Today is National Weed Your Garden Day. When I was young, my parents had an extensive garden, and we were always plucking weeds that had sprouted up between the rows. It was not my favorite chore. (Today as close as I get to having a garden is a pot with a tomato plant.) We know…
This Thursday, February 20th is National Love Your Pet Day! I have three spoiled cats (Ralph, Rufus, and Moose) who get loving every day, but I will certainly give them some extra treats this Thursday. They deserve all the love because I benefit from them so much! Did you know that having a pet can–…
When I was little and staying at my grandparents house, a bat got into my bedroom. Grandpa tried to catch it with his fishing net, but ended up knocking it onto the bed and thus onto me. As you can imagine, I wasn’t a fan of bats for awhile after that. But now I’m rather…
I am all about helping turtles cross the road. And I’ve accomplished this helpful move several times with small turtles. But this big guy was having none of it. The Youtube videos that show viewers how to safely move snapping turtles across the road without losing a finger apparently only work with snappers who are…
I live in an area that has an abundance of ponds–and thus an abundance of frogs. This time of year the cheeping, croaking, and peeping is deafening. I love it! It’s not uncommon for me to have one or two of the cute little buggers attached to my living room window like funky decorative clings….
It’s Learn About Butterflies Day. I wonder who decided that March 14th was a good day to focus on butterflies? Currently I’m still wearing chunky sweaters and we’re getting a wintery mix outside…and I’m in North Carolina! But it’s certainly nice to focus on these lovely critters instead of the sloppy mess outside the window….
When I was little, my Mom would read aloud a picture book titled, Night Noises and Other Mole and Troll Stories. It was one of my favorites because Mom always did Troll’s voice with the perfect amount of frenzied hysteria. In the story “Night Noises,” Troll gets irrationally scared at the chirping of crickets and…
Mosquitoes love me…I mean they REALLY love me. I’m originally from Michigan, where we half-jokingly refer to the mosquito as our state bird. (When you have over 11,000 lakes you end up with a lot of mosquitoes.) Although I would be happy if mosquitoes disappeared from our planet, animals like frogs and bats would be…
Spring is here–and that means that plants are beginning to sprout and bloom! Check out the super sweet booklet given below on the needs of a plant. This idea is one of the activities available in the May online issue of The Mailbox–Kindergarten! To get the monthly magazine, you need The Mailbox Gold. What is The…
Several weeks ago, I had some trees cut down, and the tree company left a pile of mulch the size of a small car in the middle of my yard. So last week, I finally got around to shoveling the mulch onto my flower beds. Things were going along swimmingly until, when I stabbed my…