Kittens! – week 2

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Two weeks of kittens…their antics are entertaining and, sometimes, worrying.

They have an affinity for anything like a cable or cord. Sometimes they just bat the ‘snake’ with their paws but other times they try to bite/chew or tangle themselves…which could be damaging and even tragic with electrical cables. So – my husband has covered the cables in his office with beach towels or big pieces of cardboard. It has worked reasonably well so far…the cats seem to enjoy sleeping on the cord coverings even more than the desk chair (like day 3 and 5).

One morning I noticed that all the pillows that had been on the window seat in our breakfast area were on the floor. I’d thought the cats would enjoy looking out the window there and seen them on the pillows previously…but not seen any behavior that would have resulted in the pillows being pushed off. Then – I noticed Sooty playing with the pulls of the blinds. She was having great fun…jumping and pouncing to catch the fob on the end of the cords. So – I tucked the cord/fob into the top of the blind…and the pillows have stayed in place since.

We are still sequestering the kittens in their room/bathroom at night. They are enticed in with a last meal of the day in the bathroom. One night my husband started the process at the usual time, but the kittens were playing a lot; he got them back and enjoying their meal…closed the door. And a few minutes later they were making little meows still wanting the run of the house. Since then, he has waited until they are quiet and then provided their last meal of the day….and they are OK with being in their room.

Previous Kittens! Posts: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, week 1

After Rain

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We are finally getting some rain in our area of Missouri and our yard is green again. I went outside shortly after one of the rain showers and discovered the rose bush was full of water droplets – like jewels on the leaves and flowers. Sometimes that align with the edges or ridges of the plant but there was so much water that the beads sometimes were on any surface that would hold them! One of the flowers was acting like a bowl to hold the water and reminded me that some frogs in rain forests lay eggs in the bowls of water in bromeliads.

Other plants also were very wet and holding beads of water although the droplets seems smaller than the ones on the roses…and I noticed we have a lot of spider webs!

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 27, 2022

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

We asked children how they experienced poverty. Here are 6 changed needed now – This was a study done in Australia. I wonder how applicable these findings are around the world.

The identical twins who discovered their secret sibling – An adoption agency that separated twins for adoption in the 1960s…and the researchers that were part of that process. Fast forward to 2022.

Heat wave reveals 17th-century English gardens – Longleat Gardens….a whisper of the past…from before the transition to natural parkland in the 18th century.

Is this the end of DC’s most-beloved hidden landmark? – I’ve never seen (or known about) the Capitol stones in Rock Creek Park but I’ve noticed the old columns dating from the same period that are in the National Arboretum. They are certainly a landmark!

Painted Bunting: The Fun of Local Bird Quests – I remember seeing some painted buntings at a Florida National Wildlife refuge and an indigo bunting under my bird feeder in Maryland. They are special birds!

Colorful solar panels could make the technology more attractive – Color is a lower priority than efficiency for me, but it could be very important in some applications.

A Beginner’s Guide to Butterfly Watching – I wish there were more butterflies to watch! It seems like every year there are fewer of them around.

Taming Tomorrow’s Wildfires – There is a wildfire burning somewhere in the US all the time recently. It’s important that we make changes to reduce their devastation.

New drug candidate fights off more than 300 drug-resistant bacteria – Antibiotics have been around for my whole life…but there is always the discomfort that more bacteria are becoming resistant…and there could come a time that the pre-antibiotic killers will beginning killing people again. I’m glad there are new drugs in development to take up the fight.

Olmec contortionist Reliefs Uncovered in Mexico – Artifacts from a civilization known for colossal head sculptures….hints of their culture.

Spider Encounters

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Earlier this month I had two close encounters with spiders.

