As I ranted before, I had a disagreement with one of our friendly groundhogs. He thought it was fine to eat through my gate and garden whereas I thought differently. There was no way to stop it from entering my grounds because for every hole I filled with rocks and dirt, another was dug. Unless […]
Surprising compost
Each time I place either a seed or a plant into the ground, it is with the hope that something wonderful will happen. Or at the very least I will get a response in the affirmative. For me seeds continue to be a mystery as when you plant a plant (rather than a seed) all […]
I want his family dead, his house burnt to the ground
“What?! They got the whole shipment. l want that son-of-a-bitch dead! We’re trying to locate… What am l, alone in this world? Did l ask you what you’re tryin’ to do? l want you to get this %$#@ where he breathes! l want Eliot Ness dead! l want his family dead, his house burnt to […]
Gathering garlic for frijoles negros
Even though it seemed early, the lower stalks of my garlic were turning brown with the tips in full shrivel. I shouldn’t have been surprised as a few weeks ago had we started to cut garlic scapes that would be added to salads and stir-fry dishes. With a very delicate flavor and texture, their inclusion […]
Capitol arboretums and botanic gardens
While most of the tourists in Washington D.C. go to places like the Air & Space or Holocaust Museums, we spent much of our spare time last weekend at the National Arboretum and Botanic Garden. As the weather was hot and thick with humidity, the opportunity to spend some reflective time walking among tropical trees, […]
Looking to no-mow a no-grow lawn, part 4
I stopped writing about my fledgling lawn as the grip of winter ceased its growth. It’s been a long haul over the past 8 months since the first bits grass were planted. To recap, over two-thirds of the property that I garden was torn up last August when a new septic system was installed. The […]
Fresh fruit and old memories
We are readying to leave the Keys and slowly make our way back North. One of the things we will most miss is the access to fresh vegetables and fruit that we have had over the past month. While farms are few in the Keys, we discovered a recently opened produce stand in Islamorada that […]
Sunsets and moonrises
Though too few in number, we have experienced some spectacular sunsets. A few days ago, one particular sunset displayed for us constant changes in color and luminance. Every moment a new set of colors and shades emerged. Pinks, blues, reds, oranges. In the front of the horizon, behind us, on the side. It was one […]
Chilled expectations
It is the end of perhaps the most harsh February that I have had the displeasure to experience in recent memory. The worst was the winter of 1996 where nearly 120 inches of snow dropped in the Danbury, CT, region. But this winter is right up there with relentless blizzards coming one after another. Now […]
A (relatively) cold winter to bicycle and bird watch
We fled the North nearly three weeks ago to embrace the warmth of the South, in particular the Florida Keys, but like many snowbirds have discovered that we need to crowd together to stay warm rather than luxuriate alone in a humid, warm climate. Don’t get me wrong, mid-60 degree temperatures (during the day) beats […]