Sandwiched

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I am sandwiched between elderly parents and an early career daughter. Many of the articles about being in this situation seem to focus on the stress of being pulled between the two generations. My perception of it – so far – is how lucky I am…not the stress it might cause from time to time. Yes – I can’t be everywhere at once – but I am not the only one involved. I am married and have three sisters…all in the situation with me!

The distance between Maryland (me) and Texas (my parents) requires a two day drive…it’s slightly shorter but still 2 days to Missouri (my daughter’s). Flying is easier between my home and my parents since both are major cities; the flights to my daughters all require at least one stop.  Overall – it is a challenge to get to them fast. Virtual is helpful but not the same as being there in person.

I was fortunate that neither generation of my sandwich had an emergency during the pandemic. Traveling the distance quickly (driving or flying) is already a challenge…it would have been incredibly traumatic to not be able to travel at all; I’m glad we are all vaccinated now so the travel restriction is lifting.

The pandemic year has probably increased the need to travel to my parents more frequently. Maybe I will feel the pull more acutely…or not. I going to stay with the idea of savoring the time with both generations!

Carrollton TX Yard – Plant Curves

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Sometimes when I look at plants….is see the embedded curves rather than the whole plant:

The spiral in the center of a new leaf

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The tight role of another leaf…rather like a tortillon I use for smudging when I make traditional Zentangle tiles

The lazy accordion pleats in a narrow leaf (how did that happen?)

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The wrapped petals of a swamp iris poised to open into a flower…overlapping curves within the bud framed by leaves.

Ins and Outs of Walkers

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My mother has been using a walker off and on for several years…all the time for the past year or so. Over that time – she has used 3 different walkers and learned some lessons.

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The walker that is best for her now is this one.

Tennis balls. One of the most common mods made to walkers is adding tennis balls to the feet. On the one she has now they prolong the life of the rear push locks.

Fold down seat. The first walker she used was like the current one but didn’t have a seat. It worked about the same for walking. The seat adds a place for her to sit anywhere she needs too (the kitchen is a place she uses the seat a lot…or as a perch to cut a flower outdoors) and can be used as a platform to take things along with her – a basket of clothes to/from the laundry, the newspapers out to the recycle, etc.

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2 wheels are better than 4. She used a 4-wheel walker for a time. It rolls very easily and worked well when she only needed the walker occasionally and she was going on longer walks. I remember a 4th of July when the family made a short hike down to the neighborhood vantage point to see fireworks; she enjoyed them from her walker seat! She used it in the house until the past few months. It rolls too easily for her to manage now.

Move 2 wheels to the inside of the walker frame to minimize width – increase maneuverability. The walker she is using now came with the wheels on the outside of the walker as had the first one she used. We moved them to the inside so that going through narrow places (doorways, hallways) was a bit easier. It’s surprising the difference that little bit of reduced width can make!

Folded size. Since the walker goes with her everywhere – the folded size and the ease of getting it folded/unfolded is important. The seat on the walker she is using now folds up and the sides fold inward. It fits easily into all the family vehicles.

Overall – the walker she is using now is honed to her needs….and she is making the most of every aspect of it!

Texas Sunrise

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I am still up early enough to see the sunrise….in Texas rather than Maryland. My parent’s house has a different sort of view; even though the power lines in their immediate neighborhood are underground, there are some larger power lines not that far away. Another difference this year is the silhouettes that reflect the impact of the very cold week that happened in this area of Texas last winter. The palm in the lower left is brown….maybe it will come out from the base again…or not. The tree on the right has no leaves at all; it is the only tree visible that is still bare. The other trees seem to have survived the cold and are full of leaves - usual spring selves.  

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Gleanings of the Week Ending May 15, 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.

Top 25 birds of the week: Camouflage – Birds that blend in….a photography challenge sometimes – finding the bird then zoom in enough to make the bird easy to spot.

You Can Now Explore the Louvre's Entire Collection Online | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine – Next best thing to being there.

The radical coral rescue plan that paid off – Restoration after Hurricane Iris hit Belize in 2001.

Experimenting with Tucson Night Lights – Streetlights accounted for only 13% of the light visible after midnight….so we need to address other types of lighting to reduce the impact of outdoor lighting. Streetlights have been the easiest to address because they are a single source, and the local government has direct control over them.

1,200-year-old children’s hand prints found in Mexican cave – Made by Mayan children…perhaps made during coming of age ritual…in black handprints at first…then red.

Pileated Visitation – The joy of having a pileated woodpecker around long enough to photograph.

