Category Archives: Porch Swing

Spring Inspiration

Posted on March 19, 2010 | 4 comments

Spring is almost upon us. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Vernal Equinox will officially occur Saturday, March 20, at 17:32 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This corresponds to 1:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time, and 10:30 am on the West Coast.

During the twice-yearly Equinox,  the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, and the Sun is vertically above a point on the Equator. (The name “equinox” comes from the Latin for the words “equal” and “night — on these days night and day are approximately the same length.)

In my neck of the woods, the sun has begun to shine warmly and flowers have shot up above ground. Here’s hoping for a pretty, play-filled spring where you are.

As always, at times of seasonal change, I turn to the haiku poets to help give gentle expression to the turning of the year.

Now wild geese return …
What draws them
Crying, crying
All the long dark night?

-Roka

From my tiny roof
Smooth … Soft …
Still-White Snow
Melts in Melody

-Issa

Good morning, sparrow …
Writing on my
clean veranda
with your dewy feet

-Shiki

Opening thin arms …
A pink peony
Big as this!
Said my bitty girl

-Issa

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Deck Garden, Nature, Odes, Porch Swing, Seasons, The Great Outdoors

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Who Brought you to Gardening?

Posted on February 24, 2010 | 13 comments

As a wonderful treat yesterday, I awoke to a lovely post on my friend Alison Kerr’s blog, Loving Nature’s Garden. Alison is a very talented observer of the natural world. From her, I’ve learned all about birds, flowers, and critters; ideas for getting myself and others outdoors; and Alison’s special relationship with her own Kansas habitat, which she shares with a great deal of wisdom and humor. And did I mention how thorough she is?

Her new post is about all the people who have influenced her to be a gardener, a wonderful trail back to her grandfather who bought baby leeks, her grandmothers who made rhubarb pie and grew wildflowers, and her mother who grew improbably warm-weather crops in Scotland. All these threads of course led to Alison’s own love of gardening and the way it connects her to family members who came before. It is a beautiful piece, with great pictures of everyone, and of course it led to a flood of hearfelt comments from readers sharing their own memories of the people who influenced them to love getting their hands dirty and growing things.

She got me thinking about my own gardening heritage, which I shared:

My family has always grown something, on patios and decks, in windowboxes and raised beds. At 9 we moved from an apartment to an old house that miraculously had a greenhouse, great beds and soil, and wonderful sun. My mom grew beautiful roses and spent lots of time lovingly cutting and arranging them. She had long, pretty fingers and I can still picture them tending to her roses.

My dad and I took to the greenhouse, to propagate and experiment. Into the beds went cucumbers, tomatoes, marigolds, zinnias, and other cheery and fairly easy flowers. My dad worked hard at his job and gardening was a way to spend relaxing, fascinating time together.

I still always grow something, now with my own daughter. I love sowing the seeds, watching new shoots come in. Our shadier spot is home to peas, lettuce, pansies, cosmos, and tulips that are just coming up now.

I really appreciate Alison’s continuing inspiration and her getting me to think about who brought me to gardening, which I probably would not have done without the prompt. (Such can be the beauty of the internet.) I recommend you take a look at Loving Nature’s Garden, and visit often. There’s always a link to it on my front page.

My mom was also an avid photographer. The rose pictures are ones she took of her garden.

Here is my dad with a prized cucumber from a fruitful growing season.

And here we are celebrating together.

Photos by Bunnie Sachs

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Posted in Deck Garden, Porch Swing, The Great Outdoors, Tributes

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Snapshot: Spring is Just Around the Corner

Posted on February 18, 2010 | 6 comments

With apologies to those who are still buried in snow, I’ve really been feeling it lately — the first blush of spring. A few warm spots of sun, trees beginning to bud and even flower.

Sweet, small goldfinches called from this cherry tree. Petals sprinkled from a plum tree on our street. Acacia trees have been blooming with bright yellow. There seems to be new life all around.

Not long now ..

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Deck Garden, Nature, Porch Swing, Seasons, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors

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The Great Backyard Bird Count

Posted on February 15, 2010 | 10 comments

On Saturday, some friends and I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count, a 4-day event that is winding down today. We had great fun and saw lots of birds while hiking around the Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds in San Rafael, CA, a nearby place I’d never visited before! There’s still time to join this and other bird counts. In fact, they’re part of an ongoing effort by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology to track, learn about, and assist bird populations. Here is complete information about bird counts and how you can get  involved. In the meantime, enjoy our walk with us.

We immediately spotted lots of birds in the nearby trees, such as Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Red-Winged Blackbirds, House Wrens, and these Finches, both male (top) and female.

The large ponds were teeming with bird life, both on water and in the trees. It was amazing what I could see in the trees with binoculars. It was as if a hidden world opened up. There were birds everywhere — white glints of gulls, herons, and egrets.  (I admit I’m not sure what kinds. My friends, and their kids, were all much better classifiers than me.) Flocks of Canada Geese flew by and we did our best to count/guess how many there were.

