of water bans and lawn irrigation scofflaws

my parched lawnThe weather continues to be completely wacked. It’s been hot and humid for the better part of the past 5 or 6 weeks. The region has suffered repeated thunderstorms and torrential downpours that resulted in severe flash flooding in some areas. But by some twist of fate/luck, my personal piece of geography has been bypassed by most of the rain. I suppose drought is preferable to flooding …continue reading

lawn aeration

aerator-2009-05-10-01.jpgWe’ve been in our house since 1997. About two years after we moved in I paid a landscaper to put in a new lawn. The first few years the lawn looked great. I dutifully mowed and fertilized in the spring and fall every year. Then one year it fell victim to grubs and then the skunks dug it up looking for the grubs. This began a several year period where …continue reading

i sing the lawn mower electric

electric-lawn-mower-01.jpgApologies in advance to Walt Whitman and Ray Bradbury.  Today I mowed my lawn for the first time this season so I thought I’d take the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of electric lawn mowers.  This is an area where I have real street cred. My father bought an electric lawnmower from Sears back in 1965 when I was in second grade and I began cutting the lawn to earn my allowance shortly thereafter. I quickly became a master of …continue reading

from our galleries

star of bethlehem another bountiful August harvest damaged blackberries a transparent tube on the side of the barrel serves as a water level gauge blackberries eggplants are coming along nicely watermelon in self-watering container broccoli - de Cicco left, Gypsy Hybrid right