Category Archives: gardening

2026, gardening, History, Travel, Uncategorized

Savannah Gardens

33 Comments

Today’s post comes from Jacque.

April 14-18 this year (2026) my dear friend Tracy and I took off for a Savannah, Georgia Garden Tour. After returning home I intended to submit a blog about it, because we saw so many interesting Gardens and sites. Hmmm. What happened? So here it is (now that husband’s medical difficulties stabilized, I will start to work on one about Northern Ireland. )

We travelled to Savannah the weekend of April 16-20 to stay just south of the iconic Forsyth Park in a VRBO apartment that was beautiful, and up 3 flights of creaky stairs. Once up there we had a deck shaded by a tulip tree. It was quiet and lovely.

Forsyth Park Fountain

Creaky Stairs

Front of apartment

The garden tour is organized by the North of Gaston (NOG) Garden Club of Savannah. ere is the website. They host one every spring. I see that soon the 2027 tickets will be on sale:

The Garden Club of Savannah NOGS Tour of Hidden Gardens 2026

It attracts thousands of visitors and is walkable. We started with the garden nearest to us at a mansion featured as a law office in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It is in reality a single man’s home.

Tracy and I in the first garden

Statue of naked lady

Most of the gardens were walled and very small, with every inch covered in patio or plants. It took two days to get to all thirteen gardens, walking through the graceful neighborhoods to get from one to the other. Unfortunately, the two days of the tour were unusually hot, 94° each day.

Jones Street of the idiom “Keeping up with the Joneses

Mossy Chair

Walled Garden

Relics and cannon ball

The most interesting garden was on Jones Street. The townhouse there had been remodelled and updated in the 1990’s. During the excavations of the garden the relics were brought up: the pottery and glass shards were not a surprise, but the cannon ball held by the red armed figure was a great surprise. They did not know the cannon ball was still live, so the entire street was evacuated. The examination of the cannon ball showed it was from the Civil Ware era. It was not live, so the homeowner kept it as a novelty. The family had remodeled the stable and tiny “Slave Quarters ” above it as a rental.

We dined at a local lunch spot one noon where we found a wedding shower in progress. Everyone attending had to wear a hat. This was my favorite:

What strange things have you found in your yard?

2026, Family, gardening, History, home, Nature, Uncategorized

Raking Leaves

15 Comments

Where is it written that people have to rake the leaves off of their lawns every fall, so that no leaves remain? We have neighbors here in MN and had neighbors in ND who worked daily in the fall to remove any traces of leaves. We are not raking people.

In our ND town the City was of no help to people who needed leaves hauled away. People had to haul them away to the landfill themselves. Of course, this was the City that wouldn’t remove snow from residential streets unless 4 or more inches had fallen. (It’s going to melt eventually anyway, and we don’t have it in our budget to plow anything but major arteries.)

Luverne has a much different attitude about this. I attribute it to the proximity to Northwest Iowa and a Dutch influence regarding neatness. The other day while it was raining we saw several street sweeping machines washing streets. The City sends out leaf suckeruppers several days in October and November to remove leaves that residents have swept into the gutter. Snow of any amount is also plowed up.

We like to leave the leaves for ground cover and pollinators. We sweep up leaves that collect on the sidewalk or deck, though. I remember the smell of burning leaves in the fall when I was a child, and loved it when my mom and dad would make leaf piles for me to jump in. Leaf burning is illegal now, I think. I am glad we have better things to do now than rake.

What are your leaf raking, leaf jumping memories? Are you a raker?

2026, animals, gardening, home, Nature, Uncategorized, Weather

Blanket Weather

18 Comments

I have to admit it. I turned on the furnace last Thursday. It was chilly in the house, with a hard freeze predicted for Friday night/Saturday morning. I hate being chilly and just dressing more warmly indoors doesn’t help.

