A Decade of Post-career

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I left my career behind 10 years ago this month…and am still savoring the near total self-determination I have in how I spend my days. My self-discipline has always been very strong…and it still is. There are rhythms that I maintain reenforced by personal metrics (when I sleep/eat, hygiene, exercise, reading/writing) but there is plenty of time for activities that make the days, weeks, months, and years into a mix of old and new experiences that suit my wants and needs.

My daughter was already in graduate school at the beginning of the decade. I used her graduate school, post doc, and first job as part of the framework for my own exploration of new places: Tucson AZ, State College PA, Pittsburgh PA, and Springfield MO.  I got significant experience in packing up for long distance moves too. Now that she is engaged in her career and has purchased a house, she may live in the same place for longer. My husband and I enjoyed a trip to Hawaii with her – a follow up to her visit there on a geology field trip and then conference. We travelled to Florida for 2 NASA launches from Cape Canaveral…invited by my daughter for NASA programs she had supported: MAVEN (2013) and OSIRIS Rex (2016).

My parents entered their 90s toward the end of decade; I’ve endeavored to spend more time in Texas enabling, with my sisters, ‘aging in place’ – living almost independently in the house they’ve been in since the early 1990s. At the beginning of the decade, they were still doing some traveling although no longer driving long distances (they flew or let others do the driving): to visit us in Maryland at cherry blossom time in 2012, to visit my daughter in Tucson (with me and my sister doing the driving between Dallas and Tucson) in 2013, to Oklahoma to visit family and their friends from college in 2017 (with me as the primary chauffer), to Springfield MO to visit my daughter in 2019 (with my sister getting them to Oklahoma to visit family and then my daughter/me chauffeuring them to Springfield MO, they flew back to Dallas). The most unique experience of all that travel was their sighting of a gila monster in the back of the Tucson vacation rental house. The pandemic and their physical limitations have kept them close or at home for the past couple of years.

My husband and I discovered Birding Festivals during the decade: Bosque del Apache (NM) in 2016 and 2018, Rio Grande Valley (TX) in 2017, Space Coast (FL) in 2019, Laredo (TX) in 2020. We’ve enjoyed day trip birding events too…mostly in Maryland but occasionally into Delaware. They are a very appealing combination of travel, nature photography, and, of course, birding. During the pandemic we ‘made do’ with virtual festivals – not the same but still engaging.

The Staunton River Star Parties (VA) were an extension of my husband’s interest in amateur astronomy and prompted a flurry of purchases to enable camping on the observing field.  The weather cooperated in October 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 – and then the pandemic squashed that activity.

Coursera started up near the beginning of the decade and I enjoyed taking courses on topics that hadn’t been on the critical path toward getting my college degrees back in the 1970s and early 1980s; I moved on to other types of courses but returned to the platform at the beginning of the pandemic and probably will do courses sporadically when there is something that catches my interest. I enjoyed the intense Master Naturalist (2015) and Howard County Legacy Leadership for the Environment (2018) classroom-based courses and the follow-up advanced education courses/webinars in subsequent years.

Volunteering became a good way for me to ‘give back’ to my community, increase interactions with other people (particularly K-12 students and the general public), and increase the time I spend outdoors. It was ramping up throughout the decade until COVID-19 and now I am looking for opportunities to restart.

What is likely to happen during my second decade post-career?  There will be more of the same for several years (hopefully, minus continuing impact from COVID-19 or some other pandemic) with a flurry of activity making a long-distance move to a new home closer to our daughter. By the end of the decade, my parents will be over 100 years old if they are still alive. I hope that my health will still be about the same as it is now or that the accommodations I need to make are relatively easy; I am anticipating that I’ll need to have cataract surgery (and be thrilled to not need glasses for the first time since 3rd grade). There is a lot to look forward to!

Frost Flowers on our Deck

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One of my favorite winter macro photo opportunities happens on very cold mornings…when the humidity is high enough to create frost flowers. I get my phone set up with my clip-on lens and bundle up – this time the location was only a few steps from the house onto our deck. It was my first time with the new lens my husband got for me in December that allows more room to work (i.e. I don’t have to be as close to the subject as with my older clip-on lens).

I found myself taking themed series:

What do the crystals look like around the knot holes on the deck railing? I liked the textures of the knots overlaid with the frost flowers.

