BACKYARD GARDENING
WITHOUT THE BACKACHE
10 Zero Waste Gardening Tools and Ideas
In all areas of our lives, from our hobbies to our habits, we have opportunities to either increase or reduce our impact on the environment and the effects of climate change. While the burden of fixing our climate crisis should not fall on the individual but the corporations that are responsible for the vast majority of damage done, every little bit you are able to do can help. The best part is, most of the ways we can reduce or eliminate our waste in gardening come at no additional effort or cost - it simply comes down to intentionally deciding on the plastic free or secondhand option instead (which is often cheaper anyway)
Make This Natural Herbal Face Steam With Just 5 Ingredients [Recipe]
Our skin bears the burden of our carelessness on a daily basis - in the driest season, when the air itself is parched of moisture, we still can’t seem to keep up with our eight glasses of water a day, leaving our skin dry and dull - especially when less sunlight is still to be found. And so all sorts of ailments befall us, from chapped lips to premature aging and flaky foreheads. I’ll be the first to admit that as much as I enjoy my skincare routine, it easily falls to the wayside due to my chronic illness or general busyness, my exterior being low on my list of priorities when my joints are aching.
What can we do about dry skin, besides simply hydrating with water and moisturizer? At this point in the season, our skin needs more than simple maintenance. We need a repair. And the best way to jump start this process is to incorporate the spa-like but deceptively simple practice of an herbal face steam.
How to Build a Bird Feeder [Tutorial]
Like many young people, I thought my grandpa might have some kind of magic. You see, he was one of those people who seemed to be friends with the birds in a way not many of us are. He could merely step out into his yard and with a few quick whistles summon all varieties of backyard birds to his palm or his shirt pocket, where they would enter into a conversation of chirps and intense eye contact that fascinated me. To be honest, looking back I’m still fairly certain that it was some sort of magic. Even through the rose colored glasses of childhood, I know deep in my bones that he understood something of nature that many people do not. Could he have known that these moments he spent with me and the birds, carving whistles from fallen horse chestnuts, would become a part of my own origin story as a naturalist? Far from an expert though I might be, he showed me what it meant to be a student of nature long before I grew my own garden or made my own companions in the rabbits and toads that keep me company as I sow, weed and water. I learned from him that all wildlife has value, no matter how small. That bird song deserves our attention. And of course, I learned that feeding birds is just plain fun.
Why have a bird feeder? Here’s some of the benefits of backyard birds in your yard:
Nature Activities for Winter: Snow Cream [Recipe]
In the winter my scuffed up slippers are my constant companion, and I am always seeking out sources of external heat - much to my husband's dismay, that source is usually him. I like to pretend that his yelps as my icy toes are for comical effect, but the poor man puts up with a lot from me this time of year, my frozen appendages topping the list.
My body runs cold, so you might make the mistake of thinking that since I am always cold from my fingertips to my toes, I would avoid cold things at all costs. But no, I have one weakness, and it is ice cream. I’m told that it runs in the family, as evidenced by the sheer number of “ice cream breakfasts” I experienced as a child during sleepovers at my grandparents house. But how could I not enjoy ice cream all season long? I may be shivering from the internal cold of my own creation but I will not deny myself a dish of chocolate chip cookie dough or mint flavor ice cream, no matter how many degrees below zero it may be.
Decorate with Flowers Year Round Using These Tips [Tutorial]
A plan set in motion last March, when I set seeds into soil blocks underneath the grow light in the cold basement. A plan for eternal, dried flower blooms that would last far longer than the warm summer days in which they would stretch and grow and bloom. This is the story of strawflower and statice, poppies and cornflower, aster and lavender. While their scent may fade, the colors we miss so much in deep winter continue on in a vivid show that defies the passage of time.
7 Tips to Survive a Long Winter[Nature Activities]
Winter is a fleeting season for some, but long here in the Northeast. Long enough to require that we adapt and find space in our routines for signals that pass the time, as well as ways to enjoy it for what it is.
New England winters force us to turn inward, to find ways to slog through the darkest days, to connect with nature when that connection is scarce.