Author: Melanie Nicolas
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Joys of Spring (2025)
Hello all, it’s already April and I thought it’s about time to share what kept me busy the past two months My daughter Maddie now lives in Washington DC and I visited her and her boyfriend, Will last week. I took a redeye flight from Sacramento on a Thursday night and got there on Friday…
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What I’m up to these days….
Hello friends, It’s Melanie (Lenie) sending you a short update about me. I apologize that I didn’t warn you that I was going to delete my Facebook account, and thus also deleting my Messenger account. I want you to know that you are important to me and I want to keep in touch. Anyway, after…
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I got rid of my old wooden patio furniture by (legally) burning it!
I have been tidying up my yard since March and found a creative way to get rid of an old patio furniture. This was my first patio set, an Indonesian teak wood set of chairs and table. It was a weathered, beat up table that had been repurposed as a potting table, and just last…
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The Oscar Romero Prayer: My Lenten reflection on loss and hope
I recently lost a childhood friend and in the past two weeks, I learned about the passing of at least 3 individuals I personally knew. The timing of this sad news paved way for a somber Lent. Last night, I attended the Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper in my parish and in preparation, I…
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Birding 101(according to me)
I wrote in my earlier post about how I got interested in birding. I have met a few people who are way into this hobby as amateur birders as well as a few individuals who are likely professionals where birding seems integral to their professional work as naturalists. Let me say listening to them is…
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Sacramento County’s Bufferlands and how I got interested in birding
On this post, I’d like to share about how I got interested in birding or birdwatching. So as not to make this post too long to read, I will write separately on the approach I’m taking to learn and understand this hobby of observing birds. Last year, I volunteered to become a docent for the…
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On the forest floor
My 3-day pilgrimage jump started my 2024 Lenten observance which is commencing tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, February 14. The daily long walks through Sonoma County’s villages, hills and valleys, forests, coastal prairies, country roads and Highway 1 heightened my senses and deepened my mindfulness which will be helpful for a contemplative Lenten journey. Every year, I…
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I slept in a yurt in the redwood forest.
I joined a 3-day pilgrimage walk last week in Sonoma County and slept in a yurt for the first time! A yurt is essentially a round tent supported by lattice and stretched fabric for the walls and its dome ceiling, by poles arranged like sun rays. Yurts are the traditional dwelling of Central Asian nomadic…
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How are your new year’s resolutions going?
I shared on my first post that I launched this blog as part of my bold plan to engage in something new each month of the year. In January, I worked on a simple habit – ditch the milk or creamer in my daily coffee and drink it black. It’s been 34 days and I’m…
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Welcome February 2024, hello to my second monthly project for the new year!
Hello, my name is Melanie and in 2024, I committed to doing something new (to me) each month of the year. It can be a new skill, a new habit to learn or unlearn, or a new place for me to explore. I’m naming my blog “Something Active, Something Creative” to give you an idea of…
Something Active, Something Creative 