How do the crystals change when they go over an edge? The crystals seemed to get almost fuzzy…or flattened.

Where are the largest crystals? The largest crystals seem to form around a center…on a flat surface…making ‘frost flowers’. The ones below were on the cover of our gas grill; the weave of the fabric provides a size comparison.

I’m going to watch the weather forecast…see if I can predict when a good frost flower morning will occur…put out a glass plate the night before…and then photograph the frost flowers that form on a very smooth surface. I photographed some frost on the windshield of my car back in December 2011 (below)…would like to use my improved equipment (and skill) in a similar situation!

Hawk on Deck

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I was enjoying the snow flurries as I looked out my office window in late January when I heard a commotion below my window on our deck. I moved closer to the window to see what it was. A hawk was perched on the deck railing. I guessed that it had swooped down onto the deck – maybe for a meal of junco or mourning dove – but whatever the intended prey was, the hawk was not successful. It was looking all around the narrow strip of grassy yards and into the forest recovering from the failure and seeking a new target. Note: There are several pictures where the dark nictitating membrane is closed over the eye.

And then the bird flew off toward the forest. I used the picture id feature of the Merlin app to confirm my initial ID: red-shouldered hawk.

Morning Forest

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Our forest is on the west side of our house; the treetops often catch morning light over the house. There are a few minutes of orange color. I noticed it on three mornings in January…. photographing the forest illuminated in morning light. The first morning was after a snowy night. The seed pods on the tulip poplars provide enough texture to hold snow. In the second picture notice the pine in the lower left, the tulip poplars tall in the background, and the maple in the right foreground; the orange light had already begun to fade although there are parts of the forest interior that seems to pop through the maple branches.

There are times when the color looks surreal. In the winter I usually think of the forest being mostly brown…but it isn’t for these few minutes in the morning.

And the layering of the forest becomes more obvious. Somehow the clouds or the angle of the sun precluded the light from reaching the trees in the foreground on one morning…but the background trees were bathed in morning light.

Gleanings of the Week Ending February 5, 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.

Oyster Hatcheries Help the Industry Adapt to Climate Change – There are lots of aspects of climate change that impact oysters – making mitigation more complex. The industry is trying to be proactive as problems are recognized.

Could COVID-19 still be affecting us in decades to come? – A summary of some research particularly about brain function/Parkinsons and diabetes relationship with COVID-19 just beginning…there is so much we don’t know yet.

The porcupine’s winter in slow-motion – How do porcupines in Alaska survive being out and about in the winter?

Top 25 birds of the week: Bird Interactions – Mostly adults of the same species…but there are a few with different species and the first image is a pair of young owls (siblings).

2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands – Blue glass that look like it could have been made very recently.

Locations of ancient Maya sacred groves of cacao trees discovered – History of cacao (chocolate) trees…grown around sinkholes…so special that the beans were used a currency.

Monarch butterfly numbers soar in California after dramatic losses – It’s great to have some good news about Monarchs….but they’re still a species that needs our help.

AccuWeather shares how an electric school bus fares in Alaska – Evidently the bus has done well even at -48 degrees Fahrenheit!

Musings from the parks: Navigating National, Wild, Recreational, and Scenic Rivers – Prompted by a proposal to refine limits on the horsepower boaters can use in Ozark Scenic Riverways in Missouri…a look at regulations at other rivers in the National Park System. I’d prefer that we begin the transition to electric motors (if motors are allowed at all) rather than only focusing on horsepower.

Epidemiologists develop advanced state-of-the-art tool for measuring the pace of aging – A blood test to measure the pace of biological aging…with the possibility of identifying interventions that would slow aging… and attempt to build aging health equity.

Birds through my Office Window - January 2022

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There seemed to be a lot of bird activity visible from my office window this past month. The most common ones – juncos, sparrows (white-throated and house), finches (gold and house) - do not feature as much in my photos but they were always around.

Mourning Doves are too heavy for the feeder, but they are frequent visitors under the feeder on the deck and out in the yard. They also perch in the maple. They look largest when it is cold, and their feathers are fluffed.

The Northern Cardinals come to the feeders and flit all over the yard and trees. They seemed to be more activity in January than usual because there were more of them around. We have a resident pair that are around all year but in January there were at least 2 other pairs that were occasionally coming for food…and the interactions of both the males and females were high drama to watch.

