Summer is in full swing and many of my days are filled with looking for monarchs, making jewelry, reading books, writing, watering my potted flowers, and weeding, occasionally. In short, I’ve been busy. In conversation with friends, my husband and I have realized we’ve settled into our empty nest – retired life quite nicely. He…
self reflection
Day Lilies: Cee’s Photo Challenge for June 29th
The above photos are my submissions for Cee’s FOTD Challenge for June 29th.
Slice of Life Tuesday: Talking Caterpillars with “My People”
I’ve yet to see a monarch caterpillar this year. I have three types of milkweed in my yard and an outdoor enclosure waiting to raise a few monarchs. Inside the enclosure are butterfly weed and asclepias incarnata – rose milkweed, but the caterpillars are missing. It’s the end of June and I’ve only seen three…
Personal Prairie Patch
A few years ago we let a bordered garden bed in which we used to grow pumpkins and other vegetables go unplanted. I was learning about native plants and the importance of prairies, so I had an idea to let this garden be a mini-prairie patch in our yard. The space is 36 feet by…
True Conservationists Take Action as well as Learn and Educate (It’s Pollinator Week – Do Something!)
This is pollinator week. July 21st – July 27th, 2021, has been designated as a week to celebrate, learn about, and act to help our pollinators. My hope is that by sharing some information about pollinator week, more people will see the need to take action in the field of conservation. When I was in…
A Local Taste: Micro-brew Beer In Rochester
We have been overwhelmed with the available choice of micro-brews in Western New York. While visiting, we tried a scotch ale and a blueberry ale from the Rohrbach Brewing Company. We had these beers with our dinner at the Rohrbach Brewing Company’s Brew Pub on Buffalo Road in Rochester, New York. Since 1991, this local…
Poetry Friday: Poetry of Place
We’ve been travelling over the last week, visiting places we used to live and conduct our lives in Western New York. It brings to mind something my son said when he was young and in elementary school. Mom, he said, “Math is everywhere!” And, he was right. We started noticing how math was a part…
Slice of Life: Growing up in New York
I am back in New York visiting my parents who live in a town known to be one of the stops on the Erie Canal. For anyone who is outside of this large state, when you say you are going to New York, it is automatically assumed you are going to be near New York…
Being On The Fringe
Have you ever been in a crowd of people and felt alone? Obviously, this has happened to me or else I would not be writing about it. Looking back over my drafts since 2018, I’ve started posts about “being on the fringe” at least three times. None have made it to posting. But still, I…
Poetry Friday and RDP: Carousel of Life
One of my favorite rides at the amusement park has always been the carousel. I think it’s because on the surface, it’s predictable in it’s movement but not in where or when it starts and stops. I like routine and predictability so I am drawn to this ride. I also like the artistry of the…










