

Jenny Hill
- May 18
- 2 min
Garden Updates
Gardeners Dave and Anna brought in the first harvest from the hoop house this week! It was made up of lots of greens: spinach, arugula,...

Jim Chamberlin
- May 5
- 3 min
Keyline Design Works with Water
Happy Dancing Turtle recently hosted journalist and National Geographic Explorer, Erica Gies, to discuss Water Always Wins, a book in...

Jenny Hill
- Apr 21
- 3 min
Garden Tips: Seeding, Thinning, Tamping
While hardy (and understandably grumpy) Minnesotans weather yet another rain/snow “event,” steadfast gardeners like Dave and Anna at...

Jim Chamberlin
- Apr 14
- 3 min
Grazing Update for the Pine River Watershed
Jim Chamberlin is a long-time member of the Pine River Watershed Alliance. Below is his most recent update on grazing initiatives. The...

Jenny Hill
- Apr 7
- 4 min
Laundry Tips: Dos, Don’ts and Maybes
I recently bought a new-to-me pair of Levis at one of my favorite consignment stores. When checking out the instruction tag (one of...

Jenny Hill
- Mar 24
- 3 min
Garden Tips: Soil Blocks, Watering, Succession Planting
The HDT garden crew, Dave and Anna, recently took a video and some photos as they worked on soil blocks. The resulting blocks were moist...

Jenny Hill
- Mar 9
- 3 min
Food Security is Key to Sustainable Living
One of the basic human needs is food. Food insecurity can completely obliterate the opportunity for sustainable, healthy living....


Jim Chamberlin
- Mar 3
- 4 min
Bringing It All Together for Soil Health
The Change Exchange discussion group the last couple of months have focused on the life under our feet. This month we bring it all...

Jenny Hill
- Feb 17
- 5 min
Garden Tips
As we watch the snow melt, then rain come and go, and then the snow start all over again, many of us have fallen for the siren call of...

Jim Chamberlin
- Feb 3
- 4 min
Soil Health: The Challenge of Our Time
Soil health is defined as the ability of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem. The soil's ability to function, to cycle water and...

Jim Chamberlin
- Dec 28, 2022
- 3 min
The Forest Below Our Feet
I have a distinct memory from years ago of a portage we took on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I believe the...

Jenny Hill
- Dec 16, 2022
- 2 min
Reconsider Gift Cards
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the end-of-the-year holidays–busy schedules, parties and family gatherings, expectations to perform...


Jenny Hill
- Dec 9, 2022
- 4 min
Clothes-minded: What Is the True Cost?
Do you find yourself spending both more money and less money on clothing today? It seems like some basics, like jeans, cost more. But...


Jim Chamberlin
- Dec 2, 2022
- 4 min
Celebrate World Soil Day
World Soil Day is December 5th and is dedicated to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable...

Jenny Hill
- Nov 23, 2022
- 3 min
Tips for Treading Lightly Through the Holidays
The holiday season is here! For some, it can feel like the season of overwhelm. After Thanksgiving, does time actually accelerate towards...

Jenny Hill
- Nov 18, 2022
- 3 min
Rs for Resilient Living: Repair
In the list of the Rs--such as Reduce, Reuse, Refuse, Repurpose--Repair is a step many of us may not immediately think to take. Often I...


Jenny Hill
- Oct 28, 2022
- 4 min
When the Weather Gets Cold, Local Eaters Get Creative
Do you have a summer and winter diet? Many of us do, at least to a certain extent because it seems more fun to eat melon in the summer...

Jenny Hill
- Oct 21, 2022
- 3 min
Getting Your Pollinator Friendly Yard Ready for Winter
The population of pollinators is declining worldwide. Habitat loss and lack of food for pollinators are the primary reasons for the...


Jim Chamberlin
- Oct 14, 2022
- 6 min
Food in a Changing Climate
On what appears to be the backside of the 2021 drought, it’s a good time to reflect on the impacts the drought had, and explore ways we...


Jenny Hill
- Oct 7, 2022
- 3 min
Put the Birds (and Our Planet) in the Dark
Saturday, October 8 is the next World Migratory Bird Day! And as their slogan says: “Dim the Lights for the Birds at Night.” Why would...