The first happened when I noticed that one of the screens on my office windows had come off during a storm; I went out to retrieve it from the flower bed noticing that it was slightly warped – probably from being ripped out of the window frame. It was also very wet, so I put it in the shower stall. I checked the other screens, and one was partially out of the window frame; I stepped into the flower bed to take it the rest of the way out and put it in the shower too. That’s when I noticed several spiders making a new web from the bottom of the screens to the shower floor! I took a few photos and was thinking that the through-window photography would be better without the screens (i.e., I would just leave them off and enjoy the clarity of the view without the screens).

Back in front of my computer screens – I noticed that the back of my right calf felt strange. I saw a puncture wound already surrounded by redness; I went upstairs and applied cortisone cream. By the evening it was hurting like an injection into a tensed muscle and the redness was a bit larger. I started putting antibiotic on it. It was not better the next day; I had my husband draw around the redness with a Sharpie so we could tell if it was getting larger/smaller. A whitish gray area formed in the middle of the redness and the muscle was still hurting the next day and I realized that it was a something different than the usual bug bite – time to go to an Urgent Care facility. They decided it looked like a spider bite! I got a tetanus shot and prescription antibiotic. The bite looked worse before it started getting better! My theory now is that while I was having my positive experience retrieving screens/photographing spiders…I also got bitten – probably by a spider I didn’t even see when I stepped into the flower beds wearing a dress rather than my usual yard work jeans!

Kittens! – Week 1

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One week of kittens….and we are all still in get-acquainted mode. My husband is managing to corral them into a bed/bath for night time but it takes a before-bed-meal as an enticement. We heard their first full meows when he was carrying the plate of food back for their night area…trying to avoid stepping on them as they all swirled around his ankles. They are generally up by about 5:30 AM; we hear them playing; by 6:30 they are indicating they want out and breakfast too.

They have gained proficiency on the cat tree – rarely jumping from the top to the floor like they did initially (we almost put the tree away but they learned to take intermediate jumps very quickly) …and they like to play on the tree as an added challenge to there activity on the floor.

Puma was the first to discover how to get into the tube part of the tree but the other two quickly followed; sometimes the tube has two of them at one time.

They like small toys and with guard one after intense play (hoarding it from siblings). A soft drink box became another part of the obstacle course in our den….the cats alternating between high levels of activity and napping. The highest activity level seems to be immediately after breakfast but there are other bursts throughout the day.

Early to mid-afternoon seems to be their quiet time. Sometimes they enjoy the office chair but there can be quiet times in the tree as well….as long as they are on separate levels! (Below – Pooky in the tube, Sooty, Puma at the top)

My husband serves their food on one plate – divided into three piles. He maneuvers to let Pooky (the female and smallest) to have the first bites). Puma and Sooty follow.

Previous Kittens! Posts: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 20, 2022

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

Photographer Creates Mesmerizing Flight Trails of Winged Creatures as a Meditation on Time – Action in the air (composite images).

The crab invading the Mediterranean Sea – The blue crab is native to the Indo-Pacific but reached the Mediterranean Sea in 1898…about a decade after the Suez Canal opened. With temperatures in the Mediterranean rising with climate change, more the crab larvae are reaching adulthood. Now the Tunisians are trapping and processing crabs for export. Other places in the Mediterranean are also harvesting and processing invasive species: Cyprus has local restaurants serving lionfish and jewelry/artwork is created from their soft colorful fins. Rabbitfish have also become a commercial fish. But will these measures be enough to rebalance the ecosystems and improve biodiversity?

Where did pigeons come from? – A bird that we see frequently….that humans have taken around the world…and it likes to stay near us!

Understanding the new Federal tax credit for electric cars – Why does it always have to be complicated?

Is dark chocolate really good for you? – Of course! I like my high % cocoa squares first thing in the morning…my perfect 1st breakfast.

The dangers of working in hot weather – Glad to see some attention on this…and a sharing of practices that can help while still getting work done. With the high level of employment (and often challenges hiring new people), businesses should have an elevated interest in keeping their workers healthy and productive.

 Home solar + storage will get a boost from the recent climate bill, claims Bloomberg – Hurray!

