Zentangle® – August 2021

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The August Zentangle tiles include some from the end of July – made after I had done the post a little early for the July tiles while I was still in Texas…and then making the road trip home. There are tiles made in Texas, Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland in this batch!

Making tiles is a calming activity before bedtime or while I am watching a burst of news. A variety of pens were used this month: Ultra Fine Sharpie Markers, Fine Sharpie Pens (new), various brands of gel pins (some with glitter…in Texas), Sakura Pigma Pen 05, and Sakura white Gelly Roll for highlighting.

It seems that doing something creative like making one or more tiles every day helps me be creative in other areas of my life. This month I’ve been breaking some of my dietary bad habits (dramatically reducing refined sugar and eliminating soft drinks) and tightening my personal actions re climate change. Those are significant changes for me….and require creativity for the actions I take to be as effective as possible.

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The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. “Zentangle” is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Macro Photography Practice (6 and 7)

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Continuing my practice sessions…

The big difference in the 6th and 7th practice sessions was location; instead of my yard, I was at Howard County Conservancy’s Mt. Pleasant. The 6th session was in and around the Honors Garden before a volunteer training class. There were late season flowers that made good subjects. There are two bugs; for one the light was wrong…and the other I didn’t notice while I was in the field (accidently in the picture)!

The 7th session was in the meadow. There were plenty of late flowers and seed pods. I’d taken a collapsible stool with me. It worked well but the backpack I was using for my gear didn’t. Next time I’ll use my many-pocket vest. Backpacks are great for the hiking part but terrible when doing the actual photography. I found it easier to already have my camera on a sling strap. The macro lens and diffuser can be in the many pocket vest along with a water bottle. The stool can clip onto the vest too. My favorite images are the two chicory flowers. The blue-purple color is wonderful, the shapes in the central part of the flower look like stylized palm trees and the pollen looks like sugar crystals!

It was a very hot, humid morning in the meadow, and we didn’t stay long.

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Making the bests of the time my husband was grumbling (and then heading back to the car), I used my position on the stool to take some zoomed images. The thistles had small insects in them…and the occasional skipper and butterfly. There was a milkweed pod that had split open, but the seeds were not spilling out yet.

The 7 macro photography practices session have been successful in acclimating me to the camera gear/configuration. Going forward – I’m adding a macro photography monthly post to my blog plan (keeping the zoom one too). The macro post will feature images that would be impossible to get via zoom!

Previous macro photography practice posts: 1 and 2 (includes gear); 3 and 4 (includes some indoor images); 5 (included Monarch chrysalis and increased magnification)

Ten Little Celebrations – August 2021

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So much to celebrate in August….

Drive through West Virginia. The beauty of the interstate in West Virginia (I64, I79, I68) that is part of my route from Springfield, Missouri to my home in Maryland is something to celebrate. It is full of curves, forests, mountains….and not a lot of traffic. It’s easy to enjoy as I drive.

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Cloud at sunset. Maybe it is being in the right place at the right time to see it that makes this a little celebration for me! This was taken from my office window.

Home again. I like to travel…but every time I do, I celebrate coming home. This time the delta variant ramped up while I was traveling and was relieved to get home…glad that my precautions on the road (vaccination last spring, masking, hand sanitizer, air purifier in hotel room, eating outdoors or in the car/hotel room) evidently worked.

Macro photography. My husband got me started with new gear and I’m improving although I am still at the stage of celebrating every in-focus image I get.

Stopping my diet Pepsi habit. I am celebrating more than 2 weeks free of my habit….still very consciously avoiding soft drinks completely!

Sunny day that was not overwhelmingly hot. We’ve had so many very hot days…that it was a treat to have one that was pleasant outdoors. My other strategy is to get some outdoor time before 8 AM before the day heats up.

Farmers Market. It’s fun to shop for veggies straight from the farm. In August, the cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, and peppers were all tasty. The watermelons may be what I celebrate the most.

Zentangle tiles make on the deck in the early morning. A celebration pf creativity to start the day.

