Category: Is Less More?

Questions of the earth and environment meet questions of the universe. And such.

Between Here & Handmade

I want things handmade. I want a life devoid of BPA-worries. I want the holidays decorated in popcorn strings and toes of knee-high socks filled with sticky penny candy and tiny oranges. I want to have the hot cocoa, but not the packaging the dried chocolate-flavored granules come in. I want to make the gift…

Vacationland: Switch off and Tune In

I need a vacation. Let’s all insert here for a minute the list of blessings I have. Nice house Good family Everything I need and want (food, clothing, shelter) Friends Education Human Rights Time to meditate and do yoga Lots of good books, and a library card too. Many more OK, even in the face…

If I Were Not Awake

If I were not awake before my alarm, I would have missed this delicate lavender sunrise, which isn’t all that different than any other perfect sunrise I’ve seen in the past, except that today it reminded me that being awake is the point, after all.

The Girl Effect

When a girl turns 12 And lives in poverty Her future is out of her control. In the eyes of many, She is a Woman Now. Married by 14 Pregnant by 15 She may have to sell her body to support her family. What’s the solution?  There are 50 million of them. girleffect.org  Today bloggers…

America Wants… Support

This is a Guest Post by Matt Brotherton, part of the BIG QUESTION series: “What does America Want?“ — I don’t know that I can speak for everyone out there. I’m not sure anyone can define what an entire nation of people really want. The differences between people can be like night and day. Everything…

More Less, Please

Today on “House Hunters International,” a family of four from near-Toledo were seeking a vacation home in St. Croix. They were a nice family: he an ER doc. She a nurse (now SAHM of a 9 and 14 y.o). They needed an escape from their designer, 5400 sq ft. home in the most wealthy (ish)…

Google+, and Other Anchors

Google+ is now a part of my life. I am mostly thrilled to add it to my collection of ways to communicate with people I know and don’t know online. These also include: Twitter LinkedIn Picasa Flickr WordPress Blogger Facebook Gmail Digg And many others. Just as I pondered when I started dabbling in Twitter,…

The Wall

This heat has No name at all until You remind yourself He. Is. There. Exit the climate-controlled Iceblock Bedroom Only to hit The Wall. Day 11, A River of Stones

Back of My Hand

I-74Across the Mississippi–That Familiar vein throughMy life I Cross this morning east.Your still flatness hides Lonely strongCurrentsPulling me back. Day 9, A River of Stones

A Small Stone Late

I agreed with myself that I would write a small stone for Fiona and Kaspa on their wedding day, which was June 18. What with the whirlwhind of (fill in list of excuses here), the entire weekend disappeared somewhere. I didn’t realize that I’d even forgotten until today, driving, I heard Mary Chapin Carpenter singing “Late For…

Perennial Work

Our house had so many little projects after we moved in. Not the least of those was the gardens. The previous owner had some kind of psychotic idea of planting… Which is to say, she is exactly like me. So I really love to putter in the flower beds and took on the notion that…

Who Do You Love?

I admit it. I have a serious Life-Crush on Tara. It’s Ok. I am sure she doesn’t mind. I mean, after all, her business is to make people want to feel that gorgeous feeling of love… not just for her, but for ourselves. There are just those certain kinds of people in the world, aren’t…

More Bon-Bons Please.

Fine, Matt. This is posted because you told me to. I am about to tell you something really gross that’s going to make you puke, so get the bucket. I don’t have to work at all if I don’t want to. (Go ahead. Heave away. I’ll wait while you blow your nose.) Back? Feeling better?…

The Lawn Mower Heard Round the World

My husband is mowing the lawn right now… Shhhh. Can you hear that? No that isn’t (just) the sound of our gas-guzzling 42″ Ariens Super-Deluxe Tractor Mower/Cheese Slicer. That’s the thundering palpitation of his heart. Damn, some things a woman just CANNOT get in the way of, no matter how environmental-y she is. A man and the…