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Twenty Years of Gardening in Circles

Laurie Neverman — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 17:18:59 +0000

When people visit our homestead, one of the first things they notice is the unusual garden south of the house. Instead of neat rectangular beds laid out in rows, the garden is arranged like the spokes of a wagon wheel. Paths radiate outward from a central circle, creating wedges of growing space that have been...

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Yarrow Benefits, Uses, and Growing Tips

Laurie Neverman — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 20:51:34 +0000

Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is one of those rare plants that earns its keep almost everywhere. It’s attractive to pollinators, useful in herbal medicine, naturally drought tolerant, and hardy enough to thrive in poor soil where many other plants struggle. Whether you want to plant yarrow for its medicinal properties, use it as a companion...

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Why We Still Plant Gardens

Laurie Neverman — Sun, 31 May 2026 20:26:31 +0000

This spring has tested my patience. The weather can’t seem to make up its mind. We’ve gone from freezing temperatures to summer heat in less than 48 hours. March and April brought torrential rains, and now we’ve gone weeks without significant rainfall. The plants are confused. My internal thermostat is confused. When I was in...

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How to Read a Map: A Practical Beginner’s Guide

Laurie Neverman — Sun, 31 May 2026 19:18:58 +0000

Most people carry a GPS in their pocket, but surprisingly few people know how to read a map. That’s not a problem until technology stops working. A dead battery, poor cell service, severe weather, or a major emergency can quickly turn a routine trip into a stressful situation. Knowing how to read a map gives...

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Paper Maps for Preparedness: What to Buy and Why

Laurie Neverman — Sun, 31 May 2026 19:17:34 +0000

Most of us rely on smartphones and GPS for navigation. They work well—until they don’t. Power outages, cell tower failures, software glitches, dead batteries, and network congestion can all leave you without access to digital maps when you need them most. That’s why paper maps remain an important part of emergency preparedness. Whether you’re planning...

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Benefits of Sun Exposure: More Than Vitamin D

Laurie Neverman — Sat, 23 May 2026 21:53:21 +0000

For many years, we’ve been taught to think of the sun primarily as something to avoid. Wear sunscreen. Stay in the shade and cover up. Yet the benefits of sun exposure have been recognized for centuries. While excessive UV exposure carries risks, humans evolved under open skies, not under fluorescent lights and glowing screens. Long...

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Abundance Gardening – Crops That Keep Feeding You

Laurie Neverman — Fri, 22 May 2026 19:38:03 +0000

Abundance gardening is all about getting more food, more harvests, and more value from the garden space you already have. Instead of focusing only on garden size, abundance gardening centers on productivity. Which crops keep producing? Which plants give the biggest return for the effort? How can one garden bed provide food for weeks or...

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How to Get Rid of Dandelions Without Chemicals

Laurie Neverman — Sun, 17 May 2026 20:07:39 +0000

Why would I write about how to get rid of dandelions when I thoroughly enjoy these bright yellow flowers? Though I like them, I know they’re not always welcome. For instance, a friend had a toddler who was allergic to bees and a yard full of blossoms. Not a great combination. As a member of...

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What Does Resilient Mean? A Practical Definition

Laurie Neverman — Sat, 16 May 2026 21:43:37 +0000

The word resilient gets used a lot these days — in schools, workplaces, mental health conversations, and emergency planning — but it’s not always clearly defined. So what does resilient actually mean, especially in everyday life? At its core, resilience is the ability to withstand hardship, adapt to change, and keep going without breaking. It’s...

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7 Layer Salad Like Grandma Used to Make

Laurie Neverman — Sat, 09 May 2026 23:32:25 +0000

Some foods don’t just feed you – they take you back in time. A friend and I went out for lunch recently, and one of the items on the menu was 7 layer salad. I hadn’t had it in years, and the thought of that cool, creamy, crunchy salad sounded perfect. Alas, when the salad...

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