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Meditation

Meditation is an important and easy self-care technique to have in your toolbox. Read more about how to get started in Meditation for COVID-19 Stress.

Reading

My 92-year-old mother-in-law is a book worm. During this pandemic, I have enjoyed calling her more often, and our phone chats regularly turn to her love of books. Hearing the excitement and joy in her voice as she discusses her latest read has inspired and rekindled my interest in reading.

Reading can offer solstice as well as a reward for a challenging day or time. I polled some of my friends and family to find what’s on their nightstand in hopes that a few might be of interest to others. Here is a selection:

Lori Nevin, Cle Elum, WA:

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – Fiction for escape and intrigue

• Power Trip by Amanda Little – A fantastic look at all aspects of our dependency on oil and its impact

• The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management by Eric Verzuh – Because I always can learn more about my profession

April LaLande, Prescott, AZ:

• A Tale for The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It has all the elements I love in a good read: mystery, corruption, compassion, a heavy dose of nature, a light touch of sci-fi. It’s set on an island, near Desolation Sound in British Columbia, where an interesting item has washed ashore from Japan that intrigues the island’s small population. I loved her other novels as well: My Year of Meats, All Over Creation. 

Fred Blickle, Eden, UT:

• How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger, MD., FACLM

Lizzie Odegaard, San Francisco, CA:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle – I just finished this and it is a very insightful and wise read about being a human.

• The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery – My current read. It’s very interesting so far and came highly recommended.

Patricia Cosgrove, Enumclaw, WA:

• Eight Whopping Lies by Brian Doyle – A series of beautifully written essays given to me for my birthday.

• Cave of Bones by Ann Hillerman – A mystery novel set on the Navajo reservation.

Abbe Gloor, Kent, WA:

• A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold – Having Mid-western roots, I can’t believe I am only now discovering this beautifully, sensually written book.

• The Nature Principle by Richard Louv 

• The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohllben

• And yet to read: Our Wild Calling by Richard Louv and The Dream of the Earth by Thomas Berry

Jessica Friedman, Pocatello, ID:

• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger – My all-time favorite book. It’s such a beautiful story of redemption, forgiveness, and unconditional love. Enger’s other books, So Brave, Young, and Handsome and Virgil Wander are also favorites.

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

• Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

On my own nightstand, I have: 

• Bitterbrush Country: Living on the Edge of the Land by Diane Josephy Peavey

• Growing Food: A Citizen’s Guide to Backyard Carbon Farming by Acadia Tucker

• Show Barn Blues by Natalie Keller Reinert

Learn Something New

Educating yourself is a way to broaden your horizons and bring in fresh perspectives. It can also give you a healthy break from what’s going on around us.

We have several new online courses available this fall. Check them out on the events page on our website.

You might also find some of these interesting: 

• Brush up on your wildfire preparedness plan after reading this article about a reined cow horse trainer’s first fire evacuation and the lessons she learned

• Review HCW’s FREE Firewise materials, including our brand new Tip Sheets, Emergency Evacuation Planning Checklist for Horses and Minimizing Wildfire Risk on Horse Properties.

• Learn about pollinator hedgerows with HCW’s new tip sheet, Pollinator Hedgerows for Horse Properties.

• Wildish is an interesting podcast about Australia’s wild horse issues and how they parallel those in the American West. 

• Still hoping to try horse camping this summer or fall? Check out Safe and Smart Horse Camping, an article Alayne Blickle wrote for The Horse

• Looking for some ideas on fly control? Here’s a two minute video on natural insect control options!

Try an Herbal Calming Spray

I use an herbal spray to help me get to sleep at night. I even take it when I travel. An herbal spray can be sprayed lightly on bed sheets and pillows or used as a room spray.

Ingredients
4 ounces distilled water
2 ounces witch hazel or rubbing alcohol
35-45 drops essential oil – such as lavender, eucalyptus, rose, or another favorite of yours

Mix it all up in a spray bottle, give a gentle shake, and there you go!