Author Archives: Benjamin

About Benjamin

Gardening, Raising a Family, Hobby Photography, Reading & Philoso-phizing...not necessarily in that order.

November’s Welcome

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Benjamin

Sometimes, in our share of the Ohio River Valley, summer slams into winter without much autumn to buffer the shock. September and October days that seem more June-like keep us in shorts and flip-flops. Our sweaters pine away in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autumn, beauty, climate, fall, family, flower, flowers, food, fruit, garden, gardening, halloween, joy, Kentucky, Kentucky urban farming, kids, life, nature, nostalgia, november, october, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, padron peppers, parenting, pepper, peppers, photography, rain, recipe, Suburban garden, suburban gardening, sustainability, vegetables, weather, Winter | 13 Comments

September Means Sunflowers and Salsas

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Benjamin

Summer has slipped into September, which means cool weather will soon descend on our part of the Ohio River Valley. We still have 3 more weeks until the Autumnal Equinox, but (probably due to wishful thinking) I’m pretty sure I … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged autumn, flower, flowers, food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Kentucky, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, photography, suburban gardening, tomatoes, weather | 22 Comments

As Summer Slips Away

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Benjamin

Summer loosens her grip on us reluctantly in our part of Kentucky, snug on the southern shores of the Ohio River Valley. The heat and humidity claw at us through the month of August and well into September. Occasionally, though, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, bees, beneficial insect, bugs, compost, cucumber, daisy, Eleanor Perenyi, Ernest Dowson, fall, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom, heirloom tomato, Kentucky, lemon cucumber, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, photography, propagate, straw bale gardening, summer, sunflower, sustainability, tomato, tomatoes, vegetable, vegetable garden, zinnia | 28 Comments

Summer Sweetness

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Benjamin

There are lots of sensory delights this time of year An icy cold beer after mowing the lawn. Strawberry shortcake, not that manufactured spongy stuff, but real shortcake, More like a Cat Head Biscuit, smothered with lots of real whipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, farming, flower garden, flower gardening, food, foodie, fruit, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, peach, peaches, photography, summer | 32 Comments

Cherry Blossoms & Blackberry Winter

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Benjamin

Our Weeping Cherry is waking the bees from their winter slumber and tempting us into the garden. A string of warm days sends us, pell-mell, to the the garden store, for (at least) a little window shopping And although we’re sorely … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, Blackberry Winter, cherry blossom, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, garden store, gardening, gardening tips, Kentucky, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, photography, seed catalogs, spring, vegetable, vegetable garden, Winter | 36 Comments

Spring Stirs From Her Slumber-Wordless Wednesday

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Benjamin

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beneficial insect, flower garden, flower gardening, flowering shrubs, flowers, Forsythia, gardening, ladybug, spring, suburban gardening, sustainability | 13 Comments

Spring Foreshadows

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Benjamin

Slowly we’re shaking off the effects of our winter hibernation, walking outside to sniff the air to see if we can detect any signs of spring. Some days it feels like yes. Some days, no. That’s part of the joy … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, Kentucky, Kentucky urban farming, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, photography, spring, Suburban garden, suburban gardening, urban gardening, vegetable garden, weather | 25 Comments

Winter Solstice

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Benjamin

Bank the fires against the darkness, on this, the longest night of the year (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.) Underneath the hustle and bustle of the holidays, there is a quietness, if you listen hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 19 Comments

Wordless Wednesday – Prepping for Winter

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Benjamin

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autumn, backyard, bees, beneficial insect, bugs, coneflower, echinacea, flower gardening, garden, gardening, gardening tips, nature, photography, purple coneflower, Winter | 16 Comments

In A Vase…err…Pumpkin On Monday

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Benjamin

And so Monday arrives with all the baggage she brings. The weekend is in the rear-view mirror, the work week begins. Five long days to slog through on our way to another glorious October weekend. Five more long days ’til … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autumn, backyard, bees, celosia, cockscomb, fall, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, gardening, gardening tips, in a vase on monday, photography, pumpkin, sustainability, Winter | 19 Comments