The other resident pair that we usually see all during the year are a male and female (pictured) Red-bellied Woodpecker. Hopefully they’ll have young again this year. The birds dig through the seeds at the feeder…always leave with a peanut or sunflower seed.

There was a hawk that was around occasionally. Once it was at the edge of the forest diving into the leaves…came up empty. Another time I heard a tussle on the deck and glanced out to find the hawk on the deck railing – also without prey that it had probably been stalking. I was particularly relieved that it didn’t kill one of the birds coming to the feeder!

I’ve noticed Northern Flickers more in our yard. They blend into the leaves so well they are hard to spot…don’t come to the feeders.

The White-breasted Nuthatch comes to the feeder and is very assertive – drives away all except the Red-bellied Woodpecker.

There was a mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds (pictured) that flew into the treetops of at the edge of the forest. I was glad they didn’t come down to our feeders! There were occasionally some cowbirds that came in the subsequent days; hope they don’t stick around for nesting season.

The downy woodpecker doesn’t come to our feeders frequently; they must be very hungry when the do because they eat quite a few seeds!

Zooming – January 2022

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Not as many zoomed images to choose from in January – I did more photography with my phone than my bridge camera. I was in extra-rest mode for part of the month after my surgery and it was very cold outside. Still the usual January photo subjects have a showing this month: snow, birds, deer in our neighborhood and flowers indoors. Enjoy the January 2022 slide show!

Cancer Diary – Entry 11

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The doctor that referred me for cancer surgery scheduled a follow up appointment for about 2.5 weeks after the surgery - assuming the surgeon would complete his role at about 2 weeks after the surgery (which I posted about in the 10th Cancer Diary post). The appointment with the doctor that will continue my care is the most recent milestone in my journey with cancer and getting treatment. He confirmed that I would not need radiation/chemo and ordered blood lab tests immediately and developed a plan for the next year: periodic blood tests and an ultrasound in a year. I am pleased that my cancer was caught early enough that I am on track to be ‘cured’ rather than living with cancer for the rest of my life.

It was bitterly cold the day of the appointment…but I was buoyed by the results I already knew from the surgeon and the continued fading of the hematoma/healing of the incision. The doctor provided excellent feedback and answered questions…the tech that did the blood draw did a great job getting the needle in smoothly then filling the multiple vials of blood required. On the way out of the building, I stopped for a few seconds to photograph the garden that looked so inviting when the weather was warmer; the fountain is turned off now and it’s too cold to linger but I still like the look of the place. I hurried to my car, thoroughly chilled, but appreciating the time out in the world, away from home. I celebrated that the appointment had been early enough that I got a close parking space!

I am so buoyed by the results that I am feeling more optimistic than I have all during the pandemic; I realize that, even though I was consciously reminding myself that the cancer had been detected early, I experienced a deep anxiety about it that became part of everything I was thinking and doing for the past few months.  Now I’ve started wearing earrings again (when I am not going to be taking a mask off and on), buying flowers every week at the grocery story and making multiple arrangements to place everywhere in the house. This is a time of celebration…a time to be happy that I am healthy and enjoying winter 2022.

Previous cancer diary posts:

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 29, 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.

Photography In the National Parks: My 10 Favorite Shots From 2021 – I only went to one national park in 2021: New River Gorge (in West Virginia). There are so many beautiful National Parks to see…and they’re worth seeing again and again.

Big Gulp: Blue Catfish Eat Wood Duck – We’ve seen fishermen catch blue catfish at the base of Conowingo Dam (we’re there for the bald eagles). They are huge…sorry to learn that they eat ducks.

Top 25 birds of the week: Raptors! – How many of these live in your area of the world?

Air Pollution Makes It Harder for Bees to Sniff Out Flowers – Not just a problem for bees…also moths, hoverflies and butterflies are having a harder time. This results in a 14-31% reduction in pollination among plants exposed to polluted air.

Ocean microplastic pollution may be greater than estimated – Not a good trend…and this form of pollution that is new enough that the full impact is still being discovered.

With Fewer Animals to Move Their Seeds, Plants Are Stuck in Threatened Habitats – Another way the world is becoming less resilient at a time when climate change is pushing all life to use all the resilience available.

