EarthTalk® | Obama & Romney on the Environment
Dear EarthTalk: Given that the presidential election is just around the corner, what can you tell me about each candidate's environmental track record and positions? -- Jane Miller, Chicago, IL
Just because the environment is...
Our Pets as Natural Healers
Our pets are natural healers that care for us as much as we care for them. They rejuvenate us with their empathy, strengthen our circulation and heart, improve our longevity, and bond with us...
Max and the Fog
I was taking an early morning walk several years ago with my neighbor's black lab Max.
It was early fall, and small bands of fog could be seen rising from the Minnesota river bottoms and...
EarthTalk® | October 2012
Dear EarthTalk: Which are the most eco-friendly and non-toxic (to people, cats and sanitation systems) cat litters? -- Sam Barnes, Macon, GA
It makes sense that environmentally enlightened cat owners would want cat litter made...
Macular Degeneration: In the Eye of the Beholder
I hear the wild laugh of the pileated woodpecker. I turn off the Mixmaster and peer out the kitchen window. She lands on my suet feeder and pecks away, pieces of suet flying, as...
Silent Partner
Ever so slowly it began. She felt a deep stirring within the very depths of her loins, her soul, and her center. The heat of it rose gently at first, arousing her, awakening her,...
Celebrating Herbs & Botanicals: HerbDay 2012
Herbs are essential components of everything, from dietary supplements to incredible cuisine, beautiful gardens, effective personal care and vital nutrients. To honor the myriad ways herbs enhance the lives of people everywhere, the 7th...
Bring gentleness and gratitude to your harvesting
An excerpt from the book, Plant Whatever Brings You Joy
It happened that during a time my daughter and I were living in Amsterdam, the small community at Findhorn was garnering headlines in Scotland. Many...
How good is change…really?
Every time I hear someone blatantly espousing the catch phrase "change is good," I want to scream out, "It depends on what's being changed, and then you have to consider all the ramifications!"
When spring...
The crow that cheered my spirit
Carl Jung encouraged us to look on trivial events as metaphors, small dramas giving us advice, confirming our decisions or supporting us in some way. Given that metaphors are figures of speech that appear...
A Walk in the Woods with John Haines
"We speak of nature, of the natural world, as if that were something distinct from ourselves and the social world we appear to have made, seldom noticing that we are in NATUREÂ and never out...
The Light Beyond the Leaves
Stripped of pretense and camouflage, trees, like human beings, are bare bones and spirit. They grow, stretch, ache, bend and break; they provide protection and comfort. Throughout our lives we remain fascinated by the...
Crazy Bones and Lazy Bones
As a kid, I found myself surrounded by horses, cows, chickens, cats, rabbits and dogs. Animals have the amazing gift of sharing their wisdom, and if we pay close attention, they can be our...
Gratitude in a Broken Heart
The only reoccurring childhood nightmare I ever had was about cats taking over the world. I would wake up, get out of bed and act out a new ending where I befriended the enemy...
Growing a community garden in partnership with Nature
The Partnership Garden is a new community garden at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley, MN. This garden and its parent organization, Growing Community, are the dreams of Apple Valley resident Pat...
The Accidental Herb Garden
No time to garden? You might try what I did. Years ago, we had just purchased our first home, I was pregnant, mothering a 2 year old, and working. There was simply no way...
