Whiting Mills: An Old Sock Factory Stuffed With Surprises
By Sally Quale Inside a former mill building tucked behind the community college in Winsted there is a warren of artists’ spaces, craftsmen’s workshops and miscellaneous businesses. This is Whiting Mills. On any given day, a ceramicist might be glazing her pots for the kiln, a painter scrubbing his canvases, a weaver laying out […]
November, Winter Is Coming
By Leslie Watkins Along with signs like the early migration of birds and butterflies, pigs collecting sticks and an abundance of acorns, banded woolly bear caterpillars are thought to forecast a long, cold winter when they sport a narrow band of orange and are especially fuzzy. Woolly bears hatch in the fall and eat […]
Squirrels: They Are Everywhere
By Jude Mead On a good day it seems like there’s an overpopulation of squirrels this year, but the professionals disagree. According to Michael Gregonis, a wildlife biologist at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the number of squirrels racing about in our backyards is actually lower than last year. “There has […]
Norfolk’s September 2018 Weather
Warm and Wet By Russell Russ September weather in Norfolk this year was mostly cloudy and humid for much of the month. Temperatures and rainfall were both well above normal. September is prime hurricane season, and the Carolinas were hit with a devastating rainstorm when Hurricane Florence made landfall Sept. 14. Remnants of Florence […]
October, Thinking Ahead With Ornamental Bulbs
By Leslie Watkins Planting flower bulbs in the fall is like giving yourself a surprise present in the spring. Winter lasts just long enough to make it easy to forget exactly what and where you’ve planted. Squirrels and chipmunks add to the suspense by moving things around. No matter where the bulbs end up, […]
Catching the Annual Fall Migration of Hawks
By Jude Mead Witnessing firsthand the sight of hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of hawks flying overhead during their fall migration to South America is an extraordinary experience. Those that have seen this spectacle say it is the event of a lifetime, and Ayrslea Denny can attest to that. Denny has been […]
Norfolk’s August 2018 Weather
More Heat and Humidity By Russell Russ August continued our summer of heat and humidity here in Norfolk. It was another hot and humid month with above-average rainfall, kind of like it has been all summer long. If you like your summers hot then this year was your year. August’s low temperature of 52 degrees […]
Through the Garden Date: September, Darling Dahlias
By Leslie Watkins Dahlias are among the darlings of the specialty cut-flower world. They are big, bold and beautiful in both gardens and arrangements, and if conditioned and cared for properly they will last five days or more in a vase. They are available in every color except blue, and flowers range in size […]
Norfolk’s July 2018 Weather
Fourth Warmest Month on Record By Russell Russ July was a wet and very warm month. Compared to more urban locations, Norfolk typically sees cooler summer temperatures. The town’s forested landscape and higher elevation play heavily into this cooling influence. Sometimes, though, the heat and humidity during the dog days of summer can overtake […]
August, A Garden of Simples
Let thy kitchen be thy apothecary, and let foods be thy medicine. —Hippocrates By Leslie Watkins How nice to pinch a sprig of peppermint to add to your drink, or to collect basil and garlic from your garden for an impromptu pesto. Chives, parsley, and dill are wonderful plants to have close at hand to […]
