Come to the Dark Side In gardening, as in life, a little quirkiness is a good thing. I love visiting a well planned French garden where everything is laid out in geometric perfection, but even as a spectator they make me nervous. There’s way too much pressure to keep things a certain height, shape, and…
Check Please The one downside of Spring is that it smacks you upside the head with a do-list the moment it walks through the door. Here are a few timely reminders. Turn on your AC and make sure it’s running correctly before the first hot stretch. If something needs fixing, do it before everyone else…
It’s a Boozy Speaking of holiday beverages, I wanted to sign off with a recipe for my fellow eggnog lovers. It’s easy to make, lasts a long time, and tastes great. How good, you ask? It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in New York City. You just finished your day, and stepped into the elegant St….
Unraveling Traveling Ever have one of your super powers turn around and bite you in the tush? I’ve always been good at sizing up a space and figuring out how to fill it without wasting a square inch. In the past this has served me well when it comes to loading a dishwasher, packing a…
In Praise of Eight Paws A friend of mine likes to say you get one great dog in a lifetime. My responses – you get one great lifetime if you have a dog. Bonus points if you have two. We’ve recently added Riley to the family, who’s an Australian Labradoodle. If you are unfamiliar…
Vamping in Hollywood If you haven’t strolled through Hollywood Cemetery, or if it’s been a while, October is the perfect month to get out and walk the grounds. Hollywood was established in 1849 during the Victorian trend of making urban cemeteries more park-like and a place for people to meet, play and remember their…
What to boo, what to boo Richmond has plenty of fun options if you want to celebrate the spooky this month, here are a few recommendations. Historic St. John’s is having their Fancy Me Mad event, where you can stroll through the graveyard and meet fascinating spirits telling fascinating stories. It’s a highly entertaining…
Prepare Us the Terrace If you do get a stretch of reasonable weather, a great DIY project is installing a patio area using pavers. It could be a small project like laying an area for the grill, trash cans, or a bench in the yard, or it could be for a larger patio project…
Some Like it Hot, Me Not Yesterday it was June, today it’s August. For the life of me I don’t know why it always takes me by surprise, but every summer it arrives on my doorstep like a family of out of town visitors that I insisted drop in for a visit at a…
Iris my Case One of my earliest memories is walking in a wooded area behind my house and stumbling across a bearded iris in full bloom. My first reaction was stunned awe and delight at its beauty. My second was to jank the whole plant from the ground and drag it inside the kitchen…
