Late June we adopted George, a small charcoal and white cat, into our family. You can read about George here. Naming George. Adopting a Cat into Our Family George is very happy. He gets almost all the attention he wants (maybe not exactly when and how - there is always room for … [Read more...]
Follow Up on Using Preen This Summer to Control Weeds
This spring I posted about using Preen to control weeds instead of mulching. You can read that article here: Mulch In the Flower Bed - What Type to Use? I haven't liked any of the mulch materials we used in past gardens - newspapers (yuck!), grass (weedy and smelly), bark (can't cultivate and it … [Read more...]
This Means War! Bunnies, Peonies and Me: Warfare in the Garden
I like bunnies. Cute, furry little creatures, I like watching them crouch under the bushes by my office hiding behind a wall of snow. Let's correct that. I used to like bunnies. Now it's war. Do you see the double row of glorious, happy colored nasturtiums? No? Neither do I, at least not … [Read more...]
Fall Is In the Air – Early August 2013 – Summer So Fleeting
We've had a beautiful summer this year. I hope yours was too. It was hot only about a week, with a few days that bounced into the high 80s for a few hours. Evenings were cool, great for sleeping. We noticed many individual branches that had turned red or gold when we drove up north before the … [Read more...]
A Weekend for a Wedding – Families and Joy
My nephew married his long-time sweetheart this weekend. Zach met Anna at a church-sponsored building trip in Appalachia when they were in high school. Anna graduated this spring and they married. It was a happy wedding, full of joyful people. The bride and groom smiled all through the Mass, all … [Read more...]
Hillside Around the Corner on My Lunch Time Walk – Magical Hills
I love hills. Midland, where we grew up, is flat, flat, and yes, really pancake flat. Dave and I moved a little ways out of town where our backyard sloped down to a creek. Heaven. We loved having the little hill. When our son was younger he would take his sled to the top of the steps, slide … [Read more...]
Swimming in a Cold Pool, Memories of Lake Superior Vacations
It's been cold here in Michigan and the water temperature in our pool slipped below 60 yesterday. That's cold! It was sunny yesterday and we had the solar cover on. Although it was in the 50s Sunday night, our Monday daytime got to the low 70s and it was a pretty day. The top couple inches of … [Read more...]
Glorious Red Hibiscus Blooming in My Garden
Last year we bought a few plants from Parks on clearance, including a hibiscus in a glorious shade of red. We did not have the garden even planned out, much less dug or ready to plant, so Dave found a pretty spot for this plant, slightly protected by tall spruce trees near the pool. It gets … [Read more...]
Air Conditioning Vs. Lovely Summer Breezes
This is our first house that has air conditioning. Before we moved here Dave used to say that in Michigan we really need air about two weeks a year and that's generally true. We don't normally get weeks on end of hot weather, and even when it is warm out, the evenings usually cool off and the … [Read more...]
Adding Magic to Flower Gardens with Pathways – How to Lay a Path
Way way back in our first home Dave and I put in a garden along the back edge of our lot, then we created a big huge circle planting area. Ugh. It was so hard to get into the garden to weed and hard to see the flowers. And it was ugly. I thought about these two false starts and realized that … [Read more...]