Why Wasps, Hornets and Yellowjackets Are Good
We Have a Live and Let Live Policy
A recent visitor was aghast that we’ve allowed this nest to get so big. Ok, huge. What were we thinking?! Especially since this is a hornet nest and they are considered more aggressive than paper wasps. (We also have a bunch of those nests around but they’re not as impressive.)
Paper wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets all belong to the Vespidae family. All of them provide valuable ecological services, including pollination, predation, and parasitism.
So, what I was thinking was that I was thankful to have more pollinators to help with my garden and more insect eaters to help keep the garden insect population down […]
Should You Let Your Dog Sleep With You?
This post is in answer to the oft-asked question: “Should I let my dog sleep with me?” And is it okay to let my dog sleep on the bed?” Obviously, I’m in the camp of yea-sayers. There are still many in the nay-sayers camp who think a dog should not […]
Our Newest Animal Family
Longtime readers of this blog know that there has been a fair amount of animal loss over the last few years. Wink is our last man standing. And when it’s his time to join his animal family on the other side, I’m not sure I will be ready to go right back to adding more animals.
It’s been decades and decades since I’ve lived without animals. While the joy they’ve provided me is immeasurable, I think I want to have a few years where I can feel free to travel without leaving my fur family behind or having to worry about them. We’ll see…
In the meantime, I’ve been noticing that our wild […]
Airlines New Bait & Switch Scheduling–I’m Talking About You American Airlines
The airline industry continues to sink to new lows over recent years. Shrinking seats, shrinking legroom, shrinking services. Pay for bags, pay for food, pay for sneezing. Price increases as soon as you do more than one flight search.
Yeah, pretty sleazy. Just when you think they couldn’t go any lower…
I’m calling out American Airlines here because of my direct experience, but apparently, this has become yet another common sh*tty practice they all do.
Net effect: A flight that was supposed to be 12½ hours turned into 21½ hours without warning.
Following are just of few of the last-minute changes on a recent flight, and I do mean LAST MINUTE.
It was going to be a punishing […]
Perfectly Crisp Kale Chips Recipe
There’s a trick to getting not-soggy, not chewy, but perfectly CRISP kale chips every time. And I’m going to share 2 of my secrets to ensure your success. But first the recipe!
1. Start with a bunch or two of kale and rinse well. (As it so happens, I have several bunches from the garden that need using.)
2. Use a salad spinner to dry well. [SECRET #1: You need to start with very dry kale pieces—moisture contributes to sogginess.]
3. Cut out the stem that runs down the middle. You could leave them if you wanted but I find them a little too woody.
4. Tear/cut into chip-size pieces. […]