native plants… Sumac Wonderful 17 Jan 202116 Jan 2021 We don’t always appreciate the beauty that we find in our own backyards. When I was growing up, there was a group of bushes in a neglected corner at the…
Inspirations… Winter Walks 3 Jan 202111 Jan 2021 For many years we visited a timeshare in Horseshoe Valley, a twenty-minute drive from Orillia, ON. The resort will be closing in a week to be put up for sale.…
Poetry… Rain Today 13 Dec 202013 Dec 2020 During the storm, rain distorts reflections. It can muddy both puddle and pond. It may make us cold, wet and uncomfortable. While it continues to rain, I hope for better…
Garden Tour… Autumn Windows 25 Oct 202025 Oct 2020 The working title for this week’s blog was Fall from my Window, but under the present circumstances, I thought this might cause alarm. Although I have spent the last 10…
art… Jack Pines 31 May 202031 May 2020 Under normal circumstances, we pay little heed to the tall jack pines that exist in the median between the sidewalk and the street. We see them as we drive by…
flowers… Planting Seeds of Life and Hope 20 Mar 202021 Mar 2020 “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”Martin Luther (1483-1546), monk, priest, theology professor, composer, central figure in the…
travel… Finding Fairy Trees 15 Mar 202015 Mar 2020 During our trip to Ireland we enjoyed day trips to Wicklow, Glendalough and Kilkenny and to Connemora and Cong. Our guides, Yoann and Michael, pointed out singular trees growing in…
flowers… Touring the Greenhouse Collections 8 Mar 202014 Mar 2020 environmental controls in the Desert Collection The University of Toronto Growth Facilities are open to the public during the week. The four main collection areas: Tropical, Palm, Temperate, and Desert,…
flowers… Barbados Revisited: Coconut Court, Flower Forest and Wildlife Reserve 23 Feb 202023 Feb 2020 Our most recent trip to Barbados was in July 2019. I was on leave in February when I spotted a great seat sale and a hotel bargain, so I convinced…
flowers… Club Barbados, Resort and Spa and Hunte’s Garden 16 Feb 202023 Mar 2020 Last week I wrote about our first trip to Barbados in 2001. After many years away from the beautiful sun and sand, we finally made a return trip to the…