Gleanings of the Week Ending September 1, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article:

Living Against the Clock; Does Loss of Daily Rhythms Cause Obesity? - disruption of circadian rhythms considered along with diet and exercise

Dr. Gary Greenberg - The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things - TED talk looking a microscopic views of things

A Pachyderm's Ditty Prompts an Elephantine Debate - Why do we have music? Is it an evolutionary accident?

Snakes, And the Snake Wranglers Who Love Them - With more drilling for natural gas…there are more places that need to be cleared of snakes (without killing all the snakes)

RAW CHOCOLATE MOUSSE - avocado replaces butter, cream, and eggs…it sounds yummy

Google’s Self-Driving Cars Hit 300,000 Miles - how soon will these be commercially available at a reasonable price…and all over the country?

littleBits - open source, preassembled electronic modules that snap together with magnets to make larger, more complex circuits….play and create with electronics

Avocado Recipes - a collection of things to do with avocados

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs by Art Wolfe ©

What Will Change Most About Our Routine Physicals Over the Next Decade? - a perspective from 3 doctors

Blog: September Celebrations

September begins tomorrow. What do you celebrate in September? Here are some items that are listed on my calendar.

Labor Day on 9/3. It makes a 3 day weekend for many in the US. Even though summer is not officially over until later in the month - Labor Day is typically the last hurrah of summer. Schools are starting and swimming pools are closing. Celebrate with end of summer foods like watermelon and corn on the cob.

Grandparents Day on 9/9 in the US. If you have grandparents living, this is a prompt to celebrate your relationship with them by sharing some aspect of your day with them. If your grandparents are deceased, acknowledge the legacy they left and their positive influence on your life.

First Day of Autumn on 9/22. In most parts of the US, the majority of leaves will still be green but this is a good time to get organized for cooler weather - deciding on additions/deletions for your fall wardrobe - and to plan a fall foliage excursion for the appropriate time in your area. Celebrate the change in seasons.

And - there are two Jewish holidays celebrated in September 

• Rosh Hashanah on 9/17.
• Yom Kippur on 9/26.

Charmed by the Unexpected

Have you ever noticed how the something unexpected transforms an ordinary time or place into something extraordinary? It happened to me yesterday when I was pulling weeds and trimming bushes.

First I noticed a discarded cicada skin. The sun was shining on it like a spot light.

Then as I was taking the buckets of clippings back to the forest, I noticed a very large spider web suspended from the maple tree and anchored to the ground. Again - the sun was shining on it like a spot light. There were lots of flying insects around the web and the blank places in the web structure show that the spider had already been very successful with this particular web placement. By the time I came back with my camera the spider has disappeared (probably up into the tree) but the web was still magnificent. It was my little celebration for yesterday!

Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Granola

The scent of pumpkin pie wafting through the house is probably one of the most enticing aromas of fall. That’s what gave me the impetus to try this pumpkin granola….and I wanted something that would travel well for our fall outings. Size the recipe for the amount of pumpkin you have; the 15 ounce can I had was 1 1/2 cups of puree.  

The goo: 

• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 

10 cups old fashioned oatmeal

2 cups whole almonds

2 cups raisins (or dried cranberries)

~~~~~

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Farenheit.

Combine the ‘goo’ ingredients in a large measuring cup.

Combine the oats and almonds in a very large bowl.

Pour the ‘goo’ on to the oats and almonds. Mix thoroughly. I find it easiest to just use my hands.

Put in one very large pan or two smaller ones. You will need to stir the pans to don’t fill them too full.

Cook for 15 minutes and then stir. Then repeat until it has cooked for about an hour and a half. Add the raisins for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Let cool.

Store in closed containers. Freeze any that your household will not eat within a few weeks….or give it as a gift to celebrate the coming of fall.

Macro Water Lilies

I’ve posted before about water lilies (Cheekwood in June 2012, Longwood in November 2011). This time I’m sharing macro photos. These were all taken at Longwood Gardens in mid-August 2012. I love the colors and the shapes the magnification brings out. If I didn’t tell you they were water lilies would you be able to guess?

Enjoy the show!

Rainy Days and Mondays

Rainy days and Mondays DON’T get me down! I think it’s because I like things I do on rainy days and Mondays:

Whether is raining or not where you are this Monday - enjoy the day!

Munro’s Light Installations at Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens has a display Bruce Monro’s Light installations through September 29. They are interesting to see in the daytime to understand the technology and then in the dusk/dark to get the full effect of the light. It’s all done with various configurations of LED lights and fiber optics. I’ve put together a slide show of my photos; also check out the links (green font) to see pictures supplied by Longwood Gardens.

The Arrow Spring display includes sprites of light fibers among plantings. They are almost invisible in the daytime but show up like little fountains of water at night. The first installation is at the entrance to the visitor center - large glass spheres with internal spheres. During the day it looks like bubbles within bubbles. At night the fibers inside give changing color. The Field of Light and Forest of Light are both glass spheres with a fiber inside. The Field of Light is reflected in water of a small lake. The snowballs hang from the ceiling of the conservatory. They are glass balls with fiber inside. The Water Towers are made from plastic water bottles and fiber. Their color is more vivid in pictures than on the field - the longer exposure making the colors deeper and more jewel-like.

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 25, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article:

The Secret Life of a Cardboard Box - infographic

Developing Economies At Highest Risk of Climate Change Disasters - resilience outranks risk

3D-Printed Exoskeleton - Engineers at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Philadelphia used a 3-D printer to make a lightweight plastic exoskeleton for a 2-year-old girl named Emma Lavalle.

Slideshow: Echoes of the Ancients - large file but wonderful images of Mesa Verde and other Southwestern US National parks

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #20 - learning about more birds from around the world with each of these postings

Sunflower Party Time - great pictures of the plant and some insects

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano (pictures)

Easy whole grain pumpkin-banana bread - sounds yummy….but I would just double the recipe to use up the whole can of pumpkin

Make Room for (the New) Daddy - Essay and slide show from Marlo Thomas

Renewable Energy’s Growth Over the Past 15 Years - infographic

Learning Something New

Our learning expectations for children are huge…consider setting a similar expectation for yourself. It’s quite a challenge to come up with something as significant as learning to read. Everything else seems like a less significant step but, just like learning to read, it is not as hard as it appears as first. So - forge ahead with the audacity of youth toward whatever new thing you want to learn.

Here are some examples from my own experience:

• Sometimes learning is enhanced my multi-media. What started out as an interest in botanical prints from the 1800s - looking at books from that era on Botanicus and the Internet Archive, has been supplemented by trips to gardens and classification sites. What a glorious thing the Internet is for finding just the piece of information you are looking for.

• Sometimes learning is a physical thing. Years ago I decided that it would be better to use my mouse with my left had rather than my right so that I could have a notepad and pen on the right side of my work area (I am right handed). It took about a week to get good at it and a month to be entirely comfortable. Now if feels odd to use a mouse with my right hand.

• Sometimes learning is via experience. You just have to try it. I’d never dug up iris rhizomes before. I knew in theory how to go about it. The sheer number I found in the old flower bed was a surprise but one I simply dealt with by adjusting the amount of time I took to complete the task. I am looking forward to enjoying the flowers next spring.

The bottom line is that continuing to learn new things all the time is an integral part of living. It’s the way we become resilient to whatever changes come our way!

Longwood’s Indoor Children’s Garden

On a recent day at Longwood Gardens, I got to the conservatory early. Surprise! - There were no children in the Indoor Children’s Garden. Normally it is a very popular part of the conservatory and there is no easy way to photograph its features. The photographs in this post are the results of that little serendipity (and my most significant ‘celebration’ for the day!).

The garden was redesigned/upgraded several years ago. The conservatory had an area for children even 20 years ago that my daughter enjoyed; the things she liked the most have been doubled and redoubled in the new garden - lots of water for little hands, musical instruments, sculptures and mosaics…low ceilings and narrow stairways….all with a nature theme.

Recipe of the Week: Apple Crisp

This is a great fall recipe but I got it out early this year because I had a bag of Granny Smith apples that were not as tasty as usual for eating fresh. Maybe they were last year’s apples and storage had taken some of their usual flavor; apple crisp is more forgiving because of the added sugar and spices. It sometimes takes some extra effort to utilize food effectively...getting as much value as possible from every $1 spent for groceries.  I turned it into a celebration by making a favorite fall recipe!

• 4 cups apples, diced (peel if you must, I like the texture the skin provides...and it has nutritional value too)
• Cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)
• Lemon juice (optional)
• Molasses (optional)

 Topping: 

• 1/3 cup soft butter
• 2/3 cup apple juice concentrate
• 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
• Molasses (for drizzling on top)

~~~~~

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place apples in pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon and lemon juice if desired. Drizzle with molasses.

Blend remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Spread over apples. Drizzle with molasses.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.

Apple crisp is good warm or cold….I always have a first serving as soon as it comes from the oven.

‘Stuff’ with New Purpose

I’m in the mode of getting rid of ‘stuff’ - all those things I’ve accumulated that I don’t use currently and can’t imagine using in the future. Of course - there are sets of ‘stuff’ that I use partially and that presents a dilemma. One such example is my collection of Blue Tulip Depression Glass. I use most of the pieces frequently - but not the cups. I like larger mugs for my hot tea or chocolate - not smallish tea cups. I certainly don’t want to get rid of the cups….so my idea was to find some other use for them. Here’s what I did.

