Soothe that garden brain chatter

Thursday, August 19th, 2010 Posted in butterflies, cats, fountain, patio, water features | 15 Comments »

Here's some valuable advice a gardener once shared with me: create a soothing spot to frame your patio. His philosophy: In order to relax and make that necessary segue from the day's work to evening's reflection, be uncluttered. Tone it down, ...

A painting that captures my heart

Thursday, August 12th, 2010 Posted in cats | 13 Comments »

It’s not every day of the week that you get a painting made just for you. In my case, it’s the very first time! The artist is Iris, who blogs at Society Garlic. When I ran into her one day, I ...

Finnish greetings, cool new plants, why yellow leaves, ladybugs on patrol

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 Posted in Finns, Insects, Late spring flowers, Nurseries, cats | 21 Comments »

Hei Austinin puutarhurit! Aurikoiset terveiset keväisestä Suomesta. (Hello gardeners of Austin. Sunny greetings from spring-like Finland.) That's the clear sky at Kukka & Jukka Lehmusvirta's house in Vantaa, Finland (a Helsinki suburb) as the volcano in Iceland shut down all travel for ...