Today is giving Tuesday and if you are fortunate enough to give this year there is no shortage of options for where to send donations. This past week alone I have received an e-mail or a letter from a zoo, a food pantry, a church, nature preserve, and a school. Just to add some variety … Continue reading A Giving Tuesday Option
What's in a name? William Shakespeare is perhaps the most famous person to ask this question in Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2: "What's in a name? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet". But my question is not referring to bridging a gap between disparate families. My question … Continue reading What is Your Name Worth?
Growing up in western Michigan I traveled to Lake Michigan with my family before I can even remember. Photographs of being at the beach is my only evidence for how young I was when I first experienced one of Michigan’s greatest natural resources, fresh water. I have also felt the lakes presence both directly and … Continue reading The Great Lakes: Keeping Them Clear and Keeping Them Here
For those who know me you might be able to envision my reaction when I read the opening line from David Elliot's book, Bull. Sorry Mom, I am just quoting here. ''Whaddup, bitches?” I literally set the book down. But like a curious cat the intrigue of why a book would start in this way … Continue reading ‘Bull’ An Unexpected Literary Treat
Have you ever come across an odd spider, insect, or plant and thought, "Hmm, what is this thing?!" Enter iNaturalist. iNaturalist is available for Android and for Apple and is completely free to download and use. After downloading the app you can 'Make an Observation' by uploading a picture of the organism in question and … Continue reading iNaturalist
A soft, steady click. Not more than the light click of a spacebar. This little click is all it took to cause a week-long headache of a recurring battery failure on our Ford Explorer. A headache that peaked when the dead battery caused our son to be late for his first day of pre-school. The … Continue reading Are You Listening?
"No such thing as a free lunch". I agree, but in this scenario the "cost" is a 15-30 minute meeting which led to doubling a $250 investment. As simplistically as I can explain, here is how it works. Each month in the mail we get coupons from Valpak This summer I noticed two different banks … Continue reading Tried and Confirmed Free Money
This post is geared to the educators out there, so if you know a teacher pass this along! I have been blessed to teach with some great educators. Not just people good at their job, but individuals who are constantly pushing themselves to be even better. One of these individuals is Mr. Dave Stuart. Several … Continue reading These 6 Things
Anyone who has been paying any attention to local news in west Michigan knows that PFAS are a group of chemicals that have contaminated local water sources. PFAS are a known carcinogen and the area of PFAS contamination seems to just keep growing. Initially, Wolverine World Wide in Rockford was being singled out as the … Continue reading PFAS Aren’t the Problem
Last week my son was riding his bike on the sidewalk and shouted "Dad! A baby bird!". The week prior we had come across a dead baby robin on the sidewalk and had to have an impromptu "circle of life" conversation, so I was fearing another little bird had met the same fate. Moving closer … Continue reading Learning to Fly
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