Yips and Howls
A Writer's Reflections on Nature and Culture
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Wren Independence Day

By Elizabeth Enslin on July 4, 2010

The house wrens nesting on our yurt porch chose this morning, the 4th of July, to shoo their young ones out of the nest.

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Posted in Recent, Seasons and Rituals, Wildlife Encounters | Tagged birds, holidays, Humor, nature, photography, wild | 3 Responses

Nettles in the hog sheds

When Life Gives You Weeds…Eat ‘Em

By Elizabeth Enslin on June 11, 2010

With all the rain out over the last few weeks and the challenges of getting the summer garden in, I’ve been grateful for food that sprouts with no effort on my part. I might not want stinging nettles in my cultivated garden, but I like having a patch on a distant corner of our property.  

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Posted in Recent, Sustainable Food, Sustainable Gardening, Wild Plants | Tagged food, Homesteading, nature, Sustainable Gardening, wild | 5 Responses

Homeless Haitians set up tents nearby the Presidential Palace, in the aftermath of the earthquake. Credit: Marcello Casal.  Photo available under a Creative Commons License.

More Haiti Links

By Elizabeth Enslin on January 26, 2010

Following up on my Martin Luther King Day post, here are some more links that expose mainstream media bias and deepen historical and political understanding of Haiti:…

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Posted in Cultural Diversity, Politics and History, Recent | Tagged Haiti, media, nature | Leave a response

Pinyon pine Christmas tree

Our Live Christmas Tree

By Elizabeth Enslin on December 25, 2009

I used to be the Christmas tree enthusiast in the family. I’d drive around Seattle for hours looking for the perfect tree, set it up, decorate it….

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Posted in Recent, Sustainable Gardening, Wild Plants | Tagged holidays, nature, Sustainable Gardening, wild | 2 Responses

Ice Patterns

Ice Patterns

By Elizabeth Enslin on December 9, 2009

Writing experts tell us to never, ever open a story with the weather. And while a brief comment on the weather can sometimes be an ice breaker, extended conversations about it more likely signal that both parties have run out of interesting things to say. That’s all changing now….

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Posted in Humor, Recent, Seasons and Rituals | Tagged climate change, Humor, nature, photography, Writing | 4 Responses

Willows, Sandy River Delta, Oregon

Winter Light

By Elizabeth Enslin on December 2, 2009

A photograph of winter light on water through an almost leafless willow tree.

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Posted in Explorations, Images, Seasons and Rituals | Tagged nature, photography, winter | Leave a response

Autumn Color in Northeast Oregon

Autumn Color in Northeast Oregon

By Elizabeth Enslin on October 28, 2009

Series of photographs of trees turning color in mountains of Northeastern Oregon.

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Posted in Explorations, Images, Seasons and Rituals | Tagged beauty, nature, photography | Leave a response

First Snow

First Snow

By Elizabeth Enslin on October 27, 2009

A photograph of the first snow of the season in eastern Oregon mountains.

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Posted in Explorations, Images, Seasons and Rituals | Tagged beauty, nature, photography, snow | Leave a response

Townsend's Big Earred Bat

Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat: Species of the Week

By Elizabeth Enslin on September 25, 2009

On our Northeast Oregon property, we have an old house that’s rotting. It has little historic or architectural value, so we’ve been leaning towards tearing it down. Then my nephew, Gerek, found the bat in the closet….

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Posted in Homesteading, Species of the Week, Wildlife Encounters | Tagged nature, photography, wild | 4 Responses

Great Horned Owl: Species of the Week

Great Horned Owl: Species of the Week

By Elizabeth Enslin on August 26, 2009

I first heard the strange noises in late June: whistling squawks that sounded like sea gulls five hundred miles off course. The calls began at sundown every evening and continued throughout the night. I couldn’t imagine what besides an owl would make so much noise after dark. But owls hoot. Right? Couldn’t possibly be owls, I thought….

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Posted in Around the Northwest, Featured, Species of the Week, Wildlife Encounters | Tagged nature, species, wild | 2 Responses

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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.

Blog Bling

Thanks Erin, Carole, and
Irene.

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