Category Archives: Uncategorized

When my alarm went off for the third time this morning, I groggily got out of bed to turn it off. I could hardly believe I’d already snoozed the alarm twice. The Universe was surely in the mood for an … Continue reading →

Plant identification is a lot trickier than I thought it would be. I have been running into a lot of problems. But I’ve also been thinking about potential solutions. Problem: Identifying from a picture doesn’t always work well, because the … Continue reading →

I learned a lot about plants as a child. I lived in a quiet suburb, down the road from a farm, and not far from the woods. My parents were both interested in nature, particularly in plants. They kept several … Continue reading →

I went downstairs one morning this week, and it was chilly (only 61 degrees!). The temperature outside was in the 30s, which meant the prospects for warming up naturally weren’t that great, so I turned on the furnace. Yup, I … Continue reading →

I took a walk in the woods late today. I didn’t bother to bring my camera. Not only was the light failing, but I didn’t want to pause to take pictures, because pausing gives mosquitoes a chance to bite. I … Continue reading →

Here is my late-Summer/early-Autumn plant catalog so far. Arrow tearthumb Asiatic dayflower Asters (blue), asters (general) Autumn olive Bird’s-foot trefoil Bittersweet (just the berries) Burdock Chicory Clearweed Common gerardia (tentative identification) Dandelion (out of season) Devil’s beggar-ticks (seeds, tentative identification) … Continue reading →

Earlier today I overheard my daughter telling her brother to do something like “a real man would do.” I wondered what she thought a “real man” was, but I was almost afraid to ask. Society pushes some harmful views, and … Continue reading →

Dear Free Anti-Virus Program: Don’t tell me what’s wrong with my computer unless you are offering to fix it for free. Dear Furniture Store: Do not call me at 7:20 a.m, when I am too busy sleeping in my bed … Continue reading →

Yesterday I went for a walk in the woods behind my house. It was a nice day, and I wanted a good stretch for my legs, so I went farther than I usually do. I forgot, though, that it’s harder … Continue reading →

Good things about Writing for the Machine (a.k.a. social media): It’s taught me to write and edit faster. It’s crazy to spend a lot of time on a piece of text that has a lifespan measured in hours, so I … Continue reading →