Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
We did it! Black Diamond and back. 73 miles. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect day this morning crossing the train tracks in Jim Thorpe heading north on the D&L trail. Following the Lehigh River, we start up a long incline that will not end until we get to our final destination. Between the […]
Passing over the Lehigh River, our departure from Sayre Mansion in Bethlehem is accompanied by the whistle and clacking wheels of an empty freight train below. Another cloudy day greets us for our 40 mile trip to Jim Thorpe, the area where anthracite coal was discovered in the 1800s. The morning ride along side the Lehigh […]
After a lovely breakfast at Porches on the Towpath in New Hope, Ted and I hop on our bikes for our first full biking day on the Delaware canal’s towpath and start north. Leaving New Hope, the path for bike tires narrows and we find ourselves on a high berm between the river and canal. […]
The clouds mute the heat and humidity as Ted and I hop on our bicycles. Starting a new trip is always filled with anticipation as we have no pre-conceptions as to how and where the day will take us as we peddle the D&L Trail. Entering the stone dust path next to the Delaware canal, […]
For the next week or so, my buddy Ted and I will be viewing nature from the respective saddles of our bikes along the D&L Trail in Pennsylvania. Unlike other trips where we have gone in a single direction, we will be starting in Bristol, PA going to Black Diamond, PA and then back over […]
Pruning is a chore that I take on when I am in a contemplative mood or have something I need to ponder. Between the care needed to properly shape a given plant and the issue I need to work out in my head, I am in a happy place outside with a plant that needs […]
When it is a sunny day and I am not in the garden I can often be found on my bike. One of the things I love about riding is that it gives me the ability to see plants along the road that I would normally miss. And right now the chicory (Cichorium intybus) is […]
Volunteers in the garden are a mixed blessing. For every golden rod (Solidago) that finds its way into my yard, there are more than a few Japanese stilt grasses (Microstegium vimineum) and mugworts (Artemisia vulgaris) that I could do without. Recently I discovered a large patch of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) growing near the border […]
“Do you still plan to have a class?,” questioned Joy on my cell phone. “It’s raining here in Danbury.” That heads-up caused me to move my setup for my propagation class that had been ready since 10:30 in the morning from the patio to the garage quickly. Luckily, it didn’t take that much time and […]
Now that it is summer, my granddaughters Charlotte and Olivia will be spending a few days with us each week. Never one to ignore the opportunity for free labor, I put Charlotte to task in helping me prepare sachets. I use them as a kick-off aromatherapy exercise during my talks promoting my book, A Therapist’s […]