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So You’re Gonna Have Surgery
Caveat Note, many of these ideas can apply to various situations where one is temporarily limited in movement. Rich has had hand and cataract surgeries. His movements were limited for a time. My situation was ALIF - low back fusion surgery. There appear to be...
Keweenaw Peninsula By Winter
Quincy Warmth After a short walk through deep snow in the bitter cold, we entered a dimly lit tunnel. As we stepped into Quincy Mine’s long tunnel we were surrounded by warmth. Well, the warmth was relative. Outside it was below zero but inside the tunnel was a balmy...
Turtles of Iowa
Two experts share current information on turtles of Iowa.
Odd Shed Deer Antler
An odd shed deer antler caught our eyes during a woodsy March walk. We’ve enjoyed shed hunting for years and have found plenty, but this one was unusual. What is a Shed? Deer, elk, moose, and caribou all shed their antlers a couple of months after the breeding season....
Clean the Tool
Disclaimer: Both Milwaukee and Ego have provided us with tools to test, however, we purchased most of our tools at retail cost, including Milwaukee and Ego brands. There it was, printed clearly in the owner's manual. Clean the tool. I’d just bought a Milwaukee Brand...
DEI Chicken Flock
We have a DEI Chicken Flock. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in chickens??? Yes! A smart way to husband animals. And honor people, too. DEI Variety Within our small flock are chicken breeds with various body types, feather colors, origins, and dispositions. Here’s...
Does Investing In a Backyard Flock Make Sense?
Soaring Prices Cause People to Question Does keeping a backyard flock make sense? While shopping at a nearby grocery store, we noticed eggs for sale at $6 with a purchase limit of two dozen. After returning home, we visited our backyard coop and collected eight eggs,...
Marshmallow Scramble
What is a Marshmallow Scramble?* It's an easy, entertaining way to get chicks to come home for the night. Every afternoon, with great enthusiasm, our chickens do the marshmallow scramble. Until recently we didn’t know chickens love the sugary balls of puff, but...
Best Woodstove Fire
If you want to burn wood in a fireplace of woodstove, what are some characteristics of wood that will help you decide?
Coyotes In Town
Coyotes have moved into town. They’re showing well within huge cities and towns from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Sometimes early news reports of urban coyotes bring concern among residents. Are they dangerous? If you listen to media or follow social media then you...
Beavers Moved into Town
Beavers moved into town. Even a large city like Cedar Rapids. Surprise An amazing sight greeted us In December 2024, as we walked a circular trail around a tiny unnamed stream in the heart of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A beaver dam spanned the narrow waterway. Beaver-felled...
Stillness and Dark Discoveries
On a cold December afternoon Rich bundled up, drove to a friend’s farm, and lugged a lawn chair and hunting gear into the woods. He settled into the chair and sat motionless for nearly two hours. His reward of stillness and dark discoveries was quiet interactions with...
Radon Is An Unwelcome House Guest
Everything has a life. Even Radon machines and Radon. Radon is the second leading cause of cancer and is higher in Iowa than other states. Testing your home and mitigating radon levels is important for good health.
Possum’s Presence
In late autumn 2024, we had only light snow. The thin coverings of snow each revealed a procession of night visitors the next morning in tracks. We got especially excited by one set of tracks. Our possum’s presence! It is our favorite opossum. We hadn’t seen him (or...
Best Garden Vegetables
Seed Catalog Reading We trudged through the snow to retrieve our first garden catalog. Excited! So, we wondered what our gardening friends thought of about the best garden vegetables to grow in tiny spaces. They replied about small spaces and in general. Garden seed...
Labyrinths 2024
Winter and Spring Each January I post about visiting labyrinths during the years. Below are Labyrints 2024 that we visited. January kicked off the year with a fun and moderately mild weather visit to a childhood friend and her family who now live in Wisconsin. We...