Winter can be beautiful, with bright clear mornings when the sun glints off fresh snow and the world looks pristine. Winter can also be ugly, with a succession of gray days interrupted only by the promise of mass transit delays and more snow shoveling. Either way, it helps—if only just a little—to have some color … Read more
It is currently snowing outside. Each big, fat flake that hurls from the sky lands with a loud accusation: “You haven’t planted all your bulbs.” It is true, and while I could make all kinds of perfectly valid excuses, I won’t do it. I rest secure in the knowledge that this first snow is just … Read more
Some people are party animals. They may arrive early or late, but they always stay to close the place down. I have some roses like that. Now that the fall garden party is almost over, they are still awake and alive, dancing in the cold wind, putting on an exuberant show of new growth and … Read more
The gardening season at my house is ending as it began, with bright blue and white crocuses dotting the beds. As in the spring, they are poking bravely through the garden rubble that I haven’t yet had time to clean up. People who see them think that climate change has fooled the spring crocuses into … Read more
Some people love Atlantic City, New Jersey, that enduring combination of gambling mecca and seaside resort. It is a place where breathtaking Atlantic coast scenery is locked in a pitched battle for tourist attention with artificial environments designed to shut out the outside world. Atlantic City is a paradox with hotel rooms. I was on … Read more
