The 2017 Solar Eclipse: August 21, 2017 In just a few days, those of us in the United States will be in the right place for the best solar eclipse here in almost 100 years. Scientists everywhere—from astronomers and astrophysicists to meteorologists and biologists—will be observing, recording, testing, and analyzing from every angle (from earth, from […]
Nature
Book Review: The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
Book Review: The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman The Genius of Birds may not be for everyone, but for this bird lover and biology major, it was absolutely marvelous. The author—a bird lover herself—is a journalist who traveled the world to observe the work of researchers studying avian intelligence. She relates amazing stories of many species […]
Adventures In The High Desert And Mountains Of New Mexico
Photos courtesy of Dr. John A. Cottrell, Jr., unless otherwise noted Pull up a chair, my friend, and fix yourself a cup of coffee or tea. I’ve missed you and want to share not only what I’ve been up to for the last two weeks, but also some lessons I’ve learned while I was gone. My husband and […]
Did You Hear God’s Voice?
How many signs from God do we miss because they weren’t what we expected? My guest Annette Petrick shares a powerful story. She and I hope it will help you hear God’s voice and feel God’s touch much more often. Use the audio player below to listen to this 90-second show…here’s what Annette said about this episode: […]
Unexpected Discoveries Near The Grand Canyon
Today’s guest blogger and Connection Messenger* Esther Miller shares from her travelogue about return visits to the Grand Canyon. If you haven’t yet read the post that launched our series celebrating the 100th birthday of the U.S. National Park System, go to “The National Park System: 100 Years of Nature, History, and America’s Stories.” I hope the series will get you […]
When Is A Rock More Than Just A Rock?
Today’s guest blogger and Connection Messenger* Esther Miller reminisces about her first visit to the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon many years ago. If you haven’t yet read the post that launched our series celebrating the 100th birthday of the U.S. National Park System, go to “The National Park System: 100 Years of Nature, History, and America’s Stories.” I hope […]
Nature’s Magic Night Lights
JUNE 2016: I enjoyed a fascinating article by Melissa Breyer (at Treehugger.com) about why firefly populations are diminishing in some areas (“What’s Happening To The Fireflies?”). It prompted me to republish the post below from 2013 and to read up on these fascinating little creatures. Fireflies are a bioluminescent species because they can produce their own light. A chemical reaction within the firefly’s light […]
Retirement Gave Me Back The Out-of-Doors
More time in retirement gave this author an unexpected gift. My guest, Kathleen Stinehart, was one of a group of professional women who supported and learned from each other here in the northern Shenandoah Valley. Sadly, she died from cancer in August, 2017. We miss her light and kindness so much. I enjoyed this post so […]