It was a freezing day with adorable animals — Somehow I convinced my husband to go with me to a local farm for their Baby Farm Animal Days. He wasn’t excited about going, so I said I’d go alone if he really wasn’t interested. He was familiar with the farm, since it’s on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada. “The…

I got to call it “work” — When Carson City Parks, Recreation, and Open Space contacted our park to see if we wanted to help with a guided full moon paddle, I said yes right away. We had tried to schedule one last fall but the lake was too shallow. This year, we planned a trip for…

May 9–15 — This week was full of birdwatching field trips and other outdoor events at work. The Lahontan Audubon Society coordinates with local schools, mostly from Reno, bringing field trips to the park. I looked forward to these field trips every spring until COVID cancelled them for two years. This year we…

One of my favorite desert wildflowers — One evening after work, I joined a group hike that was led by a botanist. We saw several wildflower species, some of which were tiny and close to the ground, but one flower that stood out to me was the Brown’s Peony (Paeonia brownii). The heavy flower heads point down…

Week 47: April 11–17 — We had some wild weather this week. In honor of National Look Up At the Sky Day, which was April 14, I decided to spend the week taking photos of the sky. …

Week 46: April 4–10 — I hiked the same trail every day this week except for Monday. I was feeling tired and stressed one day after work, so I decided to take half an hour and hike one of my favorite trails. …

Flowers are blooming and leaves are turning green — I was outside watering the grass after work when I took the time to really look around our backyard. I hadn’t noticed the plum tree blooming, or that the lilac bush was just getting ready to bloom. I’d noticed the dandelions, but I hadn’t stopped to take a closer look. …