Adrian McKinty’s latest novel is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year. I’m familiar with this novelist, having read every title in his gritty Sean Duffy series that was set in his home town of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The setting of this book is thousands of miles away from Belfast–a small, rugged island off the coast of southeastern … Read More
Things Are Hoppin’ at Albertsons
I’ve never seen this “seafood” at a traditional supermarket before, but I’ve eaten frog legs in Louisiana and Mexico City. “After decades of frustration, one of the least well-known elements of the aquaculture industry, frog farming, could be poised for growth,” writes professor Greg Lutz. Read his article on frog farming here. And one of my favorite nature illustrators, Ernst … Read More
April is the Cruelest Month
If you don’t believe that quote from poet T.S. Eliot, just take a look at my greenhouse–without a roof. The April winds in New Mexico are worse than those in March and this year they ripped the roof right off of our greenhouse. Gusts were over 60 mph! Fortunately, the roof panels are still intact and can be easily repaired. … Read More
Review of To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth
With the exception of the duel between the two ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia during the Battle of Hampton Roads, I don’t know of many books featuring the Union and Confederate navies during the Civil War. And that duel ended in a boring draw, with neither ship able to significantly damage the other. This book, with the subtitle “The … Read More
Early Spring Gardening Grunt Work
Above is an early morning shot of my new raised bed, installed by the crew of Desert Gardens in Albuquerque. One of the guys on the crew–a giant of a man–carried those twelve-foot railroad ties into our back yard by himself. Early spring, of course is the time the yard plants get trimmed, the fallen leaves are removed, and the … Read More