On this walk, I decide, ‘Wish that was in my yard’

If you’ve clicked on markbialczak.com, you know I like to take pleasure in the gardens that beautify our Syracuse city plot, spaces planned by my dear wife Karen and put in the ground by us both. You also know how I like to walk Ellie B, aka Dogamous Pyle, every darn day. Let’s put the…

Out of the middle of the garden planted in its honor arose a butterfly

My friend Theresa brought daughter Althea by the house yesterday afternoon while running a chore through my Eastwood neighborhood. I brought them out back to show off our ever-growing butterfly garden. We have four butterfly bushes. And it is, you see, peak time for the blossoms on the bushes that serve as the centerpiece of…

Update: That empty lot is now rather sporty

A couple months back, I grumped loudly here about the folks who decided to use the empty lot between my house and the neighbor’s house as a dog-walking spot. You, friends, offered remedies such as motion-enabled sprinklers and stink bombs. OK, nobody thought of smell as a deterrent. It wasn’t my property, so I did…

Sometimes golf can become more than a good walk, thanks to Mother Nature

It’s too easy to take notice when Mother Nature gives us one of those harsh reminders who’s boss down here on planet Earth. So we collectively stare and share after hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, destruction. Sometimes, though, she allows us a precious moment to breathe deeply and appreciate the second part of that often-used expression shock-and-awe.…

You don’t have to buy a lot to appreciate this sellers’ market in downtown Syracuse

The Farmer’s Market returned to Clinton Square yesterday. Even though I no longer work across the street, I still had to visit. Even on a drizzly day, it’s got what I seek. Throughout the years and in several different locations in downtown Syracuse, I always made sure I took a few minutes to wander through…

Our pretty peony gets June off to a gorgeous start

On this first day of June, my dear wife Karen just came in from our front yard in Eastwood with one very pretty picture. The growth burst from the peony in the corner of the front garden has been prodigious these past few weeks. Year three for this plant has been a great one. Its…

I dig digging when it means more beauty in our gardens

We planted five new additions to the Bialczak Botanical Gardens this morning. OK, that’s a bit of a stretch for the oval in front and triangle in back of our Eastwood home, but my dear wife Karen and I love what we can grow on our city plot. A trip to Hafner’s Garden Center yesterday…

Hi, bud! I see you like your new location

Two weekends ago, we lovingly placed our new flowering Robinson Crabapple tree in the hole I’d dug in our front yard in Eastwood. Last night, my dear wife Karen burst through the door upon her return from work with one of those emphatic sentences that gets both a question mark and exclamation point. Did you…

A Robinson crabapple appears headed for a cheerful life in Eastwood

I look out the picture window this glorious May 1 morning and admire the new addition to our front lawn. A tree grows in Eastwood. A Robinson crabapple, to be exact. Two Januarys ago, we lost the olive tree that had graced our front yard since we moved in. It was an interesting-looking specimen, for…