I arranged the cups in a drawer and then put necklaces, pins, buckles, and other small objects into them. It is better for the necklaces to not be hanging and this keeps them gently cradled and organized. Another plus - the drawer looks quite lovely.

So - I’m celebrating the beauty and new purpose of the tea cups today!

Catoctin Mountain Park - August 2012

We took advantage of a cool, cloudy morning recently to revisit Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland. It’s a forested area with hiking trails and winding roads. For us - it’s a place to celebrate all the times we’ve been there before (over the past 20+ years) and the beauty of the place even in August: (from the top down in the collage below) Catoctin geology, tiny mushrooms in moss, sunflowers at the visitors center, Cunningham Falls - not much water but the scour holes to the right of the water are indicators of how much there is at other times of the years, and a blue chicory flower.

This time of year the fungus steal the show from wildflowers. The slide show below captures some of my favorites. There are a lot of tree falls and forest mulch at Catoctin that provide lots substrate for these decomposers.

And last but not least - there were a few colorful leaves….reminding us that fall is just around the corner.

Little Celebrations of Each Day

Finding a way to be happy about life is easier if we celebrate - even in a small way - each day. Sure - there will still be the more substantial celebrations that happen less often but, for me, the little celebrations are more closely linked to feeling happy.

I am starting a project to write down one thing I celebrated at the end of each day to become more overt about recognizing and acknowledging the little celebrations. I’ve looked back over my notes for the past few days and picked one thing that stood out. Basically - I have a lot to celebrate so picking only one thing may be the challenge rather that searching for something.

Yesterday the little celebration was seeing one of the heron chicks from Sapsucker Woods on the heron cam. It was such a short few months ago that the chicks were just hatched and looking very fragile in their high nest…with owl attacks.

On Friday, I celebrated being able to eat banana. This may not be a celebration for many people but bananas made me violently ill for many years and I only recently discovered that I can eat them again. They are a great ingredient in smoothies.

On Thursday, I celebrated because there were a lot more iris rhizomes in my garden than I thought there were. They had not bloomed very well in the weed clogged and shady location but they were still making rhizomes every effectively. They will make a beautiful display next spring/early summer in their new location.

On Wednesday, I finally got around to asking my husband here the converted videos from our daughter’s babyhood were located on his computer and did some early celebrating of her 23rd birthday by watching some video of her 1st.

What have you celebrated today?

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 18, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article:

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #19 - From National Geographic

Prisoners pitch in to save endangered butterfly - Hurray for the Sustainability in Prisons Project

The Story of Stuff - a new movie (“The Story of Change”) has been posted…the others on the site are worth a look/listen too

Easiest Hot Bean Dip - Sounds yummy!

Should Doctors Treat Lack of Exercise as a Medical Condition? Expert Says 'Yes' - it would be great if doctors made this change - prescribe a gradual buildup of exercise rather than medication

An Artificial Retina with the Capacity to Restore Normal Vision - sight is often a challenge for otherwise healthy older people. This approach may be helpful. Hope the clinical trials get going and the technology/treatment becomes available sooner rather than later.

Fall Packages Make National Parks Attractive Destinations - Death Valley, Denali, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verda, Olympic, Shenandoah, Yellowstone, and Zion….what a line up

How people spend money in America - Any surprises? Maybe the % spent on Transportation and Gasoline was a little surprising.

Andrea Marshall: An up-close look at the majestic manta ray - TED talk

Marianne North Online Gallery - North’s botanical paintings hosted by Kew Gardens; browse by country, plant group, or category

Clouds

Clouds are a constantly changing aspect of our world. I’ve picked some examples today of how that ephemeral nature of clouds can be a frequent source of delight…if we just remember to look to the sky.  

Winter sunrises (Maryland 2012) with the red to orange to yellow

Summer afternoon clouds build up (Loveland Pass, Colorado 2012)

Spring sunset before a cold night (Death Valley 2012)

Summer clouds after a monsoon rain (Tucson 2012) Note the moon in the picture below.

Summer Morning Gardening

The gardening time rule-of-thumb for me in August is - every morning from 7-8 that it is not raining. There is always something that needs to be done and something unexpected to note. The unexpected yesterday was this beautiful little mushroom with its gray pleats and white filaments.

I’ve caught up enough on the weeds to move iris and day lilies that have not done well in their current location because a young sycamore has gotten big enough to deny them enough sunlight - and they were getting too crowded. I didn’t realize the extent of the crowding until I started digging them up and found very dense bulbs/rhizomes. Next year there will be lots of flowers in the sunny bed where I’m moving them.

While I was digging and separating - I thought about how these plants are part of my heritage. The day lilies were a house warming present from my mother-in-law when she moved in with us 23 years ago. She’s been gone for about 22 years now - those day lilies are a wonderful reminder of her. I’m glad I remembered to dig them up to take with us when we moved to our current house. The irises are descended from some my mother dug from her Texas garden; they had been very prolific in her garden and she planted the excess for that year in my Maryland garden….over 15 years ago.

