February 05, 2024

We finally got our bay window installed at our house.  This process began last October when we checked the cost for installation of the windows on our screened porch.  It was just starting to get cold, and I knew I needed to either get windows or put the “greenhouse” plastic up for another winter.  The cost seemed reasonable, so we decided to also replace the kitchen window while we were at it.  The four weeks until installation we were promised drug into 2-1/2 months before the porch window system was installed.  When we asked about the kitchen windows, we were told they were “not on the truck” (contractor for, “Oops! I forgot to order them”).  Now nearly a month since the porch was installed, the kitchen bay window was replaced this morning.

When I went online, I found a bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room.  This is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or run over one or multiple stories.  The bay typically consists of a central windowpane (fixed sash) flanked by two or more smaller (casement or double-hung) windows.  A bay window can make a room appear larger and provide views of the outside which would be unavailable with an ordinary flat window.  This creates a panoramic view of the outside, allows more natural light to enter the room, and provides additional space within the room.  Bay windows are often designed to extend beyond the exterior wall, forming a small nook or seating area inside, which can be used for various purposes such as reading, display, or simply enjoying the view.  Bay windows in residential buildings are often found in living rooms, dining areas (like our breakfast nook), or bedrooms.  Bay windows are also found in commercial and public structures.

Melissa had our house built in a new subdivision in 1995.  It is not surprising that 29 years later there are things that have begun to wear out.  Since moving back to Arkansas, we have had to replace the roof and the heating and cooling system (HVAC).  The bay window in the breakfast nook is another example of age.  The original window had a large center window with a double-hung window on either side and all three contained window grills (fake panes).  These were energy efficient (at the time) double pane windows, but over the years the moisture seal had been compromised.  That meant temperature changes would cause condensation inside the glass.  The new bay window has a large picture window in the center, flanked by double-hung windows (and no grills).  Both the porch and the bay windows meet new higher standards for energy efficiency.  Whether or not this helps our energy costs, the view without the grill frames makes an incredible difference in our view.

THOUGHTS:  While we are far short of creating a green building, the improvements we have made are bringing us closer to being environmentally responsible.  Green building refers to the maximum saving of resources, including energy saving, land saving, water saving, and material saving during the whole life cycle of the building.  This is also protecting the environment, reducing pollution, and providing people with healthy, comfortable, and efficient use of space in harmony with nature.  The architect Frank Lloyd Wright created buildings that succeed aesthetically but ultimately ended up failing to keep out the weather (leaky roofs), and this was true for other innovative architects.  It has been said that while the use of cutting-edge materials in new forms leads to progress, it also invites trouble.  Pushing the envelope always entails risk, whether it is architecture, technology, or changing societal norms.  That does not imply we should stop striving for innovative change, only that we take time to learn to adapt to the changes.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 01, 2024

Now that we have installed our fence on the north side of our property the kids have been having a blast playing in the expanded space.  The problem we ran into was the amount of rain we have received over the last week.  Several times we have let the dogs out and they have come back caked in mud, especially their feet.  We reached our limit after toweling them down and then later having to take them again to the shower to wash.  I decided to close off the yard and keep them (supervised) on the patio.  We did this for two days hoping the yard would dry out.  When it did, I let them back out and watched to see where they were getting the mud.  Sure enough, it did not take long before Loki’s feet were covered in mud.  When I went to check the yard, I found that while there were still some damp spots on the high ground, the kids had churned a muddy path along the fence where they interact with the dogs next door.  I called them back inside and cleaned them off one more time.  I wondered if a type of mulch or bedding would work to keep them from creating future mud holes.

When I went online, I found when referring to animal husbandry, bedding is usually organic material used by animals to support their bodies when resting or otherwise stationary.  The bedding reduces pressure on skin, heat loss, and contamination by waste produced by an animal or those it shares living space with.  While straw is a commonly used bedding material there are others.  Wood shavings (pine, cedar, and aspen) are absorbent and have good odor control and can be cut into different textures (fine cut, soft shreds, or thick cut) for use by different animals.  Wood shavings can be dusty and contain aromatic oils that can cause health problems in some animals.  Aspen and kiln-dried wood shavings tend to be less dusty, plus the oils are removed (the kind I bought).  Many animals benefit from bedding, including livestock, poultry, rodents, and reptiles, and in the simplest context, bedding can provide comfort for these animals.  Bedding also creates an environment of moisture retention and assists in keeping the cage dry.  A drier cage promotes air flow which decreases harmful levels of environmental pathogens.  A dryer yard was just what I needed.

