Recently I got a new toy — I mean tool. I added a weed whacker to my arsenal of weed control tools. My collection already includes a scythe with two different blades and a reel lawn mower. I also occasionally borrow from my father’s assortment of lawn mowers. My brand new ...
My family’s land has its share of autumn olives, multiflora roses and other non-natives. Alongside these often too common plants grow some native treasures, including ramps, native medicinals and trilliums. Had you asked me a week ago about trilliums, I would likely have grimaced, and ...
While reveling in the colors and warm temperatures, I’ve been enjoying the sounds of spring as well. Mornings and evenings are especially noisy, as other creatures enjoy spring, too. In the evenings, a frog chorus performs — the American tree frog quacking and spring peepers peeping. ...
Easter, my favorite holiday, comes in spring, my favorite season, and my family celebrates it with a feast. Honestly, we celebrate most holidays by going over the top with food. But we give up desserts for Lent, so for Easter we focus as much on the sweet as on the savory dishes. Some ...
Decorating Easter eggs — specifically using traditional Lithuanian techniques, is my favorite craft. These techniques require a few simple tools and a lot of patience. Of the two methods — wax resist, and scratch — some years I do more of one, and then a year or two later I switch my ...
A desire to homestead runs in my family. Perhaps my sisters and I got it watching our mother grow much of our food in our backyard in the Baltimore suburbs. Or maybe it was after moving here and helping plant an orchard and gardens. Now my sister Lina has come full circle and lives in ...