Julia Child once said, “It is hard to imagine civilization without onions.” Who doesn’t like onions? Certainly one of the madman’s favorite vegetables. I have to keep reminding him that the dish is called chicken and onions, not onions and chicken. Because he likes them so much, it’s only natural that he should grow…
Road trip again, to Texas. The first leg of our trip saw us in San Antonio, Texas. Instead of a downtown hotel, we decided to stay in a neighborhood and booked a tiny house on a local street. The place was charming and gave us a chance to experience minimalist living. The madman said…
The perfect Christmas tree – a concept that strikes terror in the hearts of otherwise fearless people. When thinking of Christmas trees, the madman’s memories drift back to his childhood. His dad would load the young madman and his sister into the family Buick for a tour of Christmas tree lots. The goal? –…
What’s this “gifts for gardeners”? The madman has been walking around grumbling, “Not even Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff is out! Jack has already put up his Christmas tree. Bah! Humbug!” I have to remind him Christmas is only 4 weeks away, and people have to start thinking about what to get their gardening friends….
Winter clean-up for the wildlife we call it. Mr. Finch likes the neatly trimmed landscape. Maybe it was Mrs. Finch – I usually can’t tell the difference and the madman was busy planting garlic, so I couldn’t ask him. This year we are trying something different – minimal cutback. After attending lots of lectures on…
The madman finally came to terms with the frost. He simply said, “After all it is almost Samhain”. Sounds like another excuse for a bonfire to me. In another reference to our Wheel of the Year, Samhain is the ending of the harvest and the coming of the darkness. Celtic Celebration Midway between…
“The frost comes on little cat feet” – my apologies to Carl Sandburg, the madman likes the phrase, but really wishes you had used frost instead of fog. The mere mention of frost strikes fear in the heart of the madman, and that first frost warning coincided with the Connecticut Association of Optometrists’ Fall…
It’s a sad time for the madman. He has come to the realization that hot pepper season has come to an end. Days are getting shorter – too short to give his hot peppers the light and warmth they deserve. The madman always says, “the hotter the weather, the hotter the pepper. With the hot…
The madman’s onion harvest was great this year, and it was almost past time to get them ready for winter storage. At one time we braided the onions into long strands, but that was a task that always fell in my lap because the madman was a terrible braider. I’m not so sure that…