Deck The Halls: A Field Guide
One of the remarkable things about December, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, is that almost everywhere you go, there are evergreens draped all over things. The more urban the setting, the more greenery. Shopping malls suddenly resemble forests. I found plenty of foliage today at the grocery store. And the botanist in me always glances at the evergreen decor with an eye to identification. Now evergreen isn’t a type of plant, it’s a lifestyle. There are evergreen ferns, oaks, and mosses. It just means they keep some (but not all) of their leaves green all year long. (Needles are...
Read MoreMint: Is It Your Cup of Tea?
Upset stomach. Ugh. Not horridly painful, nothing serious, just out of sorts and a bit, acidy, you know—really don’t feel like eating. So I’ve been trying to use more herbal remedies for the little aches and pains of life, and I googled herbal remedies for upset stomachs. Came up with mint tea—specifically, peppermint tea. Ah, okay, lots of peppermint growing in the backyard, so let’s give it a try. Making mint tea is simple. Rinse off the mint leaves and stems (any part of the plant will do), put a handful in a Mason jar, and pour in boiling water. And that’s it. Let it steep for a...
Read MoreWorld War I Journal: A Soldier’s Burial
The body is stripped, then wrapped in a blanket and gently lowered into a hole. The cold earth is then thrown upon the corpse until it is hidden from view.
Read MoreSamoa: Fish-Watching
Coral reef fish are the craziest, gaudiest, most unlikely colors, like a kid run wild with a paintbox. Splashes of lemon, stripes of neon blue, turquoise, and the hottest of hot pink. Each fish is a work of art that’s looking you right in the eye.
Read MoreWhy I Love Halloween
Halloween. The fading of summer, the rising cold, the early darkness–plainly it’s time to start thinking about how to avoid evil and bad luck.
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