This morning, I woke to this sound coming faintly from outside our bedroom window at 4 a.m. It made me smile. Our resident Great Horned Owl was back in the coulee, probably looking for a meal. The wide, dry creek bed adjacent to our property was occupied by grazing cows up until this time last…
observations
Weekly WordPress Photo Challenge: Scale
For my scale photo challenge submissions, you will find how large bamboo can be, as compared to humans (Kauai, 2013). 2) How small chairs in an outdoor cafe in Den Haag look compared to trees and skyscrapers. (The Netherlands, 2016). 3) Bricks, people, new skyscrapers, streetlights, and centuries old Trinity Church in New York City…
What is Wilderness to You?
Recently, I started a new graduate course for my Master’s degree in Environmental Education and Interpretation. Week one is done. Today, starts week two. There is a paper due each week. The course is Environmental History. Last week we focused on early America and how wilderness was perceived and used by those already living here…
Orange Tulips: Cee’s Photo Challenge for October 7th, 2017
This post is inspired by: Cee’s Photo Challenge for October 7th, 2017. Orange Tulips Iowa State University Campus has been publically noted for its beauty many times. This tulip patch in the spring of 2015 shows some of that beauty. The school colors are red and yellow but you know what happens when you mix…
Senior Year: It Started Before Now
This past week was the first of many senior meetings for us. We were filled in on what our student needs to be doing to get ready for his time after high school and in selecting a college. We have been through all this before, as we have an older son. However, it has been…
Lately, Social Media Just Makes Me Feel Like Barfing……My First Angry Post
Lately, whenever I read posts on social media, I just want to barf! Yes! Upchuck. Vomit. Loose My Cookies. Ralph. Whatever you call it, it means that what I am reading makes me sick. People can be obnoxious! Yes. There, I said it. Obnoxious. And, it might include you! There is too much blaming, too…
Back To School: Is PTO For You?
Six months ago, when I started blogging, I started a list of potential topics on which to write. This list is kept right on my WordPress account as drafts. Some potential posts, such as this one, have just a title, some are blog posts that I started but have yet to complete, and some were…
The Mind’s Eye
Do you know what it means to look at something through your mind’s eye? Recently, I came across this term in a book I have been slowly reading on Dyslexia. It was a book I bought out of interest in the subject and kept in my car for reading while I was waiting for soccer…
Contemplating Immediacy
A Photograph Licensing exams Nursing Boards A Text GRE exams Certification exams MAP Testing A Tweet Emails Course grades A Driver’s License A post on social media Responses to a post on social media The News Online Newspapers & News Magazines Medical Laboratory Testing What do these all have in common? Immediacy. During some recent…
Entitled: Not Just the Young
It is the end of summer. This means running around for school clothes and classroom supplies. Over the years, I have found it easier to just take my boys on separate days. So, yesterday I finished up by taking my 17-year-old out for his turn. We spent a couple of hours in places like Dick’s…









