National Simplicity Day is this Sunday, July 12th - the day, every year, that asks us to do less on purpose.

It's a bigger deal around here than you might expect.

I actually launched The Whiskey Porch on this date, years ago now, and chose it on purpose. The whole philosophy behind everything I write and design traces back to one idea that's over 200 years old - and it might be more true today than when it was first written.
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Tomorrow is summer solstice.  "Midsommar" in Sweden.  

​There’s something about the longest day of the year that brings so much joy.
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This week's letter over on Substack is a reflection on Midsommar, the Summer Solstice, and a few small ways to welcome the season with more beauty and less fuss.

Read it here:  A Simple, Peaceful Midsommar
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I hope you'll hop over there and say hello.

If you're looking for more inspiration, check out the other blog posts about Living with the Seasons here.

A man in a mask with a mosquito fogger at the garden gate was not exactly what I expected during a client call.

But it became the beginning of this week’s World Environment Day letter - a small reflection on the imperfect choices that help us care for the living world close to home.

Read the full letter: The Dragonflies Would Like a Word.

One of the challenges with new-build homes is that everything can feel abrupt at first.

Stark walls. Bare soil. Little shade. No sense of age or belonging yet.
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This Prescott landscape project began exactly there - with an empty high-desert lot exposed to strong sun, wind, difficult soil, and wide-open surroundings.

The goal was to create a layered meadow garden that felt welcoming, rooted, naturalistic, and deeply connected to both the architecture and the surrounding landscape.

In this week’s Design Dispatch over on Substack , I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the design thinking behind the project -  from blank slate to final landscape plan to a garden slowly settling into itself over time.  Plus lots of Before & Afters.

Bonus:  The Curated Botanical Guide.  A gorgeous 47-page companion guide that breaks down all of the plantings, color palettes, design principles.

🌿 Read the full story here:  A Meandow Landscape.

There’s something truly remarkable about herbs.

Long before herbs became little more than culinary ingredients tucked beside tomatoes in the garden, they were woven deeply into everyday life - valued for fragrance, beauty, tea, healing, ritual, pollinators, and household care.

Many herbs offer all of those things at once.

In this week’s Letter from The Whiskey Porch, I’m reflecting on the old wisdom of herbs and the countless ways they enrich a more sensory, grounded, and beautiful life - from lemon balm tea and rosemary shower bundles to lavender beside the bed and gardens alive with bees and fragrance.

This is less of a how-to garden post, and more of an inspirational story.
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The letter also explores some of my favorite herbs to grow for beauty, atmosphere, pollinators, and everyday rituals here in the high country of northern Arizona.

Read the full letter here:  The Old Wisdom of Herbs.

What began as the unexpected story of an old bungalow in the mountains of northern Arizona eventually became something much deeper - a simpler, more intentional way of living rooted in beauty, home, garden, creativity, and seasonality.
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Over on Substack I wrote a letter, where I’m sharing the story behind The Whiskey Porch, the philosophy that guides my work, and the ideas that continue shaping a smaller, simpler, more beautiful life.

Read the full letter here: Welcome to The Whiskey Porch.

At Letters from The Whiskey Porch, over on substack, The Spring Porch Invitation is now open.
April 15th - 24th, 2026.
​Become a member or upgrade now
Receive a handmade studio thank-you gift
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I just opened a small and very special invitation for readers who would like to step a little further onto the porch.

For a short time, readers who join Letters from The Whiskey Porch as annual Porch Companions or Studio Stewards receive a small handmade thank-you gift from my studio at Juniper Hill Cottage in Prescott, Arizona.

The Spring Porch Invitation is open through April 24.
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​You'll find all the details on membership benefits and access at the link below. 👇🏼
Join the conversation and be inspired.

Gardening has a way of nourishing more than just the plants we grow.


Over the years I’ve found that tending a garden - whether it’s a few pots on a balcony or a full backyard landscape - offers benefits that go far beyond aesthetics or food production. It’s one of the simplest ways to reconnect with nature, slow down, and engage in a creative, hands-on process.

In honor of National Gardening Day, I recently shared a short reflection on this topic in my Substack letter:  10 reasons gardening is good for the mind, body, and soul.
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You can find the post over on my substack:  How Tending a Garden Nourishes the Mind, Body, and Soul.

Well hello there, Spring 🌼

Today is the Spring Equinox - that quiet turning point when the light begins to return.

Here in Prescott the garden is just beginning to wake up. Snowdrops and hellebores are still holding their ground, and the porch is slowly becoming a place to linger again.

I shared a short Porch Journal with a few simple ways I like to welcome the season - sunrise tea, garden wake-ups, porch gatherings, and a little creative time outdoors.

You can read the full letter here:  Well Hello There, Spring.

With contentment & possibility,

🌿 March in the Prescott Garden
Your Monthly Garden Keeping Summary from The Whiskey Porch

​March in Prescott still brings chilly nights and the occasional winter weather, but the season is waking up fast. While spring temps tease us, remember our frost risk lingers—so hold off on tender plantings and take this month to prepare for the busy season ahead.
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