the journey up and down was an adventure! Cascade Mountain has a reputation of being the “easiest” high peak. In many ways, I can see why this is the case based on the len ..read more
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Plant Lady: Now Available!
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
5M ago
Now available: a witchy second-chance romance from M. A. Phillips! Plants are easy. People…not so much. My fourth novel, Plant Lady, was officially published on October 31st through Shadow Spark Publishing! I really should have posted about it here on my blog, but I was very distracted by the Halloween festivities and the start of Samhain. I posted all over social media and was exhausted by the end of the night! The response so far has been truly gratifying. Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased a copy, shared photos, recommended the book to friends, and supported me in any way! I ho ..read more
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Druid on the Trail: the Baker Woods Preserve
Ditzy Druid
by M. A. Phillips
5M ago
A photo my husband took of me walking in the pines at Baker Woods Preserve. R. Phillips 2023 My husband and I have been trying to hike as much as possible (usually once a week) to train for bigger mountains. We’d hoped to climb something today, but due to other weekend activities and iffy weather, we decided to change our plans. Our mostly exhausted kiddo went to a friend’s house after sleeping in, so my husband and I went to explore a localish trail – The Baker Woods Preserve. Located in the foothills of the Adirondacks, this collection of forest trails is part of the Indian River Lakes Conse ..read more
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