Though I spend much of my time with my head in the weeds and hands in the soil, there are many other passive outdoor pleasures that have been forgotten. The last two days have been bright with a warm wind coming from the West. This weather called me to hang out our laundry, which we […]
Lovely blooms
Olivia and my newly budding amaryllis are two of my most lovely flowers in bloom. We have nearly 20 bulbs in the basement that we start to bring up prior to Christmas, continuing through the early spring. Once the flowers are gone and the weather warms, they are placed outside to refresh themselves for the […]
Baby greens
Given the severity of this Winter, I don’t think I will be starting vegetable seedlings for a while. But that hasn’t stopped me from planting trays of micro- and baby greens. I made the mistake by not first using a grow light as I thought a south-east facing window would provide enough rays. Wrong! After […]
Icy days
Ice storms are lovely to look at. The shimmering casement they provide to everything they touch transforms the ground into a glistening landscape. A crunch accompanies each step across the snow. Frozen remnants move effortlessly over the skim, making crinkly sounds along their paths. Everything now seems black-and-white. The birds are having a tough time […]
Snow walking
I have been itching to try out the snowshoes my daughter got for me and with last night’s 6 inches of snow, the time is nigh. I first try them out in the back yard and find few problems with my stride as I troop over the snow. Wanting a bigger challenge, I take a […]
Morning snow
Shoveling snow before dawn is a meditative exercise. There are no sounds as the snow muffles random noises. A fresh 2-inch blanket covers the surroundings, which were losing their wintry white coating, transitioning to gray. My large shovel rolls the powder downhill toward the sides of the driveway, scraping against the blacktop, the lone sound. […]
Time to order
The flurries and cold outside remind me that it’s time to order seeds for Spring. Leafing through the many catalogs I receive, I always come back to Fedco as the best source for my needs. I get out my five bins of seeds (two vegetable, greens, herbs, and flowers) to see what is still viable […]
December salad
While December has been colder than normal and we have had a couple of snows, the last being nearly 4 inches, there are still harvests to be had from the garden. I have two large cold frames holding a half dozen different cold-tolerant greens. Carrots, Swiss chard, and sorrel are on their own as are […]
First Snow
An unexpected snow after a much needed rain greets us this morning. Remaining greenery and tree branches are coated with a thick, heavy layer of snow fattening up each plant and object in the yard. The birds are particularly put off as they no longer have the luxury of snacking on coneflowers, sunflowers, and other […]
Fall fruits
In November, there are still many fruits about if you just look carefully. Five of my favorites are within feet of each other in my back yard. My most favorite is the beautyberry of which I have the Japanese variety. (I tried to grow the American species (Callicarpa americana) but my yard is just a […]