Hey, hey, hey! This my last Bloom from S Oregon for a few months. I'll be heading south and then east starting tomorrow. I'm a bag of mixed emotions this week -- sad to be leaving my daughter and the Pacific Northwest while excited to get back on the east coast. One thing I love about my cross-country drives is how it keeps me in the moment. Sometimes I fall back into memories or jump forward into what might be, but mostly I pay attention to the road in front of me and often

Here we go -- spring has officially sprung in the U.S.! There are signs of it everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The area of southern Oregon where I spend part of every year is a rural one with rich soils and the right climate for orchards and vineyards. The fruit trees and flowers are starting to bud and blossom. As nature comes alive again after its winter layover, we can feel some of that rejuvenation. Instead, however, I keep hearing people say how tired they are and ho

Happy middle of March and bright and breezy St Patrick's Day greetings! I'm winding down my current stay in Southern Oregon and getting ready to head east again. As I started to write this edition of The Bloom I was thinking about why I keep writing to you. From the moment that I heard about electronic newsletters, nearly 15 years ago (!), I felt a need to write, share, and explore. You might think it's because I have it all together and I have to let you know how to do the s

Hello and Happy Healthy Hump Day once again! Is it just me or is there an uptick in interest to get and be more healthy? I listen to a lot of podcasts and it's a hot topic. My theory is that when the pandemic hit we became increasingly aware how important it was to boost our immune systems. Healthier people seemed to be making it through while others who were compromised didn't stand as much of a chance. What we also started to notice more was how many components contributed

March is already here and I associate this month with Spring. Even if I'm in New England and we get a snow storm, I know that winter is just having some last gasps. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I'm seeing the occasional bold daffodil as if this flower just can't wait to burst open and welcome milder weather. I'm also still aware that the tail end of winter is here. That time of year when I find myself taking stock of who I am, what I've done during the darkness, and am I re