Author Archives: Steph VonAhnen, LRMT, CLC

Sometimes, the past doesn’t stay where we left it.  It taps softly at the edges of our dreams, whispers through an old song, or appears suddenly in a text from someone we haven’t thought about in years.  When the past knocks, it’s rarely convenient, and it’s almost always meaningful. Lately, I’ve found myself face toContinue reading “When the Past Comes Knocking: A Dive Into Reconnecting”

I wasn’t always a gardener.Truth is, by the time I found my way to the soil, one of my kids had already left the nest, and another was well on their way.  It wasn’t some long-held family tradition or early childhood memory that drew me in (except memories of getting my hands dirty in theContinue reading “From Highchairs to Harvest: How I Taught My Kids Where Dinner Comes From”

Sometimes life feels like an endless obstacle course built by someone with a twisted sense of humor.  One minute you’re finally standing tall, and the next, someone’s yelling, “Now jump through this one!” It’s too high.  It’s on fire.  It’s moving.  And you’re tired. And yet, you jump.  Or climb.  Or crawl under it whileContinue reading “Jumping Through Hoops and Growing Anyway”

When we talk about homesteading today, it’s easy to get swept away by the latest gadgets and gizmos promising quicker harvests and easier chores.  There’s also something beautifully grounding, and brilliantly clever, in the forgotten wisdom of our ancestors.  These long-lost hacks from the 1700-1800s aren’t just charming throwbacks; they’re timeless treasures that our modern-dayContinue reading “Forgotten Wisdom: Homestead Secrets Our Ancestors Swore By”

Every gardener knows, plants have personalities.  They don’t speak in words, but oh, they communicate.  Some beg for attention.  Some thrive in silence.  Some are absolute chaos with leaves. And if they could talk?  Oh honey, they’d have plenty to say! Let’s take a stroll through the garden and hear what the real stars ofContinue reading “The Garden Oracle: If My Plants Could Talk”

There are things in life that don’t go the way we planned.  Dreams that fell flat.  Friendships that soured.  Mistakes that haunt us in the quiet hours.  It piles up, doesn’t it?  The heartbreaks, the burned bridges, the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve cycle. And just like the garden, life starts to stink if we don’t doContinue reading “Compost Happens: Let the Rot Work for You”

There comes a point when the roots start circling. You’ve seen it before, in a pot that’s too small, where the plant can’t grow another inch.  The leaves start to yellow, the flowers don’t bloom, and you wonder what went wrong, until you pull it from the pot and see the truth: it’s not broken,Continue reading “Rootbound: When You’ve Outgrown the Container You’re In”

There’s something about a garden that holds space for all of it, joy, growth, failure, and yes… loss. You don’t have to explain yourself to the dirt.  You can plant seeds with tears in your eyes and still get tomatoes by summer.  You can bury something in grief and find something new growing beside itContinue reading “Love, Loss, and the Garden: Grief with Dirt Under Your Nails”

There’s a shift that happens, not all at once, and not always gently.  One day you’re bouncing out of bed with the energy of a spring chicken, and the next, you’re standing in the kitchen wondering why your pants don’t fit, your patience is thin, and you could cry over a dropped spoon. Welcome toContinue reading “Seasons Change: What the Garden Teaches Us About Aging, Hormones, and Growing Into Ourselves”

Some days, life feels like pulling a cart full of Sweet Annie, barefoot, in the rain, while a chicken watches and judges.  We all hit those points where we question whether it’s worth it, whether we’re really cut out for this calling, this dream, this work that demands so much and gives back in whispers.Continue reading “Keep Going: Wisdom for the Wild Ride”