April Showers

 

Bring May Flowers

So we’ve had the April Showers and right now I have a yard filled with May Flowers.  sort of . . . .

Dandelions

Buttercups

Wood Violets

and

Clover

Well, that’s okay.  Flowers iz flowers – right?

I occasionally fascinate and astound you with odd facts about the happenings for different days (week, month).  And, since I know nada of great interest, I thought I’d do so again.  However, THIS time I’m passing on information early so you can mark your calendar in expectation for some exciting, fun, not-to-be-missed and totally weird things.  

First of all – May, May, the lusty month of May is also

Amaranth month

Each month the Whole Grains Council features a “Grain of the Month”, including information on its health benefits, cooking tips and recipes, historical/cultural facts, and more.  May’s Grain of the Month, the pseudocereal Amaranth, makes up for what it lacks in size and perhaps recognition by packing a nutritional punch. Mentioned in Aesop’s fables and Milton’s Paradise Lost and sometimes called the “food of immortality” by the Aztecs, this resilient and visually striking plant has recently gained popularity in the health food scene and is ready to retake the spotlight.

Drum month

International Drum Month is celebrated in May, and we can feel the rhythm and joy already. What is it about drums that create deep connections with forces greater than us? Drumming is hypnotic, compelling listeners to sway or jump at each turn. Music has always offered humans a space for connection. Drums achieve this quite spectacularly. Perhaps their beat mimics the energy and sound of the earth. Their sounds call us to become who we ought to be — happy, unfettered, and making meaningful connections. Every year in May, musicians everywhere celebrate this most beloved musical instrument.

Mystery month

Started by the American Library Association, Mystery Month highlights all things mysterious. Mysteries, with their unusual situations, puzzling clues, usual suspects, and plenty of unexplained phenomena, are great for readers of all ages.

And, so we move onto Weeks to celebrate -

National Hug Week: 1-7

Craft Brewers Week: 7-10

National Public Gardens Week: 12-21

National Unicycle Week: 21-27

Old-Time Player Piano Weekend:  26-28

And, finally Days

Garden Meditation Day: 3

Great American Grump Out: 3

I included two different ‘holidays’ on one day because one seems to offset the other.

This next one is for my son-in-law . . . . .

Tuba Day: 5

International Tuba Day was created to recognize tubists in musical organizations around the world who have to go through the hassle of handling a tuba. What hassles do tubists have? Tuba players obviously have hassles due to the size and weight of their instruments, but what is actually more of a hassle for tuba players is the prevalence of stereotyped attitudes among people towards tubists and their role in a musical organization.

World Naked Gardening Day:  6

No Socks Day: 8

Eat What You Want Day: 11

Crouton Day: 13

World Bee Day: 20

Sherlock Holmes Day: 22

International Tiara Day: 24

Cookie Monster's Birthday: 25

Joe Cool Day: 27

Mint Julep Day: 30

National Smile Day: 31

2 May 2023

Today

  

As usual for me, early this morning I sat down at the computer to check the news, emails, blogs, and a few other things.  In the news, there was all the daily screaming and lamenting about politics, war, death, destruction, and

Scientists may have finally figured out why hair turns gray —
and how to stop it (why?  gray hair isn’t unattractive and it doesn’t mean we won’t continue to age - somebody has too much time on their hands)

Superchat’s new AI chatbot lets you message historical and fictional characters via ChatGPT  The characters include notable historical figures like Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, Cleopatra or Neil Armstrong, plus those from public domain works, classic stories, or fairy tales, like Snow White or Medusa or Sherlock Holmes, as well as those that represent different professions, like gardeners, chefs, or therapists.(oooookay – talk to fictional characters and get the FICTIONAL answer??)

There wasn’t anything about what today is –

EARTH DAY!

Every year, April 22 is celebrated as Earth Day.  It is an annual event where people should take time out to demonstrate their support for protecting the planet and its environment.

Here are a few things happening in my part of the Earth –

Lovely trees

I covet this one – a Live Oak with huge branches reaching for the ground. 

