School Days, School Days
I can feel it in the air, the cooler evenings signal the end of summer and a new school year just around the corner. New Year’s Day has never been the beginning for me, it has always been September, that time when an adventure awaits in the classroom. As a child I loved the feeling [...]
Cohoctah woman seen vacuuming garden – OCD (Organic Compulsive Disorder) taken to the extreme
Well folks, despite all of my efforts to stay ahead of the dreaded squash bugs, I found about 100,000 nymphs sucking away at my lovely plants one evening last week. I filled my bucket with soapy water and shook as many as I could off of the leaves and into their sudsy death. There seemed [...]
Two-year-old girl prompts quest for answers to age-old questions
I don’t know how many of you are aware that something happens to the space/time continuum when you are with a small child. For instance, eating a very small bowl of cereal can take forty-five minutes, whereas nap time flies by at the speed of light. I am going to look for a research grant [...]
Tale of a disgruntled shopper
I found a coupon in my mailbox yesterday for a local retailer. I could name names, but I won’t. I will call the store Old Alemale from now on, you figure it out. The coupon informed me that I could purchase $100 worth of regular or sale priced items and get $50 off, today only. I am [...]
Visiting the Student Organic Farm at Michigan State University
It seemed like a good idea when I scheduled a visit to the Michigan State University Student Organic Farm. I have been interested in their program for several years and wanted to get more information. I was encouraged by Denae Friedheim, the program manager, to volunteer for a morning of work at the farm. She promised to give [...]
The wrath of Mother Nature
I dreamed of rain last night. It was very surrealistic, I have almost forgotten what rain looks or feels like. I look out the window at my yard, what used to be a lawn but is now a vast wasteland of bleached crispy plant material, and I wonder if it will ever look the same again. [...]
Watch out, kids, Mamaw’s got a tractor
Before moving to the country, I was happy with my basic lawn mower, a cordless electric drill, a circular saw and a few miscellaneous power tools. There wasn’t much that needed to be done around the house that I could not accomplish with the contents of my modest tool box. Living large on fifteen acres, however, [...]
Squash bugs, potato bugs, lady bugs and bumblebees – murder and mayhem in the garden
Life as a gardener can be very unpleasant at times, like when you meet up with a large green tomato worm chomping away at the lovely leaves of your heirloom tomato plant. Or realizing that Japanese beetles are devouring your green beans at a furious pace. It is easy to understand the temptation to use [...]
