I’m waiting for the sun to rise. Outside, the sky is a deep dusky blue. Soon it will brighten to pink, and I’ll be able to see my new little bird bath in the rose bed, and the fresh mulch I spread yesterday out front. My gardening vacation is underway. I had 15 yards of … Continue reading Moon is up, birds are singing
The town pickup for fall yard waste is a week from Monday, and I’ve got a lot of clipping to do. I spent all day Sunday cutting back the brown Shasta daisy stems, yellowing lemon balm, broken Tithonia that fell over in recent rain, and about half of the blackened echinacea stems. I couldn’t bear … Continue reading October in the garden
The butterflies haven’t arrived in droves yet, but I’m hopeful that by the end of July they’ll be here. I walk the garden every day to turn leaves over and look for caterpillars. So far I’ve found none. I may have spotted a couple of swallowtail eggs on the rue; I’ll keep a close eye … Continue reading Butterfly garden in early July
Rain lands heavy outside with the sound of a forest waterfall. Rainwater streams from gutters. Drops stipple the surface of our neighbor’s pool and rattle oak leaves with a patter like rain on a nylon tent. Our windows are open again after several days with the house sealed up and the air conditioning on. On … Continue reading Deck season
I’m under the canopy of my dogwood tree, which is thick with green leaves. It’s cool here in the shade. Fat lavender buds sway next to me in the wind. A purple finch drinks from the bird bath, which I refreshed with clean water a few minutes ago. Birds twitter, and the warm scent of … Continue reading Work from… garden
When the garden first begins to return in March, I might find something new to get excited about once per week: a snowdrop, a sprout emerging from the cold earth. Now, dozens of new things happen every day. I can sit outside and admire the garden for hours. Today I wandered around with my camera, … Continue reading May in the garden
Butterfly Mind 