June came and went so quickly! Often, it’s still cool here in the Pacific Northwest throughout June despite the Summer Solstice marking the beginning of summer and paradoxically the shortening of the daylight hours. Working at Lowlands Farm continues to get busier as we begin the Flower CSA. Harvesting, prepping, and bunching bouquets for the CSA is the highlight of my week there now! I love seeing all our hard work coming together into something so beautiful for others to e

May was a lovely month full of sunshine for the plants here! So it’s time for another flower update on the blog. This month was full of Dutch Iris blooming in golds, blues, purples, and antique shades. These were something I planted last fall on a whim just to try out and I really enjoy them as cut flowers. The Lion King variety has been my favorite so far. It has a beautiful light fragrance that I notice every time I sit near the vase, so I’ll be planting more for next ye

It’s April and the sun has returned after several weeks of rain. I think this blog will be a great place to document things that go right and wrong for myself as well as keeping everyone updated. So here’s the latest news from the flowers this month! Unfortunately, my anemones never perked up and I decided to dig them up to try and save the corms for use again this fall. I think a combination of not properly pre-sprouting the corms and not protecting them from the snow mad

It’s my goal to post monthly updates on the blog, so that those who are interested can follow along in this Flower Adventure! Exciting news this month (besides the flowers beginning to pop up). I’ve happily accepted a part-time job on a local flower and veggie farm this growing season. It’s a huge opportunity to learn the ins and outs of production farming on a small scale and I’ll be sure to share what I can about that as I progress. Unfortunately, February here in the Paci

February 8th is always a day I look forward to in winter. It’s known in Japan as Hari-Kuyō or Festival of Broken Needles, and I like to set aside time to celebrate it each year. Wikipedia says of the holiday “It is celebrated by women in Japan as a memorial to all the sewing needles broken in their service during the past year, and as an opportunity to pray for improved skills. Hari-Kuyō began four hundred years ago as a way for housekeepers and professional needle-workers

The Winter Solstice is the flip side of the Summer Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere it is the shortest day and longest night of the year. It is the climax of dark on the wheel of seasons and once it passes, the sun begins to wax and bring light back to our world. Hopman says in A Druid’s Herbal, “Traditionally, at Yule or Mean Geimhridh, the dark force, with which the Sun battles all winter, gives way. The first rays of light pierce the hollow dark in preparation for t

It’s become a tradition recently to take a vacation with Pinto to a quiet and remote place away from the fireworks of July 4th. This year I decided to try a location East of the Cascade Mountains within Washington instead of my normal escape route to Canada. Dear friend, Amy Billharz, came along to make it a true Girl’s Trip. Driving across Snoqualmie Pass I’m always struck by how different the landscape is East of the Mountains. It becomes desert-like, with huge expanses o