A huge snowfall and the extraordinary appearance of
                                  a real Snow Angel atop my bean-pole teepee!








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It's a very wintery day here after yesterdays blizzard. Power was out from early morning til about 9 PM which made for a very long day. Fortuneately I had finished up all winter preps and after caring for the outdoor critters built a nice fire and stayed warm, cozy and mostly indoors with small fluffy dog friends. Even though winters can be rather fierce up here in the northwoods, there is also a quite beauty and peace that falls over the land and all who live here during those long months of snow, dark and cold.

I hope everyone has had a good fall and that you and your loved ones are safe and sound in the folds of warmth and family as the season progresses into the full swing of winter. As always, I am deeply grateful for all of your love and kind thoughts. 

Wishing everyone a beautiful day filled with peace, joy, and of course, lots of good eats!

Blessings,
​SvG




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                   Handsome Rahruk (firebird) and his ladies checking out the snowy day.



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Book trailer now up on Books and Writing page. Enjoy...

Hey Friends,

I will be uploading a book trailer on the Books and Writing page just as soon as I can.
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Waiting on the government shutdown to end and the copyright office to be reopened for bussiness! 

Hope y'all are having a beautiful fall...
​Peace and Blessings,
SvG








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Dearest Friends,

​Another moment, another season gone by. Another slow turning of the great Wheel.

Yesterday the second year anniversary of my beloved's death swept over me like the cool north wind he once was in my life. Four little dogs ocumpanied me as I journeyed to the spot where the ashes of his body have long since merged with the beauty and mystery of this place.

Somehow it does feel like a turning point in my life, a final letting go. Not of memory or love, but of the futile grip on what can not be undone, held back or contained. 

Our drive was serene and magical with a bit of sun, a bit of clouds, and the trees just beginning to glow with autumnal finery.

The road is a long gravel lane that winds through state forest land with little teasing glimpses of reedy bogs and water along the way. At the end the scenery opens out to the vista of a large lake on the Wisconsin river. A waterway about which Rick used to say, "Did you know that if you were to follow the course of that river you could travel to anywhere in the world?" A fitting place for his final release.

As we walked on the red-gold sands of the empty beach, with a lone gull floating on the water and the smell of wetlands and oat grasses carried faint on the breeze, I was reminded of long ago walks by the sea.

Words came, drifting like music on the wind...
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                                        Somewhere between the end of what has passed,
                                                 and the beginning of what lies ahead,
                                             we are gathered like clouds before a storm,
​                                         God-made to run the untamed edge of destiny...

​                                                           Love and Blessings...
                                                                       SvG





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Dearest Friends,

Well, Summer is in full swing and the gardens are looking lush and spectacular!
All is well on the homestead with herbs and garden veg starting to come in, young hens approaching laying age, pregnant goat mamas close to birthing time, grapes growing plump on the vine and still green plums moving closer toward ripening. And so many beautiful flowers, everywhere!

Yes, another season, another year, as the cycles of time and life move us all along on a journey no one can stop. 

The garden tour has come and gone already with a record amount of folks attending. It was a lot of extra preperation and work, but a huge success! All proceeds went to charity and those on the tour left feeling appreciative, blessed and inspired. A heart-gift to the community. 

As far as book publishing goes, that is all moving along as well. Now in the editing/formatting for print phase. I will be posting a few teasers soon. Full steam ahead!

I hope everyone is having a beautiful summer and taking time to enjoy and appreciate the big and little blessings all around.

Love y'all so much,
SvG 

Yesterday my heart broke, again. A sweet and beutiful little soul passed out of this life and on into the timeless expanse of the Great Eternal Hunting Ground. There really are no words, just memories and tears left to haunt my  heart and existance.

                                                                         *

Her name was True Blue Silvie, and she was born just four Octobers ago. A tiny little blue sable fluff of a puppy who entered our lives along with her sister in a time when my husband was already in such decline that, even though he loved them, he could never remember their names.

Silvie saw it all, the struggle and the pain, as well as the moments of closeness and joy. All the while she was my best little friend and companion. Never a day passed that I didnt have my little shadow to warn me of dangers, report that the phone was ringing or tell on the cat or other little dogs whenever someone was misbehaving. She even taught herself to wipe her feet on the kitchen mat every time she came in from outside after once seeing me do it. She adored her human and tried to do everything mama did.

She had a great home with lots of freedom to be a dog as well as part of a small farmstead with other critters and her own family pack. Then, at two years old, she became pregnant and had three beautiful boys. She was very devoted to her babies and instinctively was such a good and attentive little mother. Around that same time however, something secret and dangerous was happening inside her little body. Still yet, she looked healthy and remained cheerful and happy as always.

Sometimes she played in the snow or summer grass with her family, sometimes she ran in the forest pretending to be a wild wolf on the hunt, sometimes she enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her soft brown coat, and always of an evening she joined me with rest of her pack and two cats for a nature show and cuddle time in the recliner. She also loved to help me gather up the hens or pick vegetables and herbs, go for long walks by the lak,e and to sit so proudly by my side on our horse and buggy rides.

