Dear Readers,

Hello! Hello! Obviously at this point in time my focus remains tightly on the publication of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy and the unfolding of its making its way into the world. This morning I sat with Antonia (just back from a summer in Costa Rica!) eating freshly baked scones, sipping tea and eyeing the many many boxes of books which are at this time housed quite literally very close to the area where we were sharing our breakfast. Yes, indeed. And I found myself saying to her, “I wonder where these books will go? What is each one’s destiny? What thoughts will they evoke and whose lives will they change?” Point of fact, I have mounted a map on my office wall and every book I can track, I do track on the map, by adding a sticky-backed rhinestone (yes! they make them!) to the new location. True story and such fun!!

(It’s very twinkley on this end!)

So far the books have made their way to about 20 states (including Hawaii!), and to Toronto and to Poland (Ewa in the Garden–review coming!) and the first is off to England to Liz’s Nutty Gnome today! Now I will have to mount a map of Europe as they fly like the seeds of the dandelion off to new shores. It’s happening. It’s exciting! I wish you could all come for tea and I’d show you the full range of all the reviews, and the first tv interview. The first radio interview is coming up Sept. 5th which is two full hours with callers! It reaches 37 states and half of Canada. And I have just submitted an article to Science of Mind, due out in their January issue. (I will keep you posted.) But as it’s not possible to share all the dynamics, I’m going to be true to my process and to my heart and yours, and share what I think you might enjoy. Towards that end I’m including here the links to an interview conducted by Tim Miejan who is in Minnesota, a dear man, editor of a publication called The Edge. It was just posted this morning! He divided the interview into two parts, so I’m giving you both links. I really did take great pleasure in reading these and I think you will, too. I particularly liked Part Two as we talked about some of the stories in the book (which he loved!) and we talked about The Scarf Project, which included so many of you.

Part One of Tim’s interview here.
Part Two of Tim’s interview here.

Enjoy, dearest readers!

Love and garden book blessings!
Kathryn xoxo

9/6 footnote: A special welcome to listeners of “Amplify” last night. If you are interested in knowing more about Plant Whatever Brings You Joy, simply visit www.estrellacatarina.com I hope you enjoyed the interview last night and I thank you for your visit!

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As we entered the small village of Mendocino my eyes lit up as I surveyed the architectural charm and the plethora of lovely gardens.

“I think this is the town I was looking for in Washington!” I excitedly told my daughter. I went directly to a realtor and inquired about houses. “I have just the place,” she said. And she drove us back to Frog Pond Road! As we entered the driveway I knew immediately this was my next home. And so it was.

One of the places I loved in the small town of Mendocino was Gallery Bookshop, owned at the time by Tony Miksak. I met Tony and he happened to interview me for Mendocino’s local paper, because, frankly, that long ago it was news for a business person, a publicist, to be running her business from the woods!

Recently I had the occasion to drive out again to the coast and I could not resist driving up Frog Pond Road where I planted that first garden that was the nascent inspiration for my new book Plant Whatever Brings You Joy. Where I had first scratched out a small plot there now grew a small datura with a Buddha planted below it. I smiled. The wooden fence now bore thick purple passion flowers. My small vision had been seen and cherished and augmented. How dear.

But now I was returning to drop off the first copies of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden, all these many years later as I will be doing my first booksigning at Tony’s old bookshop, also seen, loved and expanded, the Gallery Bookshop, facing the beloved Mendocino headlands and the Pacific Ocean, a most lovely place to be.

So I have come full circle, my dearest readers, and will begin my public presentations at the very spot the vision began. I hope locals folks can join us the evening of September 17th at 6:30PM. I would so love to see you. More information can be found here. Thank you!

Love and blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

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Hello, dear readers! I don’t know what it’s like where you are but it’s mostly been in the 90’s here in Northern California. It doesn’t exactly beg for any heavy eating. No. It asks politely for a light meal and here’s where I turn at least once during each warm season to an old favorite recipe for cold beet soup! Add to this that it is super easy to make and you have even more reason to get some beets. From the lowly root vegetables above we are going to make a masterpiece meal. Really.

Wash your beets (organic, please) and place in a big pot of water. So.

