Beginnings January is a winter month in the northern half of the world and a summer month in the southern half. The name January comes from Janus or Ianus, the Roman god of passage and new beginnings. I’ve always loved the start of a new year: new calendars, new plans, a new verdant view. For gardeners, […]
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Light Think of December without light…what do you not see? You don’t see the stars in the midnight sky. You don’t see the moon shining its moon tan rays down on us. You don’t see photosynthesis taking place all around us. You don’t see holiday decorations blinking on and off. Pretty sad, right? Now think
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Remembrance When I lived in the U.S. my dear friend Eavonka would invite me every year to be the guest lecturer at her 6th grade elementary, inner city public school. The student body was made up mostly of Latino and Black youth and the topic was Day of the Dead. The Latino kids, mostly born
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Simplified Sustainability As a young person the month of October, at my mom and dad’s home in California, was always exciting. My brothers, sisters, and I spent most of the month planning our Halloween costumes, our strategic “trick or treat” routes, deciding who to include in our roving pack for that special night. My mother,
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Garden Gentrification I came to Mexico this last time, 10 years ago, from a small fishing village I moved to in California in 1982. During my time in California I saw that village change into a gentrified city, a centerpiece of commerce and sustainability. With these changes came astronomical increases in real estate prices, rental
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August August’s official birth flowers include the gladiolus and poppy. August, eighth month of the Gregorian calendar. It was named for the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, in 8 BCE. Its original name was Sextilus, Latin for “sixth month,” indicating its position in the early Roman calendar. August 1, traditionally known as Lammas Day, was a festival to mark the annual wheat
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JULY “Answer July—Where is the Bee—Where is the Blush—Where is the Hay? Ah, said July—Where is the Seed—Where is the Bud—Where is the May—Answer Thee—Me—” ~ Emily Dickinson For most of us in the northern hemisphere July means summer. Chickens are a-laying, sparrows are fledging, our gardens are lush with ripe fruits and vegetables and all
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Celebrate The Solstice With A Full Day Of Gardening Tuesday June 21, 2022 is this year’s summer solstice, which marks the longest day of the year. The term “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still) or stitium (stopped). Close to the Arctic Circle we would find 24 hours of sunlight with which to
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the grandest civilizations of all time, Ra was the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun and the month of May seems to be a month long tribute to the sun god, it being the hottest and driest month of the year here at Lakeside.
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Spring has sprung! Signs of spring are everywhere throughout the month of April. Like the birds that are darting this way and that while prepping their spring nests, gardeners are busy preparing their yards and gardens for new life. It’s a busy month for gardeners, as spring signals the gateway to the warmer gardening season!
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