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4th week of June 2022 — June 20–26, 2022 was National Pollinator Week in the United States. According to pollinator.org, It is a time to raise awareness for pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. The great thing about Pollinator Week is that you can celebrate and get involved any…

3rd week of June, 2022 — This week, I was determined to relax and enjoy every moment I could spend outside in nature. After a week or two of too much stress, I decided things needed to change. Of course, a road trip with two amazing friends helped make that happen. I haven’t had that much…

2nd Week of June 2022 — This week I’ve enjoyed focusing on my gardens. I have a pollinator garden at work that is still a work in progress. I also started a tiny vegetable and herb garden at home. I water most of the plants twice a day since many of them are seedlings and will…

Two hikes in one morning, with wildflowers and a waterfall — I go to nature to be soothed, healed and have my senses put in order. – John Burroughs I’m feeling the stress of working 6–7 days a week. I went back to work on Friday, May 27 after a much-needed road trip with my sister. I won’t have a full…

A place I’d barely noticed as a freeway exit — I’d never heard of Elburz, Nevada. I might have noticed the freeway exit sign as I drove past at 80 miles an hour, but since there were no services (gas, food, etc.), I never considered stopping to explore. I normally planned to buy gas in Elko, again in either Wendover…

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…