Winter is coming. It’s a phrase made popular by The Game of Thrones…but these days it means something else to me. For me, it represents the near future, a time when those who can tolerate the winter will move from the dry lands of endless sunshine to the places where…

When I was little, my parents took us to Old World Wisconsin, a living museum where homes from the Old World were set up to resemble little villages from times past. My grandmother was with us, and I remember her saying how she had been raised in a similar environment…

I stood at the bottom of the stairs, another load from the car ready to be carried up three flights. I’d stopped counting how many times I’d been up the stairs already — there were still several more loads in the car. It’s amazing how much I was able to…

After two years of tending the land post-fire, we’re able to move forward with the second half of our plan-purchase a condo in Chicago near our families. I’ve written before about wanting to be closer to our elders as they age. Covid-19 has taught me that these days are precious…

It was a perfect day today to apply a “501 horn silica” biodynamic preparation on the land. A medicine best taken with sunrise; it nourishes the flowers as well as the bees. Since becoming a bee guardian over a decade ago, I’ve applied this prep every spring as a means…

It was love at first sight when I got out of the realtor’s car and saw the building, a beautiful six-flat built before cars and cheap, industrial, profit driven architecture-only a block from Lake Michigan. Gazing upon it, I knew I was home, only making the home mine was a…

“Pressure, pushing down on me. Pressing down on you, no man ask for.”* My most recent permaculture class was about disaster preparedness and I know that other than earthquake, wildfire is the number one disaster our community faces on a regular basis. I understand this more than most. …