Author: Michael Stevens

The garden is calling me to do some work this morning, but first, I need to lay back on the dry winter grass that is beginning to awaken in the warmth of spring. A...

Since the advent of distant travel, humans haven’t been the only ones to take a trip. Seeds from plants originating in distant lands hitchhike on shoes and transports, falling to the ground in unfamiliar...

“Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers—and never succeeding.” – Gian Carlo Menotti I have often wondered about the human’s need to create when everything necessary has already been...

One of the best ways to get to know an area is to learn its language. This helps us appreciate the way long-term inhabitants frame their world and, perhaps, offers us a glimpse into...

Bam! Our dining area window shudders from some kind of impact. Fortunately, the glass seems to be intact. Was it a bird strike? We’ve experienced small bird strikes before, but this was something much...

I often refer to my connection with indigenous wisdom through my native mentors and friends. Today, I have the privilege of experiencing the presence and teachings of Lupita, a Diné elder. The Diné people...

In the northern sky, dark clouds roil in strangely contorted patterns, intermingling with and embracing the wind currents. They weep tears that do not fall to the ground. This is called virga by meteorologists,...

I recently acquired a new pair of hearing aids. They are more effective than my old ones, and I am able to hear things now that I haven’t heard since before my hearing loss....

Tarn and I have the great joy of attending the Garrison Keillor event at the Tower Theater. This is to be an evening of humor, stories, and singing—with full audience participation. Keillor is one...

Ten years ago, a few folks with a bee in their bonnet about the way public lands are managed occupied a portion of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon. This area encompasses a...