Category: nature

We had a storm come through our neighborhood, and it knocked out all the power. No lights, no TV, no refrigerator power. The storm was powerful enough to break the fake owl that we have out on our balcony to chase away the very real pigeons. The weather service said that there would be hail, […]

As Hurricane Beryl was roaring through the Caribbean toward Mexico and then Texas, I watched the news with the realization that I don’t know much about these storms. So I decided to see what I could find out. The word “hurricane” comes from the name of the Mayan god Hurakan, who blew his mighty breath […]

I was looking at some YouTube videos about tomatoes, because I wanted some tips before I planted some. While I was browsing I came across a guy who talked about putting chopped-up bananas in the soil under his tomato plants. He thought they provided great nutritional benefits. That got me going on bananas. (Didn’t you […]

Spring has finally arrived in Chicago. I was outside today without a jacket, and it was beautiful. The birds were singing and the breeze was gentle. We all recognize that Spring feels like a time of new life, of rebirth, of starting over. It is no accident that the early church scheduled Easter to coincide […]

I recently went to the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanical Garden, and I was blown away by the beauty and variety of these flowers. Take a look, and I’ll share some other tidbits that I’ve found. There are over 25,000 different varieties of orchids. They are often found in wet tropical areas, and many […]

Did you ever look at a dog that was looking back with it’s eyes wide and wonder, “What is she thinking?” I’ve been with a number of dogs lately, and that’s been my question.  Because dogs can’t talk, I’m not sure we’ll ever know exactly, but researchers have made some interesting discoveries.  Animal Language It […]