by Roland D. Hallee Just the other day, my wife showed me a Facebook post warning us about the Spotted Lanternfly, and a clear message to kill it upon sight. So, my curiousity being what it is, I had to find out, first, what it is, and second, how to eliminate it if that is […]
by Roland D. Hallee Last week, I received a phone call from a reader in Palermo who told me that for only the third time in the last 17 years, he spotted an American ermine crossing his back yard. The American ermine or American stoat, Mustela richardsonii, is a species of mustelid native to most […]
by Roland D. Hallee As we look forward to saying “goodbye” to February and welcome March with open arms, a thought comes to mind of an old weather lore, “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” In this case, it could be vice versa, considering the mild weather we have had as we usher […]
by Roland D. Hallee Just the other day a friend told me she thought robins went south for the winter. That is the common thought. The American robin, Turdus migratorius, is a migratory songbird. While robins occasionally overwinter in the northern United States and southern Canada, most migrate to Florida and the Gulf Coast to […]
by Roland D. Hallee Now, here’s something you don’t hear every day. This press release came across my desk this week, and I just have to share it with my readers. I have to preface this by saying that during my tour of duty in Vietnam in 1968-69, I had the occasion to taste squid […]
by Roland D. Hallee It’s the first of February, and time for my annual trek into the woods to find my friend, the weather prognosticating groundhog named Woodrow Charles. So, for the umpteenth year, I bundle up and head out the door, not quite sure where I was going. Last year Woodrow had relocated into […]
by Roland D. Hallee Although I don’t usually write about domestic pets, here is something that came across my desk last week that I must share with my readers, especially where it deals with a very sensitive subject when it comes to the family canine. Each week seems to bring a fresh headline featuring a […]
by Roland D. Hallee Christmas is over for another year! But not the 12 Days of Christmas. One of the myriad of Christmas songs we have been hearing on radio is the 12 Days of Christmas. Did you ever wonder about the partridge in a pear tree? What was he doing in a tree in […]
by Roland D. Hallee Growing up on The Plains in the ‘50s and ‘60s saw many changes when it came to Christmas. My early memories included going out with the family one evening to a lot and picking out a Christmas tree. My dad took it home, set it up on a homemade stand, and […]
by Roland D. Hallee One of my wife’s favorite birds is the northern cardinal. We’ve had a nesting pair hanging around our house for a couple of years now, and we both enjoy watching the brilliant red male go about its business. The northern cardinal is also synonymous with winter, and adorns many a Christmas […]