Curmudgeon Group

This week Luella is learning about turtles and frogs for school. So I started to dig into turtles native to Illinois. I learned a lot! The shell is mostly bones grown out the body of the turtle and the outer edge is made up of protective scales called scutes which Luella found funny :). Then I learned: Ornate box turtles are native to the...

I planted seeds for cuxumber, zucchini, basil, carrots, radishes and lettuce. Ill be able to feed the the whole block! And I bought organic soil from a local non profit this weekend called Deep Roots Project. 

We conserve water as much as we can, flushing only when we need to, only running the dishwasher when full, turning off the faucet when not actively using, minimal showers (works well now when we're stuck at home), not taking showers or running dishwasher or washing machine in the rain which contributes to flooding. This challenge of scraping...

I successfully germinated 5 milkweed seeds indoors and I planted about 15 seeds outdoors. So we will see what happens! #savethemonarchs

My little and I went on a nature hunt today and took photos of all the flowers we could find in our neighborhood. Then we came home and drew pictures. I'm amazed at how I still manage to find flowers I've not seen before when I'm really looking. It's a fun way to teach and learn with my little.

One Earth Film Festival for Earth Day has 6 free films available to watch from home. A great opportunity to watch a documentary for the team challenge: https://earthday.ecochallenge.org/participants/join?referral_code=3b8a3b95-f22b-4418-b931-a21d7a9d4944&team_invitation=true

I started seeds to plant veggies in my backyard and asked a couple neighbors if they wanted the seeds that I can't fit in my yard. I'm excited to grow my own food!

I started milkweed seeds inside a few weeks ago and the seeds are not sprouting yet. The packet said to put the seeds in soil and in the fridge for 10 days. I put them in the window for sun a few days ago. Should I be patient or try new seeds? Any advice would be great!

I have a lot of friends who own small businesses in my community. And I've seen so many inspiring and creative ways that my community has supported these businesses. I'm trying to help out by posting about them, checking in with them, sharing resources.