Garden ShapeUp Along: Musings and More Afters

Now the rains have called it quits for the time being and things have had a chance to dry out, I’m back in the garden evaluating and wrapping up the first phase of my ShapeUp. All but two of the items on my list have been ticked off.  Hopefully I can get to them...

ShapeUp-Along: Monsoon Edition

I’ve called a temporary halt to my garden shape-up due to inclement weather. We’ve had over 10 inches of rain over the last few days and it’s raining right now. I’m eyeing one of the garden eyesores with new respect: I’m joking, sort of,...

Guess Who, Haiku got a STAR!!

Review **STARRED REVIEW** “Over all, a superb introduction to this potent poetic form, teaching pre-readers both the evocative power of description and the reward for listening closely. Not to be missed: gorgeous poetry, vibrant illustrations, and masterful use...

Garden ShapeUp Along: Before and After II

I’m back with some more progress to report. Above pic is the asparagus bed; taken over by renegade blackberry vines, deadnettle, hairy bittercress, creeping charlie, peppermint, bermuda grass, overly enthusiastic bee balm, dead leaves, and general mayhem. It was...

Garden ShapeUp Along: Before and After

It seems like all I’ve been doing lately is gardening. I’ve really enjoyed it, although on the inside-the-house front the kitchen surfaces are sticky enough to perform double duty as flypaper. (While I was typing that last sentence someone dropped an egg...

Garden ShapeUp-Along: Observations

One thing I’m learning as I do this ShapeUp is the importance of my master list. When I was writing that list, I deliberately focused on things that would make a big impact from an outsider’s viewpoint. There’s a big temptation, however, to get...