I set the thermostat at 70°. Who can argue about 70°? None of my housemates complained, not even Boommate who is always too warm. Now that it will be warmer this week, I doubt the furnace will kick in very often. But should the house temp drop below 70°, I shall still be comfortable. The dogs have been snuggling closer at night since the temps dropped.

I love fall weather. I love wrapping up in blankets. We have several Pendleton wool blankets, a really warm and fuzzy Norwegian wool blanket, quilts, and several down comforters. We are set for cold weather and chilly nights. I find my cooking plans have changed somewhat this past week, too, and I am finding soups and stews more appealing than salads. Husband picked all the tomatoes Friday before the freeze, and they are ripening in boxes in the garage. The Swiss Chard survived the freeze, but as I have frozen pounds of it already, I think we shall let it face its fate in the coming weeks. I, in any event, will be warm.

What is your cue to turn on the furnace? Favorite chilly weather foods? How do you keep your garden going through early freezes and frosts?

2026, Art, Baboon Achievers, Food, gardening, Gatherings

PJ

31 Comments

PJ / Margaret brought something special to the Trail.  Wicked sense of humor, acerbic wit, thoughtful comments and great stories.  What a life she lived.  I thought we needed a full day to remember her.  Bill commented earlier that we all probably had our own special connection with her, so hopefully today, we can all share.  I have many memories but will just share a few that really stand out to me.  The rest will be up to you all.

The Garden Restoration.  When PJ got hit by a car and couldn’t do her spring gardening, it was amazing how many baboons came together on a Saturday to lend a hand.  Even Lisa showed up in her green cocktail dress (she didn’t garden in the dress).  Everybody picked a patch and went to work.  And, like magic, food showed up.  Amazing how that happens when baboons show up.  PJ sat on the patio and cheered us on.  She mentioned it to me more than once over the years; I know she was profoundly moved and grateful.

Paper Cutting.  Danish paper artist, Karen Bit Vejle brought her to show to the Swedish American Institute and the Twin Cities folks met for a field trip.  It was amazing to hear PJ translate some of the informational blurbs in all the Scandinavian languages – Danish, Swedish, Norwegian.  I don’t remember Finnish or Icelandic, but I’m pretty sure she could have handled those if they were there.  Amazing.

Don Panchos.  I delivered Ben’s farm fresh eggs to PJ several times and on our first egg visit, she clued me into a great Mexican bakery just a few blocks from her house – Don Panchos.  It got to be a ritual for me to stop there after every trip to take eggs. 

Advice.  PJ was a thoughtful woman and she gave me some excellent advice once about letting other people give of themselves without trying to make everything fair or even.  Wonderful advice that I think of often.

I could go on, but I’m going to let other baboons tell their stories.  Margaret, I already miss you terribly.

Tell me about your connection to PJ / Margaret.

2026, Family, Food, gardening, Seasons, Weather

A Cooking Day

27 Comments

A cool wet morning yesterday was perfect for some time in the kitchen.  Especially since my tomato plants are still going gangbusters.

Normally I look for easy recipes but for some reason I was drawn to a complicated Macaroni & Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes and Chilis that I found in my Tomato cookbook.  It had several steps that needed to be combined at the end, which always spooks me.  I’m usually fairly casual about cooking so having to get everything to come together at one point isn’t my favorite modus operandi.  But with nothing else on my to-do list, I thought I could handle it.

Part of the recipe was a layer of roasted tomatoes; the recipe called for big tomatoes but I have tons of cherry tomatoes, so I looked up an alternative recipe.  I made this first and as the tomatoes were roasting, I laid out all the other ingredients on the counter.  It felt like I was doing a cooking show!   Then the poblanos got roasted over the gas flame; it’s so much fun to hear the peppers popping and sizzling!  Added the peppers to the tomatoes with a couple large cloves of garlic.

Next up was the cheese sauce; it’s been quite a while since I made a roux and then a cheese sauce from scratch.  SO much cheese – sharp cheddar, fontina and parmesan.  And so much stirring!   Managed to get the pasta cooked so that it was done right when the cheese sauce was ready.  (leaf-shaped pasta that YA and I found at Trader Joe’s last weekend.) 

