This morning, I joined a bird watching expedition through Buckhorn Island State Park in Grand Island, New York. It was a cloudy, but not excessively cold, November day and was a good day for the bird watching experience. Since I’m not a big fan of battling crowds at the mall in the shopping frenzy called […]

Happy Thanksgiving!  Today, I am doing what soap operas do! This blog post is an “encore presentation.” I first posted this story, about the tragedy of Strawberry and Motorboat Islands, on January 25th, 2015. Restoration work was started last year and is scheduled to be completed next year. The islands, once thought to be lost

Approximately ten years ago, I started going to painting class at Stella Niagara Educational Park, in Lewiston, New York. The class meets twice a month from September until June. The instructor, Virginia Kelley, is a volunteer who loves art and who loves the work and the mission of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Penance

Just a few days before Thanksgiving seems like a good time to share readers’ comments. I am very grateful for everyone who reads my blog, and I love your comments, stories, and suggestions. Thank you so much. Here are some of the comments that you have shared with me. Thanksgiving food, part two: terrific and

Yesterday, I talked about foods that can be best described as Thanksgiving disasters. Today, I will suggest some foods that I would describe as tasty and terrific. Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays because it is so delicious. In this blog post, I will focus on side dishes. I have found a variety

Today, I am writing about culinary disasters that occur on Thanksgiving. I think that culinary disasters are hilarious, so I thought that I would share a few of the bizarre ones that I found on the internet. One of the great things about the internet is that you can find some really funny stuff. So

I live on an island in the Niagara River. It is close to Niagara Falls, New York; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Tonawanda, New York, and Buffalo, New York. It is the largest island in the river. Other islands include Strawberry Island, Motor Island, Navy Island, Beaver Island, and Frog Island. Some of these islands are in

Feeling stuck for something to write about, I started looking online for a writing prompt, when I found this fun little short story writing contest. The contest is called “Flash fiction (an exciting writing prompt challenge).” The writing prompt is an entire paragraph. The idea is to finish the story and then share that story

Today’s blogging prompt was “What is the hardest lesson you’ve learned from having pets?”  Every day with a cat is a delight. I grew up with cats and I have loved all of the cats that have come into my life. The only hard day is when the cat dies. It is said that the

It’s November, and the weather certainly experiences abrupt shifts. It was much colder today than yesterday and it has been raining off and on. Today, I listened to a webinar about the hemlock wooly adelgid. The hemlock wooly adelgid is an aphid-like, invasive insect that threatens entire forests of hemlock trees. Hemlock trees (tsuga) are