News, nature, and community throughout the Emerald Triangle
Some seasons are measured in weather. Others are measured in seedlings survived, drip lines repaired, and the joy of getting your hands back in the soil after hardship. In her latest Mountain Musings column, Dottie writes about healing, aging, mice with expensive taste, and the deep satisfaction of a garden beginning to thrive again.
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From shifting weather patterns and early blooms to the rising cost of feed, changes happen over the years—but every so often, something entirely new appears.
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Warm days, thriving starts… and an all-you-can-eat buffet for Humboldt’s hungriest garden raiders. From gophers to ground squirrels, Dottie says the battle for your harvest never really ends.
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“Due to my personal twist of fate, I was on my own at an early age without having had an elder kitchen mentor.”
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Someone once said “Good Judgment depends mostly on experience and experience usually comes from poor judgment.”
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Living in rural Humboldt is equal parts sacrifice, self-sufficiency, and appreciation for the land — far different from the stereotypes, but richer in ways outsiders often miss.
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In this guest column, eastern Humboldt County resident Dottie Simmons reflects on life at her rural homestead, sharing decades of awe inspired by dark skies, meteor showers, comets, eclipses, and rare aurora sightings from the mountains she calls home.
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In this week’s Mountain Musings, eastern Humboldt homesteader Dottie Simmons reflects on how a simple need for fragrance-free soap grew into a thriving handmade business producing 25,000 bars a year—and the lessons learned along the way.
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If it’s predicted to snow or have a hard freeze we harvest extra carrots and greens to tide us over.
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“Living this life requires being able to learn a lot of skills, sometimes on the fly.”
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