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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 Cheeze-its at the same time (alternate bites, don’t cram them in together), you really should. It will blow your taste-buds. I do buy into slow, progressive improvement, reflection and re-upping…
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Resolutions for 2017 – Habitat for Birds
One of my favorite winter pastimes is backyard bird watching. We typically keep a steady supply of seed in the feeders, and occasionally put out a block of suet. Last week my youngest son and I made a fresh batch of peanut butter pine cone feeders, which the chickadees especially love. While I love putting out food for the birds, it doesn’t make me as giddy as seeing a bird land in a newly planted tree for the first time. I know it’s a little silly because birds will basically land on anything (and poop on anything). I also know that these same birds I’m attracting in the winter will…
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Resolutions for 2017 – Homegrown Hospitatlity
When I was in Romania during the summer of 2002, we spent a week out in the country side of Șăulia, where I was so impressed that the homes grew fruit trees along the road side as a means of showing hospitality to travelers. Over the last few years of gardening, I’ve had a growing desire to make the garden more hospitable. I’ve moved a rosemary bush down to the curb, and grow a patch of sunflowers this summer to cheer up the neighbors. This fall we planted two apple trees down by the curb as well, and I’m hoping in time they will produce fruit to share. My second…
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Resolutions for 2017 – Native Plants
This year I’m trying something a little different for making a New Year’s resolution. I don’t want to have just one semi-ambiguous goal of bettering myself. I want to have a set of attainable, clearly defined goals to better the world around me. These should be a mix of fun, challenging, and maybe even uncomfortable goals. The first goal involves native plants. “Biologists and other scientists consider invasion by exotic plants to be one of the most serious problems facing native plant and wildlife populations in the United States. For example, multiflora rose, bicolor lespedeza, Japanese honeysuckle, and autumn olive are examples of exotic plants introduced into North Carolina— all…