Spaghetti squash custard. Yum. I celebrated the flavor and texture of a simple custard.

Video of a Monarch butterfly emerging. Probably the high point of August for me. I’ve always wanted to capture the moment. And this time I did!

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Gleanings of the Week Ending August 28, 2021

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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.

The subtle influence of the moon on Earth’s weather – Tides….and a lot of complex interactions associated with them. High tide flooding will increase as the climate changes for example.

So much ice is melting that Earth’s crust is moving – When the weight of ice is removed, the land lifts upward…but new measurements show that it moves horizontally as well.

Top 25 birds of the week: Spiderhunters and Sunbirds! – Lots of colorful feathers in this group!

Pecan-enriched diet shown to reduce cholesterol – 470 calories per day is a lot of pecans more than ½ cup. I like pecans but will generally stick to about ¼ cup at a time…may skew toward eating pecans over other nuts although walnuts are a healthy choice as well.

California Drought Hits World’s Top Almond Producer – And maybe almonds are a nut that will be increasing in price…maybe driving people away from almond milk. I’ve already made my switch to lactose free milk.

Northern paper wasps recognize each others faces – Each face is unique!

Giant clams have a growth spurt – thanks to pollution – Evidently modern clams grow faster than ancient ones because of nitrates in the water. It doesn’t necessarily mean that are healthy…just that they are growing faster.

Photography In The National Parks: Fun Fact Photography, Part 2 – The post not only includes ‘fun facts’ about the National Parks – it also explains how the images were captured!

What happens to your brain when you give up sugar – A well timed article for me --- I am dramatically reducing refined sugars and artificial sweeteners in my diet (i.e., I still eat foods that are sweet like bananas).  I thought the headaches that occurred in the first week of my new diet were the simultaneous reduction in caffeine but maybe they were also caused by the sugar reduction.

Watch a bolt of lightning strike the Washington Monument – The monument is on a hill and the tallest thing around…..a conduit to the ground for lightning.

30 years ago – August 1991

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August 1991 was a stressful month at work for me – several people I depended on took advantage of an early retirement offering from the company and the two projects I was working on were both demanding a lot of time. It might have been one of the highest overtime months of my career after motherhood. Between work and my daughter’s needs, I had very little discretionary time for myself. It was the month I fully appreciated how critical my husband’s support was to enable the peaks of my career.

We had a surprise visit from one of my aunts (with her husband and 2 grandchildren); they only stayed one night but it just added to the overwhelming activity for the month.

We had visited Texas in July and were getting follow up letters in August: my Mother starting her last year of teaching, one sister house hunting and planning to visit in October, another going through similar motherhood experiences with her child the same age as mine, and the sister 8 years younger than me realizing she didn’t know me very well. The documentation I have for the month is largely through those snail mail letters!

My daughter was savoring some activities at home that she had enjoyed for the first time while we were in Texas: dabs of shaving cream to wear around before playing in her pool (a substitute bath) and painting (on paper and herself). She was beginning to use her right hand more although she was not as strongly right-handed as her cousin. She discovered she could make footprints on the deck if she walked with wet feet.

She also remembered music from the Texas visit. Whenever the cassette tape with “Let’s go fly a kite” on it played…she always smiled and clapped when that song played.  

When we went to Wheaton Park we discovered she liked the swings under a large catalpa tree better than the carousel!

It was a time of tension between work and motherhood. The techniques I had for coping were developing - not perfect; over the next few years – I accepted that it was OK to always be developing rather that achieving perfection. But in August 1991, I was pushing for perfection.

I also noted a high ozone day. Looking back, I realize that if there had been action during the 1990s…the climate situation would be better today. I was aware of the greenhouse effect…and that the earth was warming; but in 1991 I thought it was an academic idea, not something that was actionable. Like so many others – I thought it would be very gradual and there would plenty of time for corrective action. So now we are facing an urgent need to pivot --- a challenge to us all. I find myself thinking about what it will be like in 30 years – trying to take actions in my own life to sustain hope for the successful transitions we’ll have to make going forward.

