During the growing season, when I used to work as a high-tech analyst, I would look at and water my garden when I arrived home even before I saw my family. I found that 15 minutes of examining the tomato plants, pulling a few weeds and ensuring nothing was wilted made me a better person. […]
A Summer’s start
It is the first day this year that we can have an al fresco breakfast. Such lunches and dinners have been commonplace in the last few weeks. The mornings, however, have been too cold, too wet, too cloudy or have exhibited other characteristics that discouraged Juana and I from taking our morning coffee outside. But […]
Virtual Horticultural Therapy: Time to walk the grounds again
Because of COVID-19, I have had to create on-line versions of classes for my horticultural therapy clients. This particular video is for those who use the services of Ann’s Place, a not-for-profit cancer support facility I work for. I walked (virtually) many of them through the gardens at Ann’s Place a little while back, but […]
Mom on ice
(For some reason I did not post this last year when I wrote it. It was one of the last times I saw my mother alive.) An ice storm arrived the other day and it’s been unusual in its persistence. Typically, when such weather events occur, we receive a slight coating of ice and it […]
Dandelion muffins with lilac jam
The unofficial start of Summer, Memorial Day, signals that Winter is behind us and the garden is exploding with growth. But for every lovely flower and plant that emerges, 10 times that number or more of weeds pop up. Plantains (Musa × paradisiaca), chickweed (Stellaria media) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) are early visitors to gardens. […]
Horticultural Therapy: It’s all about my plants
The class I had planned for this week did not pan out because of the unseasonable cold over the last month. Plants in my yard and garden that were supposed to be ready are not. So what to do? Well I figured that I would put together a slide show/video about my garden that I […]
Swimming with flowers
“I can’t breathe,” said my mother in a panicked tone as she floated in the pool. “I need to get out.” Moments ago she had been splashing around, content. She now was breathing with shallow puffs. I cradled her in my arms and turned her body toward the windows on the side of the pool. […]
Volunteer sunflowers
Some of my favorite plants in the gardens that I tend to are those I had nothing to do with their inclusion. (The converse is also true, particularly with stealthily introduced invasives.) This year at Ann’s Place joe-pye weed stretches high in the back garden above the Virginia rye, golden rod and the remaining phragmites […]
Summer weeds
Earlier in the week I was looking to take a day off from my gardening chores. It had become increasingly hot and I needed a break. I went outside to retrieve the morning paper and via a light, cooling wind I heard the weeds approving of my decision, encouraging me to take the rest of […]
The last day
Like all our other mornings, we started our last day on the towpath trail with beautiful weather. With the exception of being caught for over 1 hour in a downpour on our first day, our trip has been idyllic. The morning starts out cool with a light wind coming over the river. But before we […]