This year, I’ve noticed a lot of squirrels in my yard—or at least one squirrel many times over. This is a bit strange, as squirrels like oak trees, walnut trees, hickory trees—seemingly any tree with nuts—and I don’t have nutty trees in my yard. I do have Maples and I’ve never seen a squirrel build […]
After dissing my Maple trees on Monday for turning yellow instead of the anticipated shades of orange or red, I realized that yellow is also pretty, even if not what I expected or was used to. So, I snapped a picture yesterday of one with all its glorious yellow hues. It’s a good thing I did, as even […]
Fall is a colorful time in Michigan. Even so, the colors in our area of the state do not seem to be as vibrant this fall as most. In my yard, for example, is a “burning bush,” which typically turns a deep fire-engine red in the fall. This year the shade is muted, more akin to ruby […]
In the last six weeks, we’ve only received about three-quarters of an inch of rain. That is about one-tenth of what we would normally enjoy this time of year. The crops are suffering and the lawns don’t look so good either. That means I’ve been doing a lot of sprinkling, dragging hoses around my yard on […]
We’ve had an influx of mole activity in recent days. Perhaps the dry weather has something to do with it. I wouldn’t mind if not for the mounds of dirt they make throughout the lawn. Over the years, I’ve tried various means of “encouraging” them to go elsewhere—such as to my neighbors’ yard. One such recommendation was to […]
Today it was a tad hot in southern Michigan, surpassing the 100-degree mark at my house. (For the record, I have a digital thermometer that is mounted in the shade.) In these parts, it is not unheard of to hit 100 at some point during the summer; however, those records are typically reached in August or […]
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, […]
Just two days ago, the sunrise temperature was 1 degree F; I was beginning to wonder if spring would ever get here. (According to the calendar, spring begins in about two weeks, on March 20). Although we have been intermittently flirting with nicer weather, it quickly turns out to be nothing more than a tease. We […]
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 […]
Most of my leaves have finally fallen from my maple trees, making quite a covering in my yard. Today the leaf removal service came and took them all away! It’s nice to see green grass again (until it snows). Thank you, God, for the amazing variety of the changing seasons and the wonderful nature you created.