Macro Photography Practice (3 and 4)

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Continuing my practice sessions…

Getting the gear and camera settings set gets easier with every practice. My skill with composition and focus still has a ways to go.

My third practice was disappointing. I felt rushed. I returned to the holly, oak leaves, azalea, mint blooms, a black eyed susan, clover and a maple leaf. The subjects were OK but I didn’t get the magnification I wanted.

The fourth practice was on a rainy day and I was indoors. I looked at some cicada wings I had picked up during the 17 year cicada peak. The glare from the flash on the clear part of the wing was hard to avoid…I decided I liked the look of ‘lightning’ within the wing in the last image.

I had a dried out piece of ginger – getting a macro view of the outside and the cut end.

Even printed materials can take on a different look when magnified.

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The lid on my countertop collection bin for compostables has condensation on the end inside. Taken through the plastic, the droplets have a metallic sheen.

There was a leaf that had dried and fallen from a house plant. I liked the focus on the curve in the macro image – choosing this one from other focus points I had experimented in the practice.

I’ll improve with more practice….but am pleased with at least some of the results now. It’s encouraging enough to continue the practice!

Previous practice post: 1 and 2 (includes gear)

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 21, 2021

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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.

Nine things you should know about sea horses – The males give birth! Like many creatures right now – they are in trouble from climate change (and overfishing in some parts of the world). Not long ago – I learned that there is a species of seahorse native to the Chesapeake Bay. They live in sea grasses and estuaries…habitats that are in trouble.

Electric cars and batteries: how will the world produce enough? – One of the important steps that needs to ramp up as batteries (and solar cells) reach end of life – is recycling. We need to think about closed loops for the resources required to manufacture future renewables!

New analysis of landmark scurvy study leads to update on vitamin C needs – An example of the research behind how those ‘daily requirements’ of vitamins and minerals were developed. I wonder if more of the values need to go through a validation…how many would change just as the vitamin C requirement did.

Top 10 Grassland Species Across the Globe – The ones we have in the US are Long-billed Curlew, Black-footed Ferret, Pronghorn, Swift Fox, and American Bison.

The multi-billion dollar giants that are melting away – Glaciers. When they are gone…many parts of the world will be drier places. This article is primarily about central Asia…but the situation in South America is similar.

Loss of biodiversity in streams threatens vital biological process – Fungi and bacteria can’t do the decomposition job alone…the aquatic insects (often larvae) and crustaceans are needed too. And the populations and diversity of those organisms in our streams is declining.

Top 25 birds of the week: plumage! – Bird photographs…always colorful and interesting.

Gender revolutions in who holds the purse strings – The study was done in Britain…I wonder if similar (or different) changes are happening elsewhere in the world.

‘Polluter pays’ policy could speed up emission reductions and removal of atmospheric CO2 – A change that could speed up the transition we need to make…if we can somehow overcome the lobbying for the status quo trajectory.

Photography In The National Parks: Fun Fact Photography – This is a kind of photography you can do in lots of places. A little curiosity and a camera…some web searches…a neat cycle of learning/art that can turn again and again.

Henriette Willebeek LeMair

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This week I am highlighting 4 Internet Archive books published between 1912 and 1917 that include Henriette Willebeek LeMair’s illustrations of children. They are an idealized version of childhood during that time in Holland. I was interested in the activities depicted!

Grannie’s Little Rhyme Book (1914) is a collection of old nursery rhymes that she illustrated.

The Children’s Corner (1915) was written by R.H. Elkin. Ordinary things like a child getting a haircut and dolls in timeout show up in the text and illustrations!

Old Dutch Nursery Rhymes (1917) has tunes compiled by J. Joentgen…with the English added by R.H. Elkins. The illustrations I chose for my samples are for tunes “The Ducks” and “The stork has brough a baby brother”!

Little Songs of Long Ago (1912) has tunes compiled by Alfred Moffat. The tunes illustrated by the samples below are “Dame get up and bake your pies” and “See-saw, Marjorie Daw.”

