On the Bright Side of Interplanetary Dust
by Matthew Johnson One little-known celestial phenomenon is zodiacal light. Seen as a glowing wedge of diffuse light tilted in the direction of the sun’s path, zodiacal light is created as the sun backlights particles of interplanetary dust between itself and Earth. These illuminated remnants from the passage of comets, the collision of asteroids, and […]
March, Nature Appreciation
Text and Illustration by Leslie Watkins Nature gives freely. She provides us with fruits, nuts, grains and leafy greens both directly and indirectly through the animal products we use for food, warmth, protection and a myriad of other things. But do we truly appreciate and respect Nature’s gifts, or are we taking her for granted? […]
The Wuhan Coronavirus
by Richard Kessin Of the scourges that the natural world can throw at us, a new and lethal virus is one of the most frightening. At first we don’t know where the virus came from, what proportion of victims it will kill, how to treat it, or how far and fast it will spread. Viral […]
An Easter Feast
Notes from a French Kitchen by Marie-Christine Perry Early spring brings the first fruit and vegetable of the season to the table, and to me, it always means the first asparagus, tiny potatoes, early peas, spring lamb and early strawberries. These are the makings of a great Easter lunch or dinner: fat white asparagus, steamed […]
Norfolk’s January 2020 Weather
Warm and Dryby Russell Russ The year 2019 was tied with 1932 as Norfolk’s 16th warmest, and also came in as Norfolk’s 15th least snowy year. November was considerably below normal for temperature. December, while being a little above normal for temperature, was well above normal for precipitation and above normal for snowfall. One would […]
February, Hope
Through the Garden Gate Text and Drawing by Leslie Watkins “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1 One may have the skills, expertise and resources to accomplish tasks, but without the drive fueled by hope it may not be possible to succeed. […]
Reading Forest Signs: Bear’s Nests
Text and Photos by Wiley Wood The first dusting of snow in the forest shows us what we know anyway—the woods are full of animals, we just don’t see them. A day after the snowfall, you might come across the print of a foraging mouse traveling from the base of a windthrown tree to a […]
December, Memento Mori
By Leslie Watkins Memento mori is Latin and means “remember you must die.” It’s a reminder of the inevitability of death, and it’s useful to help us keep things in proper perspective. Plato thought that the practice of philosophy was “about nothing else but dying and being dead.” Which in turn may make us wonder […]
Norfolk’s October Weather
Ninth Wettest October on Record By Russell Russ The weather in the Norfolk area had been quite nice since June. The summer months were on the warm and dry side. Pleasant had been a way to describe the weather for this span of four months, including through September. That all ended when the calendar turned […]
Three Planets Enter Into Conjunction Early in Month
By Matthew Johnson Sunrise on Dec. 1 is at 6:57 a.m. and sunset at 4:21 p.m., and the nights will continue to grow longer as December progresses, reaching a maximum of 14 hours, 51 minutes, 28 seconds on the successive nights of Dec. 21 and 22. By month’s end, though, we will have gained back […]
