This is my third year gardening, and my initial amusement that the tomatoes are knaves and the pumpkins are kings still stands. I’ve also improved tremendously, which I can only attribute to the blessings of my neighbor “Demeter.” In fact, my pumpkins were so tremendous last year that they were the terror of the neighborhood, [...]
Paul and Mary are visiting. Before they came, they told Peter Paul had reconnected with one of his college track team buddies who happened to own an organic farm in Marin, and that they planned to take a day to visit him. I turned it into a field trip for Charybdis and Scylla. Farms are [...]
Several years ago, our neighbors Dave and B.J. sold their house and traded it for 40 undeveloped acres separated from the Bay Area proper by a mountain range or two. I rarely see them, but this week Charybdis and Scylla was on break, and I wanted a break away from the urban hustle and bustle, [...]
When my fellow homeschooler Kay invited us to ride along with her on a trip to visit the new California Academy of Sciences yesterday, I jumped at the chance. For years now, peering out from the De Young Museum’s observation tower, we’ve watched it being constructed, and it looked awesome. A huge science museum with [...]
I do go on and on about how jazzed we are to have our offices downtown now. We end up seeing a lot more of downtown San Jose, and there’s always more fun to be had. The weekend before, we’d gone downtown to see the fireworks and thanks to our office building, were able to [...]
My Greek neighbor Marcella is a veritable goddess of the garden. Anything she plants takes root and thrives, even in placements my gardening guides and nursery advisors admonish against. In her garden, tomatoes grow in the shade, flowers bloom while all crowded into a corner together, and her trees continue to regrow and fruit no [...]
I think this was the fourth year my neighborhood has had a Memorial Day parade/festival, and the first that Neil hasn’t been in it. There’s a lot of things I love about my neighborhood, but I really love having a parade right in it. This year, it was the highlight of our Memorial Day weekend, [...]
Despite my black thumb, my summer garden last year was a success, at least by my standards. Sure, three innocent tomato plants gave their lives, but one hardy hybrid managed to bring forth some late summer snack tomatoes. The green peppers were about the size of golf balls, but they tasted great. And the pumpkin [...]
The other day a clerk at the grocery store praised me for being “green” and bringing in my own bags. I was a little startled, and just hoped he didn’t think I was also one of those types of people who drives around in a hybrid car with ECOLOVR license plates on it. The fact [...]
With gas prices soon to reach $4 a gallon, Peter and I are happy to explore alternatives to driving. Peter’s move to offices downtown has certainly helped. This morning, he biked to work on a route that’s mostly car-free and only took him 35 minutes. Biking is absolutely the best way to go, but unfortunately, [...]
