I’ve been trying to scale back my blogging to allow me time to write and accomplish some other goals. This is hard while still having a desire to keep my regular blog readers engaged in my posts. Therefore, some of my posts are becoming shorter. Some might consider this a very good thing! As the…
seasons
Foodie Monday: Holiday Favorites
One of my favorite things about the holidays is baking! I enjoy baking more than cooking. And although I’m at the point where I need to start watching my carbs again, this is not preventing me from making Christmas cookies. Since Thursday, I’ve made three different kinds of cookies that we enjoy over the holidays….
Snow: It’s All Relative…
There’s snow and then, there’s SNOW! Yesterday, a winter storm was forecast for a large area of the midwest, including the region of Wisconsin in which we live. Thursday night, the night before the storm was to hit, and without any flakes yet flying, some outlying rural districts had pre-emptively closed school for the next…
Poetry Friday: Holiday Plant Fun
At this time of year, as a gardener, my attention is naturally drawn to holiday plants. For years my fascination with Poinsettias, Christmas Cactus, Paperwhites, Amaryllis, and Mistletoe was handled by my ability to teach my elementary school garden club members about these living decorations we bring into our homes each year. By researching all…
Silent Sunday: Welcome Snow!
Silent Sunday: Autumn in Many Places: Wisconsin, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New York
Slice of Life Tuesday: Cider Making Memories
Yesterday, I had a glass of store-bought apple cider. It was lackluster, watery, and devoid of the depth of flavor that can be in cider. I know this because we’ve made cider for many years, except this one. Our apple trees did not produce enough apples to even attempt the well-loved but time-consuming task of…
National Park Flora & Fauna
We did not see much wildlife in the national parks. Exceptions were elk grazing as we entered the Grand Canyon, causing a flurry of cars to pull off the road to watch these giants eat. While at the Grand Canyon we also saw Pinon Jaybirds and lots of ravens. A tarantula was spotted by the…
Native Seeds, Seeds, and More Seeds
During my limited free time this week, and as a method of stress reduction, I collected seeds and ordered seeds for native plants. This is a great conservation activity with school aged kids. Seed Sources for Ordering Over the last month, researching native prairie seed sources has occupied some of my time. If you live…
The Last Monarchs of the Season, Perhaps or Perhaps Not?
Someone I just met asked me what my most recent degree was, knowing I used to be a nurse. I answered that I had obtained a second master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin at Steven’s Point in Natural Resources with a focus in Environmental Education and Interpretation (EE/EI). I responded that I was essentially…