My mother always had something rooting in little jelly jars on the kitchen windowsill or in the sunny back windows. She still does. Filed under: inspiration, Out West Tagged: home, inspiration, winter read more

We dream of happy coneflowers… Photo by Piet Oudolf, from his Hummelo garden. For more see http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/02/10/garden/20110210-garden.html Filed under: Uncategorized read more

Saturday. Fortunately it melted so that on Sunday I could plant the 20-odd Iris histrioides bulbs that I relocated here and that did not desiccate on the kitchen counter. ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ will be a welcome taste of NY home come March or April. Filed under: a seasonal shift, Hyde Park Tagged: snow read more

“A collection of horned speakers, made from compressed recycled newsprint and dryer lint, created by sculptor and instrument-maker Ian Schneller and composer/violinist Andrew Bird, are installed in the MCA’s atrium to create a unique sound garden. Bird records the initial compositions on-site at the MCA and sends musical information to different groups of horns via [...] read more

so can I. Bloom that is, now. Right as the frost is getting serious, when the ratio of gray to sunny feels 20 to 1. What the heck is this tree and why does it have the temerity to bloom its head off now? Filed under: a seasonal shift, the trees read more

The radiators in this 115-year-old house are cranking, the drizzle is drizzling, weatherman says it feels like 27 F outside, and temps are trending downward into December. It feels like we just got here, but on a sunny walk through this usually leafy city neighborhood the other day it was obvious: fall is losing its [...] read more

I didn’t forget about you. How to rekindle things here has been on my mind often, but how do we catch up after 6 months, especially after so much has happened? You can’t all just come over for coffee and cake. I’ve got an ever-closing baby nap window to work with, a short sunny day, [...] read more

I know it’s Tuesday. Not the first time I’ve been late. Have some Sam Beam while I check under the hood and see it I can get this thing revved up again. Filed under: Happy Monday, music I love read more

Monday I get to see one of my all time favorite musicians, Lucinda Williams. Her music has always seemed “right in time” (to quote a song) to me, her themes ones I could relate with, not just sing along to. Her new record’s title track, Blessed, again echoes where we are: happy, grateful every day [...] read more

In which we announce the mid-April arrival of Baby #1. Along about early August last year, we got the exciting, humbling, mind-boggling news that we’re expecting our first child! Approximately 3 hours later, the fabled tiredness of early pregnancy set in, and you didn’t hear much from Slaterville. Well, I’ve woken back up and have [...] read more