• Ultimate Guide to Keeping Frogs in a Koi Pond

    As we dreamed of building a larger pond for the koi that rapidly outgrew their little stock tank pond, we wanted it to support the larger community of insects and animals native to our area. Specifically, I really wanted frogs. When we installed our first pond, the stock tank pond, we also added a few bullfrog tadpoles and tree frog tadpoles, which grew into adults.

  • Easy Handcrafted Ceramic Gift Ideas

    If you are a hobby potter, you too are probably known and appreciated for sharing the abundance of your kiln. The following is a list of fun, easy projects that made sweet gifts for family, friends, neighbors, etc. If you can get your hands on a set of vintage letterpress (I found sets on Etsy many years ago), it’s a great way to add extra personalization like a date or fun message.

  • Broken Wires – Apologies and Forgiveness

    This morning my kids are at school and I’m home pondering apologies and forgiveness for the routine conflicts experienced in family and friendships. One of my own struggles is that after I have wronged someone, even if I have apologized and they say they have forgiven me, I still feel the brokenness. I can shoulder the hurt for years and stash it away to beat myself up with later. Sometimes if I’m the one wounded, I don’t address hurtful actions…

  • Growing for Good: Native Plant Gardening

    Whether we grew up in farming households, helped in the suburban yard, or lived in a concrete jungle, many of us started gardening as adults with a simple approach. We grabbed a few landscape plants from a big box store. Later, we found ourselves immersed in native plant sales at our local arboretum or botanical garden. Our mindset shifted from merely sprucing up the yard to designing a space that maximizes support of local biodiversity and habitat. We shifted in…

  • Summer Garden Recap

    My food growing was a disaster this summer. At least that’s how it felt as I surveyed the mass of weedy overgrowth this evening. I put all my energy into the new pond and quail keeping, and I let the weeds run amok and didn’t feed the plants or top off compost as I should have. For my future self, I’m documenting the season and will start with the positives because no one likes a whiner. Wins One apple tree…

Paige Puckett Pottery & Love Sown Garden