Quote of the Day - 03/21/2012

 Man likes to simplify things, to find single causes to find an order in nature that corresponds with an orderly arrangement of ideas in his own mind. This is surely one of the great drives of thought, leading to many of the great ideas of philosophy, religion, and science.  But nature is also frighteningly complex, perhaps too complex ever to be “understood” through the processes of our limited brains – and our fondness for single causes has probably got us in trouble more often than it has helped us. - Marston Bates in The Forest and the Sea: A Look at the Economy of Nature and the Ecology of Man

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The quote today is from a book written in 1960 by a zoologist.The book be read not only for its topic (rain forests and seas) but as a ‘history of scientific thinking.’ It answers the question - “What did we know about rain forests and seas in 1960?”

Interestingly enough - the aspect of the book that interested me the most was the realization that we haven’t made much progress over the past 50 years in our tendency to want to simplify - particularly about nature. If we analyze the political discourse that happens every day around the world, we may even notice that we’ve become even more extreme in our desire. If it can’t be communicated in a sound bite or tweet - we tend to get bored.

Another thought prompted by the book - Most of us spend much less time outdoors in direct contact with nature than people did 50 years ago. In 1960 - air conditioning was not as prevalent and houses were not so well insulated; even indoors, the noises of the outdoors were heard. We are losing whatever intuitive understanding we had of nature - even it if was a simplified understanding.

Finishing on a positive note - the development of computers over the past 50 years has enabled models that may help us overcome the obstacle that nature is ‘perhaps too complex to be “understood” through the processes of our limited brains.’ The question then becomes - will our penchant for simplification allow us to use the results of those models to guide our actions that impact our world.

Daffodils

The annual blooming of the daffodils is near its end in Maryland. They’ve bloomed alongside hyacinths - after the crocus and before the tulips. There are much larger numbers daffodils than any of the other spring bulbs. Everyone recognizes their familiar blooms.

The bulbs are planted in yards, along roadsides, at the edge of forests or rocky creeks…just about any place that is not swampy. Sometimes they are in small clumps, sometimes they make a neat row, sometimes it is easy to tell that small clumps have merged into an amoeboid shaped profusion of blooms. The daffodils seen frequently are all yellow or yellow and white. They can be miniature - a few inches high - to a foot high; the taller ones sometimes lean over after a rain because the water catches in the flower and makes it too heavy for the stem.

They bloom year after year with little tending. Their bulbs do not attract squirrels or other rodents so the gardener need only dig them up and enlarge the bed periodically to keep them from getting too crowded - it’s easy to tell when this needs to be done because they stop blooming as profusely.

Quote of the Day - 03/20/2012

Both science and technology, but especially technology, assimilate the ways of life of people everywhere. Photography, television, the airplane, and the computer erase time and space. - Daniel J. Boorstin in Cleopatra's Nose

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Technology has made it possible for us to

• View a place we can never go ourselves
• See a dramatic production whenever we choose to see it - in just about any environment we choose
• Travel at speeds that don’t allow us to see much between our departure and destination
• Hold meetings where everyone at their home

It is an assimilation we usually submit to willingly. It is convenient. It is entertaining. We have decided that this is the way we want to live….at least most of the time.

Today - think about how you utilize technology. Recognize that you don’t have to use every feature or have it with you all the time. It’s your life…you decide.

What is your definition of success?

Success can be packaged in so many different ways and the definition that fits for us today may change in the future. I compiled the list of definitions below to use as an icebreaker for a personal development session many years ago; each definition was printed in large font on a pieces of paper arranged on a large table. Each person was handed a glass pebble as they arrived and told to place it on the paper with the definition that matched their definition of success. I don’t remember which one got the most votes - but I do remember that it was a very effective ice breaker because people interacted with others as they made their choice and then afterward. The other part of the session was somewhat delayed in starting!

1. Work hard, but don’t put blinders on. Don’t be so driven that you lose track of what’s going on. Be open and not single-minded.
2. Happiness with self, in the belief I tried my best to reach my potential
3. Achieving your goal, never giving up, no excuses. Being the best you can be at whatever you choose.
4. The accomplishment of goals: personal and professional.
5. Happiness and making a difference in my field; helping someone else.
6. Personal goals: family and children
7. Ability to get up every morning looking forward to doing what you are doing that week and to be in a position where you are able to earn a living doing something you would do even if you weren’t paid
8. Satisfaction with achievements, feeling of fulfillment. Having fun with what you do every day.
9. Security: emotional, financial, and social.
10. Having no trouble accomplishing goals and financial security
11. Health, wealth, love and the time to enjoy it all
12. Independence to take on challenges as they arise and the ability to walk away when it is not fun anymore
13. Having the life you want and feeling terrific about it. Knowing you are doing it for yourself and not trying to keep up with anyone in society. Joy and fulfillment.
14. You have got to be happy with yourself. Achieve your goals and be comfortable with your achievements.
15. Achieving deserved recognition as leader in your chosen pursuit
16. Being in control of your life
17. Developing tomorrow’s leaders
18. Success is fun, but my family is first in my heart and although the success in mine, my life would be lonely not to share it with my family
19. To be happy with myself and be able to look at yourself in the mirror every morning and every night and be able to say that you’ve done the best that you know how to do.

