John E. Riutta

This little Woodland Skipper, Ochlodes sylvanoides, was found clinging to the bumper of a parked vehicle the other day. Still alive, I carefully picked it up and put it onto the back of my hand to assess if it was injured. Seemingly unharmed, it began to extend it proboscis and suck the salt from its […]

Driving my daughter to one of her summer activities this morning, I had the radio tuned to the local progressive talk radio station, KPOJ, and was listening to the Thom Hartmann program when I noted not one but two broadcasts of a curious commercial during the station breaks. It didn’t entirely dawn on me just […]

Leroy Sievers, one of the blogosphere’s most courageous members, left the world as we know it this past week-end. A journalist of impeccable credentials and a genuine human being, Leroy succumbed to the cancer that had run rampant through his body and that formed the topic of his blog My Cancer. There are already many […]

While out foraging for the clan's daily rations at the local Fred Meyer (a regional grocery / variety store here in the Pacific Northwest), I noticed a table covered with discounted housewares and other clearance items. Among these were some dishes painted up to mimic the plates and mugs that might have been found in […]