 
My catalpa tree is blooming

 

Wild Horsemint or Bee Balm

 

Pretty dandelions

 

Ditch lilies

 

My wild area

 

Lettuce patch

 

Herbs

Catnip.  Honest to god – this should be with the wild section because it grows like ….. well, like wild!  The small flower – Pinks (I do know the real name – Dianthus but I like Pinks better)

 

Birds

 

And Babies

The last picture probably has little to do with nature but I do see the subject everyday and said subject is on Earth .....

Me – struggling with the whole “selfie” thing.  I am not talented enough to hold the phone at the right height/angle, smile, press the camera button, and not drop it on the floor.  Best effort.

So go out and enjoy your part of the Earth today.  And, consider what you might do to help our world survive.

 ps  I’ve been quiet these past many months for a lot of boring reasons but primarily because being on the computer (phone, kindle) for longer than an hour, very quickly makes my eyes so tired seeing clearly becomes difficult-to-really hard and reading is nearly impossible.  Argh!

22 Apr 2023

Sometimes …

  

Do you ever watch a video or see someone do something and think

Poof!  I could do that!  How hard can it be? 

Yeah, me too.  In the part of my brain where lives my 20-year-old self (well, nowadays maybe 30-year-old), a little voice will pipe up and say – Hey! You could do that!  Give it a try! 

Fortunately the 75 year old part of my brain says – Are you kidding??  No you cannot do that!

And, I usually listen to the current age speaking.  That said, the other day, at our outreach organization, Hesed House, a new class was being offered.

Cardio Drumming.  Two options – high intensity and low intensity. 

Now, if you’re not familiar with cardio drumming, “cardio drumming is, at its core, high-intensity drumming, that incorporates sufficient movement to be a whole body workout while remaining fun enough for anyone to do it”. 

OK, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it.  Because of limited space and equipment, participants had to register.  No prob-lem-o!  Went to the website and signed right up.  I’m in pretty good shape so, yes, signed up for the “high intensity” option.

Then, I did the number one bad thing …. I looked up cardio drumming on the internet.

So, here’s the thing, there are many things you should never query the internet on – health related problems, relationship problems, yoga, or CARDIO DRUMMING. 

I looked at a YouTube video. 

Scared the bejesus out of me!  Complicated steps, hands doing one thing, feet another. 

I can’t do that.  Maybe I just won’t go (but you did make a reservation, says the responsible brain).    FINE!  I’ll go but I’m standing on the very back row ‘cause the rooms going to be full of 20-somethings and I’ll be the only old person there and I’m gonna flub it BAD probably fall down on my fanny and get lots of pitiful looks and and and…….. 

Actually, it was none of that.  There were only four others, the youngest being maybe 40-ish and the instructor kept it pretty simple.  It was fun.  Plus I liked all the music and knew the words to most of the songs.  And, you get to hit a big ball with sticks!  How great is that!  

In the NEWS department ----- I’m gonna be a great grandma!  My oldest granddaughter (the one that got married in September) is pregnant!  Yay!!  Baby is due in August.  Everybody is thrilled and excited!

Not much else.  Still dealing with weird weather February.  Yesterday it was 85°F.  I surely hope that does not mean it’s going to hit 95° in March and then 100°+ on April 1st.  We already did that last year.  Don’t need to do it again.

23 February 2023

February

 

is our month of SUPREMELY WEIRD WEATHER. 

All of the above can happen in a single day!

Well . . .  okay . . . . we frequently have weird weather but February tends to be the most annoying.  And, here’s a thing – the people that live here (myself, sigh, included) seem to forget that it’s weird weather month.  I’ve known this month to be cold (as in 20°F – which, as far as I’m concerned is just wrong) for days on end OR nearly 80° for the same number of days.  I know several backyard farmers that will plant their tomatoes in February to get a jump on fruit production time AND only have to cover new plants with a bucket if the temps drop a bit.  All this is leading up to the next several days which will range from lows at 60° (tonight) to low 30’s to 60° all in four days. Ugh.