I never cut up my beets before cooking hoping to ensure that the vitals stay where I want them–inside! So I boil until I can stick a fork in them. Note they might not all arrive at that point due to size variance, so I remove them as they are done. And while that is going on, I am preparing cucumbers and green onions.

Peel and chop the cucumber. And throw the onions in a Cuisinart, for who wants to bite down on a chunk of onion? And then you will have this. Fresh. Summer yummy.

Now my favorite part. Cutting the beets, which I love to do because they are so utterly beautiful.

The above were cut to this size so they would cool more quickly. Then I peel off the outer skin and place in a big bowl with my cucumbers and onions, preparing for the magic.

Ready? To this mixture you are simply going to add one quart of lowfat buttermilk and a 1 lb. container of sour cream. Season with a bit of salt to taste and a pinch or two of dill. And here’s the heavenly result:

Place in frig to chill. When they emerge you will have to stir once again and the color will deepen to an even more beautiful hue. Enjoy!!

Love and summer kitchen blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

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Dearest Readers,

Today was a special and very important day in my life here in Northern California. Over twenty years ago I removed myself from the intricacies of life in Marin County, where I largely raised my daughter Antonia, and, essentially, “Mom moved to the country and got a dog”. Dream number one realized. And it was there in the woods next to a raging dynamic sea, which crashed through my dreams and comforted me that I started a small garden of flowers. I had not worked in a garden in years. I would begin my days out in the fog and mist and dig in the quiet still morning and as I worked and slowly experimented and planned I found myself soon coming to the realization that what I was learning in my garden made sense in my life.

Kathryn and Moxie beside first tiny garden plot in front of guest cottage/garage in Little River

And I began to take notes. And to ponder. And to observe. And I allowed myself immeasurable time to contemplate, as I expanded my various garden plots, what the essence of each lesson was and how it fit into the larger scheme of my life, and then I challenged myself, with whim and dedication holding hands, to distill that bit of wisdom into the simplest of terms. I was aware that my many years of working with the I Ching was influencing my thinking, for, having “thrown the I Ching” hundreds and hundreds of times what I noticed was that I would find myself in some situation where knowledge and wisdom were required, and I was so often surprised that some line from the I Ching would emerge–the perfect words at the perfect moment, offering me the gift I needed to move ahead. And I was fascinated by the power of this, and decided to make that part of my intention–to provide a bit of wisdom in the simplest terms that might lend a helping hand to a reader sometime in the future. And so it was. As the Dutch say, “In the seed is the tree.”

Throughout the years of development of this book many paths were explored. Ultimately I chose what felt right to me–the least expected path, in fact. And that was create a small publishing company and to assemble an excellent team of professionals and to rely on that team of excellence to shepherd the book through to, well, today. For that very large Fed Ex truck pulled up our street in the heat of this afternoon. Neighbors actually came out of their doors to see what had arrived! And here’s what they left on the front lawn. Ta da!

What to do? Fortunately I had had a small chat with the Folks Upstairs this morning about this very thing. For how can one plan for help arriving when the the shipping folks give you a five hour window for delivery? Indeed. One must take the Miracle Train. So, sure enough, even though Dave next door already was out the door with gloves and a hat, his wife in tow worrying about “the heat” (and duly so), three young boys came down the street in perfect timing, and I called out to them, “Would you boys like to make some money?” About face and they came back immediately, bless their hearts. Only minutes later that teenage summer energy had been applied to a neat stacking of the cartons indoors, ready for business!

First order of business was to keep a promise to my friend and master beader and basketweaver, Susan Billy to “sell her the first copy of the book”. This allowed me to get a pic of my happy self in her lovely bead shop with a copy of the first edition of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden.

We have been working very hard to get this book to market. “We” includes a bevy of incredible, talented people I have been so fortunate to work with. Now my attention turns to media, to the market and to you. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this book, I invite you to visit Estrella Catarina’s site . You will find there are a couple of options available.

My commitment is to continue to be of loving service, here on this blog, as a publicist for my clients, and also now in this capacity. Please watch for events I am in the process of creating. Details can be found on the Estrella Catarina site.

Many thanks for visiting this blog and for your encouraging feedback and support. And enjoy the book!!

