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Category Archives: The land

Why I can’t have apple pie

Monday, June 22, 2020

The squirrels have been stealing peaches from the orchard for at least a couple of weeks. Now they are stealing apples. This morning, I saw Mrs. Squirrel in the backyard, coming down from the orchard with an apple in her mouth. I knew where she was going, so I had time to go get the […]

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June 6, 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 6, 2020

First day lilies First cabbage to go to the kitchen

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What’s happening, May 13

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Who will ever be able to forget the spring of 2020 — the Pandemic Spring? Here in this little corner of the world, the strange weather continues. An arctic incursion brought two late frosts. The tomatoes, basil, and squash are hating it (we covered them), but they survived. The cool-weather crops are flourishing. Mustard and […]

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Crimson clover

Friday, May 1, 2020

Click here for high-resolution version. Last October, I sowed 10 pounds of crimson clover seed in the yard, bought from Amazon for $34.99. Now I can’t bring myself to mow the yard. Next October, I’ll sow at least twice as much.

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Spring sunset

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Click here for high-resolution version. The weather was strange today. During the night, two inches of rain had fallen. Today the sky was heavy, and the wind was still. All day, there was the sound of rushing water from the stream below the house. At sunset, a break in the clouds near the horizon meant […]

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April 20

Monday, April 20, 2020

The photo is from 7:50 p.m. Supper is over, and the kitchen has been tidied up after the wreckage of a wok supper. I am so lucky not to be cooking for one — or gardening or orcharding for one — during this quarantine. There is a certain reluctance, as suppertime approaches, for those who […]

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Spring mustard

Saturday, April 18, 2020

  Mustard greens, just washed through three waters The neighbors’ garden is a couple of weeks ahead of the abbey’s garden. They’ve got a big mustard crop, and they invited us to come pick some. That meant that last night’s supper was pinto beans, mustard greens, corn bread, and deviled eggs. This sharing from the […]

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What a spring!

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

A very young pear One of the best parts of my day is the daily walkaround in the yard, orchard, and garden. I don’t always like what I see. A few nights ago, we had a late frost. We may have more frost tonight. But mostly what I’m seeing is a beautiful spring. Because of […]

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First red clover bloom

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Click here for high-resolution version Nothing brightens the yard in early spring like red clover. I hand-scattered 10 pounds of seed last fall. Today I found the first bloom, on the day lily bank. Soon there will be much more. This is an iPhone photo. The iPhone is convenient for quick close-ups.

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It’s not winter

Saturday, April 4, 2020

A tiny peach I don’t often think of so-called scripture. I identify as a creature of the Enlightenment, not as a “person of faith.” Nevertheless, I know an embarrassing amount of scripture, because it was beaten into me as a child and because Old and New Testament were required courses when I was a student. […]

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