Did You Know Reptiles Have Sleepovers?
Did you know reptiles have sleep-overs, too? While mammals hibernate in cold weather, reptiles brumate. I’m not just talking about different species cohabitating, or sharing dens, during brumation. No, I’m talking about reptiles sleeping over when they are inside a dwelling–even those that have entire houses to roam and numerous corners to sleep in. Take […]
Remembering My Friend and Editor, Nora Miller
I’ve had some success with my books. It all began when I was encouraged by boat-mates to publish my Curtis Curly-tail Lizard story. My graphic artist friend agreed to do the illustrations, although as he said, “I know nothing about lizards.” I had a story text and I had illustrations. How would I get those […]
November 6th is National Nachos Day. YUM!
November 6 is National Nachos Day, a day set aside to celebrate a delicious culinary delight. Nachos are crunchy with melted cheese, a perfect combination of taste and texture. Nachos were created by “Nacho” Anaya from Piedras Negras, Mexico in 1943. Over the years, other ingredients have been added to the tortilla chips and cheese. […]
I’ve Been Blown Away!
Image courtesy of David Mark of Pixabay In my book Curtis Curly-tail is Blown Away, I described Curtis and his iguana friends being caught in a hurricane. I’ve had personal experience in hurricanes from living along the Gulf Coast. My first week at Florida State University was delayed by a hurricane. I had to go […]
What Would You Write?
A friend sent me Tom Gauld’s cartoon about an autumn walk’s inspiration. The poet thinks, “I’ll write a poem about the melancholy beauty of leaves falling in the autumn sun.” The detective novelist thinks, “I’ll write a story about the autumn winds revealing a headless corpse hidden in a pile of leaves.” I’m a member […]
National Reptile Awareness Day Should Be Appreciation Day!
October 21 is National Reptile Awareness Day. I would prefer the term ‘Appreciation’ instead of ‘Awareness.’ Many people are aware of reptiles but don’t appreciate them. They often state they hate reptiles—especially snakes! This day is for celebrating all 10,000 species of reptiles, from the cute, colorful gecko to the unnerving rattlesnake, and to educate and […]
Ever Set a Pumpkin on Fire? In Your Kitchen?
My reptiles like hard squash, so I cook pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash until they are soft and squishy. The easiest way to cook them is whole in the microwave. I don’t bother to cut off the stem. I rinse off the outside, plop it in, and cook until it is soft. I was cooking […]
Umm . . . Ever Wanted to Lick a Toad’s Back?
Toad image courtesy of ockienot88 from Pixabay Are you familiar with the word entheogen? I wasn’t either until I heard it mentioned in a talk about the Sonoran Desert toad, also known as the Colorado River toad, Incilius alvarius. You may have heard of this toad without knowing much else: It’s the toad made famous […]
Sweet Iguana Dreams, My Friends
Every night I say “Sweet Iguana Dreams” to my iguana family members. Some people would think that is a silly thing to say, since iguanas are said not to dream. But I think they do. Iguanas are diurnal, active during the day and they sleep at night. In fact, they can sleep very soundly. I’ve […]
Opinion: Negative Words Used for Effect Can Convey the Wrong Message
Arg! Infested? Really?! One of my pet peeves, or maybe, as a person who loves her reptiles, I should say companion-animal peeves, is when animals in their natural environment are called an infestation just because they are predators and not cute, cuddly creatures. The article that set me off this time is about a humpback […]
One Thousand Pounds of the Unexpected!
One year ago today my life changed significantly. Growing up, and as an adult, I’ve had only reptiles as companion animals. I never wanted a mammal. Okay, I did think about getting a hedgehog at one point, but they are nocturnal and I’m definitely a diurnal type of person. After I retired from my work […]
The Sea Wrote to Me!
As part of my writing business, I travel to numerous places, not only for inspiration but also for the marketing of my books. Most of the places I visit involve oceans and often islands, such as The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. I don’t get to spend much time on the beaches since I’m working […]
It’s a Climbing-the-Walls Kind of Time
Here, my youngest iguana, Twizzler Spiny-tail Iguana, is demonstrating that he is literally climbing the wall. by Elaine A. Powers If you’re like me, you’re spending more time at home than usual. Of course, this should help my writing output, but I often get distracted by the news of the world. Fortunately, I live with […]
Thrilled to Announce a Book Signing!
Desert vs. Island Temps by Curtis Curly-tail Lizard
Since I’ve been staying in my den more, I’ve been tuning in to old TV shows. I enjoy the old Westerns set in the US Desert Southwest—maybe because that’s where my good friend and author, Elaine A. Powers, lives! The dry climate there is so different from my humid island weather. Where I live in […]
Moon and Venus say Hello to Each Other!
