A Yellow Warbler sitting on a branch with leaf buds

Welcome!

Got a minute? Super. Let's talk plants & the wide variety of ways in which they can support us & our health. Got another minute? Also super. Let's talk about everything else...

to the blog, m'lady!

recent blog posts

Bare feet in rolled-up jeans stand on wet pavement in the rain, with soft reflections and a muted outdoor background.

the compassion curriculum

We’re in a virtual epidemic of ugly, and I don’t know how much longer until we voluntarily reach for the cure. I know what the cure is—compassion—but it isn’t a medicine that can be forced down one’s throat. It must be willingly taken, and we seem desperately far away from that.

Melinda

Aug 1417 min read

Hand holding a collage of painted animal skulls, white with pink, blue, and yellow floral designs and gold accents on a soft pink background

all for a skull

The day started out like any other with a text from my eldest letting me know that she was swinging by before work with a dead opossum. Unsettling news for many, perhaps, but we’ve been gifted countless dead animals over the years, so this was no huge surprise; in fact, this is the second opossum she’s dropped on my doorstep this summer alone...

Melinda

Jul 1111 min read

Vegan strawberry ice cream scoops topped with diced strawberries and whole berries on a floral plate, fresh and sweet

vegan ice cream recipe

I'm able to remain calm through the tirade even as my heart breaks and the hope deflates, telling her I love her even as I corral her out the door. I remind myself that this isn’t who she is. This isn’t who she wants to be. But even so, this might be all I ever get. My girls have forbidden me from allowing her back in the next time she knocks, but I know that I’ll let her in just the same. Damn hope. It just never gives up.

Melinda

Jun 297 min read

Four people with backpacks walk on a leaf-covered forest trail under tall trees. The sun peeks through branches, creating a serene mood.

part 2: the happiness squad

By the close of 2021, I would say we were a predominantly happy group again. Very early along we decided to dub ourselves The Happiness Squad (because we're like that) to continually remind us of our mission: find happiness while we adventure. Sometimes my husband joined us, but more often than not, it was just me and my girls. We became our own elite little club of four, visitors allowed only upon invitation.

Melinda

May 310 min read