It’s often tempting to breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the year and eagerly turn to a new year. Yet being hopeful about the future involves, at least in part, remembering. When we remember our experiences of the good, the beautiful, the tenacity of resilience, and the empowerment of relationships, then we…
Category: Reflections
Gathering Thankfulness
The Thanksgiving holiday is a time for gratitude, but it is also all about gathering. We gather the fruits of the growing season. In this we express gratitude for food, the labor of production involved, and the earth from which it springs. We gather memories of times from the year that are full of grace…
Thanks for a Great Day!!
Thanks to everyone who came out to our open garden yesterday. We had over 170 visitors! We so enjoyed meeting people and exchanging interests, insights, and experiences with native plants! Thanks to Columbus Wild Ones, North Central Ohio Pollinator Pathway, Delaware County Master Gardener Volunteers, Leaves for Wildlife, Natives in Harmony, and Scioto Gardens for…
April is Ohio Native Plant Month…
… and this serves as an annual reminder of the importance of native plants. Perhaps even more important, April 2024 is National Native Plant Month! This designation allows us to renew our commitment to the removal of non-native invasive plant species, and the planting of beneficial native species. And it provides a platform for the…
Look Down!
A couple of weeks ago we had 8-10” of snow. A concrete block on the concrete patio outside the kitchen window was covered with 10” of snow. Snow in the yard looked to be closer to 5”. The reason is that the ground had warmed up considerably before the snow fell and was holding its…
Happy New Year (belatedly) from Catchfly Commons!
It is a bit late to post a reflection on 2023, but here goes! Last year was a very good one for us! Here are some highlights… Public Engagement In March, the garden was featured in Ohio Magazine (“How to Plant a Native Ohio Garden”). Terri did a couple of presentations. One was “Gardening for…
The Desert Will Bloom
Many denominations within the Christian religious tradition observe the season of Advent. It includes the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to Christmas day. Hope, peace, love, and joy are central topics of reflection. The timing of Advent overlaps with Hanukkah (the festival of lights) in Judaism and the winter solstice (the shortest day of…
Thankfully, Still in Eden
In her last post “Stop What You’re Doing”, Terri referenced Margaret Renkl’s book, The Comfort of Crows. Renkl ends the book’s introduction with these words: We were never cast out of Eden. We merely turned from it and shut our eyes. To return and be welcomed, cleansed, and redeemed, we are only obliged to look….
Stop What You’re Doing
In her newest book, The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, Margaret Renkl begins the prologue with “Wherever you are, stop what you’re doing.” This is a call to attention in words to savor. I have been awed in the last few weeks by the colors of fall this year. The leaves of so many…
Catchfly Commons 