Discovering the world around me.
As we survey the life on Owl Acres, we have been thinking about the big things. We owe a lot, though, to those tiny one-celled organisms that are everywhere. Yeast for instance. Yeast cells are so small that you need a microscope to see them. And yet, each individual cell is a living, active member […]
Continue reading Cheers!
When we were kids, playing in the mud, we used to dream about digging all the way to China. Wouldn’t that be fun? To escape through a tunnel into a completely different place? We didn’t realize, of course, that we’d end up in the Indian Ocean instead of among the Celestials. Our excavations never got […]
Continue reading Beneath My Feet Part 1: Layers of Earth
A huge bird just flew in over Owl Acres. Its wings stretch to eight feet as it flies, and its dark brown body and wings contrast with its stark white head and tail. It lands in the big elm near the driveway. Clearly, it is a living representative of America’s symbol of strength, courage, and […]
Continue reading America’s Bird: The Bald Eagle
The weather is harsh today. Snow covers the ground. Wind is expected around 30mph from the northwest, driving temps below zero where they’ll stay for several days. The trees in the woods to the north and west of the house moan and creak as they sway bare branches in the wind. The wind chimes on […]
Continue reading Winter Strategies: Black-Capped Chickadee
Dave, the resident lab, and I are out for the usual reason in the yard behind the house. Dave is totally focused on a nearby tree, and I know why. A fox squirrel is sitting in its branches chattering away, scolding us for entering its world. It’s very noisy, and Dave stands, on point, entranced. […]
Continue reading Scurry: Eastern Fox Squirrel
There’s an old shed on Owl Acres. It has board and batten siding, and a dirt floor. It’s in need of paint. Many creatures lived in that shed during the time we were away. Firewood was stored there along with other things. With the possibility that the firewood might contain some undesirable elements, we were […]
Continue reading Unto Dust: or, Powder Post Beetles
She’s lying in my hand, still, but whole. A beautiful little creature, expired for no obvious reason. Her wings are folded; her feathers are exquisitely soft. Her half-ounce weighs nothing in my palm. Her little round, acorn-size head with its cone-shaped beak lies against my finger. Her legs are like little twigs, thin and bare. […]
Continue reading Wintering in Iowa: Dark-Eyed Junco
I fell in love with the sound of the native American flute some years ago, so I bought one carved from a branch of red cedar and learned to play it. It has a lovely voice. The type of wood, I discovered, makes a big difference in the sound of the flute with cedar being […]
Continue reading Music in the Woods: Eastern Red Cedar
Dave moved in last February. He doesn’t know this, but he is a dog. A big very light-colored yellow lab with long floppy ears, a nose that brings him the world, and a heart as big as Texas. He thinks he is a little puppy and likes nothing better than to climb into my lap, […]
Continue reading Introducing Dave
The other day while we were tramping about near the creek, we came upon a colony of cantaloupe-sized giant puffballs growing in the grass. They were past eating, but reminded us of an episode a few years ago while we were living in a big apartment building. One autumn day, Bryan found a puffball as […]
Continue reading Fungus and Fairies