I can see a lot of sky from my house, but even when I am home it's hard to catch those tender sunrises or flaming sunsets at just the right moment. A couple of weeks ago I was driving home when the sun began to set. I had my camera with me and I knew I was too far away to get home in time to get an unobstructed view. I pulled over to the side of the…
This statue of Janus which stands at the entry to a woodland path at Tower Hill Botanic Garden seems perfect for an early January post. In this classical statue of the god of doorways and new beginnings, it is an old man who looks backward to the past, but a young man who looks forward to a new year with all its promise and challenge. On my solitary walk through the shady woods on that very hot summer…
As a Leo, born in August, it is no wonder that I love sunny colors. As a gardener I know how useful annuals can be in the garden, and in the vase. As a gardener who likes sure results I loves the All America Selections, tested flowers and vegetables that are all but guaranteed to succeed all across the nation. I find one of this year's All America Selections winners, Gaillardia 'Arizona Apricot' especially appealing. It looks to…
As I review and renew in my garden, I thought I ought to look back at the year on the commonweeder. The 5 most popular posts were not what I expected. In February Mycotecture got many visitors - and continues to be visited. In March the New York Times had an article about Femivores, women who love their chickens too much. Or something like that. I have chickens so I had to comment. Chickens - and their houses…
There were no flowers but I thought this made a suitable centerpiece for our New Year's Day dinner with friends. We bought the odd rubbery container at the Bird and Fish Market when we lived in Beijing in 1989 representing the past, the green shoots are for this moment in time, and there is hope for the small golden yellow "Baby Moon" daffodils to bloom soon. I ordered bulbs for forcing rather late from Old House Gardens and…
My maternal grandparents immigrated from Sweden when both were in their teens. They rarely talked about their life there but did mention that all they had to eat was potatoes. When he was 70 my grandfather planned his first trip back to visit to his sister, but returned early. He said his sister did not like to cook, so she fried up a batch of potato pancakes every Saturday and parceled them out over the course of the…
New Year’s resolutions. No matter how dismissive we try to be, no matter how skeptical we become, there is something seductive and promising about the date of January 1, the beginning of a brand new year. I look at the blankness of the calendar’s pages, matching the blankness of the winter landscape and think about the ways I will fill the days of the new year, fill my days in the garden. The older I get the unhappier…
When Doug moved to Heath his property came with a big barn, but the only livestock he planned on was chickens. When he moved his office into the barn he had that space insulated. He also insulated the area where the chickens lived. Only in the ceiling can you see the insulation but it is also behind the wooden walls. Chickens don't need this kind of comfort, but I'm sure they appreciate it. Even the door to the…
It wouldn't be snowy winter unless I was writing about sastrugi, the snow waves and caves created by the wind. This is what the western edge of the Sunken Garden looked like at early this morning. The snow storm has passed but the snow is cold and dry and the wind blows right across the field to the west. You can see how the shape of the snow has changed, especially where the sun is hitting in the…
It's been cold and we have had dustings of snow here in Heath, but our first snow storm arrived Sunday. Flurries on and off all day, but coming down hard by 9 pm. On Monday morning when I took this photo it was still flurrying but the wind was blowing so it was hard to say how much snow we had altogether. The governor declared a State of Emergency so Henry got to stay home. By evening the…