Quote of the Day - 03/19/2012

The process of improvisation that goes into composing a life is compounded in the process of remembering a life, like a patchwork quilt in a watercolor painting, rumpled and evocative. - Mary Catherine Bateson in Composing a Life

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Are you satisfied with the way you are ‘composing’ our life? Is there enough ‘improvisation’ to be ‘compounded’? How vibrant is your ‘patchwork quilt’?

Mary Catherine Bateson has a gift for words that draw out positive associations. ‘Composing’ implies some amount of control and the application of our own creativity. It requires some planning for the future but is honed to action; the living of life always is in the present. But then there is the remembering that compounds everything; the older we are the more there is to remember. That doesn’t necessarily that we spend more time savoring the past than in living the present; it may be that we simply evoke everything we have been before into the way we are now and into our remaining days.

Springtime is a good time to make changes - to be like the opening blooms on spring flowers and ‘compose’ something new (or refreshed) aspect of our life.

Robins of Spring

Spring officially starts tomorrow…but the robins have already arrived in Maryland and they are a big part of spring. They are birds frequently seen over most of the continental US and easily recognized with the red plumage of their breast and charcoal feathers on their wings, back, and head. Their eyes are often lined in white. We get large numbers of them in the Maryland spring as they make their way north.

Sometimes they look very trim…almost skinny…when they arrive. But the spring rains bring fat worms close to the ground surface and the robins have feasts that quickly fatten them up.

Sometimes on cold mornings they fluff their feathers and the ‘red breast’ becomes even more conspicuous

As the days warm, some will continue northward while others will stay to lay eggs and raise their young. We almost always have a pair that builds a nest under our deck. Our cats can hear them from the screen enclosed portion of the deck; hours and hours of close scrutiny through a crack in the flooring ensue.  The robins enjoy the safety of the high rafter and the cats get to watch the drama of birds coming and going.

Quote of the Day - 03/18/2012

Science is one of the great creative achievements of the human mind. The motivations, the satisfactions, the frustrations of the scientist are hardly different in kind from those of any other type of creative personality, however different the products of the creative act may be. - Marston Bates in Man in Nature (Foundations of Modern Biology)

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This quote is from a book written in the early 1960s but its idea is worth considering today.

It points out that we tend to put a narrow lens to our perception of creativity. We think of artists and writers immediately - not scientists and engineers and cooks and parents and….

Creativity is a big part of every profession. Let’s get over the idea that it’s something special that only a few need apply. It is an integral part of each of us.

Science and engineering are disciplines that enable the building up of creative achievements either through collaboration or organization of individual work. In that sense they diverge from the image we sometimes have of an individual artist painting a large canvas. That doesn’t mean that creativity is not involved.

Every one of us brings creativity to everything we do. It is our choice to apply it and we consciously or unconsciously make the decision many times every day of our lives. Creativity is involved when we think or do anything differently than we have before.

Creativity in all its forms needs to be appreciated by each of us and in our culture. It begins with us.

Recipe of the Week: Ginger Root Tea

Ginger root can be a flavorful and healthy addition to tea. There are many ways to prepare it. Below is the one that is easiest for me. I like it either hot or cold.

Buying the ginger root. I buy a larger piece of ginger root at the grocery store. It keeps well without refrigeration and the larger pieces are easier to grate. The root in the picture has a part that has already been used (lower left of the picture); the raw end dries out very quickly and is simply grated away next time you need to grate more from the root.

Preparing the ginger. I use 1-2 teaspoons of grated ginger for each pot of tea and I usually grate enough for several pots at one time - storing what I don’t use immediately in a small container in the freezer. I don’t bother peeling the ginger before grating it since I am going to put it in a filter anyway (i.e. not directly in the tea). The tough fibers and pulp from the ginger will stay in the filter - not in the tea.

