Recently, I lost one of my chickens. Something got into the chicken run, and in the aftermath, I had to kill the animals responsible. It wasn’t enjoyable. It wasn’t satisfying. It was simply necessary. This is a part of life that many people prefer not to look at directly. But living close to land, animals, and food has a way of removing that illusion. Death is not an abstract concept—it is immediate, embodied, and unavoidable. We often like to believe that we can live withou

I’ll start with a disclaimer: the way I identify plants is more intuitive than most experts would recommend. So don’t take my word for it—do your own research, check multiple sources, and build your own relationship with the plants. That said, here’s how it often goes for me. I’ll come across a plant and think, “That looks… minty.” Not mint exactly, but something in the mint family. There’s a certain posture, a texture, a vibe you start to recognize after enough time around t