One of the tasks of Fall is to collect and ready the wood pile. This pile is a combination of wood from trees that have been fallen and split on my property and those from other places. In recent years there have been more foreign than local wood. The pile needs to be close to […]
Big drop
At this time of year there is a welcome contrast between my property and that of many of my neighbors who have lawn services. For them and the near constant arrival of professionals with large and noisy equipment, the goal is to erase any signs of untidiness in the form of decaying plants or random […]
Final cut
Sometime between the first frost and the release of the last leaf from a surrounding tree, the lawn needs a final cut. The month of October has offered a welcome respite from the regularity of mowing (particularly during a wet year) as the cool temperatures and lower exposure to sun has slowed the growing process. […]
Hungry, hungry caterpillars
As fall arrives, many of the garden plants are dying down and with that the insects that have been feeding on them. However, we have been fortunate (or cursed) that this fall we have had a ton of caterpillars feeding on the garden greens. The worst example of this has been in a small test […]
Summer lawn
While many plants power their way though growth in the heat of the summer, lawn grass is a different beast. Making their push in the Spring to reestablish themselves, the fescues, ryes and other varieties slow down this time of year. The light bright green of early growth gives way to a duller, deeper shade […]
Back on the trail: The final day
Day breaks with a clear cool sky and only slight signs of the prior day’s storm. Ted and I are ready to make our final push, returning to Charlottetown. As we look out toward the ocean and New Brunswick, a quintet of kayaks make their way east on a placid, smooth sea. The water is […]
A short and rainy day
We are nearing the end of our trip and only now are we faced with the possibility of inclement weather. The forecast is for heavy rain this afternoon. We have already cut off a section of our bike tour to take our daily mileage total down to around 40 miles from over 50. We may […]
An uneven day
Ted and I decided the prior night to continue decreasing our daily mileage as a combination of tedium and the desire to be off the bike more made the planned trip something we no longer wanted to pursue. Fortunately, the distance cuts we could make over the next few days were easy to accomplish and […]
10 favorite plants on PEI
As we pedal though the roads and trails of PEI, we have seen and experienced so many wonderful plants we thought we would share our favorites in ranked order. 10. Wild geranium: I see lots of these plants at home, but in our travels, they seemed to struggle to hold a place. Still it was an […]
An easier day
After biking four days and 195 miles, Ted and I were ready for a break. Yesterday we were supposed to bike 53 miles from Cable Head to East Point and back to Souris. While both of us were physically up to the challenge, I think we were ready to slow down a bit. So we […]