I marvel at plants. They are magical in the way that they react to their environment. How do they know? I understand in my head how they turn sunlight into food and grow but watching them come out in the springtime fills me full of wonder. I like to study their growth habits. For instance, …
On this Memorial Day, I thought it would be appropriate to remember Ed Keep-Barnes. He wasn’t in the military and I know that Memorial Day is reserved for those who came before us in military service, but his father was in the army and both his parents were tragically killed in a car accident leaving …
I am a mountain girl and proud to be one. Yes, I was born in Nebraska because there was no hospital in the little Kansas town my father was minister in, but I am a mountain girl. That is because at four or five we moved to Colorado. Pueblo to be exact. We did not …
I grew up in a small town in Colorado where you knew just about everyone. Since my dad was the local preacher, that gave me lots of opportunities to know people. I woke up this morning thinking about Betty Trahern. I’m not sure why but I could picture her long brown hair. It was …
Flower farming in Alaska, like anywhere, comes with it’s set of challenges. Our long winter nights and long summer days mean that when the sun’s rays finally do warm the soil, plants grow quickly. In mid-summer, we have sunlight for twenty four hours a day. The sun makes our colors vivid and the growth rates …
Recently we were invited to a local university graduation party of a student which I’d taught in kindergarten. We went, because of the principle of another step in life and to see those who cared enough to show. At the house hosting the event we found people politely taking off their shoes either just inside …
According a News Miner article in 2010, 450 species of Lady Bird Beetles are found in North America. We are fortunate that Alaska has 26. A week ago, in the flower farm that is our garage at the moment, we began to see a few aphids. We know from many years of growing that aphids …
There may be about thirty inches of snow outside, but inside the soil smells soooo good! As I filled flats with soil and started meticulously placing tomato seeds into the center of each cell, I thought about the power of words. I sometimes buy a tomato seed because of the name. Words matter, even with …
We spent our Saturday watering our garden that now covers both spaces in the garage. I’m not sure how many dahlia’s we have, but Brian estimated that it’s over 500. It’s a good thing the snow is thawing fast. Today I seeded many flower varieties and a flat of Atlantic Giant Pumpkins. Why pumpkins you …
It just made us happy to play it. So almost every weekend since about February, Brian would spontaneously put the song on and begin to tap his toe. He has hillbilly in his blood so he can’t listen to music without some form of toe tapping. This song just brings a smile to our faces. …
