The ‘Rich’ Social Media
WordPress is a bit like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, except that weblog (‘blog’) posts are generally longer, richer in content. Posts — and even Pages like this — are a media-rich narrative of this family’s suburban life infused daily with nature.
The format chosen, Edin, is optimized for PC’s with flat screens while also easily read from a phone or tablet., my go-to when outdoors. It is designed to be browsed/searched at any time that is convenient for any reader. (Mostly me, probably.)
To get a feel for what’s here, click on the sample platter of posts listed below or type a keyword in the search box at the top to see if you get lucky.
~ Shannon @ DirtNKids Blog
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2020 Top Posts
Ah … the year of the worldwide pandemic. I remember now. My own backyard garden, as well as the school gardens, took the back back burner as a prairie habitat was watched and learned from.
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- Happy Days. Just getting my stride as a state naturalist! Then, BAM.
- Portraits of a Pocket Prairie. I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.
- Patriotism. Trying to make sense of the political chaos of the USA, with poetry and photos of nature.
- Pocket Prairie: Helping Our Neighbors, Healing Our Minds. Timing is everything. That little piece of restored coastal prairie prairie saved us.
2019 Top Posts
As I wound down the school garden project, I cranked up another: becoming a Texas Master Naturalist™ of the Coastal Prairie Chapter. Oh … and building a prairie in my backyard!
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- Home Garden: 5 Steps to Stewarding Living Soil. Anyone can do it. All you have to do is follow Nature’s lead and understand the why’s behind it.
- Urban Rewilding: Can Lawns and Wildflowers Get Along? It’s time to re-think the suburban desert landscape called ‘turf grass.’
- Meet Me In The Summertime. A warm, lazy, photo- and song-infused post … for the heart and soul of summer.
- When It Rains, It Spores. This post features one really fun guy. And I ain’t punnin.’
- Keeping Tabs on Bats. Let’s not forget about this very important yet misunderstood mammal with wings.
- Going Coastal With Friends. Beach-combing and shooting plants and animals sure beats going ‘postal’ (that is, shooting) in the other way.
2018 Top Posts
The school garden continues on to complete the 12-month (or more) commitment to teachers of an elementary school, so blogging is lack-luster once again. But we’re still here and loved by a faithful following .. thanks!
- Once in a Lifetime: Super Blue Blood Moon. Mom forces the kids to get up super early and watch a moon rise together.
- Birding Here, Birding There, Birds and Babies Everywhere. A whirlwind birding adventure, highlights and photos from January to May.
- School Gardens Update: Let It Grow! The fun continues ..
- Community Mothers: My Wish For Every Mother. Mother’s Day might just be a day, but my wishes (and love) for them never ends.
- Gratitude and the Simple Act of Camping. In the middle of summer, we get a little reminder of how awesome it is to live in the comfort of air conditioning.
- Cold (Finally) Arrives in Houston! A little late for summer to end in November, so we celebrate the cold when it arrives.
- Big Bend Birding: Off the Grid. Taking birding with us where we go, unplugging never felt so natural!
2017 Top Posts
As teens become more capable of caring for themselves (and even taking care of the house!), Mrs. Dirt takes soil ecology concepts to another venue — the neighborhood elementary school. Volunteering takes precedent this year, and blogging takes the back burner.
- Minimally Maintained. When turf grass gives way to nature, getting out of the way is the best approach to yard management.
- This Weekend Is Not About Me. One mother defers to another.
- Happy. Love. It’s That Simple. How easy is it to be happy? Very.
- Wishing And Hoping: Blue-headed Vireo. Joy finds its way to our home in the version of a small, chatty bird.
- Happy Independence (The Vegan Way). Celebrating your own freedom shouldn’t require the oppression of another.
- School Garden Update: Summer’izing. The school garden gets put to bed for a long
winter’ssummer’s nap.
2016 Top Posts
Targeted ads are removed from the site, decreasing clutter and increasing content focus. A life of running a school, tending a vegetable garden, birding in the off-times, and generally being outdoors and learning about our world continues uninterrupted.
