Wednesday Vignette
I spotted this couple in the garden a few days ago. Do you think they had seen something ominous? Or was the cat stalking the groundhog?
Stuck!
You know you are having a bad day when the tractor that is meant to pull you out of the brook runs into trouble en route to the scene. Something on the tractor’s winch pulled loose but Jacques Gosselin, a man who can do almost everything, indoors and out, fixed it in a minute using a rock he…
Before and After
Despite the lockdown, life at Glen Villa has been, and continues to be, very busy. There is always a lot to do in the garden in springtime but this year, there seems to be more than ever. In March we started seeds under grow lights in the basement… … before moving them towards the beginning…
Songs for Funny-Faced Ferns
The ferns are poking their heads up above ground, and I photographed several groups of them when I went out this morning for a walk. Much to my surprise, when I looked closely at the photos, it seemed that conversations were going on. Some ferns were lecturing, or at least giving instructions to others that were…
Daffodils and more
On the weekend, my heart was dancing with Wordsworthian glee. There weren’t ten thousand daffodils in bloom but there were far more than I wanted to count. For the last umpteen years, we’ve been planting daffodils on the berm above the Skating Pond. I’ve never ordered single varieties, always choosing instead to use…
It’s Beginning!
This is a strange year. Like most of you, I’ve been spending far more time than usual at home, inside, seeing almost no one apart from my husband. I’ve wasted time and saved my sanity by reading, baking brownies and doing jigsaw puzzles. The weather has been strange too. Spring came about two weeks earlier…
Hunting for Treasures
A few days ago, I started out to take a walk in the woods. First I passed snowdrops and crocus blooming along the drive. Most of the crocus were yellow but there were a few pale violets, whites and deep dark purples. Then I spotted daffodils threatening to bloom. I passed alongside an…
Visitors to the Garden
In the last few days, we’ve had visitors in the garden. Some didn’t knock on the door, but they did leave their calling cards to let us know they came around. I can guess who made those holes, but what creature did the work below? Birds are always welcome in the garden. Ducks, too. …
A touch of spring
Envy is not an admirable trait but I have to confess that at this time of year, when gardeners even a short distance to the south of me are picking daffodils and beginning to smell the roses, I am envious. Here, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, patches of snow are still much in evidence and where…
More Advice
Last week I advised myself not to set overly ambitious garden goals for 2020. I must have been under the weather. This week, I’m back to normal, aiming to accomplish most of the goals I set myself even while acknowledging that doing that will mostly likely be impossible. Although I set six goals for the year, I made…