Making the tea. I use a coffee maker that has never made coffee to make tea. I put loose tea or tea bags in the filter along with the ginger. If you use a pot where the tea and ginger are immersed in the water instead of a coffee maker, simply strain the leaves/gratings while pouring into your cup or glass.

Quote of the Day - 03/17/2012

The best of life, what is it but white moments? - Katherine Lee Bates in The Retinue, And Other Poems

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What does ‘white moments’ mean to you?

My first thought was the time just on the brink of the present that is still full of potential…when it is still up to us to make the meaning of it. Seeing those moments clearly and delighting as we live them…yes - I could agree with Katherine Lee Bates that they are ‘the best of life.’

Katherine Lee Bates was the author of the words to the anthem “America the Beautiful.” She lived mostly on the east coast but the lyrics she is most known for were written in Colorado.

This book is available to be read online here.

Gleanings of the Week Ending March 17, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week:

Visualizing the Growing E-Waste Epidemic - a graphical view of the way we dispose of computers, cell phones, televisions, monitors, printers. Maybe we should change the scenario.

NASA Scientist: Will We Leave Our Children a “Climate System Spiraling Out of Control”? - (video)

Energy stats from Germany - In 2011, 40% of their nuclear power capacity was phased out….and they still remained a net power exporter!

Recent Generations Focus more on fame, money than giving back - Data collected from the American Freshman survey over the past 40 years on 9 million young adults…unexpected results.

Lenticular Cloud - A wonderful photograph

Air Pollution Could become China’s Biggest Health Threat - lung cancer and cardiovascular illnesses already rising

How Packaged Foods Makes Girls Hyper - Why is BPA still in our food chain (the resins that line cans of food, packaging, drink containers)?

‘Invisible Wires’ for Transporting Electricity on SolarWindows - How long will it be before this technology (or something equivalent) is ready for market…and then used in virtually all new windows?

The Secret Powers of Time - A Philip Zimbardo video

WolfQuest - a 3D wildlife simulation game that challenges players to learn about wolf ecology by living the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park

 

Quote of the Day - 03/16/2012

Illusions are perhaps as countless as relationships between people, or between people and things. - Charles Baudelaire in The Parisian Prowler: Le spleen de Paris: petits poe`mes en prose

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The quote today is from a book about 1850s Paris…but applies far beyond that time and place…maybe it is a universal.

Our day to day assumption is that we thoroughly understand our reality but there are so many things that don’t neatly fit our understanding. The reality we understand is only our perspective and even that can change over time. There is no absolute reality. So - we need to internalize the idea from this quote - that ‘illusions are perhaps as countless as relationships’ and be resilient enough to accommodate even those dynamic illusions into our perception of reality.

Some people do this quite naturally. They are the ones we say have good ‘people sense’ or ‘people skills’ - somehow they see perspectives of others more keenly and the actions they take reflect it. Others have to make a conscious effort to seek the perspective of others. Some find it very difficult to the see another’s perspective at all.

Today - think about the relationships important to you and how you are responding to the ‘illusions’ in them.

My Desk

I could write anywhere but most times I choose to write at a computer table in my office. It has all the elements that make it a perfect place for me: 

• Equipment. Computer interfaces (two displays, a wireless mouse, a keyboard) comfortably situated. A printer than can be turned on as needed. Task lighting secured to the desk and on an extendable arm; bright light from overhead and a tall floor lamp (rarely on)
• References. A calendar out of the way but within line-of-sight of my chair
• Chair. A Black Swopper Chair that makes it possible for me to move while I’m thinking or reading (i.e. any time I am not writing) and is comfortable enough when I am writing that it is the only chair in the room
• Beautiful views.
  • Behind one monitor - peacock feathers
  • Behind the other monitor - a Georgia O’Keeffe poppy poster
  • Slightly to the right - a window that looks out onto a forest (high enough to look at the middle of trees rather than the ground or the tops). The sheers framing the window have pockets to hold small items that are reminders of favorite people and places. Wind chimes hang from magnets stuck to the mini-blind frame
  • Slightly to the left - a bulletin board and a small (foot high) cloisonné covered folding screen (hiding wires)
  • Behind me - a Georgia O’Keefe prickly pear poster and some metal sculptures with a table below full of family pictures 

 

Quote of the Day - 03/15/2012

The Mississippi never lies at rest. It rolls. It follows no set course. Its waters and currents are not uniform. Rather, it moves south in layers and whorls, like an uncoiling rope made of a multitude of discrete fibers, each one following an independent and unpredictable path, each one separately and together capable of snapping like a whip. - John M. Barry in Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America

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John Barry’s imagery of the Mississippi River reminds us that it is ultimately untamable; our influence has limits and a high price (both for the creation of levees and channels…and for their occasional failure). Have you seen the model of the river at Mud Island in Memphis? The panorama of life and commerce along the length of the river is portrayed…and the enormity of this river ‘snapping like a whip.’