Large Permian Basin Methane Leaks Are Causing As Much Climate Pollution as 500,000 Cars – It’s frustrating that the oil industry has not been a better steward of resources they are extracting for energy. The methane leaks are a waste of the effort put into extraction….and bad for the planet too.

Dinosaur food and Hiroshima bomb survivors: maidenhair trees are ‘living fossils’ and your new favorite plant – Learn more about the ginkgo tree! There is one along my walking route in my neighborhood and others I find in local gardens and parks near where I live. They are so different from other trees…worth noticing.

North Sea Fossil Fuel Companies Plan to Invest More in Wind than Oil Drilling – Hurray! Maybe other companies around the world begin to do this too….a strategic move for Shell, Total and BP.

Antimicrobial resistance now a leading cause of death worldwide, study finds – This challenge will increase over time…if we don’t take action to slow the development of resistance and develop new antimicrobial techniques (maybe we need more strategies than simply trying to develop new antibiotics).

Bluebird Visit

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Last week we had a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds visit out deck. It was a group of male and female birds…5 or 6 of them. They didn’t seem interested in the heated bird bath…just the feeder. They overwhelmed the house sparrows and house finches that are the regulars there. At one point there were 4 bluebirds at the feeder!

The males are more brightly colored that the females. It’s easy to see the difference in many of the pictures.

We don’t have regular visits from bluebirds…tend to see them occasionally in the winter. There are plenty of parks and conservation areas that have bluebird houses and provide habitat for them when they are raising young and away from our neighborhood. It feels good to contribute to the bluebirds well-being in winter with our feeder and heated bath.

Bluebirds have increased in numbers in our part of Maryland over the years that we have lived in the area with the participation of local governments and home owners with larger properties providing houses. A big concern now is the fall in insect populations; these birds need insects in their diet when they are breeding and then to feed their young.

Here are some bluebirds posts from previous years: January 2021, January 2020, February 2018, January 2018.

High Key Flowers

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I’ve been buying flowers every time I go to the grocery story since the beginning of the year – so there were several different arrangements availablefor my indoor high key photo shoot. My set up was all in my home office…the plants on a small table or the window ledge…the bright sunlight on the other side of the window. The objective is arrange situations where like is coming behind the subject and to overexpose enough that the background goes to white. I sat in an office chair on the opposite side of the room – usually with the camera on my knee to keep it steady. The camera was far enough away from the flowers for the camera’s auto focus to perform well.

I experimented with composition…and focus. I like the textures and colors that seem to pop in the images because of the whiteness of the background and the lack of other clutter.

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 22, 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.

The Roots of Violence – Reexamining bones excavated in the 1960s with new 3D imaging techniques….defining the violence of their lives and deaths shown in the bones. There is a history of archeological thinking here too. For a long time, evidently there was a presumption that prehistory was a less violent time…but the evidence is mounting that it was not.

Reducing air pollution: policies that pay off – An analysis done in Europe of the economic benefit of measures to reduce fine particle air pollution from wood heating and transport. It seems that similar type analysis could happen in other places in the world with some variation to tailor the reductions to have the biggest impact.

30 Incredible Winning Photos From the 2021 Nature Photographer of the Year Contest – Some eye-candy. My favorite is the caterpillar ‘walking among fennels’ – a similar scene happened at our CSA the first summer of the pandemic.

Assessing the U.S. Climate in 2021 – There were 20 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters that impacted the US in 2021.

Savanna Fire Management Can Fund Africa’s Protected Areas – Another article about the new economics we will need to understand to address climate change.

The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps' – Maybe one long period of sleep is ‘modern’….that humans slept in two phases prior to the industrial revolution. One of my grandmothers developed a ‘two sleeps’ pattern late in her life when she was living alone….and I am beginning to wonder if I will.

The Horned Helmets Falsely Attributed to Vikings Are Actually Nearly 3,000 Years Old – Another look at artifacts…and better dating…and the history derived/assumed previously is changed.

Top 25 birds of the week: bird coloration! – This time of year…a little color from birds is a welcome sight. I’m noticing the ones in my neighborhood: Northern Cardinal, House finches, and red-bellied woodpeckers.

