the greenest jewel

I may not have a red tent, but I have a loving husband who gives me space, I have the luxury of the last days of my holiday, and I have the icy rain and snow out my window to recede any guilt of laying in bed all day with cramps. I know once I start work again, my ability to find the time to write will lessen, so I take advantage now and think upon the name for this blog “the greenest jewel”. While I spoke about it in the About… Read More

message received

 For the past several years, I have become adept at spotting raptors both alive and dead. Of course, I much would rather see them in all their winged glory whether still in a tree, or soaring overhead. For the ones that have been hit by cars, I like to lay them to rest in the ground with an offering of tobacco. This is how I honor the joy they bring to me. The first owl I found was the day after my mother’s brother passed away. I saw him as I went… Read More

altar-nate inspiration

On September 11, 2001, the phone rang and it was our old roommate Samantha calling from Texas to tell us that the World Trade Center had gotten hit by a plane. Darryl threw a walkie talkie at me, and ran up to our roof. I mustered up a light tank top and my preggie jeans and sauntered up to the roof to join him. The first thing that hit me was how beautiful the morning was, how crisp. It was completely surreal to look towards downtown and see all the smoke from… Read More

alter ego: the joy of creating altars

Whether it be for a sweat lodge or my annual women’s gathering, I have invited people to share something on both pre-existing altars or ones created with the intention of honoring a specific moment, such as the equinox. One year, my whimmin friends and I ate and drank obliviously, almost burning down my house, while all our sweet wishes were smoldering through the planter in my living room. Of course, a man came to save the day. My husband came home, smelled smoke, quietly walked into the living room, picked up the… Read More