Love and gardening blessings,
Kathryn xoxo
Footnote! Kindle edition now up on Amazon! Reviews are coming in and I am deeply touched! UK readers can find UK Kindle edition here. Please be aware that you need not own a Kindle to read a Kindle product. No. Kindle products can be purchased and then read on the following devices, all downloadable for free: Kindle for PC, Kindle for Mac, Kindle for iPhone, Kindle for Blackberry, Kindle for iPad. All links are provided at the Kindle page for this book.

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“Smart by Nature is an inspired handbook that connects hands-on experiences of the garden, the kitchen, the table, the compost heap, and the classroom curriculum.” ~Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse

In keeping with the inspirational thread we are currently exploring on this blog I was delighted that a close friend of mine happens to be promoting a book titled appropriately, Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability. It is written by Michael K. Stone, a senior editor at the Center for Ecoliteracy, a public foundation in Berkeley, California, known for its dedication to education for sustainable living. The Center for Ecoliteracy provides information and support to K-12 educators, parents and other members of school communities who are helping young people gain practical skills to live sustainably. I loved that my friend was able to send me a copy of this book as it synchronistically fit with my deep desire to help lend a voice to the conversation being widely generated in this country, and, certainly in the UK, about getting kids reconnecting with the Earth, and, most importantly, serving as a very solid guide to adults who find themselves inspired to help generate such programs in their schools and communities. Because it’s one thing to watch Jamie Oliver spark a conversation about what foods our schools are offering our children for lunch. It’s another to know where to begin. And I’m guessing that a marjority of my readers would agree that it’s far more powerful to give our kids a place to grow their own food, to get their hands dirty, to watch the miracle of a seed growing into a plant and to (let’s face it) demystify life itself, than to simply change the menu in the cafeteria. Otherwise I believe change will most likely be temporary and not rooted in a fundamental understanding that would lend itself nothing short of transforming one’s life. Thus the word sustainability. But where to start?

“As we recognize the sobering implications of global environmental and social justice threats, people are looking for smart new answers. Smart by Nature offers the best hope of all by explaining what sustainable living really means, how to teach it, and why young people with this knowledge will lead us to a safer, more fair, and prosperous future.” ~Kevin Coyle, VP Education and Training for the National Wildlife Federation

Smart by Nature offers a framework for schooling for sustainability based on two decades of work with hundreds of schools by the Center for Ecoliteracy. The book is conveniently divided into four areas of schooling for sustainability: food, the campus, community, and teaching and learning. Students learn to ask what is upstream and who is downstream, and to examine how their decisions affect the health of people and the environment. I invite you to imagine if the folks involved in the oil industry had been schooled in this way as children. Indeed, it is imperative that these principles, largely lost to both urban and suburban children, be reinstated into their curriculums if we, in fact, will have any chance of maintaining our beautiful world as we have grown to know it. The clock is ticking, my dearest readers. If these values beat in your heart, I hope you will find it within yourselves to teach what you know and to join others of like mind to help you realize your understandings and passions, or, at very least to write about these issues and to highlight communities who are implementing such programs. I believe this book is an excellent resource to guide such folks along the way.

Many of you have heard of the Native American tribal tradition of bearing in mind the effects of each of our collective decisions on the seventh generation to come. This is a practice well worth considering as we each find our way to support sustainability in our lives and in the lives of those who come after. May you find your way and help our youth to find theirs.

Love and gardening blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

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Not long ago I did a review of The Family Kitchen Garden which I found a good extension of my excitement about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. British Jamie, you might recall, did a show on national television about our schoolchildren eating a healthier diet, and creating gardens at schools is a solid way to introduce such new eating habits. I then heard from blogger Liz of the blog Nutty Gnome in the UK who is involved in a school garden project in Chesterfield and I immediately invited her to write a guest post about her project, hoping it might inspire both teachers and children to think of beginning such a project in their own schools. Following is her fascinating and very inspiring report! I particularly like that the students in this school were boys potentially at risk, and the gardening project gave them a focus where they could engage, and that made a difference, as we gardeners might expect!

Love and blessings,
Kathryn xoxoo

Footnote: Liz has posted a lovely second post about a primary school in the UK which also has a school garden here.

