Laura Smyth

After the inspiring protests yesterday, even in my remote part of the country, it definitely is a "Fortunate Son" soundtrack kind of Sunday!

A mug covered in images of kittens sits on a wooden table beside a miniature spaghetti squash no bigger than the mug.

Alas, my one tiny spaghetti squash, the only one from this year's garden. It makes a charming companion to my favorite coffee mug (gifted to me in my youth by another charming companion and Portland roommate). Who knows?Maybe this squash has seeds that will be prolific next summer. Here's hoping.

Treasuring every last drop of Summer that this October day has to offer.

As often on high stress days, my refuge is cooking. And also admiring light.

Thin spider webs coated in dew strung between rough wooden porch rails. Cedars in the background.

Today, I need to focus on strength in what's delicate.

Chipmunk eating an apple on a porch table

Apparently, I am sharing my apple.

It's Sunday morning and the entire pot of coffee is all mine. I feel the same glee I used to feel at 5-years-old in front of the penny candy counter holding a dime.

St. John's Wort casting a shadow. The air is clear today, and hummingbirds and bees are fueling up in my wild backyard. Find moments of joy where you can so you have the spiritual fuel you need when your help is needed.

Finding it hard to cope with the onslaught of negative news? I'm hoping my new blog helps. thefurthershores.com/will-it-take...

Orange cat cuddled on a woman's lap with his head tucked in the curve of her wrist

My sweet friend Max. He's a great pressure valve in this high-pressure environment. #cats #petsitting

A few blooms from my yard: some just budding, a few nearly open, and one about to finish.

So much coming at us every day (even those of us not being hunted down or bombed or betrayed) that I hesitated to share this small moment today when I was able to help a fellow creature on his way. But I believe that loving the world each day and cooperating with life around us is our lifeline.

Today's soundtrack!

We’re closing in on the 3.5% rule! 8.6 million and counting! We’re in awe. Lots of events still happening make sure to be counted. Big towns, small towns you showed up.

After 2 weeks on the road, it's a joy to be back in my little Keweenaw home and have the lilacs, forget-me-nots, and lily-of-the-valley blooming in welcome.

It is greed and the apotheosis of idiocy, as emblematic of Trump, that has brought us to this place. Now what do we do? I know... I’ll write a musical! Music is light. And light, like love, can be the antidote. I hope you’ll check it out. TheFurtherShores.com

Reviving my spirit with a Pacific Ocean view for a few days. It's a gift to be here.

Preoccupied with planning a trip, I just found this scrap of a poem in a notebook:

If I am a goddess / as my friend insists / I am a goddess of rubber bands and stray thoughts / of tripping but catching yourself / half way down / of patience worn thin /elbows no longer bending

We can probably all agree that leaving humans in charge after the ‘Firmament’ was divided may not have been the best idea. There are “89 seconds” left on the Doomsday Clock. Can we still show we were ready for such an awesome responsibility? That’s the big question. TheFurtherShores.com

May 6 and the first real porch-sitting morning up here on the Keweenaw. All the chickadees, sparrows, jays, crows and geese sound as happy as I feel to be having breakfast in the sunshine with no snow.

What a tragedy!

Good on Greyhound!

#goodtrouble

Love it when that happens

Spaghetti squash start beginning to vine and bloom

The darker the news, the more light and growth we need to keep ourselves strong. My transplanted spaghetti squash starts are climbing and blooming. The growing season is short this far north, so it's best to start early in a safe, warm place. Everything about gardening is metaphor.

What a lovely companion. I'm sorry for your loss.

Thankfully this year I'm not cooking and can devote my day to plants. Growing things seems a suitable substitute for Easter festivities.

Dining room tables are overrated. Mine just became a greenhouse.

My pal "Rosie" showed up to spread encouragement at our No Kings rally in Houghton, Michigan today.

Alert. Alive. And anxious. This Saturday morning, as I head out to join in the NO KINGS march, I'll hold this image in my mind of the upward-reaching starts for the garden I will grow this summer.

Imagine how lovely it will be when the orange clown is gone from the world’s stage! Once the wounds he inflicted heal, we’ll recall him by his hollow, orange mask, far more tragic than comic. The most incompetent fool to ever strut upon a stage. Kindly support us here: TheFurtherShores.com