Copyright @ Carolyn Semedo-Strauss / All Rights Reserved Want to learn how to attract butterflies to your garden? Come learn how at the Washington Area Butterfly Club meeting at Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington. Naturalist Lisa Bierer-Garrett, one of the original members of WABC, will speak on butterfly and wildlife gardening for your backyard. [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. I’m not one for sappy, giggly, feel-good movies, but as a mom of three preschool and elementary school-age kids, I’ve learned to tolerate, and even appreciate some of them, as is the case with Big Miracle. Recently, a teacher professional development day meant [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. Want to simplify and de-clutter your life? Take cues from constructions sites and kindergarten classrooms. Construction projects have always fascinated me, especially large-scale projects, like the National Harbor project or the Woodrow Wilson bridge project. I marvel at how [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. When thinking about ways to have a more positive planetary impact, don’t forget your feet! I must admit, it is a question I had not spent much time pondering until very recently. On an errand at T.J.Maxx a couple of weeks [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. Freecycle is a (usually) convenient way to give away your stuff for free, and pick up some things at no cost too. Though most people do their major purge and deep cleaning in the spring, I am a couple of seasons [...]
How ditching our dining room chairs in favor of fitness balls has impacted our dining dynamics. As much as I love living in Old Town Alexandria, some days I find myself feeling especially cramped in our little house. Our dining room is particularly tight, with just enough room for a table that seats six. But [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. Although Halloween is less than two weeks away, it is not too late to green your Halloween. Here are a few tips and resources for Eco-friendly fall fun. COSTUMES When I was a kid, our family always made Halloween costumes [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. How pushing through an irrational fear of bugs led me to become a naturalist and connect on a deeper level with the natural world. For the past several weeks I have been taking weekly classes as part of the Arlington Regional [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. School is almost out for my girls and my son will likely have an abbreviated summer schedule at his year-round preschool. We have been getting ready for summer fun and recently upgraded our water-toting gear. We have been using reusable water [...]
This piece originally appeared in my Green and Simple column on the Old Town Alexandria Patch. When I was a kid growing up in Massachusetts, my parents always planted a garden. Because we lived in a rural area, we had a sizable yard and a generously sized garden with rows and rows of plantings. We grew tomatoes, [...]