Earth

Minimalism and teaching the next generation . Top Story - June 2026.

When you think of minimalism, I assume you think of shades of beige and perhaps homes or offices pared down to the bare bones of what is needed to function. I lament that this is exactly what many think when I tell them I am a minimalist; in my bright attire and funky shoes, they simply don't believe me. Minimalism needs a new PR campaign, and I'm stepping up to help. This is a ten-part series. Welcome to part one.

Green and Pleasant. Top Story - February 2026.

In 1857, Lieutenant Commander Joseph Dayman was dispatched by the Admiralty at the helm of HMS Cyclops to take deep sea soundings in preparation for the first transatlantic telegraph cable. The laying of this cable, which ran between Ireland and Newfoundland, was as monumental an undertaking as any of its time and, inevitably, its completion was accompanied by lavish celebrations and rambling tributes to engineering excellence.

We Were Never Meant to Live Like This!. Top Story - April 2025.

When you look at the world today, it's like looking at a madhouse. The world is more connected than ever through the miracle of electronic devices. People, at least in the West, of course, there are exceptions, are living longer, eating better, living in homes, and driving the latest cars. We have iPhones/Android phones, social media, AI, etc.

Appalachia is Under Water. Top Story - October 2024. Content Warning.

Appalachia; a region of the country rich with culture, history, and natural beauty. A place where life is quiet and communities rally together in support of one another.

Chestnut Ridge Farm/Scottish Highlanders/Lab's & Littlepop's Popcorn!!. Top Story - April 2024.

Willow & Buhler The Chestnut Story The view from my back deck Chestnut flowering Chestnut Harvest Well to begin my story, we’ll have to go back to 1999 when I planted a chestnut orchard in the northeast section of my town in Ellington, Connecticut. I had come up with the idea from earlier memories of my father working with some trees in our backyard in the late 60’s. I found out land was available and I was planning on building a house as well. I cleared around 8 acres and planted approximately 800 trees! The planting went well and the trees were looking beautiful. Unfortunately, when the following spring came, because of the combination of too much water in the soil and the variety of chestnut trees I had planted, almost all but a few didn’t make it. I didn’t give up and I cleared some more land that was on higher ground and today almost 25 years later, at the time of this writing, I have approximately 150 trees. Not all are producing because some are still too young. In 2022 I had a record crop and I sold about 1,400 lbs. into the market. Last year, 2023, I didn’t do as well they only produced about half as much as in 2022. That’s farming!

Look Up. Top Story - February 2024.

We don’t look up enough. We take the world around us for granted sometimes, and we don’t see the beauty in what we are surrounded by. In all the hustle and bustle, evening appointments, heading to or from work, taking the dog out, taking the trash to the curb, outside, smoking a cigarette (😵‍💫) or sitting around a fire.

The Promise of Decentralized Cities. Top Story - October 2023.

I grew up on a small peninsula in the North Sea in Germany. From there, I went to live in Berlin for 1 year. From a place with more sheep than people to the most-populated city in Europe.

Flight. Runner-Up in Unspoken Challenge. Top Story - October 2023.

I’ve only heard stories about it, the Winter home. They say that there, the sun is brighter and hotter, that the very trees sweat with her closeness. They say the leaves are the size of five nests together, and the ground is dense with thick and tangled greenery. They say I will not be able to walk there, that I must only fly, because there are many more predators than I have ever seen before.

Rare and Endangered Species in South Ameirca

Not Lost, Misplaced

The Evergreen Illusion: Understanding Broadleaf Mistletoe in Winter Canopies

The Galaxy Is Silent. Maybe That’s Not Empty Space.

Why Tree Leaves Turn Brown in Summer: A Field Diagnostic Guide

Earth Isn’t Late to the Universe. It Arrived Right on Time.

Does History Have a Direction?

Northern Turkish Cypriot Cyprus is part of the free western world