Category Archives: Uncategorized

Susan canned diced Roma tomatoes last night. We still have some 20 pounds of green tomatoes that are waiting to ripen. When they do they will become either diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. Two of the raised beds have had the plants removed leaving only a few marigolds. Here are the last of the tomatoesContinue reading “Putting the garden to sleep for the year”

Our nephew Nick was married last night. What a wonderful celebration. Here they are, Nick and Carlie. It was a perfect evening with a full Moon. Great music, dancing, food and drinks. You couldn’t as for better. Today we headed to the ocean looking for birds and plants. The few shore birds \that we sawContinue reading “A wedding then a day with birds”

Right now our gardens are down to mostly flowers, some non-native, like nasturtium; others like the New England aster are native. There are still a few hot peppers and lots of green tomatoes. Susan is canning green tomato chutney again today. And in the future I will be canning pickled jalapeños and making another batchContinue reading “Season of the witch!”

A the end of October I’ll be celebrating Dia de los muertos, “the day of the dead.” Montelobos is a favorite mescal that I can fortunately get in Ann Arbor. I learned about this celebration in Mexico. Anything that happens in the U.S. or Canada pales in comparison to how it is celebrated in Mexico.Continue reading “October 2022”

House plants are now back in the house, just before the temperatures dipped below 40F. Green cherry tomatoes have become green tomato chutney. There’s probably enough to last until next summer. Last of the Roma tomatoes, slowly ripening and will become a last batch of tomato sauce. Green chilis that will be dried and jalapeñosContinue reading “Slowly emptying the garden for the year”

Day-1 “Gargoyle.” This guy sits on a shelf near where I am writing, along with about ten others. Usually I’ll sketch something then ink it in.I have found that with age and neurological issues my hands are not a steady as they once were. Regardless, I am having fun with some new fine tipped pens.Continue reading “Inktober first drawings”

The latest peppers from the garden in the processing of drying to make hot chili powder. On our morning walk we found a “fairy garden” that was starting to become more Halloween themed. Then, somehow this puzzle showed up on the internet. And… Skeletons riding flamingoes that turned on them. A Halloween tradition flamingoes pickingContinue reading “Hot peppers heading into Halloween”

Just north of Lapeer, Michigan, is the Eastern Michigan University Field Station. I spent many fun summers teaching here. The last was at the beginning of August in 2019, just before the pandemic started. Susan and I got there early so that we would have time to walk some of the trails. We started atContinue reading “Visiting the EMU field station in Lapeer”

There were a few birds around when we arrived at Whitefish Point yesterday, like this young Broad-winged Hawk. But the plants were covered with bees and flies. Crab spiders were ambushing insects on many of the plants. Looking back at the point from the tip we could see what was becoming a beautiful sunset. ButContinue reading “The full moon and a rare bird”

Elizabeth was queen of England for 70 years. Her father George VI was king when I was born. Presumably, the next monarch will be Charles III. But we shall see how that all proceeds. Yesterday afternoon I went to get a flu shot and found out that I could also get the latest bivalent covidContinue reading “Getting vaccinated and the death of a queen”