The City Mouse in the Country

Hi. As the writer of the post and feel that I need to clarify something. I do not advocate the planting of invasive species. The point that I'm trying to make, and clearly didn't, is that perhaps we should be thinking about an invasive species in a different light. Apples, figs and other crops are clearly non native to America and Europe but are widely cultivated because they have use to humans as a food source, animal feed, etc. Kudzu is an edible plant and although it is clearly harmful can it be used someway by humans? It's a food source, it's been used as a cloth and is showing some use as a building material. All I'm trying to do is to create discussion on how we can use invasive plants in new ways.   It's mid April here in Western Pennsylvania and so far it's been warm and wet.  The buzz of lawnmowers fill the air as I gallivant through my back yard collecting dandelions to make some tea and bread with them.  I had always known that they w

I feel like an old man as I watch the blustery snow swirl outside my window.  I'm wrapped in a warm sweater, drinking an aromatic herbal tea and I am at peace.  " All I am missing, " I think to myself, " is a pipe and my cranky old man persona would be complete. "  Winter gives me time to think.    I hate the winter, the cold and the dark of it.  I hate the short days, the snow and the cold rain.  I hate the very thought of dealing with it. It was winter that drove me south all those years ago. We have yet to have a harsh winter since moving back to Western Pennsylvania.  We have had cold snaps and snow of course, but the snaps haven't settled in for months and the snow - while heavy at times - has generally melted away quickly.  This has made the winter bearable for me. Winter gives me a break, a moment to stop and catch my breath before the busy seasons begin again.  Lately I've been thinking about work and what I have to do come spring; such as cleani

If you have been following this blog for some time then you know that 2023 has not been a great year for us.   We have dealt with death, failure, job changes (which I realize was a mistake) and more negatives than positives. That's life.  It was the hand that we were dealt. Now that Thanksgiving day is upon us (and at the time of publication, past us), it occurs to me that we do have some things to be thankful for.  We do have good friends and a strong family.  We do have money in the bank and jobs that we are successful at. We have our health. We can change some things and work on making our lives better.   We also have, perhaps overly ambitious plans, for the winter and next spring.  We plan on painting this winter, which has been on the agenda for sometime but still has not been accomplished.  If we manage to get one room done then I'll consider it to have been a success.  Then in the spring, I think I'll put off planting anything like a traditional garden and instead in

 If it were up to me, I would let trees go through their natural lifecycle and never cut one down.  Our forests have stood for thousands of years before us, and will outlast us.   They serve as homes for a multitude of birds, insects and little furry friends throughout their life.  Trees not only capture and store carbon from the air but help cool the ground and air around us. Even after a tree falls and begins to rot it provided food and shelter to a variety of different life forms.  The phrase "Tree of Life" is more than just metaphor. Sadly however, I have to take down somewhere between three to five of these beautiful trees because they pose a threat to my property.  Two of them threaten my home while the third threatens my neighbor's barn.  It's on my side of the property line and is therefore my responsibility.   Each windstorm causes them to groan and ache and it's not uncommon for large branches to come crashing down.   The reason why I hate to take down t

                   No, I will not apologize for the pun in the title.             Now that it’s February, I can start thinking about what trees I want to plant in the spring.  Last year I received two Kousa Dogwoods from the good folks at Tree Pittsburgh.   Well these were technically not native plants, I’ve always loved dogwood's explosion of white or pink flowers and the fruit of this particular dogwood is edible off the tree.            They are going to get some mulch and fertilizer come spring for sure. Last year I pick up some flower and native grass seeds from the Mercer Country Conservation district although for a variety of different reasons didn't get to plant them last year.   If I am serious about creating an edible landscape for the future, then I want to work with the resources that they and the Macoskey Center provide.  The conservation district is having their annual sale and I’m considering adding a few things to the yard this year.  For example I would lik