(This post was started in June. I picked it up again in July, and now in August.) Hello. It’s nice to see you. I’ve really missed you. I have taken over a year off from this blog and nearly as long from my Instagram and Facebooks accounts, but it hasn’t been easy–not by a long shot. I have missed putting words together this way. I miss the way a blog works–it’s like a journal but you push publish and it goes live and is shared and maybe just maybe it’s a way to support and inspire and connect people. I love that. Given that so much time has passed, I have lots to tell you. First, the big new ..read more

Hello. That is why. Hello. I write to mark the time and to reach out. I write because when I am behind a screen you’re not looking at me and your quiet reading of my words might change you for the better. We need each other now more than ever. And I really mean that. We must lift each other up. We must love each other. We must. Where is our connection point? Everywhere. We are all connected. We are the grand domino trail. Endlessly connected actions create energy that unites us across time and space. We are the smallest and largest community bonded together by dirt, made from the same element ..read more

In case you prefer to be read to more than to read, I offer you this video of me simply reading this post word for word. You can play it as background noise while busying yourself with a task, much as you might a podcast. Or, you can read it below. “Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts o ..read more

Hello, Autumn. Bright lights fading fast, blown hither and nigh. A twisted tale, a simple sail, from birth to end, a diecast in the green. Some mornings I lie in bed and can’t get up, the window shades close and tight, the sheets so cozy and warm, the day ahead unclear, a feeling it won’t go right, my thoughts a doomy storm. The world is a mess. Bad people wander carelessly. Dark shadows hide. Tomorrow is a question mark. The earth staggers. Darkness looms. But outside: light rises, rooster cries, birds begin their songs. I think of all the possible prizes the day might bring– wild hope despi ..read more

Sometimes in the night I awake with my heart pounding, a flurry of worries: Did I remember to pay the earthquake insurance? Did I shut the gate after I wandered over to visit the blackberry blossoms…or have the deer now nibbled all my broccoli down to nubs? What about that thing my daughter asked earlier, did I answer it the way I should have? All of these such are small things compared to some of the nightmares that my husband needs to wake me from, shadows rising and reminding. And then the relief–tangible, real, him there beside me, his hand on my shoulder, everything safe again. It’s true ..read more

Ooh, lots to cover here, so brew yourself a nice cuppa something and join me today while I dive into one of the most difficult topics of this entire journey: How much do you need to grow to feed you and your family for a year? This is the second installment in a series I am working on for you about how to grow enough food to feed you and your family for a year. Be sure to read and watch my previous post How to Grow Food to Feed You and Your Family for a Year: Part 1. In that episode, I go into great detail about how you can figure out your gardening zone and sun zones within your yard, so be ..read more

I am excited to share with you my journey learning how to grow enough food to feed my family for a year and create a sustainable modern homestead. This will be a multiple-part series that I will be sharing all week, so stop by tomorrow for another installment! I’ve been gardening for ten years now–from a couple of raised beds in our 6,500 square foot urban lot in Seattle, to our first country home, a 1-acre sloped lot with varying areas to plant, and much of my garden there was created by arduously clipping away weeds and Devil’s Club to create my first hugelkultur garden (my favorite ..read more

Here they are! Gluten-free bagel shop bagels, like the ones you used to buy. Remember those? Recipe below made up happily in my kitchen over the last couple of days. But also, are you tired? I am. I’m heading into PNW bear hibernation mode and I am baking and cleaning house and filling our pantry with food for winter and oddly enjoying being done with the veggie garden and just thinking about planting bulbs for spring. Because I am tired, I appreciate how easy these are to make. It’s 10 mins of prep, 7 mins of boiling, and 36 mins of baking. Also, these are way cheaper than buying them at ..read more

Give me chips over chocolate any day. Here’s an incredibly easy, ridiculously delectable way to get your kettle chip fix. The key is to use organic potatoes (non-organic potatoes are chock-full of pesticides; do your body a favor and always splurge on organic when it comes to these), and organic non-hydrogenated oil (no artery-clogging fat or pesticides here, either). These take about 10 minutes to cook, but 30-60 minutes to soak in vinegar. How to Make Sea Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips INGREDIENTS Organic potatoes, any kind (I used a mix of russets, fingerling, and red potatoes freshly dug ..read more

If you’re new to the world of making your own gluten-free sourdough starter, check out my Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter Tutorial. These homemade sourdough tortillas have become our everyday lifesaver: Don’t have bread? Make tortillas. Want to make fresh-from-the-garden veggies and salad more hearty and kid-friendly? Wrap ‘em in a tortilla with some mayo and cheese. Not sure what’s for breakfast? Fill tortillas with eggs and cheese. Taco Tuesday? Make tortillas. Like the rest of the world, I’ve been on a major sourdough kick. It’s been life-changing because finding great gluten-free products i ..read more