Of Interest

My family loves nature. It’s not just the canoeing or kayaking, the hiking or the sounds. It’s the thrill of discovery, the investigation of living things; the realization that we, too, are part of the ecosystem. No matter where we are, we try to pay attention to what lives there and what threatens it. Now, […]

As our world feels smaller and smaller, we turn outward. As we do, nature and wildlife take on new meaning. It is fascinating and entertaining. On the Cumberland Plateau we’ve been working to restore habitat for wildlife—including birds. Working with the Grasslands Project, the result has been rewarding with increasing wildlife. Here are some of […]

Museums provide gifts of culture and history and exploration and imagination. This is true at every level and virtually every subject. There are museums of art and science, museums for children and history. It goes on and on. On any given day, museums struggle for support. Now, COVID combined with the economic consequences will undoubtedly […]

We love dogs. Dogs have olfactory receptors in their nose. That makes they perfect to identify drugs and diseases. Now, researchers in New York are using dogs to identify the signs of an invasive species—specifically oak wilt. Bees and trees are essential to our well-being. Read more here.

Ever since the kids and I found ginseng, we’ve been fascinated by it. Finding it, studying it, seeing shapes in the physical roots, and drinking it in tea. But we’re also worried about ginseng. For one thing, it gets stolen and too frequently the thieves don’t respect the “take” failing to plant the berries into […]

Appearances are deceiving. Here we find that one area’s invasive plant is another’s landscape savior. I live in South Florida where we’ve had ample opportunity to see the unintended consequences of introducing non-native vegetation (and animals for that matter). Some scientists believe phragmites, a prolific invasive species, can help fight climate change. I am skeptical. Still, […]

In some ways our confinement gives us more time. Of course, that time at home is filled with other stuff, like home schooling and keeping the kids from killing each other. Oh, and the dog is crazier than ever-ready to go for “a ride.” We’re all hyper-focused on the expansion of the coronavirus … While […]

Home with the kids. But rather than just enjoy it, we have to think about, distance learning, home schooling, online schooling options, or education by Zoom or any number of other deadlines, practices and drama. I have two teenagers and two smaller ones. They do well together, but every system has its limits and we’re […]

Well, here we are. Sheltering at home, protecting our families and communities from the spread of the awful coronavirus (COVID-19). Times are uncertain, but as rapidly as this happened, things will return to some kind of normal, though likely changed. Routine and planning will create some stability… Having a set time to workout, having a […]