I've been away for a couple of weeks on a beautiful Catholic pilgrimage in Assisi. It's always been our dream to visit Rome and Assisi. Everything aligned, and Bill, Claire and I went for ten days with Fr. Cory Stanley and the good people of Prince of Peace Parish in Altus and St. Helen in Frederick, Oklahoma. Fr. Stanley lived in Rome for several years, and he was a great spiritual guide, who could also speak Italian. Fr. Joseph Schwarz was our other wonderful spiritual guide. Our main tour guide was Alessandro Pietro Gaj. He and Luciano, our fantastic, amazing bus driver, made our trip the best it could be. The tour company is 206 Tours, and they specialize in pilgrimages. I can't say enough nice things about this company. Bill and Claire on the plane to Assisi and Rome. We were very excited even if they don't look like...

Guess what! I'm doing another book giveaway with the help of Chronicle Books and Erin Benzakein of Floret Farm.  I love Erin's work. Don't know Erin? Well, where have you been? She's an extremely popular flower farmer, cut-flower style setter, mother, seed purveyor, and so much more. Erin's Instagram account boasts 389,000 + followers. Can you say, "Wow!? I was so happy to help out with her blog book tour. I mean, just looking at these photos is like taking a vacation to Skagit Valley, Washington, one of my favorite places on Earth. “I have found tremendous joy in growing and sharing seasonal flowers and foliage. My hope is that my book will help others discover this joy and provide practical information to grow the garden of their dreams.” Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books and Erin Benzakein. Since my blog is very photo driven, I asked for a photo essay, and Chronicle Books sent...

When I posted about February garden chores last week, I mentioned a Fiskars garden tool giveaway. I finally got the photos ready, and now I can share it with you. I wrote for Fiskars for several years until I wrote my book, The 20-30 Something Garden Guide: A No-Fuss, Down and Dirty, Gardening 101 for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Stuff. I had to then focus upon book promotion. I still love the people at Fiskars, and they are always so kind to send products to my readers and me. Thank you Fiskars! Note: This post contains affiliate links so that I get a small commission if you buy a tool. These small commissions make it possible to pay for blog hosting and other trivial things. No, I don't get rich from blogging. Far from it. Ha! My favorite Fiskars garden tool hands down, or hands up in this case, are my...

February has decided it's March, and so the late winter season waltzes on into spring. Many years ago, I read Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott, wherein Lamott's father told her the only way to accomplish anything--including writing a book--was "bird by bird." So, as I do my garden chores, I will do them bit by bit, bed by bed, or bird by bird. Bird by bird sounds much more pleasant, doesn't it? Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. I could wait until March to do many of these garden chores. We will have more cold weather, but my garden broke dormancy and is growing whether I like it or not. I might as well get ahead of the game. Let's get started: Clear away dead perennial foliage. My garden is mostly perennial plants. I leave their dead stems remaining all winter partly because small...