Category Weekly Columns

Not surprisingly we’re going to kick off this week’s Crawlies with, “Don’t panic!”

Yes, our featured critter is a varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) generally considered a “pest” insect.

This week I find myself still birdbrained— I mean, I have birds on the brain.

This happens to me this time of year every year, because the Great Backyard Bird Count is this coming weekend Feb. 13 – 16.

Well, Da Beast and I have reached another milestone. Last week saw a brief glimpse of Springlike weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s. It was time to layer up and go for a ride. So off I went to ride the Bear Creek Greenway because I always enjoy an adventure, especially one outdoors.

With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, we’re going to paint this week’s All Things Oregon with a rosy glow.

We’ll talk briefly about why Portland is called the City of Roses and we’ll explore the Washington Park International Rose Test Garden.

Then we’ll dig into types of roses and show that things are very rosy here in our area as well as up north.

Anemonatrum deltoideum (syn. Anemone deltoidea) – Columbia Windflower; Anemone multifida – Cutleaf Anemone; Anemone st. It estlyallii – Western Wood Anemone; Anemone oregana – Oregon Anemone

This week we’ll meet Oregon’s “other” lynx – the western lynx spider (Oxyopes scalaris).

At a teeny 5mm (under one-quarter of an inch) with excellent camouflage, it can be easy to walk right by a western lynx, or two, or three.

When it comes to grooming your own dogs, you have to spend money to save money. You really have to remind yourself of this as you’re spending that money though as it feels painful in the moment.

The beginning of the new year appears to be going well. No flat tires thus far which has allowed Da Beast and I to hit the 3,000 mile mark to commemorate our first anniversary. Yes, it was just one year ago my main mode of transportation arrived at my front door. Of course, some assembly was required which led to a phone call to customer service for technical assistance, but it wasn’t long until we were both ready to rock and roll.