Happy Birthday, Paul Whelan
“BIRTHDAYS” submitted by Rosemary and Ed Whelan The years roll by, but the one date every year which stays in one’s mind, whether young or old, is one’s birthday. Imagine being in a Gulag/Penal Colony in Russia, knowing that at least your family will send cards in plenty of time for your birthday. Paul loves […]
Gallon Milk Jug Winter Seed Sowing
See related Guest Editorial on growing native plants in your yard. by Margaret Shaw People have been doing this for a long time and it’s catching on. There are many articles online to read and learn about this easy method to start perennial seeds that require a cold spell. It jump-starts success and quicker inexpensive […]
January 2024 Gardening Advice
submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill As I sat down to write this, I had the song “All I Have to Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers going through my head. Probably because right now, that seems like all I can do about my gardens. While we are certainly not getting typical Michigan winter […]
December 2023 Gardening Advice
submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill As the year comes to an end, I am taking the proverbial look back on everything I have (and have not) accomplished. That includes, of course, looking at how things went in my garden. On that front, it was a pretty good year. I didn’t have the chipmunk problems […]
November 2023 Gardening Advice
submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill Isn’t Michigan weather fun?! Last Friday, had you come by the store, you might have seen me out back, painting our new back door. I was lamenting the fact that I was wearing jeans — I would have been more comfortable in shorts! Saturday morning found me putting on […]
Michigan Music: Larry Groce — “Junk Food Junkie” and much more
by Steve Girbach So why does an article, or in this case an interview, about “Michigan Music” feature a musician who was born and raised in Texas, moved to New York after graduating college, and finally settled in West Virginia after performing there as a “Musician-in-Residence” sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts? Glad […]
October 2023 Gardening Advice
submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill Did somebody forget to tell Mother Nature that it’s October? The temperatures seem more like August right now, and I hear that the predictions for this winter are for it to be milder and drier than normal. I do worry when our winters are “mild” that the insects and […]
September 2023 Gardening Advice
submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill Do you remember the “Pushmi-Pullyu” creature from Doctor Doolittle? It was supposed to be a cross between a gazelle and a unicorn, but it had two heads (though in the movie, it looked more like a two-headed llama). One of the creatures in the Doctor’s group of animals, upon […]
July 2023 Gardening Advice

submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill I can’t tell you how much I appreciated the rain we saw at the beginning of this week! We all could have done without the high winds and other extremes that came with the rain (or the power outages for many), but I, for one, was super happy to […]
June 2023 Gardening Advice
submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill Here are some things to do in order to stay at least somewhat ahead of the game this month: In the veggie garden: The main thing we all need to be doing right now is watering. Everything. Constantly. That may be a slight exaggeration, but only a slight one. […]