There's a barn along the road in town that has "Don't forget the magic" painted on the side in five foot tall letters. Ever since my first trip up here, I've tried to remember to take that advice to heart. I grew up believing in all kinds of magic.…

Ever since the rain started back up a couple of weeks ago, I've been looking forward to the return of the red-bellied newts. They usually start roaming the hillsides soon after the first rain, but this year I hadn't seen a single one. Until today. …

We have a bunch of waterfalls here on the property, but only one that we call 'the waterfall.' It's so grand and powerful when the creek rises. Every year it looks a little different as rock is etched away by the rushing water. This past week we h…

This week the rain has started to come down hard. We're expecting over a foot to have fallen by the end of the week, with five inches forecast for Sunday alone. It's magical when it does this up here. The creek goes from a quiet trickle to a raging …

This week Joe and I watched Scenes From A Marriage on HBO. It was some of the best television I've seen in a very long time. The writing, directing and acting are all top notch. It also got me thinking about the ways we are all affected by the woun…

The otter came back to our neighbor's pond for a brief fishing foray this week. They travel up the hillsides from the rivers and creeks to hunt in ponds when they can't find enough to eat. It was very brave and swam around in the middle of the pond…

Our composting commode is next to the cabin. It doesn't have a door, so we get visitors in there sometimes. This summer an alligator lizard and a Sierran tree frog started showing up occasionally to hunt flies. Today, we all got a little surprise …

The first rain in September is another unofficial marker of autumn here on the mountain. It also puts us a step closer to the end of fire season. Last weekend, we got an inch of rain and the entire forest seemed to be taking a deep breath. It was wo…

Around here, nobody needs more cuddles than Ninja. If it isn't meal time, it's usually "Ninja time." He lets us know by rubbing himself against our shins until one of us picks him up and holds him like a baby. Then he just purrs like a he's never be…

We had our first gentle rain of the season yesterday. I love the sound the raindrops make when they fall on roof of our yurt. The dry forest seemed to appreciate the respite from the heat, as it gave off the most beautiful scent for almost the entir…