No resolutions this year, just plans. The end of the year is almost here. Last year at this time, we were still reeling from a 14” snowstorm that was followed by 3” of rain on Christmas Day. The madman claims he doesn’t remember any of this. I guess that’s why we write everything in the…
I bet you’re wondering where the madman’s going on this hybridizing journey. For a start, he announced he’s saving his own seeds this season. Good idea, I thought at first. But when I looked at his Christmas List and saw blossom bags and paint brushes near the top, I realized that he is truly…
Already the end of November. Everyone is thinking about the holidays. Where to go. What to do. Who to see. Everyone, that is, but the madman. He’s thinking about his seeds. What to order. Who to order from. When to order. At one time, we would just be getting the first of the seed catalogs…
Frost has arrived. This means gardening is over this year for most people. Persephone is halfway to Hades and she’s taken the growing season with her. Beginning Nov. 10 we have less than 10 hours of daylight here in Connecticut. And, with less than 10 hours of sun, plants won’t grow, not with any seriousness…
Don’t toss those leaves! At one time November was ushered in with the smell of burning leaves. Everyone did it. First, the leaves were raked into giant piles. As kids, we would jump into the piles with reckless abandon. Then, our mothers set the leaves on fire – once the kids were out for the…
It’s pumpkin time. Not pumpkin-spice everything time, plain pumpkin time. The madman says so. It’s time to find the perfect pumpkin. It’s not as hard as finding the perfect Christmas tree, but it ranks close. The perfect one is not too fat, not too skinny, not too tall, not too short – sounds like Goldilocks…
“There’s a lot of red maples in Cedar Swamp,” the madman proclaimed as we drove along the edge of the swamp on our way to Highland Lake. I took the bait. “How would you know, you’ve never been in there?” I asked. His big smile came out as he told me to look at the…
Here we are smack dab in the middle of the full Harvest Moon on the 20th and the fall equinox on the 22nd. How exciting, the madman is celebrating two events. And, it looks like he has planned a multi-day feast. This was the fourth full moon of the summer. You see, moons don’t follow…
Can you believe it’s already September? Another crazy, New England summer is behind us. In June, the garden looked good – the hot weather jumpstarted the madman’s transplants and his irrigation plans (remember the resolutions?) were working well. Then Mother Nature decided to override the irrigation plans and give us the third wettest July on…