Author Archives: Ann Lovejoy

Soulful Soups For Soul Stirring Times

Soul Food Don’t worry, I’m only going to rant for a little while here, and then I’ll serve up my latest batch of soups. Dr. Martin Luther King is very much in my thoughts this week as I and pretty … Continue reading

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Reviving Frozen Plants

After The Freeze As a series of cold fronts ripped through the Northwest, many of us struggled to shelter and protect borderline hardy plants. Draped with floating row cover cloth, sheets, or bubblewrap, temporary structures can provide a few degrees … Continue reading

Posted in Easy Care Perennials, Garden Prep, Health & Wellbeing, pests and pesticides, Pruning, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Winterizing | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Changing The Cycle (And A Snack)

So where am I going? I’m guessing that the coming year(s) will hold many, many opportunities for ego collapse at depth as perceived goals are betrayed and unforeseen means are used to reach unforeseen ends. That time of brokenness is a time of opportunity for true, deep, and abiding change to occur. As Gandhi wrote: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

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The Wonder Of Winter

Like most gardeners, I’m a firm believer in celebration. Almost any event or occasion can be taken as an excuse both to make merry and to be consciously grateful together. The first snowdrops, the first flower on the hardy cyclamen, the first bright bells on the nodding hellebores, the first spangle of stars on the winter jasmine, all are cause for shared pleasure and appreciation. But sometimes the world seems too dark to be brightened by a bud or blossom. When I forget to celebrate, I forget to be grateful. When I stop experiencing gratitude, I also lose heart, strength, and courage. Continue reading

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