It is spring and everything looks healthy—especially chickweed, onion grass or wild onion and dandelions. As all gardeners know, Nature abhors bare ground and works hard to cover it as soon as possible. Unfortunately the plants that cover the quickest are the aforementioned weeds. Dandelions are nice if you want to make salad from the … Read more
When I think back on my father’s garden, lots of flowers and plants come to mind—the huge rhubarb in the very back, the Johnny jump-ups that jumped up through the grass every spring under the pine trees, and the long row of pink, rose and white peonies that grew by the back walk. The property … Read more
There are some tunes that stick in your head, sometimes for weeks. That happened to me recently with the old sea chantey, “What do we do with a drunken sailor?” The song isn’t as common as it was a generation or two ago, possibly owing to its bawdy lyrics, but is still widely known. The … Read more
When I go outside in spring, I look for the signs of hope that are symbolic of the season. The other day I saw an inspiring one–a Japanese cherry tree in full bloom. Its bark had the deepening furrows that develop as trees age, much like human wrinkles. The clouds of overhead blooms were lovely, … Read more
Novelist Henry James thought the words “summer afternoon” were the most beautiful in the English language. I love that phrase, especially in July when I am sitting in a shaded spot with a glass of iced tea and a good book. Still, in my mind, “summer afternoon” comes in second to the phrase “sunny Saturday … Read more
