Cultivating a sense of wonder is a healing thing. Wonder is gentle, deep healing. Nature offers us this gift if we just take some time in her company.
Helping put up a new mural
Hello wonder-folk! I’m Susan Knilans, also known locally as “the Camas Bee Lady.” Under the name Susan Chernak McElroy, I authored “Animals as Teachers and Healers” and a host of other books that explore our sacred and “wonder-filled” relationships with animals and nature.
I write to entice people into an unexpectedly deeper relationship with all of our relations: Furred, winged, leafy, and all the rest. I blog with stories, tips, and projects for expressing that deeper relationship close to home.
For the first time in my adult life, I am living “in town.” I’ve exchanged the antelope plains of Wyoming and the wild hollows of Indiana for a lovely neighborhood and a large yard. My housemates (the home’s owners) granted me control of a hill of garden space and a thriving frog container pond.
I’m all for whimsy!
I believe with all my heart that the most important thing we can do to help Nature in these crazy times is to start befriending our own dirt, our own small backyard wonders that are calling out for some heartfelt, hands-on restoration. Think of it—there are millions of potential backyard Edens out there!
Nature is not just where you find her. She is anywhere and everywhere you welcome her. Here we’ll explore some of the ways we can extend an inviting hand to wild Creation, from projects to simple perceptual shifts. I’ll share practical and magical ideas here for creating sacred space, from making bucket ponds to making kraut ferments. And yes, you can build Eden on a balcony.
Morning visitors. The deer are real, the goats are tin