Finally Feb. 28!!

 Sigh, it has sure felt very long (February) in a lot of ways...weather, missing seeing friends STILL, and just plain the greys of sinter.

First I wish to share my walking stick aka a trekking pole.

When I'm not wearing gloves, I sometimes become uncomfortable if my palm sweats against the grip.

I like that it reminds me of my last trip up on the Parkway. I'll start traveling up there again soon, I hope. But I don't have the breath to really hike the trails anymore.

When I felt like cooking, I did come up with some interesting dishes. Below is a shot of my Falafel salad. Nice romaine lettuce, and for tomatoes I used some in a Bruschetta mix because the ones I had purchased had gone bad. I covered the whole thing with the last of my Blue Cheese Dressing, then mixed the falafel  type of sauce from tahini and hummus with a bit of water. I ate every bite!

Today's quote:

A book of verses underneath the bough, / A jug of wine, a loaf of bread -- and thou / Beside me singing in the wilderness -- / Oh, wilderness were paradise enow! -Omar Khayyam, poet, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and physician (18 May 1048-1131)

Life with chemistry

 I remember a commercial in the early days of TV...I think a GE ad. "Living better with chemistry."

The Periodic Table of elements. This is all we're made of...and the universe!

The medicines I take just changed. I'll not bore you with changing conditions...but they are related to heart and lung problems.

The other night I went to our ER with symptoms that were bothersome, and got a bunch of tests, which all showed nothing. I was already on all the correct drugs for my conditions. The poor Dr. said as he gave up, well we could put you on 5 days of prednisone. So voila' another piece of medical chemistry for a week.

Then he told me to go home. It was 4 am. I said I had arrived by ambulance, and I couldn't very well call my friends at that hour. They had an answer for that, the hospital itself gave me a ride home in their ambulance. 

I'm waiting to see the various bills. For the first time I had to pay a co-pay in ER...but they gave me 20% off for paying immediately rather than being billed. But it was worth it to know the status of my organs is good enough not to require anything further than all the prescriptions I already have (except the prednisone!) If you've ever taken it, you know how my life will change while I'm on it.

I become hyper...which means having lots of energy. The Dr. said I'd have a clean house this week. I also was aware I'd have to take it in the mornings, so I could wind down by nighttime. But at 4 am they gave me my first mega dose (3 pills while the rest of the time just two a day.) There went the rest of the night. I couldn't get to sleep, so I just lay there with my eyes closed. Finally about 6am I got a couple hours sleep. I did have some more sleep later in the afternoon...having not had any sleep the night before.

Since I've talked about mask wearers here before, I have to mention that all the EMS workers didn't wear any when they showed up to take me to the hospital. They were part of our fire department. After they left me at the hospital, I noticed several other EMSs bringing in patients weren't wearing masks and some were. ALL the workers at the hospital were masked. Which meant the EMS technicians who took me home wore their masks.

I mentioned that the next day at the pharmacy (masked workers) and they were surprised, because they said those were federal employees, and medical workers as well. Yep, a very big surprise for all of us! (Actually I think they are County Employees.)

Our state level, in North Carolina, is suggesting mask wearing for indoor gatherings, but the mandate expired Feb. 16. And the COVID numbers are still around 2500 new cases each day. Guess they weren't wearing masks. Though many friends who've caught it once or even twice, had worn mask most of the time.

Todays Quote:

I believe that good poetry can be as ornate as a cathedral or as bare as a pottingshed, as long as it confronts the self with honesty and fullness." 

 Mona Van Duyn, poet, b 5.9.1921

When the sky comes down the slopes

 

Often when rain is expected, the first sign is the clouds coming down over the top of the mountain on the other side of Swannanoa River Valley, where I live. I'm up on a slope so looking through trees, I can see those clouds. The far red roof to the left is the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly retreat center. Sorry it's such a jumble when I tried to do a close up.

On the far right you can see the actual edge of the mountain slope...the rest has the puffy clouds coming down over the ridge.

These views are outside my living room window, in a building much like the one you see down hill in this photo.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday.

Some groups of people (plus bobble heads of US presidents)

A group of women and men dressed in clown costumes...that's the Sepia Saturday prompt for this week! And they are called the Humming Birds Concert Party of Ireland in 1924. 

Thanks Sepia Saturday. I'm going to dig out some other groups of people, not always in costume, but staring at the camera.

These women are cotton mill workers of 1909 in Georgia. Photo credit Lewis Hine.

A more recent photo of my granddaughters who live in Ohio.

Can you guess where they are?

This should give it away...they all went to the Van Gogh immersive exhibit.

Another family member was part of a group who ride in the Gasparilla Parades of Tampa FL. The man in the left front with a reflective yellow vest is my son, one of the safety workers to make sure everything runs smoothly for the float full of the "Krew," costumed "Mustang Sallies and Ryders." Most of these folks are in costumes!

