Remember "The Beverly Hillbillies"? How about "The Brady Bunch", or "Green Acres", for that matter? They are all TV shows that started out with a theme song that told their stories. For me, it could have been "There once was a woman who homeschooled, With her ten kids, she moved out to the country and found she needed to keep her sanity. She wanted something creative. Something that could … [Read more...] about Big Things I’m Doing Differently in 2018
Everyday Happenings
Observations on an Ohio Spring
We haven't entered springtime officially, but tell the weather that! This has been a most mild winter, and Ohio experienced all time high temperature records for the month of February in 2017. It accelerated a climate phenomenon which, as a gardener, I look for each year. Most everyone know of the "Indian Summer" and "January Thaw" that is experienced - those period of unexpected warmth … [Read more...] about Observations on an Ohio Spring
Snippets of Gardening, February’s Mercies
One of the mercies found within an Ohio winter are those small windows of dry enough conditions and relatively pleasant weather. They are almost always very short, so the opportunities need to grasped. We have a short window at this moment and I have used it to carry on the weeding and garden preparation that the beautiful fall allowed in 2016. I'm so grateful to be able to work in the yard, … [Read more...] about Snippets of Gardening, February’s Mercies
Thoughts from the Deep Freezer
It is a normal weather pattern for central Ohio to plumb the depths of single digit temperatures with little or no snow. It is equally expected for gardeners to go into planning mode during the deep freeze of January. Reviewing the last year has made me realize that I'm more prone than ever to the unknown vagaries to mess up my well laid plans. It is enough to tempt me to have no plan at all, … [Read more...] about Thoughts from the Deep Freezer
This Is What I’m Doing in the Garden
Single Focus Living I can’t seem to gardenblog and attend to my actual chores at the same time, so posting has been sparse. Fall is always one of the busiest times in the garden and this autumn has been spectacularly wonderful for getting things done. Which is a good thing, because I am now very slow and have been very behind. Not that this is a new condition of life! The rhythms of … [Read more...] about This Is What I’m Doing in the Garden
Is It Fall Already?
Yesterday's winds, today's rain, and the smell that has been on the air tells me so. The asters blooming, the store displays burgeoning with mums (I bought two huge ones at Sam's Club) also tell the undeniable story that summer has past. I still have tomatoes ripening on the vine, and they should continue to the first frost, which I expect around midway through October. How did the summer get … [Read more...] about Is It Fall Already?
Found Flowers
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” ~ Henri Matisse When in California a few years ago, I had been walking in a nature preserve on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. By chance, some unknown person left this pretty handtied bouquet of flowers in the dirt path. It was so delightful, an unforeseen gift . I took a photo and left it as it had been found. … [Read more...] about Found Flowers
Garden Update And Late Starts
Every year I promise I won't go AWOL during the main growing season of the garden. Just so I will get everything done and catch up with the past year's neglect. but every year I manage to break those unspoken, informal vows. Usually family related, but sometime through the call of far off places I leave the yard in varying states of upkeep and return to a jungle. This year I didn't even … [Read more...] about Garden Update And Late Starts
I knew I should have taken pictures
This spring was unusually cool and full of rain. The result was a long period of spring bloom that seemed to stay fresh and picture perfect for a protracted period. I knew I should grab a camera or at least my iPhone and take some photos. But I have this contrary quirk of wanting to bask in the moment, simply experiencing the beauty and fragrance, or the curious activity of birds, bees, … [Read more...] about I knew I should have taken pictures
Garden Advice: Keep A Close Watch
Gardening is a very hands-on activity. A recent event brought back some of my own memories and underlined this fact. You might have read on the blog that I have let my good friend develop a garden plot here on my property. If not, the short version is that I have a friend interested in growing fresh, organic produce for herself. I don't employ any kind of chemicals or sprays, and especially … [Read more...] about Garden Advice: Keep A Close Watch
Characteristics Of A Gardener
We aren't born gardeners, though many of us are born into a gardening tradition. I was thinking over some of the lessons of a garden, and realized if one pursues growing things as an avocation or a career there are certain qualities developed over time. While no guarantee that a person will apply them in all aspects of life, the repetition of the lectures of nature make the lessons clear. … [Read more...] about Characteristics Of A Gardener
When Is Garden Knowledge “Extensive”?
Thomas Jefferson wrote to Charles Wilson Peale in a letter of August 20, 1811, "...tho’ an old man, I am but a young gardener.” It is an observation I often think upon. I always feel I am in the apprentice stage, but recently I came upon an experience that made me realize how much I take for granted the accumulative knowledge of almost a lifetime of gardening and study. Walking in the … [Read more...] about When Is Garden Knowledge “Extensive”?