It is that time of year again. Master Gardener Volunteer (MVG) hours are due. Since 2004, I have spent the last couple weeks in September recording my continuing education and volunteer hours to maintain my Master Gardener Volunteer Certification. Collecting enough volunteer hours has never been a problem with my history of running a community…
Over the coming weeks, I will slowly be returning to educationally based posts. After all, information and enrichment are both part of my purpose for writing. The sharing of ideas, knowledge learned from past experiences, current trends and issues in education, and my own return to classes for the fall semester will give me plenty…
Some areas across the nation have already started back to school! I know this from listening to the news, reading social media, belonging to a teacher blog-writing community, and talking with friends. Here, in the upper mid-west, our summer is not quite over, but it is close. Most districts have two to three more weeks…
Earlier this week, toward the end of the vacation my husband and I took to the island country of Bermuda, I remembered to ask my sister-in-law who was staying with our boys how the monarch eggs that I charged with her care were doing. I did not get a response. Our cell phone service on…
A friend stopped to see me the other day. She has three really bright, actually gifted is a better term, girls. We have had many a conversation about how to best provide them opportunities to grow and be challenged while having a slim budget. This is a common question and I was more than ready…
Today, is the Monarch Monitoring Blitz hosted by Monarch Joint Venture. I came across a posting on social media that reminded me of this citizen science event. Having raised monarchs for 14 years, I definitely feel the need to participate in the reporting activities of this weekend. Just to set the stage, this summer I…
Where have you travelled this summer? Have you taken your kids? Have you enriched them by exposing them to a landscape, culture, music, or food other than your own? Let me know in your comments. Travel has always been an important of exposing our boys to the diversity of our country and world. I know…
My graduate course in Advanced Interpretive Media Design ended yesterday. It was a three credit course in six weeks, NRES769, via the College of Natural Resources at one of the UW system schools. It was a very challenging, and yet, enlightening course. I learned how to make interpretive media using such software programs as Photoshop…
Due to our pre-holiday weekend away at our cabin, I missed posting my Silent Sunday Photos. Not only was I unable to post (no internet connection at our cabin), but I truly missed going through the myriad of photographs I have to choose a few to share. Personally, I receive a lot of inspiration from…
Oh, did you think I meant the baseball team, The Orioles? There was a time I liked them, too. A long time ago, when I lived outside of Baltimore and Cal Ripken was just starting his family, living North of the city in horse country. I even went to a game or two with co-workers…