The Gift of Being Asked

'Hey, do you need any help?” she asked.'No, I think I’m okay,” I have replied a million times over the years.Sometimes, it's because I don’t want to impose or be a burden. Other times, I want to make sure the job is done the way I want it done.

The Fascinating Rings of Saturn

Okay, I’m old. I know it, and people who see me know it. The 40s may be the new 30s, but the 70s are still the 70s! That’s young compared to Harriet, a captive Galapagos tortoise who is 175 years old, or a female Greenland shark believed to be 392 years old, give or take a few years.

When Two Things Are True

Math is hard. I often say this as a joke, but recently I found out the truth in the statement.While working on a promotional deal, my colleague and I set up a pricing structure that we thought made sense. The more someone purchased, the more they received for free.

It's Butterfly Season, And They Are Everywhere

When you sit on a mower for a number of hours each week you have a lot of time to think, but, what to think about? Last week Mother Nature helped me out. She sent an eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly to keep me company. It was a male.

The World is Bigger than My Buckets

In the city, I see a little bit of everything. On the subway, very few people look like me, and even when they do, I’m sometimes surprised to overhear them speaking another language.

Every Life is Worth Remembering

*Trigger warning: death, funerals, loss My uncle passed away this week. He was my dad’s oldest brother. They were just 15 months apart and two peas in a pod.

Badgers and Rattlesnakes – One of Nature's Rivalries

After Cindy and I had been married a year, I went to work during the summer for her father. He had a farm here in the valley and a ranch in Custer County. He took me north and showed me around; where all the windmills were, the roads, gates, and buildings, etc.

How We Determine Intelligence – Human and Non-Human

What do we mean by “intelligence?” I’ve known any number of people in my life who struggled in school, couldn’t read, and were worse spellers than I am.

When Irritation Becomes a Mirror

I was once told that the things that irritate us about other people often reflect something unresolved within ourselves. At first, I resisted that idea. Surely the problem belonged to them, not me. But over time, life kept placing mirrors in front of me.

Octopi – Nature's Surprisingly Intelligent Water Inhabitants

Have you seen the movie “Remarkably Bright Creatures”? If you haven’t, I won’t ruin it for you, but it is a story about an octopus named Marcellus and a cleaning lady named Tova. The octopus is a giant Pacific octopus, which is the largest kind of octopus in the world.