Melissa and I both started searching the internet to see what we could use to lessen the mud.  We were obviously not the only ones with this problem as we both found numerous videos on how to control the mud your dog creates in a yard.  We thought about cedar mulch but worried it would push into the mud when it was stepped on and it would have been expensive to cover the large area we had sufficiently.  I found a deal on artificial grass at a local store, but again wondered if Loki would just chew it up as he did the tarp over the pool.  Then Milissa found a video where a dog owner used horse bedding (shaved pine) to cover the yard.  He wondered if his grass would grow back after the winter, but the chips solved the problem.  Like the video, we did not care if the grass did not come back.  This has always been a problem area where I got stuck once or twice every mowing season.  I went to the farm supply store and purchased five bags of pine chips at a reasonable price and then spread them across the muddy lawn.  So far, both the dogs and I are happy with this arraignment. 

THOUGHTS:  The reason for installing the fence was an effort to keep the dogs happy and healthy.  They love the extra space to run and tumble together.  While the mud did not bother either of them, it caused havoc in our house and was unhealthy for them.  On the eve of the annual weather prediction by Punxsutawney Phil, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling for him to retire saying, “It’s no kind of life”.  In the wild, groundhogs live 2 to 3 years and can live up to six years.  In captivity, groundhogs live up to 14 years.  According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil (the same groundhog) has been predicting the weather since 1886 (136 years).  Long life come from a secret elixir drank every summer.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 31, 2024

Most of my supplies came in this week and I have been busy setting the stage.  I had augmented the soil and placed fencing around the two potato beds I plan to use again this year, but I put fencing around the heirloom flower bed.  We plan to transplant the rest of the bulbs within this fence to keep Loki from digging them (and eating them).  I put together two of the raised beds that I got for Christmas.  That helped me decide on the configuration I liked (one will need to be rebuilt) and to know how much room they will require in the yard.  The hardest step was deciding what would be planted in the four raised beds I have.  Some of the seeds could be planted directly into the soil, but others recommended transplanting seedlings.  These will need to be grown indoors from 8 to 4 weeks prior to our last frost (April 15th).  When I researched growing seedlings, they all recommended at least a sunny window (all taken by succulents) and preferably warming mats and grow lights.       

When I went online, I found a grow light is an electric light to help plants grow by providing a light spectrum like that of the sun, or to provide a spectrum that is more tailored to the needs of the plants being cultivated.  This light is typically a varying combination of red and blue light, which appears pink to purple to the human eye.  Grow lights are used for horticulture, indoor gardening, plant propagation, and food production, including indoor hydroponics and aquatic plants.  A range of bulb types can be used as grow lights, such as incandescent, fluorescent lights, high-intensity discharge lamps (HID), and light-emitting diodes (LED).  The most widely used lights today for professional use are HIDs and fluorescents.  Indoor flower and vegetable growers typically use metal halide (MH) HID and high-pressure sodium (HPS/SON) lights, but fluorescents and LEDs are replacing metal halides due to their efficiency and economy.  Although most grow lights are used on an industrial level, they can also be used in households (like mine).

Last winter Melissa had researched and purchased a variety of grow lights to use with her succulents but ran into some logistical issues and they were never deployed.  I researched my own grow lights to use with my starter seedlings and had settled on a four-shelf integrated light stand I found online.  I decided to run it by Melissa before purchase since she had already researched and purchased grow lights.  Her immediate question was, “Why don’t you use the ones we have?”  I will only use them as seed starters and then they will be set up for her the rest of the year (a win/win?).  I bought a rolling four-tier shelf and attached a clip on lamp to each of the shelves.  I also purchased four seedling heat mats to keep the seeds warm along with a five-pack of starter trays with 40 pod cells.  I put the rack in the back corner (to give the succulents access to the sunny windows) and then set up my system.  The first set of seeds are now germinating in the peat pellet pods.    