Banana peels make sugar cookies better for you – Ok – so maybe I should never put banana peels into the compost. I’d rather use them directly in recipes like Banana Peel Cake rather than making them into flour. I think I’ll start washing them and putting them in the freezer when I eat the fruit….process them as I need them for baking!

Meet the world’s largest land crab – And also learn a bit about Palmyra Atoll.

Is the river of grass really a river? – A little history…and discussion of what makes The Everglades a river (an unusual one!).

Kittens! – Day 5

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The kittens were contained in the room with the futon overnight and we started thinking about continuing that indefinitely because they are so rambunctious when they have the run of the whole 1st floor. We introduced the donut (round tube with openings on two sides, dangling toys in the openings) that our adult cats enjoyed so much. The kittens used it very differently….not as a place to curl up for a nap….rather an obstacle course they could run through or around taking a swing or bite at the toys as they entered or exited. Action was too fast for good pictures!

After a lot of running around, they still enjoy a nap together in the extra office chair…but only if my husband stays in the office with them! They all want to play if there is a human moving around in their vicinity.

The big discovery of the day was the cat tree. It’s been in front of the piano room windows from the beginning but they didn’t notice it immediately. Puma was the first to climb it and he went all the way to the top the very first time. Sooty followed --- also all the way to the top. Their little claws are sharp; my husband has bigger scratches than me because he kept trying to rescue them before they jumped down from the top of the cat tree. We moved a chair close to the tree to give them an easier path up and down. The chair may need to be reupholstered after they graduate to adulthood!

This is the last daily Kittens! Post…but I will do some weekly posts.

Previous Kittens! Posts: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4

Kittens! – Day 4

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The kittens became harder to photograph by the 4th day because they were much more active and the light was not bright enough to freeze the action. Sometimes they all three seemed to be playing a game of tag that ranged all over the 1st floor. They still went to the drawers under the futon but not as often.

Sooty is the most adventuresome and he is the only one that wants to be picked up. He wanted to climb up my leg but I managed to dissuade him before he put his claws out all the way (and into my skin). He discovered that the upholstered chair in the living room is a quiet place that, so far, he has all to himself; we’ve put a pad on the seat for him.

Puma is probably the largest although not by much. He likes a central location where he can see all the action. He was the first to try climbing drapery (which prompted us to take down the ones that were most tempting to him).

Pooky (formerly Suki) always seems to be in the thick of activities. She is probably the smallest and is the one my husband watches to make sure she gets her share of food.

All three of them play with toys differently than our adult cats did. They use their teeth a lot. They tore apart some older toys and tried to pull an automated wand toy across the room by the feathers on the end of the wand (that toy has been put way…saved for later). We’ve noticed that the scratching pads surrounded by a ball trough move on the wood floor which sometimes makes them even more fun – but also makes noise. Overall – I notice a lot more noise coming from the first floor when I am in my basement office!

Previous Kittens! Posts: day 1, day 2, day 3

Kittens! – Day 3

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The kittens’ third day at our house was another milestone…the doors were opened to let them out into the whole 1st floor of the house. They played hard with each other and with us…lots of mad running to hiding places when anything startled them. Their favorite sleeping place was the extra office chair in my husband’s office….in various heaps. They’ll soon outgrow the chair…at least for all three at once.

Sooty was the first to do a lot of things – find the low window/door where he could look outside, jump up on the kitchen counter using a couch as ‘steps,’ explore the inside of the grand piano using the bench and keys as ‘steps’.

We renamed Suki to Pooky (we remembered that Pooky was Garfield’s bear in the comic strip…decided to spell it the same way) because Suki sounded too like Sooty. She is a little more timid than Sooty but often follows his lead on some adventures. She might be the smallest of the three.

Puma is more reclusive, but he is out and about when people are not too close. He, like the other cats, likes to sniff everything. They all like the small mouse toys with catnip inside.

In the early evening, a thunderstorm made some loud noises and they all retreated to the drawers under the futon; that is their ‘safe’ place.

