Azalea Paraphernalia Azaleas are one of my favorite flowering bushes since their bloom time runs from April into July depending on the type, and even longer now with Encore varieties that bloom up until frost. They are nature’s version of a surprise party, one minute they are hiding in the background, the next they pop…
A Fine Line Don’t you hate those people who tell you about something great, but it’s too late to enjoy it? (Sorry). Early Saturday morning I was taking a walk through Carytown and noticed a line of people waiting for Plan 9 Music to open. Quite the mix was there, young and old, kids with…
Make a Splash In early spring when the ice melts off my little fish pond, I’m always surprised to see the goldfish bubbling up at me after a full winter of neglect. For such delicate looking creatures they sure are hardy little boogers. It’s hard to beat a water feature in your yard, whether…
Closet Curation Life is like underwear. Change is good. But why does it always creep up on you? In March I was completely focused on getting ready to sell my house so every free minute was devoted to organizing, cleaning, painting, and primping the old girl for her market debut. Outside of a massive rainstorm…
James, Take Me Away If you live in Richmond, one of the great natural resources is the James River. I’ve always loved the James, but I was surprised that more than one third of all Virgininas rely on the James for drinking water, business, and recreation. It’s also one of the longest rivers in America…
The Yolks on You My favorite time of the day is when I get home, pour a glass of wine, and let my chickens run loose in the yard. Poultry in motion. How did this city-slicker turned chicken-wrangler get her start you ask? Well stranger, pull up a straw bale, let me pour you a…
Getting Snippy If you want more blooms and thicker foliage this summer, now is the time to break out the pruning shears and get whacking. March, with some exceptions, is the best time to prune summer and fall blooming specimens, and shape trees and shrubs. There are two basic pruning cuts, a heading cut and…
Get a Move On Ever get some advice, and while helpful, your internal dialog is snarking; “Easy for you to say Buddy, you should try it yourself sometime.” Or when someone, let’s hypothetically say a real estate agent, suggests your closets should be thinned down to about 25% of what’s currently jammed in there, you’re…
Eat Your Heart Out With Valentine’s Day coming up, nothing says love like a gift of good meat. (Ok perv, get that thought out of your head, this is a family newsletter.) I’m talking about a fine cut of grass fed Angus Beef grown on a farm in the lovely Shenandoah Valley. My friend Libby…
Teen Angst Have you seen all the retractions and apologies from the meteorologists who predicted a warm winter with little snow a few months ago? Yeah, funny thing, me neither. I love my old house, but when it dips into the teens my boiler has to work overtime just to keep the house in the…
