

Merry Christmas
To You and Your Family
Christmas and Holiday Traditions from Around the World
In Catalonia, Christmas cheer begins with a log that has a face, a red hat, and absolutely no dignity. Children beat this log with sticks while singing songs demanding that it defecate presents.
Inside my Brain in Winter
A Gardener's Brain in Winter.
Evergreen Trees and The Friends Who Stay
This morning, I took a long walk through the backyard. The cold temperatures and recent snowfalls have now transformed summer’s lush gardens into stark and barren worlds. The ground was hard and unforgiving; the landscape stripped down to little more than branches and memories, sparing only the evergreen trees that stood in stark contrast.
Make Your Own Show – Stopping Outdoor Centerpiece This Holiday Season
Two years ago, Marty and I decided to try our hand at making a holiday centerpiece for our front porch. We wanted to create something that was different, looked great, and wasn’t expensive or too difficult to make over a weekend.
Brunch with Friends
A Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, and Blue Jay having brunch with friends at one of our feeders this morning.
Let it Snow
A Scene from a Winter Garden - Let it Snow
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and good food.
How to Slow Down When the World Speeds Up
There’s a moment every November when the world feels like it suddenly hits fast-forward. Holiday plans. Deadlines. Obligations you didn’t have last week but somehow now own. It’s as if the calendar flips a switch and says, “Hurry. Do more. Go faster.” But here’s the thing: nature doesn’t do
What a Difference a Week Makes
Here are two short videos of my backyard taken a little over a week apart. Most of the maple, redbud, oak, crabapple, and dogwwod trees have lost their leaves in the second video and the metasequoia have started transforming into their stunning fall rust color. But they too will
How to Embrace a Mindset of Wonder
Humans are blessed to have been born with an innate sense of wonder. Our earliest experiences were driven by a powerful drive to understand how and why things work. We figured out early on that square blocks do not fit into round holes...

Dr. Pam Stephens Lehenbauer (AKA Mother Nature’s Apprentice) is an epidemiologist, researcher, nurse practitioner, adjunct professor, and popular guest speaker. She is also a Master Gardener, Certified Home Horticulturalist, and conservationist who has won several awards for gardening, landscaping, and creating sustainable wildlife habitats. Pam has an earned Ph.D, an MSN, an MBA, and has just written her first book on wonder, joy, and well-being. It will be available in the August of 2025. In her blog, Pam enjoys writing about topics related to gardening, health, nature and the environment, quirky science, and life.
Archives
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Dealing With the Dreaded Transplant ShockJune 14th, 2024
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Monarch Butterfly Migration 2025March 1st, 2025
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Bucket List Gardens – The United States – Part 1March 27th, 2024
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Merry ChristmasDecember 24th, 2025
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Christmas and Holiday Traditions from Around the WorldDecember 22nd, 2025
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Inside my Brain in WinterDecember 18th, 2025


