THOUGHTS:  Using the grow lights to plant my garden from seed this year has been both exciting and overwhelming.  I have had gardens for the last three summers but always purchased seedlings from a nursery.  These have worked variously well (and at times not at all), but at least I knew there was an established plant to place in the ground.  Now I am relying on my own expertise (the exciting part) to build the planters, grow the seedlings, transplant them into the ground, and tend them until I have a harvestable crop.  The seeds Melissa gave me are all heirloom varieties (not hybrid) and that means I can harvest seeds for planting next year.  This goes a long way toward creating a sustainable garden.  It also sounds like a lot of work (the overwhelming part).  Now that I have my eight week seedlings under the grow lights, I have time to get the other aspects in place before the four week rush.  Like most of life, it is a matter of planning ahead and following the advice of others who have already traveled the road (experienced/experts).  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 27, 2024

I have been getting notifications from my gardening sites that January is the time to get your seeds started indoors so they will be ready to transplant after the last frost in mid-April (zone 7).  That has caused me to pour over my seeds and YouTube sites to determine what I am going to plant.  I have watched videos on the 10 best vegetables to plant in hot weather, the ten best vegetables to plant in cold weather, the 20 hardiest vegetables, and the best vegetables to plant if you are in a survival situation.  Since I am trying to build my garden to subsistence agriculture this includes me (the survival sites noted we are all in a survival situation).  I gleaned what I could from all the sites and came up with a good idea of what I would like to plant this year.  All the sites said you could use combinations of plants by growing things like carrots and onions as filler crops beneath taller plants.  Another plant combination I came across was called the “three sisters”.

When I went online, I found the Three Sisters are the main agricultural crops of various indigenous peoples of Central and North America and include maize/corn (Zea mays), pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), and squash (genus, Cucurbita).  Using a technique known as companion planting, the maize and beans were planted together in mounds formed by hilling soil around the base of the plants, and squash is planted between the mounds.  This allows the cornstalk to serve as a trellis for climbing beans.  The beans then fix nitrogen in their root nodules and stabilize the maize in high winds.  The wide leaves of the squash plant shade the ground, keeping the soil moist and helping prevent weeds.  The Farmer’s Almanac notes this was the practice favored by the Iroquois for centuries before the European settlers arrived in the 1600’s.  The Almanac also says according to legend, “the plants were a gift from the gods, always to be grown together, eaten together, and celebrated together.”

Cornell University offers guidelines for raising the three sisters.  Plant the corn when the ground has warmed and is no longer cold and wet (Iroquois tradition holds to plant when the dogwood leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear).  Soak corn seeds for several hours, but not more than eight hours, before planting and keep them well watered for the first weeks if the soil is not kept moist by rain.  Prepare low hills that are 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) apart within and between the rows and place five to seven corn seeds, evenly spaced to a depth of 1 to 1-1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.75 cm) and cover with soil.  You can plant any of the corn varieties, but dent, flint, and flour corns are especially suited to this system (I am trying sweet corn).  If you follow the Iroquois tradition, you should plant the seeds with kind thoughts three days before the full moon.  When the corn plants are about six inches (15 cm) high, plant pole beans and pumpkins (the Iroquois used winter squash) or other summer squash around them.  The “three sisters” seeds can be sowed during the spring or summer.  I might try this in the front bed where I intended to plant black oil sunflower (Helianthus annuus) for the birds.

THOUGHTS:  I first heard of the three sisters when I was studying archeology at the University of Utah.  The Anasazi who lived in the four corners (the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona all meet) area of the southwest grew a popcorn variety of maize until more productive varieties of the three sisters were introduced from Mesoamerica and cultivated.  Human’s have long used a combination of experimentation and borrowing to improve both food sources and technology, and this continues today.  That means we rely on each other to survive, even if we sometimes fight.  The trick is to have more cooperation than conflict.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 26, 2024

Several years ago (2021) I blogged on how a pizza restaurant in Ohio was using the surplus of Brood X cicadas to offer a Spicy Thai Cicada Pie.  At the time I mentioned cicadas living in the southern states (and Arkansas) are defined as Brood XIX.  This is a 13-year emerging Brood prepared to emerge in April 2024.  While I am still skeptical of trying a cicada pie, the emergence is going to be momentous as two different broods with trillions of periodical cicadas emerge simultaneously this year.  The two broods represent 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas which will reach their mating cycle at the same time.  While they will emerge at the same time, most will still be geographically separated.  Brood XIX (13 year cycle) will emerge in 14 states across America’s Midwest and Southeast, while Brood XIII (17 year cycle) will appear in five states in the Midwest.  The last time this phenomenon occurred was 221 years ago (1803) and it will not happen again until 2245.  Only Illinois and Indiana will experience the double emergence of these cicada broods. 

