In 2013, I entered the forest at the ripe old age of 53, despite living in the midst of forest land most of my life. So what's so special about 2013? That is the year I took a permaculture class and my eyes opened up to the magic of the land I live on. You might say that I'm reconnecting with my magic because I grew up across the street from a large forest—where I went on picnics and nature walks and in the winters went ice skating and x-country skiing. The forest was also my escape whenever life got hard. I would run to it, and let the sun lead me down enticing paths, where I would find a spot to just sit and "be." Is it time for you to enter the forest? If so, check out the permaculture section of this site.

As I started exploring my land, I found a lot of medicinal plants including nettle, Joe Pye weed, mullein, boneset, wild raspberry, and my favorite of all, the dandelion. I began adding more medicinal plants to Dandelion Forest—which is what I named my land and my herbal business. It was fun nurturing plants on my own land and making medicine with them. Check out the Herbalism section of this site to do some learning, yourself!

To me, living in the forest means connecting to the food we eat, the medicine we use, and the nature around us. I had already been using more natural products on my body and gardening to produce some of the vegetables we ate (I loved that I knew they were grown organically). Living off (and with) the land is my favorite part of living in the forest. Check out our recipes section for products and meals you can make from the plants.

Connecting with the plants and the land opened up something more. Now I am spending my time connecting to the earth and nature in other ways. This, to me, is the cherry on top of all the rest. Check out the Gaia section of this site to follow my journey and/or start your own. An earth-based world view doesn't have to replace your existing spiritual beliefs. It can add to it!