We sequestered them in the room/bathroom overnight. Overall – they did very well in the larger space although they didn’t like the large cat tree. Maybe its size is overwhelming for them right now.

Previous Kittens! Posts: day 1, day 2

Kittens! – Day 2

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We kept the kittens in a room, attached bath overnight. The next morning it was already obvious they were less timid. All three of them liked the string toy! From top to bottom in the image below: Suki, Puma, and Sooty. Note Pumas fully extended paw!

Sooty was the first to play with the ball in the round toy. Puma liked the bell that hangs from the center of the arch. Suki found something of interest in the sheet I had put over the futon (note the books on the floor which she had knocked out of the bookcase as she exited her hiding places there). They all retreated to the drawers under the futon when they were startled (and they apparently slept there). Occasionally they made turns into the carrier but didn’t stay.

We opened the door on the other side of the bath into my husband’s office. They started exploring. The synthesizer/electronic keyboards provide interesting height and texture for them (Suki in the picture). My husband was a little concerned about them chewing on cables so he unplugged everything that he could and keeps an eye on them. They all investigate the smell of everything (Puma at the multiple outlet strip).

My husband’s office chair is a popular place. My husband commented that Sooty (top) and Suki (on seat) were taking over the office.

Overall – by the end of the day we were both agreeing that the kittens were going to be ready to come out of sequestration on day 3. Stay tuned for their 1st day of adventures roaming the 1st floor of our house.

Previous Kittens! Posts: day 1

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 13, 2022

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

What a decade of Curiosity has taught us about Mars – Looking for signs of life.

Zion National Park, Utah – A view of the park from the International Space Station. A piece of trivia from the post: Cyanobacterial blooms are a threat to hikers and wildlife – exacerbated by intense summer heat.

Air pollution, including during wildfires, shows ill effects in children -So many questions popped into my mind as I read this article: Does keeping children indoors with modern air conditioning/heating filtered air help? Further air purification required? The children in the study were 9-11 years old; are some of the markers also indicators of stress they may have developed knowing there were wildfires?

Ultra high-speed photography captures hidden human figures in moving water – Eye candy

Heat pumps prove themselves during a harsh Maine Winter – Modern heat pumps do the job even at -21 degrees in Maine!

Neolithic Watermelons may have been valued for their seeds – Snacks! And now most watermelons we buy in stores doen’t have seeds at all!

Nahuku Lava Tube in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Closed to study its stability – Also known as Thurston Lava Tube. I walked through it when we were in Hawaii several years ago.

Vitamin K prevents cell death: New function for a long-known molecule – Important for blood clotting….but new research shows it is also a potent antioxidant that ameliorates cellular iron’s role in cell death (ferroptosis). There will probably be a lot of subsequent research following up this finding.

The science of making cheese – Infographic that shows the 4 steps: acidification, coagulation, reducing moisture content, and maturation.

The mysterious inner life of the octopus – Interesting article….or just look at the pictures!

Kittens! - Day 1

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Last weekend my husband got 3 kittens (siblings) from a foster family. They are 10-12 weeks old. Our house has two bedrooms with a bathroom in-between that made a good place to initially sequester them.

They arrived in a cat crate…cuddled together. The first one out was Sooty. He might have been hungry since he gobbled down some treats and then some kitten chow. He walked all around the room…sniffed the litter boxes…then returned for kitten chow…before exploring the other room. He likes to be picked up; has a big purr.

Next out of the crate was the female that we are naming Suki. She was enticed out of the crate with a treat and quickly found a place to partially hide. She ate come kitten chow – not letting Sooty interfere with her snack. Then she found a great hiding place on the lower shelf of the bookcase!

The last one out of the crate was Puma. He looks a lot like Sooty at first glance but has some brown/caramel in his fur. He seems the most timid of the three and the one that likes the crate the most.

Stay tuned for more posts as the kittens (Sooty, Suki, and Puma) acclimate themselves to their new home!

