This posting just in from my friend Peter in Connecticut.Hello, Pat!This morning I was greeted by the arrival (or blooming) of my Inaugural poppies! Once every four years they bloom, although these haven't bloomed since January 1997 - they refused to bloom in 2001 or 2005 when George W. Bush took the oath of office. They're possibly, according to some nomenclatural set of rules, in the same class as Christmas or Epiphany cacti as far as blooming according…
Wordless Wednesday.
Going into a new year I have resolutions about making my gardens more beautiful, more productive, and greener. The term sustainability is a companion to organic in the gardening world these days. As usual, books, and now online sites, old and new will travel with me in my labors throughout the new year. My 1978 edition of Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening has been a loyal companion by my side ever since it was published. New…
January is the month when I welcome silence. December is gone with all its noise. Gone are the jingle bells, carols in the stores, party music, laughter, and loud conversations in crowded rooms. Gone are the midnight shrieks and horns on New Year's Eve. Gone are the snaps and snarls of overtired, over-scheduled, short-tempered spouses and children. Here in the country January is silent. Silence is almost an impossibility in the city. One summer…
January is the month when I welcome silence.December is gone with all its noise. Gone are the jingle bells, carols in the stores, party music, laughter, and loud conversations in crowded rooms. Gone are the midnight shrieks and horns on New Year's Eve. Gone are the snaps and snarls of overtired, over-scheduled, short-tempered spouses and children.Here in the country January is silent.Silence is almost an impossibility in the city. One summer when we lived in New York there…
After yesterday's gray and stormy skies, this morning the view is of innocent blue and gentle cloud - could the prediction for another storm (!) tomorrow possibly be true? In any event, I'm making a break for it today.For other fabulous sky views check out Skywatch Friday.
Yesterday ice fell out of the sky most of the day. Today it was supposed to be quite nice with just a snow flurry or two. The word flurry suggests light and brief. I don't think this qualifies. I have been housebound (not unhappily) for days, but I do hope to make it out into the greater world tomorrow.
The 12th day of Christmas has passed, so the season is officially over, but the Christmas Cactus is at the height of her glory. That glory may not last til bloom day, and it could not pass unnoticed. I'm celebrating.
Our grandson Ryan, 11 this month, joined us at the End of the Road for some vacation. Well, we use the word loosely. There are always chores, and he is a strong young man. I needed his help. He even had to bake his own cookies. I bought the chocolate bits. We did some socializing and visited the Litchfield goats. They needed feeding. Chores everywhere.Of course there is a lot of history and culture to be enjoyed when…
As I stand on the cusp of another new year, to me it looks as blank as the snow covered fields in Heath. The deep snow covers any mess, weeds or brush, and presents me with a new blank page. Mistakes are forgotten, the page is waiting for my imagination and energy to mark it. Most of us feel the energy of possibility as we face a new year. This year, with a new…