Across the Boreal Forest, Scientists Are Tracking Warming’s Toll – The northern forests becoming carbon emitters….. peatlands are drying out, and hotter, drier conditions are leading to a steady increase in wildfires — all of it accelerating permafrost thaw.

The Legacy Of "Pele's Grandson," Alex Lancaster – Some history of volcano observation on the big island.

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 15, 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.

Top 25 Birds of the Week: January 2022 – This set includes a photo of a white-throated sparrow…one of the birds we see at our feeders only in the winter (along with juncos).

Threatened and Endangered Parks: Ghost Forests and rising seas – I recognized Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the pictures; I’ve visited it more frequently that any other NWR…and have observed some changes over the years. It was the first place I saw a bald eagle in the wild…back in 1990.

Musfur sinkhole: The chasm in Qatar’s desert. – Usually we think of the Arabian Peninsula being full of sand…but there are evidently sinkholes as well…deep enough to show layers of limestone and gypsum.

The Western megadrought is revealing America’s ‘lost national park’ – The water level in Lake Powell has fallen so much that Glen Canyon is revealed again. Gorgeous.

California mice eat Monarch butterflies – Mice eating butterflies that are on the ground had been observed in Mexico’s aggregation site…and now a similar interaction has been observed at a site in California where the Monarch’s aggregate.

Race and ethnicity across the nation – Data from the most recent census visualized on a map. Explore some places you know.

Findings open the way to more precise diagnoses and treatments of Alzheimer’s disease – A difference in Tau protein relates to slow or rapid development of the disease. There is a lot of research on the Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause cognitive decline going on; with aging populations around globe, it is important to refine the way the diseases are diagnosed…and then treated. One treatment is not going to work for all.

Here's what you should keep in your car and other ways to prepare for winter driving – After the recent prolonged closure of I-95 in Virginia, I started thinking more about this…and will pack a few extra things in my car if I make a road trip to Texas this winter. I would normally have the items listed in the article anyway since I am minimizing the need to stop along the way during the pandemic (but I would need to check the batteries in the flashlight…and add some extras). I would add a sleeping bag too since it is relatively compact and would make it a lot easier to stay warm; I was surprised that this item was not on the list in the article. And I will not wait until the gas tank is down below ¼ tank before I stop for more!

See something weird at the bird feeder? It’s not just you – So far, the only somewhat unusual bird I’ve seen at our feeder was a red-breasted nuthatch; we see the white-breasted ones all the time but there was a season that we had a few of the red-breasted birds too.

See Pandas, Elephants, Cheetahs and More Enjoy a Snow Day at the National Zoo – Fun in the snow…the young panda seems to enjoy rolling or sliding down hills!

22 Months in COVID-19 Pandemic

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22 months in COVID-19 pandemic is a long time to be in heightened awareness mode…long enough for new habits to become well established. I would feel very odd going into a store without a mask….or going shopping at a time where there are lots of people in the store…or shopping slowly…or going out to eat rather than getting takeout. These new habits are just part of the way I am out in the world right now; they are not difficult to sustain.

My concern about COVID-19 has increased over the past month as the Omicron variant has become more widespread and the infections/hospitalizations in Maryland (where I live) have increased dramatically. My husband and I have backed off the plans we had for beginning to get out more. We are enjoying our house and yard…doing outdoor activities on our own in areas without a lot of other people rather than meeting a group.

I take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy whatever I am doing:

…a sunrise before going into the grocery store

… the unfurling of yellow roses over several days as I do my normal activities in my home office (I had the vase on the window sill)

…the snow caught in the pinecones/greenery on our front door (I had opened the door to take it down to dismantle/take to the compost pile but decided to leave it)

Making the conscious effort to appreciate my surroundings is my best strategy for sustaining a positive attitude. I have also started setting 30 minute timers all during the day and doing 3 minutes of walking. It is a great way to move throughout the day and stay focused on whatever I need to do during the other 27 minutes!

My husband and I have planned what we will do after my cancer surgery since there will be a higher than usual chance we will be exposed to COVID-19. For him, being in the waiting room for hours is the challenge; even if he goes outside to eat/drink and everyone is masked when indoors…it will be a lot longer indoors away from home since the initial lockdowns of the pandemic. For me, the exposure could take place during the surgery itself…from the time I take off my mask to the time I wake up from anesthesia; presumably everyone will be masked and the air filtration will be good….but still more chance of exposure than my normal routine. Our plan for 5 days post-surgery is to be on separate floors of our house when we have our mask off (sleeping, eating/drinking, showering) ….and test if we have any symptoms. I’ll post more about it as we implement the pan.

