cynthiabrian Archives | VoiceAmerica Press Blog

Looking Out!

Posted by

Felix Assivo on March 3, 2021

“The heart is like a garden. What seeds will you plant there?” Buddha

The first vista I witness every morning as I traipse downstairs in my pink fluffy slippers to grab a cup of java invigorates my day. Outside my stairwell window, a tall crimson camellia tree sways in the breeze flanked by a shimmering evergreen flowering pear. Rounding the corner, I look to my right. Through the hand-made stained-glass arch, winter and spring co-mingle. The bright cerise flowers of the peach tree frame the hillside carpeted by sprouting ranunculus, anemones, and hundreds of daffodils in a myriad of colors and textures: yellow on yellow, white and yellow, peach and white, white with white, orange and yellow. Frilly, singles, doubles, clusters…all with throats singing to the sky. Bare branches of pistache trees hug the redwoods. Butter-hued Meyer lemons hang like well-placed ornaments. I never fail to be awed by the majesty and beauty regardless of the season.

Looking out to my colorful panoramas was carefully planned many years ago when I planted the first seeds and bulbs. Bringing the outdoors in has always been a priority for me. For over two decades I practiced interior design as a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers. I believe that our landscape is an extension of our homes and as such must reflect our moods, tastes, personalities, and preferential palettes. For me, color is an essential element to my happiness. When I look through a window, I want to see my internal penchants reflected by nature. Looking out is looking in.

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1501/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Looking-out.html

With less than three weeks to go before the vernal equinox, this is an auspicious time to contemplate how we want to orient our window views for the future. When you look out your windows, what do you want to see? Do you want flowering or fruiting trees? Do you want a monochromatic design? Are you like me and want to luxuriate in color? Are bulbs the surprise you anticipate yearly, or do you prefer planting annuals and perennials?

My garden is abloom with pear, peach, and plum trees. Orange, tangerine, tangelo, lemon, and lime trees are filled with ripening fruit. Daffodils blanket the landscape, tulips are beginning to pop, columbine, wild strawberry, and vinca minor are flush with flowers. I couldn’t finish pruning all my rose bushes because so many were still budding. Nature orchestrates a steady stream of amazement.

Although the nights are still cool, the days are warming allowing the soil temperatures to rise. Weeds are rapidly sprouting, and the ground can be worked in preparation for seeding and planting. Read garden catalogs or books for ideas on how to design spaces that will offer you years of enjoyment. I’m preparing beds in full sun where I’ll scatter seeds of Lauren’s dark grape poppies. Poppies can handle frost and bloom best when started in early spring. These seedlings will emerge within fourteen days. The flowers will boast four-to-five inch chalice-shaped flowers in a showy port wine hue and they will self-sow for future enjoyment.

Another favorite perennial plant that I’m adding to my garden is the Lenten rose or hellebore. These plants which feature chartreuse, white, pink, and purple flowers with evergreen foliage are hummingbird friendly, deer-resistant, and water-wise. They thrive in part sun to full shade and are hardy to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

What will you plant in your spring garden as you look out?

Cynthia Brian’s March Gardening Guide

 RESTORE your mental and physical health by planting a beautiful vista outside your windows.
 FILTER your indoor air with houseplants. According to NASA, 87 percent of volatile organic compounds are removed by live plants naturally. Now that is nothing to sneeze over!
 RETHINK the design of your landscape to coincide with your interior spaces.
 PULL weeds as they sprout.
 PERUSE garden catalogs to plan a 2021 victory garden of healthy vegetables and herbs.
 FERTILIZE lawns.
 SCATTER slug and snail bait.
 REACH horticultural heights with a selection of flowering trees and shrubs.
 SUPPORT the Moraga Garden Club’s project, Moraga for Monarchs by helping to install a Monarch Butterfly Habitat and Education Garden at Rancho Laguna Park. Visit www.moragagardenclub.com.
 FORCE branches of crabapple, quince, forsythia, and redbud by placing your tree prunings in a bucket of water in a dark place until the buds swell. Move the branches to a beautiful vase filled with warm water and enjoy the show. Change the water daily and add a few drops of bleach to ward off bacteria.
 TRIM dead foliage from your ornamental grasses using sharp hedge clippers.
 PICK up camellias blossoms that have fallen to the ground. Decaying blooms harbor petal blight.
 AERATE your lawn. The soil is compacted from winter rains and foot traffic. Leave the plugs to add nutrients back into the grass.
 SPRINKLE poppy seeds as spring approaches.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing!

More Photos: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1501/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Looking-out.html

Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, is available for hire to help you prepare for your spring garden. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com.

Buy copies of her best-selling books, including, Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, Growing with the Goddess Gardener, and Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers at www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store. Receive a FREE inspirational music DVD.

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

Let the Sun Shine!

Posted by

Felix Assivo on February 18, 2021

Empowerment

“When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars.

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Lyrics to Age of Aquarius by The 5^th Dimension

Astrologers don’t agree that it is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but one thing is certain, until February 18^th, we are living under the sign of Aquarius. It has not felt like winter as the sun has been shining daily with only sporadic bouts of drizzle. In the past two weeks, gardens have burst into bloom as the days are warmer and brighter.

Here, in my yard, spring has sprung a full month ahead of schedule. The peach tree buds display their glorious magenta hues, the daffodils stretch their necks to the heavens, and camellias didn’t take a bloom break. Throughout our neighborhoods, evergreen pear trees are in full flower. Birds are feathering their nests, the frogs have begun their mating croaks, and worms are busy loosening the soil.

Our reservoirs are not yet at capacity and we desperately need more rain. Since the groundhog went back into her hole, I’m hopeful that we will still get much-needed precipitation.

Cynthia Brian’s Garden Chores for February

Roses

Pruning: Roses need to be pruned to allow for them to thrive. You’ll need pruning shears, loppers, a pruning saw, and gloves. Cut out dead or woody stems as well as any diseased or damaged stems. If you have rambling roses, allow them to ramble unless you need them contained. With climbers, cut the previous year’s flowering shoots. For hybrid teas and floribundas, prune the stems by 2/3. With shrub roses, cutting back to a 1/3 for single flowering and 1/3 to 2/3 for repeat flowering. Pruning will ensure a beautiful, long-lasting blooming season. Keep in mind if you want smaller plants, you may prune harder. Make sure to nicely shape your bushes. If you have the room, select canes to plant elsewhere or give to a friend. You can plant the canes directly in the ground or in pots to root. Dip canes in a rooting powder before planting.

