Home & Family

Uncertainty is all around us, especially when the news is full of COVID19 updates and so much conflicting information. To cope with all this uncertainty, many of us turn to our oldest coping tool we know, “The Worry Machine.” We hope it will help to predict the future and avoid nasty surprises. It does not work and really never has. Let’s come together and find a better tool or two…ones we can share with others who are suffering from Worry Machine overload. This class can be conducted in a Zoom format, if necessary. Patricia LaVallee is a former Adult CNA instructor at MCST. She is an RN and Certified Mind Set Life Coach with over 35 years of nursing, teaching, and coaching experience.

Denise has developed “Backyard Herbalism” topics over the years as her study of herbs gardening grew throughout the Northeast, and locally at Avena Botanicals and Merryspring Gardens. Getting good sleep is vital to keeping us energized during the day and supporting our overall health, yet it’s elusive for so many people. There are many plants that can support peaceful sleep by taking them before bed or throughout the day in addition to building a night time ritual that supports the body to slow down and rest deeply. In this presentation we’ll talk about how to grow some of these plants and learn about some basic preparations of how to use them. Also discussed will be plants for dreaming and plants that can help stimulate us in the morning as an alternate to coffee as well. This class can be presented via Zoom, if necessary.

Hildy Ellis, program manager for Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation district, will present “Beyond the Birdfeeder: Creating Backyard Habitat”.  This class will highlight how to use natural and constructed features to provide food, shelter, water and nesting sites to attract songbirds and pollinators to home landscapes.  Information will be provided on why native trees and shrubs are the better choice for supporting songbird populations, which plants are pollinator powerhouses, and how backyard habitats mitigate the effects of development, while highlighting the human benefits of building a dynamic landscape. This presentation can be available via Zoom, if necessary.