Laid the tomato/poblano mix in the bottom of my 8” square cast iron, then layered the mac and cheese over that.  Then came the breadcrumb topping – breadcrumbs and melted butter – and finally popped the whole thing in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Looking at this description, it doesn’t seem as complicated as it felt at the time.  The whole dish, including roasting the tomatoes and peppers, took about an hour and a half.  I had thought it would take longer.  I managed to clean as I went, so there wasn’t a massive mess when I was done.

It smelled heavenly and tasted heavenly as well.  YA liked it as well, which isn’t always guaranteed.  I guess this means I’ll have to keep this recipe in our roster for another cool rainy day!

Any foods you’re trying to eat up (or put up) this fall?

PS: The left-hand photo is before it went into the oven and the right-hand is the finished product.

2026, Food, Games, gardening, Gatherings, Uncategorized

County Fair

32 Comments

The last time I was at the MN State Fair was 43 years ago on our honeymoon. It has been even more years since I attended the Rock County Fair. It was always an exciting time, and it got even more fun after I joined 4-H. I did horticulture and sewing projects. When I was in Grade 8 I got Grand Champion on my terrarium project, and that led to my first trip to the State Fair.

Last week Husband, Boommate, and I went to the Rock County Fair. It is held in Luverne. Boommate hadn’t been there for many years as well, and neither of us recognized the fairgrounds with all the new construction and exhibit buildings. There was the same collection of carnival rides and food booths. The Rock County Pork Producers had a stand selling great bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. Like the State Fair, we also have a machinery hill, but on a smaller scale.

I remember my cousins showing their Chester White pigs at the fair, dousing them with baby powder to make them pretty. It was fun to be in the animal barns and see all the livestock up close.

We also toured all the 4-H and open class exhibit building to see all the prize pickles, garden produce, tallest field corn, photography, and 4-H educational projects.

Husband spent more time at the fair than I did since he helped the county DFL group set up their stand in one of the commercial buildings and hand out brochures. . My paternal grandfather was one of the founding members of the Rock County DFL party, and I am tickled Husband is getting involved with them.

Our fair isn’t all pigs and canning. The following photos show what else went on. I thought the cannon display was interesting.

I don’t think we will make it to the State Fair this fall, but the County Fair was a delight and I am really glad we went.

What are your early fair experiences? Were you in 4 -H or similar organizations? Ever been to a tractor pull?

2026, gardening, home, Uncategorized

Garden Update

21 Comments

This was our first veggie garden in our new home and our first attempt using raised beds. I am happy to report that things are working out well. We had no weeds and no garden pests.

Our raised beds are 3 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 6 feet long. We planted tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and chard. The chard has been a real success. It is a white chard variety.

To date I have froze 7 lbs of leaves and made a Provencal chard and zucchini tart. The leaves will be used in an Italian pie of greens from The Splendid Table. The chard shares its space with basil.

I bought more pint jars last weekend for more pesto.

The eggplants have done well. We made Eggplant Parmigiano and also roasted and froze several eggplants for use in soup and curry. The leaves are enormous. The eggplants share a space with roma tomatoes and serrano peppers, King of the North red bell peppers, and an Italian frying pepper.

We planted Cherokee Purple, German Johnson, and Roma tomatoes in the third bed . They are doing well,

We tied up and trimmed them after I took their picture. I expect we will have a load of ripe tomatoes in about a month.

We plan to get two or three more raised beds next year. There wasn’t enough room for spinach, and I think we could swing a butternut squash bed as well. I am also happy to report that the pie plant (aka rhubarb) has taken nicely to its new digs.

How is your garden growing? What would you do with too many eggplants and hot peppers? Is it pie plant or rhubarb in your family?