Bare-Root Planting: Through early spring you can plant bare-root roses.

• Make sure the soil isn’t frozen or water-logged.
• Choose an area that receives a minimum of four hours of sunlight daily. The more sun, the better your bush will grow.
• Rehydrate your bare-root in a bucket of water overnight.
• Remove weeds and rocks from the area where you will dig the hole and loosen the soil with a garden fork.
• Dig a hole with a spade approximately 16” x 20” or whatever is necessary for the roots to spread.
• Add a few handfuls of compost or rose soil to the hole.
• Remove the rose from the bucket and place in the hole. Keep the bottom of the stems need to be 2-3” below the top of the hole.
• Replace the original soil, the tap down with your foot.
• Water.

Other Goddess Gardener Tips

 FERTILIZE your trees, shrubs, and ground covers.
 SCATTER snail bait around your garden.
 APPLY a systemic insecticide to roses to prevent the first flush of aphids in the spring.
 SPRAY roses, citrus trees, fruit trees, evergreen pear trees, and crape myrtles with dormant oil to protect again fungal disease.
 PICK UP and discard fallen camellia blooms.
 CUT a branch from a budding peach tree to watch the flowers unfurl.
 PLANT a few of my favorite specimens:

• To attract hummingbirds: Fringe-love lies bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) boasts striking red hanging plumage. Columbine (aquilegia) is a perennial with clouds of bell-shaped flowers in several colors. A loquat tree offers flowers that hummingbirds crave.
• Drought-resistant, no maintenance ground cover: Pink Knotweed
• Shade plant with distinctive colors: Hellebores
• For Borders: Bergenia
• A shrub that cascades: Purple potato plant

As we leave the sign of Aquarius and enter the horoscope of Pisces, let’s pray that the lyrics from the Age of Aquarius ring true throughout 2021.

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the minds true liberation

Let the sun shine, let the sun shine in! And, please let it rain this month.

Happy Gardening! Happy Growing!

Photos and more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1426/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Let-the-sun-shine-in.html

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

All We Need is Love

Posted by

presspass on February 12, 2021

Empowerment

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All You Need is Love!

Happy Valentine’s Day

MIRACLE MOMENT®

“All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need”

The Beatles

A MESSAGE FROM FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CYNTHIA BRIAN

February is American Heath Month and Black History Month. It also celebrate two significant holidays, Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day.

American Heart Month encourages us to take care of our hearts by motivating individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles to present heart disease.

Black History Month began in 1926 to celebrate Negro History Week because the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, two Americans who shaped African American history were on February 12 and February 14th. In 1976, President Gerald Ford launched Black History Month.

Valentine’s Day, with its third century roots in the Roman Empire emboldens us to share the love. The Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and other activities morphed into a minor Western Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyr named Saint Valentine. Today it is a commercial celebration of affection, love, and romance.

Presidents’ Day, originally established in 1885 to recognize George Washington, has since 1971’s’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, been a three day weekend honoring all Presidents.

The single message that I understand from all of these commemorations is the necessity for all of us to increase our love quotient. The times have been tough and everyone has been challenged. People are fatigued. We all are looking forward to hugging our loved ones again.

This month share your love in safe, simple ways. Love is more than romance. Everyone craves appreciation, attention, and approval. Write a note to a friend. Pick up the phone. Smile at a stranger. Leave flowers for a neighbor. Offer a compliment. Congratulate a success. Make a donation to charity. (We hope you’ll chose Be the Star You Are!®)

And don’t forget self-care. It may be the most important love of all.

For an hour of power focusing on health at home and staying safe as you navigate the pandemic, vaccine, and life, tune in to StarStyle ®-Be the Star You Are!® self-care special on the Empowerment channel, https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/128331/health-at-home-prune-and-plan-vaccine-rollout

To find other ways to share the love and survive the pandemic happily, read on.

Remember, love always wins, kindness always prevails, and smiles keep us happy.

Wishing you a very loving February. Wear your mask, keep your distance, and be safe and sound.

Sending virtual hugs,

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

SCATTERING VALENTINE KINDNESS

By Karen Kitchel

We often remember our spouses, kids, or special friends on Valentine’s Day. But how about reaching folks who may not know what it’s like to feel special? Keep it simple. Pick up a bag of little chocolate hearts and put them in your pocket. Wearing your mask, when you are out for a walk or going to an appointment, look for someone whose holiday you can brighten. Maintain social distancing, smile, and say “Here’s a little treat for you, CATCH, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!” Toss the candy gently while you scatter Valentine kindness.

Karen Kitchel who penned two chapters in the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World, is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com

WELCOME TO NEW EXPRESS YOURSELF! REPORTER, DIYA

Be the Star You Are!® is thrilled to welcome our newest teen reporter to Express Yourself!™ Radio. Diya Hituvalli is a junior from the Bay Area. She is passionate about technology, speech, literacy, women-empowerment, and business. Her eclectic interests include mindfulness, exploring other cultures, and fashion.On Express Yourself!, her segment is called Silver Lining where she discusses elements of life with added humor. Tune into her debut show on Valentine’s Day where she offers the history of the celebration along with humorous trivia at https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/128618/valentines-day-and-relationship-building

HAPPILY SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC: Two Teens Offer Tips

If you’ve been sheltering-at-home, doing on-line school, and missing getting together with friends and family, two Be the Star You Are!® volunteers who are also reporters on Express Yourself! Teen Radio, Nihal Gil and Andrea Smith, spotlight how you can make this time a very happy and exciting memory. Try bringing a positive outlook, these tips are not just for teens but for anyone who wants to stay upbeat and happy during these trying times. Meet our youth reporters: https://www.starstyleradio.com/expressyourselfteenradio

Nihal Gil offers activities that interest him and keep him excited. Hopefully they will encourage you as well.

Play sports as it is important to stay active. His favorite sport is golf which he finds relaxing.
Spend time with family. On the weekends, watch movies together or play board games.
Volunteer to help your community.
Game online with friends, cousins, and others to socialize safely and laugh more.

