Mountain Rose Trading

08/11/2026

Apparently, the Realm decided today’s teacher needed four legs, questionable dietary standards, and absolutely no understanding of personal space.

This is Simba.

He steals tomatoes. He thinks he’s at least partially a horse. He has eaten things I would strongly prefer not to discuss over lunch. And for years, I thought his relentless need to love me was... well... toxic.

Turns out I may have had that completely backwards.
Tomatoes, Horse Apples, and Unconditional Love — A Story from the Realm

Come meet Simba. 😂🐕🍅💚

And then tell me: Has an animal ever taught you something you didn't know you needed to learn?

What can a tomato-stealing, horse-imitating, wildly exuberant dog t...

08/02/2026

The Realm has always been at the heart of Mountain Rose Trading.

Over the past months I've shared Realm Field Notes, stories from the Red Mountain Symposium, and glimpses into the way I experience the world. Those posts have been little windows into the Realm.

Today, I'm opening the gate a little wider.
Rather than simply writing about the Realm, I've begun sitting on my deck, on my bear stool, surrounded by flowers, and reading these stories aloud—just as though we were sitting together over a cup of coffee.

These aren't lectures.
They aren't lessons.
They're stories.

Stories about crows, horses, gardens, dogs, mountains, and the ordinary moments that quietly invite us to stop, notice, and remember.

This first story begins with Crow.
I hope you'll pull up a chair, wander with me for a little while, and then go wander through your own Realm to see what has been waiting for your attention.

And while you're out there...
keep an eye out for the glitter.
🌿✨

Welcome to the Realm.Today's story begins with a crow, two horses...

07/30/2026

I love what this post says, and I'd encourage you to put yourself in the mix...

Define yourself differently
Allow yourself to be healed
Redefine yourself...

Find glitter everywhere...💥✨🌟

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18KsLkcV7j/

07/14/2026

🌿✨ A Tuesday Thought from the Realm ✨🌿

For a long time I thought healing meant pouring myself out.

This morning I realized something different.

A spring doesn't become empty because it gives water.
It stays full because it continues receiving.

Maybe tending the Realm...
and tending ourselves...
have never been separate things.

So today you'll probably find me pulling w**ds, listening to horses, following squirrel-approved trails, watching hummingbirds argue over flowers, laughing at dive-bombing dragonflies, smiling as the Dubious Doubters hold another emergency meeting, and wondering what the Archangels are writing on their scrolls while Grandmother Spider quietly keeps weaving.

The Realm is wonderfully ordinary...
and wonderfully magical...
often at exactly the same time.

If your path ever wanders this way, we'll look forward to your explorations.

🌿✨

Realm open from noon until...

07/13/2026

🌿✨ Realm-Tending Tuesdays ✨🌿

The Dubious Doubters held another committee meeting this morning.

They were concerned.

"Who's going to come?"

"What if it's hot?"

"What if it rains?"

"What if nobody wants to pull w**ds?"

The squirrels, naturally, interrupted the meeting seventeen times, mostly because someone had discovered glitter on a spider web and that was obviously far more important than committee business.

Grandmother Spider simply kept weaving.

She didn't seem worried at all.

The archangels looked appropriately dignified, although I'm fairly certain one of them smiled when Simba came bouncing through the meeting and scattered everyone.

😂

So...

After listening to everyone...

The Realm has reached a decision.

Beginning this Tuesday, and every Tuesday after that, the gates of the Realm will be open beginning at noon.

There isn't an agenda.

There isn't a workshop.

There isn't a class.

There isn't even a schedule.

There is simply a place to tend.

Some Tuesdays we'll w**d.

Some Tuesdays we'll mow.

Some Tuesdays we'll organize beads, work on jewelry, sort silver, put together puzzles, color, brush horses, clean stalls (yes... de-sh*ttening is officially recognized as a Realm practice), fill hummingbird feeders, or simply sit with a glass of iced tea watching the hummingbirds argue over nectar while the squirrels insist they know better.

We'll tend whatever seems to be asking for love that day.

Sometimes that'll be the gardens.

Sometimes the garage.

Sometimes the horses.

Sometimes a conversation.

Sometimes ourselves.

You're welcome to come for fifteen minutes.

You're welcome to stay all afternoon.

Bring work gloves.

Bring a lawn chair.

Bring a puzzle.

Bring your knitting.

Bring a book.

Or bring absolutely nothing but yourself.

Questions are welcome.

Stories are welcome.

Silence is welcome.

Laughter is highly encouraged.

The only requirement is a willingness to notice.

The glitter.

The dragonflies.

The ravens.

The horses.

The wind in the cottonwoods.

The tiny ordinary miracles that somehow become extraordinary when we slow down enough to see them.

The old woman has already put the kettle on.

The squirrels are making absolutely no promises regarding appropriate behavior.

Grandmother Spider continues weaving.

The Dubious Doubters remain... dubious.

And the Realm...

Well...

The Realm is ready to welcome you.

Every Tuesday.
Beginning at noon.

Come help tend the Realm.

You may discover...
..that while you're tending the Realm...

the Realm has been tending you all along.

💙

Message for details...

07/11/2026

🌿 Realm Update: The Council Discusses Proper Morning Conduct 🌿

This morning, Simba was appointed Official Greeter of the Realm.

