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Laura Young
Chicago area
Pet sitter, photographer, animal welfare advocate
Interests: Dogs, animal rescue, nature, photography, hiking, biking, blogging, travel, gardening
Recent Activity
New Year’s Resolutions
“To be is to do” ~ Socrates “To do is to be” ~Sartre “Do be do be do” ~ Sinatra Or as my grandmother was quoted in her high school year book when the seniors were asked about their aspirations, “Ambitions? Julius Caesar had ambitions. Look what happened to him!”... Continue reading
Posted Dec 31, 2019 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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A Year on One Acre
A lot happens on this acre in the course of a year. Here is a small taste. Enjoy! Continue reading
Posted Sep 13, 2019 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Perspective
Perspective kicks the tires on her brand new Point of View while Philosophy checks the oil. Slamming the hood, he shakes his head, “Hope you aren’t planning to go too far.” “I never plan on it. Sometimes it just turns out that way.” He purses his lips, considering, as he... Continue reading
Posted Sep 13, 2019 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Breakfast and Robins and Robins for Breakfast
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Sooo...the week that just passed did not afford many opportunities for me to take photos here, not that there wasn't news to report. Time to get back on the blogging horse and so I thought, while my husband and I were eating a breakfast of zucchini crepes and honeydew melon... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Monarchs and Those Yet to Be
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Perhaps it's just that it has been such a rainy year, but the summer seems to be waning already if the tattered wings of this monarch are any indication... And yet, there are signs of new winged life yet to be... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Ruby Meadowhawk on Poppy
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Last year two little poppies showed up in the garden strip along my garage near the downspout. I think they are breadbox poppies. I suspect the seeds blew in and washed down the drain to find themselves planted there, as they aren't anywhere else in the yard. They are such... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonfly
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The Ruby Meadowhawk is one of the most common dragonflies in the meadows and fields of northern Illinois. This is the female, more russet in color compared to the more truly scarlet colored male. They are also among the more tolerant of intrusive photographers. Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Garter Snake
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One thing to be said for neglecting my overgrown gardens is that it allows the other residents of our acre to thrive relatively undisturbed. I know there are a lot of people out there who don't really enjoy seeing snakes, especially large ones like this creature, but I've always delighted... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Mulberry
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Mulberries One of the things I love about being an adult is that I am now tall enough to reach mulberries right off the branches in the summer. When I was growing up, the kids on our street would gather in front of our neighbor's house around this time every... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Echinacea is Loved by Birds, Bees and Butterflies
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Echinacea is a favorite of butterflies and gold finches Echinacea, or purple coneflower will happily take over your yard if you let it and more and more I find myself content to let it. Mostly. Well, on weeks like this. The same plant that enjoys widespread use for treating colds... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Bet You Didn't Know This about Chicory
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Wild chicory along a bike trail Every year around this time, my husband must endure my seemingly endless refrain, "I just love those flowers." "Oh, chicory! I just love that color!" "Did I ever tell you how much I love chicory flowers?" It's just how it is with me when... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Bee Balm
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Also known as Monarda, Bergamot and Oswego Tea, you can see its wild version in bloom in many prairies and along bike trails right now. Wild bee balm It is edible. This member of the mint family has a strong flavor that is best used sparingly (a spicy, almost oregano... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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The Green Heron
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Or, as we call it in our house, the "little green hero", has been a fairly regular visitor to the marsh. The nickname got started when I had sent an email to my brother-in-law and happened to make mention that we had one walking around in the yard. My niece,... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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What is That Strange Mini Volcano in the Yard?
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The crayfish (or crawdaddy if you live in the southern U.S.), is a small crustacean resembling a tiny lobster. The crayfish spends most of its time in the chamber at the bottom of its burrow so is rarely seen. Only at night does it become active bringing soil to the... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Better Know a Wild Flower: Widow's Tears
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I introduced you to the happily self-seeding Celandine Poppy recently and want to introduce you to another repeat bloomer. Widow's tears are also known as Virginia spiderwort, spider lily or trinity flower. Commonly found growing in moist prairies, meadows and woodlands, the plant is a vigorous grower in the wild... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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All About the Fish
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I had wanted to show you photos of the pair of kingfishers that were hanging out on the marsh all day but this was the absolute best one I could get... ...because frankly I didn't feel like tolerating the evil mosquitos to try to freeze this action... What I had... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Better Know a Wild Flower: Celandine Poppy
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One of the happy inhabitants of our acre is the Celandine (or Wood) Poppy, a delightful yellow flowered plant that seems to be perpetually in bloom. I've seen it mentioned that it is relatively uncommon now, one of the plants that is being impacted by invasive garlic mustard. However, in... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Morning Walk, with Dragonfly
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Sometimes the very best thing to do...maybe the only thing to do...is get back to basics. Tall grass and dragonflies. Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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White Campion Growing Like a Champion
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...because that is what weeds...er...wildflowers...tend to do. Campion has been enjoying my garden (and the surrounding fields and trails and...) because between birds, and wind and nature's whims, wildflowers always show up in my gardens. Whether they get to stay and in what numbers is a matter of my own... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Berry Buckle Recipe and Buried Cherry Cookies
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If this made your mouth water, you might be wanting the recipe... So here you are... And I suppose I should be giving you this one, too. You're welcome. Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Old Man Johnson's Morning Yoga, with Raspberries
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It's been a banner year for wild black raspberries. We've shared with several neighbors, have eaten many bowls full and I've been baking wild black raspberry buckle like crazy to try to keep up with the surplus. We'll be shipping some off to my 97 year old mother-in-law later today.... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Fourth of July Parade, Shangri-Laura Style
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It was just after 9 a.m. and I was sitting at my computer with my camera patched in to download some photos, when I looked up and saw a family of raccoons hustling up my yard. So fast as I could, I disconnect my camera, and didn't have time to... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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While Some Dogs are Pooching It, This Dog Lover is Roofing It
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First, if you haven't seen the Facebook site, Gone Pooching, you are missing out on a real treat. Take special note of the sleek redhead. That's Ali, whom I've known since her days at DuPage Animal Shelter. She is a truly amazing dog (she's been adopted and is now living... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Lovely Flower Combinations
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The good news is that with an acre to play on, you can try a lot of plants in the garden. The 'bad' new is that the ones that do well sometimes to REALLY well. I recently had some friends over to help thin some plantings and, since these guys... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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Great Blue Herons Have No Sense of Appropriate Meal Portion Size
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I apologize profusely for the terrible photo quality but despite the terrible conditions and distance I was working with, still, what was this guy thinking? And even though we have a shallow ephemeral pond, when the pond is wet long enough and the fish eggs come in our their legs,... Continue reading
Posted Aug 13, 2017 at Today at Shangri-Laura
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