Mother Nature can be a real you-know-what come Spring. She becomes the female version of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. From sunshine and 70’s to clouds and 30’s, chilling rains and snowy afternoons, from one day to the next and sometimes, from hour to hour, you just don’t know what weather you’re going to get! … More Love is in the air
Yesterday was a red-letter day. I got my first Covid shot! It was easy, simple, fast and painless. I had it done at our local hospital, Lakeview, and they did a fantastic job. They were friendly, efficient, kind, and happy for every recipient that I saw walk through the door. What an uplifting environment. I … More A great day!
Here in Minnesota we have seen sub-zero temperatures with -20 and -30 windchills for the past week. I always think temperatures like that almost become a joke — once you reach a certain absurd temperature, it all starts to feel the same. I’ll tell you what though, when it reaches +6 or 7, it feels … More I think we need some Spring color
What a fantastic specimen of a tree. I planted these smaller, very dense, perfectly shaped trees in certain areas of the yard. In a group of three they create a nice fencing, but as a singular tree in the right area, they create their own aura. Because of their density, when covered in leaves you … More The Hawthorn Tree
We’ve been living under a shroud of Mother Nature’s doing for the past week. No rays of bright sun have been allowed to penetrate the dense layering that has been living between the horizon and blue sky that lies patiently in wait. Although we have not been blessed with sunshine, we have been able to … More Enchanted
Yesterday was a grey day with plenty of cloud cover, but much warmer — a whopping 38 degrees — from the much colder day before. And it had become very humid. It had also been misty, yet mysterious — one of those days where you’re not sure what the weather is actually trying to do. … More A Day of Diamonds
Well, it’s always possible… If you recall, last Spring a doe give birth to a fawn in my front yard. I called her Beatrice, thinking she would grow up a female. Throughout the rest of the year, I watched as she grew up along-side two sets of twins born that same spring. This “pack” of … More Did I make a mistake?
We had a beautiful snowfall the other day. It started mid-afternoon and lasted into the late evening. It was lovely. Just a quiet snow, big flakes, fluffy, that fell gently from the sky. No brazen winds or jaw-dropping temperatures. Without those tremendous winds, the snow was able to leave its mark on the land. In … More Winter’s landscape
I don’t know if it’s their size, their coloring, their song, or the way they whip around the yard, flitting from branch to branch, flower head to flower head, able to perform acrobatic feats and balancing acts on thin tendrils and plant stems, but the tinier bird population that visits the yard just makes me … More Little guys can pack a punch
Goldfinches are everywhere. This is their time — when summer flowers start to lose their vibrancy and colors wane — to head to the seeds. Outside of drying on their own and dropping to the ground to propagate the species, the goldfinches help spread the flowers to other parts of the yard. But I must … More From one to the other
A Gardener's Diary 