“My garden is my greatest joy,” Helen Keller shared in a 1930 interview with Hazel Kinscella for Better Homes and Gardens. “I feel that I am in the seventh heaven when among my plants. I feel the little heads pop up to look at me
Every major holiday has its classic color scheme. For example, Halloween decorations are generally orange and black. As for Christmas,
One day, during the Christmas season, I was pondering the act of gift-giving. I reached out to a friend. “Do you and Jim exchange Christmas gifts?”
Sunday morning, the day after Christmas, I poured a cup of coffee and glanced over at the weather station unit sitting on the kitchen counter by the fruit bowl. “Check this out, Marty,” I said,
If plants could talk, the Peace Rose could tell a tale as gripping as a World War II spy novel.
YAY! It’s summertime in Alaska! We can joyfully open our windows and doors. Uh oh. A bumblebee flew through the open window and is now trapped inside the house. Here’s a simple trick I use to free a trapped bumblebee from
When it comes to comfort food, the potato holds the top spot. But there’s more to the potato than meets the fry…
Before I go any further… Hot Wheels is a paraplegic rabbit. And for eight days, he was left in our care while…
To shoot this video, I scouted a spot in the garden, near a patch of Iceland poppies. I hit the record button and started talking to my iPhone. Suddenly a giant, buff-tailed bumblebee exploded out of a yellow poppy, spun around like a helicopter, and buzzed out of the frame. I thought, “Should I re-shoot
Last Tuesday, Cindy and Bob (not their real names) participated in an event they call ‘Tackle Tuesday’ where they select a room and clean it from top to bottom. They both love to hike…
Today I’m celebrating! First, I’m feeling much better after my bout with COVID (thank you for asking). So good in fact,
It began as a tingling, prickly feeling in my fingers and toes as if they were going to sleep. “Wow, this is weird,” I thought.
“It’s been said that gardens and children need the same things — patience, love, and someone who will never give up on them.” [Nicolette Sowder] As a child, I spent many happy hours outdoors. I climbed trees, built stick forts in the woods behind our house, and harvested “wild” clay
Last week’s span of warm, clear days found island gardeners scrambling outside, perched on bended knee pulling weeds, transplanting seedlings, and slaying slugs. It was a flurry of activity that reminded me of a children’s story
With the equinox behind us, I like to think that spring can’t be far behind. The sun tells us so, what with it rising more to the north each day. And then you have crocus blossoms tentatively
It’s March. Now it’s time to get down to business, the business of starting seeds. Seed-starting is not only a timely topic—as people plan ahead for the growing season— but it’s
Mom struggled with mental illness most of her adult life. Here was a woman who graduated in three years from Stanford University and binged on beef bouillon for weeks. She mastered the art of