When I went online, I found cicadas are a superfamily (Cicadoidea) of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs).  The superfamily is divided into two families, the Tettigarctidae with two species in Australia, and the Cicadidae with more than 3,000 species described from around the world.  One exclusively North American genus, Magicicada (the periodical cicadas), spend most of their lives as underground nymphs then emerge in predictable intervals of 13 or 17 years, depending on the species and the location.   The cicada species that emerge together in the same year are collectively called a brood and are labeled with Roman numerals.  Broods are complex groups of different species that emerge in different parts of the country at the same time.  Across the US, there are 12 broods of 17-year cicada, and three broods of 13-year cicada.  Why the broods emerge together is still the subject of scientific debate.  Some hypothesize their life cycles are an evolutionary response for avoiding predators’ life cycles and a way to protect against brood hybridization.

Of the more than 3,390 species of cicada around the world, only seven in North America are known to be periodical.  The rest emerge annually.  Many of the periodical cicadas can interbreed and produce hybrids.  Where the broods cross over this year, three species of Brood XIII cicadas will have the opportunity to interbreed with four species of Brood XIX cicadas.   When periodical cicadas emerge, they bring great benefits to the environment. The nymphs aerate the soil as they tunnel to the surface, improving water infiltration and encouraging root growth.  When they die and decompose, they add nutrients to the soil.  The cicadas’ behaviors are changing.  They are emerging earlier in the spring than they did a century ago and there have been more broods emerging four years ahead of schedule according to Gene Kristky, entomologist at Mount St. Joseph University.  Destruction of forests also threatens populations.  In 1954 the entirety of Brood XI went extinct because of forest clearing for agriculture and urbanization.  Michael Raupp, an entomologist at the University of Maryland, says the emergence is like nature putting on a show, “It is a wicked cool and interesting event that happens nowhere else on Earth.”

THOUGHTS:  The assorted species of Magicicada cicada have earned themselves a world-wide following due to their emergence in tremendous numbers, but not everyone enjoys it.  Homeowners complain about the mess of tiny corpses on their lawns and driveways, and they can produce calls of up to 75 decibels (think vacuum cleaner or hair dryer).  A cicada does not bite, sting, or carry diseases.  Neither are they effectively controlled by pesticides.  Maybe eating them on pizza is the best way to deal with them after all (?).  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 25, 2024

Hidden inside the back section of my local newspaper was a USA Today article about alligators found frozen in the ice.  The photos and videos of frozen alligators are coming from North Carolina and Texas and are going viral on social media.  The images show the frozen alligators with their snouts and mouths sticking out of the ice.  While this may seem alarming, the reptiles are not dead but are instead practicing a survival instinct.  As temperatures in the South have dropped over the last few days, the alligators rely on this adaptation.  Since the temperatures rarely drop below freezing (32F/0C) long enough to freeze the lakes and ponds where the alligators live, the sight of frozen alligators is rarely seen.  The astonishing image of the frozen alligators is thanks to an adaptation technique known as brumation.

When I went online, I found that while mammals go into hibernation, reptiles go into brumation.  Both are a type of dormancy or a period in an organism’s life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped.  While warm-blooded animals (endotherms) and animals that vary between self-regulating body temperature and allowing the surrounding environment to affect it (heterotherms) are described scientifically as hibernating, the way cold-blooded animals (ectotherms) like alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) become dormant is different.  The word brumation was coined in the 1920’s to explain this as a very different metabolic process than hibernation.  In colder climes reptiles generally begin brumation in late autumn (times depend on the species).  They wake up to drink water and then return to their dormant state and can go without food for months.  Reptiles may eat more than usual before the brumation time but eat less or refuse food as the temperature drops.  The brumation period is anywhere from one to eight months depending on the air temperature and the size, age, and health of the reptile.  Like hibernation, brumation is triggered by a lack of heat and a decrease in the hours of daylight in winter. 

