The winter season is an excellent time for observing the Purple Sandpiper here in Maine – well, on the coast, that is. I had the opportunity to visit the area around mid-December of last year. To be exact, I visited the Rockland Harbor Breakwater. The area is open to the public every day, and you […]
Information About Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum)
Toward the end of the summer, during our daily walks, I look forward to viewing our blooming swamp thistles. Every year, during the months of July and August, these flowers brighten up one of the corners hidden deep in the woods. These flowers will appear in different parts of this area that is covered in […]
Releasing My First Monarch Butterfly
While there are mixed feelings about whether to raise monarch butterflies indoors or not, there is no disputing that these gorgeous creatures have indeed been threatened with extinction. Over the last 20 years, monarch populations have fallen by more than 80 percent. Factors contributing to their alarming decrease in numbers have been due to landscape-scale […]
Date Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
With several years of baking experience, I have made several date puddings successfully. I found this version of this dessert quite appealing as it calls for the addition of ginger and lovely spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. This recipe is quite versatile as the pudding can be baked in individual portions, in a springform […]
When & How to Cut Peonies for Flower Arranging
When Jay and I moved into our home here in Western Maine almost ten years ago, it was November. Since it was already late fall, we didn’t yet have a full picture of what was growing in our new gardens. It wasn’t until the following spring that we discovered the many beautiful blooms we had […]
Lavender Ice Cream Recipe
A couple of years ago, Jay and I attended a book sale that our local library was hosting. We decided to go as I’m always on the hunt for new reads and I indeed found a great many books that day. Along with many interesting finds, I found The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel by […]