Here are a few stories, articles, and resources I’ve read, learned about, and enjoyed over the past month.
Hope you enjoy them, too!
What I Found Interesting
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I love these kinds of stories! A man finds a a lost purse, returns it, and has a lovely chat with the purse owner on their video doorbell camera.
The woman who owned the purse was at a friend’s house when the man returned it. She tried to reward the man for finding their purse, but the man refused.
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If you haven’t heard of her, Sarah Gerrard-Jones (also known as The Plant Rescuer) is a gardener behind The Plant Rescue Box, an initiative that has taken off worldwide where imperfect plants from plant retailers are given a second chance.
In her latest Gardens Illustrated article, Gerrard-Jones discusses how it became her mission to rescue 200 unwanted houseplants and save them from certain death.
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For folks in southeast Michigan, mark your calendars! The Plymouth Ice Festival returns February 2-4, 2024. I always visit Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth to check out the amazing ice sculptures by the carvers. Fingers crossed the weather is cold!
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Like many other areas in the US, overcast skies, strong winds, and snow showers are forecast this week. Something that brightened up a rather gray week for me: discovering Wild Ones’ list of native plant nurseries in the United States.
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Something I’ve considered for a while: creating an online resource that gives tips and more information about eBird hotspots. For example, information about what kinds of birds are seen at specific times of year. As well as info and photos on the trails and parking from local birders.
Which is why I was thrilled to learn about Birding Hotspots, an open-source project created by Ken Ostermiller who was recently joined by software developer Adam Jackson. I’m still exploring it and hope to add some tips and photos from my favorite eBird hotspots.
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An 80-year-old electricity supplier, Kit Carson Cooperative in New Mexico, breaks up with fossil fuels and goes all in on decarbonization.
It took years and $37 million to break a contract with their energy supplier. But in 2022, Kit Carson’s renewable energy provided “100% of the year-round daytime electrical needs of its more than 300,000 members.” -
While the total solar eclipse in the United States on April 8, 2024 will capture much attention and news stories, you have lots of opportunities to see full moons, partial eclipses, and meteor showers in 2024.