Forget Stonehenge: the first know massive monuments are much older – 6th millennium BC (7,000 years ago) structures on the Arabia Peninsula. Mustatils built as monuments by cattle herders.

Bald Eagle Cams Are Active. Here are the best 4. – It’s the time of year to watch nest cams!

Prairie Ecologist – Photographs of the week – April 23 2021 – Prairie dandelions on different than the dandelions that come up in my yard in Maryland!

Photography in the National Parks: the yin and yang of a composition – A Rebecca Lawson post…beautiful and instructive.

William Henry Bartlett Illustrations

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Back in March, I browsed through books on Internet Archive illustrated by William Henry Bartlett that I hadn’t found in previous years. He was a prolific British artist; there would be a lot more books had he not died when he was 45 years old returning from a trip to the near east probably of cholera.

There are six books from my March browsing…and I selected 2 illustrations from each one.

Switzerland by William Beattie (1834)

Ireland Illustrated by George Newnham Wright (1800) along with other illustrators

Syria, the Holy Land, Asia Minor by John Carne (1836)

Macro Iris

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As we cut the spent flowers from the clumps of iris around the yard (to keep the plants from expending energy growing seed pods) – we brought the flowers and buds inside for a bouquet on the table.

That bouquet created a great opportunity for macro photography of the ‘beards’ and frills of the petals. They are large enough that my 5x magnifier with light was sufficient to get the magnification I wanted. I experimented with different angles and tried to get at least one view of all the colors in the vase.

I read that pollinators hold onto the beard structure to enter and exit the flower in pursuit of nectar!

14 Months in COVID-19 Pandemic

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I celebrated my vaccine becoming fully effective (2 weeks following my second shot of the Moderna vaccine) during the 14th month of the pandemic. It was a significant milestone. The big change was feeling safe enough to set off on a road trip to see my parents; I hadn’t seen them since the January before the pandemic was declared.

There are non-critical appointments that are being scheduled now – dentist, eye doctor, haircuts. My parents may be mostly caught up on those types of appointments before I go back to Maryland; I’ll start catching up for myself by June.

What a difference from May 2020 when the news was dire – hospitals overflowing in some areas of the country and many deaths were in senior living/nursing homes. We know a lot more about the virus now and there are effective vaccines. It surprises me that we may not reach herd immunity for COVID-19 because there are too many people that are reluctant to get the vaccine. I remember in the 1960s with the roll out of the polio vaccine…everyone going to the local school for the sugar cube. It made polio an extremely rare occurrence very quickly. It is frustrating and sad that there is a segment of US society in 2021 that is seems to be focused on their right to not get vaccinated rather than their health and the health of others.

Trying to end on a more positive note….

I have gone back to carrying a purse rather than carrying minimal essentials (car key, credit card, id) in a wrist band. The purse has room for my mask although I still tend to put my mask on in the car before I walk across the parking lot into the store. I like to not be in a rush to put the mask on or do it while I am walking.

It’s hard to know how crowded a park will be so I generally carry the mask with me….and put it on if there are too many people sharing the trails. I am conscious of probably wearing the mask more than the new CDC guidance. As it gets hotter, I’ll pay close attention to the guidance and be keen to take the mask off whenever I can!

High Key Iris

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When I got to Texas the irises were blooming profusely. Now they are about done for the season. On a rainy afternoon I experimented with some indoor photography of some the last of the flowers…in high key mode (backlit, over exposed).

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The flowers are frilly and fragile….lasting a short time once they are open. We cut the spent flowers and let the next bud on the stalk take over the show….until all the buds have opened. The stalks that bloomed outdoors are cut when the flowers are done to keep the plant from expending energy growing a seed pod.

I noticed that some of the flowers smell citrusy.

30 Years ago – May 1991

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May 1991 was a hectic – and traumatic month. One of my sisters experienced a mid-term miscarriage, my husband started a new job (carrying boxes increased his back problem), I was juggling 2 projects for the first half of the month requiring frequent travel to Atlanta, my daughter was exhibiting some ‘terrible twos’ behavior a few months before she was 2 (deciding she didn’t like baths, sometimes refusing to feed herself, taking off at her fastest run across a cemetery, grabbing my glasses from my face), and my computer monitor failed making it impossible to work at home for a few days until we made an emergency purchase of a new one.

On the positive side – my daughter was loving the outdoors. In the early part of the month, she thoroughly explored the back yard – smelling the roses, feeling the branches of the willow sweep over her, and picking some chives flowers to bring inside.

