Author Archives: Lisbeth

This is the time of year when human beings declare war on the insects of the world. Hungry ants, waking up from hibernation, are on their search for food as they emerge from their winter nests. People spot them in … Continue reading →

Cities and towns dream up some of the dumbest things in order to acquire revenue. One of them is the annual renewal of license plates on our vehicles. We have already paid taxes on our vehicle when we purchased it; … Continue reading →

I took my daughter to dinner the other night to celebrate her new job. The waitress brought one large Mason jar filled with ice water to the table. I had ordered a beer and my daughter had ordered a coke, … Continue reading →

Every cloud has its silver lining. Every difficult period that we have experienced in our lives has taught us something. The COVID pandemic has done just that for many people. The interruption to life as we had known it reminded … Continue reading →

I have been reading the beautiful poetry of Hafiz, a poet and Sufi master of the 13th century. In his poem titled That Does Perish (translated into English by Daniel Ladinsky) I love the line,  “The Earth would die If … Continue reading →

I am reading for the second time, The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben. This has spurred memories of events in my life and caused me to think of them in a completely different context. I lived with my … Continue reading →

I have often talked about the importance of having native flora in a landscape. There are numerous direct relationships between various plants, birds, insects, and mammals. Plants that depend on certain animal species, and vice versa, are essential to the … Continue reading →

A Frenchman recently won 200 million in the European lottery. It was the second largest winning in the lottery’s history. He said that he only played the large jackpots for the sole purpose of creating an endowment fund to protect … Continue reading →

I have been told on occasion that I am stubborn. I prefer to think of this trait in myself as tenacity. I generally have the capacity to see something, that I deem worthwhile, through to its finish. I do not … Continue reading →

The intensity of the war in Ukraine seems to be growing more sobering every day. Here in our own country it is hard to imagine the terror and despair that the Ukrainians are feeling. Young parents fear for their children … Continue reading →