Yips and Howls
A Writer's Reflections on Nature and Culture
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Pramila Parajuli, Executive Director of Volunteering to Learn

Memories of International Women’s Day in Nepal

By Elizabeth Enslin on March 8, 2010

Four months after I gave birth to my son in Nepal, I celebrated my very first International Women’s Day in 1988 in Gunjanagar, a village in western Chitwan District. It was also Gunjangar’s first time to organize an event for that day. I describe the scene in Sacred Threads, my ethnographic memoir-in-progress….

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Posted in Cultural Diversity, Politics and History, Recent, Sustainability, World Travel, Writing | Tagged inspiration, Nepal, women | 1 Response

A scene from Nepal, where I did my fieldwork.

Song Inspires Nostalgia for Anthropology

By Elizabeth Enslin on February 2, 2010

A contemporary song reminds me of all that inspired me to become an anthropologist eons ago….

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Posted in Cultural Diversity, Recent | Tagged cultural anthropology, inspiration, maturity, music, stories | Leave a response

Strange Conjunctions

Strange Conjunctions

By Elizabeth Enslin on January 28, 2010

Within 24 hours, Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger die, and Steve Jobs announces the iPad (which — menstrual jokes aside — may or may not revolutionize how we interact with the written word). I’m too busy trying to meet end-of-month writing deadlines to meditate on these odd conjunctions.  And perhaps writing is the best way  

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Posted in Politics and History, Recent, Social media | Tagged current events, history, inspiration | Leave a response

Poor dazed bear could be longing to return to her dark, quiet box in the attic.

Grumpy Bears Unite

By Elizabeth Enslin on December 24, 2009

I feel like a grumpy, old bear this holiday season. I don’t want to put my energy into decking halls. I avoid shopping as much as possible. I have no idea what to get anybody, and the muzak playing everywhere makes me want to poke holes in my ear drums….

...read more

Posted in Recent, Seasons and Rituals | Tagged holidays, inspiration, maturity | 5 Responses

Western Larch: Species of the Week

Western Larch: Species of the Week

By Elizabeth Enslin on November 20, 2009

It was hard to leave our yurt in northeastern Oregon with Western larch (Larix occidentalis) in full copper-yellow glory. But when the flanks of the mountains there blaze with what looks like a procession of candles, it’s time to get ready for a harsh winter or move to lower elevations….

...read more

Posted in Around the Northwest, Recent, Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged inland northwest, inspiration, seasons | 3 Responses

Carolina anole (Anolis carolensis).  Credit: PiccoloNamek. Available under GNU Free Documentation License

Chameleon Blogging: Changes to “Species of the Week”

By Elizabeth Enslin on November 17, 2009

Yeah, I know. This is a Carolina anole, not a chameleon. When I was a kid, I lusted after chameleons. But anoles change color too, and they were cheaper and easier to find in local pet stores, so that’s what I got….

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Posted in Humor, On Blogging, Species of the Week | Tagged blogging, childhood, inspiration, species | 4 Responses

Ama: My Greatest Teacher

Ama: My Greatest Teacher

By Elizabeth Enslin on November 10, 2009

Growing food this summer in northeast Oregon, I relied on all that I’ve learned over the years from books, conversations, observations, and personal experience. But I probably heard Ama’s voice more than any other….

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Posted in Cultural Diversity, Publication, Recent, Sustainable Food, World Travel | Tagged creative nonfiction, inspiration, stories, Sustainable Gardening | 2 Responses

Canyon mist, Northeast Oregon

Canyon Mist

By Elizabeth Enslin on October 14, 2009

Photograph of mist in a remote canyon in Northeast Oregon.

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Posted in Around the Northwest, Images | Tagged inspiration, photography, wild | 1 Response

Website for Ajamvari Farm

Website for Ajamvari Farm

By Elizabeth Enslin on August 18, 2009

I finally finished the website for Ajamvari Farm, a family run permaculture project in Nepal that hosts volunteers.  I helped develop the farm fifteen-some years ago while living in Nepal and discovered a passion for growing food that still runs strong today. The website provides information on opportunities for homestays and volunteering at the farm  

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Posted in Cultural Diversity, Sustainable Food, Sustainable Gardening, Travel, wordpress, World Travel | Tagged blogging, cultural anthropology, inspiration, Sustainable Gardening, web design | Leave a response

Walla Walla Sweet and friends: destined for the grill.

Walla Walla Sweets

By Elizabeth Enslin on July 30, 2009

In other gardens, I haven’t had much luck with bulbing onions.  Rationing bed space in small spaces, I lavished most of my attention on more flashy vegetables: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, corn. Walla Walla Sweet and friends: destined for the grill. But this year with plenty of space, I tried several different varieties of bulbing onions.    

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Posted in Sustainable Gardening | Tagged food, inspiration, photography, Poetry | Leave a response

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About Elizabeth Enslin

A writer based in Oregon, I look for inspiration and distractions in nature. An anthropologist, I ponder the places where nature and culture meet. A kitchen gardener, I promote biodiversity and learn from farming traditions around the world. A recovering academic, I try to do all with compassion and humor.

Find out more about me here, or at elizabethenslin.com.

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Recent Comments

  • Elderberry Bloom 
    • suzi smith: our flowers are fading in the uk… i love the elder, especially the older trees. An elder orchard...
    • Mike B.: You’ve got a great site! Unfortunately, we have tons of RED elderberry which are poisonous- but the...
    • Patricia J. O'Brien: I feel like I took a stroll through your woods and learned something new and wondrous. Thank...
  • When Life Gives You Weeds…Eat ‘Em 
    • Jennifer (ponderosa): You have clover among your miner’s lettuce. Can people eat clover? My guinea pigs love...
    • arati: ver y cool :)
  • Photos 
    • Nicole Raisin Stern: Hello Elizabeth and greetings from Kyoto, Japan. I found your website via a Pacific Yurts...

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Tweets

  • Our new farm website is up and running. Guess that makes it official: I am now a professional garlic farmer. http://ow.ly/2yCWD #profood
  • Grilled Walla Walla Sweets are becoming one of my all-time favorite foods.
  • Survived the city & big box stores. Happy to be back in #yurt with crickets chirping and rain pattering on roof.
  • is in the big city ... of Lewiston, ID fortifying herself with a cappuccino and sandwich before tackling the big box stores.
  • Didn't expect a day of thinning ponderosa pine to be so satisfying.

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Thanks Erin, Carole, and
Irene.

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