Many might think that not much goes on in the RainyDayGarden during the winter months, but they are mistaken. Birds and other creatures that do not travel south or hibernate come by the garden daily in search of tasty snacks. So for this year's RainyDayGarden Gift Guide, we would like to feature some awesome items specifically for that purpose from our favorite gardening site...Gardeners.com.

With so many great choices available from the Gardern's Supply Company, putting together the list for this Gift Guide was not as simple as one would think. It was a tough job, but fortunately the interns were up to the task :-) After a bit of back and forth, the items on the top of their... [more] - 2011 RainyDayGarden GiftGuide

The Nor'easter made quite a mess over the weekend. Many are still feeling its effects today. Fortunately for Boston, the storm only dropped a few inches of the heavy white stuff. Even so, limbs and branches were down everywhere. We went for a hike around the Arnorld Arboretum to see how the trees there fared.

The Arnold Arboretum is 250 acres of managed greenery in the city of Boston. The responsibility of maintaining the grounds is shared by Harvard University and the City of Boston. We got there around 10AM and most of the snow were already off the leaves. For the most part, the trees... [more] - First Snow

Bostonians woke up to frost on their windows and black ice on the ground today. The sheen will not last long, but it is a clear sign that it is time to get out the fleece. Last week, we took advantage of the one warm day and swapped out the Summer tires on the Boxster for its Winter shoes. We didn't install the hard top because we still have hope that we will get a chance to put the convertible top down a few more times before things get too cold. New England weather...you never know :-)

Most of the slippery stuff should be gone in a few hours. However, a Nor'easter is making its way toward Boston. The word on the street is that... [more] - First Frost

Hurricane Irene went inland, pummeled Vermont, but spared most of Boston. All of the plants in the RainyDayGarden came through unscathed. As we had mentioned in July, the Passiflora made it through the Winter, buy got a very slow start due to all the rain. It has, fortunately, been budding furiously. The sunny weather these past few days finally got the Passiflora blooming.

Our plant was originally purchased at Logee's in Connecticut eight years ago. It has been propagated over a dozen time. Some of the cuttings were given to friends, others have been... [more] - Passiflora Update

Mosquitos and other biting insects are just a part of Summer. Some years are better than others. Depending on the amount of rain the number of mosquitos buzzing around ranges from annoying to intolerable, especially for those of us who seem to be tastier to these pests than the average Joe.

N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide or DEET is the ingredient of choice for many mosquito repellent products. DEET was developed by the US Army for use in jungle warfare in WWII. Its effectiveness in repelling mosquito is undisputed. However, as DEET also blocks the activities of acetylcholinesterase (an enzyme which is involved in muscle activities), it can have adverse health effects with prolong exposure. Besides, anything which can dissolve some plastics, rayon, spandex, other synthetic fabrics can't be all that good for the body. This was one of the reasons why we were excited to check out the ThermaCELL...it does not use DEET as the repellent. Instead, the active ingredient is an EPA approved synthetic copy of... [more] - ThermaCELL FirstLook

The Greenway Open Market is a new weekly open-air arts and crafts market along the new and lovely Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston (which used to be a double-decker major highway until they dismanteled it and put it underground). This past Saturday was opening day, and it could not have been a more beautiful one.

We have not been to the Greenway area in a while and were pleasantly surprised by what has been done. It is an awesome series of public spaces connected by parks, walkways, and gardens. Every Saturday during the Summer there will be vendors all along the Wharf District Parks... [more]- Greenway Open Market

We had some old tires lying around that had been destroyed by the rim eating potholes of last winter. So we fashioned these into an easy on platform to drag across longer branches we wanted to cut with the JawSaw. This would not have worked well for a normal chain saw but the JawSaw kept our branches stable and the logs we created dropped into the open tire center. That made it easy to grab and stack them later. Now we don't feel so bad about the damage done to those tires.