There were other items I’ve added to the garden over the years that I happened upon as I was digging

A small chunk of pale green glass purchased in a shop on the road to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Shells picked up on some beach

And tomorrow there are still more day lilies and iris to dig up and move!

Recipe of the Week: Sourdough Adventure: Focaccia

I like the ease of no-knead breads. I saw a recipe on the King Arthur Flour site for focaccia and decided to convert it to use sourdough instead of instant yeast. I also experimented with replacing half the wheat flour with quinoa flour. And the result was a recipe I’ll be making again and again - trying a different seasoning every time!

~~~~~ 

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup mature whole wheat sourdough starter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil + additional for drizzling
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup quinoa flour
• 4 teaspoons seasoning of choice (I used Penzeys Forward! Spice) + additional for sprinkling on top

 Spray 9”x13” pan with cooking spray.

Mix water and sourdough starter with an electric mixer (do this step for the same reason to mix the water with the sourdough starter as the first step when feeding the starter - to get the micro-organisms evenly distributed so they will be throughout the resulting batter after the flour is added).

Add all the other ingredients and mix with the mixer for a couple of minutes.

Scoop the sticky dough into the prepared pan and let rise until it doubles in height. It took 4 hours in my oven with the oven light on. I set a pan of water in the oven to make sure the air stayed moist.

When the dough has risen enough - gently poke the dough all over with you index finger. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Brush gently to evenly distribute.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 35-40 minutes.

Remove bread from oven, wait 5 minutes, then remove from pan onto a rack. My favorite pan is Pyrex that has a lid so I simply leave it in the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Brookside Gardens - August 2012

Brookside Gardens in August - the plants are hanging on in the heat, making seed pods. There are quite a few with lots of buds brought on by the recent rains and the coming reduction in temperatures. The textures and shapes that I focused on during my walk included: 

• Fan-like gingko leaves
• Pleats of the yellow petals behind a fuzzy bee
• Folds of a hibiscus petal just opening
• Feathery papyrus
• Curved path through the rose garden and purple crepe myrtle
• Overlapping of petals of an old rose…the tight furl of a bud
• Compartments of a lotus pod
• The compactness of a passion flower bud
• The ripples behind two ducks

Gingko leaves

Bee

Hibiscus petal

Papyrus

Rose garden path

Old Rose

Lotus pod

Passion flower bud

Ducks

Keeping Cool in the Summer Time

August in Maryland - it’s hot. Today let’s remind ourselves of some ways to keep cool in the summer time. 

• Eat and drink cool/cold foods. Save the soups and chili for winter. Go with cool/cold foods when it’s hot outdoors.
  • Smoothies. See the post from earlier this month. These are a wonderful icy treat that can be different every day. Yesterday mine was a banana, ice, almond milk, and 1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring. Today its frozen tomato, orange and 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring.
  • Salads. Eat veggies while they are still cool from the refrigerator. Think finger food like: cucumber slices sprinkled with seasoning, cucumber slice ‘sandwiches’ with basil leaf and deli sliced smoked turkey filling, celery with peanut butter, broccoli or cauliflower florets. Or combinations of ingredients with your favorite dressing. Most salads are fairly quick to prepare and with a little prep ahead of time are about the fastest meal around.
  • Fruit. Watermelon is the best it will be in August. The hybrid seedless forms don’t have the marvelous flavor of the older melons but are still tasty. Peaches are also in season. Again - eat them still cool from the refrigerator.
  • Ice cream. In moderation because of the fat and sugar calories. I’ve almost converted myself to the frozen banana with milk substitute.
  • Iced beverages. Water - lemon water - herbal tea - watered down juice. Keeping hydrated with something cold is a great way to keep cool. Combine the idea of smoothies and iced beverages by putting your iced beverage in the blender; you’ll ‘drink’ the ice along with the beverage that way.
• Be active early in the day (when its cooler). Plan the day to be outdoors in the morning. It’s cooler and it will be more enjoyable. Walking, jogging, gardening….it all is better in the morning.
• Water your skin. Every time you wash your hands - dry them on your forearms before the towel. You’d be surprised how much cooler you’ll feel. Splash your face too if you are very hot. Carry a mister for children or yourself in very hot weather.
• Go barefoot. Shoes may be required to protect the bottom of your feet or if you are out and about…but go barefoot at every opportunity.
• Wear comfortable clothing. By this I mean ‘not tight’ and ‘breathable’ --- also lightly colored.
• Seek shade. If you are going to be out in the sun - wear a hat so that your shade moves with you. Even if you are wearing a hat, stand in the shade whenever possible.