Life has changed in many ways for children in the past 100+ years….but the spirit of children that comes through in the illustration is still easy to find today. What will it be like for children 100 years from now? It is something I am thinking about a lot recently….and how I can turn my concern about the changes happening in the Earth’s climate into action.

Macro Photography Practice (1 and 2)

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My husband got me started on a more advanced form (for me) of macro photography by sending me some YouTube links (this one from Micael Widell was the first) and identifying the gear that would work with my Canon PowerShot SX70 HS. After talking to me about the possibilities with my camera and sending some sample images he had captured with a similar set up on his more substantial camera to encourage me (posted a few weeks ago here), he ordered the filter adapter for my camera…

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And the macro lens.

I used the same diffuser that fits over the front of the camera as he used with his camera (we got another one since we will be going into the field together once I get enough practice).

The new gear purchases were about $100. Here’s the way my camera looks ready for my practice – from the front and back. The idea is to be able to hand hold the camera (i.e. no tripod) – often with one hand – when in the field.

The technique works best with manual focus and flash…two features of my camera that I haven’t used very much. The idea is to set the manual focus to a particular distance and then leave it alone in the field and simply move the camera to get the focus desired.

It was easier for me to start with plants in my yard in my first sessions. I found that I could get reasonable results with autofocus (still having to move the camera to get the focus on the part of the image I wanted) for plants…but it takes more time than manual focus….which would be problematic for insects that are more likely to move.

Here are the collection of my best images from my first two practice sessions.

Black eyed susans

Mint flowers

Lichen and moss

Ninebark leaves

Bush cut branch and water droplets on leaves

Wild strawberry

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And finally – an insect during my second practice session.

The image below is cropped from the image on the left above.

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Overall I am pleased with my first attempts…but still need more practice!

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 14, 2021

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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.

How your phone battery creates striking alien landscapes – Lithium….needed for batteries that are needed for so many things (not just phone batteries).

Why do house finches love your hanging plants? – These birds are frequent visitors to our feeder. Based on the crowd we are seeing now – they’ve had a very successful breeding season…lots of young birds.

Ultraprocessed foods now comprise 2/3 of calories in children and teen diets – This article prompted me to look at what ultraprocessed foods I am eating…and making some changes. I am keeping the 1st breakfast that includes 90 calories of dark chocolate…but all the other ultraprocessed foods are going to become occasional or rare in my diet.

Tracking the Restoration of the River of Grass – An interview with Eric Eikenberg, President of the Everglades Foundation. There is a lot of work coming to fruition this decade in restoration of the Everglades…some positive news from Florida. It was an encouraging article but after reading the whole thing, it still seems to me that climate change will be a continuing disaster for Florida.

Red Tide Rages Along Florida’s Gulf Coast – On a more pessimistic note about the environment in Florida right now…

Top 25 birds of the week: August 2021 – Birds….so many different kinds to see.

Crawling with crickets: the insect swarm in the western US – Mormon Crickets (really katydids) have population crescendos in 3 of every 10 years in the west. The occurrences are patchy but damaging for some crops.

Music in the American Wild – I watched the Missouri Music at 200 webinar this week and am now looking at more of the concert videos from the ensemble. I’ll post the “Missouri Music at 200” webinar video address (when it is available on YouTube). Of course – live performances would be even better. I enjoyed the Hawaii 2020 project videos already…lots of good views of the island (particularly birds and volcanos!).

The ancient Persian way to keep cool – We’ve had quite a few heat advisory days recently…will probably have an increasing number every summer. The world will need to implement the most efficient strategies available to keep people cool.

Camera Trapping As Mainstream Nature Activity – Little cameras in the wild…they are probably less obtrusive than a human being in the place all the time…but not totally benign in every place.

Two Books with William Russell Flint Illustrations

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The week’s pick from my recently browsed books on Internet Archive are two written by W.S. Gilbert and illustrated by William Russell Flint. The Scottish artist was known for his watercolors of women….and the illustrations from these books offer some examples of his work.

