My sister Judy and I had fun breaking open some black walnuts. We were both young, and it was an adventure as we peeled away the outer husks to find the inner nuts from the walnut tree near the garage.Little did we know how the oils from the husks were staining our hands! Yes, we noticed the darkening of our palms. But we failed to realize that the black coloration would not wash off. That ...

            (I write this with trepidation. Usually when I indicate that I like something, I end up receiving an overwhelming amount of that item from generous people. Please remember that I already have all that I can eat.)             This is the time of year for visiting apple orchards. This is when people stop and eat ...

 Each time I walk my favorite trail I find more excitement in entering the stand of birch trees half way along the way. These trees seem to speak to me about many things.      Sometimes they tell me about Native Americans making canoes of birch bark, probably using those canoes on the nearby Maumee River. The white bark, useful to our predecessors, seems remarkably ...

The bull thistle plant stood more than six feet tall. With the September wind, it was swaying mightily as I tried to take a picture of the purple blooms. More precisely, I was trying to photograph the bees that were on those flowers.            In spite of the wind the bees were hanging on in order to secure some nectar. It made me think of a Cedar Point-type ...

   As expected, there have been many stories, both of tragedy and heroism, coming from Houston and other parts of Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The various accounts of rescue and kindness are reminders that many people instinctively choose to care about other people.I’ve also found myself thinking about the various shelters where people have gone when their houses were ...

         On Monday I watched some of the ‘Great American Solar Eclipse’ on the Weather Channel. There were reporters and scientists strategically placed throughout the country where totality would be achieved. Moving from the northwest to the southeast, these men and women took turns sharing their experience.            One ...