With an auspicious name like Spikenard, I should have known visiting the Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary would be a beautiful experience. Spikenard in Hebrew means “light” and the word Spikenard in Greek means “genuine and pure.” Another source notes Spikenard as being a fragrant and valuable ointment of the ancients. When you consider all of these […]
Like little signs on our path, flowers hold messages and meaning and if we look, listen and drink in the scent, flowers can inform us in our daily life. Ancient symbolism is held in flowers and by being aware of the symbolic language, you might find those walks in the garden or woods become a […]
Invest in heirloom quality tools that will last you a lifetime in the garden. Cultivate a rich ecosystem in your yard, and feel the benefits that hours in the garden bring, for you and other living things! This collection was inspired by our friend, gardener extraordinaire, Alana Cullen of Tafari Designs, who feeds her family […]
Add beauty to the garden, and help the pollinators by being a seed saver! Make and illustrate seed packets that hold collected dried seeds from the previous season and gift them to friends. A thoughtful craft, that encourages family and friends to be seed conscious and will lead to hours gardening together. Plant Milkweed for […]
During our time in Nantucket we had the pleasure of walking through Squam Swamp with our friend Zak Mackay, who is studying to be a mycologist. While on this walk we were treated to a great variety of mushrooms to explore and it further heightened our appreciation of fungi. I have always found mushrooms […]
Have you heard the news, yep we are getting chickens! Chickens, chickens, CHICKENS! Can you detect my excitement? I have been dreaming of raising chickens for a while, and now that we are settled we can finally commit to them. You might remember during the first weeks of moving to Montclair we found ourselves chicken […]
The girls and I panted bulbs this week. We prepared a small garden, and planted about 50 bulbs. Mostly Daffodils and Crocus, and some Paper Whites too. Some of the bulbs did not look so healthy, and I am hoping that this corner of the garden will have enough Spring sun and that the soil […]
I started working in the garden on Friday – which was mostly removing dead growth. The garden needs a lot of work in my mind and we are limited to what we can do so I think it is going to be a slow process bringing it back to life. With Fall approaching I have […]
We made plans with Nina early in the week to go for a walk together. We had intended to take Nina’s dogs Yogi and Lila for a walk. Nina arrived at our doorstep with a clear idea of where we were going and so with appreciation we joined her in a stroll around the neighbourhood. […]
A few months ago Cam became a willing participant in a pumpkin growing competition with some friends from work. For a couple of weeks he had a pumpkin seedling sitting on the window sill at work. He would mention to me now and then that he needed to bring his pumpkin home so I could […]
Today we commenced work on our Spring Garden. We have noticed on our walks around the neighborhood that the bulb shoots are popping out of the soil, determined to grow into Spring flowers. The green shoots are such a welcome sight. Yippee, Spring is not far away! When I was working on the Summer garden, […]
Our Children love to do chores. Whatever it is that I spend my day doing, cooking, washing dishes, folding clothes, vacuuming, or raking…the Girls want to help. The help may be short lived, and in fact cause me more work, but their efforts and enthusiasm and the joy of learning is golden. My little helpers […]
We are enchanted by our garden. A few steps out side our door, it is our very special, magical play space. A thing we cherished after years of not having a yard. Since moving to Ditmas, this little back yard has been a source of joy. Summer days were easily filled with gardening, pools and […]
It is harvest time in our yard. The plum tree is laden with ripe plums, and fallen plums lay on the ground beneath it as food for the birds and bugs. Tonight after dinner Lila (The daughter of the owner’s of our house) was outside our kitchen window picking the purple fruit to make jam. […]
The owners of our house, Pam and Keith, came home the other day to find us playing in the yard. It was a particularly hot day and Pam offered to hold the hose for the girls to play in. I then said that I had been intending to buy a sprinkler, which led Keith into the […]
The highlight to our new home is definitely the leafy green yard. It is a romantic little yard fenced by ivy and roses. A lush patch of grass in the center of a unique bunch of trees. Including fruit baring edibles, Figs, plums, raspberry and blackberries. Having not had a private outdoor space for nearly […]