The sun is out, clover runs wild, and bees of all sizes buzz about as I gaze around my lawn. A sight that may be disagreeable for some is a pleasant one for me. In part from anthropogenic causes and in part from climate change, native and managed bee populations have been in steep decline over ...

Yikes! It’s over next week and I almost missed it. National Ice Cream Month arrived on the first of July and never crossed my radar until the 21st day of the month. Shameful. Particularly for me. For decades, we native New Englanders have eaten more ice cream per capita than any ...

From Pennsylvania and Michigan to the British Isles and Japan, some people take their stone skipping very seriously. Each year, dozens of competitors launch stones into the waters of French Creek and the Allegheny River in Franklin during the Rock in River Festival. That is the home of the ...

During the many years that I have been a seasonal resident along the Allegheny River south of Warren, the times have been few that I've enjoyed the convenience of having two cars at the camp. However, through hikes and river trips I’ve enjoyed when I’ve had my wife drop me off at the ...

Once upon a time, there was this couple. She was an accomplished accountant. She just got certified as a financial planner, too, and was about to be named partner in a prestigious firm. She is driven by success and accomplishment. She is married to a high-wire electrician; one of those guys who ...

What is your favorite summer dessert? Some of you may answer watermelon while others will say it is ice cream. If your favorite summer dessert is ice cream you are with the majority. This past weekend we had some swelteringly hot days. It was not fit for man nor beast. Now, here I am not ...

Last weekend a crisis was averted when I visited the walk-in health center. It started on the fourth but just kept getting worse. I know enough about allergies to know one when I see one. My rash started with a spot on my arm but progressed to both arms and my torso. I had no idea what I ...

So, I’m riding this bicycle, or it might have been a big tricycle, and I’m hauling this little trailer set very close to the ground. The trailer is round and just big enough to hold a plate. The plate is covered, edge to edge, and piled high with bacon. I have this sense I’ve been ...

As I look at my kitchen it is a time travel through the years. I have collected things from all over, in fact, my first kitchen dishes were a collection of odds and ends that I inherited from many of my well-meaning relatives. I used those until I moved out of the trailer. My mother was a war ...

Camp GoGo is a private camp that is open only one week a summer. This is the week. Malcolm, my 11-year-old grandson is the only attendee and he received a full scholarship to attend. He’s very talented. Regular readers of this column know that my grandmother name is GoGo and I have two ...

“It is what it is.” When I hear that, I’m tempted to say “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” (I like to say that every chance I get.) But “It is what it is” really isn’t that obvious, I don’t think. This is similar to my friend’s genius-type demonstration of “the now.” ...

A friend posted a picture of some strawberries she picked that evoked many memories for me. She said she paid $3.72 to pick them. Someone commented, "Well, they ought to look good for that price!" On the contrary, I thought of the "good old days" when picking berries was the only job I was ...

Bugs have antennas. Do you know what they are used for? Antennas are the feelers on a bug’s head-a sensory wand the insect waves around to check out its surroundings. Another definition of antennas are the wires that receive and conduct electromagnetic waves, typically to transmit ...

According to trustworthy information found on the internet, the white matter in your brain is called myelin and it helps improve the performance of all sorts of tasks. The more you practice a new skill, the denser the myelin becomes. Learning a new skill helps you learn things faster over ...

The move by Allegheny Outfitters from its canoe and kayak rental site near the Glade Bridge down to the shore of the Allegheny River near downtown Warren appears auspicious for the business since the new site is more convenient to patrons and is roomier with parking handy. It is also ...

A few weeks ago, as I was trimming weeds around my yard, a neighbor called from her patio to alert me that she had seen a large snake in the yard. She described it as a water snake. Not a surprise, I suppose, living along Conewango Creek. That neighbor also said she saw something resembling a ...

It seems that the government is constantly passing laws to protect us! What are they protecting us from? Mostly it seems as if they are protecting us from being stupid. There I said it. It seems like we are not capable of making simple decisions that must be made in life. They have ...

Diethrick Park in Jamestown isn’t a cornfield in Iowa, but it’s my Field of Dreams. On Sunday, I played my first game of baseball in essentially 30 years. It was amazing. I doubt you’ll see any of us on TV any time soon. We’re not threatening to bust down the doors of the major ...