When I moved to North Dakota, I talked to people about both hardwood trees and softwood trees. They looked very confused. What’s a hardwood? Terminology is important. For good communication, a word should mean the same thing to each person. If it doesn’t, then we’re not actually ...
Our two dogs zipped around the yard, noses to the ground, celebrating the warmer temperatures and nearly snow-free backyard. A pair of cardinals sang loudly from the trees as if they were celebrating, too. My dachshunds’ bellies are fairly close to the ground — a little too close to the ...
Our world is full of contrasts. We teach them to our children so that they have a better understanding of the world in which they live. They learn the word “up” when they want to be carried or “down” when they want to run free. We teach them clean and dirty, in and out, hot and cold ...
North Dakota’s hunting seasons represent far more than tradition or recreation. For most it’s almost part of our DNA. Yet, each year I hear a familiar question: Why don’t we just close down the deer or pheasant seasons to help repopulate? It’s almost counter intuitive. We love it so ...
“What’s the difference between these packets?” my husband asked me after he picked up his cup of coffee. “These are different non-nutritive sweeteners,” I replied as I read the ingredient statement. “Some are sweeter than others.” “Could you pick out a packet for me?” he ...
I’ve been banned from pruning alone. Now this may seem odd, a horticulture agent not being allowed to prune alone. But there are good reasons, and at the time, I was not a horticulture agent. The first time I pruned a tree, I climbed up with my saw and bypass pruners, and I balanced between ...
