30 Years Ago – July 1991

In June 1991, we had guests from Texas at our house. In July 1991, we went to Texas. I remember it vividly and was surprised when I looked back through my notes from the time to find that we were only there for 4 days. It seems like we did so much: went to the Dallas zoo, did a lot of water play with hoses and plastic bins big enough for each 23 month old girl to have her own, and explored several playgrounds where the swings were big favorites.

It seemed like my daughter had a step increase in language and coordination…..and became a lot more opinionated about what she wanted to do. Maybe that last part was a precursor to her ‘terrible twos.’

We had two rounds of colds – before and after the trip to Texas. My husband did the best which was good since he was settling into his new job. My daughter had an eye infection along with her cold. I had an eye and ear infection that took 3 different antibiotics back to back; finally the last one worked.

The garden my mother-in-law had tended the previous summer was producing tomatoes, chives, dill, oregano and sunflowers. She died in Fall 1990 and we felt closer to her in the garden she had created than at the cemetery where she was buried.

Gleanings of the Week Ending February 8, 2020

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.

Abstract Aerial Photos of Iceland's Rivers Look Like Watercolor Paintings – A little art photography to start out the gleanings this week.

Tomb Containing Three Generations of Warrior Women Unearthed in Russia | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine – Evidently research is revealing that warrior women were the norm, not the exception, in Scythian culture. Scythians lived in small tribes, wore trousers (practical since they were on horseback much of the time) and fought with bows and arrows.

Protecting the Sonoran Pronghorn from Extinction – It’s complicated….lots of agencies involved….an international border that is becoming a migration barrier.

Is Notre-Dame Too Fragile to Be Saved? | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine – Removing the scaffolding that was melted by the fire is evidently going to be a big challenge.

Whooping cough evolving into a superbug -- ScienceDaily – The research was done in Australia…but it probably applies to the US as well. Bottom line: we need to be developing an improved whooping cough vaccine.

One Reason Colorado Playgrounds Are Looking Way More ‘Natural’ | Colorado Public Radio – I like the new types of playgrounds….more than swing sets and slides…bringing in some natural elements.

White Sands National Monument Redesignated As A "National Park" – A beautiful and unique place. I’ve only been there once…but it was very memorable. The biggest surprise for me was that even on a hot day in June, the sand was not hot! Being white really does reflect the heat up and away.

2019 Year In Review: Some Great Photo Tips – So many beautiful places to photograph….take some time in a natural place (National Parks are awesome…but there are other places that are great too).

Striking Portraits of Rare and Endangered Birds by Tim Flach – I tend to like bird pictures from the wild…but these are amazing portraits. Virginia Cardinal – I was surprised to see it in this grouping…as far as I know they are not different than the Northern Cardinal. Cornell’s Allaboutbirds doesn’t have a listing for them.

Mealworms safely consume toxic additive-containing plastic -- ScienceDaily – Not an answer to the plastic problem…more like basic research that could be incorporated into a partial solution. The biggest gain comes from dramatically reducing single use plastics.

Cat Playground

Our den has some comfortable chairs but I’m beginning to realize is it turning into a playground for our cat. The most recent cat toy is a donut shape with entrances on two sides. The cat enjoys napping or simply hiding in there. Sometimes he takes one of the small toy mice inside to play.

Outside the donut are cushions, corrugated cardboard platforms (excellent for clawing), a battery powered feathery ‘bird’ and some wands with feathers on the end – which the cat drags to a person to make the fluff come alive (sometimes going up the stairs with the toy during the night).

But for this month, the donut is the new toy.