It’s no secret I love nature, whether it’s spending time with the plants in my yard or hiking through the local nature preserves and parks. Nature speaks to me. It reinvigorates me. That’s why I’ve been experimenting with landscape painting. It’s not only a way to pay homage to the natural settings I love so…
Category: Nature
Building a Raised Garden Bed [Gardening]
I’ve always found gardening to be a creative exercise. Choosing what plants to put in the garden, which ones looks best together (or grow best together), and trying to keep them alive and thriving takes ingenuity and the ability to adapt. Over the past few years I’ve tried all sorts of different plants, both ornamental…
Finding Serenity in Chaos [Mental Health]
Without a doubt, the world is a crazy place. Even taking politics and social unrest out of the equation, our lives can sometimes feel like they’re out of control and we’re simply hanging on by our fingertips. We’ve all felt like we’re being tossed about in a turbulent sea, but there are also times when…
Stimulating Your Creativity [Creativity]
Sometimes we can get into a rut and find it difficult to be creative. For example, I sometimes have the urge to write, but when I sit down at my keyboard I find there aren’t any words. I simply can’t get started. What I’ve learned is that I occasionally have to stimulate my creativity. Sort…
The Mood of the Season [Creativity]
If you weren’t aware, there’s a medical term for when people get depressed when the seasons change. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it’s a recognized medical condition. I get a touch of it in the middle of winter. I’m not a fan of the bitter cold. Toss in those gray, rainy days on…
My Garden of Horror [Nature]
I’ve written about my little garden of horror in the past and sharing my love of carnivorous plants. They’re so unique and beautiful that sometimes I just like to spend time looking at them, waiting patiently for the next victim to arrive. My favorites are the pitcher plants. They come in such a wide variety…
Mushroom Update [Gardening]
A few weeks back I posted about the mushroom grow kit I picked up from NorthSpore. Blue oyster mushrooms, to be exact. The instructions that came with the kit said the spores should start to do their thing in about two weeks. Lo and behold, thirteen days later…mushrooms! Well, not full-grown mushrooms, but they started…
Making Mushrooms [Cooking]
So my partner has been on a mushroom kick lately. I think it started when she happened upon this YouTube channel. I was also pulled in after watching a few of their videos. I’ve always enjoyed mushrooms, incorporate them into a few of my dishes, but I really don’t know much about them. White button,…
Carnivorous Plant Update [Nature]
It was ridiculously dry here in North Florida this past spring. We’ve gone for weeks without a single drop. At least at my house. My partner and I have watched storm fronts plowing their way towards our location, only to see them dissipate or break around us. We joke that someone built a dome over…
A Poetry Moment VI – Surf [Poetry]
Anyone who knows me knows that I love the ocean. I grew up on and around the water, spending long hours swimming, snorkeling, boating, fishing, and laying on the sand with a good book to read. I tried to capture the essence of a day at the beach in a poem. Something that expressed how…