Not A Lot of Plot – YEAH!
Today I’m headed to an all-day class at Indian Creek Nature Center called Not A Lot Of Plot. One might think this was a convention for a writing group, but instead, it is about my other love – gardening. I’ve already taken some of these classes as a master gardener intern (taught by the same people!), but I’m hoping to scope out the scene. As part of the Mount Vernon Blue Zones Project, I have been working with people throughout the community to help create a more...
Read MorePlants and an Introduction to My Living Room
Note: I’ve spent the past month buried under my own poor reaction to a huge heaping of stress. Back in August I quit the job which I thought was going to be my life-long career. Once I left, I became a freelance writer and reporter. Adjustment? Yes. I avoided reading blogs of my friends, writing, and book reviewing while I sorted my thoughts out. I also had things going on in the homefront that kept me a little on the frantic side. Things are calming and I’m calming. I’ve...
Read MoreHouseplant Obsession
Some of you might remember that I used to have a black thumb – in fact, I’ve killed cacti galore. Plants rarely survived my negligent touch. I’d either overwater them or underwater them (nothing like a 9 month drought – although there was one survivor from that time). Things started to turn about shortly after my grandfather died and I decided his legacy must go on: I must learn how to keep a plant alive. I gathered quite a few houseplants from various sources and they...
Read MoreConstructing a Plant Table
The Past A couple weeks ago, I was sitting at my new desk in the living room pondering our furniture arrangements. We’d recently moved furniture that was in our various bedrooms around to other bedrooms (as we’re wont to do as our family size fluctuates often) and had some extras that didn’t fit or weren’t needed. As a side note – I think we’ve finally gotten a satisfactory arrangement for all ages of children that may live with us so that we don’t...
Read MoreOur Yard | Update on the entire backyard.
Remember when I wrote we finished a lot of things this weekend including mulching the backyard? I wasn’t kiddin’. The Gate and Fruit Bushes You may remember that this area used to look like the following after we’d built the fence, pergola, and gate. Here’s the new view from the gate that leads into the backyard: Here’s the new view looking towards the gate: This area was always overrun by weeds and incredibly hard to keep under control. I decided that instead,...
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