We received a letter inviting us to donate items, as we've done for years, for the annual fundraising auction for the South Yuba River Citizen's League. SYRCL has achieved state Wild and Scenic designation of eight miles of our cherished river and are working to return the … [Read more...]

What's the most important convenience in your kitchen — Microwave? Refrigerator? Blender? Cookstove? Coffeemaker? Someone asked that question awhile back in a blog and then pointed out: Running water. Bet you didn't think of that one. I sure didn't. We take running water … [Read more...]

As life becomes harder and more threatening, it also becomes richer, because the fewer expectations we have, the more good things of life become unexpected gifts that we accept with gratitude. Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life This is one of the daily  offerings I … [Read more...]

Richard Heinberg is a big-picture thinker who I find trustworthy and credible. That's why we've produced several Conversations and  presentation DVDs with him. In his latest Museletter he paints a planetary big picture following the Climate Conference in Copenhagen. These … [Read more...]

This year we hadn't planned to put up a Christmas tree, since we were going to my family's for an extended holiday. But when colds took over multiple family members, Robyn and I postponed our trip. Yet as Christmas Eve day dawned, we couldn't imagine Christmas without even … [Read more...]

Icicles are rare enough here that I just had to share Robyn’s picture. Sunday's snow was followed by a hard freeze, decorating our house with icicles on all sides (the sun never reaches the house in winter). The next morning, no hot water! Pipes had frozen in the house's … [Read more...]

I have spent the last three days sewing three 100-inch zippers on a raincover for the mobile studio/RV. They'll let us be active inside the vehicle -- running generator and heaters --  while protecting it from rain and snow. As I work, I think of the factory workers in … [Read more...]