A really difficult meme for this Sepia Saturday, because they look like bombs. As a pacifist, I have nary a photo of any warlike ordinance.
Rows of things? I'll be off looking for something similar now... be back later!
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“Touch the earth, love the earth, honour the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places. For the gifts of life are the earth’s and they are given to all, and they are the songs of birds at daybreak, Orion and the Bear, and dawn seen over ocean from the beach.”
Henry Beston - The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod, 1828.
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Babylonian cuneiform numerals
One of the earliest known number systems, developed around 2000 BCE.
Babylonians used a base-60 system (called sexagesimal), unlike our modern base-10 system.
They built all numbers using just two basic wedge-shaped symbols:
A vertical wedge = 1
A corner wedge = 10
By combining these, they could write numbers from 1 to 59.
Originally, Babylonian numerals had no symbol for zero
Examples
1 = one vertical wedge
10 = one corner wedge
23 = two corner wedges (20) + three vertical wedges (3)
1 = one vertical wedge
10 = one corner wedge
23 = two corner wedges (20) + three vertical wedges (3)
Babylonians didn’t have a special symbol for “100” or “1000.”
They always built numbers out of 1–59 chunks, then used position to scale them by 60.
They always built numbers out of 1–59 chunks, then used position to scale them by 60.
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So how did they write 100?
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We’re here for a little window. And to use that time to catch and share shards of light and laughter and grace seems to me the great story. Brian Doyle
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My personal whine with new oxygen devices:
Last Wednesday I picked up a second and third version of portable oxygen devices. I was thrilled that by going to their office I got plenty of instruction and more than adequate trials of the devices. Worth the gas to drive there and work with a technician rather than a driver who just delivered things. The first portable oxygen device was heavy and didn't work well.
Later I had tried using the home machine (which sits in front of the wall mounted air-handler unit) while changing the sheets on the bed. In the past this was a daunting task leaving me exhausted halfway through. I finished the job, and then started coughing. Took off the canula, and continued to have trouble getting a breath with the coughing. This lasted several minutes when I wasn't sure I'd live to see the next one. I considered what might have caused it. And it happened several more times when I was just sitting watching TV...horrible coughs that left me exhausted!
You know already that I've had trouble with black mold growing (they call it mildew) in the walls of my apartment, especially in the bathroom. I now have auxiliary fans that dry it out after each shower. But sometimes the air handler in the bedroom has spit out little flecks of black as well, and in the past I got a new filter, as well as had the unit cleaned inside by the maintenance man. I checked the filter and it looked ok, but the filter is on the intake of air, not that which is blown out by the air handler's fan.
This is a brand new unit, and you can see a lot of particles of dust including the little black flecks. I used it with my C-Pap to sleep for about 4 nights...but never knew if I was supposed to or not, and come to find out the Dr. wanted me to use oxygen when I'm walking or doing tasks, not sleeping or sitting!
I had asked the delivery driver when he set it up last Thursday what kind of air filtration it had. He showed me the intake louvers, and said if they get dusty, just take a paper towel and wipe them off. I assume there's some filtration system inside the louvers, after all, this is breathing equipment!
And I'm sorry to keep on giving all these details of my thinking processes, but when you think this cough is your last breath, you (I) seriously think of what's causing it.
My thought was that maybe some little black particles, or even dust, might have come through the 25 feet of tubing. Or maybe it was just oxygen itself that triggered something. Was this asthma again?
It was easy enough to use the albuterol puffer (rescue inhaler) after the coughing fit had subsided...but no way while it was happening. Just getting any in-breath at all was what I was focused on.
So I'm asking my Dr. about asthma. And I'm not using any of the oxygen devices for now.
And fortunately today (Thursday) I was able to walk over to the laundry room with 2 loads in my cart, and go back two more times and bring my clean clothes home...without coughing. And only a bit out of breath...which is why I was originally getting the oxygen. I await a note from the Dr. on the patient portal!
I guess the apartment manager needs to also see these shots of the little black flecks coming out of the air handler. That will be my next action.
Thanks for letting me whine. Would you like cheese and crackers with that? Me too!
Sounds scary, could something be wrong with the equipment.
ReplyDeleteCan the air system be cleaned out?
Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend.
That is the next thing to do, get the air handler cleaned again.