After cutting for a while you should check the JawSaw for three things: lube level, chain tension and finally saw dust/debris build up. All three are easily accomplished with the saw disconnected from the power source. We also tested how easy it was to get the chain on and off the guide bar when it needs to be replaced. The clear plastic lube level window on the stock makes it easy to... [more]- JawSaw Maintenance

Like many parts of the country we have had our fair share of wind and rain. As a result we have a significant pile of limbs and branches piled up on what could be prime gardening patches. Our trusty gasoline powered chainsaw is not the ideal tool for turning this bramble into the kindling we'll need next fall. There are any number of literal pitfalls in turning trees into firewood and we encourage you to consult our favorite treatise on the subject, It offers a number of options for felling and bucking, the latter being the traditional term for cutting limbs into firewood. Bucking's main problem is that even short bar chain saws impart a fair amount of kickback when they first bite into the log. Moreover many times the limb itself is unsteady and subject to moving as the cut is made. Small limbs particularly can buck and rock. Enter the saw buck which uses crossed member X's along its frame to hold unruly limbs in place or lift up large logs for cross cutting. So prevalent were sawbucks in the 1850's that $10 bills became known as "sawbucks" in reference to the Roman numeral X residing on the ten dollar bill's face.

Well, it's 2011 and we've been looking for a mo' better way to easily prune or turn small limbs into logs or kindling. It is time-consuming to position limbs on and off a saw buck. If you could minimize the erratic dance between saw and limb, it would be far easier to walk up to the bramble above and... [more]- JawSaw FirstUse

A bright red cardinal has been visiting the bird feeder in the RainyDayGarden these past few weeks. For days, we have been stalking this elusive visitor, but despite our efforts we came up empty.

One would think it should be easy to get a photo of the cardinal: set up the camera, autofocus on the feeder, wait for the visitor. We could hear it singing up in the tree. Occasionally, it would do a fly-over of the feeder. However, it almost seemed like it knew what we were trying to do and didn't want any part of it. Maybe it was because of the interns, maybe it was... [more]- Backyard Adventures

The best thing about having a perennial garden is hardly ever having to do any work on it while enjoying its beauty year after year. The second best thing about a perennial garden is that the plants multiply by themselves. One can either use them to expand the garden or compost them to return the nutrients back to the soil. About five years ago, we split and moved some irises from one part of the garden to another. Since that time, they have grown a lot and once again become quite crowded.

When we decided to not plant a vegetable garden this year and take down the raised-bed, we thought it would also be a good opportunity to divide up the irises. We would move them into the spot vacated by the vegetables. The nice soil is already there and the space would give them a lot more... [more]- Splitting Irises

The 90º heat in Boston finally broke yesterday and it did it in dramatic fashion. Around 4PM in the afteroon, clouds started to form overhead. In the span of less than thirty minutes, the sky got dark, the wind picked up, and flashes of lightning streaked across the sky. It had a kind of "wrath of God" feel to it all. Which immediately led to the thought..."Cool! Thunderclouds! Wonder if we'll need a polarizer?"

We had considered setting things up to see if we could capture some of the lightning strikes, but decided it was probably prudent to not bring too much gear out as the situation could get really wet really fast. Shooting with the D90/18-200mm with VR active, we took a series of... [more]- Thunderclouds

Gardening has a lot of similarity with software development. There are a lot of ways to go about it and some of it works better than others. Take planting perennials vs annuals for instance. Planting perennials, like writing reusable code, takes a bit more planning and can cost more upfront. The payoff is that you don't have to do the same thing over and over again. Annuals are like demo code, they look great, can be done quickly, but are often a one shot deal.

The RainyDayGarden folks here plant mostly perennials, because while they love seeing the blooms and the colors, they don't really enjoy the associated physical tasks (digging, weeding, etc...) as much as the more hardcore gardeners. Another benefit of planting perennials is the ability to... [more]- RDG: June

We started the Memorial Day weekend by heading down to Cape like everyone else. Unlike a lot of folks, we started our trip early on Friday and managed to escape the crushing 3PM "parking lot" scene out of Boston. Our drive was top-down, leisurely, and, with Lady GaGa's latest album (only $.99 on Amazon!) on the iPod to help pass the time, quite quick. Our destination for the day was Falmouth, both because we wanted to visit Woods Hole and because there was an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet dinner at the Coonamessett Farm in East Falmouth. We are not big people, but we are big eaters and we WILL go where the eating is good.

