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Author Archives: Andrea Jones
This Social Distance
I didn’t know there was a name for my quirky lifestyle. Practical logistics dictated by our choice to move to a distinctly rural and reasonably remote area in the spring of 2001 amplified the tendency to social distance, but I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in home, working from home, writing
Tagged Covid-19, home building, working from home
7 Comments
On Not Riding
At a writing workshop I attended back in 1998, our instructor, Marita Golden, urged vigilance against opening a door in an essay if we didn’t intend to lead readers through it at some point. In other words, don’t distract your … Continue reading
Posted in animal communication, horses, writing
Tagged Chekhov’s gun, dressage, horseback riding, horses, Marita Golden, writing advice
7 Comments
On Not Writing
The classic, and in some ways definitive, advice on writing is this line by Mary Heaton Vorse, as chronicled by Sinclair Lewis: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of … Continue reading
Posted in procrastination, scientific literacy, writing
Tagged craft writing, science, scientific literacy, writing
14 Comments
Pets
For a whole bunch of different reasons, we do not have housepets. Actually, in the case of cats, there’s one very good reason, which is that Doug is highly allergic, even though he likes cats and they universally adore him. … Continue reading
This Fall Interval
In this interval, we hauled the hay, stacked the wood, stowed the cushions from the outdoor furniture. We transported the flowerpots that spent the summer adorning the decks around the house down the hill to the greenhouse. If the plants … Continue reading
Posted in change of seasons, color, fall, gardening, spring, summer, winter
9 Comments
On Tomatoes
Revolting. If you had asked me when I was a kid what I thought of tomatoes, that’s probably the word I would have offered—or “gross” maybe, or “disgusting” when I was a little older. Actually, you probably wouldn’t have had … Continue reading
Posted in cooking and recipes, fall, gardening, summer
Tagged cooking with tomatoes, gazpacho, high altitude gardening, José Andrés, romesco sauce, tomatoes
7 Comments
Vacation Reflections
Well, vacations—both the planned of July and the unplanned of August—are over: time to get back to writing work. What better way to get back into the routine than to reflect on the break? About not writing in August, there’s … Continue reading
Posted in observation, trees and plants, wildflowers, writing
Tagged 2019 wildflower season, Colorado wildflowers, field guides, nature writing
8 Comments
Sunny Flowers
If you’ve been following this series of blog posts featuring the wildflowers blooming in our part of Colorado this July, you may have noticed a relative dearth of the classic and recognizable form commonly referred to as sunflowers. The local … Continue reading
Posted in summer, trees and plants, wildflowers
Tagged Asteraceae, Colorado wildflowers, composite flowers, sunflowers
6 Comments
Penstemons
Thirty days ago, I was inspired to blog the bloom by a prolific little flower I called “the little purple penstemon that blooms earlier than most of the penstemons” (kindly identified as P. virens by Susan J. Tweit in the comments … Continue reading
Pioneers
Not all of our wildflowers insist on living “wild.” Pioneer plants are the first to colonize disturbed ground, including construction sites and burn areas. They help recover disturbed soil by stabilizing against erosion and shading tender seedlings. What makes them … Continue reading
Posted in summer, trees and plants, wildflowers
Tagged Achillea millefolium, Colorado wildfloers, curly-cup gumweed, Grindelia squarrosa, yarrow
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