December 18, 2020

Backyard Naturalist

Birds on Feeder
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

Many of us want to get back to nature.  We often think of far away big National Parks and neglect the park that is literally in our own back yard.

Trees and Plants

Identifying the trees in your yard is a good place to start and just that knowledge puts you ahead of most of your neighbors!  There are lots of good tree identification books out there.  My favorite is the Audubon field guide.  Speaking of field guides that may be a good place to start your education and resource toolkit.

What Plants Do You Have or Can You Add Some?

OK, so you have some ornamental shrubs as a part of your landscaping.  What can you learn about them?  Where did they come from?  Can you add some others that are helpful to animals and friendly insects?

Birds

Many varieties of birds seem to inhabit even the smallest of spaces.  Just go outside and listen early some morning.  Grab a field guide and maybe an inexpensive pair of binoculars and see how many kinds you can identify.

Bugs

If you think the variety of birds can be great in a small space wait to you start looking for insect varieties!  Take birds and multiply by a factor of 100 or more.

Leaves

Leaves can be a subset of your tree explorations.  An old hobby used to be drying varieties of leaves in the pages of an old book.  And then you have the color varieties of the fall.  What structure can you see with a magnifying glass?

Little Animals

With some trees or a little bit of brushy cover little animals like chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels will soon find homes.  With some quiet observation you will soon learn about how they live out their lives.

Photography

Take your digital camera and really start to look around. Look at the sky, trees, flowers and shapes of things.  Take a bunch of photos and bring them into a digital editing program and start messing around.  See what you can create.

Macro Photography

Macro photography is close-up photography.  Some cameras have a certain amount of capability built in, or sometimes you need a special lens.  You open a whole new world when you go close and even a small backyard or a local city park can provide thousands of opportunities.  Another thing to try is to pick up an inexpensive USB microscope that opens even more possibilities.

Bird Feeding

There are endless opportunities with bird feeding.  Find out what types of feed attracts what species.  Experiment with different kinds of purchased or self-made feeders.  Then mix in some photography and bird identification.  Just remember once you start feeding your feathered friends don’t stop and leave them hungry, especially in winter!

Bat Houses

Want to get rid of mosquitos and gnats?  Bats are voracious insect eaters and generally harmless to humans despite their vampire reputation!  Check online for bat house designs.

Mini Wildlife Sanctuary

Can you take a section of your yard and make it a mini wildlife sanctuary?  Pick a corner and let some grass and plants grow.  Maybe create a little brush pile.  Many little creatures will thank you and provide opportunities for observation.

Rocks

Depending on where you live you may find a selection of rocks nearby.  Grab a guidebook.  What kind are they?  How old are they?

Tools of the Hobby

Start simple with just a notebook to record your observations.  Maybe add some guidebooks and a magnifying glass.  Eventually you will want a camera if you don’t have one already.

Where To Go Next

Once you are hooked on nature the possibilities for growth are endless.  Consider state and national park visits.  Join a conservation effort.  Join a park or trail cleanup effort or start one.

Let’s hear your ideas!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do Leave a Comment
December 11, 2020

Keep Your Brain Sharp

Use Your Brain sign
Photo by Jesse Martini on Unsplash

Keeping your brain sharp is a subject that keeps popping up in the media.  While it makes sense at any age it especially applies as we age.  It is one of those things we all know we should do something about, but we all know we don’t always do as we should!

I’m not a medical professional so don’t take anything in this article as medical advice but there do seem to be some common themes.  And I’ll throw in a few ideas of my own simply because I think they make sense at any age.

Keep Moving and Get Enough Sleep

Exercise and sleep seem to be important and this just makes sense at any age.  It seems that even a small boost in physical activity is helpful.

Eating Right, Not Smoking, Limited Alcohol

Again, this seems to make sense at any age.  The Mediterranean diet is mentioned quite a bit, so investigate it.  There is tons of information about the diet on the Internet.

Use Your Brain

It seems that a variety of thinking activities is helpful.  In other words don’t do the same things all the time.  Having a hobby is great, but having multiple interests is probably better.

Here are some ideas:

Read Hard Books

If you always read one kind of book try another kind.  Maybe if you always read novels try Histories or Biographies.  And of course, if you spend too much time in front of the TV try to do some reading instead.