The later part of the month was dry enough that I turned on the sprinkler to water the yard one afternoon….not anticipating how thrilled my daughter would be. She immediately went to play in the spray. It was her first experience with a sprinkler.

Some other firsts that month for her: riding the train at Wheaton Park and an escalator. One of her books had an escalator and she was excited to see and ride a real one.

I was writing letters to family on my computer but sending them snail mail. The books I was reading (airplane rides were prime reading time for me) were mostly used books. I noticed a young child waiting for the bus and worried that my daughter would be doing that in a few years.

Even with all the things that happened over the course of the month – by the end things were looking good for June: husband was settled into new job, one of my projects was done so there was only one ongoing, and we expected visits from 2 of my sisters in June (separate weeks so not an overwhelming prospect!).

Gleanings of the Week Ending Saturday May 8, 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.

Top 25 Birds of the Week: Seedeaters! – Starting out the gleanings list with bird photographs.

Mapping tree inequality: Why many people don’t benefit from tree cover – Trees are an effective way to reduce the heat island effect within cities (i.e. where there are fewer trees it is hotter). Lower income communities tend to have fewer trees…and thus are hotter. As there are more hot days, the impact is becoming greater. There is also a beauty to trees…each one is an island of nature in a sea of concrete and asphalt. Increasing trees in cities and towns is an investment in physical and mental health!

Roman temple at Egyptian Emerald Mine – In the eastern Egyptian desert. The researchers found 19 coins, incense burners, bronze and steatite figurines, bones, terracotta body parts, and amulets.

Return of Brood X Cicadas – This brood emerges in the area where I live in Maryland. I am not there to see it, but I hope my husband can photograph some emerging cicadas. There should be lots of opportunities!

Invasive Jumping Worms Have Spread to 15 States – This species is in the middle of the country. I haven’t seen any yet in Texas, but they are in the state and my daughter might have them in Missouri. Hopefully, there will be a method to control them soon or the landscape of that area of the country could change…they are a small organism with a big impact.

A Retreat to Catoctin – This park is close  (about an hour) from where I live in Maryland. I’ve been there many times….maybe not often enough.

Hopes and Weeping Trees: What’s up with the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker? – Neat rows of holes in tree trunks? There is a sapsucker around. Sometimes hummingbirds will come to get the sap dribbling out of the holes. I am always pleased to discover a tree that has been visited by a sapsucker; I noticed when I was at Mt. Pleasant this spring that the tree that was convenient to a hiking route for school field trips (pre-pandemic) has been cut down so I will hunt for another one to share with hikers.

Trove of 2,000-Year-Old Bronze Mirrors Found in Ancient Chinese Cemetery – 80 mirrors….ranging from 3-9 inches in diameter. There are other artifacts recovered from the same cemetery….maybe more stories to come as the excavations and analysis of finds continues.

Charting ice from above – The Icebird flights….flying low over ice and open water. What if feels like to be part of the crew.

National Parks Traveler Checklist: Padre Island National Sea Shore – My husband and I have been to parts of the Padre Island National Sea Shore for snippets of time. Our plan to visit in 2017 to see more of the park was cancelled after Hurricane Harvey…maybe we should add it to our post-pandemic travel plans!

eBotanical Prints – April 2021

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20 botanical print books browsed in April and added to the list. There was a variety at the beginning then a series (Flora Brasiliensis) which I will continue browsing in May. I browse the volumes of Flora Braziliensis in Internet Archive but it is easier to find all the volumes in Botanicus.

There was quite an age range for the books in April too – 1786 to 1976…with the early 1900s dominating.

The whole list of 2,218 eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the April books is at the end of this post.

Click an any sample images below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the April eBotanical Prints!

The practical flower garden * Ely, Helena Rutherfurd * sample image * 1911

Hortus Nitidissimis * Trew, Christoph Jacob * sample image * 1786

How to know the wildflowers * Dana, Mrs. William Starr; Satterlee, Marion; Shaw, Elsie Louise * sample image * 1915

Genera filicum * Fee, Antoine Laurent Apollinaire * sample image * 1850

Iconographie des espèces nouvelles décrites ou énumérées dans le genera filicum et révision des publications antérieures relatives à la famille des fougères * Fee, Antoine Laurent Apollinaire * sample image * 1854

A Catskill flora and economic botany * Brooks, Karl L.  * sample image * 1979

Field guide to the aquatic plants of Lake George, New York * Ogden, Eugene Cecil * sample image * 1976

