Author Archives: makielb

Our vegetable garden, as well as other peoples gardens in the north are slowing down with most vegetables. Right now we are getting mostly peppers – jalapeños and chili de arboles. So we are drying and preserving peppers and canning jalapeños. I think that we will have one last batch of canning tomatoes, as wellContinue reading “Hot peppers and cicada killers”

Hold on tight there’s a storm on the horizon. The left image is the “projected” path of hurricane Ian. The right is actual storm passing just north of Cuba. Lots of friends and family in Florida, all with experience dealing with these tropical events. Songs from when I was a teenager. 1972 Team Canada whoContinue reading “Hurricane Ian”

Today’s adventure took us to Osborne Mill County Park. I hadn’t visited the site since the mid-1980s, when we went there with Maxine Miles, who purchased the land with money raised after the death of her husband Vaden. A friend had alerted us to a rare and endangered plant that was blooming there. Here’s theContinue reading “Fall fungi among other things”

I heard an interview with Andy Borowitz about this, his newest book. It sounded like something I should read. I believe it starts with the age of TV and aired political debates. It really slams Reagan, who I believe is responsible for the political turmoil that we are experiencing today. And now, on to today.Continue reading “Dreary day humor”

I was fortunate to see Eric Clapton perform Layla twice in Detroit. The story of the song and how relationships shaped it is interesting. Just take care of yourself and take the medicine (or soup, or vaccine). Nothing like barbecuing for friends. Now on to moths. Here’s our moth sheet and lights that Susan setContinue reading “Music, humor and moths”

Poor Woodstock, he did such a nice job imitating a falling leaf. That’s important in the Fall. In June, 1997 a while before I started teaching at Eastern Michigan University, my friend Mark (the Collections Manager in the Insect Division) and I made a trip to Florida. We were attending the annual meeting of theContinue reading “A slow fall day”

The current status of the ground invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The “actual” events happening currently. A forced election, that is most likely rigged. An excuse for annexing south eastern Ukraine, and the probable conscription of Ukrainians into the Russian army with hopes that they will fight against their own country. As the invasion isContinue reading “A war, a celebration and a planet”

We went to Plymouth today to get Susan’s bivalent covid booster and a flu shot. Since we were there we went shopping at an Indian market and stopped at Beyond Borders, Latin Street Food, where we had a great lunch, with left overs for tomorrow. I always love spying into a kitchen, this one wasContinue reading “Plymouth for a vaccine and lunch”

The latest peppers from the garden in the processing of drying to make hot chili powder. On our morning walk we found a “fairy garden” that was starting to become more Halloween themed. Then, somehow this puzzle showed up on the internet. And… Skeletons riding flamingoes that turned on them. A Halloween tradition flamingoes pickingContinue reading “Hot peppers heading into Halloween”

Every time I see people complaining about the rising costs of medical care in the U.S. it angers me that they immediately go to “big pharma.” The growth in the “Health Care Business” started with the privatization of health care and the insane increase in administrators. It is now a matter of the tail waggingContinue reading “Monday cartoons and the dark side of life”