Gasparilla Parade happens around the Carnival time, but has a different flare completely! The pirate Gaspar supposedly sailed into Tampa Bay...so these days there's a "pirate boat" which comes into the bay as part of the celebration.

I also enjoyed getting to know members of another "Krew" (each float has a theme of course). This other Krew were all pirate women, known as Pirate Grace O'Malley of Irish fame. Several of them would come visit the Independent Living center where I was the activity director in Tampa...these pirate women were all dressed in Elizabethean period costumes and gave out plastic beads to everyone!

With COVID, our choir hasn't been up on the stage singing on Sundays. The director of music actually takes zoom shots of each person singing, then blends them together and we have a projected video in the church of the choir singing...just once a month.

And how about this recent article "All the Presidents as bobble-men" from PBS Newshour Here's The Deal newsletter of Feb. 22, 2022.

An entire set of all of America’s commanders-in-chief – as bobbleheads. Forty-five men have served in 46 presidencies in our nation’s history. Photo courtesy of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum

By Dan Cooney, @IAmDanCooney

Social Media Producer/Coordinator

There’s nod a lot of museums dedicated to bobbleheads. (Yes, that’s a pun.)

But in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stands the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which claims to be the largest museum of its kind in the world. And, for this year’s Presidents Day, it added the first complete, uniform series of bobbleheads of all the U.S. presidents to its collection.

The series features each of the 45 men who have served as president. Each one appears in front of a tiny White House. Grover Cleveland, the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, has one bobblehead. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who lived with paralysis through his four terms, has two — one of him using a cane and the other of him in a wheelchair. William Henry Harrison – who served the shortest presidency in U.S. history at 32 days – also gets a bobblehead.

The idea for the complete presidential series came after the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was set to take place in Milwaukee, but was largely made virtual due to concerns over COVID. At the time, the museum developed a group of bobbleheads for sale made up of "neglected presidents," said Phil Sklar, museum co-founder and CEO. The popularity of the series of forgotten commanders in chief took museum staff by surprise.

"We were pretty surprised that so many people wanted bobbleheads of Martin Van Buren and some of the other lesser-known presidents," Sklar said.

The museum’s collection also includes Lisa’s No. 1, all-time favorite: Chester Alan Arthur, who was the 21st president. Among the many tidbits Lisa provided in a dizzying array of bullet points: Arthur helped saved Yellowstone National Park in the late 1800s, and arguably contributed to the rise of the Red Cross, which was mentioned in a recent episode of HBO’s “The Gilded Age.”

Today's short Quote:

“Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.” 

​​Nora Ephron (1941–2012)

The windy walk and a cute pup

 

I called him little bear...I didn't find out his real name. I was interested in what breed he was...a Cav-e-poo. It may be spelled differently, but it means Cavalier and Poodle parentage. I thought he was the cutest dog I'd ever seen, and though he is still a puppy, he isn't going to get much larger. If I could have a dog like him...there wouldn't be shedding problems, but oh my, the cost!! I can't exactly find one at the humane society shelter. Can't believe people pay 1200 dollars for a pet.

The wind on the lake was going with me as I walked toward the dam. But you know what that meant coming back! I didn't try walking across the dam, and back the long way. I was frigid just going straight back to the parking lot. And it took until I was home (another 10 minutes drive with my hands in front of the warm heater vents) before my fingers were warm again. I did have them in my pockets, except one hand was holding my walking stick, and I stopped for these 3 photos! Next time gloves gal!

Our illustrious weather report said it was 53 F out, but it sure felt closer to 43. Usually by the lake is warmer, but not that day!!

Today's quotes:

Vocations which we wanted to pursue, but didn't, bleed, like colors, on the whole of our existence. 

-Honore de Balzac, novelist (20 May 1799-1850)

"On...[Feb 22]... in 1632 Galileo published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems...in which he argued against the belief of the church, that the Earth was not the center of the Universe, and that in fact the Sun is the center of the solar system, and the Earth is circling around it. The Dialogue was placed on the Catholic Church's Index of Forbidden Books the following year and Galileo was tried and convicted for heresy. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest, and none of his later books were permitted to be published in his lifetime. The Dialogue remained on the Index of Forbidden Books until 1835."

from Writer's Almanac Newsletter

The new house in the Lake-hood

 

Looking at the new house that's being built on this little short street! We first noticed it when we were walking around Lake Tomahawk...from the other direction.

Looking down the road (not sure what it's called. Just past that man standing in front of the evergreen tree. you can see the dam for Lake Tomahawk, and a tiny bit of the water. And yes, that's my car getting in the photo too! The yellow line points directly to the dam!

The grey shed next to the road on the left, apparently holds various tools for the building process.

Interesting layout...it seems to be being built pretty quickly. I'll try to post more photos maybe next week!

