The Writing Life: Giving Aid to the Grammatically Challenged

What doesn’t belong on this sign? If you said the apostrophe, you’re right. I’m not being critical or judgmental. People who have trouble with grammar and spelling are among my clients. It’s my job to find and correct these mistakes before they go public. I wish these sign makers were my clients.

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Summer Solstice Images on the Trail

My early morning nature hikes make me feel like I am in a holy place. With images like this, what other way is there to see the natural world?

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Wild Food Recipe: Violet Flower Ice Cubes

I tried to freeze violet blossoms for future use. My only real success in terms of preserving the shape of the blossom was in my violet blossom ice cubes. I dipped each blossom in sugar, then froze them on a plastic-lined cookie sheet for 24 hours before adding them to the water in the ice [...]

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Buried in eMail: I Quit

The eMail never stops. I hate the feeling of unfinished business. It reminds me of how in third grade Mrs. Cavanaugh would give us sheets of arithmetic problems to add, subtract, multiply and divide from the time we entered her room until the school day officially started. Eventually we caught on that these papers were [...]

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Wild Food Recipe: Steamed Milkweed Buds

Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) buds and unripe seed pods are the only palatable parts of this plant. The buds open quickly, so harvest the tiniest ones immediately.

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Bioblitz: Documenting Wine-Caps and Other Fungi with COMA

Spending two days documenting fungi with COMA folks is the best way to learn fungi. For many people the world of mushrooms begins and ends with morels. But to the truly dedicated, learning to identify fungi is a lifetime pursuit. COMA participated along with over 100 naturalists in locating, identifying and documenting the plants, animals, [...]

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