By the time I am recovered from surgery and ready for another road trip to Texas, the Omicron variant may be waning and hopefully another variant is not burning bright and hot….but maybe that is wishful thinking.

Macro Photograph (Brookside Gardens) – Part II

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Continuing the images from my walk around Brookside Gardens….

Even cold damaged flowers are good subjects for macro images…particularly with small water droplets on them. The amount of magnification makes quite a difference!

Juniper adds green and blue color to the scene this time of year.

I am always attracted to the horsetails near the visitor center…in a thick stand. These primitive plants have always fascinated me because they are a plant I learned about in a biology text book (way back in the early 1970s) then recognized in the wild on a day trip to Platt National Park.

And then there are the best of the rest. Do you recognize the gingko bud, a yellow holly berry, a rhododendron bud?

Overall – every time I go to Brookside there is something new to notice. My observational and photographic skills get a workout!

Macro Photograph (Brookside Gardens) – Part I

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Kase Smartphone Macro Lens clipped to my phone and a Bluetooth remote shutter. Speed was not essential because it was too cold for insects, but I got a lot more images that he did!

While he was getting his equipment together, I looked at water droplets on nearby trees reflecting the forest.

The wood hydrangea had lots of surfaces of interest: dried flowers, leave scars, and buds for next season. Someday I want a wood hydrangea in my yard!

There was a vine growing on the wall of the visitor center with tiny tendrils ending in ‘suction cup’ like structures keeping the larger stem attached to the vertical surface.

Another stem with leaf scars and noticeable lenticles….and some bristles. I’m not sure what plant it was.

Finally – there were the camellias that are blooming this time of year: flowers and buds…lots of water droplets.

More Macro from Brookside tomorrow….

Neighborhood Walk in the Snow

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I bundled up in snow pants, hiking boots, scarf, coat and gloves for a walk in our neighborhood after the snow had stopped; it was afternoon, but the temperature was still below freezing. My phone was on a lanyard and the Bluetooth clicker was in my hand….all set to take pictures along my route. Our driveway was still pristine when I walked through; we had opted not to shovel since we didn’t need to get out for a few days and it would melt before then. Our street had not been plowed yet, but cars had made tracks.

The evergreens were flocked with snow. I liked the way the long needles looked from underneath…more green showing. The cedars were heavy with snow, but I didn’t see any broken branches. There was a little breeze that would cause small amounts of snow to fall; the temperature and the wetness of the snow kept most of it in place.

There was a large tree that had many large branches starting a couple of feet above my height; the snow seemed to highlight their juncture. I wondered if the primary stem had been damaged when it was young.

The pond was surrounded by cattails holding snow. It appeared that erosion has reduced the size of the pond since it was dredged a few years ago.

I photographed a branch from a small tree from underneath. The branches were close enough together to hold a lot of snow….the cohesion of the crystals in this particular snow were impressive. A little breeze came through, but the snow stayed in place.

The fire hydrants in the neighborhood sported snow on every surface that was even a little horizontal. The roughness of tree bark also held snow.

When I got to the main road – I saw that the clouds were beginning to clear…great blue – yellow – orange color for the late afternoon.

I took one last picture before I turned back toward home. Someone had been out with a snowblower to clear sidewalks…preparing for the neighborhoods school children catching the bus the next day….or the day after.

There were some crepe myrtle pods from last fall holding mounds of snow. Two boys were making a small snowman nearby.

As I walked by the pond again, I noted that there were no sled tracks down the hill that my daughter thoroughly enjoyed 20 years ago. Have the neighborhood children not discovered it, or do they stick closer to their own yard and siblings because of the pandemic?  

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 8, 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.

2021 Year In Review: Top Stories From The National Parks – Lots of perspectives in these ‘top stories’ – lots of challenges but some room for hope in 2022.

Earth in 2021 – A 3-minute video summary from NASA….lots of before and after catastrophic events. The text in the post has a short description of the events in the video.

