The special exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Memory Unearthed, The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross, is quite amazing. Henry took photographs of life in the ghetto as he was required for Nazi propaganda. But he also risked his life by bravely photographing the deplorable conditions of the ghetto and the.deportation of the Jewish people. He managed to sneak into the train station in guise of a cleaner and shot photos through a hole in a board of the wall of the store room. He shot groups of residents, who were told they were being transferred to work camps. being boarded...

We had some beautiful sunny days in Plymouth this past week and my courtyard came alive. Last Thursday my fence was lined with robins. They hung out on the fence, my outdoor fireplace and the roof of my neighbor's home just long enough for me to take some photos. I heard a ruckus at the end of the courtyard so I went around through the garage to investigate. The birds were disturbed by my presence but I saw the aftermath of their feast. The end of my courtyard is bordered by two hetzi columnar juniper trees which had been laden with dark blue juniper berries.They must have knocked...

The last week in September, I stayed at my mother’s timeshare in Provincetown. It is a small unit but beautifully situated right on the beach with a  spectacular view. I love having the time to observe and savor each moment when there are no distractions.The week usually falls around the jewish high holidays so it is also a time of self reflection. This year I was recovering from shingles and lyme disease which had invaded my body at the same time.I was still low energy and it was painful to hold my camera for long periods of time so I dedicated the week to writing. It was a good...

I remember a professional photographer asking our camera club members to send him photos prior to a workshop. The instructions included  “and, please, no photos of sunsets or your kids”. Well, I don’t care if they are mine or yours but I love children’s photos and I love sunsets. The beauty that shines through, when the photographer captures a child’s personality, is exceptional. I wish I was talented enough to photograph children! And sunsets. Obviously the photographer thought they were very trite but I could never get enough of nature’s glory. Each sunset is unique and tells...

  All of these photos were taken on August 31st, 2015. It is not the date that is important but the fact that the photos were taken on the same day which is quite remarkable to me.I have received so much joy from my garden this summer.I have had two broods of painted lady caterpillars and have had black swallowtail butterflies lay eggs in my courtyard as well. I had a Giant Swallowtail butterfly which I never had in my Lakeville garden and  are pretty rare in Massachusetts. We have had many beautiful sunny days and I will often think I might like to go to the beach or take a day trip to Cape...

Last summer I was given three heirloom tomatoe plants by Bob Feingold. I believe it was meant to be that I was at the morning minyan service the day he brought tomato plants to share. Shortly after that day, I broke a bone in my foot and didn’t get much further than my courtyard all summer so those plants became even more important to me.It was just a month after my husband died and being present in my garden  and tending my garden became very therapeutic for me.  Experiencing the every day gifts of nature was a healing environment for me. Bob writes a blog on his website. In his blog...

On June 17th I noticed tented painted lady caterpillars on my licorice plant (helichrysum petrolatum).The licorice plant is a larval plant for the painted lady butterfly.The painted lady is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world.It can be found in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Butterflies always have particular larval plants that they feed on such as milkweed for the monarch butterfly. They instinctively lay their eggs on plants that the caterpillars will eat.The painted lady is not as particular as most and it has several host plants including  thistle, mallow,...

        It has been a beautiful fall with many glorious days in the courtyard. When I have no motivation or energy to tackle even the simplest of chores, I retreat to the garden. It is my haven. I am drawn to it by the dreamy sound of the bubbling waterfall and the allure of new buds and flowers each day. I feel Dick's spirit there and it fills my heart. I love the sunlight streaming into the courtyard, providing me with a special hot spot where I can watch a parade of visitors from my chair. October was a mild month and I enjoyed a variety of visitors that I didn't expect. The monarch...

      I was thrilled to have some butterfly visitors this summer. Most of the larval plants, which the butterflies seek out to lay their eggs on, are weeds so I chose not to introduce them into my new garden. I did, however, plant a large pot of parsley and dill in the hopes of attracting the eastern black swallowtail. On July 19th, I spotted a black swallowtail flying in the courtyard. I grabbed my camera and got some photos of the butterfly ovipositing on the parsley plant. I found this greenish-yellow egg on the parsley after she flew away. The caterpillar chews it's way out of the egg in about...

We moved into our new home in July 2013 and our courtyard remained a sand pit til the late fall. Susannah Davis of Davis Land Design in Marion designed the courtyard and it was worth waiting for. We had definite ideas of what we wanted including a small pond, a fireplace, and butterfly and bird attracting plants and shrubs. Susannah and her team were able to achieve them all. We took one of our bird houses from our Lakeville backyard and placed it in the courtyard. It was like one of those “build it and they will come” miracles. The chickadees appeared around May 10th and together, Dick...