Settling in, developing new routines – 2nd month

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A lot has happened over the past month. I was at home and settling in except for the one week I spent in Carrollton, TX (an easy road trip).

Roses. I enjoy the roses outside…the bushes were among the first parts of the yard I watered (before we got the sprinkler system fixed). I’ve started bringing in some of the flowers…putting them in a small glass on the windowsill in my office.

Sprinklers and some rain. The sprinkler system is now working, and it helped the yard to begin to recover before the recent rains came. Most of the grass was brown or turning brown before we started watering. There are some parts of the yard that the system doesn’t cover well but the rain has caused the whole yard to green up again.

Scan app at grocery store. One of the local grocery stores has a scan-as-you-shop app like I had in Maryland (Walmart does too but charges a monthly fee for it, so I’ll continue to use the self-checkout in that store). The grocery store is further from the house than the Walmart; my plan is to shop there once a month; I’ve already identified items that the store has that Walmart doesn’t. I did have a small accident in the store: I bumped a can when I was reaching for some seasoned pinto beans on a high shelf; it fell on my big toe; since it was wearing flip flops, it hurt (broke the skin enough to bleed and lots of bruising); the injury has kept me from doing yard work and other activities that I  need to wear close toed shoes; it should be healed enough in the next week or so.

Screens on my office windows. I have tried to take pictures through my office windows and realized that the screens need to be removed – note the grid in the picture of the dragonfly below. When I do it, the windows will need to be cleaned too.

Compost. I bought 2 pieces of cedar edging and made a circle for compost…thinking that I didn’t have enough kitchen scraps to warrant a larger bin. The watermelon rind is loading it up fast! In need to add ‘browns’ to keep it from smelling like garbage…I may have to shred some cardboard. Some of the smaller yard waste can go in too (larger pieces will still have to go to the recycle center).

Trash/recycling. We made one trip to the recycle center taking boxes since there were too many to fit in the bin for curbside collection every other week.

Telescope. The telescope ‘stuff’ has been moved from the garage to the John Deere room – the easier to get it set up in the backyard. We aren’t planning any camping/star parties near term (too hot). Hopefully, there will be some good night skies from our back yard.

Birdfeeder. We have put up one bird feeder, but it is not in an ideal spot; neither one of us can see it unless we look out one of the basement den’s windows. I have seen some house finches on the perch.

Cats. We are preparing the house for cats. That has meant getting rooms cleared of boxes and bins that need to be unpacked…coils of extension cords…anything that might be hazardous to young cats. The cat paraphernalia was in the basement…now it is on the first floor. The largest cat tree is near the big window in the piano (dining) room.

We have chairs and small tables near other windows that will give the cats good views of the outdoors. There are two doors with glass low enough for cats to look out to the deck from floor level. I put pillowcases on the pillows in the breakfast area window seat and raised the blinds a little to provide a view from that vantage point. My husband has bought supplies (litter, food). The cats we are getting are 3 siblings that have been fostered…are now old enough to be adopted. Stay tuned for more cat news!

Previous ‘settling in’ posts: 1st month

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 6, 2022

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

An effective new treatment for chronic back pain targets the nervous system – A 12-week course of sensorimotor retraining had a positive effect and participants reported improved quality of life one year later (i.e., the relief was lasting). Hopefully the results can be replicated, and the treatment applied to a broader population. There are a lot of people with chronic back pain!

New Study Links Cat Hormones and Gut Microbiomes to Their Social Behavior – Hard to resist a cat story!

Millions of Americans have long COVID. Many of them are no longer working – 4 million full-time equivalent workers out of work because of long COVID (conservative estimate…and that 2.4% of the US working population). There is a push to provide accommodation in the workplace but some of the symptoms are so severe that the person cannot perform the work they did before and maybe too disabled to work at all. No wonder unemployment is low, and some jobs are not finding applicants. Because long COVID is new, it is unclear when, or if, this population will recover enough to re-enter the workforce.

