This spring I was to engage over 1,500 local youth in presentations regarding our environment. Handouts were ordered. Seeds were collected. Easels were purchased. April, May, and June were to be busy months. Since all those events were canceled due to the pandemic, I found my work as an environmental educator on pause. But, it…
Today, I went out to grocery shop and go to the office supply store. It took longer than usual which increased my chance to notice that certain things have changed since the pandemic and social distancing regulations began in March. Some of the changes are for the better, some not so much. I’ll let you…
In February, my husband and I visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico. It is our country’s newest National Park and being able to visit there just after it became one of our great protected parklands will always make it special to us. But, as amazing as it was, I am not sure it…
Pride & Sharing our Bounty For the second weekend in a row, we are at our cabin with guests! It’s been a long time coming to reach this point, but I am glad we arrived! Our property is unique. We have two acres on a lake in Northern Wisconsin. It is three hours from…
My involvement in monarch conservation has spanned for almost two decades! Some, in our local community, might even refer to me as the butterfly lady! Teaching first my garden club students (over 500 hundred during the lifetime of the club) and then, neighbors, community members from other organizations such as Lion’s Club, church groups, and…
Two of my sons had already been out fishing early on the fourth of July. They came up empty that morning. But, our lake has a lot of panfish – bluegill, crappie, and pumpkin seed to name a few. All have been caught and released over the last few days. We also have large and…
Popcorn! Pop……Pop…Pop, Pop…. Pop, Pop, Pop! Popcorn! Come & get it! Who doesn’t like a bowl of fresh-popped corn? It’s become a tradition, while at our cabin, to make popcorn. This started several years ago when I bought a countertop popcorn machine. My boys think we’ve had the machine for six or seven…
As we head into this holiday weekend, here in the United States, I hope that celebrations are safe and calm. July Fourth is our Independence Day! I cannot help but wonder what our Founding Fathers would think of the state in which we currently find ourselves. Turmoil. Injustice. Inequality. Inequity. Violence. The list goes on….
We’ve done some landscaping at our cabin up north this year. It was time as we’ve had the property for twenty years and built the cabin five years into that. The north woods of Wisconsin is just that – woods, mainly pine and birch. The landscape is dotted with small freshwater lakes, some of which…
Last night, something magical happened in our yard! For many years, I raised monarch butterflies. This year, I have yet to see any eggs or larva on our milkweed plants. We have three patches of milkweed in our yard, each a different kind native to our area of the country. For almost two decades, I’ve…