-
No break this spring–and I love it
Many friends and co-workers have disappeared to tropical locales this week. The kids have been sleeping in and complaining about ‘everyone else’ getting to go to Hawaii (not to mention the work I’ve had them catch up on). Our week off probably does seem a little boring on the surface, and my husband and I agree that…
-
The parable of the mistaken oak
Last fall I sat on a lawn under an oak tree, surrounded by music and children. I brought home some acorns, researched, prepared, and planted one. It lived in the back of my fridge, in simulated winter, annoying family members just trying to put away the yogurt. Last month, I decided it was time to…
-
Maybe I just can’t take a compliment
Recently, an acquaintance of mine gave me a knock-you-over, stop-breathing kind of compliment. As a single woman with marriage likely in her near future, she said, and I quote, “I love what you guys have. I want a family just like yours.” More specifically, she explained, she wanted the relaxed, convivial atmosphere she felt in our…
-
Before you post that…
I love how Facebook can be a place to share and learn different perspectives. I hate, hate, hate, how Facebook turns too often into skirmishes of opinion. In case you don’t know, I live in Alberta. Rural Alberta. In case you don’t know, Facebook has turned into a battleground (at least on my feed) over…
-
Tree time
Now that the frost has taken the tenders and the potatoes are 80% dug, my energy is turning from the veggie plot to the landscape. The overgrown state of the flower beds is a little depressing, so I’m focusing on trees. The apples we tried to root from cuttings mostly died; the sole survivor (a…
-
The leap
I quit my job. It was only supposed to be a one year thing anyway, but they asked me to come back. I considered it, and, between my husband and myself, we decided it wasn’t worth it. The income didn’t justify the strain on the family, and I desperately wanted to get back to writing,…
-
Renaissance girl?
I envy my husband sometimes. He’s an artist with tunnel vision, the classic absentminded professor. He jumps head first into things and doesn’t look back, working with feverish abandon on the project of the moment until the next idea strikes, oblivious to the debris field in his wake. The trained eye can look over his…
-
My latest experiment
I limit myself to trying to grow no more than one new vegetable per year. This guideline is in everyone’s best interests, especially the plants’. I have a hard enough time staying on top of the regular stuff, and catering to the unfamiliar needs of multiple new additions is sure to lead to casualties. This…
-
Seed starting notes
Here’s some of the notes and links from the class I taught Thursday night, straight out of Keynote so very point form! Feel free to contact me with any more questions and thanks for a fun discussion. Terms you might see: F1 hybrid: a cross of two strains of the same species; reliable cultivars bred…
-
All the kids in all the gardens
After a (I thought) very successful talk at the Calgary Horticultural Society Garden Show last weekend, two of my girls and I enjoyed the booths at the show, and wouldn’t you know it, found more books. (See below.) Then, after returning home and catching up on my digital correspondence, I found all kinds of pictures…
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
aprildemes.com 