gratitude | Barbolian Fields

Garden Journaling

Blythe — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:43:56 +0000

A garden "biotime" journal can help you to slow down, be a better observer, and feel more connected to nature and its rhythms. It is not only an important tool for review, it can also change the way you see things -- and it might also bring a sense of calm in a very chaotic world. I highly recommend keeping one.

Fruits of November

Blythe — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:11:52 +0000

Wind, rain, fog - wild weather! Piles of leaves, lots of bird action, and So. Many. Fruits! In November! Gotta Love It!

The Last Hurrah of August

Blythe — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:51:51 +0000

Is August crazy? The heat, bugs, smoky skies, and too little rain ... so much fruit, we can't keep up ... with its tall, bold flowers, August is summer's last fling. Got overwhelm? I've got a cure for you. Oh, and check out the photos of the new peachicks. Adorable!

June Tunes: A Song of Garden Chaos

Blythe — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 02:13:36 +0000

A lot going on here. What it is, ain't exactly clear. June was garden chaos at it's best, or worst, depending on perspective. Bee swarms, wild animal visits in broad daylight, attacks in the night.... I bushwhacked through grass, thistle, bindweed, and bramble to find my way through this thicket of life...

February Already! January Recap

Blythe — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Recap of the January garden: backyard birds, berries and seed heads, skeletal living willow sculptures, and Yes! flowers! Half-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox! Days are getting longer! Should you track the changes with a journal of some sort? Maybe!

A Time for Reflections

Blythe — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 03:25:00 +0000

The end of the year is often a time for reflections. Here are a few I found this morning. Enjoy!

Winter Solstice: A time to stop, listen, give thanks, and move forward

Blythe — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 05:12:39 +0000

This is a heartfelt post about facing death and also new beginnings. This solstice is an opportunity to join fellow creatures in saving the planet and all its miraculous wild places.

Garden Burnout, Letting Go, and Grasping the Now

Blythe — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 05:29:56 +0000

What happens if at the height of harvest, you just leave the garden to fend for itself? Garden burnout – and overwhelm with life, politics, and everything else – is a real thing. Put down the to-do lists. Let it go. Escape to wild places. Live in the Now. Return renewed. It is possible.

30 Things that Make Me Happy

Blythe — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 03:56:00 +0000

30 Things that Make Me Happy - Because we need happy things right now more than ever… so - coming to all of us in the northern hemisphere - here are some sure signs of spring!

Sense of Place

Blythe — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 07:13:26 +0000

My dog, Barkley, taught me about having a sense of place. This happens, he said, when we develop a sense of belonging; it becomes an extension of ourselves. When we connect, we care; when we care, we protect; when we protect, we try to heal, nourish, and help grow. It becomes our personal truth.

2018 Highlights; 2019 Goals, Strategies, and New Beginnings

Blythe — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 22:50:37 +0000

It is that time again to reflect over the year’s ups and downs, an exercise that has become cliché but that can still be quite helpful. It was a busy year! Here is a quick summary of what went down (or up, as the case may be) at Barbolian Fields, along with a few goals and strategies for the coming year. What will 2019 bring? What will we be able to do to make the world a better place? How will we help one another? How will we heal our planet? We can start by getting back to the garden.

Blooming in November: Flowers for Bees, Pollinators, Feathered Friends

Blythe — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 19:01:19 +0000

I am always amazed at what is still blooming in November. Such gifts! The bees and other pollinators are especially grateful. So am I! In the midst of the leaf-raking season, be sure to take a break to smell the roses! Hope your Thanksgiving is full of blessings, your life full of gratitude, and your garden full of whatever it is full of. It's all good!

On the Wings of March

Blythe — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 07:45:18 +0000

Walk along a soaked garden path in early March and what do you see? Raindrops, birds, insects, and the world waking up. So amazing, it drove me to write poetry. Herein a poem for March, the wondrous transformations in a garden, and the miracles of spring. They're everywhere. If we build it, they will come.

Rain!

Blythe — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 18:49:10 +0000

Rain! This post was written after we had gone 3 full months without a single drop. Living in the Rainshadow of the Olympics in the Pacific Northwest is sometimes a challenge for the garden. Now we begin our transition to a time of drizzle and gray...and I couldn't be more thankful!

It’s Your Day

Blythe — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 22:25:46 +0000

When a helium balloon lands mysteriously in the Barbolian Fields backyard, what could it possibly mean??? And what could it possibly have to do with blogging or permaculture or anything relevant? You will have to read to find out!

Solstice, Suntracks, Supermoons, and a Happy New Year!

Blythe — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 04:50:55 +0000

A thank you to those who take time out of your busy schedules to read my crazy blog - and a few thoughts on the solstice, tracking the sun, full moons, new moons, supermoons, holidays, the New Year, and cavorting beneath full moons. Why not? Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Connections

Blythe — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 07:11:50 +0000

Wishing you abundance in your life and in that of all those you touch. May your holiday be full of love and laughter! Thanksgiving is every day - and every day an opportunity to make a difference.

November Blooms

Blythe — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 06:50:31 +0000

It is past the middle of November, temperatures are dipping into the 20s, and yet - oh my! - so many blooms in the garden! The bees, when they venture out, are particularly grateful. An I, too, appreciate them all that much more now!

A Quiet Place for Peace

Blythe — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:09:00 +0000

The Willow Room in spring takes on a life of its own. Individually, the reeds are supple. They bend with the forces that shape them. Together, however, they are strong - forever interlocked. Recent events in Boston remind us how together we are stronger, and, too, how each of us needs an inner garden sanctuary in which to find peace and make sense of this world.

Happy Day – Rodent or Otherwise

Blythe — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 07:15:00 +0000

What? Looking for shadows to predict weather? I'd say the bees are better indicators! As well as the snow geese, the pussy willows, and the Cornelian cherry…not hard to find things that say Life is Good! Happy Groundhog Day!