"The songbirds chirped and twittered in the trees and shrubs on the chilly early March morning, like an orchestra warming up before the glorious chorus of the spring dawn song later in the month."

Now that most of the snow has melted, we can navigate our morning walk of "the loop" around our homestead without sinking in. We have 35 acres total. 25 we rent out to a neighbor, and 10 we use for our gardens, orchards, and everything else. The ten is where the loop is, and it's around 1500 steps, which is a nice walk to get the blood pumping and take in some morning sun.

Of course, critter care gets us outside, too. The animals don't care whether you'd rather sleep in and don't take well to breakfast being late. Simple tasks like gardening and animal care help us break the trend of spending way too much time indoors. It's just one of the many health benefits of gardening.

My head has been very busy lately, between working on my upcoming book and the website, and thinking about how to adjust my self-care routine to this whole "getting older" thing. Thing surely don't work quite the same in your fifties as when you are in your twenties, so it's much more obvious that we need to keep active so we can stay active and keep doing the things we love. There are a lot of different health issues in the family tree, but lifestyle has a big impact on whether or not those kick in.

What are some of the things you do for self-care? Reply to this email to share your thoughts.

All our best to you and yours,

Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)

This Week's Featured Articles...

Vegetables that Grow in Shade Even a shady yard can be productive. In some cases, shade can even save your harvest. This guide covers vegetables that grow well in shade, tips for boosting their yield, and common pitfalls to avoid. Read article

Church Dinner Chicken The guys made up a batch of this chicken recipe for supper. It always reminds me of my momma and my sister and working church suppers. Read article

Tiny, but Beautiful The flowers on common mallow look like miniature roses when they're in bud form, but the leaves steal the show. Common mallow is a virtual apothecary in one plant. Read article