For years I have fought them! Those pesky little critters that ruin the grapevines! They suck the juice out of the leaves and leave behind a fungal infection that pock-marks the leaves and eventually destroys them. Since the leaves are the food-making factory for the vines, you can guess the Read more…
I have chickens. Hens, but no roosters. That means that they lay eggs that will never hatch into chicks. It got me thinking about fruitfulness. . . I wonder if they produce those beautiful, extra large, brown speckled eggs expecting them to hatch. I wonder if they are disappointed when Read more…
No, I am not dead. I have, however, been buried! Directing the drama portion of our church’s vacation Bible school meant two weeks of 14-hour days, then another week of 10 hour days, followed in less than a week by a long-weekend camping trip with a dozen teens. Whew! Great Read more…
The branch was cracking near its the main trunk. I’m amazed it survived the last big wind. It was reaching over the yard to the sidewalk almost a dozen feet away. It had borne several large crops of lemons over the last few seasons, but it was not healthy. It Read more…
God designed and planted the first garden to meet the needs and satisfy the desires of His image-bearers. In it was every tree that was beautiful and fruitful. The gardener in me sighs longingly at this phrase. To grow artichokes for the beauty of them does not deny me a Read more…
About six months ago we bought four fuzzy featherballs, hoping for fresh eggs. It’s felt like a long wait. Last week we started finding the treasures we anticipated! Instead of the blue eggs I was told to expect, they have been pinkish tan and a deep russet. The first one Read more…
Hugelkultur. It’s a fun word to say even if I don’t really know how to pronounce it! There’s supposed to be an umlaut somewhere in that word. I am attempting my first hugelkultur pit or mound. For several years, one of my garden beds has been a brush pile…Yup, a Read more…
My grapevines look very sad. And they are teaching me a thing or two, as usual, about God’s pruning. Thanks to the recovery time dictated by a complete knee replacement, they have mostly not yet been pruned. Care for grapevines (if what you are after is fruit) means reduction of Read more…
(Warning: Longer than usual post.) I love volunteers! Not the kind that make the bake sale a success (though those are lovely and needed as well!), but the kind that appear in my yard and garden without human agency. These are the plants that appear somewhere I didn’t intend for Read more…
Last week I promised some more answers…not solutions, mind you, just answers…you know, like in a conversation? About a month ago, a dozen of us went out into the gorgeous Arizona desert on a brisk Saturday morning (Yes, it does get chilly here in winter!) for a few hours of Read more…