Gleanings of the Week Ending September 10, 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.

Circadian rhythm disruption found to be common among mental health disorders – A lot of research challenges…therapeutic potential.

Striking Winners of the 2022 Black and White Photo Awards – Perhaps I’ll try a B/W photography project…

Global Survey: Climate Change is the Top Threat – Finally….more people are beginning in realize the peril of doing nothing.

Industrial Revolution Reversed 7,000-Year Cooling Trend in Siberia, Bringing Temperatures to Unprecedented Highs – Another aspect of climate change…that threatens to unleash more greenhouse gases…spurring further warming.

Wooden canoe burial discovered in Northern Patagonia – From 850-1,000 years ago….a woman buried in a ceremonial canoe made from a Chilean cedar.

Photographer gets rare glimpse of British Columbia’s Spirit Bear – The black bears with a mutation that blocks the production of melanin…and makes them less visible to salmon (i.e. they catch the fish more effectively than the bears that are black!).

Feeling anxious or blue? Ultra-processed foods may be to blame – A study with over 10 thousand participants. Learn more about the NOVA food classification system used in the study here.

In the field with wolverines – Interesting animals that live in northern areas around the world…only about 300 of them in the lower 48 of the US (in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming).

First sighting of massive Atlas moth confirmed (in Seattle) – The Atlas moth is from tropical Asia. The conservatory-based butterfly exhibit I volunteered with for several years (in Maryland) included them occasionally; they were contained in the facility following the permit requirements. Hopefully the one in Seattle didn’t find a mate. Their caterpillars would feast on leaves of apple and cherry trees.

These Early Entries From the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards Are a Hoot – Ending the gleanings list with some fun images.

Kittens! – Month 1

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The first month with our 3 kittens has been full of small adventures for the whole household. They quickly got comfortable outside their sequestered area. Sometimes they were quiet enough for us to take pictures.

When I started packing for my trip to Carrollton, one of them decided one of the bags was a good perch….and he didn’t want to vacate.

While I was gone, my husband experimented with them out of their room during the night. The first night was OK but the second one they wanted to play most of the night. So - we’ve reverted to enticing them into their room with a late night snack.

The kittens like my husband’s office. They sometimes attempt to take over his keyboard and monitors. He has tried putting towels and boxes over the electrical cables on the floor to discourage their biting on the cables….they prefer the towels for naps. They still get into the extra office chair, but it will soon be too small to hold all three at once.

Puma discovered the receipt bin and Pooky joined him…tussle ensued. Typical behavior when they meet anywhere in the house.

The kittens have broken two glass coasters as they race around the house and over/under end tables. One end table fell over sending a coaster flying and another was swept clean when the racing kittens used it as part of the route through the den…another coaster flew and shattered. I’ve put the remaining glass coasters away and we are using unbreakable coasters.

It is now impossible to keep them off the kitchen counters completely. I made a small bouquet with items from the yard. The roses and crepe myrtle are still in place, but the wavy grass seed heads are bent and scattered. Maybe they looked too much like a toy to the kittens.

Overall – it’s been an eventful month and we are anticipating continued kitten adventures.

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

Settling in, developing new routines – 3rd month

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It seems like the “settling in” picked up speed during this third month…the things we are doing now are the ones most important to making this place the home we want.

Kittens. Getting three kittens was a milestone for us. We had been without a cat since mid-January; even though we missed having a pet, we also realized it would be easier to make the long distance move without one. Once we were here, we waited until we had the house unpacked enough to be safe for kittens. And so – now we have 3 kittens (siblings) that are keeping us busy tweaking their environment to be safe for them…and not have too much damage to the furniture, drapery, etc. Having kittens will limit the travel we do together through the end of the year…but they provide an abundance of entertainment to make up for it.

Travel. I will be in Texas one week of each month to help enable my parents to remain independent in their own home….and celebrate their 70th anniversary in December. It’s not quite a routine yet but getting close; the way I handle laundry and snacks for the road and packing is becoming more consistent every month! And my husband is keeping busy with the kittens and visits from my daughter.

Birdfeeder. We now have 2 bird feeders….both visible from my office window. The one that seems to be the most popular is on a pole with our three holly trees around it. The birds seem to feel very secure coming there. The screen from the window blew off during a storm (I simply picked up and put it in the storage area of the basement)….so I can usually photograph the birdfeeder and bath through the window. I plan to clean the window frequently and enjoy the birds!

Yard. What a difference a month makes. The rains have been more consistent, and we’ve been able to reduce the frequency our sprinkler system comes on. Learning how to winterize the system is ahead of us…but not until we get closer to freezing temperatures. I am making plans to mow the yard (electric mower) probably beginning at the end of this season so I can enlarge the beds for shrubs, bulbs, and perennials in the back yard. I’d like to get bulbs planted this fall.  

State parks. We are starting a project to visit local and state parks. I’ve got a map showing all the parks within a 100-mile radius. They’ll make for some great day trips!

Previous ‘settling in’ posts: 1st month, 2nd month

Gleanings of the Week Ending September 3, 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.

Pregnant women are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals in dishware, hair coloring, plastics, and pesticides, study reveals – Something else for pregnant people to be anxious about. I wish these studies had a stronger component about how to reduce exposure, but it seems that the problematic chemicals are very pervasive.

The U.S. diet is deadly. Here are 7 ideas to get Americans eating healthier – These ideas a geared to making it easier for individuals to make healthier choices. Right now…it seems that the push is toward unhealthy food choices.

Cool planning for a hotter future – Actions we need to take to achieve the ‘late century rapid action’ maps.

