News

Volume 14 Issue 12, December 2017 What's New in December? We got past some of the most recent rains with only another foot of water in our yard. We have had too much rain this fall, and many of our trees are in distress. This might be the downside to living in the tropics in the winter, but the mild 60 and 70 degree days may make up for the soggy grass. The birds have been enjoying the sunflower seeds and the egrets and ibis are now a fixture in my flooded back yard. I suppose this is the upside;...

Volume 14 Issue 11, November 2017 What's New in November? Finally, some cooler weather is on the way. It’s really a lot cooler than normal this time of the year, so I am enjoying some low 70s weather during the day and 50s at night. Time to get out the down comforter. As the weather is changing, so are some of the things on my work bench. The flowers of summer are giving way to the holiday themed jewelry and beads. It has been a long time since I have done fun Christmas designs, so I am looking forward to...

Volume 14 Issue 9, September 2017 What's New in September? Blu and I have been doing this since August of 2004, and every month, like clockwork, I put out a monthly newsletter. Except last month. I don’t know whether the vacation I took in July fried my little brain or what happened, but I forgot! I took my first trip to New Jersey to see family in July and then spent a few days wandering back home. I stopped at places like Williamsburg, Jamestown and York Town, and I spent an afternoon on tour at Civil War sites. I have...

Volume 14 Issue 7, July 2017 What's New in July? Wow, it’s getting hot out! In that, I am looking for some cool shade to be in when I am outside, and Blu is lounging on the front porch sharing his water dish with the brazen squirrels. All of this has slowed down my flower planting, but I am enjoying massive blooms from the bush daisies and the black eyed susans we planted last month. The birds are frolicking in the bird bath when Blu isn’t trying to drink out of it or the squirrels aren’t using it as their...

Volume 14 Issue 6, June 2017 What's New in June? It’s summer. With that comes a lot of new flowers and other colorful additions to our front yard. We just dropped in several black eyed susan plants to brighten up a newly cleared corner of the front yard. We get assaulted regularly by pepper trees that are noxious weeds the size of redwoods, and once that weed was chopped down, there was a sunny space for some more flowers. I put in two flower boxes in the center of the yard with annuals that added more color to the birdfeeder...