admittedly, during a drought, I do need to supplement. Keeping homes for the local birds and plants they like, as well as pollinator plants for our honey bees and the native bees, has made our small suburban backyard into a very lively place.

Our latest addition, a small patio in the back of the property, boasts walls made from a local sidewalk that was being torn up. We broke the pieces into manageable sizes and used them as wall stone. The pergola is steel, which we constructed, then gave it a year to rust to a rich brown before we sealed it. Not only does it hold a swing now, but a string of solar powered lights – adding a new dimension in the evening. My husband Max has a blue glass weakness, and since blue glass has been used historically to keep out bad spirits, why not? It catches the light beautifully and I have found imaginative ways to incorporate it. Doing different things in pots every year keeps things interesting.

We unwind in the Catskills whenever we can.