Point-and-Shoot Heaven: Photographing a Flower Garden Just Before Dusk
A little rain, a little dirt, a little sun, some red wiggler worms, and a few kitchen scraps and you’ve got yourself a flower garden. My Minnesota gardener friend makes it look that easy. Read more and see some photos.
Sculptor Patricia Bengtson-Jones — Connecting with the Cosmos
The mythology of prehistory continues to beckon to sculptor Patricia Bengtson-Jones. The Berkeley, California, artist has been exploring stone, bronze, steel and glass for decades — and a few weeks ago I had a chance to explore her studio. Read more.
Judy Seidel: Click Here for an Eyeful of Her Life-Affirming Paintings
Some artists seem to be able transfer the way their minds work onto paper or canvas. And of those artists, every once in a while, it’s a mind that you’d like to spend more time with. I’m thinking of abstract painter Judy Seidel. Read more.
In Judge Harbin-Forte’s Courtroom — Where Jury Duty Is an Exercise in Mindfulness
What does a farm family in Michigan have in common with a courtroom in Hayward, California? A nearly forgotten social skill. Read more.
At the Breast Cancer Center — Where Everyone Is Super Nice to You
A smiling receptionist greets you as you enter the lobby of the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center in San Francisco’s East Bay. She directs you to the registration desk, where there’s no wait. A nice woman with pretty eyebrows is ready to help. Everyone here is nice, really nice. Read more.
Actor Robert Morse – Sweaty at 36, Sublime at 83
The last time I saw Robert Morse there were beads of sweat on his forehead. It was 1967 and he was working the crowd on the set of a local TV comedy show. Robert Morse was on. He was going for laughs and he was going for them with the intensity of a rocket launch. He was doing what mid-life folks do – he was striving.
Nature. We Love It — But Does It Give a Darn About Us?
In her new book, Writing Wild, Tia Welling quotes the popular mythologist Joseph Campbell: “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” I like Joseph Campbell. But I’m not so sure about nature. Read more.
A Thousand Goddesses–Some Nice, Some Not So Nice–Take Your Pick
I wish I had known Patricia Monaghan. She died a year and a half ago after a rich life as a poet, author, Goddess scholar, and pioneer and mentor in the contemporary women’s spirituality movement. She was an academic, yes, but also a hands-on kind of woman, as concerned with the temperature of her root cellar as the depth of her research. And that research is deep . . . Read more.
Dead Stuff – Which I Will Be Too One of These Days
The fifth-century Saint Jerome kept a human skull on his desk to remind him of his mortality – memento mori. But if you’re like me and you like to take walks in the woods, you don’t need a skull taking up space on your desk to remind you that sooner or later everything dies, including you. That’s because the woods are full of dead stuff. Read more.
Christmas in Mexico — It’s All About the Baby Jesus
If it’s the Baby Jesus you’re looking for on Christmas Eve, the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, is the place to be. Read more.