Lately, I’ve been thinking about my own path in conservation. I consider myself a self-proclaimed Monarch conservationist, actively involved in helping to conserve and restore their habitat and well as sustaining the population for close to twenty years. But, where did my path as a conservationist start? I’ve actually thought a lot about this. Sure,…
Today, I went into the field with our land manager and another coworker to do some work on invasive species – namely, buckthorn. It was storming when I awoke around 6 a.m. and I was not sure we’d go due to thunder and lightning but it seemed to be clearing as it approached the time…
It took me until I was in my 40’s to discover (or rediscover) my creative side. In school, I was a serious student, striving for straight A’s (usually getting them), and leaving little to chance through unpreparedness or lack of completing the assigned work. From high school, I carried this work ethic through college and…
Lately, I have been suffering from a lack of confidence. Yes, this week has been better than last. Still, overall, I feel every little knick that chips away at my confidence. It is not related to only one area of my life, but filters across many. Admittedly, I have not felt this unsure of myself…
Why do we rush to find fault with each other as people? None of us are perfect. Are we? What makes us quick to point out weakness or insufficiency or inadequacies? This only serves to make one person feel bad and the other person, superior. Is it really so important that you say tomato (to-…
Today is Slice of life Tuesday. My family and I are headed back from a trip to Banff in Alberta, Canada. It was a great trip, one the I am happiest to have had the presence of all three of my adult and, almost adult, young men with us. All five of us agree that…
Are you old enough to remember the game Cooties? Have you ever made an origami cootie catcher? About a month ago, I was speaking to a group of students and I used the word cooties, referring to the origami cootie catcher one makes to tell if someone has a crush on you or the answers…
A Child’s Memory I don’t know about you, but I love all this stuff about space. There’s been many stories in the news lately due the the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I was five. I remember being glued to the television set to watch something that seemed so incredible it was…
The English Language In the English language, state is an odd word. Just look at this list of phrases: In what state do you live? He was in a depressed state of mind. Do you know a Head of State? Can you state your case succinctly? In chemistry class, you will learn that water has…
Very often I write about something that is on my mind, something that concerns me, or something I treasure. This includes my gardens, the state of education in the U.S., our environment, insomnia, and other things that occur to me on a regular basis. I ruminate a lot. But, today, I was inspired by the…