tall clover farm

I thought the last line in Shelley’s  Ode to the West Wind, a fitting title and tribute to the contrast in seasons as viewed from my back porch; in essence, what we have to enjoy, and what we have to look forward to in the coming months. A bigleaf maple dons its winter white, December 22, 2008 The same bigleaf maple [...]

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  The kind of snow reserved for and measured by terms like ”once every 50 years” has insinuated itself upon my doorstep– a doorstep usually protected by a covered porch that extends 8 feet in width by 24 feet in length. At first, Gracie (above left) and Boz are not so sure what to make of this cold carpet of icy white. [...]

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Each year I wonder if, when or where I’ll cross paths with the spirit of Christmas. Perhaps in a person, sometimes in a moment, always when I least expect it, the spirit of the season will reveal itself.  Usually as an observer, a bystander to generosity, whimsy or a simple act of kindness, I tuck the [...]

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  Morning light meets last night’s snow Last night as I returned home from the south end of the island, the snow was falling with a grace and magic usually reserved for the dreams of my sleeping hours. Flakes as large as feathers erased the sounds of man. The ferns and fir bent gently in their new [...]

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Mock Orange a Memory Makes Fragrance plays a magical role in the garden; it transforms a fleeting moment in time to a lifelong memory, an invisible touchstone to a place, person, or celebration. The potency of its spell is rarely diluted or weakened; instead the delicious scent rests in your mind, awaiting to be awakened when a simple step forward can [...]

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