My paternal grandfather taught me much about nature, particularly trees, rocks, and mammals. It was an eclectic education. However, he died before I graduated from high school. I joined the Army and for those 30+ years I was often surrounded by nature without the time to enjoy it. I have lived in Europe and six US states and driven to all the lower 48 states. An acquaintance of mine wrote in a book about trying to identify all living things on his 16 acres in upstate New York, and I began to do the same for my 47 acres in central Alabama. I wish I'd known of iNaturalist when I started this project. I have become much more observant, which is extremely enjoyable. With retirement, I have renewed my interests, particularly in birds, and only recently in moths. A camera in my pocket has helped tremendously, of course. I am a member and past president of the Alabama Ornithological Society, and I edit the AOS newsletter, The Yellowhammer.