Following Kathryn’s recent post on Jamie Oliver and school gardens – and my comments about the school gardens projects in the secondary school where I am a Governor, and in our partner primary schools, Kathryn very kindly asked me to do a guest post about it. So here it is!

To put things into context, I thought that a bit of background might be helpful. I live in Chesterfield, which is in the county of North East Derbyshire in the middle of Britain (level with Manchester and just below Sheffield on the map). It is a beautiful, picturesque old market town where most of the heavy industry such as mining has closed down. It has some very prosperous areas and some very deprived areas within its boundaries.

The school I am involved with is Parkside Community School. It is a smaller than average sized secondary school of around 500 students aged 11-16. It sits in one of the most deprived areas in both the town and the County and is 46th out of 47 County secondary schools in terms of its social and economic deprivation levels, but its Value Added score is 2nd highest in the County (the Value Added score is the difference between the exam grades students are predicted to get and what they actually get). It is a fantastic school of which I am very proud to be a Governor.

One of our great achievements is the development of the gardening projects. There are currently two ongoing projects which began last year and one new project done in conjunction with the adjoining junior school which has started this year.

Parkside prides itself on knowing all its students well and in offering a personalised curriculum wherever possible. All students follow the core curriculum subjects of English, Maths and Sciences, but have the opportunity to follow an alternative or vocational curriculum as well. It is well known in Britain that boys in secondary education do less well than girls and can become disengaged from learning. Some of the boys involved in the gardening projects were disengaged, disruptive and close to being excluded from school (a process we do not take lightly). Some of the other boys were quiet underachievers who needed confidence building to support their learning.

The first project was the development of a ‘dead’ space behind ‘B’ block – the Science and Design Technology block. This area was an eyesore – messy, desperately overgrown, unused and unloved. Over several cold, damp winter days of 2008, the boys and staff cleared the area, broke through the old tarmac base to provide drainage, built a greenhouse, built raised beds, carted in 25 tonnes of top soil by hand (because the area has two flights of steps to negotiate to get to it) and worked on their planting plans. Unfortunately school didn’t photograph the area before the work began, but these are the earliest photos we do have and shows it partway through the transformation.

The area is north/south facing, bounded on the south and west by buildings and by a bowling green on the east – how terribly British!

Ground cleared

Greenhouse frame being erected

Spring 2009. The main raised beds go round the south and east sides of the garden. Other raised beds were created centrally, the flags laid around the fruit trees, a BBQ and table were built and an old bench rescued and renovated. Two boys, Jake and Matt, who were then in Year 9 (i.e., 14 years old) took over the running of this garden supported by Julie–a Teaching Assistant in school who has no previous knowledge of gardening. She did the initial planning, but the decisions about what to plant, and where, now come from the boys, with a little guidance from Julie who has had what she descibes as “the most amazing learning curve” about gardening, but obviously she has green fingers!

Matt, Julie and Jake in front of their new raised beds and trellising
The garden is amazing – I was absolutely gobsmacked when I went to see it, [Gobsmacked is Yorkshire for amazed and speechless! ‘gob’ = mouth!] and it’s not very often that I’m lost for words!

This year they have planted:
Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, broad beans, brussel sprouts, runner beans, peas, beetroot, leeks, spring onions, lettuce, radish, spinach, chard, courgette, cucumber, peppers, chilli, rhubarb, two beds of cosmos and pansies. They also have two apple tees, two plum trees, two cherry trees, sweet peas, plus raspberries and blackcurrants.

The boys feel that they have been transformed by the scheme. They were previously both disengaged and disinterested in academic learning. One was close to being permanently excluded from school for what he describes as an ongoing habit of doing daft and disruptive things that everyone got fed-up with. The other was quieter but ‘had his moments’ – as he put it! Now in Year 10, they are immensely proud of what they’ve achieved – and rightly so. They have set up a gardening company and Jake wants to go on to do a Land-Based Studies course at college.

Jake, Julie and Matt with this year’s crop!

Raised beds with painted railway sleepers
The produce from the garden is sold into the community at the summer fair and to staff and parents throughout the growing season. The pansies will be sold in plant pots painted by some Y9 girls as part of a science project. The original idea was to sell everything to the school kitchen, but that proved problematic last year for a wide variety of reasons, although negotiations are under way with the new Head Cook. We feel that it is important for our young people to have the link between growing, cooking and eating healthy foods, so we’re working hard to ensure this happens!

