Peaceful Dragonfly Aromatics

12/18/2025

Many of the species on an oak are so specialized they rarely live anywhere else.

Its bark, branches, and acorns create a network of tiny habitats that turn one tree into a thriving hub of biodiversity.

12/18/2025

What a fantastic idea! People talking to each other… face-to-face! 💜

In the Netherlands, two college students sparked a quiet social revolution by opening phone-free cafés—cozy spaces where visitors are asked to put away their devices and simply talk to each other. With no Wi-Fi, no screens, and no distractions, the cafés are designed to bring back the lost art of face-to-face conversation.

Guests sit at long communal tables with gentle prompts like “What made you smile today?” or “Share a childhood memory,” encouraging strangers to connect over stories, not scrolling. The initiative was created to combat the growing sense of isolation in modern life, especially among the elderly, who often feel invisible in a digital-first world.

What started as a student project quickly became something more. Elderly visitors began returning regularly, saying it was the first time in years they had real conversations with younger people. Some described it as life-changing—offering not just company, but friendship and renewed confidence.

The students made sure the cafés felt warm and inclusive: handwritten menus, soft lighting, and no time limits. Some evenings feature card games or storytelling circles, but the core remains simple human connection.

In a world where eyes are so often fixed on screens, these phone-free cafés offer something refreshingly old-fashioned—real presence. And for many, especially seniors, that presence has quietly healed something deeper than silence.

12/18/2025

Observe how trees simply stand in their truth, rooted and present, without effort or apology.

12/16/2025

Imagine this:
every yard in every neighborhood leaving just a corner untouched —
a patch of stems, seedheads, clover, goldenrod, milkweed.

In a single season, those small patches would connect,
weaving together into the largest pollinator corridor in North America.
No laws. No committees. No waiting for permission.

Just people choosing to let nature breathe again.

12/14/2025

What a wonderful way to learn, to share, and enjoy healthy foods! 💜

In Italy, some public schools are bringing agriculture into the classroom—literally. Vertical vegetable gardens, mounted on classroom walls or near windows, allow students to grow leafy greens, herbs, and vegetables right where they learn. These indoor gardens use vertical racks, hydroponics, or soil-based planters to make the most of limited space, turning walls into thriving, edible ecosystems.

Students take an active role in planting, watering, and harvesting the crops, learning firsthand about food cycles, nutrition, and sustainability. When harvest time comes, the fresh produce is often incorporated into school lunches—meaning kids get to eat the very salads they helped grow.

This hands-on approach fosters a deeper connection to healthy eating and the environment. It also teaches responsibility, patience, and collaboration—skills that extend far beyond the garden. Teachers say it boosts curiosity and classroom engagement, especially when students taste the fruits of their effort.

Italy’s vertical school gardens reflect a broader movement toward food education and self-sufficiency, making sustainability both visible and delicious—one leaf at a time.

12/11/2025

You didn’t come here to fix things that are broken, or to know things you don’t know. You came because life on the path of least resistance is a delicious state of being. And you are in love with life, and you are in love with you, and you are in love with being in love with life. ~Abraham-Hicks

12/05/2025

Some positive news…

This year in Mexico the monarchs covered about 4.4 acres of forest, nearly double last winter’s 2.2.

It is still far from the decades-old highs of more than 45 acres, but the increase signals real recovery.

12/05/2025

Millions of trees owe their existence to forgetful squirrels, who bury nuts for later and then never return to dig them up — unintentionally planting entire forests in the process.

11/30/2025

Kindness matters… 🤗💜

"She felt like doing her part to change the world, so she started by giving thanks for all of the blessings in her life, rather than bemoaning all that was missing from it.

Then she complimented her reflection in the mirror, instead of criticizing it as she usually did.

Next she walked into her neighborhood and offered her smile to everyone she passed, whether or not they offered theirs to her.

Each day she did these things, and soon they became a habit. Each day she lived with more gratitude, more acceptance, more kindness. And sure enough, the world around her began to change. Because she had decided so, she was single-handedly doing her part to change it."

~ Scott Stabile

[Art: Catrin Welz-Stein]

via the The Cosmic Dancer
Mahalo

11/23/2025

Crows are so intelligent!

The crows learned the trick in Södertälje, where filters make up most of the city’s litter.

Their quick training turns a costly waste problem into a simple exchange. A small act with a surprisingly big impact.

11/18/2025

Love that scent. So grounding. 💜

🌧️ The Hidden Scent Before the Rain — Petrichor

There is a moment — just before the first raindrop falls — when the Earth releases a scent so ancient and familiar that most people recognize it instantly… even if they don’t know why.

This fragrance has a name: petrichor.

🔬 Where does it come from?

⚡ Lightning splits oxygen molecules, creating sharp-smelling ozone.

💧 Raindrops striking dry soil release natural plant oils.

🌱 Soil bacteria (especially Streptomyces) produce geosmin — a compound so potent that humans can detect it at parts per trillion.

Yet here’s the wonder:
Only around 30% of people can sense this scent before the rain begins.

It’s as if nature whispers to a select few before the sky opens.