In the water were Avocets, and these graceful Black-Necked Stilts.

Plenty of ducks and geese swam by and called noisily to one another. Ducks we spotted included the poetically named Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Ruddy Duck, and, of course, the lovely emerald-headed Mallard.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Red-winged Blackbird. It took me a moment to register the bright orange-red color on the tops of their wings. These seem in repose, watching a duck.

We found a great stand of trees, hosting lots of bird life. (Quickly moving bird life, that seemed to sense when you were closing in with a camera, before flying away.) We were able to identify Robins and these Western Bluebirds.

I quietly followed this Great Egret for a while. I liked the way he mozeyed down the trail, taking his time (Slow Egret?), before sticking his neck out.

This tree was full of noisy, cheery blackbirds.

You can listen to a group of blackbirds, seemingly signaling spring.

 

The tally for the Bird Count got entered online. As of mid-day Monday, there had been 46,912 checklists submitted, 553 species observed, and 4,531,433 individual birds counted. In a little over an hour, we contributed 170 birds in 24 species to the list in order to help the Bird Count get a snapshot of bird activity over a busy, migrating weekend in February.

As for me, the activity really whet my appetite to do more bird watching and counting. Who knows? One day I might be able to identify those white birds in the trees.

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

You might like these other citizen science projects.

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Posted in Deck Garden, Field Trip, Nature, Porch Swing, The Great Outdoors

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Join the Great Backyard Bird Count this Weekend

Posted on February 10, 2010 | 4 comments

I am very excited about the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology‘s upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count. It takes place Friday-Monday, February 12-15, all over North America. Anyone can participate, even if you only have 15 minutes and are completely new to birding.

Here’s how it works: You can pick a spot to go watch birds (a backyard, a park, a trail, a marsh, or anywhere you think birds might be) or you can join an organized event. You can download a very thorough check list of birds that are likely to be seen in your area. You record the birds that you see and then go home and either send in your checklist or enter the names and numbers in online.

There are lots more tips about counting and recording birds, tricky identifications, binoculars, and much more on BirdSource’s Great Backyard Bird Count page. The site also features recordings of bird sounds and more activities for kids.

The All About Birds site has beautiful photos and information that can help you identify birds. These are the top 10 birds that were reported during the count last year.

So, why count birds in the first place, and why now? The Cornell Ornithology Lab, the Audubon Society and others use the information from the annual February count to track the health of various bird species over time and, in some cases, take steps to protect them. Mid-February has proven a good time to count, as it occurs just before the major Spring migrations. If you find you like counting, you can actually help year-round on various projects.

Last year 11,558,638 individual birds were reported by more than 100,000 people. This year you could be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Photos: Painted Bunting and Green Honeycreeper by Doug Janson, Flame Colored Tanager by Jerry Oldenettel, Blue Jay: Creative Commons, Northern Spotted Owl by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Deck Garden, Field Trip, Nature, Porch Swing, The Great Outdoors

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Happy Six-month Anniversary to Slow Family Online

Posted on September 13, 2009 | 4 comments

cottage-roses

After much contemplation, writing, photographing, observing, and living, Slow Family Online began exactly six months ago. It started by using the model of the Front Porch, as a way to encourage people to literally take a break from busy lives, sit, breathe, share, craft, play, and watch the kinds of activities in nature that one might enjoy from a front porch rocker.

maine-deck

Six months ago, I posted about my burgeoning deck garden in spring; the nesting robins; our traditional milkman; and my discovery of Facebook, which has since led to a wonderful extended community of far-flung friends in Australia, Canada, New York, Seattle, and even closer by who I just don’t see often but can now keep up with somewhat regularly.

In addition to being a forum for observation, expression and tips, Slow Family Online has also quickly become a community. Longtime friends and new readers from as far away as Swaziland, Italy and the United Arab Emirates have exchanged tips and comments on subjects ranging from nostalgia, childhood, biking and books to gardening, sustainability, and cheese.

I thank everyone for contributing to the richness of this site, and I hope many more will continue to do so.

amdream-tulippshop2

Just today, Slow Family Online passed 3,500 visitors. By far the most popular post remains my rundown of Tulips in the deck garden — and it is just about the time again to browse tulip catalogs and garden centers, to choose the most promising bulbs and refrigerate them for planting later this fall.

What else has been popular? My instructions on how to make a tie-dyed laundry bag, my ode to our milkman, our trip to the local tidepools in June, tips for riding San Francisco’s famed cable cars, the cheese reviews, the newborn deer, the Baroque Pearl perfume launch, and, I’m happy to report, the linked blog sites of friends.

