Welcome to the latest entry on Barbara Phelps Art & Design blog, where the rhythm of creativity and the pulse of inspiration never cease....

Gifts come in a variety of forms. During this holiday season my sister is visiting from Richmond, Virginia. It has been a year since her...

On one of my first walks through the fall rain on our woodsy 5-acre site in Lake County, I was surprised by a whiff of fragrance. That's...

The name Manzanita rolls off the tongue easily. The Spanish priests of early California gave this tree its name little apple for its tiny...

Did you know that basket weaving is more than weaving fibers together to make a container? Elder basket weavers have recounted that the...

Much sought after was the seafood and seaweed from the Pacific Coast. Pomo as well as Coast Miwuk enjoyed seafood almost all year round...

The word Coyote is the Mexican-Spanish variation of the Aztec (Nahuatl) word coyotl. The Nahua people lived in central Mexico. Coyote is...

You decide! Here's how we'll prepare it. First, all cooking by the Pomo was done outdoors and mostly in a basket with hot stones. In this...

The Greek word for fungus is myco and for root is rhiza. So Mycorrhiza means fungus root. So both Mycorrhizae and Mycorrhizas for the...

Acorn woodpeckers look mischievous and dapper in their red caps. They love to store acorns in trees for a very special reason--but it's...

Is it only the grape-like bunches of violet blossoms that we get to enjoy? Do we look forward to the leaves and petals that we have to...

A superhero is how many children view their extraordinary grandmother or the one standout relative (there's one is every family, right?)....

Pomo Basket Weaver No.2 Spokes of the Pomo Community Series I live in Northern California, Lake-Sonoma-Mendocino counties. I have an...

Pomo Basket Weaver No.1 Spokes of the Pomo Community Series I live in Northern California, Lake-Sonoma-Mendocino counties. I have an...

Native Seeds? Seeds of Awareness? Sure, why not?! Let's savor the warmth of the sun on our face, feel the freedom of open space around...

We have all seen the photo from Ukraine. Women in fluffy pink parkas, men in sneakers joining other parka-wearing citizens of Kiev in...

You may be familiar with Highway 20 if you've driven to the beach by way of Fort Bragg. I was on my way, just leaving Willits, when I...

You are so anxious about the future that you do not enjoy the present. You therefore do not live in the present or the future. You live...

This past week has been a physical exercise to "clutter bust" one of the five acres on which we live. Our north SF Bay land nurtures...

What does this mean? Explore the depths of the ocean? The woods? Consciousness? What's the riddle? Let me explain. You may recall being a...