My relationship to the vegetable garden started out in a whirlwind of excitement. Innocently enough, the seed catalogs lured me with glossy photos, promising luscious harvests. “This is the year,” I proclaimed, “that I will grow our food.” I lovingly prepared the ground to receive the seeds, sparing nothing for the plants that would bear …
The State of Texas has just announced that due to COVID-19 the State Fair is cancelled this year. What? It’s not fair, I hear myself whining. I don’t like that whiney voice inside of me. I shut her up immediately. Of course, it’s fair. Despite all the people who won’t get to enjoy the annual event, all the kids …
I just found out that May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. My immediate reaction to that is (in a Kramer-from-Seinfeld voice) “Oh, I’m aware of it”. I’m aware of arthritis as I wake up in the morning and take inventory of what’s hurting today …as I head out to the garden with a list of …
In my post, Connect in Place, I talked about how plants communicate with each other. Today, I want to talk about how they communicate with us. Plants have physical ways to communicate their needs to caretakers. If they need water or have too much water, they droop. If they need nutrients or are under attack …
Although we only have a 1.5-acre lot, we have enjoyed absolute privacy because our neighbors on all sides of us have large acreages. But recently there has been a change and now we have a new couple who live close by my gardens. In the mornings, they like to walk the driveway that lines many …
Mulching beds recently, I realized I’d run over a plant with my cart. I propped it up with an extra helping of mulch and lamented that it was my poor, beleaguered, crinum lily. If plants, like cats, have nine lives, this one was close to meeting its maker. Years ago, my husband and I bought …
I have a pot habit. Or is it a pot addiction? How do I know the difference? According to my friend Google, you must ask yourself these four questions: Is my behavior having a negative impact directly or indirectly on my life? Do I repeatedly put myself in risky situations? Do I experience stress or …
My Carts Vermont garden cart is indispensable. When it arrived at my house as a gift from my thoughtful husband, I balked. “I don’t need this!” “It’s too expensive!” “I can just use the wheelbarrow we already have!” I was wrong. If you are not familiar with the Carts Vermont garden cart, it is a wooden …
I am disabled but I don’t identify as disabled I wonder how many people out there are like me. I am a disabled person, but I don’t identify as disabled. My car license plate tells me I’m disabled. My back, knees and numerous joints tell me I’m disabled. But my mind tells me I have …