Mastication

Walking or driving down the street in fall can be perilous. In my part of the world, the drivers are bad enough at all times, but from September through Thanksgiving, both drivers and pedestrians also have to contend with the falling acorns, beechnuts and other tree-born fruiting bodies falling from the sky. An acorn hitting … Read more

Rewilding

As I look out on my winter-weary garden, I am reminded of the newest fashion in gardening–”rewilding”. It is popping up with increasing frequency in gardening publications, especially those emanating from Great Britain.  Clearly as far as “rewilding” goes, I am fashion forward.  In fact, at this moment, considering all that I neglected to do … Read more

Keep on the Sunny Side

In 1928, a year before the onset of the Great Depression, the Carter Family, of folk and country music fame, recorded a song, “Keep on the Sunny Side”, that was originally written as a hymn.  It became one of their standards and has lifted spirits ever since.  The refrain is as follows: Keep on the … Read more

Sustainable New Year

The problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they are usually too big to be manageable for more than a few weeks.  Change—whether it is weight loss, curbing bad habits or de-cluttering your home environment—is best done in easily attainable increments that take human nature and time constraints into account. I like to think about … Read more

Shadblow

Fall means foliage and as I look around at the array of red, orange and yellow leaves, I wish for more of the same in my garden.  The maple tree out front, which I estimate to be about twenty-five years old, generally makes a great show of fiery leaves.  Climate conditions this year have diminished … Read more