There is one flower that I anticipate all year long. In every season, when I drive past its patch on the way home, I say “Hi, fire pink!” to the bare dirt. When mid-April rolls around, I start looking closely at that dirt. It’s a steep, rocky bank that rises up from a very curvy piece … read more FIRE PINK!!!
Month: April 2016
The other secret garden
I finally had a chance to visit the second secret garden of lady slippers in the forest. I missed them last year. The first year when I found them, I monitored their health anxiously. I was worried that someone would discover them and dig them up. But unlike the other patch of lady slippers, they are … read more The other secret garden
I’ve just seen a face
I was relaxing on the porch, enjoying the morning solitude of Booger Hollow. Thinking about my life and what to do with it. Then I saw a face. A woman. A slender face. Long slim nose, pouty red lips, very high cheekbones, ivory skin. Somehow she looks Japanese. It honestly took me a minute to believe … read more I’ve just seen a face
A million legs
Some days it is so hard to get going. I haven’t been sleeping well this week, and so I’m lazy all during the day. Nothing wrong with relaxing during vacation, but I also want to take advantage of the many trails surrounding us here. Finally I convinced myself to go for a short hike. Just … read more A million legs
Great expectations
The Jake and Bull Mountain Trail System of the Chattahoochee National Forest weaves all around Booger Hollow, so Tom and I know the trails well. When you hike a trail year after year, in all seasons, you know exactly where you’ll see certain plants. On the Lance Creek Trail, I know there will be stonecrop at a certain … read more Great expectations
Iris cristata alba
Every year, there are a few species that seem to have an especially big burst of growth. This year, the crested iris is everywhere, in big patches, cascading down every road bank and even in my yard. So, as we traveled along the Chattahoochee National Forest roads yesterday, I wasn’t surprised to see lots of … read more Iris cristata alba
The really big pharmacy
To start our vacation – a week in Booger Hollow – we took the long way into the forest. Along country back roads and up Forest Service 58 – following Noontootla Creek as it splashes its way down the mountainside – one of the prettiest drives in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Swallowtail butterflies love this road, … read more The really big pharmacy
Honestly Amy
I admit it: I am an impatient and intolerant reader. Bad writing and stupidity will send me into a rant against an author after a mere page, and I have no compunction about ditching a book completely. I recently assigned myself to read memoirs written by survivors of ruptured brain aneurysms, since I’ve been thinking … read more Honestly Amy
The red buckeyes: In the forest
October 20, 2013 I had finally figured out that the red buckeyes would never flourish in our dry, clay patch yard at home. So I carefully dug up the first one and put it into a pot to take to Booger Hollow. Its root had a funny kink, presumably from where I’d broken it as a seedling. I … read more The red buckeyes: In the forest
The red buckeyes: Cruel hands
April 8, 2009 I’ve been reading a book called “Growing Trees from Seed,” by Henry Kock, which is filled with practical advice for growing native species of trees in North America. It’s a bit scary, too, because the author makes you aware of the various hazards to the health of a seed: chipmunks, slugs, soil … read more The red buckeyes: Cruel hands