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

By Cynthia Brian "My garden is my most beautiful work of art" – Claude Monet We’ve all heard the adage, “April showers bring May flowers!” We have the flowers this year, but April precipitation did not materialize. 2021 is lining up to be the third driest year in the history of California. And that means that we must be more diligent than ever to prepare our properties for a season of increased wildfires. I have been weeding my property with every spare minute since February.

By Cynthia Brian “You may know the world is a magical place when Mother Nature creates her own jewelry.” Maya Angelou Spring is the most colorful season of the year with a cornucopia of bulbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees in bloom. It is also the time when Mother Nature shares the ornaments that most gardeners loathe…weeds! Although I am aware that a weed is just a plant growing where I don’t want it, this year those plants are in profusion everywhere. My garden is bursting wit

Hippity Hoppity Easter’s on its Way By Cynthia Brian “It was Easter Sunday. The full-blossomed trees filled all the air with fragrance and with joy.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Spanish Student Blossoming fruit trees, poppies adorning hillsides, and daffodils illuminating walking paths… the sirens of the start of spring have sprung. As seedlings pop through the soft soil and new green growth emerges on hedges, trees, and vines, uninvited wildlife visitors tend to hop, fly, sc

“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright Happy hours that stay with you all the year long.” Irish blessing. My first introduction to the Emerald Isles arrived when I was seven. First grade was the beginning of my education since pre-school and kindergarten did not exist in our neck of the woods. A new school had been constructed with young teachers dressed from head to toe in black with white collars wh

“The heart is like a garden. What seeds will you plant there?” Buddha The first vista I witness every morning as I traipse downstairs in my pink fluffy slippers to grab a cup of java invigorates my day. Outside my stairwell window, a tall crimson camellia tree sways in the breeze flanked by a shimmering evergreen flowering pear. Rounding the corner, I look to my right. Through the hand-made stained-glass arch, winter and spring co-mingle. The bright cerise flowers of the peac

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1426/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Let-the-sun-shine-in.html Digging Deep with Cynthia Brian, the Goddess Gardener By Cynthia Brian “When the moon is in the Seventh House And Jupiter aligns with Mars Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars. This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Lyrics to Age of Aquarius by The 5th Dimension Astrologers don’t agree that it is the dawning of the Ag

February is American Heath Month and Black History Month. It also celebrate two significant holidays, Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day. During Covid-19, people are afraid to visit a physician for preventative care. The good news is that patients can take care of their health at home with virtual consultations, home monitoring, and testing devices. Find out what you can do to stay healthy and stay home. February is a month of pruning, planning and perusing in your garden. T

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” ~ George Moore Like most of us who have been sheltering at home for the past eleven months, traveling to foreign lands has not been part of my normal activities. At first, I was immensely disappointed to cancel my 2020 exotic trips, especially the one that would have reunited me with my European pen pal with whom I’ve been corresponding regularly since I was nine years old. That’s a long ti

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi I popped the crunchy pods of my just-picked sugar snap peas into my mouth as I uttered a prayer of gratitude for the food I grow to nourish my family and the gardens I cultivate to nourish my soul. The past few weeks have brought the fragility of life into focus amidst the mounting death toll from the pandemic and the anxiety aroused by the political rampages. We need to return to our

Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian Garden Trends for 2021 By Cynthia Brian “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!” Oprah Winfrey HELLOOOOOOO 2021! We have been holding our collective breaths for the past ten months desperately anticipating a new beginning with a new year. Are you feeling a renewed enthusiasm for living? Are you ready to dig in? Every year the Garden Media Group releases information on what trends are formulating for th

By Cynthia Brian “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year!” Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol One sentiment was universal this season in the holiday cards and emails…hope for a safe, healthy, prosperous future. 2020 has been a year of enormous challenges, chaos, and crisis amid a frightening pandemic that rendered many people feeling hopeless and helpless. Even with shelter-in-place mandates and Zooming taking the place of “being there”, resilience wil

By Cynthia Brian “The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives. I rejoice when I see anyone, and especially children, inquiring about flowers, and wanting gardens of their own, and carefully working in them. For love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies, but always grows and grows to an enduring and ever-increasing source of happiness.” Gertrude Jekyll Watching the wide-eyed w