It seemed as if we would be together for many good years, then this past month I noticed an alarming walnut sized lump in her abdomen. To make a difficult story shorter, she went to the vet, was diagnosed with a huge stone that filled her whole little bladder. The vet recommended surgery to remove it and while he was in there to do a spay as well. He did both on Tuesday and sent her home with medications. After that we were all on our own for a long weekend. Those few days after the surgery my heart ached as she desperately struggled for her life, but no matter her own will  to live, or how I tried to help her she wasnt able to eat, drink or pee and never recovered.

Silvie died in my arms in the wee hours of Friday morning July the fourth. 

The house seems emptier now, the place quieter, my time here a little more tenuous. The heartbreak is real, the loss final, as is the way of death, and my tears come and go with the lingering intensity of summer storms.

Beautiful, precious little Silvie...all she ever wanted was just to love, and be loved in return...

Pawprints forever on my heart........ 
​
SvG

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Dearest Friends and followers,

The first book of the long awaited Heartwood Narrative series is now in the publishing stage. Hopefully out for purchase by November 2025, maybe sooner. Exciting times!

Wishing everyone a beautiful spring and summer!
Love and blessings,
SvG

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P.S.....Stay tuned, updates and teaser pieces will be posted as the process continues.

Tour of the homesteads magical gardens and grounds happening in July 2025!

    Another day, another season, another thread in the Tapestry. The cycle of life complete for some, just beginning for others, shadowed with grief and heartache for those in the throes of recent loss .

    Still yet, in the aftermath of cloud and storm, displaced and alone, there are bright spots too. Extraordinary moments of beauty and magic, a sudden sense of wonder, the sweet love of those who care, and here and there, the unexpected appearance of way-showers.

   I had that recently...A random stranger, a look in the eye, a handshake, and when speaking of the heart-ache of longterm caretaking, looming death and life on hold, the words,
   " But you know, that is living too."

    And it really is. Every time, place, person and experience is woven into the Tapestry, set up by a prescient, yet mysteriously unfathomable force. The great Hand at work. Who are we to take askance at the carefully orchestrated burdens placed upon us? Who are we to buck and whine at the profound truths that shatter our self-made realities, and that, if we are  fortunate, bring us to our knees, as well as to tears?

    Yes, life goes on, and so too does love. The two are eternally linked and intertwined. There is no escape or turning back of the tides. Life is love, and love is life, how could any one of us, in our right minds and hearts, wish for it to be any other way...

Love and Blessings,
​SvG










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                                                                  1953-2023
                                     One of a kind, the world will never be the same.
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                                             "Oh the wonder of it all..."






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Hello Friends,

Have you stocked up on food, water, essentials? Is your garden space ready? Seeds? What about firewood and fuel, meds, pet and livestock feed?

Stay safe, stay strong, stay aware. Somethin's comin' our way, Be prepared. 























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Much water under the bridge.
​
Happy autumn into winter my friends.
Love y'all!








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Hello Dear Friends,

    I hope each one of you had a wonderful day filled with good eats, family, friends, and of course much love and gratitude. 
    Here on the homestead the day was quiet, snowy and overcast with an off and on odd little misty drizzle. Our hens refused to even come out of the coop, preferring to remain indoors on their perches instead of risking wet feathers and cold feet. Evidently goat mama and daughter were of the same mind. I noticed they had made a hay bed just inside their door opening where they could remain dry yet still observe any outdoor goings on.
    The Pomeranian girls were under foot in the kitchen all day so as not to miss out on any dropped goodies and scraps from the Thanksgiving fixings. There were mad dashes to be first to grab a bit of bread or celery as well as growly little squabbles over carrot pieces and escaped apple slices. Meanwhile, little white cat took up her favorite place under the dining table where she could safely watch everything take shape as various cooking pots were filled and set to simmer on the stove.
   Despite the challenges of caring for a chronically disabled loved one, it was a good day. There is always so much to be grateful for. Each day is a gift to be honored, cherished, and embraced. Peace is alive in the little moments between cares, thoughts and worries. True happiness really all comes down to one thing, trusting your heart to the infinite power of love.
    
    Thanksgiving blessings to all,
    SvG
    
    

New pics and posts coming soon...

It's time, I've got faith that everyone of y'all can do it,
​WAKE UP!

All my Love,
SvG

Dear Friends,

There is a Natural Order that exists beyond the constructs of time and human ideology. We, our precious Mother Earth, and all her flora and fauna are each one created with the ability to grow, heal and thrive even in the aftermath of great adversity and storms.

On this day go out and take a barefoot walk, plant a seed, hug a tree and give thanks to the forests, sky, mountains, streams and fields.

Nature is a beautiful expression of God's perfect love. Open wide your heart and treasure it forever.

Peace, love and blessings,
SvG

Beware the silk-tongued guru spouting endlessly enticing, yet unachievable, ideologies that leave you feeling hypnotized and dependent.  You are much stronger and wiser than they would have you believe. 

Use common sense, follow your own path, your own destiny, your own heart. Its very simple really...Hug a loved one, spend time with nature, lend a helping hand, commune with God. You don't need them, you already have it all.







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​ Such cheerful little souls, bringing sunshine and joy to all they encounter!