After a full week of rain and weather so cold we had a fire in the woodstove every day, the sun is shining. You can see the big rose bushes are weighed down with rain. I can hardly tell where Rachel's rose, Celestial and Ispahan begin and end. However burdened they are, rain soaked roses are very beautiful. I have written about Rachel's rose before. Click here for her full history. I planted Pink Grootendorst on the new…
Yesterday I was sitting by the window with Holly the cat on my lap. Suddenly she stiffened. She sat up. She was on alert. I looked out the window to see what caused her to come to attention. And there, hopping down the drive was an Eastern hare. Our neighbor had reported sighting the hare the other day. I ran out screaming. The cat fell asleep. Henry set out the Havahart trap. This morning I looked out the…
I was so pleased to get this notice from CISA, an organization I support and applaud - not to mention all the Local Heroes in the region, those noted, and those who labor devotedly without applause. At least not so far. Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is pleased to announce that it has selected Belle Rita Novak of Springfield, J & J Farms in Amherst, and Dan Rosenberg of Real Pickles in Greenfield, to receive its prestigious…
“I have a good imagination,” William Siff told me as we sat in the shade overlooking the new Learning Garden in the midst of fields of medicinal herbs. He said he didn’t imagine the Goldthread Herbal Apothecary with its farm, workshops and national speaking engagements all at once, “But they are all a part of the same focus. “As a move towards sustainable living herbal medicine is a powerful vehicle. As a society we know a lot about…
This is not my William Baffin rose! Alas! I visited Deirdre Bonifaz whose garden is on the Franklin Land Trust Garden tour on June 26 & 27. Her garden has everything - blooming trees, blooming shrubs, fruit trees, perennials, vegetables, herbs, AND roses! We went around identifying the roses when we could, and admiring them always. Deirdre could hardly believe that I had managed to kill a William Baffin rose. You can see what hers looks like. When…
Ev Hatch, now retired from farming, is a member of the Hunger Task Force and a member of the First Congregational Church of Greenfield. When the First Church began planning a special day of service they called ‘Feet, Hands and Voices to Faith’ he knew just what to do. He donated a half acre of his farmland, and his services to prepare the field. On May 16th he and a crew, that included Luella McLaughlin (aged 93), set…
In between Sunday's showers and torrential rains I visited Kathy Puckett's garden which is magnificent. A perfect event for Wordless Wednesday. ************************************************************************************************ I have to add a few words after all. On Saturday June 12, visitors are invited to experience Seeds of Solidarity at 165 Chestnut Hill Road in Orange. Seeds of Solidarity consists of a farm, home, and non-profit organization with educational programs. The day begins with a morning tour, which begins at 10 am and goes until 11.30,…
Someone is dining out in the garden. Not slugs. The lettuce has been pulled out of the ground and eaten. Some has been eaten down to the ground. This row was attacked differently, but still, the lettuce is gone. I've never had bunny damage before, but this looks like what I imagine bunnies would do. Who has experience to share? On that assumption I took out the sample bottle of Deer and Rabbit Deterrent that Liquid Fence sent…
The chicks are one week old! They all survived the USPS trip here and a week of hot weather which has actually been a great benefit. Chicks need 95 degree heat the first week. I don't know that I have ever gotten through the first week with no fatalities before so we are celebrating. The photo is a little fuzzy. It was hard to take the picture and hold the chick at the same time, but you can…
When I first met my husband in 1971 we used to dream about our ideal home. Inspired by a Beetle Bailey comic strip, we called this mythical place Pork Corners. There was nothing porky about my house on Grinnell Street in Greenfield, but there in the tiny side yard I planted my first vegetable garden. I kissed the friend who came to dinner and brought a load of old horse manure as a thank you. He sent a…