Years ago, the squirrel population around our home seems to be on the increase. One of their favorite pastimes was gathering nuts from my neighbor’s trees and relocating them to my yard. For years this has been happening with acorns, resulting in me pulling up tiny oak trees each spring. Now they’ve added hickory nuts […]
Although April began with the proverbial showers that are reputed to bring May flowers, it has been quite arid the past two weeks. So much so that I have had to resort to watering my lawn. I feel a bit guilty doing so. You see, as I dump hundreds of gallons of pure, clean water on […]
I learned something disconcerting about myself. Regular readers may recall my post about mourning three bird eggs that had been knocked to the ground when a severe storm destroyed their next. I had compassion for their death, but there was nothing I could do. When I was out moving sprinklers in my yard I was […]
Last night while mowing my lawn, I saw three frogs in my yard. In 24 years of living here and mowing the grass, this was a first. Where did the frogs come from? I know the biological answer and the evolutionary answer and the creation answer, but those are the wrong answers to my question. […]
I’ve worked at home for over twenty years. With a home office, it’s critical to have a professional, work-like environment. This is especially true when you are on a phone call (or video call). There can be no household noises, such as blaring TVs or radios, crying children, barking dogs, or talking spouses. These sounds […]
Technically, the first day of spring will not be for a couple more weeks (this year on March 20—unless you live south of the Equator, then you have a much longer wait). However, the seasons seldom line up with the calendar. For me, the best sign of spring is when I see a robin for […]
When we lost power last weekend, there were high winds at the time. Very high. To my dismay, the next morning I spotted three birds’ nests that had been ripped from my trees by the gusty gale. Although saddened by the loss of home for my animal friends, I was encouraged that most of the […]
The Petals Have Fallen
I’ve not yet posted any photos of my lawn this year. That’s because I’ve had nothing new or significant to share. My flowering crab apple tree was as beautiful (and fragrant) as ever, but I could have posted last year’s picture and no one would have known the difference. The same goes for the periwinkle, while, […]
In the northern clime of Michigan, the ideal time to trim deciduous trees (that is, non-evergreens) is in their dormant state. That means winter. Unfortunately, this winter was colder than most and the snow was deeper. So whenever I considered trimming a few branches, it was either frigidly cold or there was more than a foot […]