Spring may be tardy this year with over a foot of snow still coating the ground. Prior to the early March storms, we were hoping for early flowering bulbs making their way through the frozen soil. That is unlikely for at least a few weeks as the piles of shoveled snow have melted and then […]
Tropical winds
Bicycling is one of my favorite outdoor activities. Once the temperatures go north of 50 degrees, I will bare my pale old-man legs and peddle throughout the area. Now that I am much further south than is typical and the temperatures are rarely below 70 I have few excuses not to be on my wheels. […]
Sunny volunteers
While many of us look to put together highly planned gardens with everything in just the right spot, sometimes random plantings can be the most rewarding particularly when they find themselves in inhospitable places. I was biking the other morning and was nearing a new Publix that is going up in Islamorada. There used to […]
Re-greening of the Keys
>For the second consecutive winter, we have migrated to the Florida Keys to better survive the nasty weather you often find in New England this time of year. This winter, however, we were unsure if our roost would be ready as Hurricane Irma’s aftermath rendered many homes and businesses in the Keys ruined. Luckily our […]
Super blue lunar eclipse moon (with a pelican thrown in)
Though I set an alarm for 5:45 am, Juana and I rise before it goes off in anticipation of a rare event: the confluence of two full moons a month (blue), close proximity to Earth (super), and a full lunar eclipse. Looking out our kitchen window in the Florida Keys while the coffee brews, the […]
First melt
The first extended blast of artic air and chill drains hope of future warmth and forces you to settle in for a long winter ahead. This can happen in December, but more often than not occurs in January. It starts off innocently with a lull in the weather and then a sharp drop in temperature […]
Christmas Coat
The old Bing Crosby song, “White Christmas,” can make you pine for a lovely covering of snow on the ground as one wakes to greet the morning of the 25th. And today is one of the rare days when our celestial requests have been answered with a 4-5 inch fall overnight covering the dingy ground […]
The smell of snow
Even before I scanned the weather forecast, you could tell that it was going to snow. A clear solitude outside heralded its approach. The last of the oak leaves have dropped giving me the opportunity for one last rake. The Japanese maples were still stubbornly holding on to their cover as their terminal buds had […]
Lingering leaves
After Thanksgiving, you are hopeful that you have been able to put the garden to bed. The hydrangea have had their blooms cut back revealing tiny sticks poking out of the soil. A few iris pods are left that rattle in the wind. And the rose hips are full and fat ready for the plucking. […]
Baring the Berries
Garden chores are more sporadic and infrequent in November. Rather than deal with constant growth and the cutting back of different plants, I tour the property every other day to see what had faded and needs removal. Today it was the asters, some of the hydrangea and a mandevilla that had entwined itself around a […]