Arche Roach: the great song man, tender and humble, who gave our people voice – An obituary – and history of aboriginal people in Australia over the past century or so.

The promise and danger of Scotland's bog – 80% of the UK’s peatlands are degraded and in deteriorating condition. They store a lot of carbon…motivating restoration efforts. It takes decades to reverse damage done in a short time by a few ditches and a grid of planted saplings.

New molecule may prevent age-related diseases and increase life expectancy and wellness – A group of molecules that enable cells to repair damaged components has been identified….and efficacy was demonstrated in a model organism. The researchers and Hebrew University’s tech transfer company are moving toward pre-clinical studies.

Parts of the moon have stable temperatures fit for humans – Pits and caves that stay roughly 63 degrees Fahrenheit! There are still big challenges for living on the moon: growing food and finding sufficient oxygen, for example

Coming wave of opioid overdoses 'will be worse than it's ever been before' – Fentanyl and carfentanil…combined with methamphetamines and cocaine. The accelerated rates of overdoses are happening everywhere according to a Northwestern Medicine study.

Inside King Tut’s Tomb – New research using the tomb walls to understand the real-world turmoil cause by the death of the young king.

Cocoa shown to reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness in real-life study – Cocoa flavanols only decrease blood pressure if it is elevated! I enjoy my morning dark chocolate (70+% cocoa) squares…a healthy way to begin the day!

Ten Little Celebrations – July 2022

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Like June, July was a high stress month because of our move to Missouri - but with much to celebrate.

Family holiday gathering. The 4th of July was our first ‘holiday’ celebrated in Missouri…having my daughter and son-in-law over for veggies with hummus, steak, corn-on-the-cob, and watermelon.

An easy drive home…and being home again. The drive to Maryland and back was long…but once back in Missouri we celebrated only having one house again…and clearly it was ‘home.’

Dragonfly posing for pictures in our back yard. We seem to have more dragonflies around our yard in Missouri and I celebrate every time I manage to photograph one. The closer location to a pond might be why we are seeing them more frequently.

Being indoors during the hot part of the day. Every day that gets above 100 degrees is one I celebrate being indoors! We’ve had quite a few hot days this July – more in Texas than Missouri.

Getting boxes cleared from the garage. Once the pile gets annoying we make a trip to the recycle center – celebrating that it is convenient and that the garage is clear…until the boxes pile up again.

Springfield Botanical Garden. This is probably my favorite place for a walk in Springfield. It is a place I want to see again and again…through the seasons…finding a little celebration every time.

Little fixes completed. There were some little fixes identified when our Missouri house was inspected. I celebrated when they were completeed – particularly the one in the basement bathroom (since my office is also in the basement).

Josey Ranch green heron and ducklings. I only walked around the place once because it was so hot while I was in Texas…but celebrated the birds that I saw there (blog post coming soon).

Getting car inspected/registered…and MO driver’s liscense. It has been a very long time since I moved to a new state and I anticipated a lot of red tape. I was relieved when we managed to get the cars registered, our driver’s liscense….and register to vote…celebrated when they were all done…and glad that the process was not as difficult as I thought it might be.

Establishing the compost circle. I celebrated finding edging that was high enough to make a circle  to hold the small amount of compostable material I have from my kitchen….just in time to start it off with watermelon rind!

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 30, 2022

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

Furs from Danish Viking Burials Analyzed – Proteins extracted from animal furs found in 6 burials. The accessories/furnishings were domesticated animals. The items of clothing were wild beaver, squirrels, and weasels. The beaver furs were not native to the area so were probably luxury furs obtained by trade.

More Energy on Less Land: The Drive to Shrink Solar’s Footprint – Good ideas…if we must use agriculturally productive land for solar panels. I’d like to see cities with high density solar panels that generate electricity close to where it is needed (i.e., short distance between generation and use). Hopefully that is happening in parallel with the solar development described in this article.

