It was such a pleasure to get the opportunity to sit down with Kimberly Wilson of Tranquility du Jour to discuss ways to create a more sustainable lifestyle. We talked about how to incorporate more plants into your diet. I offered examples of what I eat during a typical day to provide simple ideas of how you can do the same. Listen in as I chat with Kimberly in the 508th episode of her popular podcast here.
Garden Prep
The greenhouse is a new addition to the garden this year (photo credit: Will Parkhurst)
Gardening is a holistic experience for me as it nourishes body, mind, and spirit. As I often find myself in the garden with just the dogs for company, there are few distractions. I find my time there to be meditative as I tend to garden chores. It has become a welcome respite from the chaotic times we are now facing.
This year marks a return to a more diverse garden as I have a bit more free time after recently completing my graduate studies. We finally decided to invest in a greenhouse that I had been wanting for quite some time. We assembled the kit over several weeks: one to level the ground, put together the base, and cement in the anchoring pins, then another to put together the kit and build simple concrete block and board shelves. Photos of that adventure are included in the photo gallery linked at the end of the post.
I was able to start seeds indoors in the dining room and move them into the greenhouse after we got the kit put together. Being able to start from seeds allows me to chose from a larger variety of heirloom options than found at the local garden center. I’ve chosen tomatoes of every color, shape, and size as well as a variety of peppers, onions, garlic, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, melons, string and lima beans, several types of salad greens including lettuce, spinach, chard, and kale, collards, herbs, and plenty of flowers. Depending on the weather and how many critters decide to share in the harvest, some things will do better than others, but it’s always fun to experiment with new varieties. Sadly the eggplant seedlings seem to have all been eaten by something already...I had been looking forward to those.
I’ve decided to try planting corn again, and we built a new raised bed for that last-minute addition. The last time I tried planting corn a few years ago, the squirrels got to enjoy most of the crop while we ended up with about a dozen ears (popcorn fared better another year, but it’s quite a bit of work to get it off the cob). This year, I may resort to putting up some netting as deterrence, but we’ll see how that story develops over the summer. No matter what happens, it’s always inspiring to see what has changed in the garden, and pulling weeds is a great way to get out any frustrations from the day.
I look forward to sharing photos of the progress in the garden during this growing season. You can check out the photo gallery here.
I’ve also gathered some of my favorite garden resources and books that can be found here.
Here’s hoping your creative endeavors take root and bear fruit this year too.
Stories of Myself Book Release Announcement
I’m so excited to announce that Balboa Press has published my new book, Stories of Myself: Your journey of self-discovery through storytelling, mindfulness, movement, and creativity practices. It is a guidebook for creating a journey that allows you to step out of your day-to-day routine into an inner exploration.
In these unprecedented times when so many of our routine activities have been upended, many of us have paused to reflect on what is important to us. We have taken time to tune in to who we are and how that fits with what we had imagined for ourselves. I have curated a collection of exercises and resources to empower you in that discovery of your authentic self.
I hope this guidebook will inspire you to embrace and celebrate your unique voice.
Learn more and find where to get your copy here...
