My grandmother had these silly looking old, carved monkeys that always remained in a drawer in her bedroom. I figure they were passed down from a travel abroad that some friend or relative brought back as a gift since they looked worn. They were known as the wise monkeys. They were separate which was odd…
I do not care how old I get….I still love to chase nature’s fairies, don’t you?
When I was a small child, I would spend fall days chasing butterflies. Forget butterfly nets we had our hands!We would spot them off in a field and start running. If I close my eyes, I can remember how the sun felt on my back. The grass between my toes and butterflies in colors of…
Free Spirit Gardening has endless possibilities when you experiment each season to find the right mix
If you want to see change, around you, then you have to be the first to step out of the box! I can remember when my oldest daughter was attending a preschool class the teacher came up to me and said, ” Your daughter is a free-spirit” in a negative tone! I made a mental…
“Wouldn’t you like a native “Pollinator Symphony” right out your door?
When was the last time you ” unplugged” and just sat outside, without a cell phone, or laptop, or music playing in your head…to just listen to nature? We all have become so disconnected from the natural world that it is effecting our health. This new disorder is known as Nature Deficit Disorder, but that…
Late Summer Berries make all your waiting worth it!
You will want to grow raspberries near your house because they are just too simple not to grow! I have grown a variety of berries over the years, but I decided this year to expand my red raspberry patch because they require minimal care. I prune the canes carefully once a year being sure not…
You need to grow this little heirloom cucumber!
I gave up growing cucumbers on the ground about 6 years ago, and I can tell you I will never grow them on the ground again! I have been trialing a variety of cucumbers over the years to find the best to grow vertically, are virtually pest free and have an excellent flavor. I wrote a…
Year of Coir
I am open to change because without change we never grow. I only keep the same habits if they produce great results. I never take the word of anyone. I have to check things out for myself if I can. I have been reading a lot about Coir or Cocotek ( organic brand I used…
Sunday Splendors in our Urban Potager
I have been in and out and all around and not landing any place too long for the past few weeks-LOL. I tried several times this week to post or write something but to no avail! I decided today I would post what is blooming in our garden. I am more of a visual artist,…
Not enough time is too much busyness + we need to slow it down and get back to the basics of life…
When my kids were younger it seemed as if all we talked about was how busy we all were…how we were not able to do this or that because we were so busy doing this or that, here or there, and never had time to do this or that because we were so BUSY….diddle de…
The most important part of our gardens are the people
This week in the Midwest we have been experiencing terrible spring weather which brings damaging high winds and sometimes tornadoes. I have lived all my life in the midwest of the USA, and tornado watches are part of spring, but the last few years, and maybe it is because of the media it just seems there…
Elementary my dear,it is a citified kitchen garden
Since I first learned to read I have been a big mystery fan. I love the challenge of trying to figure out “who done it.” I do not watch too much tv, but what TV I do watch is many mysteries. I am a big fan since childhood of Sherlock Holmes, so when they have…
In the MUCK of life perseverance prevails!
In the MUCK of life beauty comes forth from periods of hardship and boy has this winter been a hardship in our gardens.We have had one of the longest, coldest, + most snow fallen in decades. After weeks of below freezing winter, the muck in our life can last too long and it seems as…