Visited Snowball Hill Prairie for the first time yesterday. What a nice site. It's very interesting to see the dramatic difference in species between the remnant prairie portion and the reconstructed prairie portion. #prairie #nativeplants @moprairie.bsky.social

First #monarch baby at Higginsville City Lake Trails #higginsvillemo

First Common Milkweed blossom of 2025 opened today at #higginsvillecitylaketrails

Monarch on Green Antelopehorn Milkweed at #higginsvillecitylaketrails #higginsvillemo

Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is popping at Higginsville City lake Trails 😍

One of the first #milkweed blooms of the year, at Higginsville City Lake Trails #GreenAntelopehorn #Asclepiasviridis

A Spring Azure on American Plum at Higginsville City Lake Trails in Higginsville MO. First butterfly photo of the year!

A sign of snow fatigue / getting soft: I bought myself a spin bike, and am in the process of fitting it out to connect to #Zwift or some other virtual cycling app. I've found #Copilot AI surprisingly helpful in sussing out the details of configuring apps, sensors, platforms, displays, etc.

In 2024, I read 58 books (mostly audiobooks). The big project was a re-read of the entire "Matthew Scudder" series from Lawrence Block, followed by sampling a number of urban fantasy series.

Rather than purchasing a new laptop, I bumped up my RAM to 32GB. Now I can have even more tabs open at once!

#linuxmint #linux

One of the charming things about small town life: Letters to Santa in the local newspaper ... 8 pages worth! #smalltown #rural #missouri

Brilliant sunset yesterday evening in Higginsville MO.

Just enrolled for 2025 coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The #ACA has been a critical part of our retirement planning. We still have a few years until #Medicare kicks in, but we're looking forward to not having to manage the income-vs-tax-credit puzzle.

Frost flowers! These ephemeral ice sculptures are formed by the hydraulic action of ice being extruded from the stems of White Crownbeard. So pretty. #verbesinavirginica #frostflowers #frostweed #iolaks #nativeplants

We had about 5 inches of snow a few days ago, and I finally was able to get out onto my little prairie project at Higginsville City Lake. Spread some seeds on small areas I burned a few weeks ago, and saw tracks of turkey, deer, coyote, and lots of little birds and critters out and about. Fun!

Goldenrod in the snow on a bit of prairie at Higginsville City Lake Trails in Higginsville MO. #nativeplants

Picked up a new chainsaw, a Greenworks 60v 16-incher, a great Black Friday deal from Tractor Supply. Took it out for the first time today, and though it's kinda heavy to lug around, it cuts really well. Impressed. Used it to cut some invasive Autumn Olive. #toolnerd

American Bittersweet at #lehighportlandtrails #iolaks #Celastrusscandens #nativeplants

Still a few Tall Bellflower blooms here in west-central Missouri #nativeplants #campanulaamericana