Moths are unsung heroes of pollination – The study was done with red clover…but probably applies to a broader range of plants. Moths are active during the night so have not been as easily observed as pollinators that are active during the day. The work was done with time lapse cameras.

Electric School Buses! – A blog post about the US Department of Energy’s ‘Flipping the Switch on Electric School Buses’ series. There are lots of communities that have been exploring making the transition and I am hopeful that it will be an escalating trend. I always cringed at the fumes that were so obvious when the buses arrived/departed from schools as I was growing up and when my daughter was in school. It would be good for the planet and good for children’s lungs to eliminate the school bus as a source of air pollution!

The habits that help prevent allergies – Studies that are improving our understanding of why allergies are increasing in the children….and strategies for addressing the problem. Evidently the time between 4 and 11 months is very important.

Harm from blue light exposure increases with age, research in flies suggests – Not good news. Maybe the default setting on our ‘screens’ (phones, computers, television) need to reduce blue light rather than it being a setting that everyone must intentionally set. And why don’t LED manufactures offer bulbs that are not so blue shifted?

Giant Snails take over Florida’s Gulf Coast - It is not the first time…probably won’t be the last. These snails are native to Africa and this the third time Florida has battled an invasion.

Water resources to become less predictable with climate change – The study focused primarily on areas that rely on snow for all or part of their water supply. Some of those areas are already relatively dry…and the populations are large enough that the unpredictability of water resources will be very problematic.

The best way to brush your teeth – This is going to take some practice to break old habits. I learned to brush my teeth a long time ago and probably am too sloppy even doing it the way I was taught!

New thought on Cahokia’s ancient wetlands – A large flat rectangular area that was previously thought to have been used as open, communal space might have been under water most of the year!

Unique Aspects of Days - July 2022

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Settling into our new home in Missouri is still prompting unique aspects of our days!

1st doctor’s appointment in Missouri. Getting medical records transferred from a specialist in Maryland to a new specialist in Missouri was a first for me…and I was pleasantly surprised that it happened so easily and that the new doctor continued the monitoring/treatment as I expected.

Callery Pear to the recycle center. It was a unique experience to discover a pear tree growing in a crepe myrtle in a front flower bed of my new house. I cut it down…discovered it had thorns…and was very pleased to get it cut up enough to fit in the back of my car and then to the recycle center yard waste bins without injuring myself. It was an experience I hope is unique!

Unpacking the art glass. I packed it but my husband unpacked it. There was a joy in packing and unpacking the beautiful pieces….savoring them individually and then again as a whole in the display cabinet. We left 2 pieces that are on light stands out on a desk beside the piano to act as ‘night lights’ in that part of the house. It has been over 25 years since we enjoyed the glass the way we did in July.

Making a compost ring with cedar edging. I bought two sections of edging made with 3-6 inch vertical lengths of cedar branches and formed a circle to hold my kitchen scraps and soft yard waste under one of our pine trees. There is not enough material to require a bigger compost bin so this is a relatively unique solution. I’m not sure whether I will move the ring once the compost is deteriorating enough to continue as a pile without the ring or ready to spread out. There is space to move the ring and start another collection nearby.

Finding the camera battery charger. It seemed like there were about 5 times this month where we came close to panic because we couldn’t find something we needed in our new home. The one that had me most worried was not knowing where the charger was for my camera battery; luckly I found it after an hour or so of hunting through boxes. Now that we have unpacked most of the boxes, it is less likely to occur…making this particular kind of anxiety unique to July 2022.

Forgot my toiletries. I travel frequently enough that I rarely forget anything I need…but I did for our trip back to Maryland for the closing on our house there! The compartment bag for toiletries was left hanging on the bathroom door in Missouri. I quickly bought essentials…glad this event was unique in my travels.

Hot and dry Josey Ranch lake. The lake at Josey Ranch near where my parents live was lower than I’ve seen with deep cracks where there is usually water or mud. The cattails area is dry and other plants are taking over. I hope this is unique and not what it will be like every summer from now on in Carrollton TX.