One of us had skipped breakfast and as we had made no stops on our drive down, we arrived in Falmouth ready for lunch. We took a quick stoll down Main Street to scope out the scene and decided on the Quaterdeck Restaurant. It looked like a place where the locals would go for lunch. The place was designed using salvaged wood from local boatyards to create the feeling of... [more]- Memorial Day: Falmouth MA

Last week we posted a write-up of the Brando iPhone4 microscope lens. It generated a bit of email asking if the setup is at all practical out "in the field." It was a fair question, as all of the sample images provided in the article were taken inside under controlled conditions. This weekend was overcast, in the mid-60ºs, and had a light breeze. Those were fairly reasonable conditions for seeing out how the iPhone4 microscope would perform InTheWild.

The advantage of using the iPhone4 camera outside during the day is that there is plenty of light. However, having TOO much light can overwhelm the camera's sensor. The day being bright but overcast was a huge benefit as the diffused light lit the plants without creating hard edges and harsh shadows. Another benefit of a cloudy day was that it was easier to... [more]- iPhone Microscope Outside

This Winter was a tough one in New England. The ice storms brought down a LOT of branches. Now that Spring is finally here, it is time to deal with the mess, prune and trim things before they start to bloom, and clean up what has fallen to the ground. A hand saw will get the job done, but a chainsaw will make short work of the task. Chainsaws are excellent tools in the hands of a properly trained user. However, the handling and use of a chainsaw can be intimidating for many. WORX recognized this and created the safer JawSaw specifically for us weekend gardeners.

The JawSaw takes the basic design of a light-duty chainsaw and made it safer for the occasional user. The cutting action is still the same as that of a normal chainsaw, but the angle in which the chain makes contact with the limb will always be optimal. Also, instead of an exposed and openly rotating cutting chain, the chain and bar are wrapped in a U-shaped "jaw." The "jaw" acts both as a... [more]- WORX: Jaw Saw FirstLook

Last Friday we submitted the first iPad issue of RainyDayMagazine to Apple for approval. The issue was constructed using a beta version of Adobe's DMP tools. Future issues will be published quarterly and available for download from the App Store.

Our goal for RainyDayMagazine on the iPad is to leverage the unique capabilities of the device to enhance the digital magazine experience for our readers. We want to make it seamless for readers to move amongst the... [more]-Spring iPad Issue

The Emerald Necklace is one of Boston's treasures. This park system ringing parts of Boston was envisioned and created by Fredrick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) over a hundred years ago. Olmsted, as many know, was the designer of NYC's Central Park. While Central Park is a chunk in the middle of Manhattan, the Emerald Necklace is woven into the flow and rhythm of the city of Boston. Parts of the Emerald Necklace parallel some of the busiest sections of Boston, but others make you feel that you are nowhere near a city.

The Necklace runs for quite a distance. The complete system is over seven miles long from end to end and covers over 1,100 acres. To get a sense of the full Emerald Necklace, download this 31"x17" map of the entire park. There are busy spots (Public Garden, Jamaica Pond, Fens) and quiet sections (connecting paths, Arnold Arboretum, Riverway). Of course, when we say "quiet," we mean city-quiet where you may see a person every minute or two. Still, quiet enough... [more]- Emerald Necklace

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, WA, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design a the University of Washington. Chihuly continued his studies at RISD, where he later established the glass program and taught for over a decade. Over the years Chihuly has worked with hundreds of museums worldwide. On April 10th, Bostonians will get a spectacular view of Chihuly's work at the newest exhibit Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass at the MFA.

The MFA exhibit features 12 breath-taking installations in the new wing. They are in the Shapiro Family Courtyard, the surrounding gardens, and in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery downstairs. Stepping down to the exhibit, visitors are greeted by the Persian Wall, a welcoming collection of flower-like glass shapes in orange, yellows, and reds. Immediately inside the gallery is... [more]- MFA: Chihuly

Taking closeup and macro photos is a lot easier when the air is still. Even a light breeze can set things swaying back and forth, ruining the focus. Waiting for things to settle back down is both time consuming and frustrating. Thus it is no surprise that when the proper condition presents itself, you have to take it. We were out Saturday night when we noticed that a local mall was hosting a flower show, we took advantage of the opportunity, went back with gear Sunday morning, and were able to get in a photo shoot before the place got busy.

