Mud pies one day, Organ Pipes and desert sunsets the next. Finally, a real road trip – of course, we had to fly first. But we went to the desert to check out the cacti – more specifically, the cactus flowers. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument A drive through the Sonoran Desert brought us to…
It is May. I am thinking of May Poles, children dancing with colorful ribbons, and floral dresses. You know, the standard May Day stuff. Not the madman – he’s thinking of Beltane with its associated bonfires. Since both of these events celebrate summer, I guess we’re not too far apart. May Day is the European…
The bats are coming out – just in time to celebrate Earth Day. Actually, they have been partying since yesterday, April 17. That’s the date of International Bat Appreciation Day. Look skyward around dusk, and, if you’re lucky like Ann Froschauer from USFWS who took the above photo, you’ll see one or two swooping across…
Spring is definitely here. The madman has found his first Dandelion. You would think that he would learn to live with them by now. But he is thinking of puff balls all over the lawn. While I’m thinking of fresh greens for salads. It’s all in how you look at the plants. The dandelion has…
Yesterday spring arrived – Eostre came rushing in with the promise of warmer weather and regrowth. While you were busy celebrating The First Day of Spring, the madman was celebrating Snowman Burning Day. “It’s an actual holiday,” he insists. Honestly, I don’t know where he comes up with these celebrations, but he does. At least…
Beware the Ides of March. Thanks to William Shakespeare, most of us have heard this ominous phrase. But the madman says, “Don’t Beware, but be aware of the Ides of March.” Remember, the madman is a gardener, not a historian. The history buff is interested in the Ides of March in the year 44 B.C….
The madman absolutely loves his blueberries. They are by far his favorite fruit. Good thing he lives in Connecticut. With its acidic soil and temperate climate, it’s a great place to grow blueberries. As a kid, the madman remembers going to Platt Hill State Park in Winsted to pick wild blueberries. They were small and…
We are finally out of the Persephone Period – having 10 hours of sunlight each day is huge. But bigger than that is the success of some new technology. When we put in the new greenhouse, the madman knew it would be a challenging winter – “a learning experience,” he called it. Early winter really…
With our trip to the shore behind us, we are spending a lot of time wandering around our yard. As always, the madman spends a lot of time at the conifers, especially the hemlocks. He’s not really looking at the hemlocks, he’s looking at the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). A Serious Problem “To steal from…