Today the lovely and talented Bernal mama Samantha Garcia led a group of us in a ritual, creating healing medicine for ourselves and our children, guided by the Black Elder tree. I will leave the moment mostly in the realm of spirit and images. Here are some images of making the medicine from elderberries, cinnamon, … Continue reading
Epilogue: Photos of the Lantern Walk with Days of the Dead I wrote about, anticipating them, last week. They were lovely. We made colada morada and guaguas de pan, traditional foods for celebrating Dia de los Difuntos in Ecuador. The harina de maiz morada (purple corn flour) is the purple, along with mortiños and moras … Continue reading
Continuing on the theme of visiting with spirits and ancestors, in New Mexico I took this picture with this story. The photograph shows my friend Erin who is pregnant. That sort of other-worldly light and the bright ray, it felt like a moment of a pause in time, when maybe the spirit world or the … Continue reading
Last year I enjoyed the Lantern Walk with our Waldorf school, but I had no context or understanding of its meaning. I assumed any festival that ended in “mas” (Martinmas, Michaelmas) was too “Euro” to have anything to do with me. But this week I got it, a meaning that I totally relate to. I’ve … Continue reading
Our family has stayed put for many months, to strengthen our household rhythms and to revel in what we have, our home. But two things are often missing for me: extended family or friends from the heart who have known me since childhood, and the rhythms of rural life. My husband and I are city … Continue reading
Still working on my photo class here. This week, my four-year-old daughter tried her hand. She grabbed the camera and in under five minutes had completed all the assignments so far, without even knowing it. Here are some of her shots using the Rule of Thirds, some color studies, and one showing her own point … Continue reading
I’m taking an online photo class with Anna Yarrow called the Unveiled Eye. This is the first thing I’ve done for myself — my own creativity not for the household, aside from Zumba class, in . . . oh, I can’t even remember. It’s not easy to set aside time for it, but it’s really … Continue reading
I feel most present and connected, most myself, when I am close to nature. Letting go of technology and other distractions. At peace with my thoughts, feelings, and loved ones. Nature isn’t just a place “out there” in the far, breathtaking wilderness. Nature is in the places we touch the earth and relate to her … Continue reading
Breathe. Phew. Here on week four I think we’ve hit our stride. I feel alive and awake to the moment. Finally. It started out extra stormy. My daughter woke up covered in hives in the night and no one slept well for a couple of nights. By Tuesday morning I was groggy and grumpy. When … Continue reading
I’m on week three of all-day-every-day just me and the kids. My strategy is to keep our days simple and rhythmic, to stay home more and do less. I admit, my stated goal of “tantrum free” was partially to get your attention, oh reader. But did I really think that simplifying life would be a … Continue reading
Chigüiri-cosas 