Shooting inside a mall, while more controlled, will also present its own set of challenges, the biggest of which can be lighting. When we were there on Saturday night, the stores were closed (except for the restaurants) and the main sections were pretty dark. We thought compensating for the interior lights and properly illuminating the flowers would be a problem. Fortuitously, the mall actually had a... [more]- Macro at the Mall

It's the first day of April (yes, April Fool's Day) and yesterday's forecast of snow in New England actually came true. Bostonians woke up to a few inches of the white stuff covering everything in sight. This freak storm made a mess of things for those commuting to work. Instead of fighting the traffic, the RainyDayCrew decided the weekend should just start a bit earlier and called it a day.

Before things got too sloppy, we thought we took a few shots of the RainyDayGardenin order to have a record of the storm when we look back a year from now. The snow was the slushy kind that... [more]- Not Quite Spring...

It's the last day of March and many more green things have started to poke out of the ground. The irides and crocuses are happily warming themselves in the sun. We don't remember planting them, but are delighted that they have found a home in the RainyDayGarden.

The best thing about a perennial garden is that just a little bit of work is all that is needed to keep things blooming year after year. We have been working on it for over ten years. Plant a little here one year. Move some stuff over there another year. Split them when they... [more]- Spring?

Spring has finally arrived, and not a moment too soon. With a record-breaking amount of snow in January, we, like everyone else in New England, are ready to see some green. Even though the temperature was in the 30s this weekend and might even snow today, we noticed some bulbs starting to poke through the soil.

Knowing that clean up would be more difficult once the plants got bigger, we sent the interns out and they did a first-pass cleanup of the RainyDayGarden. Once the garden was cleared of the... [more]- First Day of Spring

Our friend Patrick forwarded us an email containing some images of the tulip fields of northen Netherlands in Spring time. They were a lot like those from the Flower Fields of Carlsbad, CA. The images also reminded us of one of our favorite Hockney paintings. The Dutch landscape in May is a patchwork of purple, yellow, red, pink, orange and green. Each year, more than three billion tulips are grown there, with two-thirds of the blooms destined for export to the U.S. and Germany.

Anyone who has taken Econ 101 knows of the great Dutch tulip bubble of 1637. At it's peak, a single highly-desired tulip bulb could fetch a price 10x higher than the annual income of a skilled worker at the time. Crazy! Like all bubbles, it... [more]- Spring in the Netherlands

Yesterday was too nice to spend inside so we packed some camera gear in our Kata sling and trekked on over to the Arnold Arboretum. We love the Arnold Arboretum. It is an amazing resource and a treasure for the city of Boston.

The last time we were at the Arboretum in the winter was during the December storm in 2008. It was practically white-out conditions, but people were nevertheless walking about with their dogs. This time around the storm had already passed, the sky was blue, and a foot of... [more]- Snow Day at the Arboretum

Bostonians woke up to another twelve inches of snow this morning. If this keeps up, we are going to run out of space to put it. The depth of the snow was deep enough that moving around was a problem for more than just the two-legged. Still, Eliot was out at the crack of dawn to perform his morning perimeter checks.

Milo, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic about his morning outing. Maybe his winter coat is not as thick as Eliot's, maybe he is just not as hardy, but whatever the reason...he seemed to have no trouble sayingt... [more]- Snow Day at the office

Boston residents woke up to a foot of white stuff this morning, with more predicted for the remainder of the day. The snow was not light and fluffy like it was for the Christmas Weekend Blizzard. Today's snow was wet, clumpy, and heavy. It plopped on everything, caused power outages, and toppled trees all over the city.

The trees and bushes in the RainyDayGarden were all drooping from the weight of the snow. We knocked off the snow and opened a few paths, but the snow was coming down as fast as we could clear it. After 30 minutes of... [more]- January Nor'easter

Ever wonder what to do with those leftover samples from painting projects? We were reluctant to toss them as many of them were at least half full. While strolling thought a craft store, we saw some unfinished bird houses and had an idea. Why not decorate them using the left-over paints?

The key to painting these unfinished bird houses is to first prime everything. The primer we was what we used on the front porch. It was oil-based. We didn't want to have to worry about... [more]-Bird Houses