Life’s like a play; it’s not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters.
Seneca the Younger, Roman statesman, philosopher
Visit Mystery Book Reviews by Penny Mason for Review of Something Borrowed, Something Mewed
Click to visit our “sister blog” for a fun story about main character Daphne’s sister’s wedding gone awry by murder. Pets feature prominently in this rollicking tale.
Lovely Goldenrod Gets a Bad Rap
Of all the wildflowers of fall, goldenrod gets my vote as one of the loveliest. After all it was chosen as the brand symbol for Goldenrod tablets. (As the writer in the linked post notes, it’s difficult to find information on these tablets used by many children throughout the twentieth-century. – I learned of them from my parents, and I have seen one personally.)
In later years, when, for whatever reason, allergies became an epidemic, sufferers steered clear of goldenrod, considering it a trigger for symptoms.
Modern day research proved ragweed, a plant that blooms during the same season as goldenrod was the real culprit.
Here’s a guide for telling them apart from Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.
Why are Pumpkins the Pie Star of Thanksgiving – Not Autumn Harvested Apples?
I pondered this question for but a moment before I realized, as a visit to the Website of Plimoth Plantation confirmed, there were no apples in the New World at the time of the first Thanksgiving.
Not only had Johnny Appleseed not yet been born, to spread seeds of this pome across America as legend has it, but the fruit had not yet been planted on the continent, to sustain colonists with its comforting taste and properties that may prevent visits to a physician as the saying goes.
Modern research supports the theory that apples can help keep us healthy “100 million bacteria at a time. Of course baking probably kills many of the bacteria. Still, fresh baked apple pie, well seasoned with cinnamon, and my secret ingredients of nutmeg and allspice is a comfort food I treasure when I have an upset stomach.
Want to enrich your Thanksgiving dinner with an apple pie, tart or a fancier apple based dessert? Food and Wine offers some tempting options, from traditional to trendy.
Weekly Wisdom – The Penny Mason Post
There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.
Russian proverb
Sprays of Late Season Wild Plants Create Interest
This oddly splayed whorl of foliage caught my attention on a recent walk.
I didn’t look up the species’ ID, but the clump of plants, waning as autumn overtakes the fields, provided a moment of inspiration.
Book Review of Lawns Into Meadows by Owen Wormser
Mowing season may be nearing an end but soon it will be spring and time to drag out the expensive, high maintenance lawn equipment – to begin that hot, sweaty weekly chore once more.
If you’re one of those who’ve dreamed of trading stark, crew-cut style grass for a lovely meadow of native wildflowers or another option besides being a slave to the land that surrounds your home, check out the book Lawns Into Meadows – Growing a regenerative landscape by Owen Wormser, illustrated by Kristen Thompson.
From getting rid of grass in preparation for new plantings, designing the site, selecting appropriate species for the soil at the location that are hardy in your climatic zone, to cultivation and maintenance, this narrative is a one stop source of information for making your landscape more in tune with nature.
Reducing your carbon footprint is one reason to create a low-maintenance lawn. The addition of free time to your schedule, and the eventual cost savings are two others. But if you’re a nature lover, you won’t require practical reasons for making the change.
Born and raised in rural Maine, author Owen Wormser knows nature. His experience as a landscape architect in Western Massachusetts where he installed hundreds of regenerative lawns makes him the perfect person to write this book. Though written by a professional, the book will be enjoyed by laypeople, just learning about regenerative lawns.
Artist Kristen Thompson has experience in both art and specialize plant culture.
The book even tells us how to educate and make peace with neighbors and “city fathers” who may consider a natural lawn a weed patch rather than the work of natural artistry it really is.
Read this book and change the world. Or at least your neighborhood
If you’re one of those who’ve dreamed of trading stark, crew-cut style grass for a lovely meadow of native wildflowers or another option besides being a slave to the land that surrounds your home, check out the book Lawns Into Meadows – Growing a regenerative landscape by Owen Wormser, illustrated by Kristen Thompson.
From getting rid of grass in preparation for new plantings, designing the site, selecting appropriate species for the soil at the location that are hardy in your climatic zone, to cultivation and maintenance, this narrative is a one stop source of information for making your landscape more in tune with nature.
Reducing your carbon footprint is one reason to create a low-maintenance lawn. The addition of free time to your schedule, and the eventual cost savings are two others. But if you’re a nature lover, you won’t require practical reasons for making the change.
Born and raised in rural Maine, author Owen Wormser knows nature. His experience as a landscape architect in Western Massachusetts where he installed hundreds of regenerative lawns makes him the perfect person to write this book. Though written by a professional, the book will be enjoyed by laypeople, just learning about regenerative lawns.
Artist Kristen Thompson has experience in both art and specialize plant culture.
The book even tells us how to educate and make peace with neighbors and “city fathers” who may consider a natural lawn a weed patch rather than the work of natural artistry it really is.
Read this book and change the world. Or at least your neighborhood
Weekly Wisdom – The Penny Mason Post
It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely.
-Albert Einstein
This Lovely Sky Reminds Me of Raspberry Sherbet as I Travel Homeward
I am very lucky to have such lovely spots to see the sun set as I travel home from town. Red sky at nigh, sailors’ delight the saying goes. This sky seems to bode fair weather, or at least favorable winds for the morrow.
Weekly Wisdom – The Penny Mason Post
Either you think, or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
