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.
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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 MoreA 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 MoreWe 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 MoreThe 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 MoreMy 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 MoreThe 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 MoreDesigner 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 MoreWhen 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 MoreThe 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 MoreOne 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 MoreAlways 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 MoreThe 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 MoreInspired 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 MoreWe’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 MoreIf 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 MoreLate 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 MoreLooking 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 MoreWe’ve used these these HUGE dish towels for many things in addition to drying dishes…
Read MoreDesigner Nikolas Bentel designed the ultimate chalks for sidewalk graffiti and chalk-board painted wall decoration. Each one is a little sculpture onto itself with which you can draw parallel lines, dots and circles.
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