Last week we took a look at the American robin, a bird regarded as a sign of spring but-confoundingly-has been popping up all over northern Illinois all winter long. This week though we’re focusing on a species that maybe, just maybe, provides a little truer […]
Okay folks, show of hands. How many of you were raised to believe that robins are the first signs of spring? I know I was. I don’t remember the exact words, or who said them, but I do distinctly recall my five-year-old self looking for robin sas winter’s cold would begin to ebb. I also distinctly remember […]
So last week we ventured into unfamiliar territory, melding nature references with quotes from William Shakespeare-primarily from his play As You Like It, and the monologue that begins with “All the world’s a stage, […]
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a Shakespeare scholar. In fact, in high school I had but one brush with the Bard (a miserable group project rewriting Romeo and Juliet in urban slang) and I managed to dodge him completely in college. […]
From a distance it looked like a Volkswagen Beetle slung upside down in a tree. An old-style Bug, that is. Dark brown in color. Oh, and made of sticks. My friend John McFarland first told me of the structure-which is, by the way, a bald eagle nest-last spring. […]
Every year about this time, the Good Natured World Headquarters staff starts fielding questions about tracks in the snow. And every other year or so we-well, actually, I, as the budget here at World Headquarters good naturedly allows for a headcount of one-put together a […]
The other day as I was walking to work, taking in the sights and sounds of a warm-ish winter morning, I noticed that the neighborhood dogs were a little barkier than usual. Relieved that it wasn’t my crew causing the ruckus-they were at home, […]
Photo Caption: It’s snowy owl season once again. Look for this regal visitor from the north in farm country, atop fence posts and utility poles. Good Natured: Snowy Owls January 8, 2021 Not only do I remember where I saw my first white owl, I also remember when. I was four years old, poking around […]
Any way you look at them, our winter holidays really shine. Twinkling decorations shimmer in yards and windows; nights-some of them, anyway-are clear and starry; and right in the midst, on December 30, we were treated to a full moon that–when you could see it–added a luster of midday to objects below. […]
Good news, Good-Natured procrastinators! Even though the holiday season is nigh, there’s still time to handcraft a gift for that special someone on your list. Combining some of the very best elements of nature itself, along with a dash of stylish individuality and 70% ethyl alcohol, this clever creation lets you say, […]
