Northern Michigan is at the height of fall color. My sisters and I enjoyed a road trip, taking in the vivid, glowing colors of the trees. Sun and shadow played on the orange and yellow leaves, lighting them up like gold. Red and green provided contrast. We hiked through a…
One of the many blessings from a home garden is having fresh herbs readily available. This year I have three kinds of basil. I planted sweet basil from seeds. I purchased a bush basil plant at a farmer’s market. My neighbor gave me a lettuce basil plant. Basil is nice…
This past week I skipped my morning Bible study a couple of days. Instead I read a few articles in the newspaper at the breakfast table. The tension of our current time put my nerves on edge. I felt irritable. I drank more coffee and spent too much time on…
It is a challenge to grow plants from seed, but there is a reward. I am delighted by Heirloom Bells of Ireland. This is the first year I have successfully grown them. As I walked around watering plants I noticed the first calendula bloom. This heirloom tomato plant is growing…
One of the benefits of the pandemic has been more time for gardening. More time to enjoy beautiful blooms, more time to think about soil, fertilizer and watering. This year the peonies were especially lovely. I did try to transplant one peony plant that wasn’t getting much sunlight. The plant…
My husband has offered to cut the cherry tree down. Several times. I was thrilled when the tree offered a bountiful harvest of cherries, sweet with a little tartness. Then came the year of brown rot and mold. We spent a week picking all the rotten fruit and cleaning up…
With lots of time at home I have been able to focus attention on gardening. My neighbor and I have shared tips and little plants across the back fence. I am looking forward to garden produce. This year I have added mushroom compost to the garden to help break up…
One of the things I miss most during the current shutdown is my weekly trips to the local library. I know, I could get e-books, but I prefer the book that I can hold in my hand. I also like to check the library shelves holding new releases. So, instead…
Today I woke up to snow decorating the trees and covering the ground. I was drawn to spending time outside. The hyacinths in front of our house were still peeking up, despite the snow. The sound of many birds twittering and whistling filled the morning air. As I took a…
My grandson and I were looking out of the dining room window at the trees. The leaves were changing color. “See the linden tree—the leaves are turning yellow.” My grandson said, “But look at that tree. Its leaves are bronze.” In the distance we could see a tree with orange…