Unfortunately, no one informed Simba that an Official Greeter should occasionally allow people to leave the house.

Instead, he stationed himself directly in the doorway, vibrating with joy.

Not metaphorically.

Literally vibrating.

His entire body wiggled with such enthusiasm that movement itself seemed to have become contagious.

When I couldn't get past him, I simply stood there and watched.

He tried so very hard to contain himself.

He bounced.

He sat.

He wiggled.

He looked around.

He shook with anticipation.

His whole being declared,

"THE DAY IS HERE!! THE DAY IS HERE!! SOMETHING WONDERFUL IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!"

Finally, I whispered one quiet word.

"Move."

With the grace of an airborne marshmallow, he launched himself into the air and bounded down the driveway, wiggling like a little forest fairy who had just remembered joy existed.

The squirrels immediately announced my passage to the entire county.

Whether they were warning everyone or simply gossiping remains under investigation.

The horses, having finished breakfast, wandered peacefully into the pasture with the quiet confidence of beings who understand that grazing is a perfectly respectable spiritual practice.

The hummingbirds, however, had different priorities.

The Nectar Wars have officially resumed.

Peace negotiations appear unlikely.

Meanwhile...

The Archangels observed Simba's performance.

Raphael smiled.

Gabriel laughed.

Azrael folded his arms with great dignity and attempted to look appropriately solemn.

Then Simba bounced past him.

Azrael's mouth twitched.

Raziel quietly leaned over and whispered,

"I'm fairly certain exuberance counts as a form of prayer."

Even Michael, after watching Simba's joyful determination to simultaneously obey, celebrate, wiggle, and completely block the doorway, finally smiled.

Because perhaps...

There are mornings when the holiest thing in the Realm is not perfect stillness.

Perhaps...

Sometimes the greatest act of reverence is meeting the dawn with your whole body saying,

"I'm so happy you're here."

So today's lesson from the Realm is this:

If you happen to find yourself vibrating with delight before breakfast...

Don't worry.

The squirrels understand.

The horses approve.

The hummingbirds are too busy arguing to notice.

And somewhere, just beyond the pasture...

Creator is smiling.

Because joy has once again forgotten to be embarrassed.

✨🌿💙

07/04/2026

🌈 Realm Weather Update

Following last night's spectacular Aurora performance, the Sky Department has announced there will be no intermission.

The nighttime crew finished their shift painting ribbons of green and violet across the darkness.

The daytime crew apparently looked at their assignment and said,
"Well... we can't just leave it empty."

So they tucked rainbows into the clouds where only people who remember to look up would find them.

Official Realm conclusion:
Wonder is not limited to the night shift.

07/04/2026

🌲 Current Conditions at Realm Outpost: Troy

River: Kootenai flowing peacefully directly in front of headquarters.

Wind: Gentle enough to whisper stories through the earrings.

Wildlife: Eagles conducting aerial supervision while occasionally announcing their approval to anyone willing to listen.

Glitter Levels: Elevated.

Realm Frequency: Stable.

Porta-potty Distance: Directly across from headquarters.

The Realm Engineering Department has rated this placement as:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Nearly perfect."

The only noted deficiency is the absence of complimentary coffee delivery by woodland creatures.

The squirrels have been written up for this oversight.

07/04/2026

📜 Realm Field Report
Troy Fourth of July Vendor Expedition
STATUS: Mission underway.

Early reports indicate Mountain Rose Trading successfully deployed to Troy with one fully assembled booth, an assortment of handmade treasures, numerous stories, several dragons, suspicious quantities of glitter, and...
..the Shower Curtain Hook Cooperative.

The Ribbon Committee has officially been relieved of duty after repeated reports of unnecessary drama.

Replacement personnel (the Shower Curtain Hooks) accepted the assignment without complaint and immediately began doing exactly what they were designed to do.

Efficiency increased dramatically.

The Squirrels have requested that all future engineering projects bypass committees whenever possible.
Meanwhile...

Visitors continue wandering into the booth believing they're shopping for jewelry.

Field observations suggest they may actually be looking for something they forgot they were missing.

Some will leave with earrings.

Some with crystals.

Some with stories.

Some with a reminder that the world is still full of beauty.

All acceptable outcomes.

Realm researchers continue monitoring for spontaneous outbreaks of wonder.

Initial results are extremely promising.

07/04/2026

📜 Realm Field Report
Emergency Overnight Transmission from Red Mountain

STATUS: Unexpected celestial celebration.

The Northern Lights were observed conducting an unscheduled dance rehearsal over Red Mountain last night.

Grandmother Spider insists she had nothing to do with the ribbons of green and violet.

The Archangels deny responsibility.

The Dragons are refusing interviews.

The Squirrels have already claimed credit.

The Beige Committee has filed a formal complaint stating that "purple skies are highly unprofessional."
It has been ignored.

Field investigators confirm that stars remained at their posts while ribbons of living light drifted across the heavens, apparently reminding everyone that glitter has always been woven into the fabric of creation.

Several Realm residents were observed standing in their pajamas looking upward with giant grins.

No regrets were reported.

Official Realm conclusion:
Sometimes Creator simply decides the sky should laugh.