From space, Earth resembles a big beautiful marble with swirling patterns of blue (oceans), white (clouds), and green (trees). As global warming makes weekly headlines, we are warned of the dire future we face should the delicate balance between the three become irreparably compromised. In a worst case scenario, plants would disappear. In 1657AD, the English scholar William … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Irish Tree Tales
Slainte Archives
Brigid and Patrick: Ireland’s Alter Egos
A thought has been nagging at me for weeks now. I've wrapped my mental faculties round and round it, attempting to convince myself it's just my imagination, but try as I might, it simply won't go away. So here goes: As far as I can determine, the U.S. and Ireland are the only two countries in the world that have alter egos. Before you decide I've gone totally off the deep end, … [Read more...] about Brigid and Patrick: Ireland’s Alter Egos
See You in September
Americans vacation in July. Europeans do it in August. No one goes anywhere in September. During the peak summer months, regardless of continent, the shops are crowded, the beaches are jammed, flights are overbooked, and hotels (if you can even find one with a vacancy) charge astronomical rates. Come September, beds are bargains, shops offer sales, and beaches are bare. Hint: … [Read more...] about See You in September
Sláinte!: A Peck of Pickled Peppers
When I set out this year's veggie garden, it never occurred to me that 6 eggplants, 5 peppers, 4 cucumbers, 6 string beans, 3 zucchini, and 8 tomato plants, plus a few 4-inch pots of herbs, would pose a problem. The seedlings looked so innocent sitting in the wide swaths of dirt recommended by my gardening manuals. Four months later, the puny plants had morphed to monsters and … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: A Peck of Pickled Peppers
Sláinte!: A Peck of Pickled Peppers
When I set out this year's veggie garden, it never occurred to me that 6 eggplants, 5 peppers, 4 cucumbers, 6 string beans, 3 zucchini, and 8 tomato plants, plus a few 4-inch pots of herbs, would pose a problem. The seedlings looked so innocent sitting in the wide swaths of dirt recommended by my gardening manuals. Four months later, the puny plants had morphed to monsters and … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: A Peck of Pickled Peppers