Happy Dancing Blog

The holiday season is a time for joy, connection, and celebration. It’s when we gather with friends and family, share delicious meals, exchange gifts, and hopefully slow down to appreciate the year behind us. But let’s be honest, that’s not always how it feels and those “grinchy” feelings seem to keep expanding. Let's improve this.

Recently a small group of people gathered at Island Lake Farm on a cool fall evening to talk about Climate on the Farm. Sponsored by the Climate Land Leaders  and supported by Happy Dancing Turtle, the evening started with a history of the farm.  We have been on our farm for thirty years and consider it to be a special place. With a half mile of shoreline on a natural wild rice lake and the headwaters for the Ripple River, we have kept conservation at the heart of our farm op

Sitting around a campfire can be a soul-soothing experience.

It can be tempting to cut everything down in the fall, but leaving some of your garden “messy” through winter is one of the best gifts you can give to birds, pollinators, and your soil.

Can you make money, declutter your life, and still contribute to a better planet?

On Air Quality Alert days, we are becoming more familiar with how to take precautions and still go about the work/fun of daily life. This...

Way back in the late ’90s/early aughts, if you wanted a deal online, you probably ended up on Amazon or eBay. Amazon wasn’t yet the...

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the 19th Biennial North American Agroforestry Conference. As part of the conference, the Working...

My family tries our best to reduce the food waste in our kitchen–even just by doing things as simple as not peeling carrots, cucumbers,...

As the school season approaches, the excitement of going off to college and having freedom ramps up; but so does the anxiety about...

The hazards of extreme heat and ime-tested ways to handle it.

DIY Beauty: Because Sometimes Your Pantry Is a Better Option Than Shopping Do It Yourself Beauty/Skin Care/Self-Care has always  been a...

I am a walker. Maybe it's a gene I inherited from my Dad who walked nearly every day for the 60 years I knew him. If so, I feel very...

Planting trees has long been seen as an act of faith, action, and stewardship.  Trees provide numerous benefits. They protect the soil,...

Doesn’t that title sound super impressive and knowledgeable? Don’t worry I just came up with it in the shower one day. Zero waste...

Rs for Resilient Living Series For most of us by this time of year, the idea of getting out to work in your yard, seeing the change of...

Based on the premise that adaptive grazing management is vital to mimicking the natural systems that build healthy soils and landscapes,...

Spending time with hands in the soil has been shown to provide significant mental health  benefits. Gardening, farming, or simply...

The arrival of spring stimulates the urge to clean and refresh our living spaces. After a long winter of bringing things home, the...

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...