The first, second, and third rule of real estate is -- Location, Location, Location! But location isn't just a place. And, it isn't something static. Location is an entire environment... -- A dynamic relationship that is constantly changing and evolving in an ebb and flow of elements both large and small; seen and unseen. -- A system of … [Read more...]
Walking In Nature — A Basic Tool For Creative Multitasking
Author Julia Cameron points out that one of the most valuable tools for creativity is one of the simplest — walking. When she wrote THE ARTIST’S WAY she didn’t address exercise until week 12 in the program. In IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond, which was written twenty-five years after … [Read more...]
Mule Deer Shows Some Tough Love
This mother mule deer in Arizona, doting and attentive just a week before, warns her young buck away. Why? It turns out she is pregnant with a new fawn, and that she’s taught the year-old buck all she can about survival. Her hormones have kicked in, and her brain is wired for the survival of the new fawn growing inside. After the new fawn is up … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibilities: Dinosaur Webs
Dinosaur webs? When we think of what is possible... we tend to be limited — by our knowledge by our perspective by our experiences by our curiosity and by our imagination. So why ponder dinosaur webs? It was something I saw in a web comic... As far as I know, no one has found any dinosaur webs -- yet. But take a look at the fang-like … [Read more...]
Fun Must Share Twitter Animal Tales – Part I
I love to read around the internet and frequently come across engaging, funny or insightful news and superb storytelling that are “must shares.” Since I often find them through twitter (sorry, not a facebooker) I just automatically “tweet” or “retweet” the links to share them with other twitter users. Of course, that leaves any non-twitter BELOW … [Read more...]
The Pain And Glory Of Being A Nature Nerd
Back in October, I experienced a bit of a surprise as I was weeding our rock-wall shelves. Perhaps more surprising to some may be my reaction to what happened – a true indication of just what a nature nerd I am. Bending under an acacia bush and tugging at weeds, I felt a sharp sting and instant numbness on and beneath my shoulder. I won’t lie – I … [Read more...]
Lost & Found News: Human Migration, Solar Impulse, Discerning Dogs
News to ponder that you may have missed: Lost: Holiday Vacation Travel to Human Migration Mapping When someone says "holiday vacation travel" what comes to mind? Do you envision new sights and familiar haunts? Do you remember the hustle bustle, joys and frustrations of moving luggage and people from point A to point B? Do you think of the … [Read more...]
Behind the Scenes
At night I’ve been known to stare into the quiet darkness beyond our windows, so different from the fierce sunlight of the day and its illumination. And I wonder: what really happens out there, after the sun slithers behind the mountains? What happens behind the scenes? A lot, it appears. When our blinds are drawn to the skies canvassed in the … [Read more...]
A Cool Thing Happened at Work: Baby Chinese Crocodile Lizards
It’s no secret that I love my job. Becoming a reptile keeper at the Knoxville Zoo last year was a dream come true. Incredible things happen there every day, and I’m so honored to be a part of it. We have a new exhibit. It’s a series of exhibits, actually; a building with lots of beautifully designed enclosures that house lizards. Many of the … [Read more...]
Majestic Crested Saguaros
I’ve been on a bit of a scavenger hunt lately for the majestic Crested Saguaros. It all started about a year ago when I realized that the misshapen form I saw on a distant hill (from my kitchen window) was a rare crested saguaro. From my vantage point, it resembled an ogre with thick, uneven limbs. What’s more, its giant Medusa-like, bulbous head … [Read more...]
Mighty Saguaro Bones
Mighty Saguaro bones. I didn’t realize, until I was culling through my photo library, that I appear to have a fascination with decaying saguaros. It seems my camera gravitates toward them, capturing their unique personalities, even in death. There is a beauty in their decline. An elegance in their passing. And life beyond the hundreds of years … [Read more...]
Book: HOUSE BROKEN by Sonja Yoerg
"introspective character-driven women's fiction with smart writing" I first discovered Sonja Yoerg when her nonfiction book about animal intelligence, CLEVER AS A FOX, popped up on Goodreads (“How interesting!” said the animal lover in me). I was fascinated by this author’s professional experiences and grew even more so as I got to know her wit … [Read more...]
Desert Diversity, Saguaro Style
Those of us who feasted on a diet of Looney Tunes and Doritos each Saturday morning as children probably grew up thinking that those funny desert plants zipping past the roadrunner and coyote were all pretty much the same: deep green, trident-looking in their shape, with three equidistant arms. If you’re like me, you also grew up associating … [Read more...]
What if Fresh Produce Had A Mascot?
When we think of fresh fruits and vegetables, we immediately think "healthy." And not about actually feeling better. We think more about all the work -- storing, cleaning, chopping, slicing, cooking that it takes to prepare them, and less about the wonderful taste and texture that comes with them. And somehow, we rarely associate fresh … [Read more...]
Nectar Thieves In The Night
The first few times it happened in 2008, it was a mystery. We’d awake to the hummingbird feeder completely drained each morning, nectar splashed against the window. So we set up our Cudde camera. And what we suspected was true: ~ ~ Yep. Bats (with long tongues that CAN get down into the tiny hummingbird feeder holes). Who knew that … [Read more...]