Nihal Gil is a reporter on Express Yourself! Teen Radio with a segment called Spark the Interest. As a 16 year old sophomore at Turlock High School where he plays varsity golf, is involved in Key Club, and expresses his love for music by playing piano. He teaches STEM/Robotics to elementary students and has won an award for Outstanding Community Service. His goal is to spark in interest for health and wellness for teens globally. https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself

Andrea Smith, presents fun, creative ways to hang out with friends safely during the pandemic. You can listen to a full hour of her tips at Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/128497/how-to-survive-happily-during-the-pandemic

Socially distanced picnics! Set up a hangout at the beach or other nature place and have each person bring their own meal with their favorite foods! This is a great way to see your friends and eat delicious food all while staying socially distanced and safe!
Socially distanced yoga! Sick of staying in your room during virtual school or work? Plan a yoga day with your besties to relieve your daily stresses and anxiety. Any park or beach would be the perfect location and of course staying 6 feet apart!
Socially distanced painting session! Feeling like getting creative during quarantine? This is a perfect way to hang out with friends while doing something to spark your creative juices. Plan to meet in either a park or other outdoor location while staying socially distanced to have an awesome time!
Birthday drive-through! Is it your best friend’s birthday coming up?! Plan a surprise birthday drive through for your friend and make him/her feel extra special on their big day! Have each person bring a gift and a card and leave it at the front porch of the birthday girl/boy.

Andrea Smith is a senior at Santa Margarita Catholic High school and will be attending Georgetown University in the fall of 2021. She loves the outdoors and is always up for a new adventure. She is extremely passionate about global politics through her devotion to Model United Nations. Andrea finds beauty in the simple things in life, is an avid swimmer, and also loves to share ways on how to live a happy and healthy lifestyle! She is a reporter for In the Spotlight and host on Express Yourself Teen Radio and looks forward to a career as a media personality. https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself

SHARING THE LOVE: NEW WORLD—A Choral Production from St. Marys Glee CLUB

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, widespread fires, power outages, political unrest, and cold and windy outdoor rehearsals, the Glee Club was able to come together to create this virtual choir video of Björk’s New World. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51faeIB67so

EDU_TAINMENT WITH BE THE STAR YOU ARE! RADIO

LIVE on Wednesdays from 4-5pm PT, be entertained, informed, amused, and educated on StarStyle-Be the Star You Are!. Then be inspired and motivated on

Sundays from 3-4pm PT, it’s Express Yourself! Teen Radio with our Be the Star You Are! star teen hosts and reporters.

You’ll meet authors, actors, artists, activists, musicians, poets, scientists, educators, and other creatives. Enjoy our upbeat, authentic, and fun radio parties on the Voice America Network Empowerment Channel or wherever you like to listen.

Visit https://www.StarStyleRadio.com for our line-up of guests.

SHOPPING?

We have suggestions for you to shop, save, and stay safe. Please use these web sites for all of your shopping essentials.

1. AmazonSmile donates .5% of purchases https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3333882

2. Discounted books at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shops/be_the_star_you_are_charity

3. Giving Assistant: Shop. Earn. Give! Use Giving Assistant to earn cash at 3500+ popular online stores :https://givingassistant.org/np#be-the-star-you-are-inc

4. Shop at over 1300 stores on IGIVE: http://www.iGive.com/BTSYA

5. Buy “Read, Lead, Succeed” black tanks and books at StarStyle® Store: http://www.starstylestore.net/

6. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4

STAY SAFE! WEAR A MASK!

DIRECT LINKS you can use for Be the Star You Are!®

Positive Results: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/positive-results

About Us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/about_us

Programs: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs

How to Help: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/how-to-help

Blog: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/blog-1

Events: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/events

GREAT NON PROFITS REVIEWS: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/be-the-star-you-are-inc

GUIDESTAR/CANDID: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3333882

For 2021: Make a DONATION through PAYPAL GIVING FUND and PAYPAL with 100% going to BTSYA with NO FEES: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

Share the Love, Celebrate Black History Month, Be Heart Healthy, and Happy Presidents’ Day

With gratitude from Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED! LOVE!

Prune, Plan, Peruse

Posted by

presspass on February 7, 2021

Empowerment

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”

~ George Moore

Like most of us who have been sheltering at home for the past eleven months, traveling to foreign lands has not been part of my normal activities. At first, I was immensely disappointed to cancel my 2020 exotic trips, especially the one that would have reunited me with my European pen pal with whom I’ve been corresponding regularly since I was nine years old. That’s a long time to have maintained a close relationship across thousands of miles.

But, like so many, this past year has found me digging even deeper into communion with nature. I have been inspired by its majesty and motivated to respect our alliance with a stronger devotion by spending many hours outdoors in contemplation as well as work-mode.

A week ago, the hills were still golden brown but with the recent heavy rains, a lushness and verdancy have finally appeared. February nights bring increased frost and freezing temperatures. We must cover our tender plants with burlap or cloth as protection.

The most necessary garden chore this month is pruning our fruit trees. It is essential to prune your peaches, pears, prunes, plums, apples, and apricots while the trees are dormant in winter. Sweet cherries are pruned in summer as they are susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases. All other fruiting trees need to be pruned to allow for increased sunlight to penetrate the branches which will in turn yield higher quality fruit. Pruning helps battle diseases while developing a better form for a healthier tree.

The tools you’ll need are a lopper, hand pruner, pruning saw, and long-handled pruning shear. You may need a ladder if your tree is especially tall but be very careful when using any ladder. Make sure to have a second person with you to hold the ladder since the ground may not be level. Sterilize your tools with alcohol or bleach mixed with water to avoid spreading any disease from plant to plant.

By removing unnecessary limbs, you will be able to shape the tree while providing better access for any necessary spraying. The increased sunlight promotes a larger size of fruit with a uniform ripening time. Insect infestation and other diseases are reduced through pruning because after a rain shower, the limbs will dry more quickly. Pruning appropriately will provide a more beautiful canopy without topping the tree. The sugar content of the crop is increased with the airflow and sun. Harvesting is easier. Pick up a book on pruning to read about the best methods for your various tress or watch online tutorials. If you feel out of your league, hire a professional arborist. Always gather the trimmings from the ground. When dry, use as kindling, shred for mulch, or add to your green bin.

Although this month is not the time to plant annuals and perennials, it is the perfect time to plant any bare-root specimens including roses, berries, and fruit trees. Check out the selection at your favorite nursery or garden center. Follow the directions on the packaging for soaking the roots, light pruning, digging the holes, and filling. By late spring most bare-rooted plants are established and flourishing.

Besides pruning and planting bare-root, February is a terrific time to plan for all-season enjoyment and splendor. Recently a delivery was made by someone who hadn’t been to my garden since the summer before the pandemic. His first comment to me was: “Your landscape is so beautiful and colorful… it’s like falling into a chapter of Alice in Wonderland.” I expressed my thanks for his sweet compliment, although in my mind I was thinking “winter is the ugliest time of the year in my garden.”

