New York Renovator

Befuddled by the billions of weeds cluttering your yard or garden beds? Curious about that odd-looking herb or a nasty plant that stubbornly resists your weed-thwarting efforts? Check out the National Gardening Association Weed Library for identifying that plant. This is a very valuable resource for me. Not only do I have a lot of [...]

I wasn’t planning on having any Find the Kitty post today, because she’s not been hiding AT ALL lately. It’s been so hot that usually she’s sprawled entirely across the floor, stretched out so every bit of fur is not sticking to another. That makes me wonder– do cats sweat? How do they perspire extra [...]

Even the name insinuates the most noxious, insidious killer to lately crawl out of Asian cargo ships onto our purple-mountain majesty coasts: The Giant Hogweed! It’s heeeeere! It’s native to Central Asia and it’s spreading toward the northeast. It’s already established in Michigan and Indiana. New reports are showing the unwelcome visitor arriving in Pennsylvania [...]

I’m doing a lot of armchair traveling this year, I tell you. Exercise, what’s that? Oh yeah, the thing that cures diet pills, uh huh. Well, the Hubs just assembled, primed and painted two new Adirondack chairs and — let me tell you — they are some of the most comfortable chairs ever. I wrote [...]

Something very strange has happened. I realized it the other night while I outside in the backyard during twilight. The entire yard and forest and small creek that runs next door is completely silent. Completely silent! No crickets. No spring peepers. Nothing. I have never experienced anything like it since I’ve lived here. Besides the [...]

Oh she’s a BIG BAD PUMA when she’s outside. But put on a great big Uncle Sam hat for the Fourth of July, and Livvy’s a little baby cat who needs her mommy. LOL. My husband got a huge patriotic hat for Independence Day. Think “Cat in the Hat” size. Yeah, it actually spooked me, [...]

I must have been absolutely nutty to take her outside. I was tired of her whining, and spoiled her. She was a MANIAC as soon as she hit the grass. She thinks she’s a puma or a bobcat or something. She raced me around the entire acre+ of land, skulking behind trees, poking her head [...]

Well, well. This will take care of the weeds in the garden. I came right up to the thing, about 3 feet away. It’s a young buck, can you see his stubby antlers? He kept rubbing them on his leg. When I tried to touch him, he jumped out of the garden and wandered around [...]

I’m not going to wait until somebody gets sunburn to try this out, so I’m mentioning it here now in case any of you have heard of such a thing: rose vinegar for sunburns. Some gals in the natural herbal section of the blogosphere are praising it’s benefits. I am definitely going to try it. [...]