Notice that this quote focuses on the river alone rather than the natural systems that provide the context for the river. It’s a simplifying assumption we often make because the natural system (or system of systems) seems too complex to consider. Perhaps it is still impossible to understand those systems well enough to be 100% accurate in our predictions of what will happen when we seek to control some aspect as the Mississippi ‘moves south in layers and whorls.’ It is important to consider as much of the system as we can to avoid an unpleasant surprise like 

• Fish dying,
• Farmland not getting replenishment of soil nutrients or
• Proliferation of invasive plants/animals. 

Instead of starting from the perspective of ‘how do we control the river’ we should think instead of how we utilize the natural ‘system of systems’ (that includes the river) in a way that sustains the benefits for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren….and onward into the future. 

Summer Wardrobe Planning

We’ve had a few warm days --- and I am looking through clothes to decide if I have what I need for summer. Have you done your summer wardrobe check yet?

Shoes. I quickly realize that the flip flops and sandals I bought near the end of the season last year are still in almost-new condition…so new shoes are not necessary.

Capris/shorts. Last year I enjoyed capris more than shorts. There are more of them in the pile than I remember having…so no purchases needed.

Slacks/jeans. I don’t wear slacks and jeans much in the summer. I do have a pair of linen-like slacks that would be my top choice for summer wear; they should probably stay hanging in the closet year round. Maybe I’ll keep one pair of jeans out as well.

Skirts. I’ve been collecting more of them over the past few years. When it is really hot - they are always my favorite. There are enough skirts.

T-shirts. I have too many. Since I don’t wear them all the time, they tend to last a long time. Some of them are 20 years old! This year I need to focus on wearing T-shirts for working outdoors (with sunscreen to keep my arms and neck from burning) rather than just whatever top I have on at the time.

Tops. I prefer cap or short sleeves to sleeveless and have been collecting some I really like over the past few years. I have some long sleeved big shirts to wear over everything if I’m going to be out in the sun and/or wearing my photo-vest and need fabric between the vest and the back of my neck. Go anywhere tops may be the one area of my wardrobe that needs shoring up a bit for summer.

Swimsuit. It still fits and will work for the few times I need it this summer.

Overall I am in reasonably good shape for summer except for tops. I’m going to make some stops at the local thrift store between now and when it gets really hot!