Princess Ida; or, Castle adamant (1912)

 The artist was long lived (1880-1969) so many books with his illustrations are still copyrighted. I wonder how (or if) his depictions of women changed over the years; certainly fashions changed a lot over the 1900s and the role of women changed with two world wars, more access to education, and the roles of women in industry/business.

17 Months in COVID-19 Pandemic

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17 months into the pandemic and whatever optimism that I felt earlier about the vaccines helping the country return to normal this fall has evaporated. Last spring, I was very optimistic that by this time, I would be planning fall foliage/birding trips…that maybe we would be able to do the Staunton River Star Party – camp out on the field with other amateur astronomers. Now I am not looking seriously at any non-family related travel. I am hoping to be able to make another road trip to Texas for my mother’s 90th birthday in the early fall.

I’ve already posted about the road trip I took to Texas during this last month. It was the second one this year and very different than I expected when it came to COVID-19. The first trip was back in April-May just after I was fully vaccinated. At that time – I felt relatively secure and hopeful that the pandemic would be waning over the summer; the hotel had COVID-19 precautions in place and many people were wearing masks. I became more anxious as the second road trip progressed. The delta variant was surging in some areas when I drove from Maryland to Missouri to Texas, but other areas seemed relatively untouched. I limited my activities in Springfield, Missouri (one of the early places that the delta variant filled the hospitals); there were two indoor events I attended for a wedding in Dallas where it still seemed safe. By the time I started home, the delta variant was surging in more areas, no one was wearing a mask along my route except me (even in the hotel), and I was anxious enough about the possibility that I had been exposed to buy and use the at-home antigen test even though I never developed any symptoms. Based on statistics – if I was exposed and had a breakthrough infection, it would not be life threatening but I didn’t want to risk any ‘long COVID’ issues or expose others. It was reassuring to test negative with two tests. I was grateful that my daughter had convinced me to upgrade from cloth masks to KF94s last spring before I made my first trip. They are the mask I have been wearing since April.

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The dominant emotion I feel now about COVID-19 is sadness – for the lives damaged and lost since the vaccine has become widely available…for not being with my family as much as I would like or traveling to places I enjoy…for the self-destruct aspect of the US culture that continues to surprise me (it is hard for me to accept its pervasiveness)…for the failure of leadership, particularly at the state level.

Mask mandates for indoor settings are something that can be helpful in the short term…but vaccine mandates might be even more important. With the full FDA approval of the vaccines, maybe vaccine mandates will become more widespread. They are already beginning to happen in health care, military and school settings. It will be a long slog with legal challenges, unfortunately.

I am conscious of activities I won’t be restarting anytime soon – as long as the delta variant continues to cause spikes in cases:

Flying. COVID-19 is just one of the reasons. The increased number of incidents with unruly passengers is another. I was disheartened that some airlines recently declined to mandate vaccines for their employees.

Eating in restaurants. I’ll enjoy take out but with the delta variant there is no way the filtration systems can make it safe to eat in the same indoor space with other unmasked (while eating) patrons.

Any spaces where there are a lot of people. Theaters are not a place I would want to be; same for stores during times when a lot of people are shopping. Even parks are problematic if there are large numbers of people.

I am going to the training for the fall programs where I have volunteered in years past. Most of the programs are outdoors…I’ll do some of them this fall…skip the ones that have an indoor setting.

Last spring – I expected that the August post might be my last about my COVID-10 pandemic experiences. But it isn’t over yet. So frustrating….and sad.

Racoon at the Bird Feeder

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My husband put our bird feeder and camera (Reolink Argus) back up while I was returning home. I checked it a few days after I was back and discovered that the image was askew; a squirrel had perched on the camera and jumped onto the feeder on the very first evening…moving the camera and its solar panel!

But – the different angle captured a racoon visit the evening before I checked! The different angle was not good for bird viewing but one of our better views of a racoon (use the arrows to move through the images). All the action took place in about 15 seconds!

