Are you feeling grateful? December marks the season of gratitude and giving. Autumn boasts cooler weather and nature’s spectacular showcase of colorful leaves on shrubs and trees as we ramp up for holiday festivities. We show our appreciation for living. Have you bought a designer bag at a discount price only to find out that it was a fake? How can you reduce your chances of buying counterfeit products? There are red flags to be aware of and you’ll find out how to be a more s

By Cynthia Brian “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” Henry Ward Beecher Are you feeling grateful? Although I feel thankful for every day that I walk on this earth, after such a tumultuous twenty months, this year my heart is overflowing with appreciation. Throughout these times, my garden has been my sanctuary, my refuge, and the place where I recharge. The abelia is blooming and that makes me cheerful. Autumn is a splendid season with cooler weath

http://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1519/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Butterflies-are-free.html https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2021/11/12/if-a-butterfly-flutters/ Butterflies are Free By Cynthia Brian “If a butterfly flutters its wings in Brazil, could it cause a tornado in Texas?” Edward Lorenz, meteorologist Almost everyone has heard of the “butterfly effect”. Originally based on weather and climate predictions, it has become a metaphor for the e

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1518/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Gremlins-of-the-garden.html https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2021/10/27/garden-gremlins/ Gremlins of the Garden By Cynthia Brian “Gnome and elf and fairy, Witch and ghost make merry On this last of dear October’s days.” Lettie. C. Van Derveer, Halloween Happenings, 1921 The howling, nipping, and barking of the coyote send shivers down my back. Although they hunt throughout the day,

By Cynthia Brian “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitzgerald The earth trembled. The fires raged. The stock market crashed. October has notoriously become a month when disasters great and small occur. No matter what transpires, life goes on and nature always prevails. After a summer of extreme heat, cooler weather is a welcome gift. The benefit for gardeners is that the soil is warm making it perfect for rooting, especially when we receive

*I recommend that all bachelors have a garden. It will give them the experience of being a parent.” Richard Goodman One time when I was the celebrity garden guest on an HGTV program, the discussion turned to relationships and family. My advice was like Richard Goodman. I announced that relationships and parenting are like gardening. They require being present, constant nurturing, detailed attention, consistent efforts, and sometimes sacrifice. If you can grow a plant, you ca

What is your emergency plan if a disaster occurs? Is your “Go Bag” packed and ready/ Where will you go? Who will you contact? What things do you need to do to prepare in advance in case the worst happens? As you start going back to enjoy a restaurant experience, there are some new rules of participation. Are you polite and use manners when you go out to eat? Restaurants are run by people who work hard to provide a service to diners. You’ll get the low-down on how to act, comm

By Cynthia Brian “Tickle it with a hoe and it will laugh into a harvest.” English Saying Every September I think about two major garden projects that transpire throughout the autumn season: harvesting and bulb buying. Fall boasts a spectacular bounty of pears, Asian pears, grapes, apples, tomatoes, tangerines, blackberries, walnuts, kiwis, and more. The last of the peaches and nectarines are being picked while festivals celebrating the end of the fruit and vegetable collecti

How has the isolation of the pandemic affected human relationships? Do we feel more connected to strangers than our loved ones? Are intimate relationships strained? Did you feel closer to fictional characters more than real ones? Who were your pandemic partners? Planet Earth is on a catastrophic collision course. The effects of climate change are pervasive and with greenhouse gases rising, irreversible damage is imminent. Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and drough

Be the Star You Are!® 501 c 3 charity launched on 9/9/1999 with just a few volunteers with a dream to empower women, families, and youth by providing positive media messages, increased literacy, and tools for living. No one realized that 22 years later, BTSYA would be a recognized as a top non profit for arts, culture, and empowerment, especially for teens. Founder and Executive Director will celebrate the anniversary with an overview of the amazing history of this grassroots

Humans are social beings and we like getting together. With warm weather predicted for the next two months, gathering in our gardens for a picnic, barbecue, or just a chat will be a safer method of communing. Fete the final days of summer with a casual gathering or formal gala. A setting in nature sets the tone for a festive, friendly, and safe celebration for the benefit of everyone. Get vaccinated! Are you addicted to video games? What about social media, your phone, emails

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1514/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Garden-gatherings.html “We need to teach people that the environment has a direct bearing on our own benefit.” Dalai Lama It’s official. The Pfizer vaccine has received full and final approval by the FDA with the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines soon to follow. The CDC stated that if we want to spend time with people who don’t live with us, outdoor activities are the saf

Press Pass: https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2021/08/18/sacred-spaces/ “Nature is the original church. Worship there daily.” Alan Cohen If we have learned anything from the pandemic of the past eighteen months, it is that our greatest blessing is to be able to go outdoors to breathe fresh air. Many people choose to hike the hills, walk the reservoir, or take a jaunt to the ocean to calm nerves and preserve sanity. For those of us fortunate enough to have a garden, balcony, porc

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1512/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Water-matters.html “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” Benjamin Franklin We turned on the spigot. A trickle. Seconds later, nothing. For over a hundred years the deep well had served three houses, several barns, and all the gardens on our Napa County ranch without a problem. This summer, the well is empty. The bucolic lake built by my Dad and brothers in the form

“When the sun rises, I go to work. When the sun goes down, I take my rest. I dig the well from which I drink, I farm the soil which yields my food, I share creation. Kings can do no more.” Chinese proverb In the sizzling heat of summer, many annuals go to seed and flowers fade. Thankfully there are plants besides cacti and succulents that enjoy the higher temperatures. Most of my favorite summer bloomers are perennials that once established require minimal irrigation. My top

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1510/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian.html “The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams. Henry David Thoreau Barefoot and wearing our bathing suits, my daughter was teaching me Bar Method exercises out on our lawn on a beautiful summer afternoon. Partway through the practice I was stung on my foot by a honeybee dining on the clover. Clover is a wonderful addition to lawns as it adds natural nitrogen to the

Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian The Birds Know Best By Cynthia Brian “I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs. -Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719)” After months of intently watching my two cherry trees blossom and form fruit, I was aghast as flocks of birds began to daily swarm the branches and fly away with unripe cherries in their beaks. Joseph Addison’s quote eased m

By Cynthia Brian Normally the sound of weed-whackers disrupts the tranquility of living the soulful country life, but this year, I am grateful to hear their constant buzzing. With a summer of historical dryness in front of us bringing a looming fire danger, cutting the grasses on hillsides, paths, and in backyards is imperative. I’ve been working on my property since early February weeding, cutting, pruning, mulching, repairing, and planting in preparation for a hot, dangerou

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1507/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Wildfire-protection-through-landscaping.html Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian Wildfire Protection through Landscaping By Cynthia Brian “Fire is never a gentle master.” Proverb This past year most of our conversations have revolved around the pandemic, masking wearing, and questions about recovery and normalcy. With the impending drought, an urgent topic that is

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1506/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Garden-party-hacks.html By Cynthia Brian “I was reared in the garden, you know.” Emily Dickenson If you are like most people who have been hibernating and following CDC social distancing protocols during the pandemic, you are probably itching for a gathering of friends and family. If you have been vaccinated (and, I hope you have), small outdoor get-togethers without masks are c