Just a few Month of/Week of/Day of tidbits –

Beat The Heat Month.  Ok, I had to look that one up.  Has nothing to do with living somewhere hot and going to a very chilly place in February (although why anyone would want to do that is beyond me – yes, I know brother – skiing but that’s beyond my understanding too).  It has everything to do with spaying or neutering your cat or dog.  Spaying and neutering your pet and/or neighborhood (aka feral) cats/dogs in the winter will help avoid kitten/puppy season and stop the reproductive cycle before it really begins.  This is a good thing.  Many communities have organization that will work with local vets to offset the cost for ferals and help to socialize them for adoption.

National Condom Month and National Condom Week.  According to the ASHA (American Sexuality Health Assoc), “The idea of this holiday is to sensitize American adults to the benefits of condoms and how condoms can substantially mitigate many sexually related mishaps (most commonly unplanned pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections and diseases).  

National Mend A Broken Heart Month.  Yep, what you’re thinking.  “As lovebirds gear up for Valentine’s Day celebrations, those who are single or nursing a broken heart naturally feel left out. While heartbreak is difficult to deal with at any point in time, it’s especially difficult when everyone seems to be celebrating the month of love and romance. National Mend a Broken Heart Month is a celebration for such people. Instead of dwelling on sadness and wallowing in self-pity, the month encourages us to go have fun with friends and family, find joy in the small things, and share our love with everyone we are fortunate to call friends.”  

Pull Your Sofa Off The Wall Month.  Another holiday I haven’t heard of – “is a celebration you can’t afford to miss. Understandably, we are all in favor of a plan that entails cleaning beneath the furniture. Discover why we are so enthusiastic about getting your couch off the walls, and learn some tips on how to do it right."  Has to do with cleaning behind/beneath the sofa.  In case you didn’t know, there’s a “history of Pull Your Sofa off the Wall, a timeline starting in 2000BC through 1800’s, and a list of FAQs.  There is a website and everything - who knew??!!

TODAY is also

National Gumdrop Day.  Gumdrops came into official being in the 1850’s and while we think of them as the dome shaped, sugar coated, chewy candy, like many things this candy has evolved to include all the “gummy” things.  Bears, worms, and, yes, hamburgers

World Hippo Day.  “Did you know that before 1909, scientists placed hippos in the same group as pigs? Despite their outward similarities with pigs or wild boars, hippopotamuses are closely related to whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Hippos are semiaquatic mammals that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are herbivores and can weigh up to 2,000kg, making them the third-largest land mammal after elephants and rhinos.”  

Remember The Maine Day.  At 9.40pm on the night of 15 February 1898 the United States battleship Maine, riding quietly at anchor in Havana harbor, was suddenly blown up, apparently by a mine, in an explosion which tore her bottom out and sank her, killing 260 officers and men on board.  The consequence of this was the Spanish-American War of 1898.  It was a singularly unequal contest and after Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders took the San Juan Heights above Santiago, the Spanish government sued for peace.  A treaty was signed in December and Spain lost its last colony in the “New World”.  So endith the history lesson.

Susan B. Anthony Day.  1820-1906.  Champion of temperance, abolition, the rights of labor, and equal pay for equal work, Susan Brownell Anthony became one of the most visible leaders of the women’s suffrage movement.

That’s all I got for today.  Oh goodie – it’s fixin’ to get windy.  And cold.  Again.

15 Feb 2023

Queries, Observations, and Bullfrogs

  

Yes, I know – an odd title – so I’ll start with the ‘Bullfrog’ part first.

My mornings, like most, have a specific pattern.  I get up early (usually before 6am), get dressed, go to the kitchen to feed the Demanding Demon Duo.  Then I just sort hang around the kitchen in order to make sure Daryl doesn’t inhale his food and then push his brother away and eat his food also. 

