Nature or Nurture or Wild
March will be happening really soon. It’s a promising month, March is. Of course, there is always potential for a bit of wintry weather during the month which used to “come in like a lion and go out like a lamb”. However, there is the promise of the first day of the new season in […]
Where’s the snack bag?
I remember when I was in Grade Four thinking “When I’m fifty years old I’ll be really, really old.” Well that ship sailed a long time ago. I’m way, way past fifty now. Heck I’ve got a kid who has been around longer than fifty years. In my mind he’s still a baby giving me […]
Taking a break
I need to leave you for a while. I like to say I’m ‘on hiatus’, because that’s what great writers do when they run out of things to write. My problem is: I read over the last few columns I wrote. Funny thing about writers: We write stuff, and then everything disappears from the brain. […]
The Mycelium Web
This Christmas I was admittedly a little spoiled. My family went overboard with gifts for the gardener (and yes Mom, I loved them all!) One big surprise was a book called The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. I was fascinated by the book’s premise that trees have feels and are able to communicate […]
Going green
We are finally awakening to going green. I’m a booster, as much as I can be. We recycle. I know this because there are blue bins on the sidewalks everywhere in the County. What we do is just a part of the bigger picture. We are well beyond the ‘climate change deniers’. They now look […]
Heart of my heart
It’s February! This will hit the Times boxes on Valentine’s Day. We can hardly spend the month of February without thinking of love, our loved ones and about hearts. Since 2004, the topic of heart health has been on my mind, almost every day. Yep, I’m thinking about that lovely internal organ and not the […]
The myths of Dom Pérignon
Every great wine has a story. And the wine known as Dom Pérignon has numerous stories that may be fact or fiction, marketing genius, or a case of broken telephone. It is widely believed that the Benedictine Monk Dom Pierre Pérignon “invented” Champagne as we know it. However, this myth is somewhat questionable. Dom Pérignon […]
Representation
Have you ever been at a party, and got trapped by someone who thinks they are smarter than you? Admittedly, I have encountered people who are smarter than me, but usually I end up not talking to, but listening to someone who wants to tell me about their career in the Metropolitan Opera. Suddenly, I […]
Herbs and meadows
I can’t believe I just looked out the back window and started to plan how I would relocate the big raised planter to a sunnier spot in the spring. Then my mind branched out to the herbs I’d add to the mix already planted. Come on now! It’s only the end of January (and what […]
Orchid care
I’ve noticed a big trend in giving orchids as host/hostess gifts for the holidays. They are a beautiful choice instead of a cut flower arrangement because their blooms can last upwards of four to six months with proper care. The downside of orchids is that a majority of people have no idea how to look […]