- A New Year: Looking Up, Looking Back, and Plugging In. A catch up after a longish absence from blogging (but not from living).
- Birding Big Bend. A long time coming, the family returns to the desert of Texas after a 15-year absence, and starts the year off with a decent ‘tick’ of unique birds.
- Anniversary Weekend Birding. Mr. and Mrs. Dirt return to the coast for a beach camp-out and lots of coastal birds!
- It Pays To Be Outside. An explanation of why being off blogging is decidedly a good thing.
- Dairy Confusion: What IS Milk? A closer look at what the dairy industry may not be telling you.
2015 Top Posts
We loved doing the Birding Big Year so much we decided to do it again! Only this time, new places get explored, looking for specific bird species, and participating in a citizen science project. DirtNKids (Soil, Kids, Nature) and GreensForGood (Vegan) were merged — two great things that just go together.
- Ten Eating Tips To Help You Be A Successful Vegan. Yep. It’s true.
- We Survived Four Days Without The Internet. It’s entirely possible to unplug from the digital world.
- Mish Mash Monday. DirtNKids’ first every product giveaway — a producer-provided Dirt! The Movie DVD.
- Syringe Feeding Joy And A Sleepless Night. An injured hummingbird keeps us awake and hopeful for a whole day.
- It’s The (Exoskeleton) Little Things. How we revere the bug. (Caution! Creepy crawlies inside.)
- When Purple Martins Make It Rain. Hundreds of thousands of roosting birds make for a loud and messy post.
- Winter Birding — Photography in Dim Lighting. Making the best of (usually) bad photo conditions.
- We Are All Animals. Pondering thoughts about how humans are really species-centric in their ‘compassion’ choices, we remember Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and his civil rights legacy. Slavery still exists today — it’s call food.
2014 Top Posts
Birding was high on the agenda as we took on our first Birding Big Year challenge. Avoiding the exploitation of others in every-day life is now fully in focus.
- Hummingbird Xtravaganza. A hummingbird banding session at GCBO during the height of the Ruby-throat migration. Fun!
- Babies and Bluebonnets. Everyone’s favorite combination in Texas.
- The Christmas That Wasn’t. Holiday consumption traditions get shed from the present.
- Shooting The Bird At Thanksgiving. Not the typical ‘holiday,’ we show others how we revere the bird without exploiting or eating him.
- Butternut Squash, September Captured. A great fall soup recipe and some photos of the time of year.
2013 Top Posts
With a new school at home and less time to spend outdoors, photography and hanging out among the trees becomes our center.
- Out West Adventure: A Short Photo Journal. It’s easier to use photos to tell the story than tell the story. Who’s got time to read?
- How To: Stealing, Hoarding and Making Soil. My crazy, wacky Dirt-y ways.
- Tofu and Making Milk Without The Mammary. A new vegan life and appliance make it easier than ever to make and drink ‘milk’ at home — without using others.
- The Power Of Love. A quote and photo.
- Iron Man and Christmas Trees. The kids can still draw, and a 15-foot artificial tree gets modified for a new living room.
2012 Top Posts
With four children off at school every day and with volunteer duties still at a minimum, Mrs. Dirt gets busy puttering around in the garden and growing food (building soil) with purpose.
- Anxious For Fall To Show. A photo journal with big leaves, big acorns, and BIG grubs to celebrate our favorite season.
- Stealing Trash – A New High. We learn to be sneaky about re-purposing others’ yard waste into soil for my yard.
- Learning To Garden. Failures and successes are equally important in caring for soil, and urging new gardeners to welcome failures plants the seed.
- Relaxed And Not So Batty, Part 2. Mr. and Mrs. Dirt spend a weekend learning about bat conservation and witness 20 million bats leaving a roost.
- Keyhole – The Smarter Garden. Making soil, raising beds, conserving water, and re-purposing waste … all in one convenient spot.
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