Bee Cool

As befitting a farm started by two city slickers, we’ve got another possible town/country rivalry set to start. This one is about bees. Remember back in late March I told you Hector Alvarez of Hector’s Bees had decided our lavender fields were a good place to place some of his hives. One book on Sonoma calls Hector "a gentle man who smells of honey." That's...

Pond Life. Pond Rules.

There’s a new sheriff in town at Lake Charles, the little man-made lake we built on our property. His name is John the Baptist. His commanding officer is Mother Nature. There is no argument. No discussion. Things are done their way. Let me backtrack. Those of you who have been reading a while know about Lake Charles. It’s a completely man-made pond and waterfall built in a...

The Mayor of Crittertown

Guess I scared everyone away with my rattlesnake post. Heck, I scared myself away as it’s been a week since I’ve been able to post! But let’s just catch everyone up on other non-rattlesnake critter news, shall we? Because, everything we’re commissioning in Sonoma is increasing the critter count tenfold. Just call me The Mayor of Crittertown. The most exciting...

Miwoks, Waterfalls and a John Muir Momen...

If you’ve watched the excellent Ken Burns’ documentary series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, you must be a John Muir fan. As the father of conservation and the idea of a park conservancy, John Muir figured prominently in the series as an irresistible American original (although he was born a Scot). A true ecstatic, John Muir’s best description in the...

Miscellanea: Kitchens, Carrots and Sweet...

Native bees mating. This post contains a bit of real news and some wrapping up of recent loose ends. First of all, the kitchen back in the house in San Francisco. It’s going through a complete overhaul. Yes, we do it once every 27 years, whether it needs it or not. Beside the Spring chores, this overhaul is one of the reasons I’ve fled the City and am living up in Sonoma...

Dispatches From the War on Terrorism

Yes, we are doing our part here on the Sonoma home front. Our enemy is insidious, all but invisible and skilled in taking advantage of our own resources to further his evil plans. Of course, I’m talking about non-Native plant invaders who are encroaching on our little piece of Sonoma paradise. But our defenses are marshalled. At the risk of a pun, I’ll add that we have a...