The alligators in North Carolina and Texas are entering brumation to survive the cold snap.  They suspend their bodies in pond water and let it freeze solid around them.  Their snouts and front teeth poke through the ice and allow the alligators to breathe while they wait for the water to thaw.  The frozen alligators were found suspended in ice at Swamp Park, a tourist attraction and alligator sanctuary near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.  Another alligator was spotted suspended in an icy pond at the Gator Country rescue center in Beaumont, Texas.  An employee of the Swamp Park & Outdoor Center, located about 45 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina, explained that when it gets too cold, alligators “will instinctively tilt their nose up, to the point where it’s out of the water, so they don’t just suffocate.  We literally have ‘gatorcicles’ right now.” 

THOUGHTS:  When Melissa and I attended the final week of Mardis Gras (a bucket-list) several years ago we were tempted to take one of the Airboat Swamp Tours that are popular around New Orleans.  While it was not freezing, the temperatures were cold and there was intermittent rain for our whole trip.  We decided not to get on the water.  Instead, we went to Avery Island which is known as the source of Tabasco sauce (another bucket-list).  The island is also home to a salt mine, a vast collection of exotic plants, and a bird sanctuary.  Several locations along the tour route were ponds containing alligators, but they were apparently in brumation, and we never saw one.  We did meet a lady who had just taken a Swamp Tour, and she said they never saw alligators either.  The gardens and sanctuary were amazing, but the cold made me wonder if the alligators in brumation may have had the right idea.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 24, 2024

© Antiquity Journal

Scrolling through my Microsoft browser I found a Newsweek article saying that archeologists have “revealed how Roman wine would have looked, smelled and tasted around 2,000 years ago.”  While Roman wine consumption is depicted in ancient texts and drawings, how it was produced has been a mystery.  Researchers Dimitri Van Limbergen, Ghent University, and Paulina Komar, University of Warsaw, compared ancient wine vessels used to make and store wine with containers used in making wine today.  Their published findings in the journal Antiquity said Roman wine likely tasted slightly spicy and had aromas like toasted bread and walnuts.  Van Limbergen told Newsweek, “By using the techniques we describe in our paper, the Romans were able to make much better, more tasty and much more stable wines than is commonly assumed.”  This is the first time the role of vessels in Roman winemaking has been examined.  Today most wine is made in large metal vats which allows the wine to be mass produced.  The Roman dolia are comparable to qvevri, which are pots used to create wine in Georgia, and the two processes would likely have been similar.

When I went online, I found a dolium (plural: dolia) is a large, fired clay vase or vessel used in ancient Rome for storage or transportation of goods.  The dolium was oval, with a wide mouth and rim, and was much larger than the similar pottery amphora.  The dolium had no neck or handles and could measure up to six feet (1.8 m) in height.  Some dolia have a rounded body tapering into a flat bottom, but more frequently, dolia have a rounded bottom.  There was no standard size for dolia, and some sources mention dolia holding up to 50 quadrantals, equivalent to 346.5 US gallons (1,311.6 liters).  The dolia were either buried halfway in the ground or left standing under a roof.  Unlike amphora, the dolium was not regarded as an accessory and sold along with the wine that it contained but were fixed facilities whose purpose was the permanent storage of goods.

According to the study, the narrow base of the dolia used in the fermentation process allows solids from the grapes to separate from the wine.  Unlike the red and white wine consumed today, this fermentation process gave the liquid an amber or orange color.  The spicy flavor was created by burying the dolia into the ground allowing the pH and temperature to be controlled as the wine aged and giving the yeasts the opportunity to produce an extremely powerful aroma compound known as sotolon.  Big wine cellars filled with dolia were large investments and their presence attests to the economic prosperity in the Roman world.  Individual households could afford one dolium and winemaking was probably part of daily life in those families, much like in Georgia today where many households make their own wine and keep it next to the kitchen or in a cellar inside a qvevri.  The research gives archeologists new details about how Romans lived.  It is clear the Romans knew different techniques for creating wine and could vary how it tasted and smelled by altering the shape of the dolia and how they were stored.

