outdoors

• August 25, 2012

  Garden Inspirations

  I realized that I’ve been really slacking on the blog this month.  I don’t know what it is, but I just haven’t felt the urge to write and I’ve been lacking in ideas for topics.  So, naturally, I turned to Twitter hoping to find someone willing to offer a suggestion.  Sure enough, Gina came through…

• August 24, 2012

  Digging for Buried Treasure

  Can you identify? I think it’s just some variety of green chili pepper… My garden is not doing so well.  I’ll be honest.  I’m disappointed.  The heat, and my sporadic watering, coupled with the deer and squash bugs have left my garden lacking in produce.  The deer have eaten my Swiss chard again, so I…

• July 15, 2012

  Oh, Deer! (and other tales from the garden)

  I have had a new visitor to my vegetable garden this year: deer. We have a field-ish type area behind our house, scattered with trees, and there are deer that live back there. From time to time we’ll see them in the backyard, but until this year, they’d stayed clear of my garden. A couple…

• July 2, 2012

  Squishing the Squash Bug

  I have squash growing in my garden this year.  I’m not sure what type, though.  They’re volunteers of sorts, though I really hoped they’d be there.  Last year, after Halloween, I discarded all of our pumpkins and various squash and gourds into my garden to see what would happen.  I had quite a variety last…

• May 21, 2012

  What's New in the Garden…Since Yesterday!

  When I come home from work in the evening I like to take a stroll through my garden.  I find it relaxing and peaceful and fun.  I say that as if I actually had a large garden to spend time walking through — my garden area consists of a path about 20 feet long, leading…

• May 12, 2012

  May Gardening Update

  At mid-May I would say that my garden this year is well beyond where it was last year at this time. Certainly, my perennial garden has progressed much differently.  I think all of my tulips came in May last year, but this year they’ve been gone for a couple of weeks now!  Sadly, that means…

• March 30, 2012

  Spring Flowers and Planting

  I have been thoroughly enjoying the mild March we’ve had this year.  I say mild, but what I really mean is HOT!  Not only has it not been cold, but we had a couple of weeks of 70-80 degree temperatures.  That’s weather we’re lucky to get in July!  Needless to say, I’ve spent some time…

• March 17, 2012

  Getting an Early Start on Gardening

  I was planning on the beginning of March be the start of my gardening season—meaning, I would start some seeds indoors to be transplanted into my garden after a couple months.  I did start some seeds: tomatoes and several types of peppers.  I also put some lettuce seeds in a container, to hopefully get an…

• November 23, 2011

  Reflection

  Prompt: Be present. Describe something peaceful with as much sensory imagery as you can. What are the sights, sounds, scents, and feelings? When I think of a peaceful setting, I think of something out in nature.  And my most recent nature-intensive trip was to Isle Royale National Park this summer.  I am reminded of one…

• August 5, 2011

  Gardening Update: Woes and Foes

  Well, I’m finally back at home for a while after about a month of travel and vacations.  By “home” I mean that I have been at work and meetings and hanging out with seemingly long lost friends for the past few days.  I don’t want you to think that I’ve actually attempted to catch up…