Saint Martin in the Fields church held its annual chicken barbecue and silent auction. I went there to serve food and take a few pictures. The camera that I have been using for the past four and a half years is, alas, in the process of passing away. I can’t complain, though. It has been […]

One of the most common landscaping errors that people make is with the type of shrubbery that they plant close to their houses. When the shrubbery is planted, it is young and small. Unfortunately, shrubbery has this habit of growing and people discover that, when they attempt to look out their windows, all they see

Today, I went to the My Thai restaurant in Niagara Falls, New York, to enjoy lunch with Jean L. and Lee T. All three of us were ready for a culinary adventure, and we were excited about trying a new restaurant. The restaurant is located on a busy street in the City of Niagara Falls.

Many people have streams or creeks on their property. It really adds to the enjoyment of your property, as you are able to fish, canoe, or kayak from the convenience of your home. With the fun of having a creek behind your house comes the responsibility of making sure that the creek remains healthy. The

It’s a relaxed Sunday afternoon, early in the summer. I’ve been busy lately, tending gardens. Some are small, while others are very large. Most are very overgrown after all of that rainfall. I’ve been rehabilitating shrubbery, and I’ve been digging out weeds. Sometimes, people ask me, “What is the difference between a wild flower and

I went to the Independence Day parade today to walk the parade route and also to take photographs. It was a beautiful, sunny day so I also got the opportunity to test out my new eyeglasses. After enduring months of cloudy glasses with the wrong prescription, it was a real delight to be able to

John D. Larkin was born on Clinton Street in Buffalo in 1845 to Levi and Mary Ann Durrant Larkin. He was one of seven children. When his father died at the age of 35 in 1859, Larkin had to leave school and go to work to raise money to support his family.  John Larkin was

On Wednesday, I went with Diane E., chair of the Grand Island Conservation Advisory Board, and Kathleen M., stewardship director of the Western New York Land Conservancy, to look at two wooded lots in Grand Island. These wooded lots are owned by the town, which placed a conservation easement on them. A conservation easement, which

Today is mothers’ day so I decided to celebrate Mother Earth. Four years ago, when I went to Ecuador, I spent a few weekends in an indigenous community, where I learned about medicinal plants and where I experienced the celebration of the vernal equinox. I celebrated Mother Earth by walking in nature and by picking

At last, spring has sprung, and I got to go to River Lea during daylight hours, instead of in utter darkness. It is wonderful to see the gardens that are filled with spring flowers around River Lea. The presentation at the meeting on May 7th featured Frank Gallagher, town historian of Wilson, New York, who