A Bird in the Hand

… it occurs to me that whereas I WRITE a poem by dint of mighty cerebration, the yellow-leg WALKS a better one just by lifting his foot. ~ Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac Six or seven small brightly-colored bags hung from the pegboard. Occasionally, one would jerk or rock, then be still. Shirley takes […]

Live and Let Diet

When our distant ancestors invented farming ten thousand or so years ago, they began altering these and other wild plants to make them more productive, easier to grow and harvest, and more enjoyable to eat. To date, four hundred generations of farmers and tens of thousands of plant breeders have played a role in redesigning […]

Guerilla Tactics

Those who hear not the music think the dancers mad. — Unknown “There he goes again,” my neighbor sighed grumpily, pointing to the older guy wandering our street with pruning shears. “Come on,” I replied, “he’s harmless.” “But I may not want my trees trimmed,” he grumped and went inside. Once again my weird old […]