The Iris Tectorum are exquisite this spring. Lilac and lush, with flat, fan-shaped leaves and intricate petals worthy of orchids, Tectorum are more petite than the great bearded specimens of the Tennessee state flower. The blooms in my yard look like they have been plucked from a minor Van Gogh. I suspect their current flamboyance comes courtesy … Continue reading The Flowery Language of Construction
This weekend, I lost myself in two favorite pastimes: woodworking and gardening. Both activities are a balm, lifting me out of whatever mental morass I'm stuck in and setting me in a flow, bordering on fixation. Time flies equally when I'm playing with a 20 V Max Lithium Ion cordless impact driver or a shovel. … Continue reading Wood and Flowers
Nashville may be It City with a population near a million, but sometimes it still feels like a small town. Like the other day, when I caught up with my landscape gardening friend Peter Anderson. I met Peter about a decade ago, and I still credit/blame him with sending me down my "path of construction." … Continue reading A Constant Gardener
Last summer in construction class, I built a tiny (really tiny) house to serve as a neighborhood library. I installed it in the perennial border at the end of my driveway, where at any given moment it holds an assortment of fiction and nonfiction, young adult novels, doggie poop bags for neighborhood canines, and a … Continue reading Mint to Share
Build Me Up, Buttercup 