I have been gardening for decades and have built some fairly remarkable outdoor spaces in the various places our family has lived. However, it was not until we relocated to Florida that I discovered two approaches to living in harmony with the environment that have radically changed my worldview. Those would be permaculture and deep … Continue reading Permaculture and deep mulch gardening
Tag: Florida
A morning surrounded by tornadoes
Well, today was an interesting day here in southwest Florida. We knew there were going to be severe storms this morning. I went to bed early last night because I love intense storms, and did not want to sleep through them. I pictured myself waking up, making coffee, and sitting out in the courtyard watching … Continue reading A morning surrounded by tornadoes
“Winter” blooms
The name [Florida] comes from the daring adventurer Juan Ponce de Leon, who accidentally stumbled upon the Florida peninsula ....The year was 1513. Ponce de Leon was searching for gold and the "fountain of youth" -- a legendary spring that gave people eternal life and health. He sailed from Puerto Rico on March 3 with … Continue reading “Winter” blooms
George E. Merrick’s poems about Florida
The final sunset of 2021, as seen from our South Florida neighborhood. This is a short post to share a "poet" I recently discovered. As a Florida transplant, I love learning new details about Florida's rich history. I stumbled on this page with links to the poems in George E. Merrick's collection, Songs of the … Continue reading George E. Merrick’s poems about Florida
My favorite gardening tools
Every time I visit a nursery, I unlock some new achievement level for fitting plants into my SUV. Between Christmas and my own shopping, I have found some amazing gardening tools worth recommending to others. (Note: This is not a sponsored blog post. I am not getting compensated in any way for recommending these items. … Continue reading My favorite gardening tools
We really underestimate the minds of animals
Sherlock Holmes It has been a while since I have written about our rough-coat Jack Russell terrier, Sherlock. But here is a delightful story. Sherlock has a loving but obstinate personality. He resists any form of traditional training, except for the command "stay" - and I think he only obeys that one because he can … Continue reading We really underestimate the minds of animals
Medieval literature and some seriously good South Florida cuisine
I have been slowly working my way through All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C.S. Lewis 1922-1927. These are Lewis's journal entries after he returned from serving in World War I. During the war, Lewis made a pact with some close friends that if any of them did not survive the war, the … Continue reading Medieval literature and some seriously good South Florida cuisine
Our urban orchard is happening
A mature mango tree behind our house. Mango trees will grow as tall as you allow them, so many gardeners keep them trimmed to more reasonable heights than this one. Doing so makes it easier to harvest the fruit, but also prevents you from getting clocked on the head by fruit bombs. (I live in … Continue reading Our urban orchard is happening
More fantastic Fort Myers restaurants
We love eating out and trying new restaurants. Unfortunately, the dishwasher in our kitchen broke this past week and we've been forced to replace it. (In fact, we decided to splurge and replace all of the kitchen appliances in our new house simultaneously so they would match. That's going to be a fun delivery.) Sans … Continue reading More fantastic Fort Myers restaurants
There is nothing like a South Florida childhood
We have logged many hours at Fort Myers Beach and the beaches on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Our new favorite beaches to hang out at, however, are the Causeway Islands on the way out to Sanibel. They are called the Causeway Islands because they are natural landing spots for the series of bridges that carry … Continue reading There is nothing like a South Florida childhood
Days of Sunshine 