Cattails are dynamic, yet humble

(This article appears in the April 2018 issue of Take Root Magazine) When you see bunches of cattails lining the edges of water, do you think about using them to weave mats? Stop bleeding? Make pancakes? Stuff life jackets? Bind diarrhea? Ease chest pain? You will now! And that’s the short list of the uses… Continue reading Cattails are dynamic, yet humble

Acupuncture at the University of Oregon Student Health Center

Paddington Station

 2/27/18 presentation notes Main topics: Who do I see and why? Why refer to acupuncture? What is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture? Does it hurt? Who gets acupuncture?  From the schedule Tuesday 2/6, seven patients: Plantar fasciitis Neck & upper trap pain Upper thoracic pain Right calf pain Left forearm pain Back pain,… Continue reading Acupuncture at the University of Oregon Student Health Center

Go to the empty places

January is empty for reservoirs. They hold the void. There is no water, wake, or waves. Hardly anyone is there. You’d see them if they were; there’s nowhere to hide. I tromped around wondering about the emptiness. Which reminded me of the importance of being empty. My friend recommends going into a room empty. Especially… Continue reading Go to the empty places

What is mental health?

© Mary Ann Petersen. Howth, Ireland.

We went from headaches to mental health fairly quickly. I asked him what he did for his own mental health? His answer: “I don’t know what it is.” Fair enough. An honest answer! A few beats passed and he asked, what do YOU do for your mental health? Touché! I told him that for my… Continue reading What is mental health?

Orcas Island

  I felt on the brink of magic. I was, Orcas island was next. Still, Anacortes is beautiful; you can walk on the beach or a boardwalk path if you have time before your ferry pulls in.   Anacortes is the place to drive onto ferries that go to Canada and the San Juan islands.… Continue reading Orcas Island

Flowers wave at the traffic going by

I practiced 20 different introductions as I walked toward the Flower Garden of Mystery. This is a large plot of sunflowers and nasturtiums on the corner of Hilyard and E. 25th. “Hi, my name is Mary Ann and I love your garden and I wondered if I could interview you for my blog, which has… Continue reading Flowers wave at the traffic going by

Stand-up paddle the urban Willamette

I pushed off at Sellwood Riverfront park. The plan? Paddle the board toward the city. I wouldn’t make it all the way, but the journey looked good. I parked on a street nearly under Sellwood bridge and headed toward what I thought was a boat launch. It seemed that it had been one a long… Continue reading Stand-up paddle the urban Willamette