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The racoon was probably a female with kits (note the belly). The young would be moving around on their own by now but still getting nourishment from the female.  This one did not look as big as some I have seen so maybe it is her first season with young

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 7, 2021

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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.

A roadrunner taking a dust bath wins the 2021 Audubon photography awards – This gleaning list is big on bird photos! This is the first one.

Top 25 birds of the week: Conservation – This is the second. These posts encourage me to get outdoors in areas near my home to photograph birds!

How giraffes deal with sky-high blood pressure – Multiple differences between giraffes and humans when it comes to blood pressure!

Permafrost Thaw in Siberia Creates a Ticking ‘Methane Bomb’ of Greenhouse Gases – The article is about what happened in summer 2020…made me wonder about what is happening this summer in Siberia. This along with the fires that seem to be worse each season are signs that climate change is happening faster than anticipated…that the models might be optimistic rather than realistic.

Plastic, the Trojan Horse – A study that found plastic accumulation in foods may be underestimated. Not good.

Smoke Across North America – Lots of fires this summer. My husband told me that the local astronomy club has cancelled several nights they’d planned for observing because no stars were visible through the haze here in Maryland.

How the sun affects our skin – An infographic about vitamin D, sunburn and skin cancer.

This catfish doesn’t just move on land, it reffles – Plecos – from the aquarium trade – are now invasive in warmer waters in the US. They do have an interesting way of moving on land (videos of their reffle)…..this means if found/caught they shouldn’t be left on the bank to die (since they will easily move back to the nearest water). The article didn’t say what to do with them (presumable kill them).

Drought, Heat Taking a Toll on National Parks in Southwest – I’ve enjoyed so many of the parks mentioned in this article – Saguaro, Grand Canyon, White Sands, Petrified Forest. It has always been dry there…but now it is getting drier and hotter.

Take a Virtual Tour of Artworks Inspired by Efforts to Preserve Plant Biodiversity – A virtual site of an exhibit not at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery in Exeter, England. Watch the 5 minute video about the site….then enjoy the exhibit here.

eBotanical Prints – July 2021

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20 botanical print books browsed in July and added to the list. There still seem to be a lot of botanical works to discover and browse – freely available from various sources on the internet. All the volumes this month are found on Internet Archive.

The first 7 volumes browsed in July were produced by Johann Hieronymus Kniphof using a process called “nature printing” that flattened the plants to produce the image…making them look much like herbarium specimens.

My favorite volume of the month was probably Thomas Taylor’s Drawings of Fungi --- maybe because they were so different from the other volumes.

Toward the end of month – I started the Jakob Sturm series; there are more to enjoy browsing in August! Online it isn’t obvious that the engravings were small (no more than 5 by 3.5 inches); they were made to be affordable to more people when they were originally published in the 1800s and remained in print through the early 1900s!

The whole list of 2,187 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the July books is at the end of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the July eBotanical Prints!

Botanica in originali V7-8 * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Botanica in originali V3-4  * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Botanica in originali V5-6 * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Botanica in originali V9-10 * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Botanica in originali V11-12 * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Botanica in originali V1 * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Botanica in originali V2 * Kniphof, Johann Hieronymus * sample image * 1758

Horti botanici bononiensis plantae novae vel minus cognitae * Bertoloni, Antonio * sample image * 1838

Florula Guatimalensis * Bertoloni, Antonio * sample image * 1830

Herbier général de l'amateur, contenant la description, l'histoire, les propriétés et la culture des végétaux utiles et agréables 1839 (2nd series, 5) * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M.; Lemaire, Charles Antoine * sample image * 1839

Flora gallica, seu, Enumeratio plantarum in Gallia sponte nascentium * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, J. L. A (editor) * sample image * 1836

Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz V1 * Thome, Otto Wilhelm * sample image * 1903

Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz V2 * Thome, Otto Wilhelm * sample image * 1903

Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz V3 * Thome, Otto Wilhelm * sample image * 1903

Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz V4 * Thome, Otto Wilhelm * sample image * 1903