2026, crops, Food, gardening, Seasons

Cherry Tomato Delight

20 Comments

Saturday night was the first downpour we’ve had in a while.  So it didn’t surprise me when my tomatoes, which are really tall for the first week of July, were sagging over, taking their tomato cages with them.  I don’t usually have to shore up tomatoes this early in the season, but …. gotta do what you gotta do.   As I was pushing my stakes in, I found two ripe cherry tomatoes.  Two.  On the 5th of July.  I have never ever had ripe tomatoes this early.

I usually pull out the cookbooks looking for tomato recipes in late July, early August.  But I have the perfect recipe for these two darlings.

First of the Season Cherry Tomato Delight
Ingredients
Two perfect cherry tomatoes
Salt (optional)

Instructions
After harvesting the two cherry tomatoes, rinse thoroughly
Pat tomatoes dry
Open mouth
Pop the first tomato in
Chew
Repeat

Serves just one

What summer produce are you looking forward to the most?

 

 

 

2026, gardening, home, Nature, Uncategorized

Water Feature

37 Comments

The previous owners of our home spent a lot of money on landscaping in the backyard. I have never had such a fancy backyard. We added the fence. There is a fire pit:

We also have lots of brick paved areas with rock-filled beds for plants:

Those are some of the largest hostas I have ever seen. We never had hostas before. The rest of the plants are lower maintenance shrubs, Stella d’oro lillies, and succulents. They didn’t even have rhubarb!

I think they went a little over the top with the water feature, however. It is a bubbling brook powered by an electric pump submerged in a deep vat at the bottom of the brook. It is plugged into an electric outlet by the fence. The pump has to be removed every fall so it won’t freeze up over the winter. It is not easy to remove or reinstall.

The birds love the brook. It has to be refilled every other day or so or the pump starts to make groaning noises. I plan to turn over the stones with the words carved in them, as I think those are a silly affectation and they annoy me.

The dogs love to plunge in the brook at the top and slide down to the bottom. I would never put such a thing in a yard, and I absolutely hate all the rocks in the flower beds as they make weeding and replanting a lot more work than they need to be. I plan to put in roses and hydrangeas and spring bulbs next year, but we need to clear a lot of rocks from every side of the house before that happens.

If you had to have a water feature in your yard, what kind would you get? What words would you have carved in flat stones in your yard?

2026, animals, gardening, home, News, Uncategorized

Bugs?

14 Comments

I know. I know. All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. I had biology minor in college, and took an invertebrate zoology class where I learned that Rock County, where I currently live, is one of the very few counties in MN where they have termites that actually swarm. In ND, we had very few insects or bugs or other pests in the garden. We had the occasional flea beetle on the cabbagey plants. (I applied Sevin, but hated using a pesticide. ) No aphids. No slugs. None of those cane borers in the raspberries. Cabbage worms were easily dealt with by applying Bascillus Thuringiensis, a natural cabbage worm killer. We had virtually no mosquitoes due to being in a semi arid part of the country.

It has come to my attention that there are more insect/bug pests in MN than I remembered after being away for 50 years. I have had incredibly large carpenter ants in the house, presumably living in the decaying sections of our deck, and drain flies in my bathroom. We are planning how to replace the deck. Boommate has abandoned hopes of a hummingbird feeder due to ants getting into the sweet nectar she put out now on two occasions.. I have not yet seen a mosquito, but I am sure they are coming.

Our vegetables are planted in raised beds and thus far we have had no pest issues. A couple of weeks ago we had a pleasant guy from a pest control company come to the house to offer us pest eradication services for ants, hornets, and other home invasion pests. In the past I would have sent such a guy packing, since I hate the thought of pesticide use, but I engaged his services after finding out many of our neighbors enlist his company’s services. They may know more about potential pests than I currently know, and I don’t want any unpleasant bug surprises in the house.

What advice do you have for me regarding MN garden or house pests? What bug or insect issues have you successfully or not so successfully dealt with?