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 Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch begins November 10th. Join me this year as a Citizen Scientist? In the meantime, enjoy these comics from Bird & Moon. See you outside!
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 Winter Tidings by Jashna Vashti, of Portland OR : Etsy Love and joy come to you, And to your wassail too And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year, And God send you a Happy New Year! Wassail is a hot mulled cider punch. Waes hael means "be whole" or "be healthy". In Medieval times wassail was a drink made of mulled ale or mead, curdled cream, roasted crab apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar (but that competes with our Dr. Byrne’s Eggnog)..... Here is a modern apple-cranberry Wassail recipe to help you celebrate the return of the sun and to keep your spirits in good health. Waes Hael my friends and Cheers!
 Check out my latest feature article (and two web exclusives) published in the Autumn 2017 Pacific Horticulture magazine! Main Article Bellwethers of a Healthy Environment Web Exclusives Avian Dinosaurs and Resources for the Back Yard Birder Warning: Birds are a gateway species and may be habit-forming. While birds themselves are not addictive, learning about them may result in a total redesign of your back yard :^) An enormous Shout-Out to Peter Pearsall for his incredible eye and all his gorgeous bird images!  Tree Swallow ©Peter Pearsall  Pacific Wren ©Peter Pearsall More from Peter: Instagram and writing too: Oregon Aquarium
One of the first things I did as an empty nester (in addition to BeePeeking) was to teach myself to knit. Next, I enrolled in a graduate program and earned a Masters of Teaching in Advanced Biological Inquiry (MAT/AIP). Knitting My Graduate Degree encapsulates the projects that I knitted during my three years of research into the realms of urban biodiversity, biophilia, and environmental stewardship.
Knitting allows me time to be reflective, to recognize patterns, and to consider the many possible outcomes that might occur--not only in my knitting--but in whatever inquiry task or puzzle I am working on. For me, the act of knitting involves contemplation, focus, and the ability to visualize; these are powerful skills to practice when one is taking on the task of making the world a kinder, safer, and healthier place. Ultimately, knitting is about creating change through love, and it certainly is hard to beat that. Just about everyone I know has been suffering through this winter's cold and flu season. My remedy includes hot toddies, as well as sending lovely local bird note cards to friends and family.   Birds of Note Postcards 
Don't forget to top them off with USPS postcard and Forever bird stamps!
 My husband and I began keeping bees in 2005, and that same year I began blogging about my adventures as a "beepeeker". BeePeeking encompasses more than just keeping honeybees: it is a journal of my learning adventures in our backyard and urban neighborhood through organic gardening, planting pollinator parking strips, and becoming more informed stewards of our Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary. In 2012, I found the perfect graduate program to round out my Arts and Humanities background, and I embarked on an inquiry adventure to earn my Masters of Teaching in the Biological Sciences. Click HERE to view my Prezi "Knitting My Graduate Degree: Urban Biodiversity & Biophilia", and bee inspired!   Whether it be with bonfires, candles, or eggnog, northerners have been celebrating the return of the light on the winter solstice for centuries (this year solstice is on December 21 in the northern hemisphere, below the equator, the winter solstice falls around June 21 :^) On this date, the earth's axis tilts away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sun reaches its greatest distance from the equatorial plane. Though we in Seattle are closest to the sun on the shortest day of the year, it is our longest night! How could this be? Deb Byrd explains "because Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. The tilt of the Earth – not our distance from the sun – is what causes winter and summer. At the December solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning most away from the sun for the year."  In following the Climate Talks in Paris, I came across this UK site Brandalism. From their website: "Brandalism has shared skills and techniques for 'subvertising' - the art of subverting advertisements. We start from the democratic conviction that the street is a site of communication, which belongs to the citizens and communities who live there. Our interventions are a rebellion against the visual assault of media giants and advertising moguls who have a stranglehold over messages and meaning in our public spaces, through which they force-feed us with images and messages to keep us insecure, unhappy, and shopping." 80 artists/600 designs. Be inspired.  |
AuthorTracey Byrne~ 
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