Tauna Pierce

Maulana Rumi said “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” His words were inspiring in the Persian Empire and they remain so today.

I am a vulture lover, all the way down to my bones. But let’s face it, vultures get a bad rap. I sometimes forget that most people do not share my respect of these birds. In fact, most people really dislike, and more importantly, they tend to misunderstand these amazing animals.

Succulents are remarkably distinctive plants that provide originality to any home, patio or garden. With more than 10,000 varieties of succulents in existence, there are options to suit anyone's aesthetic taste, interest level and space requirements.

Here are 20 fun facts about a few of the wild things that live here in the Southeast - some even live in your own backyard!

Are we doing the best we can? For each other, our loved ones, and the Earth we share?

An indoor garden can exercise your green thumb all year long — and liven up your home, too!

Growing herbs indoors is an excellent way to enhance existing garden pursuits and experiment with different varieties most suited to your needs. It's a rewarding winter activity for gardeners who miss summer tending, and a gratifying way for first-time growers to discover their green thumbs.

Throughout history, owls have been surrounded in myth and legend. We humans tend to make up stories about that which we do not understand, and given the owl’s secretive lifestyle they have been the obvious choice for haunting ghost stories for centuries.

A general definition of the word “security" is to be safe from danger, fear or anxiety. Feeling secure is a basic human desire – we all want it in our relationships, our jobs and our homes. And, whether we realize it or not, we all want to feel secure in obtaining healthy sustenance for ourselves and our families.

I try to keep a positive attitude, I really do.

Most days I can accomplish this simply by breathing, by looking into the sky, by sharing a conversation with a friend. I believe, way down in my bones, that the world is full of beauty and that the human inhabitants are aware of, and worthy of, that beauty.

But then there are other days...

Everybody seems to have an unusual, and sort of creepy, obsession about people’s bathroom habits lately. So let’s clear up a few misunderstandings about how people “do their business” when they are away from the privacy and safety of their own homes.

Former Director of National Park Service Speaks Out

Prayers and parades aren’t enough. Here are some actual ways to make a difference for our Soldiers and Veterans:

Happiness is Homemade — and the secret ingredient is love.

Every Saturday, Mallory Kidwell — a high school student from the quaint town of Peachtree City, GA — bundles up and leaves her warm home in the silent, dark hours of the morning. After a long week of studying she knows she could curl up under the covers and sleep in a few extra hours, but instead she gets up and heads north into the cold Atlanta streets.