Dale’s Column

Taking a ‘Lichen’ to Mutualism

It was meant as a helpful hint.  I was walking around my yard with a friend, when he noticed some sizable, dirty looking, crusty blotches sullying the stone facade on my house. He offered to lend me his power washer…

Keeping the Parts

My sister, Lora, was absolutely right. When her mother-in-law, Oma, died this past July, she said, “It was like losing a library…” That’s a perfect way to put it. Having lived through almost all of the twentieth century, Oma had…

Gramma’s Green Acre

Hannah DeCaster could have been the poster child for ‘country girl living in town.’ Her farm background was evident throughout her home and yard. She had fruit trees, a huge garden, and a wide array of flowers. In her basement…

Can Chemical Combat Cause Collateral Carnage?

It may not be Iraq or Afghanistan, but it is a war of sorts. We’ve come to view such plants as clover, dandelions, and plantain as territorial terrorists.  They invade our lawns with flowers and broad leaves, forcing us to…

The Value of Nature (or Visa-versa)

You didn’t have to be a psychologist to understand that Richard Louv was on to something. In 2005 in his book, “Last Child in the Woods,” he identified a condition caused by separation from nature. This separation from insects, bird…

A flock-alypse Now?

It’s been called a portent, a sign, and even “aflockalypse.”  2011 started with dead birds mysteriously falling from the sky, not just in one area, but literally all over the world. Thousands of birds have been falling from the sky…

Pray to God … But Row Toward Shore

John Shimkus, Republican representative from Illinois, proclaimed recently, during a congressional hearing, that there is no need to worry about global warming because of a promise God made to Noah. With God protecting us from the awful consequences of climate…

Take an Inch … Give Back a Mile

Thanksgiving, I’m afraid, has too often had a lot more to do with satiation than with appreciation. As kids we would gorge on Mom’s fruit salad. The turkey and potatoes just finished the job of stuffing ourselves. The resulting discomfort…