In 2022, I'm relaunching a monthly feature: Nearby Nature Project. Articles will focus on nearby nature, such as planter pots, gardens, yards, neighbourhood and nearby parks/trails. Each story will include at least one link to an interesting article or research study, YouTube, podcast, nature-related app, book, course or other materials. And I'll share a nearby nature subject that caught my attention over the past month.
December is a favourite time of year. Baking cookies, getting out in the snow, singing carols and cooking for family and friends are pretty much guaranteed to trigger a holly jolly mood. But some years it’s harder to feel festive. That’s when it pays to know what helps improve your mental wellness. And it’s why I aim for a daily dose of outdoor exercise, even when there’s an extreme cold advisory in effect!
Our favourite kind of summer fun is hiking. But with so many wildfires raging in western Canada over the past few months, it's seemed kind of pointless to put in the effort to reach the top of a mountain when, in all likelihood, the views will be obscured by smoky haze. So for 2017, we've …
Continue reading Photo Blogging Challenge – Summer Fun (August 2017)
Thanks to the multitude of community partners backing the Rotary-Mattamy Greenway, Calgarian's have pathway access to more neighbourhoods than ever before. Wondering where to start your exploration of the Greenway? We offer up five recommendations based on pedaling more than 500 km on Calgary pathways over the last six weeks. We also share advice on which areas to avoid - at least until the final construction phase is complete. Once the missing bits are finished, the Greenway is gonna be truly awesome! We might even try to ride the whole thing in one day!
The Photo Blogging Challenge is itself a threefold exercise in self expression: 1) articulation of thoughts through writing/blogging; 2) portrayal of feelings and views through photographs; and 3) declaration of belonging, to the community of PBC participants. The beginning of the month was a good time to reflect on the ways I express myself, such as cooking, gardening and photography. As the month progressed, events like the January 21st Women's March and more widespread airport demonstrations in the US prompted me to think more broadly about the concept of self-expression. I am grateful that I have the right to hold opinions and share information and ideas through any media. I wish that for the world.