Lately, we’ve been hearing about glimmers, tiny moments of awe and beauty that spark joy, calm, well-being and help our nervous systems feel relaxed and balanced (the opposite of stressors and triggers.) Glimmers can be the seemingly ordinary things, as well as very unexpected ones.
Read MoreWhy I Can’t NOT Write about Persimmons Every Year
There are good reasons I cannot NOT write about persimmons every winter. I love all the ways that they seem defiant, wild, beyond my control… I want others to find their way to the rare experience they offer.
Read More‘Trees are Sanctuaries’: Hermann Hesse’s Writing and Watercolors
A snippet of a Hermann Hesse quote about trees sent us hunting for the whole thing. We stumbled on “Trees: An Anthology of Writings and Paintings”, a little gem of a book: thirty of Hesse’s watercolors with his essays and poetry about trees, for him, a symbol of transcendence and rebirth.
Read MoreWays to Honor The Mother Trees (Susan Simard, W.S. Merwin)
We have marveled at Susan Simard since we realized she was the model for the fearless, hermetic tree botanist in Richard Price’s wondrous tree-centric novel The Overstory. Her new book Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Ancient Wisdom of the Forest about the intricate underground communication network trees create and depend upon got us thinking about the perfect gift, for Mother’s day or otherwise.
Read MoreTool for Living: A Strangely Perfect $8 Spatula
The best eight bucks I’ve spent lately is the OXO’s Good Grips Jar Spatula, a silicone spatula meant for reaching into jars. It’s so curiously-perfect I find myself using it daily for all sorts of kitchen endeavors.
Read MoreTool for Living: Hulkenbag, Huge, Stylish, Strong Bag-on-Wheels
My favorite tool of late is the Hulkenbag: a big cleverly-designed open satchel-on-wheels that holds its structure and can be rolled around anywhere. I throw in whatever I need to shlep and go. When I’m done, I fold it up and stash it out of the way. Perfect.
Read MoreTree.fm: Listen to Forests Around the World and Plant Some Trees
The past week working at our desk, we listened to soundscapes of forests in Malaysia, Estonia, Portugal, China and France… Through a remarkable website, we found ourselves transported into tranquil environments AND quickly able to gift trees to friends…
Read MoreGiant Twisting Balloons Inspire Furniture and Your Own Big Ideas
Designer Seung Jin Yang’s whimsical furniture appears to be made of the kind of twistable balloons used to entertain kids. OMG, we thought, could we make furniture out of balloons?
Read MoreOilcloth (Not PVC) Makes a Surprisingly Cool, Wipe-Clean Tablecloth that Protects Your Wood Table
When the mid-century wood table I set up for dining and work took a hit from a spilled glass of water, I cast about for a protective everyday solution that wouldn’t look like plastic. I found it in old-fashioned oilcloth…
Read MoreGifts that ‘Encourage Wonder and Reflection’
The recent post about Mister Rogers got me thinking about how to give gifts that “encourage wonder and reflection? Here are some gift books that do just that.
Read MoreHow to Shop Improvised Life
One of the things I let go of during the renovation of Improvised Life was its Shop, a compendium of items I’ve found worth the money to buy. Here’s how you can still easily shop items recommended in Improvised Life.
Read MoreScent Your Space with “Eaux Fraîches” of Green Leaves, Grass, Loam
Always on the lookout for ways to transform my space and mood, I recently stumbled on a bargain of heady transformation: a $20 way to subtly evoke Nature indoors.
Read MoreAn Analog Kid’s Timer Increases Focus and Productivity
The simple, clever Time Timer has proven a useful visual aid that helps me focus on whatever I need to make headway with, and then get up and take a break, disrupting the obsessive overfocus I’m prone to. It helps me work more efficiently, with less stress.
Read MoreBeth Moon’s Photographs of Ancient Trees Under Night Skies are Magic
Inspired by studies that view trees as receivers of stellar energies, photographer Beth Moon traveled to the world’s “last dark places” to photograph ancient trees at night, in color.
Read MoreEcumenical Money Valentine to Give to Lovers AND Friends
We’re thinking a dandy little heart made of folded money would make a nice valentine for just about anyone…more inclusive than the usual romantic stuff like flowers and chocolate…
Read MoreMeaningful Last Minute Gifts You Don’t Have to Shop For
If you’re as behind the curve as we are in getting our heads around the holidays, here are two much-appreciated gifts you don’t have to shop for:
Read MoreFavorite Gifts I Love To Give
Late with my holiday preparations, I’m just wrapping my head around making food gifts as well as the few gifts I buy. Here’s are favorites that you still have time to order.
Read MoreTopography of Tears: Like Aerial Views of Emotional Terrain
Looking at tears through a microscope, artist Rose-Lynn Fisher found no two alike, evidence of our inner life overflowing its boundaries, spilling over into consciousness.
Read MoreFavorite Things: Really Big Cotton Dish Towels
We’ve used these these HUGE dish towels for many things in addition to drying dishes…
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