Taking a Break from Gardening

Air Quality result showing a dial image pointing a bit past the 150 marker with a label of Unhealthy.

After last week’s hot weather, with over 90 degree Farenheit temperatures several days, I welcomed this week’s cooler 70+ degree days.

For the past three days, I’ve been busy gardening.

I finally planted potted perennial flowers and vegetable plants I’ve kept on my porch during the hot temperatures, without worrying about them shriveling up from the intense heat.

That changed today when southeast Michigan air quality took a serious decline into the unhealthy range, according to AirNow.

Continue reading Taking a Break from Gardening

Takeaways from United Nations 2023 International Women’s Day Observance

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, a woman with blond hair stands in front of a podium speaking to a large conference room filled with hundreds of people seated in chairs.

In her keynote address this morning at the United Nations International Women’s Day observance, DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality observance, Doreen Bogdan-Martin described how times are changing, highlighting personal stories of women and girls around the world:

  • Vidia, a young woman in India is helping thousands of visually-impaired students, mostly girls, to develop technology skills to pursue science, technology, and math
  • Helen, a Brazilian young woman, uses drones to photograph shifting vegetation patterns. Helen belongs to the Pankararu indigenous peoples and is working to fight climate change and save her people’s land.

In a field dominated by men, Doreen Bogdan-Martin is the first woman in 158 years to be elected by member nations as the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Continue reading Takeaways from United Nations 2023 International Women’s Day Observance

Great Backyard Bird Count 2023

Red-headed black and white bird perches on side of tree in the bright sunshine, blue sky in the background.

Join me and thousands of other folks who enjoy birdwatching this weekend for the 26th annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Every February people around the world join together to share their love of birds by watching and counting as many birds as they can and reporting them online.

Continue reading Great Backyard Bird Count 2023