Think About Something Hard

I would include things like taking a class in something you know little about in this category.  Doing puzzles or learning new games would fit here too.

Learn a Language

I read somewhere that learning a new language uses parts of your brain that are not usually used.  It is worth a try and is a cool thing to do anyway.

Get a Pet

There is lots of evidence that having a pet is good for you both physically, and psychologically. You do have to be a little practical.  Pets are work and present complications if you want to travel.  I love big dogs but adopting a St Bernard when I’m 90 might not make sense unless I have help!

Do a Craft

This is especially useful if crafts are something you don’t do all the time.

Build Something

A lot of things would fit under this.  The idea is to design and build something new!

Write an Article

Or write a few articles and start a blog.  Pick a subject or cause you care about.  Writing articles can help your brain and give your life some purpose – also a good thing!

Write a Book

Why not go all out a write a whole book?  It’s a big commitment but today’s self-publishing opportunities make it possible.  There is a reason you see those smart and very “with it” older authors being interviewed on TV.

Learn to Paint

If you’re a logical and almost too organized thinker, why not try your hand at art.  It does not matter if you are any good.  What matters is you are exercising another part of your brain.

I’m sure you can think of many more examples and just the act of thinking about them is probably good for you.  Give it a try!  You have nothing to lose but your mind! (Sorry for a poor taste joke!)

Filed Under: Health, Personal Development, Things To Do Leave a Comment
December 8, 2020

Cheap Adventures

Girl Looking At Map
Photo by Nick Seagrave on Unsplash

When we think of adventure we think of an African safari or searching for gold in the Amazon rainforest.  But little adventures are all around us.  Do not let a lack of funds keep you from being a little adventurous.  Here are some examples.

Visit a New State Park

Almost every state has an assortment of state parks and many are unknown gems.  There is probably one not too far away.  Check out your states online state park site and find a little adventure.  I live in Pennsylvania and while I’ve visited a number of the parks visiting them all would be a cool goal.

Visit a New Town

You could do your research and find an interesting place to visit.  Or if you’re really adventurous just pull out your road atlas and point to a random town not too far away and go.  See what you can find by accident and exploration.

Hike a New Trail

Like state parks there are probably more hiking trails around than you realize.  This is true even around cities.  Give them a try.  If it has been a while since you hiked stick to those rated easy or moderate.  The length isn’t as important as getting out in nature somewhere new.

Start a New Hobby

Maybe make the hobby something you know almost nothing about.  That’s what makes it an adventure.  You might even keep a journal of what you are learning.

Take a Flight or Train to a New City

OK, this one takes a little money.  I’m not talking about going 2000 miles away.  Just somewhere you haven’t been to before.  Bonus if you stay overnight.  Play tourist and get some postcards!

Take an Unknown Road

For most of my career I’ve had long driving commutes.  You know how you pass a road occasionally and wonder where it goes?  If you’re still working leave a half hour early tomorrow and check out where the road goes.  If you are retired go back and check out that road you always wondered about.

Write an Article on an Unknown Subject

I like to write.  Writing about a subject you know absolutely nothing about is challenging and can be an adventure.  It forces you to do some research and learn something entirely new.

Research an Exotic Location

OK, so maybe you can’t visit your exotic location right now because of cost.  But you can research it and plan.  What would you do if you were visiting for a week?  What would you do if you were moving there for 6 months?  Bonus if you open a savings account and start saving some dollars toward the adventure.

Write to a Stranger (blogger, famous or admired person)

It can be anyone you are curious about.  You may never receive a reply but try to think of something to say that would actually be of value to the person.  You might even be surprised.  There are stories of very famous people replying to ordinary folks like us!

Give $20 to a Homeless Person in Person

Don’t give just a dollar to that homeless person you pass in the street.  Make it $20 or something unexpected.  The way you feel will be an adventure.

Work in a Soup Kitchen or Food Bank

This one will also give you a great feeling.  Give it a try.

Some adventures do take a lot of money.  But many are more of an imagination thing.  Give it some thought and make your own adventures.

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do, Travel, Volunteering Leave a Comment