The Great American Backyard Campout
June 23, 2010
This Saturday, June 26, is the annual Great American Backyard Campout, organized by the National Wildlife Federation. Camping out in your backyard is a great activity, whether you have kids or not (although, I suppose it depends on your neighborhood). It can be an awesomely powerful way to reconnect with the planet and get over some fears of nature and darkness.
I am not one of those campers who like to tell (or hear) scary stories around a campfire. I am the kind that prefers to lie on a… more
Comments (2)Who Says You Can’t Grow Roses Organically?
June 2, 2010
I often hear people say they can’t grow roses without chemicals, and to them I say “phooey!” Actually, I say, “of course you can!” All it takes is a little intelligence, and really not much effort at all.
The main thing is to start with root-grown roses, which is to say, roses that haven’t been grafted on to a different rootstock. If they die back, the roots will produce the same rose that died, not some random thorny rootstock. My best source is more
Comments (5)Listening to Signs from Nature
May 26, 2010
We are used to thinking about nature as sending “messages” with big things like weather and earthquakes—though we often scoff at the idea as superstition. But there is a whole tradition around the world of looking at the little signs from nature and examining the personal messages that may be there for us.
This morning as I went out to sit on my couch for my morning coffee, I had a visitor! It wasn’t the usual caterpillar or fly, but a box turtle. After wishing her a delightful good… more
Comments (9)Does Climate Change Exist, and Does It Even Matter?
April 21, 2010
It amazes me, really, how many different views there can be on any one subject. Whether it’s religion, the best-tasting tomato variety, or the right way to cook a chicken, disagreement is de rigueur. The urge to find disagreements about things is, I believe, human nature. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that climate change is still controversial, even as each year the global temperature increases and the glaciers melt and the snows of Everest thin and some rivers… more
Comments (20)Plant a Kid’s Garden for Earth Day!
April 19, 2010
Kids love gardening. What’s not to love? Digging in the dirt, good stuff to eat. Worms. Rocks. Fun stuff.
But it’s not just about vegetables. In fact, vegetables are rather ephemeral. Here this year, gone next. Then you have to start all over again.
This year, Lucia (age 3 ½) and I planted a magic fairytale garden in her play area. Last year for her birthday, we put in a swing set and a fort. There is a small magnolia tree that one day should get nice and shady and climbable right near the… more
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