What are some ways people find us? Some subscribe on Google Reader, some follow Slow Family on Facebook and Twitter, some regularly stop in, and others are seeking specific information via search engines. Some of the most interesting search-engine terms people have used to arrive at this web site include:

Daffodil hunter, world’s smallest deer, largest lettuce, retro flower, balsamic vinegar, erotic tulip, extreme tulip, bee gardening, pumpkin container, daydreams, red things, white trails on lettuce, helicopter parents, old filing cabinet, silk screen, sea squirts, starfish, delphinium seeds, signal flower of love, sweet peas and trains, repurpose old T-shirt, folding bike, gouda slice, movie themed cupcakes, western themed cupcakes, Italy TV dinner, tulip mania, Pugs Leap Farm, processed cheese, Pullman porters, caveman blue, milk delivery, perseid meteor Brooklyn, gold country fair pigs, Irish bar end of cable car route, vintage swing nightgown, fondant cake, pear brandy, perfumers box, cheese winner, victorian ad, fisherman’s wharf, do locals take cable cars, hand sewing, coast starlight, peach fruit, and the rather poetic undersea world.

tidestarfish

What’s in Slow Family Online’s future? More seasonal and holiday ideas and rituals; fun crafts, activities and observations; ideas for slowing down and gaining quality time; news about sustainability and the greater Slow Movement; garden, nature and city fun; and community among other readers who have similar values and desires regarding the quality of family and neighborhood life.

Slow Family Online is on Facebook, too, as a way of extending the conversation. Please let me know if you’re inspired, curious, dubious, or just have something to add.

Warm regards, Suz

fall-leaf

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Community, Deck Garden, Porch Swing

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Northern Spotted Owls Welcome us Home

Posted on August 6, 2009 | 4 comments

owl1

Our family just completed a wonderful road trip to Portland Oregon, with stops at the Drive-Thru Redwood Tree, near Leggett, CA; the historic Victorian houses of Eureka, CA; the Rogue Valley Creamery in Central Point, OR, the Enchanted Florist chocolate tasting bar in Ashland, OR; and numerous diners, coffee houses, sushi bars, vintage stores, bookstores,and fun neighborhoods along the way.

Many photos of our trip will be forthcoming.

When we drove back into our driveway, an owl swooped over our car, we believe to a nesting place in redwoods near our house. We stopped the car and quietly got out, to see two owls perched in a nearby tree. We stayed with them a bit, and one came even closer and sat on the railing of our front porch. He seemed especially interested in Anna — we didn’t know if it was her light blue shirt or her lightness of spirit.

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owl3

We all just watched them (and they us). It was amazing to be that close to an owl, and I wondered if it would ever happen again. The owl’s eyes were huge, black and blinking. He/she really did look wizened. The feathers formed a beautiful pattern. The whole head swiveled to see things.

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While we were watching, the largest (and closest) owl coughed up a whole pellet of a mouse or other rodent! It was large, black and wet.

We figured the owls had become comfortable in our absence, and hoped they’d continue to make our home theirs. (We’d seen Northern Spotted Owls before, in summer, but they never seemed to linger.)

Since seeing our owls, we’ve learned that they are on the government’s Endangered Species List, with fewer than 1,500 pairs left in their habitat, the Pacific Northwest, from Northern California through British Columbia. They thrive in old-growth forests that offer a combination of redwoods, cedar, and fir, and those are fairly rare, with many having been lost to logging. (So, indeed, this is the same owl that was made famous by logging/environmentalist feuds.) Marin County is said to be relatively dense with Northern Spotted Owls.

Update: We saw the owls again, a couple days later, still watching Anna. Perhaps they’ve nested here!

owl4

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Nature, Porch Swing, Road Trip, Sustainability, The Great Outdoors

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Snapshot 2

Posted on July 18, 2009 | Leave a comment

Clouds at dusk. Mill Valley. July 18, 2009.

clouds2

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Nature, Porch Swing, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors

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Snapshot

Posted on July 18, 2009 | Leave a comment

Altocumulus Clouds. Mill Valley. July 18, 2009.

clouds1

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Nature, Porch Swing, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors

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Happy Summer!

Posted on June 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

bubble1

If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, it’s already happened. Summer solstice clocked this year at 5:45 Greenwich Mean Time on June 21 — a bit after midnight on America’s east coast, and 9:45 last night on the west.

The longer days and warmer temperatures, and (if we’re lucky) looser schedules just tend to bring on a sense of relaxation. Our shoulders drop a little and our lungs expand. In Summer, the sun kisses our faces and causes our children’s heights to spurt. It’s the season of wearing less clothing; leaving work earlier; seeing good friends more often, eating fresh, tree-ripened fruit; and spending nights playing games or gazing at stars. In summer, time moves just a little more slowly.

In the Bay Area, unusually warm weather brought out a large crowd at a neighborhood Friday night barbeque and music event called Creekside, where we caught up with old friends at picnic tables by a meandering creek. Yesterday, my daughter and I walked to our errands and bought lemonade from a local stand.

I wish you all a happy, relaxed, fulfilled, sensual Summer, as you enjoy warmth, family, friends, time, nature, play, and maybe a joyful activity or two that somehow gets squeezed out of a typical year.

sun-tea

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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