A cool phenomenon was seen at twilight on vacation. — When we went to the Florida Keys in July 2011, it was a vacation of many firsts. It was the first trip to The Keys for our family. We live in Wisconsin but have been to Orlando, Tampa, Amelia Island, Sanibel Island, Marco Island, and the Everglades. So while Florida…

Our home apple orchard produced cider, pies, applesauce, and good eating, but we no longer have it. — Just about the time of the first high school football game each fall, we started to harvest our apples. One year, 2015, we made 40 gallons of cider! It takes a full, five-gallon bucket of apples to make one gallon of cider! That’s a lot of apples! Out of our…

Acting as a long-time advocate for the subset of students known as gifted and talented, there are a few things I want to share. — The school year has started for your third grader. It’s going well — almost too well — they are crushing it! You wonder if your child might qualify for services by the TAG teacher. TAG stands for talented and gifted. These programs are for children who are, or might be…

One advantage of living in the woods is that you are right there when the mushrooms pop! Last summer, without even looking for it, we found a tooth fungus growing on a downed log. Tooth fungi have spines or “teeth” that hang down like icicles. There are several types that…

Although I said I wasn’t going to raise any this year, I did. — For the last twenty-two years, I’ve been consumed by monarch conservation. Long before the bandwagon effect took place in trying to “save” this iconic species, I was teaching others in my community about this butterfly. My lessons took place in community settings such as schools and churches. My students were…

Although I said this as a joke two years ago, fields of goldenrod capture my attention at this time of year. Goldenrod is an important plant for pollinators. For those that migrate, such as monarchs, it can provide a much-needed late-season nutritional source. Goldenrod is not the same as Ragweed…

Bad habits can be my downfall if I let them, leading to sleep loss, weight gain, and being with those with whom I don’t fit. — Thursday night I wrote a blog post for my Poetry Friday group. I’m usually the last one to post, so this week I decided I was going to get it done early! Between dinner time and bedtime, I was on my laptop and my phone, creating my post which involved…

Why bother? I’m not Italian! — Soon after I got my first Kitchen Aide Mixer, I was gifted the equipment needed to make pasta. The ravioli forms, the pasta-maker attachment for the mixer, a drying rack, and of course, a recipe book. That was exactly three years ago. I’ve made pasta with it twice. Once I…

The Globetrotters September Challenge is on Wildlife. — While I do have many photos of my cute cat on my lap and my adorable dog, Molly, a yellow Labrador Retriever, they are not wildlife. They’re pets. However, living in the Northern Mixed Forests of Wisconsin, on a lake, we are surrounded by wildlife every day! It is one…