I decided to look at my yard through a different lens…fresh eyes, as if returning from a vacation. Sometimes when we rarely leave our cocoon, we fail to recognize the evolution of the cycles of attraction. As I walked around my property, I saw what he saw—a hillside covered in sweet-smelling narcissi, rows of pink Bergenia, waves of purple sage, shimmers of calendulas, bushes of azaleas, rhododendrons, and roses, trees of camellias, groves of ferns, mounds of nemesia, orchards of citrus, crocus, calla lilies, and daffodils popping, and the soaring orange plumes of birds of paradise all in full glorious bloom. Even in the middle of winter, my garden is teeming with interest and vibrancy.

Take a walk around your garden and make notes of where you need more wit and whimsy. Know where the sun rises, moves, and sets throughout your landscape. Do you need to add or extend irrigation? Do you have a favorite color palette, or do you prefer a cacophony of color authentically unique to you?

Once you understand your wants and needs, pour a cup of tea, cover yourself with a cozy throw, and peruse a multitude of garden catalogs that showcase bulbs, annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, grasses, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Research what plants will be best suited to your terrain and micro-climate. Make a wish list noting the months to order, when to plant, and when to expect the show. By creating a calendar of flowering events, your garden will boast attractive appeal all year long. For a dramatic night environment, make sure to add outdoor lighting and lanterns to highlight trees, paths, fences, and walls.

Here are a few catalog favorites that you can order:

White Flower Farm: www.WhiteFlowerFarm.com

John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds: www.KitchenGardenSeeds.com

Plant Delight Nursery, Inc.: www.PlantDelights.com

Bluestone Perennials: www.BluestonePerennials.com

The Whole Seed Catalog: www.Rareseeds.com

Renee’s Garden Seeds: www.Reneesgarden.com

Proven Winners Shrubs: www.ProvenWinners-shrubs.com

David Austin Roses: www.DavidAustinRoses.com

Your general state of happiness is connected to how much you enjoy your home. With these garden catalog treasures, you can travel the globe without leaving the safety of your house. Prune, plan, peruse, and dream on.

Happy Gardening! Happy Growing! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Photos and More: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1425/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Prune-plan-and-peruse.html

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

Nature Renewal

Posted by

presspass on January 23, 2021

Empowerment

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi

I popped the crunchy pods of my just-picked sugar snap peas into my mouth as I uttered a prayer of gratitude for the food I grow to nourish my family and the gardens I cultivate to nourish my soul. The past few weeks have brought the fragility of life into focus amidst the mounting death toll from the pandemic and the anxiety aroused by the political rampages.

We need to return to our roots to savor the sweetness of life. For me, Mother Nature has always provided renewal and refreshment in her simplicity and order. When I’m feeling stressed, I go outside to walk, listen, see, smell, touch, and taste…to reconnect with my senses and revive my spirit.

I picked a few stems of jonquil which are now sitting in a vase on my desk as I write this column filling my nostrils with their elegant perfume.

My step increases its bounce as I taste the tangy citrus of my newly ripe Navel oranges. Back in my vegetable garden, arugula, sorrel, Swiss Chard, assorted greens, and beets await my culinary menus. Orange and yellow calendula flowers season my salads and the unusual hued flowers of osteospermum elevate my chi as they decorate my hillside.

My journal indicates that this week in January the roses are to be pruned. My bushes are still filled with buds and blooms that enhance the landscape and my heart. I will complete this task when it is colder next month. Beauty is required as a tonic for joyfulness.

Winter is a time to regroup, to rest, to repair, to rethink. Deciduous trees are now bare, an indication that work in the garden is winding down, at least for a month or so.

We can use this period to dream and decide what projects and plantings we may want to engage in throughout the year. What’s on your list of things that you’ve always desired in your backyard but never had the time, money, or inclination to accomplish? A sampling of suggestions to fill your vision boards could include:

Planting a pollinator garden or a cutting garden

Making a meditation meadow

Rebuilding a patio or deck

Erecting a retaining wall

Growing vegetables, herbs, and fruits

Retrofitting regions for relaxation and reading

Adding a trellis, gate, arbor, or gazebo

Creating compost piles or buying compost bins

Improving a perennials plot

Hanging hammocks for summer enjoyment

Switching to succulents

Increasing native populations

Including a play structure

Paving a path with gravel or crushed granite

Installing a pond, fountain, waterfall, or other water feature

Increasing your library of garden guides

Removing a junk pile

Stacking wood for a fireplace or firepit

Enlarging bird habitats

Replacing irrigation systems

Reseeding lawns in spring

Building a rain garden

Starting a small vineyard

Buying patio furniture and chaise lounges

Planning a rock wall

Assembling an animal enclosure

Painting the fence

Shooting photos of your plants and the wildlife that visit

Ideas are endless as we daily take time to pause, brainstorm, and learn something new. Foster enthusiasm for the new year by paying attention to the enrichment of the natural world.

Reawaken your senses and restore your passion. Design your future farm. Breathe!

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.

Cynthia Brian’s Mid-January Gardening Guide

 RECORD your landscaping escapades by writing in a garden journal online or in print. Your journals will track trends and seasons for the forthcoming years.
 CLEAN your garden tools in a bucket of vinegar and water for 20 minutes. Remove your tools and dip a sponge in a bowl of baking soda. Scrub off the rust.
 SPROUT onions and chives in your kitchen by cutting the greens, then putting the roots in a glass of water. Within a week you’ll have fresh greens for your salads and soups. (Change the water daily)
 START yams or sweet potatoes by rooting in a glass jar with water. This is a simple, fun growing opportunity for kids! When lush leaves emerge, it’s time to plant outside to produce more yams or potatoes.
 REPLENISH bird feeders with nutritious seeds keeping our avian visitors nearby while supplementing their dietary requirements during the cold season.
 READ seed and bulb catalogs or magazines that feature gardens.
 HARVEST sugar snap peas, arugula, Swiss Chard, greens, and Brussels sprouts.
 REDUCE watering on houseplants as they rest for a winter’s nap.
 RESOLVE to spend a minimum of thirty minutes per day outside. Studies indicated that every person needs at least fifteen minutes of outdoor sunlight daily for necessary Vitamin D replenishment.
 REFRAIN from heavy pruning of your rose bushes until buds and blooms are finished.
 PLANT a container of aloe to use on burns and bites.
 RECONNECT and be renewed by nature.

