At Home on Holly Creek

Summer is synonymous with fireflies–nature’s quiet, light show. Fond childhood memories often include catching fireflies on summer evenings, while running barefoot in lush, green lawns. I hold these memories dear as our family sat on the porch and in lawn chairs conversing after dark, while us kids ran around the yard chasing lightning bugs. Wanting to keep mine a while longer, I put them in a glass jar to sit atop my bedside table. With my parents’ help, we poked holes in the jar lid, giving...

Along Holly Creek, we never know what wild animals we’ll see next. During a recent dinner, my husband glanced out the window, and asked, “What are those?” There were five small creatures, heads down, rooting around in the grass beneath several trees. I headed outside and discovered they were young armadillos. I walked toward them without any trouble as they were busy foraging for food. Since armadillos can’t see or hear well it was easy to get a look, closeup.

Standing only a few feet away, I...

This no-sew project is ready to wear in minutes. It's easy to transform a pair of jeans into a durable work apron. The back portion of the jeans becomes the apron front. Denim jeans make ideal aprons for gardeners, carpenters, and woodworkers too. Kids love helping and wearing their own aprons too.

The only supplies needed to make this simple apron are denim jeans and sewing scissors.

Directions:

1. Select a pant size that fits comfortably at the waist.

2. Cut both legs off the jeans above the...

Luna, the beautiful, large moth is soft, light green in color with intriguing round spots on its wings that resemble eyes or moons to scare predators away. Luna means moon. This moth is aptly named as it flies beneath the moon at night. Their long, tapered tails twist slightly at the ends.

It is a rare and spectacular occurrence to see a live Luna moth. I typically see one each summer. I saw one yesterday in our rock garden. Here’s a nature journal entry I wrote fifteen plus years ago about my...

Your lawn and garden can be beautiful and beneficial, providing sources of nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinators. Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder. Living in the countryside, our idea of a perfect, beautiful lawn is one that supports and nourishes the plants, animals, and people. We enjoy living in a healthy environment and admiring the wildflowers that appear in the meadow.

Bees are buzzing around the abundant show of wildflowers in our landscape this spring. Dandelions,...

Easter Cactus is a vibrant, springtime star, with lovely star-shaped flowers. The Easter Cactus also known as Spring Cactus blooms from March until May. Its flowers open at sunrise and close at sunset. Even though the Easter Cactus isn’t as popular as the holiday favorite, Easter Lily, it’s a beauty, and easy to grow indoors with adequate light. Available in an array of brilliant orange, violet, fuchsia, white, or red blooming varieties, the potted Easter Cactus adds early bursts of spring...

Tangy and Sweet Blender Beverage

This delicious mocktail was inspired by the beautiful blood moon, during blood orange and strawberry season. Moro oranges give this beverage a deep red color, and a hint of raspberry flavor, mingled with orange.

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

cups strawberries, hulled and diced

2 Moro (blood) oranges, peeled and quartered

T. lime juice

1/8 cup raw honey

1/8 teaspoon stevia powder, drops of liquid stevia or other sweetener, to taste

1/2 T. rum extract

6 ice cubes...

It’s no surprise, cheerful daffodil blooms symbolize new beginnings, birth, joy, and happiness. Their presence in the bleakness of winter reminds us to have hope. Daffodils are sometimes called jonquils, narcissus, and buttercups.

Here’s a list of 10 things we love about growing daffodils, our favorite, late winter, early spring flowers.

1. It’s the first bright, cheerful flower to burst forth on the winter landscape, reminding us that spring will come sooner than later. No wonder it’s the...

Mini chocolate and peanut butter cups are the perfect size to pop in your mouth. I love chocolate peanut butter cups, but I also love dark chocolate. Since I can't find any peanut butter cups with dark chocolate at the stores, I make my own melt in your mouth, sweet treats. While I was at it, I tweaked the ingredients, giving it a healthy, yet luscious makeover. Here's my recipe.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

Yield: 1 dozen mini cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unrefined, virgin coconut oil

...

If you build a cabin in the country, groundhogs will build burrows underneath and move in. When you aren’t looking, the sneaky critters will steal the leaf mulch from your flower beds and line their beds underground.

Before you know it, spring will arrive. Mama groundhog and her babies will run around your yard, nibbling on this and that. They’ll eat all the sunflower seeds from the dish you set out for the adorable chipmunk.

Then one of Mama’s young’uns...

