In my blog post yesterday (I write daily here at The Apples in My Orchard), I wrote about a pair of cardinals that had been visiting our yard. You can check the post out here: Cardinal Story. My poem today focuses on the same pair of birds, just put into a poem. Cardinal Story: A…
We are fortunate to live in an area with many species of birds. There are majestic raptors like the hawks, eagles, and owls we regularly see gliding over the prairies and dry creek beds with an eye out for a rodent meal. Then, there are the songbirds. Over the years I’ve started to love the…
I’ve forgotten how nice it is to talk to someone (anyone, really) about my conservation work for monarch butterflies. This morning I got to do just that for half an hour! I cannot tell you much yet, but I was interviewed for an upcoming article by a conservation organization. This was something that just came…
I’ll probably take some flack for writing this, but I’m tired of being humble. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a lifetime of accomplishments as have my immediate family. For the most part, these accomplishments aren’t talked about much with others. But, you know what? I’m tired of that! I’m tired of being modest…
Yesterday, I did something that I’ve been putting off. If you read my blog regularly, you know we’ve been cleaning out in anticipation of moving later this year. Sometimes cleaning out is easy. You look at something and think, why did I keep that piece of sh_t? Or, sometimes cleaning out is hard. We all…
This morning I went out to meet a past co-worker for coffee and I heard birds singing! Not just any birds…spring birds! I am pretty sure what I heard were robins! Immediately, I started thinking how the return of songbirds might be a better indicator of spring than trusting groundhogs! From these sounds and thoughts,…
Due to writers and authors from all over the world participating in Poetry Friday, which you can read about here, with the host’s link often going live on Thursday afternoon or evening. I am NEVER ready for this. Never! I usually do not think of myself as a literal person but in this case, I…
I am currently reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. The book has been scary and enjoyable all at the same time. Look for a review in a future post. The main character in the book, the Tattooist or “Tatowierer” as he is referred to by the SS in the novel carries a bag…
Recently, I’ve been more apt to tell the people I care deeply about that I love them. This mostly applies to my boys, my husband, and a few close friends. I want the people I care about to know it. And, while I’ve never had a problem saying those three little words, they seem to…
It’s Saturday morning and we’re sitting around talking about our cadaver lab experiences. What else do you do on a Saturday?! My husband had this experience in medical school. Our son visited such a lab in high school for his anatomy class. I, while a nursing student, had to dissect cats, frogs, and sheep eyeballs…