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V1, Pt1 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V1, Pt2 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V2, Pt1-2 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V2, Pt3 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V3, Pt1 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V3, Pt2 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V3, Pt3 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V3, Pt4 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V3, Pt5 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V3, Pt6 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V4, Pt1 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V4, Pt2 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Flora Brasiliensis, enumeratio plantarum in Brasilia hactenus detectarum :quas suis aliorumque botanicorum studiis descriptas et methodo naturali digestas partim icone illustratas V5, Pt1 * Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von; Eichler, August Wilhelm; Urban, Ignatz * sample image * 1906

Filling time at the Hospital – Zentangle® Tiles

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One of the ways I filled the hours of inactivity at the hospital was making Zentangle tiles. Their creation was easily interrupted and then continued…..fitting around conversations with nurses and doctors and varying interactions with my mother as she improved. There was a feeling of accomplishment and optimism when a tile was finished.

Being creative in times of stress has always been a good coping mechanism for me. Making a Zentangle tile is a form of respite…a little art that makes it easier for my mind to be creative in other ways too…coming up with solutions to whatever happens in the next hours at the hospital.

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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.

Hospital Experience

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Most of my experiences at hospitals is associated with my parents getting older and needing support during hospitalization. A week ago, another one was history. My sister and I organized 24-hour shifts to support a 4 day stay in the hospital (we each had 2 shifts) and now are supporting follow up appointments and at-home PT. It’s a time requiring focus - overcoming a lot of emotion, anxiety, sleeping on somewhat uncomfortable converted couches, and boredom during long waits. My favorite activities to keep the boredom at bay are making Zentangle tiles, reading, and making notes about what is happening/what I was thinking about. I’ll post the tiles I made at the hospital in another post.

Vaccination makes quite a difference in our anxiety about COVID-19; the hospital allowed limited visitors. Mask wearing (except when eating) was required. My KF-94 mask was comfortable for the long hours of wear, but my ears were increasingly tender by the second 24 hours. I was relieved that there was no need for another long duration round of mask wearing. The only time I took my mask off for more than a few minutes in the hospital was once to eat a sandwich in an outdoor picnic area (lots of grackle calls…very windy).

I also took pictures from the hospital room and nearby lobby. There were two rooms last week. The first was in the ICU and on the 7th floor of the hospital. The roof below the window was somewhat decorative and the front of the hospital with the two columns of water was also visible.

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We moved out of the ICU in the middle of the night – up to the 10th floor and to the other end of the hospital. Note the different orientation of the two columns of water.

We had just settled into the new room…drifted off to sleep…when I heard a big noise and realized it was a helicopter. I sat up and saw it landing…noted that it was 2:10 AM…went back to sleep…the patient slept through everything. In the daylight – it was easy to see that the room looked down on the helipad for the hospital!

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The height of the windows provided a good view of the Dallas skyline. I wondered how long it would take for the neat rows of trees planted at the front of the hospital to get big enough to be more forest like.

On my rare forays down to the 1st floor lobby for food – I realized that my favorite art along the long hall was a work that depicts wildflowers of Texas. Many of them have such distinctive shapes that they are identifiable in silhouette.

Overall – the pandemic protocols did make this hospital stay a bit different (masks, limited visitors, less ‘stuff’ coming home) than our previous experience. The fundamental goal happened - the patient got better and came home. That is success.

A few minutes observing – Kale

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When I took my car in for service before I left on my road trip to Texas – I noticed the kale that overwintered in the planters while I was waiting for my car to be driven out of the garage…took a few minutes to photograph the foliage and the flowers.

When I took my car in for service before I left on my road trip to Texas – I noticed the kale that overwintered in the planters while I was waiting for my car to be driven out of the garage…took a few minutes to photograph the foliage and the flowers.

I am realizing that finding little pockets of beauty around me – wherever I happen to be – is something I’ve trained myself to do. In this case I was surrounded by concrete, asphalt, car dealership…but the planters were what I noticed while I waited. The pandemic has probably heightened my need and skill in finding/savoring beauty – often documenting it with some phone photography. It’s one of the coping skills I do almost automatically these days.

Counting Tree Rings

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Determining the age of a tree by counting the growth rings is often easier in theory than in practice. I photographed a stump from a recently cut tree. The rings are clearly visible – no saw marks or decay to complicate the view. But – the stump is not perfectly round and the rings in the most recent years are tightly spaced (i.e. the tree was struggling as it got older…maybe from disease).

