Last week I received the November newsletter from one of my favorite plant nurseries, Lotus Valley Natives. Tucked away along the South Fork American River in Coloma/Lotus Valley, this small but growing plant nursery focuses on making great native plants available for foothill and mountain landscapes.

If you’ve never been up there, it’s worth the drive just to pass through the area. Beautiful hillsides and forests, winding roads, and rustic fences give the area a bygone-era charm, and every once in a while you stumble onto a stunning panoramic view. Also in the area is Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, and of course a beautiful stretch of wild and scenic river.

The nursery is owned and operated by Mahala and Jinnah, two childhood friends who grew up in Lotus Valley and share a love of the outdoors. These two kind women are very knowledgeable about how natives can best be used, plant solutions for challenging soil types, and how to combine plants for wildlife/habitat value.

This month they also have a 25% sale on groundcovers going. Visit their website to learn more… http://www.lotusvalleynatives.com/

I came across a great article today from the folks at 99% about the value of downtime and the space in which to find it. Here’s a preview link, courtesy of tinyurl.com:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/235kz5x

The basics of the article, while written for a primary audience of creatives, is applicable to everyone in my view. In the dynamically interconnected, always-on setting we’ve surrounded ourselves in, space and moments to find the peace to think deep thoughts is precious and rare.

In my work I’ve found that identifying a ‘point of refuge’ is one of the most critical elements to any design project. This may take the form of a small patio in a backyard design, or may be as simple as a well-placed bench in a public park. While the needs of the intended user and the relative significance to the overall design differ from project to project, it remains an element that cannot be overlooked.

(hmm…) This may also explain the success of pocket parks in congested urban settings, and perhaps why they don’t tend to work as well in less congested settings- they fill a critical need for a pause and a deep breath that is rarely recognized or discussed in the hectic pace of urban living. In settings that are less overwhelmingly busy, the need is less pronounced and so other steps need to be taken to promote the magnetism of a particular space. More to come on this idea in a future post.

For now, find a place in or around your home or community that helps you find ‘center’, and take steps to help it be a point of refuge for you.