Commonweeder

Phil Korman and CISA

Post published:02/07/2010
Post comments:2 Comments

CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) is familiar to many of us because of the bright yellow Local Hero signs at farmstands, farmer’s markets, supermarkets and car bumpers. We have recognized the benefits of buying food from our local farmers: keeping our money in the local economy; preserving local farms that produce the rural atmosphere we all treasure as well as a variety of crops; and cutting down on oil-dependent food transportation. As consumers we see some of…

Sun Dog

Post published:02/05/2010
Post comments:3 Comments

I took this photo of a distinct sun dog at 7:30 am on Tuesday morning. A sun dog or parhelion is a 'mock sun' or halo that appears next to the real sun caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere, although they appear in any season They most often appear when the sun is low in the sky, and sometimes more than one can appear at the same time. Last fall we saw what is sometimes called a…

Sastrugi Collapse

Post published:02/03/2010
Post comments:5 Comments

This is a perfect Wordless Wednesday for me. Check out other Wordless wonders.

Muse Day February 2010

Post published:02/01/2010
Post comments:11 Comments

The pair of quilts we pieced together, laughing at the future’s far design my handiwork now covers a husband, babies – hers, a corpse. Carol Purington Thank you Carolyn gail for giving me the chance to be twice inspired on this Muse Day. My friend Carol Purington wrote the poem, published in her book A Pattern For This Place, and my friend Lois Holm made this quilt for me when I retired from the Buckland Library. I knew…

Elsa Bakalar, Gardener and Friend

Post published:01/30/2010
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Last October I joined with friends, and family including Jake and Susan Bakalar, Elsa's nephew and his wife, and 'honorary daughter' Marie Hershkowitz who had been a student of Elsa's, to celebrate Elsa's 91st birthday. It was a jolly affair with a buffet brought by Jake and Susan, cards, stories, and tributes. And laughter. And champagne. Two weeks ago my husband and I visited Elsa at the nursing home and again had a jolly time. The menu was…

My Award

Post published:01/29/2010
Post comments:5 Comments

I've never gotten an award before so I was delighted to wake up to this award bestowed by Tinky of Our Grandmother's Kitchens. Thank you Tinky! She did say there were seven things the award givers want to know about me, before I pass the award along to seven other favorite bloggers. She also said if I was too shy I didn't have to tell all - but I can certainly think of seven things to share. Some may…

January Thaw

Post published:01/27/2010
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Words are not necessary on Wordless Wednesday. In fact you can now be wordless every day. Check and see.

Baptisia – Plant of the Year

Post published:01/26/2010
Post comments:7 Comments

The Perennial Plant Association has named the beautiful blue Baptisia australis as its Plant of the Year. I am very familiar with this plant, although I have never grown it. Friends have this hardy and adaptable perennial (zones 3-9) in their gardens, and I have admired it on the famous Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. It is commonly known as false indigo, a reference to the lovely color of the lupine-like races of blossom. An important blue…

Grow Something New

Post published:01/25/2010
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We are only halfway through January so I think we are still in new resolution season. Now that I am a garden blogger, as well as a garden columnist, I read other garden blogs. One of my favorite bloggers, Carol at May Dreams Gardens in Indiana has challenged gardeners to grow something new this year. Actually, Carol challenges us all to grow something new every year. It is fun to try something new, even if we never plant…