It’s been a near perfect sugaring season so far. Plenty of warm days and cold nights, and just when we feel close to drowning in sap, a cold front moves in which slows down the trees and gives us a chance to catch up on boiling. Today I’ve got another 100 gallons to work through (small potatoes, really) and the wind is howling which should halt the sap flow. The forecast is looking downright frigid for the next week, so that will give the trees another reset before they flow again. Looks like our season will go deeper into March than we often see around here.
Recently I was asked to contribute a couple of thoughts on mind-body wellness for a project a friend is working on. Additionally, she asked if I could recommend a favorite podcast or similar type of resource. I’m not sure my suggestion was the sort of thing she was looking for, but without a doubt, the one podcast that I’ve logged more hours listening to over any other this past year, is ReWild Yourself, created and hosted by Daniel Vitalis. I love the way Daniel digs deep into our domesticated human experience, challenges taboos, and invites us to pause and reflect on many paradigms. He is a wonderful interviewer: compassionate, intelligent, and pushing boundaries of comfort. Equal to his interviews, I enjoy the start of his show where he does an extensive monologue and Q & A session based on listener questions. If you’re not familiar, I highly recommend checking it out. Just to put it out there, Daniel is not afraid to dive into some pretty adult topics, which I think he does with a great deal of care, respect, and genuine curiosity, but maybe read the show descriptions carefully before randomly hitting play on your next family road trip. A wonderful place to start listening is with any of the episodes featuring Nadine Artemis, founder of Living Libations. Another favorite guest is Arthur Haines, considered to be the premier Botanist in New England, a primitive skills expert, is brilliant beyond compare, and all around interesting guy. But you really can’t go wrong with any episode.
Not sure how I originally stumbled across Daniel’s podcast, but I thoroughly enjoy the work he is doing, and thought you might like it, too.
I’ve cycled into a quiet place recently so I don’t have much to report or write about. Guess I’ll just ride it out and wait for the other side. Until then, I hope you’re doing well. xo