The proceeds from produce sales are ploughed back into the project to make it sustainable. In September Jake and Matt will begin to work with new trainee gardeners from lower down the school, to pass on their skills and ensure the continuity of the project before they leave school.

The most recent innovation is that our Site Manager has managed to acquire some bark chippings free from somewhere and they will be used to cover the remaining hard surfaces and give a softer feel to the area.

The second project is not quite as advanced as this one because the Teacher and Teaching Assistant involved have less time to commit to it because of their timetabled classes. However, it has involved up to 8 boys, mainly from Years 8 and 9, who have learnt the practical applications of maths as they have, under supervision: laid a concrete base for the shed (twice – because the shed had to be moved!), laid paving slabs, installed taps, helped construct the polytunnels, made raised beds in the polytunnels and outside – and worked out the volume of soil required to fill them, harvested rainwater via water butts they installed, and sited the compost bins – which take compost from the Food Technology classroom behind the garden. The boys now want to repaint the shed “because it’s a bit girlie!”, make a pond and build a herb garden.

Tying up tomatoes
There was some reluctance to be photographed, but I think the boys deserve all the credit for producing a great small garden from scratch ….and I wish I could lay flagstones as well as they have!

They all feel that they have benefited from the project, not just by “getting out of lessons!” as one boy said, but by seeing maths in action, having something that they could see develop as they worked, learning practical skills, working as a team.

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Today I am choosing to celebrate the first day of summer by focusing on the singular beauty of individual flowers. Technology remains a mystery to me, so I’m not quite sure how I arrived at these images. I only know I felt a strong urge early yesterday morning to get out my camera and record what I found about me, not wanting to miss recording the moment. And these emerged. Perhaps it’s the early morning light that allows their presence to fully illumine themselves in such spectacular beauty. But I enjoy the mystery too much to ever actually try to figure it out. What enchants me most is that these photos, when they come, remind me of painting on black velvet. Only much better. Enjoy.

variegated rose

butterfly bush

gorgeous new climbing rose (with company)

simple, simple, and an all-time favorite rose

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean–
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down,
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

~ Mary Oliver

rock rose

lily

hydrangea

I call this my Pepto Rose. I do.

mallow

new butterfly bush (Needs to be planted soon!)

another heirloom rose

remind me!

Love and summer blessings!
Kathryn xoxoo

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Waaaay back in the 70’s in Sausalito, when Antonia was a little girl, I joined a choir. The director of that choir was a beautiful singer named Pamela Polland and when you read my book Plant Whatever Brings You Joy you will read in part just how important she is in my life. And here we are, both of us, living out our dreams in 2010, still truckin’ and very nicely, thank you. Pamela now lives on the island of Maui, and has for many years. And all these years this accomplished musician has continued to sing her heart out with a wide variety of talented people. And all the while she has moved ever closer to incorporating the Hawaiian culture into her life–and thus ours, as you shall hear.

First I was charmed that Pamela (for years) took hula lessons, and learned to play the ukelele. How exotic, right? Here’s my girl.

And then, immersing herself ever more deeply, she began to study and attempt to master the native language of Hawaii. She took this upon herself as a sacred duty and gift. She has honored the native Hawaiians for as long as I can remember. This was just one more way.

Another fascinating facet of Pamela’s life is that she is a swimmer. Her idea of celebrating her birthdays is to challenge herself to swim ever greater distances, say from cove to distant cove, in the gorgeous ocean that surrounds her island. She goes out with a bevy of beauties whom she affectionately called “mermaids,” of which she is one. And off they go. I have always been in awe of this endeavor as I cannot quite imagine myself doing this, ever. And I have been the lucky recipient of such amazing photos as these.

