Jul 22 2018
Bryn, Joe and I were eager to drive to the nineteen-mile-long Torch Lake to join four dear friends on their pontoon boat. Their three-year-old labradoodle, Lucy, would be there, too. She’s much smaller, weighing in at 27 pounds, while Bryn…
Jul 15 2018
There is something about the pre-dawn hours, some natural magic out there that always enchants me. I stare through the kitchen window at outlines, trying to separate myself from exactly what they represent. It’s more fun to simply sail on the…
Jul 7 2018
Lots of interesting people visit Sunnybank’s secret garden, especially during the Traverse City Cherry Festival. One man, especially, will always remain bright in my memory. Tall, about fifty and in good shape, he rang the garden bell one mid-morning and wandered…
Jun 30 2018
The last few days have been scorchers! It’s important to soak the ground very early in the morning, especially around sunnier, hot spots. I have two grassy areas right at the huge maple’s drip-line, on the front lawn, that are yellow;…
Jun 23 2018
My advice to girls is: first, don’t smoke—to excess; second, don’t drink—to excess; third, don’t marry—to excess.
Mark Twain
As I patiently weed in the secret garden, a young, handsome couple chatting with me suddenly link…
Jun 17 2018
Dear readers, this column is a repeat of one I wrote a few years ago. This weekend is devoted to our 50th anniversary and my birthday- a big bash- leaving zero time for my usual reflections. I did tweak it,…
Jun 10 2018
Joe and I have shared the last 4 + years with our labradoodle, Bryn. She’s brought us much joy, and even more wonderment, truth be told.
Bryn understands a lot of English- I mean sentences- whole thoughts- that…
Jun 2 2018
Last Sunday afternoon Bryn needed a shampoo; she’d run through the really dusty dog park in hot, dry weather, so her fur was dust-coated and decorated with dirt clods and twigs. In the garden I used the hose to wet…
May 27 2018
A passionate reader, I recently learned an astounding fact about England’s ancient churchyards. Bill Bryson’s fascinating book, At Home, A Short History Of Private Life (Doubleday, New York, 2010) offers an earthy revelation.
Bryson, a prolific, popular author, lives…
May 19 2018
As I work in Sunnybank’s secret garden pulling little weeds that constantly try to establish, I often ponder the sometimes startling differences between the European and American way of life, just to keep from perishing from boredom.
A German…
May 13 2018
What odd weather we’ve been having! First it was really warm, and then, suddenly a big wind blew in a bigger snowstorm and icy air, and then, it rained; all the snow went the way of all things...
Here…
May 5 2018
This recent snowfall should be Mother Nature’s last icy huff. Spring-blooming perennials aren’t fazed by her little fling.
Today I’m working away, raking, picking up sticks, weeding--and thought I’d share some garden wisdom, and even a few warnings.
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