Low physical function after age 65 associated with future cardiovascular disease – Individuals were assessed for walking speed, leg strength, and balance….and the scores were more predictive of cardiovascular disease risk than the traditional risk factors that work for middle-aged people (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking or diabetes).

On “Trash” Birds: Rethinking How We Label Common Species – There is no such thing as a ‘trash’ bird or any species. They are all just part of our world!

Can These Lights Make Crosswalks Safer for Pedestrians Distracted by Their Phones? – People shouldn’t be walking while looking at their cell phones more than where they are headed….but they do and maybe Hong Kong is ahead of us in developing a solution to reduce tragedies.

Is Breadfruit the Climate Change-Proof Food of the Future? – Not a food I know anything about…it’s not in our grocery stores yet. I looked at some recipes and it seems like it would be a versatile addition to our diet.

Archaeologists Call on UNESCO to Protect the Hagia Sophia – It’s sad when pieces of architectural history are not maintained. Hopefully this call will help organize what is needed to preserve Hagia Sophia.

Heat waves + air pollution can be a deadly combination: The health risk together is worse than either alone – There are ways to stay safe…but it is not possible for everyone all the time. We need to address the underlying issues for the health of everyone. Often – addressing air pollution also is step in a good direction of climate change as well.

See the Incredible Sunflower Superbloom in North Dakota – Wow! Maybe a trip to North Dakota some July/August should be added to our list of road trips we want to make.

Ten Little Celebrations – August 2022

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The celebrations I noted in August 2022 are part of the continuum of transition to Missouri – our new home.

A neat garage. I celebrated how organized our garage looked after we set up the bunk bed frame for all the camping gear! Sometimes a quick and simple task can have a bigger impact than expected on our perception of place.

A rainy morning. It was a relief – and celebration - when we finally got some summer rain. The August temperatures have also been a little cooler than in July….and our grass has turned green again.

Roadtrip home. I celebrated my shortest time ever for the drive from Carrollton to Nixa. It was a Sunday so traffic was light…and the weather was dry.

Finding boxes of Atkins shakes. My husband only likes one flavor of Atkins shakes and I’d been challenged to find them in prior grocery shopping weeks…and then there were two on the shelf at Walmart! I celebrated (and put both of them in my cart).

Sooty, Pooky, and Puma. Celebrating new pets. Their antics are fun to watch…they demand interaction…challenge us to make small modifications to our household routine for their safety.  

Kittens napping. After times of high kitten activity (with 3 of them there are frequent chases, tussles, and a general tendancy to move small toys everywhere in the house), we celebrate some quiet time when all three are napping.

Mango chicken salad. I selected something new from the menu my daughter was ordering from….and celebrated the result!

Spider bite not infected. I went to Urgent Care with a bug bite different than I had ever experienced (painful and it looked different). They identified it as a probable spider bite and cautioned me that it might get worse before it got better. I got a tetanus shot and perscription strength topical antibiotic…celebrated that they said it did not look infected (and it never got infected although it is taking several weeks to heal).

Taking pictures through my office window. I like taking pictures through my office windows. A storm blew off one of the screens…and I’ve left it off. I haven’t taken many pictures through the window yet…but I am celebrating that I now have the physical setup to do it. I’ve seen chickadees and finches on the bird bath about 4 feet from where I sit….and a hummingbird investicated a plant nearby.

Coursera anatomy course. I celebrated completing another anatomy course (Anatomy of the chest, neck, and abdomen) from Yale on Coursera. Every module was well presented and interesting.

Unique Aspects of Days – August 2022

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Most of the uniqueness in August was associated with our move to Missouri….although not as directly as back in July.

A juvenile grackle on our bird feeder. We had gackles under our feeder in Maryland too but they must not have nested nearby because I didn’t ever see a juvenile. They are smart birds and don’t seem to be as noisy around our house as the ones I see at the Josey Ranch Lake in Carrollton TX….maybe because there are not as many of them.

3 kittens. It’s been almost 40 years since we had a kitten in our house…and it was only one back then. 3 of them make for many unique experiences…usually positive.


Did not want a breakfast burrito. A McDonalds breakfast burrito has been my favorite mid-morning snack on driving days…but recently, it just did not appeal to me at all. Glad I realized how I was feeling before I made the purchase!

First time to vote in Missouri. The primary was in early August. We had registered but didn’t yet have our permanent driver’s license…fortunately the paper copy was sufficient. The polling place was convenient and not crowded. Evidently it was a new polling place.

Setting up a compost ring. I used some cedar edging with prongs that pushed into the soil to keep them in place. I was pleased with the way it looked on the first day and even more pleased with how fast the compost is ‘cooking.’

Urgent care for spider bite. I had never gotten a spider bite….wasn’t sure that it was a spider bite (since I didn’t see the spider). It seemed to be getting worse so I went to Urgent Care on the 3rd day. They said it was a spider bite…gave me a tetanus shot…topical antibiotic…instructions to come back if a list of symptoms developed. Fortunately none of the dire symptoms happened but it is taking considerable time to heal.

Ice pack on spider bite helped. The spider bite on the back of my calf caused considerable pain which was a new experience…as was the relief of 10 minutes with an ice pack!

Puddles and cruise control. It was a little scary to drive through a puddle…and have my cruise control turn off. It wasn’t raining very hard at the time but evidently the water had accumulated enough to slow the car too suddenly and a safety mechanism engaged.

Rat trying to get into flour canister. Definitely a unique experience I would prefer had not happened. I went into my parents’ kitchen one morning and found bits of brown plastic all around a metal canister. The plastic has been the seal on the canister which the rat chewed partially through….but not completely.

Using  the self-scan in a Missouri grocery store for the 1st time. They haven’t been doing it as long as my store in Maryland so there are a few kinks…but not too bad.

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