The natural world, life, and dogs.
The natural world never ceases to fascinate me. The more I see, and learn, the more amazing I find the intricate interplay between plants and animals. Today I learned something about mimicry. My last post was about toxic toads. On this morning’s run with Conall I saw two other toxic animals: monarch butterfly and milkweed… Continue reading Natural World Mimicry
Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home... As I was thinking about this post about ladybugs, a nursery rhyme I learned as a child kept popping into my head: Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home… I couldn’t remember if there was more. So, I googled it. There is more, and as is often the case with old nursery… Continue reading Ladybugs: A Metaphor for Life
A month ago I wrote about how an injury prevented me from running and forced me to slow way down throughout the spring and early summer. Even walking was painful for a long time. Today, I'd say I'm almost back to normal, resuming running regularly, mostly pain-free. Yay! The irony, though, is even though I… Continue reading Slowing Way Down = Seeing Even More
When I sold my home in Idaho, I befriended the couple who bought it. I was sad about leaving my beloved wildflowers behind – mostly Lupine and Columbine – but I was most upset about the day lilies. My father had dug them from his family homestead in Kansas in the 1980s and planted them… Continue reading What’s Invasive?
I've always feared the dreaded slowing down. Whether from injury, illness, or aging. I know. Aging is inevitable. With aging comes aching muscles, stiffening joints, reduced muscle mass and loss of endurance. And, if we're unlucky, injury or illness are added to the challenge. Knowing all that doesn't mean I have to welcome any of… Continue reading Slowing Down = Seeing More
After a long Vermont winter, and several weeks watching winter and spring battling each other for dominance, I feel I can finally announce: spring has arrived. In Idaho, I was used to April being the month when wildflowers emerged. Entire hillsides would be awash in the bright, happy yellow of sunflowers. Now, I've learned, in… Continue reading At Last, Spring
In the Northern Hemisphere, March 20th was the spring equinox, the first day of spring. It's also referred to as the vernal equinox, vernal meaning fresh, new. It may have been the first day of spring on the calendar. But not so much where I live, in Vermont. It's still snowing every few days, although… Continue reading Spring Equinox
One recent morning, as the boys and I were finishing our two-mile perambulation through the fields and woods across the road, I noticed a Monarch butterfly leave the maple trees alongside our path and begin its effortless dance through the air, in search of nectar. Then another Monarch departed from the maples just ahead of… Continue reading Poetic Fliers: Monarch Butterflies
No, Woolly Bears aren't large, furry mammals like black, brown, panda, or polar bears. The Woolly Bears I'm referring to are insects. They're the adorably fuzzy black-with-rust-band caterpillars that appear throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada and Mexico every autumn, usually in September. I remember being delighted spotting them as a child growing up… Continue reading Woolly Bears: A Sign of Autumn
Maybe, like me, you endured school essay assignments where you had to compare and contrast something. Who knew that skill could end up being a useful blogging tool? Each day as I explore my new environment in Vermont, I can’t help but compare what I experience here to what I knew for the first 48… Continue reading Reinvention, Part Three: Comparing and Contrasting
Wild Sensibility 