• Berries - Gardening

    A Sweet Reward in the Garden

    It is always a special delight to find fall raspberries as I clean up the   backyard. I savor the sweet treat and bring a few inside to share. Wilting vines A layer of leaves, Flash of red Ripe fall raspberries I am giving thanks for the glory of autumn,…

  • Health - Nature - Recipes

    Healthy Homemade Applesauce

    Apples, fresh from the orchard, are one of the blessings in September. I enjoy making applesauce for the grandchildren. Each year I get a little more efficient. Two appliances have simplified the process of making applesauce for me: a crock pot and a victorio strainer. What is a victorio strainer?…

  • Michigan - Nature

    Scenes from the Keweenaw Peninsula

    We just returned from a trip to the Keweenaw peninsula of northern Michigan. Calumet (the town where my father grew up) is now a part of the Keweenaw National Historic Park. Copper World is on the main street of Calumet. The shop still sells my novel. The Rosetta Cafe is…

  • Berries - Gardening - Nature

    Lacy Loveliness of the Elderberry Bush

    Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are familiar. We see them in the grocery store. God has created a multitude of other berries. I feel blessed to have elderberry bushes in my backyard. After reading about the benefits of elderberries I ordered bushes from nursery catalogues. Now I have four bushes and…

  • Gardening

    Berries, Cherries and a Beetle Infestation

    It is a good year for berries and cherries. I have been harvesting cherries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries. My cherry tree and berry bushes have been delightfully full of fruit. It is also a good year for the Japanese beetles. I have had some every year.   It has been…

  • Flowers - Gardening

    Lilac Bouquets

    The lilacs are in bloom and I enjoy arranging them in bouquets. My grandmother had lilac bushes and the one in my yard was a shoot that I transplanted. His tenderness in the springing grass, His beauty in the flowers, His living love in the sun above– all here, and…