I’m sitting under the shade of an overgrown tree with my three young ducks, sleeping dog, and seedling who are close to transplant-ready.

I’ve chosen a life that is quiet in a way that isn’t empty. Water moves behind the levee. Branches lift and lower as the wind moves through like breath. Birds chattering, geese honking, and the occasional power tool in the distance.

I’ve always written. Now I’m claiming it.

I can’t help but notice things. Patterns. Shifts. Small details that feel bigger than they should.

Maybe it’s undiagnosed neurodivergence. Maybe it’s just attention and love for deeper connections to place and people. Either way, it’s something. And I’m finally ready to move with those feelings.

I feel uncomfortable because I often wait for things to be just right. But, I keep repeating: perfection will never come. And, I also believe perfection is already here.

So this is me starting. Today.

Does the world need another blog? Probably not.

But that’s not really the question.

The better question is:
does my lived experience add something real?

I think it does.

I live in the California Delta. Not a romantic, curated version. Pieces of that exist, but you have to look for them. More often it’s muddy and requires us to listen and move in step with the Earth.

There’s a rhythm here. That’s why I’ve chosen the name Tides & Trowels.

• Wood that weathers too quickly.
• Piles of rock that need to be moved.
• Soil that behaves differently than you expect.
• Water that reminds you you’re not in control.
• Full moons that inspire, and thin slivers that invite the next step.

This life is filled with big forces I can’t control.
And, small actions I choose every day.

Why am I writing this?

• to create, without waiting for permission
• show what actually works out here — what grows, what fails, and what I’d do differently next time
• to answer the question, what if I start here?

Who this is for?

I’m not over-defining this.

The right people will recognize themselves.

People who want a more grounded life.
People who are tired of everything feeling curated and disconnected.
People who want to build something that actually feels like theirs.
People who move with the seasons instead of against them.

Starting with the season

Beltane and a full moon are coming. It’s the time of year that doesn’t wait for you to feel ready.
So I’m not waiting either.

Fire. Fertility. Momentum. Crossing into something more alive.

So, let me tend to this fire inside me and begin here.