Hummingbird moth. I was surprised…glad I had my camera with me…when I spotted a hummingbird moth at the Springfield Botanical Garden. They are fun insects to watch and I always feel priviledge to see even one a year.

Hummingbird outside my office window…on the crepe myrtle. I looked out my window one morning and saw a hummingbird checking out the crepe myrtle outside my office window. It was the first I’d seen in our Missouri yard.

Missouri watermelon at the Carrollton (TX) Walmart. I noticed that the watermelon I bought for my parents in the Carrollton Walmart had been grown in Missouri…and discovered when I got home to Missouri – the watermelons in the Walmart were from Missouri too!

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 23, 2022

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

Watch a Deep-Sea Squid Carry Hundreds of Pearl-Like Eggs – A video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

It’s a trap: managing cowbirds to save songbirds – The strategy of trapping cowbirds (a brood parasite) to help endangered songbirds along the Santa Clara River in Southern California has evolved to reduce harming other species and cost less.

Electric vehicle buyers want rebates, not tax credits – Of course….immediate rebates rather than waiting for months to get a tax credit are much more appealing.

Urban waterways: discovering the hidden beauty of a Jersey River – River restoration across the country…with the Cooper River story in more detail.

Universal influenza B vaccine induces broad, sustained protection – A new kind of vaccine….using nanoparticles. Perhaps this new technology will lead to an effective universal flu vaccine.

The sustainable cities made of mud – A little construction/architectural history….that could be applied more often.

10 Weird Australian Marsupials You’ve Never Heard Of – So many unusual animals…Australia has more than just kangaroos and koalas!

Cancer probably killed world’s first known pregnant Egyptian mummy – 2,000 years ago a young woman died…and was mummified. The Warsaw Mummy Project has determined that she was pregnant – the fetus was ‘pickled’ in the highly acidic and low oxygen environment of the mummified womb – and the woman probably died of nasopharyngeal cancer.

More Electricity from Wind and Solar than Nuclear for 1st time in USA – Hurray! Wind and solar accounted for over 25% of the nation’s electricity in the first 4 months of 2022!

Loss of male sex chromosome leads to earlier death for men – What? Y chromosome loss happens in 40% (estimated) of 70-year-old men. The loss occurs primarily in cells with rapid turnover, such as blood cells. And it might lead to heart muscle scaring…and then heart failure.

Wasp Nests

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Shortly after we moved to our Missouri house, we noticed a wasp nest in a corner of the garage door frame. It was out of the way and the wasps did not appear to be particularly aggressive. The nest has become something I observe every time I back my car out of the garage…and I have started a project to photograph it for the rest of the season.

When we were having some repair work on the house, the workers discovered a second nest – in a more hazardous place….under the handrail on the stairs between the deck and the patio. They must have inadvertently brushed the nest with their hand as they went down the stairs…the wasps were quick to respond. My husband was going to destroy the nest but several days have gone by and we’ve discovered we can live with the nest where is; we don’t usually take those stairs since we go out on the patio from the basement level of the house and onto the deck from the main floor.

Medical Transition

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The process to transition medical care after a long-distance move is a little complicated. I’ve made the address switch (and sometimes policy) for my insurance, identified new doctors, requested medical history be sent, and had a first appointment with one of the doctors…now hoping I haven’t forgotten anything.

First appointments are always a little challenging with paperwork and meeting a new doctor. I am trying to establish doctors that are all in the same system so that I’ll only have one portal (unlike the situation in Maryland where every doctor seemed to have their own!).

I realized that even finding my way to the building and the office was part of the ‘first appointment’ challenge. I tried to notice things about the building that were a little different: the young trees in the parking lot islands (not sure why they were wrapped as they were) and the glass atrium light fixture/loft railings. Maybe I’ll remember the place when I am due to return in 3 months!