My friend Joel is full of surprises. Last Saturday morning, he called to say he would be stopping by with the latest one. We had no idea but looked forward expectantly!!!
Well, just imagine our surprise when Joel showed up with several barrels of fresh HORSE MANURE! It was November and six months early for summer tomatoes but we nonetheless were very grateful.
With a friend like Joel… the horse must be next!!!
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
Every New Englander knows, mowing the leaves is an art not a science.
I was surveilling my back yard last weekend before raking the leave and then mowing the lawn. The lawn mowing would probably for the last time for the year. But, the first thing I noticed was that there weren’t too many bright red and yellow leaves on the lawn at all. Maybe I could forgo raking and just mow the few leaves! Just a few leaves wouldn’t make a mess and I could put the lawn mower away for the winter.
So, I did.
The lawn looked fine and I let the lawnmower run out of gas. After that, I put the special fuel in for the winter, and my trusty lawnmower was ready for its long winter nap.
And then I fired up the snowblower for the first time this season!
The seasonal changing of the guard!!!
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
September is winding down and so is this soggy summer. The incessant rains long ago washed away year’s tomato crop.
And apparently, the monsoons washed away all the bunnies too. Once incredibly ubiquitous, the rabbits have basically disappeared from my back yard. I’m sure the bunnies were disappointed by the sparse tomato crop too. I can’t say that’s why they left or where all the bunnies went.
But, I do expect them all back in the spring!
And we’ll do it all over again!
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
A wet and soggy July is steaming to a sweltering end. I have no idea if the heat has anything to do with the start of the anthroprocene era, but an ice age would feel great right about now.
Unfortunately, it’s been raining so much my tomato plants are in terrible condition. Two of them have been re-planted to pots and put on the porch. The rain really has been extraordinarily heavy and consistent.
Hopefully, we get some heat and the green tomatoes will all ripen.
Otherwise, our annual BLT festival may be in peril.
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
Cold and rainy June is drawing to a close. And now’s the time to face the fact I must leave my warm nest and get outside. The problem is that since the pandemic and the lock downs I’m really comfy staying home. The pandemic basically unleashed my inner cozy and it’s still on the loose. In the house, with my cat and coffee and crosswords.
But with July beckoning with the best of Summer weather, there’s no better time to ditch my inner cozy and get out there to have fun and be sociable.
If only it would only stop raining.
copyright 2023 Christopher M Donahue
It is the Year of the Rabbit!
My tomatoes are in trouble and I haven’t even planted them!
Rabbits are running all over my back yard. And that’s because the rabbit population in these parts has exploded since the pandemic. There are a startling number of friendly bunnies now calling our leafy back-yard home. Obviously, there’s at least one mamma and poppa out there but there are now many bounding little fur balls who dive through the little holes in the chain link fence with ease.
My gardening challenge this summer will be finding a way the tomatoes and bunnies can peacefully co-exist.
Chicken-wire perhaps? I wonder if there’s anything bunny specific!
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
Recently, I’ve been helping take care of my elderly Dad who is getting over a little illness. Despite his age and not feeling 100% he still is true to himself.
Even if he forgot it is Valentine’s Day!
When I was growing up, my father would always get my Mom, my sisters, and me little boxes of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. And that’s why I bought heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for my Dad and sister this year.
Not to be out done, my Dad shuffled off for a bit and came back with hand-made Valentine’s card’s for my sister and me.
What a nice Valentine’s Day!
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
Winter has returned. It was touch and go for most of January but wintry real deal has finally showed up. Late in the night, with my cat, I watched the snow coming down in the still and quiet. Roused from slumber by some unknown reason, we looked out at the empty, snow covered streets.
It was so relaxing and pleasant it made me want to stay up and enjoy the moment…for a couple hours!
But, that would not be conducive to being productive the following day.
So, I returned to my slumbers.
And somewhere dancing in my head was the fact the record setting winter of 2015 didn’t get started until the end of January!!!
Uh-oh!
copyright 2023 Christopher Donahue
Christmas week just ain’t what it used to be.
And that’s largely because I used to be a child and now, I’m a semi-old guy. My sell by date is long gone but my episodes of being fresh to various people keeps me …fresh.
Now, back when I was a kid there was no school Christmas week and the whole family would be home. And, to the non-stop soundtrack of Christmas carols, my father would be arguing with my mother, my mother would be yelling at us kids, and my sisters and me would be skirmishing all over the house.
It was great fun!
And, they are nice memories on quiet December nights, sitting in the dark, Christmas lights glowing and stars twinkling in the sky.
Stay fresh this holiday season dear reader.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!
and Happy Holidays!!!
Copyright 2022 Christopher Donahue
Too Cold for Softy!
That was today’s weather report. I did not get the report from the radio or internet. Instead, I got it from Quiet Rustle, my cat and weather reporter extraordinaire.
Each morning my wife and I enjoy waking up and starting the day in the sunroom. We have coffee and listen to the news and weather and play around with Quiet Rustle who is also waking up.
As always, we eventually have to get on with our day. And that means determining if Quiet Rustle wants to go outside. To this end, we open the back door and watch to see what happens.
If the weather is nice Rustle goes out on the porch. But, if too chilly, Quiet Rustle, our otherwise tough-mouse-hunter, does a U-turn and goes back inside! And that’s when we sing:
Too cold for Softy!
Too cold for Softy!
Too cold for Softy today!
Quiet Rustle, a cool cat indeed, takes the cajolery in stride and strolls inside for his first nap of the day while we start working from home.
I think Softy got the better deal.
Copyright 2022 Christopher Donahue
