It’s the California stack, or sometimes referred to as the California lean.

And no, I’m not making a political reference to West Coast politics.

The California stack is the name given to a method of loading nursery stock inside semi-tractor trailers. Nursery plants are tightly stacked in rows, with each row resting on the rims of the pots on the row below it. Kind of a staggered stack.

When done properly, a trailer can be filled with thousands of plants, each one tightly packed in close to its neighbors, stacked from floor to ceiling, all arranged in such a way that the whole load can safely ride thousands of miles to its final destination... ….

We recently traveled to San Francisco to visit our son, Cooper.

I think I’ve mentioned this previously; our son has been working as a traveling nurse for a little over a year now. San Francisco has been his home since last November. Getting out to see him and taking some time to check out San Francisco has been on our radar since he has been there, but it took until this past summer to make it happen.. ….

Sometimes I get to see really cool things. Last week was one of those times. I just got back from Monrovia Nursery Company’s Oregon growing location. It’s nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley south of Portland, a beautiful area made up of hazelnut orchards, blueberry farms, grass seed fields, and lots of other nursery plant growers. ….

There were several annual events growing up that were part a staple part of our church and the surrounding community...the watermelon feed, the fall bazaar, and my favorite, the ice cream social.

Those ice cream socials are a distant memory, but a couple of weeks ago, I got a chance to relive a little bit of that past.

A childhood friend of mine reached out recently to see if I’d be willing to participate in an ice cream social she was coordinating for her folk’s retirement home, asking me if I’d be willing to help out by bringing a batch of my mom’s peppermint ice cream….

It was supposed to be a pool party, but the rain changed that.

The crowd slowly built. The women congregated around the kitchen island, and the guys hung out on the back porch... both groups keeping dry and out of the rain. Eventually, we all came together and enjoyed a large potluck spread, and in between showers, we ventured out onto the patio and enjoyed the cool weather. The day didn’t go exactly as we planned, but you’ve got to be flexible with these things.

Of course, I’m talking about this past July 4… Independence Day… 250th edition... ..…

It started with Otis about a year and a half ago.

Then, Piper moved in last summer.

I’m not talking about pets or relatives that won’t leave… these are my sourdough starters!

Otis came from a friend… isn’t that how these things always start?! The gifted starter wasn’t named Otis at that time; that was my doing. My wife didn’t agree with that decision, but despite her protest, the name remains.. ..…

Rain.

We’ve seen a lot of rain in the last few weeks.

Given the dry weather we so frequently experience, I hate complaining about getting rain...but man, we could sure use a break!

The rain has been excessive at times, and unfortunately, as we all know so well, it often comes packaged in intense thunderstorms.

I slept through the one that came through the other night, but I’m not sure how. The damage it left behind was clear evidence that it was an intense one. In our neighborhood, and neighborhoods all over town, it looked like a hurricane had come through. Trees and branches littered yards and streets. ..…

I was caught by surprise when my son stepped out of the house and into the back yard.

I was expecting my wife.

She’d been gone for a couple days, traveling for work and she was due to be home at any time. I was expecting her. I was hanging out with some friends in the back yard when she got home. With all the fancy new apps we have on our phones, I could tell the garage door had just opened and ..…

I’ve been hitting the trails over at the Governor’s mansion recently. If you’ve never been, you should...they’re pretty cool!

There’s a surprising amount of topography...so you’ll get one heck of a workout...but there’s also a tremendous amount of diversity. There’s prairie, woodlands, rocky hill tops, deep bottom ground, rocky ledges, small creeks, a pond, and all kinds of plant and animal life. And there are trails winding through all of it...…

I learned a new word the other day, screenager. 

If you look that one up, you’ll find it says a screenager is a young person who spends a lot of time watching television, on a computer, or on a smartphone. Ok, makes sense. 

But apparently, as I found out, you don’t have to be a young person to be a screenager.

Our son, Cooper, was back home for the recent Easter holiday. While back in the areas, he spent a few nights in Kansas City, hanging out with one of his old roommates.  

