Southeast Michigan Native Plant Swaps and Sales

Brilliant yellow wildflowers with deep magenta centers against a mass of lancelike green leaves.

While two nights of hard frosts last week had gardeners concerned (including me, I moved many of my flower and vegetable pots into the garage), spring seems to have finally arrived to southeast Michigan.

Forsythia are mostly finished blooming. Eastern Redbud trees are covered in lovely purple flowers.

Continue reading Southeast Michigan Native Plant Swaps and Sales

Photo of the Week: Mourning Doves

A pair of tan-brown birds with black dots on their wings, pink legs, and long pointed tails, the Mourning Doves perch on the edge of the square bird feeder. One bird has its wing slightly outstretched as it lands on the feeder edge.

A bird I see year round in our southeast Michigan area, the slender, graceful Mourning Dove is a bird I see or hear daily. Their coo-coo sound is often the first sound I hear in the morning. This morning, with our constant rainfall, this pair of Mourning Doves joined the local House Wrens, Northern Cardinals,… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Mourning Doves

First Thoughts on Okular, Alternative to Adobe Reader

Screenshot of Okular showing interface options and annotations toolbar for the Washtenaw Bird & Nature Alliance newsletter.

When Adobe added an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Assistant to Adobe Reader in early 2024, many people who use Reader to view and annotate PDFs were frustrated.

And annoyed with Adobe’s red button to try it out (pricing for AI Assistant is $4.99/month for an early-bird subscription, available until June 4, 2024).

Including me.

I hate unexpected buttons and pop-up messages when I’m using a digital product or service.

Continue reading First Thoughts on Okular, Alternative to Adobe Reader