Sylvan Sauntering & Such

For nearly two years, I wrote a regular newspaper column (pro-bono) named “PlantLife“.

A play on words, I generally wrote about plants (or things that grow) combined with some insight or reflection on how one could choose to live their life. It was a very therapeutic process and I received a lot of positive feedback from readers throughout Southern Maine.

I used a pen name / email alias for this project that I thought described my purpose well; “Sylvan Sauntering” Sylvan meaning something of, relating to, or inhabiting the woods and sauntering (one of Henry Thoreau’s favorite words) meaning to walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort. Coincidentally (or not) Sylvan is also the name of the street where I currently live.

A few examples of my column can be found here – linked back to my previous blog site Rants, Raves and Riots – which I began writing in <gasp> 2004 … using a mallet, chisel and stone tablet.

• PlantLife Column: Looking past the bloom. With summer now in full swing, the “Red Dot” clearance of perennials who may have ‘lost their bloom’ is now on. Carts filled with browned, drooping plants whose only fault was getting placed at the back of the line need your help.

• PlantLife Column: There’s no place, like the right place. It can take years or it can happen instantly. But when you find the right place, it’s something special.

• PlantLife Column: Sacrificial Mums. FYI. The mums you just spent $30 for are NOT meant to be One-Hit-Wonders. Plant them, for goodness sake.

• PlantLife Column: Take my trees…please!  Just like comedian Henny Youngman and his wife, I have a love/hate relationship with the trees located on my property.

• PlantLife Column: Learning to Let it Bee. Understanding that bees are a critical component of our ecosystem does little to supplant the simple fact that getting stung by a bee hurts – a lot!