Apparently, during one of their conversations,..…

Spring is officially here... I think!

Hot one day, cold the other, and somewhere in between are some springlike days to enjoy. Hopefully, there are a lot of those to come!

Back and forth weather. It’s frustrating, but it’s just the way things go around here; the trend is in the right direction.

Unfortunately, that Arctic blast a few weeks ago did a real number on our early spring blooms. I look forward to that wave of spring color, and I know a lot of you do too. Fortunately, it didn’t take everything, but it sure left a mark..…

Well, that was fun...not!

I expected to see a little bit more of the cold stuff before winter finally gave way, but this last blast was not what I was planning on.

But as I’m writing this, although it’s still cold out, the sun is shining, the wind has subsided, and the world is starting to feel a whole lot better. It will be behind us soon.

We get a lot of ups and downs in our weather. That’s just to be expected. Despite this last little round winter, things are definitely trending towards spring.

At home, I’ve got my first round of veggies in the garden, and I’m making plans to.…

I hate moles.

Ok, maybe hate is a strong word...but they definitely aren’t my favorite!

I tolerate a little bit their activity, but when they push it too far...it’s game on!

Around here, controlling moles is my responsibility. At home too. And I’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Growing up, I watched my dad set mole traps all over the yard. We lived out in the country, and.…

Spring is coming!

Lately, it’s felt like it’s already upon us, but then I look at the calendar, and I’m reminded, we still have a way to go...and I know we’re going to have to deal with a little more of the cold stuff before we’re in the clear.

But it still feels good!

The spring-like weather has been lining up nicely with my days off, and I’ve been taking.…

When I was in college, I had a part-time job taking care of the plants inside the local Holidome.

Remember the old Holidomes? They had a large atrium in the center of the building that housed a swimming pool, mini-golf course, a tiki bar, and lots and lots of tropical foliage. It was a mini jungle oasis in the heart of the building.

Well, all those plants needed to be cared for, and that’s where I came in.…

And speaking of normal routine, my sourdough bread baking has become just that. For about a year now, I have been cranking out something from my sourdough starter, “Otis”, pretty much every weekend. It’s become my new routine, and I’ve really been enjoying doing it.

As I’ve gained experience, the bread has gotten better. I’ve also expanded my creations to include biscuits, English muffins, pizza crusts, and dinner rolls. I’ve still got plenty of room for improvement, but so far, nothing’s gone to waste!…

Read on for a special message from Cameron …

The Holiday decorating has begun! …At home, that is.

The outdoors has always been my responsibility...the Christmas lights, the winter porch pots, and maybe a little fresh garland on the mailbox...and of course, the Christmas tree. Technically, that one’s inside, but it starts outside. It’s mine, too. I put it in the stand, I set it up in the living room, and then I add the lights.

Kim does the rest... all the rest!

But that changed a little bit this year. This past week, we tag-teamed on all the winter porch pots for the first time. I filled them with arrangements of fresh cut greens, and then she came in with all the decorative accessories to finish them off... pinecones, berries, ornamental balls, jingle bells, and the occasional LED light spray.! …

For the last two months, we were all waiting for the weather to catch up with the calendar. It was way too warm for fall, wasn’t it?

But finally, it arrived.

The last couple of weeks have given us the fall we hadn’t seen yet...frosty mornings and lots of changing leaf color.

It seemed like it was never going to arrive, and now, it’s all but gone. Did you catch any of it?!

Fall color, like so many things in our gardens, doesn’t just wait around until you have time to enjoy it. So often, like this year, it comes and goes quickly, all the changes compressed into a few short weeks. If you don’t pay attention, you can miss it! …

It was a full-on blizzard, I was in Kansas City, and it was time for me to head home.

This was the scene 29 years ago.

It was late October, and one of the earliest snowstorms on record had moved in while I was presenting a talk to the Johnson County Master Gardeners.

It was just raining when I arrived in KC. The temperature was above freezing...but just barely. The weatherman had predicted the precipitation, and he had said the temps were going to be hovering around the freezing mark, but I don’t remember a lot of talk about snow…