The roses are blooming a second time. I picked this rose with such a lovely scent and a few more flowers for a vase. I picked off two Japanese beetles from the rose bush. I am pleased, because overall, I have seen just a few beetles. In years past I…
A special joy in springtime is watching the plants leaf out, and flower. I enjoy walking around the backyard, observing the daily growth. The gooseberry bush has little berries, but it will be a while before they are ripe. When I make applesauce, I will add gooseberries to the apples.…
During a gift exchange last Christmas, I received a little book, Dandelion Medicine by Brigitte Mars. The book has chapters on foraging, growing and harvesting dandelions. It also has chapters on the medicinal properties of the plant, recipes for both tea and vegetable dishes. The dandelions are beginning to bloom in my lawn,…
When I look out my window, I see rabbit tracks across the snow. I wonder how they manage to survive when it is so cold. Some days we have bright sunshine and I am grateful. We have a south facing window, a bay window, where I have my winter garden.…
Today is the final day of our local farmer’s market. It is a pleasant outing and I go almost every week to purchase fresh produce. I will miss it. Many of the vendors had crates of apples. The apples are beautiful and abundant this year. I was delighted to find…
When my children were little, I noticed that their health patterns were different from mine and my siblings when we grew up. More ear infections, more antibiotics, and food sensitivities. I struggled to understand. I kept journals of the meals I served, looking for the foods that caused gastrointestinal distress.…
My elderberries are beginning to ripen. The Johns elderberry bush ripens first, the Adams bushes ripen a few weeks later. Having a couple different varieties is beneficial for increased pollination and production of berries.. After picking each cluster of berries, clipping the stem behind the cluster, I bring them inside.…
Let’s face it. A cherry tree in the backyard has pros and cons. This year the tree has produced an abundance of cherries. For five days I have been picking, pitting, freezing and canning cherries. I expect to see cherries in my dreams. Many of the cherries are perfect. But a…
When I go to the library, I tend to pick fiction books over nonfiction. My favorite genre is historical fiction. I like a good story. It takes more effort for me to choose nonfiction. Recently I heard about a book written by Casey Means, M.D. and requested it. In the…
Over the years I have become increasingly concerned about the health of children. My son, a close friend’s daughter and my college room-mate’s grandson were all diagnosed with leukemia. Cancer has gradually increased in children. Chronic illness in children has increased dramatically since the 1980s. An article in the Journal of…