Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service — then let them go. ~Marie Kondo We’re doing some painting and drywall repairs in our upstairs bedrooms, including a couple of closets. Of course, that required the shuffling of furniture and […]
Category Archives: consumers
MOONING — 1) To wander about or pass time languidly and aimlessly. 2) To yearn or pine as if infatuated. 3) Slang, to expose one’s buttocks in public as a prank or disrespectful gesture. (The Free Dictionary) This week we experienced a rare lunar eclipse resulting in a blood moon — a red tint due […]
“Contact with nature in cities significantly reduces feelings of loneliness, according to a team of scientists … Loneliness is a major public health concern, their research shows, and can raise a person’s risk of death by 45% — more than air pollution, obesity or alcohol abuse.” ~ Damian Carrington It is well known that […]
It was usually apparent when you were nearing one of the farm ponds (we called them “tanks”) on the ranches we visited, hunted or fished when I was a kid. The ranchers ran cattle, usually semi-wild, and the pond was likely the only or nearest source of water. The cattle were drawn there and followed […]
In one of the most used and abused states in the nation, a small but growing number of conservationists have advanced a radical theory: Iowa is ripe for rewilding … “The solutions exist,” restoration ecologist Leland Searles said. “It’s a matter of allowing the solutions to happen.” ~ Stephen Robert Miller It’s spring and […]
“The 2020 analysis found that fences affect ecosystems on every scale, from decreasing insect abundance, because they give spiders ample places to build their webs, to impeding the long-distance migration of everything from wildebeests to mule deer. By concentrating animals more closely together than they might be in the wild, fences could increase disease transmission, […]
“We are at a crossroads. The decisions we make now can secure a livable future. We have the tools and know-how required to limit warming. I am encouraged by climate action being taken in many countries.” ~ IPCC chair Hoesung Lee “It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C […]
People tend to see gardening as a hobby — an activity — but I think it’s primarily a relationship. Many gardeners speak of the importance of feeling part of something larger than themselves … This feeling of being part of the web of life. ~ Margaret Roach, quoting Dr. Sue Stuart-Smith The web of […]
I live on the edge of a metropolitan area. To the east are a couple of undeveloped mesas, some agricultural lands, and suburbs stretching the twenty miles or so into urban Denver. West, the mountains rise abruptly over two thousand feet in a couple of stages. The mountain face (Front Range) is mostly open, but […]
Gardening isn’t about plants, it’s about everything else: the soil, the insects, the birds, mammals and reptiles, and how you sit in this world. The plants are the final flourish, the gift of reciprocity from all the others. ~ Alys Fowler The weather seems to have turned from winter to the beginnings of spring. […]
Writes of Nature 