Heading Toward the Dystopic Future of Heart Wood
Reflect how the dystopic world described in Heart Wood is unfolding in real time: AI in Nibs; increasing food intolerances and infertility; microplastics in our environment to name a few. If our past and current behaviors are creating this future world, what can we do?
From Yard Sale to Escape Room: the Journey Home of an Historic Farmhouse Photo
In August 2024, Brian contacted the author about his discovery of a framed photo of the Hoppin farmhouse he bought at a yard sale in Michigan. Initially used in his Escape Room, it sparked a connection to the author’s family history. Eventually, it was returned to Yolo’s Historical Archives, preserving its legacy. The author is…
Setting Foot on Ancestor’s Soil
After years of research on my ancestors, I was finally going to walk the land they farmed (1850s-1915) in Yolo California. The current owner and his father from Punjab India met me. I knew the two-story white farmhouse was gone, but what would I find there? What would I feel?
What did he whisper in her ear?
I knew the story well – retold hundreds of times in my family – that in 1874, my great-grandfather traveled from California back to his hometown in Niles, Michigan, to ask my great-grandmother to marry him and return to his ranch in Yolo, California. Simple facts. That is, until I started to do research for…
Acknowledging Who Owns the Land?
I was researching the price my Great-grandfather Hoppin paid in the 1850s for a quarter of the Rancho Rio de Jesus Maria land grant in Yolo, Northern California, then, curious, I decided to trace the land even further back – and – it’s not what I learned in school!
Where’s Your Happy Place?
“Sadness and grief is always going to be part of this work,” she told me with dead certainty. “The best way to survive yourself is to have something in your life that balances the heaviness – something that brings you peace or joy. Otherwise, you’ll burn out.” Knowing I have a “Happy Place” where I…
This Never-Ending Spiral
I sometimes imagine life as a spiral, circling upwards, always returning to the same spot, only more experienced, hopefully more highly functioning. So here I am again, cycling around to being a learner, after the last years of being a producer, and learning the value of stress-induced growth.
A World Wide Peace – 1911
As I wrote this for Veterans Day 2022, I wonder what has changed in 111 years since my Great-Grandmother Emily Hoppin wrote about World Wide Peace in 1911. Masculine energy still leans toward armed conflict, feminine energy favors home and family. Do we have the capacity to take care of our country and communities without…
Why I Love Archivists (2)
After years of researching my Yolo Pioneer and activist Great-Grandmother using online searches and old family documents, I was eager to locate primary sources. But I was not prepared for what I would find when I presented my research questions to staff at the Yolo and Niles archives and history centers. These professional archivists are…
Why I Love Archivists
After years of researching my Yolo Pioneer and activist Great-Grandmother using online searches and old family documents, I was eager to locate primary sources. But I was not prepared for what I would find when I presented my research questions to staff at the Yolo and Niles archives and history centers. These professional archivists are…
Letting Go…Moving Forward
I’m practicing letting go. It seems to be the work of my mid-70s. By nature, I’m a saver of boxes, jars, seed packets, vases, old jewelry, and family memorabilia. Some things will be easy to toss after I’m gone, but I should pass on other things now while I can do so with care.
Every Seed Holds a Story
I hold both a tomato seed in my palm and the seed for my next book in my heart. From over 40 years of growing tomatoes, I know the story of the seed. But my next book? I’m waiting to see what grows.
Can We Raise Healthy Children on an Unhealthy Planet?
In my 20 years as a rural school nurse, I observed the growing number of children’s health issues coinciding with increased pollution and climate change. How can we raise healthy children on an unhealthy planet?
Are We Under the Weather?
It used to be thought that “Peak Oil” or severe droughts would change life as we know it. But maybe it will be the continuous barrage of severe weather events. How do you prepare?
My “One Small Thing” Project
When in despair about our environment’s future, I turn to my next “One Small Thing” project.
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Shirley DicKard 