• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • Gardening
    • Raised Bed Gardening
    • Home Garden Tips
    • Seed Starting
    • Compost and Fertilizer
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Pests & Problems
    • Birds and Wildlife
  • Plants
    • Plant Profiles
    • House Plants
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
    • Herbs
    • Growing Flowers
  • Recipes
    • Easy Recipes
    • Canning and Food Preservation
  • Books & Classes
    • Books for Christian Herbalists
    • Herbalism Classes
    • Books by Jeanne Grunert
  • About
    • Privacy Policy

Winter Wonderland

January 28, 2009 by Jeanne


It’s like a winter wonderland outside. Although just hovering around freezing, ice has built up on the pines. I tried to take some pictures of their beauty this morning but they pictures aren’t capturing the subtle white frosting on the evergreen boughs. I stepped out with camera in hand, Shadow happily trotting at my heels, until she spotted a huge herd of deer in the backyard. There must have been a dozen of them grazing on the patch of millet we left long and tall for the wildlife. The deer raced down the hill through the woods and towards the creek, Shadow galloping at their heels. I called and called her and she didn’t come back, so I went inside to drop off the camera and grab the whistle we used to call her (not one of those silent dog whistles; just a regular old whistle John trained her to respond to). By the time I got back outside near the driveway, I gave one brief toot on the whistle – and there was my dog, rolling in the cow manure we’d picked up from the Hertzlers. Great. Now I have a wet, very smelly dog. Still waiting for spring…..!

The picture with this blog was actually taken during an ice storm, just not this one. I took it of the oak trees in front of our old house in Huntington.

Filed Under: Personal

Previous Post: « Farm Day
Next Post: Snow »

Footer

a red knockout rose

June Gardening Tips: Everything You Need to Do in Your Garden This Month

I’m sharing these June gardening tips for gardening zone 7B. However, you can easily adapt them to your gardening zone. June is one of those months that feels like there’s so much to do in the garden you don’t know where to start. Fortunately, nature gives you extra-long days and plenty of sunshine! Whether you…

Read More

watering can with plants

Growing Ginger in the Home Garden

Growing ginger is fun. I was surprised to learn that I could grow ginger in Zone 7B, central Virginia. I attended a lecture by Ann Codrington of Nisani Farms several years ago. She discussed growing both ginger and turmeric. Her farm is in Maryland, but I discovered that both plants can be grown in both…

Read More

borage flower

Companion Planting with Herbs: Your Secret Weapon for a Healthier, Happier Garden

Every summer, without fail, I plant basil at the end of the raised beds. These are the beds filled with Roma tomatoes, the ones we harvest by the bushel to make our salt-free organic tomato sauce. My tomatoes thrive. “Did you know that basil repels aphids?” an organic gardener friend mentioned to me casually one…

Read More

chive plants in bloom with lettuce

Growing vs. Wild Foraging Medicinal Herbs: My Perspective

Growing vs. wild foraging medicinal herbs is a real concern among newbie herbalists. The other day, I shared pictures of my herb seedlings (mallow, parsley, and savory) on Facebook. A nervous nellie immediately wrote, “I would be so AFRAID to do that! How can you know they are safe?” Well, first of all, parsley and…

Read More

  • About
  • Plant a Row for the Hungry
  • Awards
  • Privacy Policy

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Substack
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2026 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme