Wildflower weekend

Taking a short bike ride along the East Branch Reservoir in Brewster, NY, Juana and I hit the jackpot of wildflowers over a short 3.5 mile stretch of bike path. They are lovely but many, unfortunately, quite invasive. I also needed to reach well into my reference material as nearly half were unknown to me […]

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Baby spiders

Between the outdoor dry sink and a window box hundreds of tiny spiders scurry around between the two. Their appearance reminds me of the final pages of Charlotte’s Web, the wonderful children’s book by E.B. White. In it, Wilber the pig is still sad over the death of his spider friend, Charlotte. But all of […]

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Sarah’s rose

When we bought our house over 30 years ago, there was a scraggly rose bush on the corner of the property that the deer never bothered. And magically it always explodes with lovely flowers right around my daughter Sarah’s birthday in mid-May. This heirloom bush with its sweetly fragrant blooms, has apparently always been part […]

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My mom’s favorite flower

Lilacs were my mother’s favorite flower. During their all too brief flowering period, I would bring a bouquet to her when I visited. She would exclaim surprised joy upon seeing them, burying her nose within the tiny florets, absorbing their scent. Removing her face, she lit up with a great big smile and then went […]

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Woodland flowers

The white trilliums that I planted from rhizomes a few years back are finally in full bloom. Every year I plant new native wildflowers in the back wooded area hoping to recolonize the space. And now that we have extended the deer fencing further back, there is even more ground to cover.

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Dandelion muffins

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. The same can also be said for dandelions except you make muffins. The lawn is chock full of dandelion flowers and I have enlisted Juana and Olivia to be my helpers to harvest the makings of dandelion muffins. Olivia is more interested in dropping the spent blossoms […]

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Time for May wine

With the beginning of May and a full moon comes the time to harvest sweet woodruff and make May wine. This concoction originated in Germany (Maiwein) and has been used for hundreds of years to treat a variety of ailments. Juana and I make it every year because it is so delish. The recipe is […]

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Greenhouse gardening

May is when my greenhouse is bursting as all my inside seedlings need to start the hardening off process as well as be transplanted. In addition, I stopped at @gilbertiesorganics for my yearly pickup of herbs for @annsplaceinc. So between the two, I need to keep the space extra tidy to make room. Gilberties, like […]

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