It began with a birthday celebration (slightly belated) and a game of Settlers of Catan (excellent), but as we often say here at the End of the Road 'We are having fun, but we are on a tight schedule." And yet there are chores, or chores that are so unheard of in a Houston suburb, that they become entertainment. Anthony and Drew got to watching the goat milking, and then reward the goat with a stimulating brush off.…
“I guess you can see I like water,” Jane Markoski said as she gave me a tour through her gardens. There was a birdbath in the shady entry garden, a trickling fountain as you turned the corner of the house, a bubbling faux millstone fountain at the corner of the barn, a lotus tub in the middle of a mixed shrub and perennial border, a small fish pond with a waterfall, and a larger fish pond with a…
At this time of the year the walk to the hen house and back is a particular delight because of the subtle fragrance in the air. The linden trees are blooming. Lindens are also called basswood or lime trees. We planted 6 linden trees (Tilia cordata, with cordata referring to the heart shaped leaves) about 18 years ago. Three were for our three daughters, and three for the three (at the time) granddaughters. We chose them because they are…
The worm farm is celebrating its first anniversary. A year ago the grandsons helped set up the worm bin, drilling air and drainage holes, and putting in rotting leaves, compost and a little soil. All of that was really unnecessary; red wigglers are not the earthworms that live in our gardens. Red wigglers are happy with damp shredded newspaper. We started with one pound or about 1000 baby worms. The worm bin lived outside into the fall on the…
The weeds grow larger, but the adventures with Rory, large and small continue. Rory and I visited Frances Avery and her model of A.L. Avery's General Store, an essential supplier of what we need. This small model of the store includes tinier models of everything in the store, clothes, hardware, office corner, kitchen stuff, groceries and EVERYTHING! Mrs. Avery's brother in law and his family lived over the store for many years. It took her a long time…
These tours are over, but even these brief garden descriptions may be useful to others. When I visited Mary Manilla’s garden in Hawley this week it was a ribbon of green along the stream that borders the garden. By the time the Hawley Garden and Artisans Tour takes place on Saturday, July 11, there will be a river of color along the stream as the hundreds and hundreds of daylilies in every hue come into bloom. It…
The roses were just beginning to bloom on June's Bloom Day, mostly the rugosas, but this Fairy, one of two, had not yet begun. Unlike most of the roses in my garden The Fairy will bloom into the fall. I fully expected the roses which had barely begun to bloom on June 15, to be done by today, but they are have a most floriferous and long season. The Queen of Denmark is still petite, but blooming as…
No matter how devoted we are to our gardens, most of us would admit that the most important crop we tend is the children in our lives. The Major and I are happy to let the gardens take a back seat to grandson pleasures on these cool summer days. We had to say farewell to Tynan, but we met our daughter Betsy and her older son, Rory, in Amherst for lunch and a 'backyard circus at the Emily Dickinson…
Yesterday we traded off boys. After attending the 'backyard circus' at the Emily Dickinson Museum, daughter Betsy took Tynan home and left us with Rory. We had an elegant BBQ with friends (before the storm) and woke up to a beautiful Sunday - perfect for an afternoon of lawn mowing. Rory will be 13 next month and I have been waiting for this day for almost 13 years too. The Major is giving him a good lesson, and keeping…
Even though there are lots of activities here and there, we all spend lots of time at home, playing games, making art, cooking, checking out the Frog Pond, and Reading Aloud. Life at the End of the Road offers many activities right here. But we did hit the road to do some errands in Shelburne Falls. Tourists come here because they think its kind of quiet and old fashioned. But it is not THIS old fashioned. After errands,…