I’ve yet to see a monarch caterpillar this year. I have three types of milkweed in my yard and an outdoor enclosure waiting to raise a few monarchs. Inside the enclosure are butterfly weed and asclepias incarnata – rose milkweed, but the caterpillars are missing. It’s the end of June and I’ve only seen three…
A few years ago we let a bordered garden bed in which we used to grow pumpkins and other vegetables go unplanted. I was learning about native plants and the importance of prairies, so I had an idea to let this garden be a mini-prairie patch in our yard. The space is 36 feet by…
I am back in New York visiting my parents who live in a town known to be one of the stops on the Erie Canal. For anyone who is outside of this large state, when you say you are going to New York, it is automatically assumed you are going to be near New York…
One of my favorite songs growing up was Rainy Days and Mondays sung by the incomparable Karen Carpenter. And, such is today – a Rainy Day and a Monday. The song goes on to lament being down, not fitting in, and having the blues. Although I don’t feel this way today, I can relate to…
We had a spectacular storm early on Tuesday evening. It took place after dinner, blowing in on winds from the west. I ran outside with my phone and small camera to take photos of the clouds lit with the sun from behind. A gentleman, who is a friend of a friend, told me in a…
Planting for pollinators is currently all the rage! And, rightly so, we need our pollinators more than ever even as their populations have declined. The reason for this decline is multi-factorial. Contributing factors are habitat loss, competition of non-native species, pesticide use, climate change, and disease. Stabilization or reversal of pollinator population losses are essential…
Today’s post will be short for Slice of Life Tuesday. I’ve been taking photos in my yard (again) and noted that my milkweed has germinated. Milkweed is a perennial plant and germinates around this time of year in Wisconsin. I make daily rounds looking for it in my yard. I’ve also reported my findings to…
Anyone who owns a home knows that it’s a lot of work. When you own a home and a cabin or cottage, it is more work. Still, we know how lucky we are to have both. Our “cabin” is a four season house – it could be lived in all year and we do visit…
I was worried about the loons that live on our lake last night when I went to bed. We had been at the cabin since noon. After dinner, we took a canoe ride around the lake, before dusk. Dusk is typically the time we can see loons floating and diving on our lake. It is…
I love to learn new things. I think it makes me a better and certainly, more interesting, person. Earlier this spring, we got a course flyer from an organization offering a variety classes in sustainable living. My husband was interested in the DIY dehydrator class and I was interested in the Spring Foraging class. By…