I grew up believing all fires destroy and need to be snuffed out. Smokey the Bear posters and billboards were everywhere. A campfire left burning, a cigarette tossed carelessly from a car window could destroy acres of woodlands, or hillside of grass, leaving nothing but ash and devastation. Fire fighters work hard to eradicate every …
The eclipse has come and gone and I missed out. All through the day, I received posts from jubilant friends wearing their eclipse glasses while sitting on lawn chairs and gazing up at a cloudless sky for the event of the century. Meanwhile, I stood outside on our deck and looked out at the foggy …
God made a vast variety of beautiful and interesting birds. One is the Whydah from South Africa. During mating season, the male grows long black feathers two to three times longer than his body. Eager to mate, he hovers in front of a female, flapping his wings while his tail feathers dangle. Oooo-wee, look at …
I found a snake skin in the backyard the other day, stretched out under the redwood trees. Yikes! I’d better watch where I’m stepping, and when I pull up plastic ground cover to give the trees breathing room, I’d better do it carefully or find what’s living in those half tunnels I keep uncovering. That …
There are people in the world who have the gift of hospitality, and my friend Holly is one of them. She’s been entertaining for years; teachers, neighbors, missionaries, anyone who looks like they need a little spoiling. When Holly says she’s having a tea party, I’d postpone heart surgery to go. Holly and her …
For a couple of seconds, I thought the headline must be a joke. But then, I remembered: I live in California! The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is reviewing the case of Naruto, a crested macaque monkey on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesis, verses David Slater (photographer) and Blurb (self-publishing company …
We had hawks and hawklets when we lived up on Longleaf Court. When we took a look at this home backed up to acres of green space on the flood plain dotted with oaks and willows, I spotted another pair of hawks. Woohoo!! The neighbors on the other side of the county culvert have a …
I’ve visited the California Carnivores nursery in Sebastopol several times in the past. It was always an interesting field trip for my children where we learned the United State is home to the widest variety of carnivorous plants in the world; including such species as Venus flytraps, sundews, butterworts, American pitcher plants, cobra plants and …
Down through the ages, scientists have sought answers and come up with theories. For example: Geoterrapinism Theory= the earth rests on top of a giant turtle Fixed Earth Theory= the earth is the center of the universe Contracting Earth Theory/Geophysical Global Cooling = the earth is getting smaller Expanding Earth Theory = the earth is …
Have you been feeling anxious lately? If so, you are one among millions. Everyone seems to be worrying about something: global warming, terrorist attacks, Russians hacking, GMOs, the apocalypse. We wear fit bits to monitor heart rate, footsteps, sleep patterns. We carry communication systems in our pockets, and live by text messages, tweets and snapchat. …