Top 25 birds of the week: Birding! – Bird photographs…always a great look.

Stopping dementia at the nose with combination of rifampicin and resveratrol – The research was done in mice…they started preparation for human clinical trials in November. If it is effective in humans and can be produced/distributed economically, it could be a boon for aging populations around the world.

Saguaro National Park – A place I visited frequently while by daughter was in Tucson for graduate school. It’s interesting how they are monitoring the keystone species in the park…concern is that fewer young saguaros are surviving these days.

Climate-driven weather disasters inflicted billions in damage in 2021, study says – The cost of climate change already is impacting economies around the world….doing something to reduce/mitigate climate change is quickly becoming the option that makes the most economic sense for everyone.

Poison Ivy – You don’t want to touch it…but it’s best left alone when it’s growing in a place where people are unlikely to contact it. Its berries provide food for birds in the winter, it does not hurt the trees it climbs, and its leaves turn red in the fall.

Chalk steams: why ‘England’s rainforests’ are so rare and precious – This article brought back memories of wading in chalk bottomed creeks in the Dallas, TX area when I was teenager. I don’t remember much about the plants and animals…more about the fossils weathering out of the chalk.

2021 Year In Review - Another Year of Photography During The Pandemic – Beautiful places…and some little photography lessons too.

The year in chemistry: 2021’s biggest chemistry stories – 2021 was quite a year for big chemistry stories! Several of them are likely to have high impact for years to come.

First Snow this Winter

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Our first snow of the season came this week…and it was about 6 inches that fell from the wee hours of the morning until about noon. The temperature hovered around 30 degrees.

I did little photography projects throughout the morning. The accumulation between 7:30 and 10 AM shows in the pictures below.

I stood in the open garage door to photograph the scene from the front of our house about sunrise while it was snowing heavily and leaned out to take a close picture of the holly growing at the corner of our house.

Later I went out on our covered/screened deck and opened the door to take pictures of the sycamore – old leaves, tangle of branches, and the snow clinging to the texture of the peeling bark.

The snow was sticking to near vertical surfaces of the deck.

I did some experimental pictures of the maple and a cedar through the screen (the screens were catching snow too). It made a counted cross stitch effect!

I heard a wren singing when I was in my office and looked for it…found it under the bench…and watching for a space at the feeder to open.

I also noticed some crows cleaning up around the base of the feeder out in the yard.

My husband too a picture of the deck. The feeder was periodically full of birds throughout the morning!

I made our traditional peppermint snow ice cream after most of the snow had fallen…skimming off the top layer of snow into a big bowl and then adding milk, pieces of peppermint candy, sugar, and vanilla. Mixed with my electric mixer. Yummy! I was not as successful at another traditional activity: photographing snowflakes. At first it was too warm and then it seemed like the flakes were all breaking on impact with my chilled plate. Maybe I’ll have better luck with the next snow.

Macro Photography (indoor)

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I got a new macro lens for my phone over the holidays – a Kase Smartphone Macro Lens. It comes with wih a U-shaped clip which didn’t fit over the phone + case so I am using the clip that also came in the package. I leave the lens attached to the clip and store it in the small bag that was also included.  The advantage of this lens is the increased distance from the subject (i.e. I don’t have to get as close…a very good thing if the insect has a stinger!). It is a little heavier but, so far, it seems to be easier to hold the phone and lens steady…no tripod required.

My first experiments were indoors around the house. I started with flowers I’d bought recently. My favorite of this group is the yellow rose.

The acrylic yarn of my 40+ year old crocheted chair blanket shows how long lasting the fibers are! A macrame hanging my sister made is the same vintage. The material is twine-like and I wonder if she had to wear gloves while she was making it.

Some images printed on paper are pixelated when magnified…others are not.

Peacock feathers are like abstract art in macro view.

I looked at the way different surfaces with patterns appear in macro: pulp paper (Zentangle with Sharpie ink), plastic, an ivy ceramic coaster (I never noticed the yellow mark in the pattern before), a bamboo back scratcher handle…a joint of the stem, and a clear plastic ribbon with a gold pattern.

Two objects with inlay: a box and an earring. On the earring, the black piece that looks like the arms on a clock…is (unmagnified) a bird flying over a landscape.

And continuing with some other earring…small objects made large with magnification.