In August and September 2017, painted lady butterflies invaded the Plains. They clung to flowers and bushes, drinking their nectar like new and strange autumn-time blossoms of orange, red, and black. The monarchs usually steal the glory, but the painted ladies (vanessa cardui) of 2017 took the spotlight. Plentiful and nourishing rains in California had […]
Nature has a metaphor that perfectly illustrates what it means to live creatively. Friends, I present to you the humble seed: offspring of flowers and pollen, a hard little mote that can survive millennia in a frozen tundra or a hot summer in the back garden, add specks of flavor and texture to your muffin […]
I am back! You may notice that the blog is a little more stream-lined and simplified. As with anything–from this blog to my novels to how I organize my apartment–I’m always seeking ways to make things work and look better. Sometimes that takes a period of reevaluation. And sometimes that period is long for many […]
I rarely take a political stance at Joy & Moxie. I hate how it divides people. It triggers my anxiety to the point where I can’t function. But today, it’s important to speak out. You don’t need me to underline or highlight the fact that protests are still raging over the death of George Floyd, […]
Music is medicine. Especially on an overcast and chilly week in May, in the second month of an endless global pandemic. To update you, Nebraska has surpassed 9,000 total cases of COVID-19. This is not as “bad” as New York or other parts of the country, but cases are surging and have not peaked. (The […]
