It’s that time of year again! The irises are blooming here in Tennessee! Having a 7-week-old baby, I haven’t gotten out much in the last couple of months, so that may have made the sight of my first iris bloom all that more exciting this year. I jumped up and down a little bit and... Continue Reading →
Back in June, my husband and I had a rather spontaneous one-night retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park. I sat down and began to write this blog post the following week, but somehow got distracted while doing some of the research and didn’t get it up right away. And then, a couple of weeks after... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, my husband told me about a bald eagle nest not too far from our house. He said that he and a few of his co-workers had spotted one of the eagles hanging around the tree line near the highway and talked about how big it was. It prompted us to google... Continue Reading →
When I sat down with my planner on New Year’s Eve to set up my calendar for 2022, I also took the time to review the goals I had set for 2021. Last year, I had set several goals and a couple of them included completing a set number of hikes and a set number... Continue Reading →
Happy 12 Days of Blogmas Day 5! Sometimes in the midst of a busy holiday season, we need to slow down and take some time to breathe and reflect on the whys behind our crazy rushing around. Henry David Thoreau, best known for his work, Walden, and reflections on nature and being an advocate for... Continue Reading →
Back in 1994, TLC told us to not go chasing waterfalls and to “stick to the rivers and the lakes” that we’re used to. And this past weekend, my husband and I tried to do like they said and just stick to a lake that we are “used to” and have fished numerous times, but... Continue Reading →
This past weekend I went on a ranger led hike at one of my local Tennessee State Parks. And as I usually do when in the presence of someone who has studied extensively more about the natural world than I have, I learned several new things that I haven’t managed to pick up yet in... Continue Reading →
As my Iris blooms fade, we have some gorgeous Stargazer Lilies beginning to bloom. These lilies have been in my flower beds the last few years despite my best efforts to kill them. I originally had the lilies in a couple of pots and that first fall after their foliage died, I just left the... Continue Reading →
Last fall, I tried to venture out to my local state park more often and I have continued to regularly visit this year for hikes. But I have tweaked my hiking necessities a bit since those earlier adventures last fall. I broke down and bought myself a hiking stick. You see, when my husband and... Continue Reading →
The only known photograph of Chief Seattle taken in 1864 Happy Earth Day! In celebration of the 51st annual Earth Day, I was considering posting the words to a speech that I came across at the Ozarks Natural History Museum while on a trip last month with my husband. In the last gallery of the... Continue Reading →
Rachel F. Jean 