“We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.” —John Muir

This was my first time attending the Good Medicine Confluence, and it did not disappoint! Held at the Ft Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, the conference was four days of lectures, plant walks, and tutorials. My brain was full at the end of each day! 🤯

Some of the classes I loved, included:

  • Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue’s presentation — Solas an Grian: St. John’s Wort, Goldenrod & The Light of The Sun
  • Lise Wolff’s presentation — All About The Head
  • Dara Saville’s herb walk and presentation — Anthropocene for Herbalists
  • Dr Marija Helt’s presentation — Beyond Mushroom Polysaccharides: A Dive Into The Other Magnificent Medicinal Mushroom Molecules

The conference was made all that much more enjoyable by sharing it with friends and colleagues — fellow plant lady and reflexologist, Sarah, made the road trip up to Durango with me.

I’ve brought back some Grindelia I’m macerating in alcohol, a jar of Pinyon pine needles and cones macerating in Colorado honey (harvested from a branch blocking my parents’ driveway), and a few tinctures made by herbalists vending at the conference I’m looking forward to working with.

Aunt Amy Adventures

After the conference I drove back down to New Mexico to spend a week with my parents, three of my sisters, and fifteen nieces and nephews. We hiked, road horses, fished in the river, camped under the stars, made ice cream and s’mores, and had our first Cousins Summer Olympics. I can highly recommend surprising a bunch of children at the park in a rainbow unicorn inflatable costume! The giggles were worth the sweat inside that suit. 😃