Pam Otto

Dec 6, 2024 | shawlocal.com | Pam Otto

If you’ve been a Good Natured reader for any length of time, you’ve likely noticed that wildlife columns outnumber plant columns by at least two to one. With good reason. I’m just not very good with plants. Sure, I can point out our more notable natives, and I can lament non-native buckthorn, honeysuckle and garlic mustard til the cows come home. But for the most part, I feel better leaving the commentary on our local flora to bona fide botanists and gardening enthusiasts.

Nov 30, 2024 | shawlocal.com | Pam Otto

Note to readers: When this column originally was written on Dec. 4, 2019, Casa Otto had some cedar siding that was dry, with flaking paint, as well as boards with obvious knotholes.

Nov 23, 2024 | shawlocal.com | Pam Otto

I remember exactly where I was when I read the news. I was sitting in the waiting room at the vet’s office, having just played a game of keep away with my dog Kit. (Keeping her away from the treats in the Science Diet display, that is.) After a vet tech came and got her for her nail trim, I said hi to a couple of other dogs, then pulled out my phone. And that’s when I saw it.

Nov 15, 2024 | shawlocal.com | Pam Otto

The other day when I was shopping in a local establishment known for its extensive selection of adult beverages, I came across a brand I hadn’t seen in many years: Little Kings. Back in the day, I may have been known to sample a Little King or two at various watering holes in Urbana-Champaign. I mean, how could I resist? Little green 7-ounce bottles arrayed in a bucket complete with ice.

Nov 8, 2024 | shawlocal.com | Pam Otto

Just in case you hadn’t noticed – the bugs are back in town. Make that the ladybugs. Or, to be more correct, the multicolored Asian lady beetles, Harmonia axyridis. Pretty from a distance, yet teeming in numbers, stinky when disturbed and sometimes bitey, these imported insects ain’t no ladies. Or are they? Perhaps ill-mannered by our human standards, the multicolored Asian lady beetle’s habits actually do make sense when taken in context.