Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Halley’s Comet, 1910
On May 26, 1910, Estelle Clements saw Halley’s Comet; she wrote in her diary, “Fine sight of comet in p.m.” It was an historic occasion to which she gave short shrift, going on to write … Read more.
Exuberant April!
Daffodils are here and they were worth the (long!) wait. The grand view through the Bosquet is really stunning right now. In this big beautiful sea of daffodils there are numerous varieties. Over the past … Read more.
Hope!
Considering the weather we have endured the past two weeks, I would say my previous post was overconfident. Spring was not here yet. I was feeling hopeful and buoyed by the sunshine. It was naive … Read more.
It’s finally spring
Could it be? Is spring finally here at long last? Yes! In the past week I have seen honey bees gathering food from spring flowers – I have seen spring flowers! Iris, primrose, daffodils, snowdrops, … Read more.
Accident on the Road to Ravenna
In the spring of 1910 Bessie and William McKee were in Italy with their daughters Marjorie and Augustine. The family had traveled on the R.M.S. Carmania from New York to Naples, where they were met … Read more.
Teasing of Spring
Snow. Again. Though I was born and raised in Rhode Island, I still find March to be a total heart breaker. February teased with beautiful sunny days. Every where I looked I could see the … Read more.
Keep Your Hands Off My Trees!
A scandal in Hazleton at the Pardee Mansion on West Broad Street was reported in the Hazleton Sentinel on December 4, circa 1900. Linesmen from the Electric Light Company were attempting to cut down some … Read more.
For the love of trees
Life as a horticulturist has changed my perspective on winter. There was a time when I felt that winter was terrible and interminable. Not anymore. Winter is an important time for those who tend gardens. … Read more.
“What New York Women Eat When They Shop”
Among Bessie’s papers in the Archives is a full-page article that she carefully cut out from the Ladies’ Home Journal, June 1909. Reading it now, 109 years later, we might think that the article was … Read more.
Field Trip – Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Greetings from Brooklyn! It is important to get out and see the world outside our own greenhouses from time to time. With the goal of gaining fresh inspiration and information, Gail, Joe, and I recently … Read more.