Photos and more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1424/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Renewal-by-nature.html

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

Trend in the Garden for 2021

Posted by

presspass on January 9, 2021

Empowerment

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!” Oprah Winfrey

HELLOOOOOOO 2021! We have been holding our collective breaths for the past ten months desperately anticipating a new beginning with a new year.

Are you feeling a renewed enthusiasm for living? Are you ready to dig in?

Every year the Garden Media Group releases information on what trends are formulating for the next season of horticulture. 2021 has been dubbed “The Great Reset”, which is aptly titled given that we are still sheltering-in-place, connecting with loved ones and friends mostly online and by phone. The world is connected through this shared experience of a global pandemic as we impart information to help one another cope and prosper.

2020 was deemed the year where gardens, open spaces, and nature, in general, became a priority for maintaining wellness in body, mind, and spirit. Roomier homes with large backyards or acreage were in high demand as social distancing developed into the norm. Gardens became the bridge to building confidence and resilience while connecting communities and neighborhoods.

In 2021, the great outdoors will become even more critical as classes of all creeds move outside. Expect to experience yoga, dance, workouts, art, cooking, entertainment, and activities for kids scheduled in outdoor spaces. It is no longer necessary to be tethered to the high cost of living in big cities as working remotely allows employees to be closer to family and fresh air.

Research indicates that over 16 million people started gardening for the first time during the pandemic and many of them are under the age of 35. More than half of American adults are spending at least two additional hours outside today than before the outbreak started. In 2021, gardening will become a part of everyday life and will infiltrate school curriculums. Currently, 67% of adults are growing or plan to grow edibles. Berries are the most prevalent plus 52% of people are growing vegetables, 33% growing herbs, and 31% growing fruit.

What’s trending up for 2021?

 Increased online sales of plants and garden products which offer convenience, speed, and safety.
 Parks, trails, and open spaces will become an integral part of daily life.
 Interiorscaping will become a new buzzword as stores and businesses bring the outdoors in.
 Greater demand for houseplants for every room, especially home offices.
 Tropical plants will grace new “garden rooms” indoors.
 Certified wildlife habitats and pollinator gardens are spreading.
 Educational courses, how-to-videos, and garden consultants will become routine learning tools.
 A surge in home cooking and the fear of food scarcity means growing one’s own fruits, vegetables, and herbs is a necessity.
 Canning and preserving food for the future will be re-popularized.
 Children will be introduced at a younger age to the treasures of nature.
 Miniature plants to grow on windowsills, under grow lights, or under glass for those living in small apartments without yards will be more readily available.
 We will live with nature and protect our eco-systems to save lives.

The benefits of gardening are innumerable and will grow even more fashionable. Increased health, decreased stress, improved wellness, and stronger bodies through garden chores will lead to happier more balanced lifestyles.

In 2021, we will embrace nature as part of our being. Nature is not something “out there” in the wilderness. Nature will thrive in our backyards, on rooftops, balconies, porches, and windowsills. Our very existence will depend on creating a sustainable balance between humans and all creation.

My hope is that we will all finally understand that there are no mistakes in the garden. Failure is fertilizer to grow anew. Just garden.

Happy New Year with revived cheer. Let’s get it right!

Cynthia Brian’s Garden Guide for January

DETACH ornaments, lights, and tinsel from your Christmas trees and leave them on the curb on your garbage pick-up day. Flocked trees can be cut up and put in the green bins.

BEWARE of wild boars on the rampage. Boars are causing major damage to landscapes and are a danger to people and pets. Fish and Game offers information. For local assistance with wildlife control including boars, coyotes, turkeys, deer, and more, contact licensed and insured Full Boar Depredation, https://www.fullboar-llc.com.

LOWER your anxiety with the Japanese practice of shrinrin-yoku or forest bathing. Take a walk in nature and you’ll immediately experience relaxation.

REMOVE wrapping from any holiday gifted plants to allow for drainage.

PRUNE deciduous fruit trees, bushes, flowering shrubs, and cane berries. Roses can be heavily pruned towards the end of the month.

SPRAY your second application of a dormant spray aimed to kill the many overwintering insects and diseases after you have pruned.

PICK a few sprigs of narcissus to perfume an entire room.

PLANT all bare root fruit trees, perennials, berries, and vines. They cost less and will adapt quickly to their new home.

ADD acanthus to your landscape for lush greenery and interesting spring floral spikes.

BUY healthy meal kits with farm-fresh ingredients from Sun Basket if you aren’t growing your own. https://bit.ly/2DipPsT

BUILD a river rock dry creek to direct run-off rainwater.

ORDER bare-root roses from your local nursery or find beautiful, fragrant cultivars at www.DavidAustin.com.

BRIGHTEN your winter landscape with sweet peas, society garlic, and guara (which looks like floating butterflies).

CONTINUE wearing your mask, social distancing, and washing your hands.

Happy Gardening! Happy Growing! Cheers for 2021!

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

Home (and garden) for the Holidays!

Posted by

presspass on December 23, 2020

Empowerment

By Cynthia Brian

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year!” Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

One sentiment was universal this season in the holiday cards and emails…hope for a safe, healthy, prosperous future. 2020 has been a year of enormous challenges, chaos, and crisis amid a frightening pandemic that rendered many people feeling hopeless and helpless. Even with shelter-in-place mandates and Zooming taking the place of “being there”, resilience will rule the roost as we celebrate at home during the holidays.

Gardening has seen a rise in popularity throughout this year as people craved fresh air while social distancing. Farm fresh food graced the city tables after fruits, vegetables, and herbs were planted by first time gardeners. Green thumbs were grown!

Every day those who tend gardens work hand in hand with Mother Nature. As the Grand Dame, she is always in charge. Gardeners are her faithful stewards, nurturing the land that feeds our bodies while clothing our spirits with beauty, fragrance, and spiritual wellness. As the earth settles down for its winter nap, we also slow our pace in our outdoor spaces with preparations for the at-home holiday celebrations and a new year.

Being in a garden provides relief from stress and lowers blood pressure. Gardening transports us to another realm where nature charts the course. Even looking at a beautiful photograph of nature will enhance your mood and elevate your joy.

I have spent more hours in my garden these past few months than ever before. No matter how well I know my landscape, it is ever-changing, never ceasing to amaze and awe me. My body is getting extra exercise from hauling redwood chips to my barren hillsides to stop erosion and enrich the soil.

When it began to rain, I fertilized and planted more perennials including guara and golden breath of heaven plus more bulbs for next season. Jonquils are already blooming with their heady fragrance wafting through the chillier air. Azaleas and rhododendrons have burst into bloom and the cyclamen pops with luminous colors.

