Hello Fellow Readers, One of the greatest gifts of Christmas is spending time with loved ones. I’ve just returned from visiting lifelong friends that live outside of Austin. First stop was Round Top Texas where Dorothy from my college days lives. She’s an artist with a gallery r

Hello Fellow Readers, About my Christmas cactus… the one that I wrote about early in our tenure of column chats that came my way by adoption from a then husband. The cactus was neglected and riddled with old dead wood. I was able to revive it and it bloomed beautifully for many years,

Hello fellow readers, Over the weekend I participated in a Family Holiday Program for Comfort Zone Camp (CZC), a bereavement camp for kids and young adults. It’s their twentieth anniversary of serving families who have lost loved ones too early in life. The holidays are especially dif

Hello fellow readers, Tom from Tranquility NJ wonders if his Flowering Pears (Pyrus calleryana) are in trouble. “The leaves immediately turned brown right after the dump of snow and are still clinging to the trees. Does that mean the new buds haven’t yet formed?” No worries Tom, ornam

Hello fellow readers, Last week, I confess, I crumbled under the stress of racing to meet deadlines. It felt paralyzing with classic symptoms of anxiety… tight chest and labored breathing. It’s a good thing I’m in good shape, I thought to myself, so my heart can ride the race. I

Hello fellow readers, I recently learned that Boxwood Blight may be coming to town from Patrick LePore, an associate from Bartlett Tree Experts, who alerted me that it’s been found in Central New Jersey. He was on his way to our client’s Bob and Kathy of Piscataway to assess their box

Hello fellow readers, Over the weekend I enjoyed a hike along the Appalachian Trail with a longtime friend from Boonton NJ. While meandering the rocky terrain peppered with hemlock and spruce, Barbara asked why some trees are evergreen and others are not. Good question. Let’s ask the