Thinking. Naturally.

                                                                                    I would wager that yelling "Snake!" in a crowded theater would yield the same chaotic results as yelling "Fire!" or "He has a gun!".  German professor and priest, Martin Luther, (1483-1546) was quoted to say: "Snakes and monkeys are subjected to the demon more than other animals. Satan lives in them and possesses them. He uses them to deceive men and injure them". Of course I think this is nonsense, but the story of Adam and Eve and proclamations like this from a (then) figure o...

Why don't birds fall out of trees when they're sleeping? When birds "sit" on branches, tendons in the legs pull their claws into closed position and lock the birds onto their perch. When awake, the bird "stands," unlocking the tendons to prepare to take off.                                                      From: Nature, a day at a time by Cathie Katz                                                                ...

Water is the foundation of life. Spend much time near a pond, river or even a ditch and its easy to observe some form of life that is either finding food there or is a potential food source for something else. The approximately 1/4 acre pond near our house is a perfect place to observe the life cycle of so many species of animals, plants and insects, all relying on the water, and each other for survival. One of the most obvious to witness this time of year in our pond are the Pumpkinseed bream, (Pronounced "brim"), Lepomis gibbosus. These bold and bejeweled little fish are members of the sunfish family that includes approx. 37 species of fish, including crappie and large mouth bass. Once water temperatures reach 55–63 °F in the late spring or early summer, the male pumpkinseeds will begin to build nests. Nesting sites are typically in shallow water on sand or gravel lake bottoms. The males will use their tail fins to sweep out shallow, oval-shaped nesting holes t...