A Note from Joe – Congratulations to our resident humorist Holly Mackle! She is launching a mommy humor essay book today: Same Here, Sisterfriend, Mostly True Tales of Misadventures in Motherhood. Check out a special discount Holly has arranged for our readers. Details in the Links & Resources section below. Hello from Holly. It’s here. Pollen […]
Greetings from the dead of winter! Let’s face it–many of us gardener-types probably don’t, hmmmm, how shall we say it? DEAL WELL WITH WINTER. First, there’s the cold, and then the snow or the ice (or both!) and the dirty looks at one’s spouse when they suggest you get off the couch and up from […]
Hello from Holly. When I really need some work done around the garden, I offer to keep my nephews for the weekend. This strikes me as a genius plan, full of brilliance and benevolence, if not efficiency. Child labor laws? I scoff in the face of child labor laws. My extra helpers, T-Rex […]
“Honey, I can’t find the dog?” “The okra ate her.” Y’all. It’s tremendous. It’s out of control. It’s towering above the rest of the garden. It’s a marvel of feats of strength. It’s…it’s… delicious. We like it in creole succotash. And by “we” I mean David and I, as the girls have a […]
Hello from Holly. Houston, this is Tranquility. We have a problem. I do not remember agreeing to this. I remember agreeing to, “Let’s have a baby,” but I do not remember agreeing to growth and development and grade school and, “Mom, that shirt looks totally cute on you.” I agreed to “glubs” and “bwackberry […]
Hello from Holly. Listen, I have friends, and then I have friends. You know the italics kind–the kind you text during dinner on the weekend, and they respond, “I’ll be right over.” One of those during dinner texts happened just this past weekend when all my deepest fears came true. In case it’s […]
Hello from Holly. It’s been a little too quiet around these parts. I shoulda known something was up. Innocently enough, I meandered to the garden to pick flowers for teacher welcome back and was met with quite a fright: a huge rabbit jumped from the green beans. For a split second our eyes locked and […]
Hello from Holly. We just got back from vacation. I didn’t tell you beforehand because of the Hamburglar. But now that we’re back let me give you a tour of the hot mess I found upon our return. I don’t mean to hashtag humble brag, buuuuuuut…it would appear my garden prefers it when I’m not […]
Hello from Holly. Well, we’ve arrived at the first installment of a little something we’re going to call “Asking for a Friend,” invisibly subtitled “Dumb Gardening Questions Submitted by Readers or Maybe Not Readers at All Maybe Just All My Dumb Questions but Why Would I Own up to That?” (Also acknowledged by the highly-accessible […]
Ground cherries. Who’da thunk. Do you know these? If you don’t, here’s the scoop. They go way back; they’re early Americana. The Google reports, “It is said that the pilgrims used ground cherries in their cooking.” Why, thank you, The Google. And how very formal of you. It is said that you are very awesome […]
Hello from Holly. I believe I’ve discovered a new species of garden pest. It’s not an insect, rodent, parasite, or fungus…but it’s potentially way more destructive. I know it’s unexpected considering that I live in suburbia and not some remote corner of the earth, but hear me out. Gardeners worldwide depend on our accurate classification […]
Hello from Holly. It’s over. And a single tear slides down my family’s collective cheek. It was a beauty—a stunner, really. We’ve eaten off of them for weeks. Even Mr. Blackberry-head put aside his hatred of anything not banana Laffy Taffy to enjoy their bounty. (That’s my husband. Isn’t he so cute?} At […]
Hello from Holly. This is the story of our raised beds. When I reflect back on it, it seems like it was someone else’s story, but then I glance out into the yard, and my heart jumps a little, and I remember, “HEY, THAT REALLY HAPPENED.” (This seems like as good a time as any to […]
A note from Joe – Hi friends. Allow me to introduce Holly Mackle. She’ll be a regular around here for a long time. That’s my plan anyway. You see Holly is definitely a “joe gardener” kind of gal. She’s a young mother, a suburban gardener, and someone who is just trying to figure it out […]
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