Small acts of nature conservation. A couple of these we already do but others would be new and different to work on this year, in the garden especially. Includes things like not raking up all the leaves in the Autumn. You can rake them off the grass and into the flower beds, good for the plants and the wildlife.

I've known about lawns being mowed in patterns for years, but didn't really think of it as a hobby, or an art form. It is though. So far I haven't found anything about it, other than how to guides. I would not be surprised if there is a group somewhere for lawn mowing art.

Meanwhile, I'm leaving a link about how to mow your lawn in patterns, from the Spruce site. Seven Common Lawn Mowing Patterns and When to Use Them

Not so related, I found: The Art of LawnMowing by Molly O'Connor, a video post.

This is called a dawn redwood tree. In 2015, it was voted as the most unique tree in the Great Toronto Tree Hunt. Unfortunately this is now 404 on the site and I could not find the photographs of the winning, or nominated trees. This is a very strange looking tree. I hope it is still standing and lasts a very long time.

This type of tree has been around from the ages of dinosaurs and it can grow in zone 5 but likes lots of sun and water. I looked for more photographs of this tree. Not all were as red as this. It might depend on the lighting at the time the photograph was taken, or the conditions may have been just right for it where this tree is planted.

Interested in growing one in Ontario? I found a post about growing dawn redwoods, a variety called gold rush, for Ontario gardeners at Canada's Local Gardener magazine: Dawn Redwood.

Near the Children’s Centre and Teaching Garden sits a massive and rare find – a dawn redwood (aka metasequoia), believed to be one of the oldest deciduous conifers in Toronto. It was a winner in the uniqueness category of LEAF’s Great Toronto Tree Hunt, submitted by author Jason Ramsay-Brown. It’s said to have been planted in 1960 on a plot bathed in early-morning sunlight on June 20 each year – the birthday of the wife of the gardener who planted it.

Source: Hidden Toronto: a growing list of the city's best-kept secrets

Two of my biggest problem with working at my home office are focus and clutter. Yes, they are connected and you could say they are the same problem really. But, I see them as individual issues which I try to deal with.

Clutter being actual stuff on the surface of my desk, taking over too much of the space. Focus being how easily distracted I am by things which don't really matter. So you can see the connection.

This little Zen sandbox caught my attention this morning. Not only does it give you an excuse to deal with the clutter on your desk (how else will you find space for it?), but it can bring some peace to your mind to dip a finger into the sand, move a stone, rake a bit of sand and then get back to what you really should be doing. Could this help you?

I'm looking at my desk right now. I can see how nice a mini Zen garden would fit on that right back corner - if I didn't have a stack of paper and a bottle of hand sanitizer there. I don't need to those things there. I have a handy file cabinet with room to spare. I just have not put those things back where they belong. If I made myself responsible for the care and maintenance of a tiny garden... I'd have at least some reason to keep clutter from crowding out the garden. Adding something pretty would help me keep the clutter monster from taking over. (In theory at least, I do know how tough the clutter monster can be).

Focus is really my bigger project. I am too easily distracted. I procrastinate when something starts to get complicated. Often I am working on a project but it unravels on me when more parts come into it and I have to look up facts, figure out how something else works, and so on. So much of what we do when we work from home requires us to be self sufficient and able to focus and stick with it, without a boss expecting or checking on our performance of the job at hand.

I don't think it is possible to stay entirely focused for an eight hour day. There are reasons for coffee breaks, lunch breaks and the addition of smaller and bigger tasks which help to break up your day. Adding a little garden to your work day is a nice way to break things up. Keeping you from straying too far into actual procrastination but letting your mind take a break, find a moment of peace and then gather your focus again before you go back into battle again.

Actually, I'd like to order the mini Zen kit just to have the fun of unpacking it and setting it up. I can think of assorted little miniature accessories, like tiny people. I could build a miniature village in my Zen garden... but that would be something for my spare time... in theory.

For the full Zen garden experience you should be outside in a real garden, with relaxing music. When the mini desktop garden isn't enough... go for at least the video Zen garden to help you unwind and settle back into where you need to be.