February, Hope
Through the Garden Gate Text and Drawing by Leslie Watkins “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1 One may have the skills, expertise and resources to accomplish tasks, but without the drive fueled by hope it may not be possible to succeed. […]
Reading Forest Signs: Bear’s Nests
Text and Photos by Wiley Wood The first dusting of snow in the forest shows us what we know anyway—the woods are full of animals, we just don’t see them. A day after the snowfall, you might come across the print of a foraging mouse traveling from the base of a windthrown tree to a […]
December, Memento Mori
By Leslie Watkins Memento mori is Latin and means “remember you must die.” It’s a reminder of the inevitability of death, and it’s useful to help us keep things in proper perspective. Plato thought that the practice of philosophy was “about nothing else but dying and being dead.” Which in turn may make us wonder […]
Norfolk’s October Weather
Ninth Wettest October on Record By Russell Russ The weather in the Norfolk area had been quite nice since June. The summer months were on the warm and dry side. Pleasant had been a way to describe the weather for this span of four months, including through September. That all ended when the calendar turned […]
Three Planets Enter Into Conjunction Early in Month
By Matthew Johnson Sunrise on Dec. 1 is at 6:57 a.m. and sunset at 4:21 p.m., and the nights will continue to grow longer as December progresses, reaching a maximum of 14 hours, 51 minutes, 28 seconds on the successive nights of Dec. 21 and 22. By month’s end, though, we will have gained back […]
Notes From a French Kitchen
The Classic Bûche de Noël Is a Highlight of the Christmas Table By Marie-Christine Perry Every year as December approaches, memories of Christmases past flood my mind: the walk to the church for midnight mass, the whole family in its Christmas finery with seven children excited and awed; the joyful surprise of the glittering tree […]
Through the Garden Gate
November, A Late Autumn Cornucopia Text and Drawing Leslie Watkins Two thousand years before the horn of plenty became a symbol for thanksgiving, the cornucopia was a curved goat’s horn overflowing with nuts, fruits, vegetables and honey symbolizing harvest, prosperity and abundance. According to ancient myth, the infant Zeus accidentally broke off one of Amalthaea’s […]
Identifying Invasive Plants in Norfolk’s Village Center
Conservation Commission to lead inventory walk By Martha KleinPhoto by Bruce Frisch November is a perfect time of year to identify and remove invasive plants in Norfolk, because the fall color changes make some of these plants very visible. For example, the plant Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) is an invasive shrub seen along roadsides near woods, and […]
September 2019 Weather
The Arrival of Autumn By Russell Russ The first half of September was about normal for temperatures, September temperatures that is. It was a mostly cloudy first half of the month with normal amounts of rainfall. It was a noticeable change from the near non-stop warm and beautiful weather Norfolk had experienced since June. The […]
October, Keeping Green
By Leslie Watkins Most gardeners share a deep regard for nature. We enjoy living a good life with the freedom to pursue our dreams and we love to see our gardens thrive. That love often extends beyond our own gardens to nature around the world. Everything depends on a healthy environment to work from and hopefully […]