The delicate orange persimmons dangling from the almost leafless branches and the glimmering red pomegranates masquerading as ornaments hanging on the tree fill me with wonder at their annual holiday display. Both delicious and nutritious, they are my December garden gifts.

This is a good time to cut branches from redwood, pine, fir, or other low-hanging conifers to swag staircases and doors with fresh garlands. This practice accomplishes two goals: 1) you get free, fresh holiday greenery and 2) you are preventing future fire-laddering by removing the branches.

For those unable to celebrate in person with families scattered far and wide, this will be a quieter, less ebullient Christmas. Yet the magic of the season will buoy hearts as we anticipate a vaccine allowing us to gather in 2021.

Devote a few hours to hoe, hoe, hoe and the melancholy of the past ten months will help you carol ho, ho, ho even while you observe the holidays home alone.

Waving a magical virtual wand over your home and garden, I wish you a blessed, safe, and healthy holiday.

We’ll be together again next year with faith, hope, and love!

Happy gardening. Happy growing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Cynthia Brian’s Gardening Guide for December

 FERTILIZE trees, shrubs, and ground covers.
 APPLY snail bait to areas where slugs and snails do damage.
 SPREAD elemental sulfur to citrus, azalea, rhododendron, camellia, and hydrangea to lower the soil PH.
 DEEP feed smaller shrubs to accelerate growth in the gaps of hedges.
 ADD a swath of fluorescent red, white, or pink cyclamen to add pops of color to the winter landscape.
 DEADHEAD roses to extend blooming until heavy pruning in January or if you prefer, allow the rosehips to form. Rosehips are a source of vitamin C and can be harvested for tea.
 STUFF stockings with gardening goodies including a hand trowel, gloves, seeds, and a garden guide. Growing with the Goddess Gardener offers twelve months of helpful advice and comes with free seed packets and a relaxing CD. https;//www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store
 CUT branches of berries from heavenly bamboo, cotoneaster, holly, or pyracantha to add to mantels and wreaths.

 RAKE leaves from lawns to keep them from matting.
 MOVE mower to a higher cutting level and don’t mow when the ground is too wet.
 PROTECT tender plants from frost and freeze by moving potted plants inside or close to the house.
 BUY camellias now in the colors to suit your landscape décor while they are stocked as blooming specimens in nurseries.
 CUT back chrysanthemums to six inches after blooms fade.
 PLANT any remaining spring-blooming bulbs.
 CELEBRATE your home and garden for the holidays!

Photos and more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1422/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Home-and-garden-for-the-holidays.html

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

Tiny Sprouts!

Posted by

presspass on December 9, 2020

Empowerment

“The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives. I rejoice when I see anyone, and especially children, inquiring about flowers, and wanting gardens of their own, and carefully working in them. For love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies, but always grows and grows to an enduring and ever-increasing source of happiness.” Gertrude Jekyll

Watching the wide-eyed wonder of children during the holidays is an additional dividend of the magical season of Christmas. The twinkling lights, the tantalizing aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg, the joyful caroling tunes, and most of all, red-nosed Rudolph prancing through the night sky leading his herd of reindeer to the chimneys of good little girls and boys.

December is a great month to spark children’s enthusiasm for gardening. The rewards go far beyond reaping a harvest of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Not only do kids get to dig in the dirt, but it is also a plus if they get dirty.

Since families usually erect a Christmas tree or Hannukah Bush, it is fun to let each child grow her own tree. When my kids were young, we bought one-gallon pines, spruce, and firs to plant a Christmas tree farm. They watered, pruned, protected, and prepared the trees to be cut for our festivities. Although the trees never matched the symmetry of ones purchased from a lot, once they were festooned with all the homemade ornaments, they were uniquely beautiful. Most of all, the children were proud that they had grown this special tree all by themselves. They also each decorated a small growing Christmas tree for their bedrooms with sparkling lights on a timer that went off at bedtime. After the holidays, the tree went out to the patio, to be tended by them.

Teaching kids to garden instills responsibility, patience, love, creativity, tolerance, hope, and imagination. Their minds expand and they learn a deep appreciation for living organisms. By introducing them at a young age to the natural world, we are showing them how to respect and honor the environment. When we scrape vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grinds, fish bones, and other biodegradable items into a pail that we add to our outdoor compost bin, we are demonstrating the value of enriching the soil with natural, nontoxic substances. Ask your child to help you shovel woodchips into a wheelbarrow to add to the yard before winter storms arrive to prevent erosion, keep the soil warm, and provide an appealing appearance to your landscape.

Every child needs to learn where her food comes from. Healthy eating habits are learned from the ground up. Add packets of seeds to a Christmas stocking with instructions for a private pot or plot to be planted in the spring. Stuff in a small field guide about growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Encourage dreaming of what crops to plant in the spring. You’ll be amazed at what kids will eat when they put in the effort of growing it. Brussel sprouts? Check! Broccoli? Check! Spinach? Check!

Children are naturally curious and by keeping your nature talks short and fascinating, you’ll develop a gardener for life. Gardening is fun and it’s an excellent way to keep our bodies and spirits in optimum shape. While you are sowing the seeds of growing in the minds of young sprouts, you’ll also be planting resilience and acceptance. Failure is fertilizer. When something doesn’t grow, we throw it on the compost pile to grow a new garden next season. As a metaphor for life, our children are all going to flounder and fail. The teachable moment from Mother Earth is that there are no mistakes if we learn the lesson and fertilize for the future.

Whether you are a big or tiny sprout, my gift is to pass on my love and knowledge of gardening with you. Dig it with your kids!

Wishing you a jolly December of magic and marvel!

Cynthia Brian’s Goddess Gardener Tips for Gardening with Kids

GIVE each child a pot or a plot of land to grow whatever they desire. When you give them the responsibility, they will rise to the task.

BUY size-appropriate tools. A hand trowel, rake, shovel, wheelbarrow, and bucket expressly for gardening chores gives a child a sense of accomplishment. Don’t forget the garden gloves!

SUPPLY seeds that are easy to grow. Include vegetables such as carrots, radishes, beets, and lettuces, and some pretty flowers like sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, and calendulas.

MAKE it fun by showing them how to use chopsticks to plant seeds.

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1421/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Young-sprouts.html

BUY small two-to-four-inch containers of herbs for a windowsill garden. Dill, mint, sage, parsley, and oregano are simple to grow and can be snipped for pizza, spaghetti, and soups that put smiles on their faces.

