As an amateur naturalist I have a curiosity to know how things work. In college I once saw the chemical reactions involved in photosynthesis laid out on a large poster. This all-important method plants use to make food for themselves (and ultimately us) was incredibly complex and took up half the wall.

Commercials. That is often a dirty word when I am watching a program on television.
It seems that when the story becomes really interesting and has me “hooked,” there marches in a whole train of commercials. I have counted as many as a dozen, one right after another. It hasn't always been that way.

I grew up where black walnuts were the thing, not pecans. I didn't have to buy them. They grew all over the farm, especially down the lane to the pasture. Here, we had several black walnut trees on our 1 2/3 acres.
I remember the first time I gathered 'em, dried 'em and placed the precious nuts in grocery bags. They were placed to cure on a high shelf in our little barn. Later, the following winter, I reached up to retrieve a bag of walnuts to take to the house and crack.

My husband had never owned a dog when he was growing up, but he loved them and dogs loved him. He said dogs that would tear up anyone else in his neighborhood would fawn on him like a little puppy.
So after we were married and in our own house, he insisted on getting a dog. I was not included in that selection.

Q: How is a chiropractic adjustment performed?

A: Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the doctor of chiropractic’s intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractic physician typically uses his or her hands—or an instrument— to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to restore or enhance joint function.

Kids waving sparklers in the air,
Fireworks in the nighttime sky.
Exploding rockets and dancing stars
Remind us it's the Fourth of July!
We proudly say,
“It's Independence Day.”

Sourwood does not stand out in the forest except this time of year when it is in bloom, and perhaps in the fall when it displays brilliant red colors.

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is locally called "sorrel” and is common in our area. It tends to be a small understory tree growing under larger tree canopies.

Isn’t it funny how we change as we go through life?

When I was a kid, lightning didn’t bother me at all. What I really hated about a storm was the thunder. You see, I can’t stand sudden loud sounds. Seriously, they hurt me from the inside out. I won’t even pop a balloon. Worse than that are fireworks. I love watching them, but not hearing them.

There are designations used to denote time to help keep historical events in perspective. There is B.C., B.C.E., and A.D. In the beginning of attempting to label events in historical time perspectives, people counted years by such things as Greek festivals or Roman emperors. Old Testament scripture alludes to this practice (e.g., “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD . . .: Isaiah 6:1 KJV). As people converted to Christianity in the New Testament era, they wanted to count their years by Christian events.

Ground beef is a favorite of mine. There are many ways to flavor an economical ground beef dish for supper. This recipe fancies up the ground beef and makes a delicious gravy. Add some mashed potatoes, fix a green salad and supper is ready.