Local Lumber

by Paul Fischer
My Great Uncle Walter was an experienced woodworker, and the first to show me the magic of transforming a rough board with a planer: three razor knives spinning 10,000 rpms to reveal wood grain with fancy names like bird’s eye, blister, curl, dimple, fiddleback, flame, ghost, quilted, spalted, fleck, and ray.
Growing right here [...]

Give the Gift of Good Eats!

Every year I ask everyone I am going to give a gift to, “What do you want for Christmas?” and most of the time I am left with “I don’t know.” Well this year I am going to take a cue from husband whose motto is “Get something you think they will like, don’t wait [...]

Could You Go A Whole Year Buying Nothing New?

November 26 and 27, 2010: Buy Nothing Day (BND) is an international day of protest against consumerism
Every Holiday season Karen Heimdahal used to love to join the throngs of people hitting the stores and sales for that perfect present. But a few years ago, a light bulb went off and she drastically changed her shopping [...]

Coming Home

by Doug Dobberfuhl
Brendan sat back on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.  “I moved back to my hometown two years ago. I had not lived within a 60 mile radius of the place for over 15 years, and what I experienced surprised me. At first, I just felt a little out [...]

An Alternative Approach to Asthma

by Dr. Tammy Amoth
It’s that time of year again…the festive lights on holiday trees, the warm crackling of a fire, and the chill in the air all signal that winter is here! Did I say “chill” in the air? What I meant was “frigid, arctic frost!”  The blustery, cold winter can create respiratory challenges for [...]

Ways to sidestep that pesky common cold

Ayruveda, an ancient Indian healing practice, says that colds are an imbalance of one’s dosha. Basically, when your energy goes bonkers, you get a cold, which often happens in the autumn or winter seasons. These seasons increase the vata dosha, which is associated with the wind and colder weather. A cold caused by increase of [...]

Ayurveda and Yoga for Holiday Serenity

by Patricia Wickman
Before you start reading this article, take a moment to ask yourself some questions. First of all, notice how you are breathing right now. Is your breathing fast? Slow? Shallow? Deep? Agitated? Calm? Also, take a mental note of how your day has gone so far. More specifically, what has been your general [...]

12 Days of Fitness Challenge!

by Lori Heck
HO! HO! HO!  Do I have a holiday fitness challenge for you! Not only do I want to help you start your 2011 New Year’s Resolution early, I also want to help you stay healthy, feel better, and have less stress during the holiday season! Between holiday shopping, parties, school events, etc… health [...]

Pearly Whites, Naturally

We all have a bedtime routine: take out contacts, wash face, brush, floss, and rinse. Right? But have you ever stopped to think about what’s in the toothpaste and rinse that makes it so blue or bright green? Along with freshening and cleaning, you are also consuming a good amount of fake colors and fragrances [...]

The Backward Eating Habits of Mainstream America

by Paul Gerst
There is an old adage that most Americans seem to reject with abject authority. This adage is of a very personal nature and arguably, affects all aspects of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Instead of adopting it as a sound life-principle, it has been retired to the “old-sayings” bin. The adage [...]

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