And NOW my dear friend, at the very same time I am launching my book (woot!), is releasing her new EP, Pamela Polland’s “Hawaiianized”. Given our closeness and the fact she is also Antonia’s Godmother, I was a lucky lucky girl and got to hear some of her cuts early! And I cried. I did. It made me realize how precious our parallel paths have been all these years, and how incredibly blessed we are to still be creating and I was so very deeply moved by her voice and where she’s coming from inside. I was so inspired, in fact, that I called her and got permission to offer all of you dear souls an inside peek. Because, point of fact, this music will not be available to the public at large for another two weeks, most likely. One, if we are fortunate! On iTunes!

So! Without another word I am privileged to share with you my favorite cut (which I have been singing for two days now), “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”–Hawaiianized! Enjoy, dear readers!

Love and happy blessings,
Kathryn xoxoo

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For far longer than I care to ponder I’ve had a rather hazy relationship with lavender. I know it when I see it. I’ve grown it successfully in the dampness of North Carolina, the deserts of Arizona and the lush soils of California. But could I tell you any details? Not really. So I jumped at the opportunity Timber Press afforded me when they published Lavender: The Grower’s Guide by New Zealand horticulturist Virginia McNaughton.

In my own garden I have a huge plot of lavender in bud, captured here on a recent foggy morning. From my reading this book I believe these are angustifolias, the spindly, skinny versions that we most commonly see in gardens.

I love the lavender at this stage. It is already ripe with perfume when I water it or brush by it. But I am filled with anticipation of what is about to unfold, because ultimately, this is what this lavender patch will look like, as it did last summer.

And then it will be a mass of bees and butterflies for weeks and I adore that stage of its life (and mine). This plant is, indeed, a gift to all the bees in your neighborhood.

happy bee photo courtesy of Antonia Hall

Also gracing my garden are the lavenders called Stoechas. They appear to have little wings on top and are very endearing. Propagation requires taking soft wood cuttings from the plant.

Lavender has been a regular part of my life for many years now. I use lavender oil regularly in my baths. And I never fail to take a bottle of lavender oil with me when I travel as I know the restorative powers of its fragrance, sprinkled on a pillowcase or, again, in a relaxing bath to take the stress out of travel. The bottle (found at any good health food store) is so small one can easily drop into ones purse and be relied upon as a quick resource when one needs a mental adjustment. I liked the lavender notes in the introduction to this book that read:

“Spiritually, lavender is considered a plant that will raise perceptiveness and take an individual to higher states of consciousness during mediation. Since fabled Lemurian times, special devas or plant guardians were appointed to look after the plants until such time as mankind was able to absorb greater knowledge. Its therapeutic use in aromatherapy and its wide range of healing applications as well as other fragrant and ornamental uses make lavender one of the most versatile of herbs. It is truly a magical plant and those who have ever been enticed and enchanted by its sweet, heady perfume become enamoured for life.”

Yes, I’d say I’m a lifelong fan. You?

Looking about my own environs I discovered a neighbor who had used lavender in a very efficient and beautiful way, lacing it with other plants such as roses, guara, and rock rose, creating a natural boundary between her property and the sidewalk that ran before her home. What a lovely “fence”!

Happily, Lavender: The Grower’s Guide will serve as the only book you will ever need to identify more than 200 species and cultivars of lavender, and will provide you with all the information you will need to lovingly include this most exquisite addition to your garden. Enjoy!

Love and gardening blessings,
Kathryn xoxo
Footnote pics for Ewa in Poland (See comment below! ):

So this is the very old structure holding this in place, Ewa. Have you ever seen lavender this old? No? Neither have I. The woman who most likely planted this was the wife of the man who built this house many decades ago. And this is a small town so old timers remember that she was president of the local gardening club! So in our nineties this is what we apparently have to look forward to in our gardens! I guess!

And following is what that patch of lavender looks like at the moment. But within a month or so after all the bees have gathered all their pollen and the butterflies have come to visit and the lizards have hidden underneath it [anyone remember?] it will simply fall over from all the love and visitors. Think of it as the Velveteen Rabbit of Lavenders. xoxo

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Dear readers, it gives me incredible joy to announce to you that my book, Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden is now ready for publication! The official publication date is August 1, 2010. An event will be held on that date at the Nickel Creek Nursery in Mendocino County to honor the occasion. I have created a site where all information about Plant Whatever Brings You Joy can be learned. Please visit:

www.estrellacatarina.com

Thank you!

Love and reader blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

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