Insomnia pays a visit
It is 4:45 a.m. on a dark Saturday morning. I have friends who regularly arise at this hour. Honestly, it is too early for me. But, awake by 4 o’clock, my thoughts began to spin in my head. Eventually, I got up, relieved my bladder full of the water I drank before bed and wrote…
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…
Wednesday Word Enrichment: Slough
Yesterday, we drove 75 miles down the Great River Road from West – Central Wisconsin to North – Eastern Iowa. My husband and I had a dual purpose to our trip. Firstly, I needed to deliver some pieces to a gallery in the town of McGregor where I am on consignment as a jewelry designer/artist….
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…
Parent Teacher Conferences? Be there?
We have always viewed the education of our sons to be a team effort – between us and their teachers. But, what if a member of the team fails to show up? Today is the first parent teacher conference day for fall term at our high school. It is a time I have always enjoyed….
Silent Sunday: Missing Our Cats
Usually, I do not write anything on my silent sunday posts. But, this spring we lost both of our cats within a few months of each other. It was hard to see them get old, fail, and die. Lewis and Clark were blood brothers from a farm in Westby. We got them as kittens and…
A New, Bigger Lens
One of my other hobbies is photography. A regular reader of my blog would be able to guess that I really like to take pictures. Nature photography is my favorite form of photography and includes photos of flowers, seeds, trees, birds, butterflies, and sunrises. Landscape photography is what I consider to be a subset of…
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…
How did the Monarch Season turn out?
As a self-taught and self-proclaimed Monarch Butterfly Conservationist who has been active in assisting the habitat needs for this species for the last 14 years, I can share an optimistic report for this season. My third year of tagging went well. I was able to fill the data reporting sheet obtained from Monarch Watch that…