As we sat on the dock waiting for the Space Station to appear, the madman scanned the night sky. “I can only see five stars in the Little Dipper,” he said. “The Big Dipper is pretty faint, and if I didn’t know where the Milky Way was, I think I’d miss that too.” Lately it…
The madman’s Brugmansia path is looking good. It has taken a long time to get here. You see, it was one of those garden projects that kept getting moved to the back burner – probably because the prospect seemed daunting. Let me explain. We had the back patio with its all-important grill. About 48’ away…
The other day the madman came running in all excited – “The disks are here!” No, not the newly released boxed CD collection by Stevie Nicks. These were small disks to plug up holes for his new watering system. New Watering System Last week he heard about an interesting watering system. We were at the…
Spring shouldn’t be this cold. It’s too cold to get a good start on the garden. Not sure who to blame here – El Niño, Mother Nature, the wildfires, the government… But we are way behind in our garden because the madman feels it’s just too cold to put his warm-loving plants in the ground….
It is May. I am thinking of May Poles, children dancing with colorful ribbons, and floral dresses. You know, the standard May Day stuff. Not the madman – he’s thinking of Beltane with its associated bonfires. Since both of these events celebrate summer, I guess we’re not too far apart. May Day is the European…
The bats are coming out – just in time to celebrate Earth Day. Actually, they have been partying since yesterday, April 17. That’s the date of International Bat Appreciation Day. Look skyward around dusk, and, if you’re lucky like Ann Froschauer from USFWS who took the above photo, you’ll see one or two swooping across…
Spring is definitely here. The madman has found his first Dandelion. You would think that he would learn to live with them by now. But he is thinking of puff balls all over the lawn. While I’m thinking of fresh greens for salads. It’s all in how you look at the plants. The dandelion has…
Yesterday spring arrived – Eostre came rushing in with the promise of warmer weather and regrowth. While you were busy celebrating The First Day of Spring, the madman was celebrating Snowman Burning Day. “It’s an actual holiday,” he insists. Honestly, I don’t know where he comes up with these celebrations, but he does. At least…
Beware the Ides of March. Thanks to William Shakespeare, most of us have heard this ominous phrase. But the madman says, “Don’t Beware, but be aware of the Ides of March.” Remember, the madman is a gardener, not a historian. The history buff is interested in the Ides of March in the year 44 B.C….