PHOTO above is courtesy of the App called SkyView. Thanks to Tucson, Arizona being a dark sky city, stargazing can be wonderful. One recent September morning, I enjoyed viewing the crescent moon along with a bright object. Of course, that object was not a star, but the planet Venus. I thought it was worth a […]
I wrote Silent Rocks, but Susan Mule Gives a Dramatic Reading!
Above Susan Mule of the Cayman Islands reads Silent Rocks. Of particular importance to me are the two endemic iguana species on the islands of Cayman Brac, the blue iguana found on Grand Cayman and the Sister Isle Rock Iguana found on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. I’ve done field work with the latter […]
The Lost Pomegranate Crop or Was It Really Lost?
I love pomegranates. I have fond childhood memories of my family sitting around the table, each of us carefully peeling the tough husk off and eating the luscious seeds one at a time. We were careful to wear clothing that could be stained with the permanently dyeing juice. Brought to the Sonoran Desert by Spanish […]
September 4 is National Wildlife Day
This guy, Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus, and his species inspired my book, Don’t Make Me Fly! September 4 is National Wildlife Day. As a biologist, I love wildlife, whether it is in my backyard or at some distant exotic location. Wildlife Day was established to remind us about endangered animals, locally and around the world. This […]
Aug 26th is National Webmistress Day!
I have been very fortunate to have very talented webmistresses to create and maintain my websites. Yes, I could have worked on my websites myself, but I would rather be writing books. More importantly, they are much more visually creative and attentive to the many details. Like I said, I’d rather be writing my books. […]
Surprise Your Employees with Some Fun–Use Zoom to Perform a Short Play!
Today is National Radio Day. Way back before TV/streaming media as we know it and before today’s audio books, there was radio. Of course, there still is, but in the early part of the twentieth century, radio was our only source for news from around the world, and it provided wonderful entertainment. Radio shows were […]
“What’s a Nurse Tree?” you ask.
In the heat of the Sonoran Desert, many cacti use the shade of trees to help them survive. They also help in the cold winters. These are nurse trees. Underneath a mesquite in my yard, I found this thriving Graham’s Nipple or Arizona Fishhook Cactus. The scientific name is Mammillaria grahamii. I wouldn’t have noticed […]
Ophidiofomophobia. Say, what?
I’m always learning new words. I thought someone who liked reptiles was a “herpephile.” I found out lately it is actually “herpetophile.” There really is a word for people like me who like reptiles and enjoy studying them. Then I read about “ophidiofomophobia.” I had to look it up, but, unfortunately, it isn’t a real […]
August 7 is National Lighthouse Day
Image courtesy of the US Coast Guard August 7th is National Lighthouse Day. Lighthouses have always intrigued, standing tall at the sea’s edge often high on a cliff. They have played an important part in history, making sea travel safer, indicating dangerous coastlines and reefs and rocks. Two lighthouses have meaning in my life, both […]
Looking for More than Sky Rain
Growing up in the Midwest, I didn’t really think about rain. It rained all year long, although in the winter it could fall as ice, or if we were lucky, snow. The only time rain was newsworthy was during tornado season, when nature used it as a weapon, or mid-summer when the corn and soybean […]
“That’s MY Bed!”
Among the many reptiles I share my home with is a rhinoceros rock iguana who usually free roams my house. She basks under the heat lamps with the tortoises, shares the plates of veggies and finds sunbeams to relax in. Mid-afternoon, it’s time to head under some rocks for a nap. No, I don’t have […]
It’s Get to Know Your Customers Day!
Get to Know Your Customers Day is a day that is of interest to me every day. I want to know my customers. Do they like my books? How can my books be better? What should I write about in the ones to come? How can I improve the workbooks and activity sheets sold at […]
July 15th is National I Love Horses Day (Or, Actually, I- Love-One-Particular-Horse- Day)
I didn’t like horses as a child. In fact, I didn’t particularly like them as an adult. However, I did enjoy touring the countryside and riding a horse was much easier than hiking it all. When I moved to Tucson, I liked riding though the Sonoran Desert, but I found that the stirrups hurt my […]
Dads, Take Your Daughter For A Walk in July!
Some of my favorite childhood memories are the walks I took with my father, Dr. Norman E. Powers, pictured above. He worked long days, so spending several hours together outside in nature were particularly precious times for me. My father and brothers were active in the Boy Scouts of America. One of the local troop’s annual […]
Territorial!
Many animals (and some plants) establish territories. They protect these areas for their places to live, eat and mate. When I think of a territory, I usually imagine a natural area, but that’s not true for all lizards. Some lizards establish their territories on patios! Several male Desert Spiny lizards, Sceloporus magister, have divvied up […]