One of the fun things we got to see back in November were dinosaur tracks. While I am a dinosaur fan, I find it hard to imagine what dinosaurs looked like from their bones. Bird skeletons have taught me that predicting an organism’s shape from its skeleton is tricky. Seeing their footprints, however, helped bring them to life.
Continue reading Walking After the Dinosaurs: Fossilized Tracks
I’ve made dozens of quilts in the last 25 years, so when I decided to make a baby quilt last spring, I figured it would be a cinch. Silly me. I forgot that being out of practice would mean a lower skill level than I remembered having.
Continue reading Without Regular Practice, Skills Fade
While I’ve been interested in nature journaling for years, I’ve struggled to develop a good journaling habit. I am lucky enough to live on a lake, which seems like an ideal place to observe nature. But in fact, most of the birds and animals I see are so far away it’s hard to make out details, even with binoculars. Cold weather and poor health have made it hard to get outside where I might get a better look. Then two pieces of advice changed everything for me.
Continue reading Diagramming Bald Eagles: My Nature Journal Project
The constant negative news about how human activities and waste products are hurting the environment and wildlife have motivated me to make some changes. For example, determined to reduce my use of plastic, I made a carrying case for silverware to put in my purse. Now when I grab a quick bite out, I don’t have to use a plastic fork. Below are instructions for making this simple portable pocket, which is fast to sew and also makes a thoughtful present.
Continue reading DIY Pouch for Reusable Utensils
On December 29th, there were thirteen bald eagles in sight all at once, the most I’d seen on the lake at the time. Excited by the high numbers, I posted about it on Facebook. A friend asked if I was sending my data in to eBird, and I had to confess I wasn’t.
Continue reading Permission to Err: Counting for eBird