My seven-year old friend reached into the paper bag and pulled out a yellow lollipop with a grand flourish. Putting it back in each time, she flourished a red, then a blue, then a green. She explained that the green one was her favorite, but we could pick one from the bag. Abracadabra, the bag […]
Category Archives: nature
Lying on top of the bird feeder, it appeared to send an ominous message to the small birds that routinely feed there. It was nearly as large as some of the smaller birds, and seemed placed to establish dominance, like wolves marking their territory. It reminded me of the turkey scat my dad used to […]
As reported by the media, it was a real mess. The US Environmental Protection Agency was conducting clean-up activities at the Gold King Mine in Colorado and accidentally caused a spill of a million gallons of contaminated mine water into the Animas River, turning it bright orange. This contamination represents a case of natural materials […]
My garden is growing, the farmer’s market is bulging with fresh fruits and veggies, and the Olathe sweet corn is in. My diet is better this time of year; I can’t resist the peaches and berries, and the garden is providing a steady crop of squash, beans, tomatoes and greens. Life is good. However, it […]
It watched us warily through beady brown eyes. Suddenly, it jumped straight up in the air and bolted through the brush. Larry and I jumped in surprise, then tripped over each other. Larry was a city-raised high school buddy of mine who had never had the opportunity to go out in nature much, so my dad […]
“It’s a million dollar idea,” Mike said, “We’ll buy up the abandoned landfills and mine out the metals for recycling and the organics for compost.” Active landfills in Florida who lacked soil for cover, were doing this and using the compost mixed with sand for daily cover. We talked it through, but neither of us […]
I know a guy who collects minerals. He’s retired and has a place in the mountains where he can wander out to old mine dumps looking for likely stones. Sometimes he sieves the waste rock piles to find interesting stones. Often he’ll use an old Civil Defense Geiger counter to help sort the rocks, since […]
First there was the high-pitched whine, increasing in intensity. The woman looked through the swirling dust storm frantically. Suddenly, bursting out of the dark, giant pincers….Them! It was my favorite movie as a kid, and one I shared with my son when he was old enough. Even compared to the special effects available twenty years […]
The sound sent a chill down my spine, and I froze. Did it echo around the valley or was that just my adrenaline-riddled imagination? I became conscious of the trout hanging from my belt and the blood dripping down my leg. We were backpacking in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness area, and had camped about halfway […]
“Without mystery, life shrinks. The completely known is a numbing void to all active minds.” E.O.Wilson, The Future of Life 2000 – “It’s not gambling,” my friend explained, “It’s very scientific. Each stock is valued according to the success of the company. As the company profits rise, the stock value rises. As the profits fall, […]
Writes of Nature 