The legendary band of “Four Thieves” of centuries long ago, were said to give the world an effective way to ward off illness despite their ill deeds. While we don’t consult a band of thieves for wellness advice, this method is a well-known exception.

But first, the Legend of the “Four Thieves.”

During a Bubonic Plague outbreak in France in the early 1400s, a band of thieves robbed anything of value from people dying of the plague. The precautions they took before robbing kept them from...

Wait! Don’t toss that used Christmas tree in the trash. Fresh cut, evergreen trees can be repurposed to enhance wildlife and our natural environment. Only recycle natural, untreated trees, free of flocking, fake snow, scents, and chemicals. Before donating your used tree, it is important to remove any hooks, lights, garlands, and decorations.

Reduce waste and help the environment. Choose a doable option from the following list. Then, check your local news...

Crisp, spicy, and sweet gingersnaps are the perfect cookie to enjoy along with a glass of milk or a mug of your favorite coffee. This month, my husband is on a gingersnaps kick, daily dunking his cookies in coffee. But why stop there? The spicy warmth of ginger, the holiday scent of cinnamon, and the deep, rich yet sweet infusion of molasses yields a festive flavor when added to a variety of foods.

Whether you make your own gingersnap cookies, or buy a bag, here’s a few wonderful ways to perk...

Decorating an evergreen tree with edible treats for wild birds is a fun winter project. It’s a great opportunity to watch the wild birds in your area, while they feed before you. If there’s a handsome evergreen tree begging to be decorated in your yard, you can easily start an annual tradition the whole family will enjoy.

Here are a few ways to find a tree for this cute project, if your yard lacks a majestic evergreen–

• Visit a local farm market or garden center–many give unsold, cut trees...

Before dipping a soup spoon in your bowl, let’s delve into the history of Brunswick Stew–long enjoyed by hunters and royalty. There are as many versions of Brunswick stew as there are stories about its origin. Brunswick County, Virginia claims to have created the stew in the 1800s during a hunting excursion. It contained squirrel and was prepared outdoors over an open fire. While the ingredients may vary from one region to another, one thing is common, a combination of meats is typically used...

Woolly Bear sounds like a cuddly, furry stuffed animal, but it’s the name of a real, live insect–a fuzzy, banded caterpillar. This bristly caterpillar is about two inches long. It is recognized by its three distinct color bands–black, rust, and black.

It’s not venomous and doesn’t sting, but some people develop an irritating rash after touching the caterpillar’s bristles. So be careful.

In fall you may see it during the day, feeding on plants, preparing to hibernate.

Woolly Bear caterpillars...

Once the foliage on maple, oak, gingko, birch, poplar, sweetgum, sumac, hickory, and sassafras trees have finished their showy display of autumn colors, they fall to the ground. Then comes the decision–what to do with all those fallen leaves?

Leaves are beneficial to the environment in many ways. Instead of bagging up fallen leaves and sending them to a landfill, consider this.

Fallen leaves provide winter shelter and food for bumble bees, butterflies and moths, beetles, millipedes, and...

This feature showcases an award winning middle-grade book and its author. Susan Thogerson Maas won a Cascade Award for Best Middle-Grade Book for her book, Abbie's Woods: Defending the Nest. We share a book review, and an opportunity to get acquainted with its author in a Q&A.

Featured Book Review of Abbie's Woods: Defending the Nest

Middle-grade readers, teens and adults will resonate with the many facets of Abbie's Woods. The main character cherishes the beloved woods behind her house...

Scarecrows are synonymous with fall. Surrounded by an autumnal palette of colorful leaves, pumpkins, Indian corn, gourds, mums, and more, a scarecrow complements the seasonal decorations. My ideal scarecrow face is cheerful, one that brings a smile to my face. Scarecrows are fall’s signature smiley faces. So, let’s make a scarecrow to welcome guests this fall.

Scarecrow Making Event and Contest

During our homeschooling years, our family hosted a Scarecrow Making Event and Contest. It was...

Spiders, spiders everywhere you look, they’re building webs, making bold appearances. Sometimes in the most unusual and unwanted places. It’s like they’re begging me to feature them. So, I’ll share my recent sightings.

Opening the back door of my car this week, I discovered a spider web inside, extending from one side to the other, and a small spider, busy at work. Orb weavers have built a web just above our hummingbird feeder at the edge of the covered deck. Yesterday, I was about to place...