GROW thornless succulents including ice-plant, aloe vera, echeveria, and jade that require very little water or care.

PLANT theme gardens with your kids. Everyone loves butterflies and a Butterfly Garden will encourage kids to watch the evolution of nature from creeping caterpillar to graceful flyer. Include alyssum, butterfly bush, coreopsis, asters, salvias, Lamium, milkweed, penstemons, lavender, and snapdragons. Other ideas include a Pizza Garden with everything except the pepperoni and cheese, a sensory garden of plants with texture, taste, smell, sound, and beauty. Or how about a 24-Hour Garden where each of the plants blooms at a different time? Use morning glories for the A.M., four o’clock for the afternoon, evening primrose for early evening, and moonflowers for the night. If you have the room, one of my favorites is a Pie Orchard with peaches, apricots, cherries, pears, and a berry patch. Or two gardens my own kids loved were the Christmas Tree Farm which they left-over small pots of live trees, spruce, pine, and fir, and the Halloween Cemetery of various types, colors, sizes, and textures of gourds and pumpkins.

SHARE plant and seed catalogs with your little sprouts. Let them select photos they find enticing and read to them the descriptions. Follow up with a socially-distanced, masked-wearing field trip to a nursery or garden center to investigate the various specimens.

ALLOW kids to experiment and design their own spaces. Rows don’t have to be in straight lines. Eliminate adult ideas of perfection and instead shoot for enthusiasm and curiosity.

GIFT a magnifying lens to your child so she can get up close and personal with leaves, flowers, stamens, and bugs.

MARVEL at the soil workers. Examine the worms and insects.

WALK around your fall landscape to choose colorful leaves for festive displays and to press into Christmas cards.

HELP them decorate for the holidays with natural berries and branches. Pyracantha, cotoneaster, and holly are filled with red berries. Wear gloves and offer help with the prickly holly and pyracantha.

BE CREATIVE by making garden art from steppingstones to scarecrows! My daughter painted a funny face on a broken rake that still guards our vegetable garden.

DOWNLOAD FREE coloring books to let kids color their world. There are 7 different ones, all with botanical art that is simple and appropriate for little sprouts. https://bit.ly/39CnSDv

Happy gardening. Happy growing. Happy December.

Photos and more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1421/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Young-sprouts.html

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

Fall Fireworks

Posted by

presspass on November 25, 2020

Empowerment

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1420/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Fall-fireworks.html

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.”

~Rumi

Sitting on my balcony, watching the ginger orb of the sun shoot sparkles and glitter throughout the dusky sky, I am besotted with the fireworks of fall foliage on the horizon. The colors and intensities change daily as I attempt to capture the essence of their beauty in my camera lens.

A red-branched Japanese maple is glimmering gold one day. Four days later it is pumpkin spice orange. My liquid amber tree leaves are progressing from buttery blonde to tangy tangerine to burning scarlet. Even the green vegetation on my lamium has turned magenta. My garden is a display of fall fireworks.

It’s been a busy year. Since the onset of the pandemic, every day I have worked many hours to improve my landscape: pruning dead limbs, repairing stairs, rebuilding arches, eradicating weeds, planting new specimens, fertilizing, firescaping, re-seeding, and adding amendments. After re-seeding my lawns, I covered the grass with enriched soil which will bolster root establishment. My back aches from the yards of amendments I’ve wheelbarrowed to the garden beds and there is still more to shovel.

To provide a respite from the labor, I added a bench on my hill overlooking my recently cleared oak tree meadow. The creek will flow during the winter but for now, it’s relaxing to sit for a bit to watch the deer munching on the shoots sprouting after the recent rains and the squirrels scampering about collecting acorns. Peace and serenity increase my gratitude for living in such bucolic surroundings where I can breathe fresh air and listen to the sounds of silence. It’s quiet that is until the wild turkeys descend and start a raucous. Several Toms started fighting with the hens squawking a few feet away. Thanksgiving has arrived!

When I planted the three vines of wisteria, grape, and pink bower on my pergola, it was an experiment in competition. All three are aggressive growers, but I was certain that the victor would be the wisteria who would choke the other two. I’m glad that I’m not a betting woman, or I would have lost.

Much to my sheer delight, after fifteen years of cohabitation, the three have become symbiotic siblings supporting one another’s expansion. The three vines have intertwined and mingled in the magnolia, fruitless pear, and loquat tree creating a beautiful privacy screen that frames my backyard. Each boasts distinctive features. The wisteria and the grape are deciduous and will shed their colorful autumn leaves soon while the bower vine is evergreen with blooming pink flowers. In winter, the shiny bright green foliage of the bower vine covers the bare branches of the other two. In spring, the wisteria bursts into glorious purple blooms followed by the bud break of the grapevine. Throughout the summer months, their leaves cover the pergola with much-needed shade and in September, I harvest grapes. What a fruitful collaboration of nature.

Today as I was doing a final edit of this column, the sky clouded gray and the waterworks flowed. How thrilling to finally have rain! I put on my rain boots, hoodie, and slicker to fertilize the grass and I finished covering the patio furniture. Winter is a mere four weeks away, yet I still have a few more autumn tasks to accomplish including planting additional bulbs on the hillside. Daffodils from previous years have already sprouted and will begin blooming in December. With the ground moist, digging is easier.

After three hectic seasons of heavy garden exertion, I am looking forward to listening to the rain as I read a book in front of a blazing fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate. For now, I’ll savor the fireworks of the glowing fall leaves from my balcony.

Happy gardening. Happy growing. Happy Thanksgiving.

Cynthia Brian’s End of November Garden Guide

 PROTECT patio furniture by covering with machine-washable covers or clear plastic or put away for the winter in a storage shed.

 DIG bulbs now. Bulbs that do well in our area, including tulips, crocus, daffodils, are available in nurseries and garden centers.

 FERTILIZE lawns.

 PHOTOGRAPH the changing colors of the autumn trees and shrubs.

 RAKE leaves and add to your compost pile.

 TOP DRESS garden with mulch and amendments.

 PULL out dead annuals.

 DEADHEAD roses to continue the blooming season.

 ADD solar-powered, weather-resistant garden lights to illuminate paths for winter darkness.

 CLEAN gutters and make sure downspouts are unclogged.

 FIX vent screens, broken foundation, and roof shakes and remove brush and wood piles from the perimeter of your house to deter mice and rats from building their winter abode.