DeleteI think the clue here is that you were not coughing outside. Hopefully your air handler can be inspected and cleaned VERY soon. In any case I would get an air purifier for the room it is in. I know, just what you want to hear...another device!
ReplyDeleteThe air purifier works for the whole little apartment, and it's great for when I use the nebulizer. But it didn't catch those particles which came across around 10 inches from air handler to oxygen unit.
Delete...fabulous rows, I "Sky and Water II" by M.C. Escher.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fabulous piece of art, with engineering precision.
DeleteThat’s exceedingly scary. I didn’t have a good night, but after reading about your troubles, I shan’t complain too much. Hopefully, it will be better once you get moved.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm talking about June as a target date for moving to CO. We shall see.
DeleteEscher had a fascinating mind and perspective, didn't he? And hoo boy, black mold is bad news.
ReplyDeleteyes to Escher, no to mold! You've got it!
DeleteI'm all for moving away from the mold! That's scary stuff. I hope today goes better.
ReplyDeleteMy Thursday went well, and I'm going out to do more things today. Thanks for good wishes.
Deletethose hats on the Pan Am attendants look like helmets. In fact the whole outfit resembles something a female Bobby might wear. All they need is the whistle and nightstick.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you are having breathing problems. Hope the cough clears up. Do you think your work with clay and glazes might have contributed? Atists expose themselves to all kinds of heinous things.
Yes working in clay with dust on flooors didn’t help my bronchiectasis - which means I’ll always have some coughing. But hopefully not this extreme. Our uniform hats were softer and our skirts were longer and tighter.
DeleteTen minutes in my house and you probably would cough your last cough. I know we have so much mold and mildew. I believe your breathing will be much easier out west. The humidity here in the more southeastern states makes for lovely trees and plants but it can be hell on those with breathing difficulties as you know!
ReplyDeleteI will now be looking for rows of things. Thank you for that!
Great, look around and I bet your garden does have a few rows in it!
Deleteblack specks....red flag...warning!!
ReplyDeleteI did call the manager, who sent Barry the maintenance man to clean out the air handler. I haven't tried turning it on, since the windows were open to 70 degrees all afternoon.
DeleteGood choices Barbara! You always post the most interesting things. I so appreciate your visit. It's always meaningful to me to see you. Barbara. My mom passed away 2 days ago. And my husband's dementia continues as he declines. So thank you for understanding why I cannot visit more often, but I do appreciate you greatly. Thank you, aloha
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear of your loss of your mother, Cloudia. I'll also send a message over on your own blog, because I'm not sure you would come back here to see a reply.
DeleteI hope there is some solution to this problem, it is terrible for you to go through this all the time.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've accepted about COPD related problems is that breathing difficulties cause anxiety. So I may be super extra cautious. But hey, getting a breath does that!
DeleteYou have shared many interesting rows of things in your post. I went the rows route too but in a slightly different way. We are having to think a lot more 'outside the box' these days for our Sepia Sat. posts but that's fine. It's good to challenge our imaginations! :)
ReplyDeleteOh goodie, can't wait to read your post for this meme.
DeleteOh, & good luck with discovering the route cause of that awful cough! When you cough so hard you think you might actually crack a rib, it's time, for sure, to wonder about the source!!
ReplyDeleteThe cough will remain with me, because that's what COPD and bronchiectasis is, chronic, uncurable. But I sure want to treat it with as many ways as possible, and not crack ribs, nor choke and not be able to breathe. Hopefully the cleaner air handler will help! (See reply to Gwen GZ above)
DeleteInteresting collection of rows! I like your investigative approach to your coughing.
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny that I’ve been thinking of my approach to health compared to my Christian Science family. I think medicine has saved my life many times over, but the positive attitudes of my ancestors have stayed with me as well!
DeleteRows make for great photos. These are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSusan
Escher is perhaps my favorite artist and I never tire of looking at his work for inspiration. And now, thanks to you, I see a connection in his methods to Babylonian cuneiform!
ReplyDeleteMy mom endured many years struggling with COPD and bronchiectasis, so I sympathize with your frustration over mold and machines. Unfortunately our cold weather makes moisture condense on things hidden inside other things. Perhaps springtime will bring you some some relief.
What an imaginative take on the theme - colourful, and original! My favourite image the one of the flight attendants in their sky blue uniform.
ReplyDelete