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I took zoomed views from various perspectives. How old do you think the tree was?

It’s often easier to use count the rings in tree cookies (cross sections of tree branches less land 5 inches diameter that are round….often less than a decade of growth). This example illustrates the increased challenge counting of rings for the whole tree!

Zentangle® – April 2021

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Savoring the Zentangle tiles I made in April. There were the usual shaped tiles that I scanned before I lift on the road trip:

Rectangular

(cut from recycled dividers of cat food vans)

Square

(cut from file folders and light cardboard boxes)

Circles

(paper coasters)

Then there were square tiles I made on the road trip and after I got to Texas. Since I don’t travel with a scanner – I used the phone’s camera set to square images….which works almost as well as the scanner.

Overall, I was pleased with the results of the scanning and photos. There was the usual challenge to pick just 30…and I’m savoring the variety of patterns and colors that show in these mosaics. I am getting closer to using up enough of the Ultra-Thin Sharpie pens to buy a new set….it will be like mid-year Christmas!

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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.

Gleanings of the Week Ending April 30, 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.

This Map Shows You the Odds of Finding a New Species in Your Neighborhood | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine – In most of the North America, the odds are small…but there are some hot spots.

How our microplastic waste becomes 'hubs' for pathogens, antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- ScienceDaily – Another way that microplastics cause problems. The material is changing the composition and activity within wastewater treatment sludge.

How your sense of smell predicts your overall health - BBC Future – What about people with chronic stuffy noses from allergies or responses to poor air quality? Wouldn’t nose stuffiness reduce the sense of smell somewhat?

Twin Birth Rates Have Soared Globally in the Last Three Decades | Smart News Science | Smithsonian Magazine – Having children later in life and medically assisted reproduction are thought to be the cause.

Top 25 birds of the week: April 2021! - Wild Bird Revolution – Beautiful birds…I always enjoy the 25 pictures each week.

Discarded Covid-19 Masks and Plastic Gloves Are Killing Wildlife | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine – Ugh! I’m always upset if I see PPE litter; disposable of them properly so they don’t escape into the environment. I will be following the suggestions of ‘snipping the straps on disposable masks’ before I put mine in the trash. I haven’t been using gloves…just soap/water and hand sanitizer.

Thurston Lava Tube Open Again at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park  - I walked this trail! Glad it is reopened for people to enjoy.

Small farms outdo big ones on biodiversity — and crop yields: Research Highlights – Hurray for small farms.

Beaver? Otter? Muskrat? A Field Guide to Freshwater Mammals – Look at the pictures – how many can you identify?

Climate change cut global farming productivity 21% since 1960s -- ScienceDaily – The changing climate has made subtle changes that add up to the impact on farming productivity. Evidently the impact is greatest in areas that were already hotter.  

Browsing Natural History Magazines – March 2021

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I browsed the 1966 to 1984 volumes of The American Museum of Natural History’s magazine available on Internet Archive in March 2021. There will be more browsed in April. I collected a few images from each volume ... all the volumes are well worth looking through.

In 1966, the infographic (I’m sure they didn’t call it that in 1966) about spider webs was well done

And I enjoyed the bird pictures by Basil Ede.

Then there were images if flowers and mushrooms and Persian artifacts…carnivorous plants, flamingoes… that I picked from the 1967 to 1972 volumes (this was the time period I was in grade 7-12).

In 1973 there were seed pods (lotus, magnolia, London Plane)), a small racoon, fall leaves, and a turkey…marking the seasons.

In 1974 to 1977 my image picks are hermit crabs, volvox, Mesa Verde (which my husband I visited during this time), and a frog. My husband got his undergraduate degree and I was working full time/going to college part time.

In 1978 there were some beautiful images of seeds in flight.

1979 included many articles that were interesting to me: skunk cabbage, Pompeii, and the 17-year cicadas.

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In 1980 there was an article about how snakes shed their skin.

The 1981 volume is missing from the Internet Archive collection. In 1982 there were a lot of articles that interested me – about Jack-in-the-Pulpits and lichens…jewel weed and nautiluses….

And then endemic Hawaiian plants and birds. 1982 was the year my husband and I finished our formal schooling…he had a PhD in Physics and I had a MS in Math.

1983 included a great picture of an Egret in Florida…1984 some parasitized caterpillars. 1983 was a pivot year for us because we move away from Texas and to Virginia/Maryland pursuing our careers.

Overall – I enjoy browsing through the annual volumes of this magazine….thinking about what I was doing at the time they were originally published.