I tentatively sent out the very first issue of Everyday Magic on May 16, 2021, to myself and one other person. I linked that post to my Facebook and, amazingly, by the time I sent the second email — exactly two years ago today — eight people had already signed up to receive it. It included the photo below, plus another, of raindrops caught in Apache plume.
As if in celebration of the 2-year milestone, Mother Nature popped up a brand-new wildflower for me to stumble upon a few days ago, coincidentally also on May 16. It showed up in the most unlikely of places, Ojito Wilderness, which is generally quite dry and inhospitable.
I noticed a few small bushes, close to the ground, that seemed so insignificant I almost walked right past them. But when I peered at them more closely, through the new macro lens, I realized they had some of the most spectacular little flowers I’d ever seen, along with feathery seedlings reminiscent of Apache plume. Their many names include feather dalea, indigobush, and featherplume.1
Two years later, it turns out that I’ve somehow published 177 examples of everyday magic.2 They’ve been easy to share, not least because of the very warm feedback I continue to receive, in various ways, from so many of you. Many thanks to all of you for continuing to open and engage with my dispatches.
Their Latin name is Dalea formosa.
The definition of everyday magic I eventually settled upon is: Everyday magic can be described loosely as things or actions that are so commonplace that we normally don’t even notice them. When we slow down enough to really see, hear, or otherwise sense them, we give ourselves the opportunity to realize how incredibly magical they actually are.
Two years and counting. What a blessing these are!! Thank you, Lisa!
So delicate & lovely, thanks for your posts🙏🌸