Let me tell you about the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees

I tried to capture the parrots using the extreme zoom on my Samsung Galaxy phone. This is as good as I could get, given how they are about 40 feet up in the trees. When we moved into this house in South Florida, we inherited a dead royal palm tree (along with many beautiful and … Continue reading Let me tell you about the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees →

I have baby red pineapples!

For all practical purposes, I have become something of a banana/pineapple/papaya farmer. I have planted so many of these around our property - I am not sure what I am going to do with their crops. With respect to pineapples, I have planted two varieties - a sweet golden variety and a red variety. There … Continue reading I have baby red pineapples! →

Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part two: hiking Kinsey Creek Trail to the Appalachian Trail

During our time in Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, we went on the most glorious hike. I feel the need both to share this information and memorialize the path for myself so we can do it again at a later date. Hiking distances are longer than they appear on this map. A lot of … Continue reading Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part two: hiking Kinsey Creek Trail to the Appalachian Trail →

Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part one: Standing Indian Campground

Exploring the AT at Rock Gap. We have had an extraordinary past two weeks playing around Georgia and the Carolinas. The first part of our trip was spent at Standing Indian Campground in Nantahala National Forest, at the headwaters of the Nantahala River, a river that is very popular for whitewater rafting. (Something to do … Continue reading Our adventures in Nantahala National Forest, part one: Standing Indian Campground →

Permaculture and deep mulch gardening

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Walking through the swamps on a rainy day

Elise is fond of saying that Florida has only two seasons: dry summer and wet summer. For a tropical climate, this is an accurate assessment. We have seemingly started the transition into the wet season this week, with several days of torrential rain. In South Florida, "torrential rain" is not merely a heavy thunderstorm. The … Continue reading Walking through the swamps on a rainy day →