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Coastal Discovery Museum’s Butterfly Habitat Plants
Last summer we went to Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island. The entire visit was great, but my favorite part was the butterfly habitat. I photo-documented every plant whose name was unfamiliar to me (or rather nearly all the plant tags) so that I could look them up later and determine if they could be added to my own yard. Hilton Head is Hardiness Zone 8b, and Raleigh is 7b, which means that some plants may be hardy in…
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Week by Week Guide for Starting the Spring Garden
On this last day of January 2019 with a good portion of the country caught up in a polar vortex, I find myself longing for warmer weather and green vistas. Fortunately we have a mild weekend in the forecast. Mild weekends in February always get my garden gears going, but I have to remember that no matter what the groundhog says, there is more winter ahead. While it’s still too early to start any new crops outside, it’s not too…
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It’s Another New Year
I don’t really buy into the whole new year, fresh start, clean slate bit. All of me at 11:59 pm on December 31 carries across to 12:00 am January 1. Chances are high that I’m not changing. Not really. That Costco box of Cheez-its will still be on the counter the next morning, and I will still be sneaking 2-3 crackers at a time and letting their tangy goodness dissolve in my mouth. If you’ve never munched on chocolate and…
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November Garden (Just Pictures)
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All the Crispy Plants
I just sat down to share pictures of the fall fire-pit garden and heard a loud buzzing coming from behind my head. I took off my sweater and then shook out my hair, and an angry bee flew out and into the overhead light. I turned off all the lights, opened the backdoor and eventually guided it to freedom. Most days I would have to agree with her that my hair looks like a bee’s nest. I can’t blame her…
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Those Fall Chicks and Treating Resperatory / Sinus Infections
In September, we picked up five new pullets of various breeds. The following Saturday morning, one began crowing, and we promptly drove down to the Selma Tractor Supply to swap him out for another pullet. Our Chicken Man (I don’t mean that as an insult, it’s just what role this kind gentleman has played in our lives), didn’t have any unusual breeds on hand like our Pavlovskaya Roo, so his buddy in the next parking spot offered us an Apenzeller…