First snow of the season and on being indispensable
It began gently before sunrise on Saturday morning, a cold, steady flow of fine flakes—the season’s first snow. I let Freya out to do her business and bark at the deer foraging in the forest. At daylight, she came back looking like an Iditarod sled-race dog, her...
Winter Blooms
Last month’s killing frosts had rendered our meadow plants dormant. It was time to mow before snow arrived. On Saturday morning, Keith fueled and started the gas-powered weed-whacker for me then held it while I donned ear and eye protections and adjusted the...
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat Please put a penny in the old man’s hat. After celebrating a delightful Thanksgiving with Keith’s family in Northern Virginia, we spent the night, brunched the next morning then drove home via Route 7West. Near the...
Winter is coming
Half or fully dead trees hit the gravel with a crack, temporarily blocking access to our driveway. Today, Keith and I took down a few trees and cut them into firewood. Our efforts were pre-emptive and practical because “winter is coming.” People familiar with Game...
Four Falls
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Chinese aphorism written by Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, ascribed to Confucius. Fall Number 1: Mid-day last Friday, our landscaper arrived to map out a trail from the back...
Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home
“Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children are gone.” Perhaps this old nursery rhyme, chanted by children when ladybugs landed on them, originated among farmers in England. They knew the value of ladybirds, as the bug was...