I was looking out at the garden and thinking about self sufficiency and what it would take to be self sufficient in my own house & garden, when somebody called and told me about the company ReGen. How fortuitous! Their first project is a community made up of 25 pilot homes in Almere, Netherlands and there are plans for more in other countries. I was excited to read about them and signed up for their newsletter because there’s tremendous value in what this sort of community could offer people around the world. Let me know what you think about communities like this in the comments below, and whether you’d consider living in this kind of environment, and if not, why? https://www.businessinsider

The other day as I was enjoying some morning sun and listening to a podcast, the subject of relationships came up. There is quite a lot of documented evidence to support that a good part of marital issues are unsolvable and could even be lumped into the “perpetual problems” category. But just because there are problems, does NOT necessarily doom a marriage. In a healthy marriage, being able to accept the differences as well as laugh at our own quirks, and talk about them rather than sweeping them under the rug as “can’t go there” subjects, makes for a more realistic relationship. The Psychologist Dan Wile says, "When choosing a long-term partner, you will inevitably be choosing a particular

Sitting back on the porch this week, I got a call letting me know about some things coming up and some other things worth researching that I want to share with you. Looking forward to : Saturday March 18th – I’ll be giving a talk at TOTEM called Planting Seeds in the Field of Possibility. For those who don’t know what TOTEM is, you can check it out here (http://www.totemsb.com) and for those who need the short explanation, “TOTEM is an intergenerational arts program that utilizes movement, music, and wilderness experiential learning to encourage strong, compassionate, and curious creators: elevating our community through a holistic educational approach to the arts. TOTEM is a seasonal progra

The other morning I was sitting outside, enjoying the warmth & change in weather we’ve been experiencing when somebody called to ask me if I’d consider teaching them to private painting classes. The answer was YES! This got my attention and so this week, I’ve been preparing for Art classes to begin. I’m teaching a series designed for somebody with knowledge of painting and am really excited about it. Not long after that, there will be other series for small groups : a series teaching using chalk pastels and a painting class for beginners. For those who aren’t aware of it, I’ve been painting and photography since I was little which is quite some time ago! I'm listening to ... Podcasts - al

I was sitting on the porch the other day, when somebody came by to talk. 1 I'M THINKING ABOUT : The subject came up of the rituals we have in our lives and it got me thinking. There’s something very intentional about rituals. They add a richness to our lives that usually are unique to us alone and unlike habits, the person is usually very 'present' and there's a focused intent as they go through the steps involved in the ritual. I may seem less than inspirational but, I used to have a ritual in college of first stopping by a coffee shop, buying a cup of hot chocolate or hot mocha and then taking it with me to my math classes. It soothed the anxiousness I felt over studying that subject and