A while back I was driving through Florida and passed a house in a little town with a falling apart fence. That fence, for some reason, sparked a whole train of interesting thought for me. It’s a little convoluted, but let’s see if I can communicate the train of thought.

The fence was theoretically a privacy fence, but it was old and had lots of missing boards. It provided some lack of sight-line to the yard if you just glanced past it. But if you were actually looking, you could see the whole yard.

Since moving in at The Wallow, I’ve spent a lot more time outside than I ever have before. Oh, I’ve always loved the outside, but it’s usually contained to specific experiences, like camping or hiking. Here at The Wallow, the outside is within my bubble of what counts as “home”. There’s less distinction between inside and outside, and I’ve simply been noticing more.

Here are a few of the tiny things I’ve noticed lately, that were preserved in pictures.

I found some products clearly being marketed to me. I walked past the display in the grocery store and they caught my eye quite well. My brain was right in step as well – “Oh! Plates made from leaves! Bamboo! So eco-conscious!” The products and their packaging have the look that I like – a minimalist, nature look that I first noticed in yoga-commerce.

I also appreciate the idea that if there’s something that I really want to do, I should be on the lookout for ways to do it that take my larger environment in mind. Making useful products out of leaves? Who wouldn’t approve of that?

Ever since moving into The Wallow, I’ve been noticing the little details of nature more often. Are there more spiders in this house? More birds in this yard? More bugs in this grass? Maybe. Or maybe I’m just paying more attention to these kinds of details. In any case, I am happy to be settled into a place where I notice the growth of life all around me.

I posted here about how I planned to use parsley to induce my menstruation. Here’s the step-by-step information, process, and results.

This was a post I made on my LJ back in 2004. As another Fall Equinox rolls around, I was reminded of this post and the people from it who are still in my life. I no longer call myself Pagan, but most of the sentiments I felt then are no less true for me now. Enjoy.

I have some mixed feelings about it, but I’m going to use parsley this week to attempt to bring an early onset to my menstrual cycle. I’m currently on schedule to start bleeding at Burning Man, which wouldn’t be the end of the world, but wouldn’t be perfectly ideal. I’ve got plans to get laid as much as possible at Burning Man this year, and while menstruation rarely causes me any consternation since I use the Diva Cup, it does get in the way of sex, especially with new partners.

It’s an unfortunate fact that many women are bothered and inconvenienced by their monthly menstruation. It’s no surprise, though. Periods are expensive, require a lot of contraptions, are wasteful, smell bad, and are just generally annoying.

Or are they?