While ostensibly helping out on the Stewardship Saturday event on Saturday (DIE KNOTWEED!) with a bunch of our hunters, I actually just took my machete and ran away. Which sounds more dangerous than it was–I was off in search of reported evil knotweed at the Marian Case Nature Classroom, a place near and dear to my heart. If you haven’t
Read moreAs many know, the Owl is a bit obsessed with trees and trails and nature. There is not a day when she is not on Weston’s trails–but yesterday was a day to fly over to the Arnold Arboretum, a 281-acre tree, shrub and plant paradise just 30 minutes from Weston (depending on how Route 9 feels about you–it was feeling
Read moreHave you ever noticed the Tree City USA signs at the “borders” to Weston? Currently, they read “18 years” and as of tomorrow, the digits will turn to the 19th year of Weston as a Tree City USA. Being a Tree City means that the town has made a commitment, financial and operational, to planting trees and follows certain guidelines
Read moreAfter the 20-day visit of my inlaws and a 10-day day visit from Captain Covid, the pile-up of work is no joke–between writing the Owl and doing Weston Forest & Trail work, plus Owlet Bus, this Owl needs about 36 hours put back into her day. So what’s a person to do? Run away. Yes, it is true; I packed
Read moreFor residents who have lived here for longer than the Owl, you have perhaps lived through Case Estates being owned by Harvard (1944-2017) and perhaps even voted for buying it at Town Meeting. Perhaps you were a babe while Marian Case herself ran the show in Hillcrest Gardens (1909-1944). Having arrived after the purchase (actually before the transfer, but after
Read moreIn September 2020, the Owl was doing the usual rounds of forest and fields as her day (volunteer) job is stewardship for Weston Forest and Trail Association. About a quarter mile into the woods on Case Estates, at a scraggly-weeded open spot in the forest, a little idea sprang up that would not go away. What if there was a
Read moreKnown alternately as the Clubhouse and the Red Schoolhouse, the square red building at 133 Wellesley Street has a wonderful history of education, camaraderie and horticulture in Weston. Before it becomes known simply as part of “Parcel 4” and sold off per town vote, let’s take a quick look at its amazing history. With luck and the right future owner,
Read moreWeston has benefitted from many strong and interesting women over its long-ish history–the women of Exmoor Farm–one of whom donated 41 acres that became Jericho Forest in 1948, the Jones sisters who kept up the Josiah Smith Tavern, and a schoolteacher on Ripley Lane who snowshoed to the bus stop. Certainly there were many more whose histories were not written,
Read moreWeston will soon get its first official outdoor classroom–the Marian Case Nature Classroom at Case Estates. Once the snows clear, and a final risk assessment is complete, volunteers from the local landscape company, schools and non-profits (and maybe even you, dear reader) will complete the “installation.” Last October, the Marian Case Nature Classroom was proposed for a large open area
Read more