 REPAIR garden tools and equipment before storing.

 MOVE containers of frost-prone plants to a covered area near the house or wrap with burlap.

 THANK YOU for being such dedicated readers of Digging Deep. I wish you a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Photos an more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1420/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Fall-fireworks.html

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

#autumn,#leaves,#amendments,#outdoors,##nature,#gardening, #cynthiabrian, #starstyle, #goddessGardener, #growingwiththegoddessgardener, #lamorindaweekly

Thanksgiving is EVERYDAY!

Posted by

presspass on November 24, 2020

Empowerment

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MIRACLE MOMENT®

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” Cicero

MESSAGE FROM CYNTHIA BRIAN, Founder/Executive Director

2020 has been a year of overwhelming challenges. Here in America, a land of great abundance, we are weathering enormous unemployment, social unrest, political disparity, and the devastating effects of the pandemic. As I write this, the CDC announced that over one million new cases occurred in the past seven days. The death toll is now at 256,000 and rising. My heart goes out to all of those who have lost loved ones during this terrible crisis.

The best way to stay safe this Thanksgiving is to celebrate only with those you live with. Protect yourself and others from Covid-19 by staying home. Make health a priority over parties.

Being human means that all of us, regardless of race, religion, economics, politics, or sex, will always have difficult times to overcome. No matter what we endure, we need to express gratitude for what we have, not what we don’t. With so much loss, it is tough to be positive, yet even more necessary to give thanks daily. Gratitude exalts the heart and feeds the soul.

Be the Star You Are!® continues its outreach programs virtually. Both of our radio broadcasts, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® and Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio, bring you authors, artists, actors, musicians, and other creatives who are struggling during this pandemic. Make sure to tune in and support their work. You may find our line-up of remarkable guests at https://www.StarStyleRadio.com

We have beautiful new books available to donate through our holiday distribution program. If your organization, shelter, church, hospital, or other group would like to apply to receive books, please email me for guidelines. Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org

Tuesday, December 1^st is Giving Tuesday. Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday is a day dedicated to inspiring millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. If there ever was a year when donations are necessary, this is it. If you are in a position to donate, please go to https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504 No donation is too small or too big. Help us continue our vital programs in 2021.

This will be the first year in my life that I will only be celebrating Thanksgiving with one other person, my husband. The toasts and prayers will be for health, peace, unity, decency, and love for our global community.

My sincerest wishes to you for a healthy and happy day of Thanksgiving. Take a walk outdoors, inhale the fresh fall air, and experience the solace of nature.

I am grateful for you and your dedication to make this world a better place.

Stay joyful and give thanks for what you have.

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, Novelist

Blessings, grace, and peace.

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

GIVING THANKS

Many of us have struggled this year as we continue to live through this pandemic. Lives have been lost, hearts have been shattered. It is clear that we all have to take time to heal our souls. Thanksgiving is a time where we all come together with our families, friends and the people we love.

Even though it is difficult to celebrate normally this year, we can celebrate safely. We can socially distance with our loved ones, or gather together with the people we’ve quarantined with, or even have a simple phone call with a friend. We can enjoy life despite the craziness. Remember and appreciate the little things we all cherish in life.

It is the season of giving and gratitude. Stay safe. Life is worth living.

Angelica Parmoshin is a high school senior devoting time and efforts to volunteering with life changing organizations. Read more http://www.btsya.com/resources.html

THANK YOU

How can we thank the teachers and staff who tirelessly work to educate and comfort our youth? Whether or not we have children in school, we all want our future generation to thrive and grow.

As a simple gesture of thanks, my husband and I decided to give the gift of coffee to teachers and staff at two local schools. We added a card that says “You Are Awesome!”

By purchasing bags of ground coffee from the Friends of San Lucas, we’re supporting the coffee farmers in Guatemala.

Think about thanking a teacher today!

Karen Kitchel is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com

MY 2020 THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving in 2020 looks a little different this year. I’m grateful to be able to celebrate and spend time with my family.

Thanksgiving has always been my second favorite holiday (next to Christmas). What I love about Thanksgiving is having the moment to reflect and show gratitude. Usually, every year we go to my aunt’s house in Yorba Linda. We play games, eat great food, and have fun with tons of family. This year due to COVID it will just be myself and my parents at our home this year. I am looking forward to eating food, playing games with my family, watching movies, and having fun with our new dog Bronco.

This year I am grateful for many things. I am grateful for my mom, dad, family, and friends. I am also grateful for my basketball team, my life, BE THE STAR YOU ARE!® (BTSYA), and most of all keeping a level head throughout this year.

I hope everyone has the best Thanksgiving ever!

Stay safe and Peace out!!

Jonathan Jackson

Thirteen year-old Jonathan Jackson is a reporter on Express Yourself!® Teen Radio with his segment, Jay’s Sport’s World. He maintains a 4.0, is passionate about basketball, and dreams of attending U.C.L.A. in their journalism program. https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself

HOLIDAY SHOPPING? BLACK FRIDAY SALES?

The holidays are approaching.To avoid exposure to coronavirus in stores, you may wish to shop on-line. We have suggestions for you to shop, save, and stay safe. Please use these web sites for all of your shopping essentials.

1. AmazonSmile donates .5% of purchases https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3333882

2. Discounted books at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shops/be_the_star_you_are_charity

3. Giving Assistant: Shop. Earn. Give! Use Giving Assistant to earn cash at 3500+ popular online stores :https://givingassistant.org/np#be-the-star-you-are-inc

4. Shop at over 1300 stores on IGIVE: http://www.iGive.com/BTSYA

5. Stock up on autographed, first edition books from our StarStyle® store and we will include extra goodies with your order. Plus, through the holidays we are including a complimentary CD of beautiful, relaxing music to help you decompress. https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store.

6. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4

STAY SAFE! WEAR A MASK!

LINKS YOU CAN USE

Positive Results: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/positive-results

About Us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/about_us

Programs: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs

How to Help: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/how-to-help

Blog: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/blog-1

GREAT NON PROFITS REVIEWS: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/be-the-star-you-are-inc

GUIDESTAR/CANDID: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3333882

We invite you to volunteer, get involved, or make a donation. Make a DONATION through PAYPAL GIVING FUND and PAYPAL with 100% going to BTSYA with NO FEES: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

May you and your loved ones enjoy a restful and blessed Thanksgiving wherever you are and whatever you do.

THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR BE THE STAR YOU ARE!® GALAXY!

Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3
PO Box 376
Moraga, California 94556
US
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