PS. Update is I drove by Mon. Feb 21 and it still looked the same. I think rather than finishing the roof, he's working inside. I also think it might be being built by the man who owns the house closer to the lake. I'll try to walk the lake walk again soon!

Today's quote:

Frank Woolworth opened the first of his "five cent" stores on...[Feb 22}]...in 1878. Armed with $300 and experience working in a dry-goods store, he opened "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" in Utica, New York; by May the store had gone under. He tried again in 1879, this time in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and included merchandise priced at a dime. His "dime stores" undercut the prices of local merchants, and they differed from traditional stores in that merchandise was readily available for shoppers to pick up and handle without the assistance of a shop clerk. The Lancaster location proved successful and Woolworth opened a second location in Harrisburg at a cost of $127. By the time he died in 1919 the "five and dime" F.W. Woolworth Corporation was worth about $65 million and owned more than a thousand stores worldwide.

Thanks, Writer's Almanac Newsletter

A 2019 article about 6 Eco-Friendly Presidents

 As reprinted in Tree Hugger newsletter on President's Day, Feb. 21, 2022. You might get a version there that isn't cut off like my attempt at cutting and pasting. 

6 Eco-Friendly Presidents

By

Shea Gunther

Updated December 4, 2019

The cabin of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, while he lived in North Dakota. hartmanc10 / Getty Images

As we celebrate America's chief executives on President's Day, it's worth examining the environmental contributions of the men who have occupied the office.

Some did not care about protecting the environment, using their powers to help corporations exploit the land and water in pursuit of higher profits, but others have effected positive change for our country and the world. U.S. presidents gave us the national parks and public lands and laid the legislative groundwork that protects the air we breathe and the water we drink.

1

of 6

Thomas Jefferson

cliff1066TM/Flickr.

Thomas Jefferson was president long before there was much thought given to the environment, yet he was a man deeply aware of the importance of nature. In 1806, he wrote to Edmund Bacon, "We must use a good deal of economy in our wood, never cutting down new, where we can make the old do." Besides being one of our most important political minds, he was also a writer, architect, philosopher, horticulturist, inventor and archaeologist who could think big picture over the long term. The expedition undertaken, at his behest, by Clark and Lewis was responsible for greatly increasing what we knew about American native wildlife and people.

2

of 6

Theodore Roosevelt

Political Graveyard/Flickr.

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt served as president for two terms between 1901 and 1909. Growing up wealthy, but asthmatic, left him plenty of time to study nature and natural history. He eventually overcame his asthma and became a renowned sportsman, hunter, and boxer. He earned accolades on the battlefield during his time as a soldier, and when President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, he became president at 42 — the youngest person to serve as U.S. president. Roosevelt created the first National Bird Preserve at Pelican Island, Fla., established the U.S. Forest Service, and created more than 190 million acres of new national forests, parks, and monuments. Besides being one of greenest presidents, Roosevelt was arguably the toughest — after he was shot by a would-be assassin, he surmised that the bullet didn't penetrate his lung and went on to give his speech, with blood spreading over his shirt. He went to the hospital only after collapsing.

3

of 6

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Florence Kahn/Office of the Clerk.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, is the only U.S. president elected to more than two terms. As the 32nd President of the United States, he was a central figure in some of the key events of the mid-20th century, including the Great Depression and World War II. FDR was in college when his fifth cousin, Teddy (and fellow member of this list), became president. One of FDR's greener accomplishments was the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps which provided work for millions of unemployed men who planted billions of trees, built hiking trails, cleaned up streams, and constructed more than 800 parks across the U.S., many which went on to become state parks.

4

of 6

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Johnson became the 36th President of the United States after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Johnson was re-elected to the office in 1964 and set about enacting his "Great Society" plan, a broad package of proposals and laws intended to end poverty and racial injustice. The package also had a strong environmental focus and was responsible for the creation of the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the National Trails System Act of 1968, and the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965.

of 6

Richard Nixon

Oliver Atkins/AP.

Though Richard Milhous Nixon is best known for the Watergate scandal that led to his resignation and defined his presidency, he was also one of the most environmental U.S. presidents. Nixon became president in 1968, eight years after losing the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy. Despite his negative reputation on the left side of the political aisle, Nixon did a lot of positive things for the environment. We can thank him for creating the Environmental Protection Agency as well as signing the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.f 6

Jimmy Carter

Associated Press.

Jimmy Carter was born and raised on a farm in Plains, Ga. and grew up with an appreciation for nature and the need to protect it. As the 39th President of the United States, he accomplished a great deal for the environment, including the expansion of the national parks system, the establishment of a national energy policy, and the creation of the Department of Energy. He put solar panels on the roof of the White House and encouraged Americans to put on a sweater in the winter instead of turning up the heat. In decades since his presidency, Carter has built a reputation as a humanitarian, a champion for social justice, and a peace-keeping advocate.