Nature | May 2026

 I have so many pictures this month. From tree frog tadpoles to dew drop bejeweled roses this May was packed with natural beauty. My favorite picture this month has to be the roses.

I found this bee impersonating fly who paused for a couple pictures.

This is the first year that I have ever seen the parts of a Cottonwood tree that release the tufts of cotton. We were at a waterfront park after a storm and we found several of these cotton dispensers knocked to the ground. I was fascinated to learn what goes on at the tops of those giant trees. 

A smart little frog has taken up residence in this hollow post. I hear him singing after dark. His music is many times amplified by the pipe. In the video you can hear the other frogs in the background and see how loud the pipe frog is in comparison.

The frogs I saw mating in April must have laid a healthy batch of eggs because our little pool is filled with hundreds of tadpoles.

The pictures of the tadpoles are unclear because all my camera wants to do is focus on the surface of the water.

It has been so fun to go out and check the tadpoles everyday. They do not have legs yet. It is taking so long for them to grow legs!

Something about this millipede looked a little off, as in not lifelike. After I took the picture of the millipede I poked it. It remained static. I'd say it didn't look lifelike because it wasn't alive. Oh well. I still thought the picture turned out to be good.

I was super excited to find this baby Spiney Soft Shell Turtle during a visit to my brother's pond. It was so cute!

Here is a skink that was fun to be able to observe. I have never seen one at our house. It was at my parents and they live in a similar habitat to us. We have to keep a lookout for skinks.

Now we are to the roses! The grand finale! These roses were blooming at my mother's house. When I went out for my morning walk everything was covered in beads of dew. It was a gorgeous morning! 

And the birds...... I can't even tell you how amazing the birdsong variety was. I took a short video so you can hear a little of the morning music.

Here is my lovely walk curated in photo and video for you.......

And that is a wrap!

I hope you have had a nice May and are getting to enjoy nature out of doors.

The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire | Book Review

 

The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire by Stephen R. Bown

Copyright : 2020

Pages:486

Book Read This Year: 4th

I learned a lot about The Hudson's Bay Company and the geography of northern North America from this book. 

 Bown covers from The Hudson's Bay Company's inception in 1670 when French traders, Radisson and Groseilliers, rebuffed by their county of nativity went to England to find investors, all the way to the dissolution of the government protections when The Hudson's Bay Company became a regular private business in 1870. Many interesting figures pepper the pages from the native wonder woman Thanadulther, to the visionary Alexander Mackenzie, to the ethically grounded David Thompson, to the overly optimistic Lord Selkirk, to the uniquely cultured Métis people, to the twin giants of the west: John McLoughlin and James Douglas. There are many, many others whom I don't have the time or space to mention in detail. 

 While I found many parts of this book interesting it was on the whole a history book and very dry and hard to read through. It took me three months to work my way through this history. My mind has been enriched, my curiosity satiated, and my interest piqued.

Things I learned......

 My favorite sections of the book were about the early days of the Hudson's Bay Company and getting to learn about the different Indian tribes and how the fur trading industry impacted the local and global economy. I was also fascinated to learn some of the technical aspects of trapping beaver and preparing their pelts in the early days. The most valuable beaver pelts to the Europeans were the pelts that had been worn all winter. The Indians wore them fur side towards the body. After a winter of use the guard hairs had mostly worn off. This made the fur perfectly prepared for the felting process in London. A pelt that was ready to felt was called One Made Beaver and was used as a standard of currency. 

 I learned that John Astor got his start in fur trading. I had not been aware of that before. I am now a little curious to learn more about his humble beginnings and his trajectory over time in the era that he inhabited. 

 My least favorite part of the book was learning about George Simpson who was in charge of operations for a greater portion of the 1800's. He messed up a lot of things. He changed the way The Hudson's Bay Company conducted business and created a widespread culture of racism. Up to that point the Natives and their way of life had been largely respected. Many, many company men took Indian wives and many, many employees of The Company were of mixed heritage. Under Simpson's reign none of the native wives were recognized and he phased out hiring or promoting anyone of mixed heritage. He had many native mistress who were cruelly discarded even though they and their families had seen the matches as marriages, and he never recognized any of his many illegitimate children. History doesn't look kindly on George Simpson.

 

I really appreciate the Epilogue that provides a recap of the whole book, which was so helpful. After 3 months of time and more information than I could hold in my brain at once, I really needed that concise refresher. I wish more historical books would do this.

 And that concludes my review and thoughts on The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire.

 

Liquid Sunshine Beverage

 

This is a beverage that I made up and have been drinking everyday. I hope I am reaping health benefits. I don't really know, but the ingredients are supposed to be really good for you. I think the color is so cheerful and inviting. I have dubbed it "Liquid Sunshine."

Ingredients:

Turmeric (3/4tsp.) - Antiinflammatory, blood thinner 

Ginger (5-6 slivers) - digestive aid, lowers blood pressure  

Astragalus (1/2 tsp ) - immune regulator 

Black pepper (dash) - good for stuff, and amplifies turmeric's benefits 

Lemon juice (splash) - nice flavor 

Pour hot water over all the ingredients in a pint jar. Stir well while you drink to keep the herbs from settling out. You want to drink all the dredges.

I have been learning from Doc Jones of the Homegrown Herbalist YouTube channel over the past few years. He has a great sense of humor which is always the number one quality that catches my interest in a teacher. I think his knowledge of herbs is way up there. He was a veterinarian for years and has a lot of clinical experience with herbs working for ailments in animals, a lot of which carries over to human uses. He is also an herbalist and teaches classes online.

Here are videos where he mentions Astragalus, Turmeric and Black Pepper.