Happy New Year! I love looking ahead to a new year. There is so much potential一possibilities for exploring, travelling, creating, and enjoying friends, family, and life. Really, any new day offers a fresh start, but a new year gets me thinking about what's important, what I don't need any more, and what I'd like to do or learn in the next 365 days. I find that to be a better approach than making a list of new year's resolutions, which are typically cast aside after a week or so!
This year my theme for Eden By the Bay is "Ethnobotany". My focus over the years has been on the plant hunters of the past who discovered plants from all over the world and looked for economic uses for them. This year I'd like to focus on plants that indigenous people were already using when they were "discovered"!
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| Clockwise: Hawaii's state flower - photo by Conrado Ethnobotany and dyeing with plants Observing local flora and fauna Enjoying the landscape in all seasons |
Looking ahead, I'm researching trip ideas for the coming years. My husband and I love to travel, and to learn about the history, flora and fauna, natural history, and gardens of our destinations. A few candidates on our radar include Hawaii, upstate New York, Four Corners Monument, and Mesa Verde National Park. We also plan on more visits to Alaska, Washington, and Oregon, as well as "long weekends" anywhere in California. Travel enriches our lives and makes us more appreciative of what we have at home!
While that's brewing, we'll continue some of our favorite pursuits like tending and enjoying our new landscape (I'm currently learning what tasks are required for each month and season), visiting beautiful gardens and landscapes, and delving into the seasons, weather, and critters we encounter. There are books to read, movies to see, seeds to plant, floral arrangements to create, projects to accomplish, fabric to dye, and new ideas to try. At the heart of it all though, are the people, loved ones, and Huskies that travel along on that journey!
