Though I am at most times a mild-mannered pacifist, last week I had a meltdown. But I had a good reason. I was fighting to save a tree. Every winter since moving into my Fifties Bungalow in 2002, I have pleaded with the owner not to prune the 50-plus-year-old 60-foot-tall poplar tree on the front lawn. The last ‘pruning,’ just before I moved in, had almost killed the tree. It … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: The Tree of Life
Edythe Preet
Sláinte!: Runny Honey
One day last summer while inspecting the progress of my vegetable plants, I heard something that sounded like a giant cell phone on vibrator setting. Turning in the direction of the noise and peering under a tangled mass of grapevines, I found myself standing nose-to-buzz with a mass of bees that was considerably larger than a beachball. I freaked. Moving as smoothly as coming … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Runny Honey
Sláinte!: Penny Wise & Tasty Too
As I sit and write this during the global economic meltdown of October 2008, I admit to getting tired of listening to all the pundits predict that 2009 is going to be a humdinger of a financial challenge and families will have to cut back on just about everything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Why, I ask, is that not a good thing? I am the child of parents who really did … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Penny Wise & Tasty Too
Sláinte!: All Hail the Humble Spud!
Back in first grade my See Spot Run primer told how Dick and Jane grew potatoes in their backyard and roasted them in an autumn leaf bonfire. If those kids can do that, I thought, so can I. Mom supplied a few spuds that had begun to sprout ‘eyes,’ and we buried them in a skimpy strip of dirt edging our row-house driveway. Impatiently, as summer dragged on, I watched my precious … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: All Hail the Humble Spud!
Sláinte!: Dancing at Lughnasa
Of all the months of the year, only August has no "official" holiday. That’s poor marketing if you ask me. Holidays generate more "stimulus" to the economic calendar than any paltry government "rebate" could ever engender. Granted, there’s a flurry of back-to-school buys but academic purchasing doesn’t hit full momentum until September. To fill the void, I suggest adding … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Dancing at Lughnasa