*deep breath* I’m postpartum (again) with nothing to hold in my arms but myself and my grief. After two miscarriages in 9 months, one of them gentle and early, the other late and traumatic, my knees are brought to the earth. As much as it’s been a heartbreaking and physically challenging experience to navigate, there’s wisdom I’ve gleaned. It has pulled me into the depths of a spiritual and physical voyage - the likes of which have enlightened me of the sacred understanding of what it means to be a woman and the gift it is to bear life - and the burden of losing it.

Pregnancy loss and miscarriage (through choice or not) is demanding on the body, mind, and soul. It is no easy task to grow life and then to lose it. Our bodies and souls are never the same after, which brings me to my offering to you today.

I’m sharing the ways I’m holistically nourishing myself during postpartum loss - from nutrition and herbs, to mental and spiritual health rituals, as well as physical recovery exercises. My protocol is guided by my natural midwife and my Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor as well as my own knowledge & experience in holistic wellness. Here’s what I’m doing to care for myself during postpartum loss.

In fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, we experience less hours of sunlight. In these seasons, our body requires certain routines for a healthy circadian rhythm. I’m exploring (and sharing with you) a nourishing daily routine that supports our circadian rhythm and general well being during Fall and Winter. This routine syncs our daily cycle with nature so we can optimize our energy levels, respect our physical needs, live more nourished and connected lives, and... as always build resilience against burnout.

As our climate changes, it’s imperative that home and commercial landscapes in the West become drought tolerant while also supporting wildlife such as pollinators, birds, and animals. In this blog post, I’m sharing a list of trees, shrubs, flowering perennials, grasses and ground covers that are drought tolerant.

After learning that common hydration powder packets contain many ingredients (such as pure cane sugar as the primary ingredient) that negatively impact our health and hormones, I began scheming ways to make my own herbal electrolyte drink. I crafted this refreshing and nourishing cold-water botanical infusion that is loaded with minerals and electrolytes for hydration.

All-in-all I spend about 1 hour per week weeding, watering and fertilizing, plus another 1 hour per week harvesting, deadheading, and mowing around the perimeter. The rest of my garden-time consists of strolling the land in the morn’ and evenin’ with either a coffee or glass of wine in hand - depending on the time of day. Two hours of work per week is an amazing pay-off for such a large garden. How in the world is that possible? Allow me to dish the dirt on how I keep my 4,000 square foot garden, meadow, and orchard low maintenance.

Between two seasons is a great place to be. That’s where I am on this chilly Spring day, returning to myself in the greenhouse and letting the words bloom. To celebrate this verdant return, I’m up-potting an arrangement of narcissus, hyacinth, and tulips for the Easter table. Join me in the greenhouse, between two seasons, to celebrate this return. 

My personal ritual of communing with the land, foraging with gratitude, then crafting a my own symbol of hope and everlasting life to hang on my front door is my way of welcoming winter. It is, after all, on the winter solstice when our solar year ends and a new seasonal year begins.

Whether we’re roaming the wild or walking through a garden, Fall is the season to harvest seeds. It’s a simple process, and like most tasks in the garden, quite meditative as well. It’s a favorite seasonal ritual of mine. Saving seeds is straight forward, but there is important background knowledge an experienced gardener should wield. Here’s a lesson answering all of your seed saving questions and providing you with my master gardener seed-saving tips.

Set on the wild beaches of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Kalaloch Beach, we gathered at the invitation of Leger Experiences for a wild dining overnight retreat we wont soon forget.

During the week of the Fall Equinox each year you can find me in my kitchen chopping up spicy garden-grown vegetables and adding them to a large glass jar. I’m making fire cider in preparation for the oncoming cold and flu season. Fire Cider is a spicy cold and flu tonic that boosts immunity, improves digestion, and warms the body. Discover the benefits of fire cider, how to make fire cider, and how to use fire cider in this simple recipe.

My car rumbles along a dirt road as I head inland from the bay and through a densely grown woodland on the island. The smell of the sea mingles with road dust and the resinous musk of old cedar trees. At the end of the road, a sharp turn down a gravel driveway reveals a clearing in the wood ahead. I can just make out the sight of a dome-top roof peeking from the canopy to enjoy a kiss from the mid-afternoon sun.

Inspiration for summer seasonal living as shared by a woman rewilding herself and land through gardening, foraging, and wildcrafting.

This is no ordinary backyard filled with uniform shrubs, nor religiously mowed each Saturday afternoon before the broadcasted game. This is a place where the soil remains true and the plants shape-shift with the seasons. It is dry yet lush; windswept yet calming. It’s made to be lived in, to be wildcrafted with and to be engaged with in reciprocity . It’s also made to be an example to others of the miracles possible when we return to our roots. This is a landscape, rewild.

Welcome to my pit of despair. I say that with a cheeky grin and a bit of sarcasm, but not much. Full transparency: this patch is just one of many dreadfully hideous spots on this land. In an effort to dispel any myths about a perfect garden (or hence a perfect life) that I may have inadvertently construed through my blogging, I’m here to unearth the reality.

Yarrow salve is a natural remedy for bee stings, rashes, minor cuts, burns, and abrasions. Learn how to identify, forage and wildcraft with yarrow as well as make your own yarrow salve at home for your natural first aid kit.

As this season of rising and restless energy matures into the bright season of vitality, I’m here with an update. Despite the hardships, there is still an abundance of beauty and good things that grow.

It’s seemed like a long time coming, but we’ve finally planted trees along our northern border. After considering and imagining countless trees and tall shrubs of all varieties, I elected to plant a dozen Green Giant Arborvitae trees. This hedge of trees is already transforming the feeling in our backyard and I can’t wait to watch them grow together in the coming years. After so many long days of toiling, moments like this make rewilding this land all worth it.

For many novice gardeners, knowing what to do in the garden throughout the year can be challenging As your faithful master gardener, I’m here to dispel the myth that gardening is only done in spring. To simplify your gardening to do list here’s a comprehensive list of what to do in the garden during each season.

To bathe or cleanse oneself in wild waters is a gift everyone should experience in their lifetime. It is not at all like a swim, a shower, or even a tub soak at home. A wild water bathing cleanse transports the naked to a transcendental state of mind. Here it is possible to commune with the spirit of the river and the betrothed land in which it penetrates. Here it is possible for the secrets of the land and the heart, that have long been locked up frozen, to flow freely.

Hope. There are few acts more full of hope than beginning a garden during a time of plague and warfare. The very act of sowing seeds is a courageous statement that tomorrow will bloom again. Holding this belief close to my heart I converted my dinner table into a potting bench for the day and got to work sowing seeds for my Spring garden.