Yesterday morning, I got up, dressed for yoga, fed the DDD, and while waiting on them to finish their breakfast I put away dishes washed the night before.  My usual actions include putting away the dish drainer also – holding lightly to the sink counter, I swing down to a squat, open the cabinet, hang up the dish drainer and swing myself back up.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.  YESTERDAY, as I went down to a squat, I lost my grip on the counter, lost my balance and slammed into the chopping block. 

Then I tumbled sideways onto the floor.  And THEN, I clasped the back of my head, curled into a ball on the floor and cried for several minutes. 

When I sat up, I glanced at my hands, which were

yep, covered in blood.  Glanced at the floor – yep, big puddle of blood.  Okay.  I KNOW head wounds bleed a lot.  Doesn’t mean your brains are leaking out.  However when it was MY blood, I was more than a bit worried.  Not just an owie. 

First thought was to stick my head under the faucet and wash it off.  My second thought was maybe I needed to get a little help.  What time is it?  7am.  My sister should be awake.  So I called and in a surprisingly wobbly voice said – “could you come help me?”  She’d be right there.  A few minutes later she walked in and found me sitting at the table holding a bloody dish towel to my head. 

Okaaaay well probably I should go to the emergency room for a couple of stitches.  This was the bullfrog first thing in the morning (eat a bullfrog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen for the rest of the day).   

Observations

1  Going to the emergency room is a PAIN IN THE PATOOTIE.
2  The Wharton hospital ER was not busy – one other patient.
3  The Wharton hospital ER was cold as in freezing cold (you’d think they’d keep it warm because, you know - - - EMERGENCY ROOM). 
4  We were there for FOUR hours and one cat scan before the ER doc did anything.
5  For scalp lacerations they do not use sutures.  They use STAPLES.  As in a hand-held stapler.  AND, they do not deaden the area to be stapled.  (Just takes a second, the doc said).  Cha-ching, Cha-ching – hmmm, needs one more – Cha-ching.

OWIE!!

Then they gave me 2 tylenol and sent me home.

I certainly hope your morning started off a little better.

I went to Albuquerque this past Christmas to see my daughter, two granddaughters and son-in-law.  As always, it was a wonderful visit and I had a very nice time. 

Just a little side note here: 

Albuquerque is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in 1706 as La Villa de Alburquerque by Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés. Named in honor of the Viceroy of New Spain, the 10th Duke of Alburquerque, the city was an outpost on El Camino Real linking Mexico City to the northernmost territories of New Spain.  Located in the Albuquerque Basin, the city is flanked by the Sandia Mountains to the east and the West Mesa to the west, with the Rio Grande and Bosque flowing north-to-south. Like Denver, Albuquerque is a “mile high” city – actually it’s a little higher than Denver by some 30 feet. 

The weather there tends to be very cold during the winter months (of which December is one).  However, this winter, December in my part of TX was considerably colder (low temps in the TEENS – as in 16 degrees F) and in ABQ the weather was fairly mild.  Of course, I missed the severe cold because I was in ABQ.  When I left Wharton everything was green and growing.  Trees still had leaves.  When I got home, everything was brown and dead.  I’m still not sure on a few things just how dead they are – you know – dead but will come back from the root or dead dead pull up and throw away.  Time will tell.  A N Y W A Y (sidelined off the subject of xmas in ABQ)

One of the things I got in my xmas stocking this year was this

Wool Dryer Balls.  Never had or heard of them before BUT according to the internet 

1 reduces drying time
2 reusable

3 eco-friendly
4 lasts up to 500 washes
5 a healthy, chemical free alternative to dryer sheets and PVC dryer balls.
6 naturally softens clothes
7 reduces static cling and wrinkles
8 and, BONUS POINTS!! my dryer doesn’t have a buzzer to announce when it’s finished.  BUT, now when the ‘Tha-thud, Tha-thud’ stops, I know the dryer is finished!  

I love them. 

Query

How do you know when they’re “used up”, when the 500 dryer times are done?  Do they just collapse into a bit of fuzz? Does a little flag pop up and day “done, time for new balls”?  I’m sure inquiring minds want to know.  If I figure it out, I’ll share the info.

In the meantime .......

Have a good day all!

26 Jan 2023