Quote of the Day - 03/14/2012

To have and bring up kids is to be as immersed in life as one can be, but it does not always follow that one drowns.  A lot of us can swim. – Ursula K. Le Guin as quotes in Frank Barron, Alfonso Montuori and Anthea Barron (editors) in Creators on Creating: Awakening and Cultivating the Imaginative Mind (New Consciousness Reader)

~~~~~

I really like this quote. The observation about having children and full immersion in life is apt…as is the idea that a lot of us either already know how to swim or discover how to do it before swallowing too much! Motherhood requires the sustained involvement from the whole of ourselves - physically and mentally - perhaps to a greater extent than anything else we will do in our lives.

Recognizing this does not mean that we don’t do other things at the same time. The life we want for ourselves is made from dynamic components, of which motherhood is one. These components enrich each other but can be challenging to blend together without undue friction. Have you thought about the proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ linking the idea of motherhood with creativity? It’s all part of the ‘swim’ that we do!

My experience has been that motherhood has a core that is focused on the needs of the relationship to my daughter and tendrils that extend to every other facet of my life. Those tendrils are overwhelmingly positive - at work, within the community, with my extended family. The ‘immersed in life’ aspect forced me to understand more clearly the meaning of my life as a whole.

Even while focusing on the day to day aspects of children - the hope and optimism about the future is wrapped up in them too; from that perspective, being a mother is one of the most strategic things we do. What else has such long term impact directly on our life and has as high probability of extending past our lifetime?

Yes - children and being ‘immersed in life’ go hand in hand….here’s to enjoying the swim!

Brookside Gardens - March 12, 2012

The weather was sunny and warm this week. Brookside Gardens is brightening with some spring blooms - daffodils, crocus, cherries, deciduous magnolias and miniature iris. There were a few hyacinths but not the profusion of previous years. The tulips are not blooming yet although their leaves are growing and the display should be quite lush once they start blooming.

A pair of mallards swam on one pond and a lot of turtles  were very active swimming in another - playing their springtime tag.

Quote of the Day - 03/13/2012

Tea, food, and routine paperwork had a normalizing effect. - Nevada Barr in A Superior Death (An Anna Pigeon Novel)

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Everyone develops their own approaches for making adjustments prompted by the changes in their life. Activities that tend to have a ‘normalizing effect’ tend to be ones that provide ‘something to do’ during the time we are mentally adjusting to whatever has changed; the objective is to help ourselves be as resilient as possible and sustain our healthy outlook on life. Nevada Barr’s list (‘tea, food, and routine paperwork’) are good examples. Do you have others - ones that are perhaps even unique to you? My list would include looking at botanical prints, sleeping and cleaning house.

What are some characteristics of these ‘normalizing effect’ activities? For me - they must 

• Be done alone
• Relatively quiet (i.e. I don’t find having television or radio in the background helpful...music without vocals is appealing)
• Secure
• Comfortable temperature…perhaps a little warm
• Not totally sedentary (this may mean that there needs to be a variety of activity instead of just one) 

Nevada Barr writes mysteries set in National Parks - in this case, Isle Royale National Park. 

Note: Botanicus provides digitized historic botanical literature from the Missouri Botanical Garden Library....one of my favorite web places. 

Recipe of the Week - Chia Seeds

Early this year I read an article about chia seeds and decided to give them a try. I was initially motivated by their impressive nutritional properties. Fiber, oil, protein, vitamins and minerals….chia seeds could easily be viewed as a ‘super-food.’ Incorporating at least 1 tablespoon a day, and sometimes 2, into my diet has been surprisingly easy. They form a gel-like slurry in water and can be easily combined with many other foods. Here are the ways I have used them so far:

• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a glass of herbal tea or lemon water (letting it stand for 15 minutes before consuming using a straw to swirl the seeds and slurp). This has become my standard ‘breakfast’ every morning. I thought I might get tired of it but changing the liquid the seeds get hydrated in has provided enough variety.
• Using the last bit of creamy salad dressing in the bottle. I added milk to the bottle and shook it to blend the dregs of dressing and milk before pouring both into a small bowl. I added 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds to thicken the dressing and a few sprinkles of Mrs. Dash. After letting it sit for 10 minutes, I stirred in up and used on a salad.
• Muffins. I always substitute a tablespoon of chia seeds for a tablespoon of flour. It adds nutrition plus makes any muffin less crumbly.
• Stir fry sauce. I like orange juice and zest, fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon chia seeds…with enough herbal tea to make the consistency right as the gel forms (and assuming some liquid will be lost as it is poured over the stir fry in the last segment of cooking).
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds cooked with 1/4 cup oatmeal for breakfast. I liked this combination so much that I used less sugar than with plain oatmeal and needed no butter at all! It works best to let the seeds, oatmeal, and water sit in the pan for 5 minutes or so before beginning to heat (gives the chia seeds time to start hydrating). Round up on the amount of water if you want a creamy consistency!

There are lots of other chia seed recipes available. My favorite site is http://www.chiaseedrecipes.com/

Quote of the Day - 03/12/2012

The sun was low in the west. The last of its light struck gold from the shale wall and turned the subdued greens of the desert a brighter shade. Above the cliffs, the sky was a turmoil of clouds, round and fierce, their bellies sagging close to the mesa. Sunset fired their edges and cast deep purples into their ephemeral canyons. - Nevada Barr in Borderline (An Anna Pigeon Novel)

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Nevada Barr writes mysteries set in National Parks - in this case, Big Bend National Park.

This description reminds me of vacations in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona….and that it would be good to be there again. What about you?

Freecycling and Spring Cleaning

I wrote a few days ago about spring cleaning. Today I am focusing on the ‘stuff’ that is no longer needed. The objective is to get it out of the house. Since I don’t want to go to the effort of selling any of it, my alternatives - in priority order - are:

• Give it to family or friends (verifying that it is something they want beforehand)
• Donating it to a charity
• Freecycle
• Recycle
• Trash

If you haven’t used freecycle before - check out http://www.freecycle.org/. You enter your zip code to begin the process to subscribe to the group local to you. It works via email messages to the local group’s distribution managed by Freecycle. Basically you post something you want to give away that someone else might be able to use….others in the group reply if they want it…arrangements are then made for one of them to get the item. It’s worked well for things like used house painting supplies, a box of craft supplies for children, a box of sewing supplies, an old tent, etc.

Related Posts:

Being Green - Reuse

Spring Cleaning