Drawings of Fungi * Taylor, Thomas * sample image * 1839

J. Sturms Flora von Deutschland, in Abbildungen nach der Natur BD 1 * Sturm, Jakob; Krause, Ernst Hans Ludwig; Missbach, Ernst Robert; Lutz, K.G. * sample image * 1906

J. Sturms Flora von Deutschland, in Abbildungen nach der Natur BD 2 * Sturm, Jakob; Krause, Ernst Hans Ludwig; Missbach, Ernst Robert; Lutz, K.G. * sample image * 1900

J. Sturms Flora von Deutschland, in Abbildungen nach der Natur BD 3 * Sturm, Jakob; Krause, Ernst Hans Ludwig; Missbach, Ernst Robert; Lutz, K.G. * sample image * 1900

J. Sturms Flora von Deutschland, in Abbildungen nach der Natur BD 4 * Sturm, Jakob; Krause, Ernst Hans Ludwig; Missbach, Ernst Robert; Lutz, K.G. * sample image * 1905

Vicarious Macro Photography

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While I was on my road trip to Springfield, MO and Carrollton, TX – my husband started a macro photography project: handheld and in the field. I asked him to email me some of his initial results and was impressed with the collection he sent. I selected 4 to include in this post.

His project started with a webinar and some new gear (some of which will fit on my camera too with the appropriate adapter). The blue-purple flower in the pictures is chicory. I expect we’re both going to enjoy macro photography forays well into the fall!

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 31, 2021

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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.

Climate Change Responsible for Recent Decline of Eastern Monarch Butterflies – I know that the milkweed in my Maryland yard is not as healthy looking and I don’t see as many butterflies as I did in the 1990s…it’s a sad trend.

Top 25 birds of the week: July 2021 and Perching – A special treat – two collections of bird photographs in this gleanings post!

The parenting penalties faced by scientist mothers – There are no single or quick ‘fixes’ – moving forward requires thoughtful approaches. The status quo is not acceptable or sustainable!

True Grit: Adventures in Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Research – My husband and I saw red-cockaded woodpeckers in Florida during a birding festival field trip…so I tend to look at articles that appear in my news feed about them.

Florida Breaks Annual Manatee Death Record In First 6 Months Of 2021 – Florida seems to be a less appealing place to visit these days. Manatees were an animal my husband and I always wanted to see there and now they are starving to death because the seagrass (their food) is dead or dying in polluted waters. Other animals are probably impacted as well.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park: Hard To Reach, Filled With The Unexpected – I’ve only been to Chaco Canyon once….in the spring when it wasn’t overly hot. There were not many people on the windy, cool day we were there. The sounds of the place increased the sense of history in the ruins.

Air pollution during pregnancy may affect growth of newborn babies – There are so many aspects of the human impact on our environment that overwhelm what our bodies can handle…we should probably assume that there will be health impacts – particularly noticeable in the very young and the very old.

Burrowing Owls Face an Uncertain Future – They need holes from small colonial mammals….areas that are not plowed.

U.S. Power Sector Sees Biggest One-Year Drop in Emissions in More Than Two Decades – Picking up the pace as more renewables come online.

‘Inflammation clock’ can reveal body’s biological age – Maybe this turns out to be a good diagnostic to prompt interventions to extend healthy lifespan (via treatments on specific types of inflammation).

Better Homes and Gardens Browsed in June 2021

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Internet Archive has quite a collection of Better Homes and Gardens magazines that I started browsing through in June…37 volumes in all during the month. It will take at least another month to finish the rest that the archive has available. I selected a sample image from each volume (links at the bottom of this post) and grouped them by decade. Click to see an enlarged version of any image below.

The 1940s were before I was born so purely historical from my perspective. Some of the pictures look almost modern – the child in the snow suit with the shovel, for example. Gardens can look the same from just about any time period, however the people in them don’t; I was surprised at how dressed up women are depicted sometimes even ‘working’ in the garden. The little girl helping with the dishes looks dressed up too.  Technology often dates pictures although the camera shown on the August 1940 cover was about the size of a point and shoot today. The food almost always looks way more complex (more time consuming to prepare) that what we typically prepare today.

