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Thinking like a Mountain

There was a sad report out of Whiteside County in Illinois this week. A female mountain lion was killed by a Wildlife officer from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. You can read the whole story here. My first reaction...

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First snow thoughts

November 11th, and the season’s first snow is falling in Woodstock. It seems early this year, but I suppose that is just a function of my age and the general acceleration of time that occurs with each year that...

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Third Generation Oaks

“We are responsible for the third generation of oaks in McHenry County.” Mary Tree McClelland, horticulturist, Glacier Oaks Nursery in Harvard. To Mary’s way of thinking, the first generation of oaks was the one that...

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November

November has always been a misfit month to me. Fall colors are giving way to browns and greys. The bright white of the first snow usually waits until December. Sure, there’s Thanksgiving – my favorite holiday – but not until...

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Autumn Color

The season known as fall started September 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. My first clue that autumn’s arrived is the transformation of green fields of soybeans into golden, then brown expanses as the plants die. A drive along...

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Oaks are tough, but still need TLC!

Oaks are tough. But they aren’t invincible. On my daily commute between Harvard and Woodstock, there are several majestic oaks I’ve admired over the years that are showing signs of decline, and even a few that have been removed...

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