Category: nature
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Autumn
The garden is still blooming. Yellow roses. Anenome. Primroses. This is the second flowering for a few of the primroses. The weather has been mild. Sunny. Very little rain. Our sprinkler guy hasn’t scheduled a time to shut off sprinklers so I am still watering, providing a bit of support to the plants heading into…
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Puttering
I spent a morning this week just puttering in the garden. The day was still summer-like–in the 70s and sunny. The trees are just starting to change color. Later in the week, the autumn rain starts bringing cooler weather. Since I do not cut down plants growing in the garden beds until spring, my puttering…
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Mushroom Bouquet
We took our dogs for a long walk on the forest trails by our house. The fall colors are not out yet so we were still walking in filtered green light. The colors and textures I saw were the whites, reds, and yellows of mushrooms, everywhere. On the ground and on fallen trees. I know…
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Sights and Sounds
We have a ten gallon bucket we put in the ground, filled with water and rocks, and added a fountain to provide a small water feature near our backyard patio. Four frogs have moved in. In the middle of the forest?! We have toads throughout the gardens and the hummingbirds are starting the head south.…
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New Season
Even though it still feels like summer, a new season is starting to reveal itself. The leaves are just beginning to fade a bit. It is cooler at night and with the windows open I needed to bring out the comforter. The hummingbirds are filling up for their long trip south. I brought in the…
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Bees and Hummingbirds
When we first moved into a woodland home, I was expecting a lot of furry wildlife–deer, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, etc. I need to add porcupines to the list, though I never even thought they would be part of our life. During the night, when we were still getting used to the place, we were awoken…
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Fireflies
Wildfire smoke has kept me indoors for three days now. The temperatures are perfect for opening windows and working in the garden. But alas, windows are closed and I’m sure the plants are trying to cope with the smoke as well. We are living in a world of hazy grey skies and the smell of…
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Noticing
Summer is finally here. Lake Michigan isn’t at her summer best just yet. She still holds some of winter. An early morning drive revealed fog along the lakeshore. The water and air temperatures are not yet aligned. As seasons change, whether from spring to summer, or a season of life, I can feel a bit…
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Late Spring Forest life
I came back home to my Michigan north woods home from a trip to Scotland with summer bursting out all over. The trees have leafed out. Morels, supposedly, can still be found. And birdsong welcomes the sunrise. I’ve been able to sit outside with my morning coffee taking in vitamin D and hoping the sun…
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Travel
I just got back from a twelve day trip to Scotland. We visited chefs and weavers and gin/whiskey makers. People who use the ingredients of their area to create something beautiful and delicious. We visited a garden in northwest Scotland that was created by Victorian plant hunters and brought back plants from North America, South…