The 1950s were too early in my life to remember clearly. The flowers could be modern pictures. The eat-in kitchen is dated but functional (no dishwasher or microwave though); the green glasses look like the ruby red glasses I have today. A story about Cape Hatteras was in a 1957 issue.

I remember the 1960s since I started school in 1960. The flowers and gardens relatively timeless…and garden sheds were catching on. The office could function today….with the addition of a laptop; I liked the location of the window. Kitchens were changing and some designs did not ‘stick’ (like the kitchen in the round). Dishwashers were appearing. Double sinks with counters were becoming common in bathrooms…but ruffles over the mirror must have been a passing fad. Shag carpeting! Picnic baskets were more common than ice chests/coolers for meals away from home – very different than our picnics today.

In the 1970s I finished high school and college. The page describing salad greens from 1970 does not include kale, arugula, or cilantro! It was a decade of more house plants, cheesecake, vegetable gardening, and decorating with crafts as many people were challenged to live well with less spending power because of inflation.

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The 1980 volume included a page describing different kinds of pasta. I didn’t notice at the time how many more kinds they were…we usually just bought thin spaghetti and elbow macaroni during the 80s.

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1940

Better Homes and Gardens - July-December 1940

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1941

Better Homes and Gardens - July-December 1941

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1942

Better Homes and Gardens - July-December 1942

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1943

Better Homes and Gardens - July-December 1943

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1949

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1950

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1951

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1957

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1958

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1959

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1960

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1961

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1962

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1963

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1964

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1965

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1966

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1967

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1968

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1969

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1970

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1971

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1973

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1974

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1975

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1976

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1977

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1978

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1979

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1980

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1981

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1982

Better Homes and Gardens - January-June 1983

I’m continuing to brown through more magazines in July…..so expect another post in a month or so to continue on from 1980.

Zooming – July 2021

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The images this month are from Maryland, Missouri and Texas! The collection is skew toward plants but here are a few birds and dragonflies. There are at least two high key images as well. Enjoy the slide show for July 2021.

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 24, 2021

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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.

Night Sky Celebrations Across the National Park System – We’re not doing this kind of traveling this summer….but maybe we’ll do several of these ‘star parties’ in summer 2022.

Tooth loss associated with increased cognitive impairment – Another reason to not neglect going to the dentist! It’s not just about preserving cognitive impairment either….quality of life is a big motivation as well.

Top 25 birds of the week: Seabirds – From around the world…a few I’ve seen in North America.

Mucus and mucins may become the medicine of the future – There is still a lot to learn about how this might work….but it appears that this is an opportunity to treat disease by enhancing the mechanisms already used by the body. Maybe one of the first uses will be for eye drops to treat eye infections rather than the antibiotics used today.

Protect Pollinators – reform pesticide regulations – Hopefully the action requested by these scientist from around the world will happen…our ecosystems are having enough challenge dealing with climate change. Many pollinator species won’t survive the continued threat of status quo pesticide use.

Keeping your composure: Creative Ways to Compose Your Photographs (part 1, part 2, part 3) – Always good to browse through these kinds of tutorials…pick up some new ideas, celebrate the things you are already doing.

What to do with food waste? – It doesn’t appear than there is any one strategy that will work broadly. I’m glad I have already dramatically reduced food waste and then have a large enough yard to have a compost bin.

Waterfalls of North Carolina – A few years ago, my husband and I made a waterfall themed trip to New York. It seems that North Carolina would be another state that has a lot of opportunities for waterfall photography. Maybe next spring?

Creativity Myths – A recent ‘letter’ on The Painter’s Keys website.  I enjoy the twice-weekly blurbs that appear in my inbox (free subscription) and often follow the ‘click here to read more’ link.

Exposure to light with less blue before sleep is better for energy metabolism – I already change the color balance on my PC screens to ‘nightlight’ between sundown and sunrise. Maybe we will do more eventually based on this and subsequent research. It is probably true that no one should be watching a television screen just before going to bed!