We’ve finally had three days of warmish weather and the garden is abuzz with the sounds of busy bees. If you listen carefully, you can hear each species with its own pitch and rhythm. There is, of course, the familiar drone of the honeybee and the heavy bass of the yellow faced bumble bee (Bombus […]
Outdoors
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Milk Run in the Sun
There wasn’t much in the way of fog in Ferndale when runners of all ages pounded the Victorian Village’s pavement during the Foggy Bottom Milk Run on Sunday. In fact, the 4-mile, 10-mile and 2-mile loops began and ended under blue sky on Main Street, which was lined on both sides with clusters of cheering […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Still Standing: The legacy of Women’s Grove
The instant I stepped out of my car and into Women’s Grove, I was hit by the scent of rain-soaked earth and redwood bark — a smell that I will always associate with my childhood. My parents would load us into the station wagon and drive us to this grove, where we would tumble out […]
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HumBug: Falling Blossoms
It’s been a long rainy spell and my plum trees have been waiting in full bloom for a warm day. I kept expecting them to lose their petals but despite sometimes heavy rains and occasional hail, they kept them. I think they’re like orchids. The flowers of most orchids can hold for weeks or even […]
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HumBug: O Hideous Little Bat
American poet Karl Shapiro begins his poem “The Fly” with the address, “O hideous little bat, the size of snot.” No other group of animals is as reviled as flies. Annually, members of the order Diptera account for millions of human deaths through diseases they spread. The ones that pester, infect and disgust us are really only […]
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Paddling Forward
With the smell of coffee wafting from a nearby restaurant, we place our paddle boards on the glassy surface of Humboldt Bay. Earlier that morning, my husband had woken me and suggested we take our boards out to the King Salmon canals. Now he waits until I am safely launched before pushing his board out […]
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A Starting Place: Resources to #Resist
Here are the numbers Humboldt County residents need to call our representatives: Senator Dianne Feinstein Washington, D.C. Office: (202)224-3841 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. 20510 San Francisco Office: (415)393 0707 One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104 Senator Kamala Harris Washington, D.C. Office: (202)224-3553 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. […]
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HumBug: Beacon Islands on a Dreary Day
It was sunny when I went to get my hiking boots but by the time I got dressed and out the door, it was 49 degrees and drizzling. I went anyway. The path down to the river was dark, the only sounds were the gentle “pok, pok” of water dripping from branches. The burning in […]
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Humboldt Slackliners
About 40 feet up in the air, Matt Paris took another step on a 1-inch slackline that stretched 400 feet across the redwood forest. The line began to bounce and shake. He swung down about 5 feet and back up again as he approached the middle section with the most give. Paris squinted, his breath […]
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HumBug: Season’s Greetings
Undaunted by the rain, I was out barbecuing a chicken a few nights ago when, attracted by my porch light, a moth buzzed me. I kept working but noted where it came to rest. Of course I had to investigate, and when I did I noted it was decorated with a lacy black pattern on […]
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Attack of the English Ivy
A number of conservation groups, government branches and a logging company petitioned for a ban of selling English Ivy in California. Over 20 organizations, including the Environmental Protection Information Center and Green Diamond Resource Co., led a petition to designate English Ivy as a noxious plant. Tom Wheeler, Executive Director of Environmental Protection Information Center, […]