Backpacking and hiking are two excellent outdoor activities to explore nature. If I had to make a list of my favorite hobbies, they would claim the #1 and #2 spot. For me, they aren’t just hobbies; they’re a way of living. I get in touch with the real me when I’m out in the woods. …
The reason I started this blog was to share the wonder I experience in nature with others (not to talk about recycling, despite most of my prior posts). I wanted to share the joy and magic I find in nature and inspire others to connect with the outdoors. But writing about journeying in nature wouldn’t …
My ideal experience of nature is what I consider wilderness: areas with no signs of human influence. No busy roads, no airplane noises, no (or few) people. But that’s not always possible, especially when dealing with chronic pain. In one of the last snows of the season, I wasn’t able to hike due to knee …
I signed up for a few of the free TerraCycle recycling programs prior to the pandemic, but with everything shutting down, not much happened in 2020. After stores began reopening, the Community Eco Store in downtown Phoenixville agreed to host my collection bins at the end of 2020 (so I wouldn’t have people coming to …
2024 Update: the Community Eco Store owners have retired and begun a new adventure, so their location is no longer a TerraCycle drop-off point. However, I am still personally collecting – email admin@naturenutproject.com to coordinate drop off of recyclable items (ONLY the items listed below, please). 2023 Update: I can no longer accept snack and …
On New Years Eve, we were looking for a short hike to get some outside time in before ringing in the next decade. The Christmas holiday is wonderful to reconnect with family, but sometimes it can lead to social overload — I needed some nature R&R to recharge before getting back to the work grind. …
Thanksgiving dinner is done, lights are going up all over town, and evergreens are making their journeys on car rooftops – the holiday season is here. Interested in being a greener gift-giver this year? Follow these tips to give presents that loved ones and the environment will appreciate. 1. Virtual gifts are great Give an e-gift …
Most of my blog posts so far have been about recycling and trying to live more sustainably, which is good, but I haven’t gotten to the heart of why I started this blog. I love nature with a passion I don’t have for much else and I really want to share that passion with others. …
The warmth and greenery of spring has me outside working in the garden again! A few weekends ago, it was time to set up my two rain barrels now that the threat of freezing is behind us and the garden is growing. Last year I convinced my husband to let me get two rain barrels …
Despite my love of nature, I’ve never had much of a green thumb. When my husband and I met, I could barely feed myself, let alone my plants (I am so lucky he is a good cook!). The only plants I could keep alive were succulents, which are built to withstand the hardship of arid …
One of my goals with this blog is to inspire more people to embrace the outdoors. But this season makes that more challenging: many people dread winter. Frigid weather, dark grey days with little sun, and heaven forbid – snow. While I absolutely love the snow, the winter months are my least favorite months. The …
As a young girl and teenager, I considered myself a staunch pessimist, as if it were a source of pride. Optimists were foolish, cheesy people who smiled too much. Annoying. But over the years I have come to regard my seemingly-instinctual tendency toward negativity as an undesirable mental state. Not only are overly negative people …
