Nature Archives - Page 14 of 18

What’s the Difference Between Heirloom, Hybrid, and GMO Seeds?

January 9, 2008 / My Garden / Recipes / By Karen Shanley / 10 Comments

In my previous post, a reader had a question about seeds. My response was getting long, so I decided to share it here. I’m sure there are other would-be gardeners who also aren’t clear on the differences.

Jo at Ecology of a Woman asked about three types of seeds — Heirloom, Hybrid, and GMO (genetically modified organisms). I’ll add one more type — Open Pollinated (of which Heirloom is a subset).

Here’s the quick run-down:

Hybrid Seeds are produced by … Read More

Thinking Spring

January 7, 2008 / My Garden / Recipes / By Karen Shanley / 20 Comments

Oh the weather outside is frightful.

It’s been hovering around -15 F in the mornings around here. And we’ve had quite a lot of snow already. Deep winter is upon us.

But the fire is so delightful.… Read More

Best Recipe for Real English Scones

December 17, 2007 / My Garden / Recipes / By Karen Shanley / 66 Comments

I ask you, what does it take to get a real English Scone in this country? Those hockey pucks that our stores and eateries have masquerading as scones are an insult.

Okay, I know. I’m sounding like a bit of a snob. And while there isn’t another snobby bone in my body– when it comes to scones, I just want the real thing.

Why? You ask.

Well, long long ago and far far away, back when I lived in England, … Read More

When is Ice Thick Enough to Skate On?

December 7, 2007 / Nature / By Karen Shanley / 9 Comments

I’ve lived on or near water my whole life — ponds, rivers, swamps, lakes, streams, you name it. And I’ve spent a good deal of my life swimming, sailing, and skating on it. So I’ve learned a lot about how wind, water, and ice work.

When it comes to ice safety, there are several factors that can affect ice stability. Like the size of the body of water (a pond will be safe long before a lake). How deep the … Read More

An Evening Walk

December 1, 2007 / Cait and Me, My Dogs and Me, Nature / By Karen Shanley / 13 Comments

Sometimes the day races by before I get a chance to get outside. Kiera doesn’t care what time of day it is, she just wants to make sure that, at some point, we get in our three mile walk. You see, Kiera has taken it upon herself to act as my personal fitness trainer. She doesn’t care whether I want to go or not — in her mind, not going is not an option. In the past eight years, we’ve … Read More

Bird Songs – A Review

November 29, 2007 / Nature / By Karen Shanley / 11 Comments

I’ve always loved watching birds. Once you know how to decipher their signs, they have a lot to tell you about what’s going on around you. For instance, if you’re sitting in the woods, and all of a sudden you see a flush of ground birds (robins, pheasant, turkey, etc.) fly up, you’ll know that a predator of some kind is in the vicinity. Or if the insect-eating birds (i.e. swallows) are flying lower to the ground, it’s because the … Read More

The Last Hurrah

November 9, 2007 / Nature / By Karen Shanley / 12 Comments

The wood’s stacked, the leaves raked, the lawn mowed one last time, and the tools put away. We’re ready for winter.

But my Maple trees? They’re still busy putting on their last hurrah.… Read More

Respecting the Emotional Lives of Animals

October 24, 2007 / Cait and Me, Nature / By Karen Shanley / 3 Comments

Whales-online.org offers this podcast with Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado and Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society. The interviewer and Marc discuss his new book Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect. Marc’s book considers the full spectrum of topics relating to animals in the human world including animal sentience and animal emotions.

From the Whales-online.org site: “Marc explains that the difference between … Read More

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