THOUGHTS:  I had a friend in High School whose parents made wine and that gave me the idea to make my own.  I decided to make dandelion wine.  The recipe starts with a quart of yellow dandelion blossoms plucked from the green portions of the flower.  I spent weeks harvesting dandelions to get enough flowers.  I placed the flowers in boiling water for 4 minutes and then discarded the blossoms.  Next came the sugar, orange, lemon, and yeast.  I did not have a fermentor (big problem) but placed the liquid in a glass jar that I placed under the kitchen sink.  In three weeks, I had my wine.  Unlike the Romans, it tasted really bad.  That was the last time I have made wine.  Maybe if I tried again with dolia . . . Having the right equipment and following directions is often the key to success.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 23, 2024

© Deposit Photos

A Popular Science article found on my Microsoft browser referenced the findings of a study published January 17 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.  The study examined tardigrades, some of the toughest animals on the planet.  These microscopic creatures can survive in environments with extreme temperatures, without water, or oxygen.  Previously, scientists were not sure what signals tardigrades to enter or leave their death-like state.  This new study exposed the tardigrades to temperatures of -112F (-80C) or high levels of hydrogen peroxide, salt, or sugar to trigger dormancy in a lab.  The tardigrades cells responded by producing damaging oxygen free radicals which oxidize an amino acid called cysteine, causing the animal to go into a dormant state.  When conditions improve and the free radicals are gone, the sensor is no longer oxidized, and the tardigrades remerge from dormancy.  The team also applied chemicals that block cysteine to their environment and found the tardigrades could not detect the free radicals and did not go dormant.  The results show cysteine is a key sensor for switching dormancy on and off in response to multiple stressors and that cysteine oxidation is a vital mechanism that helps tardigrades survive in constantly changing environments.

When I went online, I found that Tardigrades (Phylum, tardigrada), also known as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals.  They were first described in 1773 by German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze, who called them Kleiner Wasserbär (“little water bear”).  In 1777, Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani named them Tardigrada which means “slow steppers”.  There are more than 1,300 known species of Tardigrades.  Tardigrades are about 0.02 inches (0.5 mm) long when fully grown.  They are short and plump, with four pairs of legs, each ending in claws (usually four to eight) or suction disks.  Tardigrades are highly resilient, and individuals can survive extreme conditions of temperatures, pressures (high and low), air deprivation, radiation, dehydration, starvation, and even exposure to outer space.  They live in a variety of habitats and are found in mountaintops, deep sea, tropical rainforests, and the Antarctic.  The plant-eating species pierce individual plant cells with their stylets and suck out the cell’s contents for food, while other species are predatory carnivores that eat other small invertebrates.  The earliest Tardigrades are known from Cretaceous (145 to 66 million years ago) amber from North America, but their origin is likely as far back as the Cambrian over 500 million years ago. 

When faced with dry, barren, or other inhospitable environments, tardigrades go dormant and go into suspended animation (“tun” state) where the body dries out and appears as a lifeless ball.  Their eight legs retract, their bodies become dehydrated, and their metabolism slows down so much that it is almost undetectable.  They can remain in this state for years.  Future studies into this mechanism could determine if this happens across all tardigrade species.  Since free radicals may be linked to age-related ailments, more studies of tardigrades could help scientists better understand human aging.  Tardigrades are prevalent in mosses and lichens and when collected may be viewed under a low-power microscope, making them accessible to students and amateur scientists as well as researchers. 

THOUGHTS:  The study’s co-author Leslie Hicks, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said, “Whether this is a universally conserved protection mechanism and whether this is conserved across tardigrade species are really important questions.”  The answers may help us better understand the aging process and even how to achieve long-term space travel.  We often find we do not know what we do not know, and therefore we do not know how to ask the right questions.  Losing species to extinction from human activity has direct and indirect effect on the future of humanity.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 22, 2024

It was just over a year ago that we took Zena to a local dog trainer.  This was an extended six week session to provide the basics and begin to work through more advanced activities like walking on a leash.  This January we decided to take Loki for his own series of training sessions with the same trainer.  We decided to forgo the extended series as I had learned the basic commands for Zena and Loki had learned them as well.  What Loki (read “I”) needed was advice on jumping and leash work.  When Zena was training, we had dubbed the trainer the “treat man” because she got copious amounts of treats as rewards for doing what she is supposed to do.  Loki is food motivated as Zena is and I am sure the treat man will not disappoint our little man.

Loki spent most of the first session getting adjusted to the surroundings and the new person vying for his attention.  The treat man had sold his house and construction was not completed on his new one, so we met at his office in a nearby town.  I do not know if it was the small area or the smells, but Loki was reluctant to enter the office.  I finally got him to go through the door and we sat down across the room from the trainer.  Loki was still unsure and sat on my foot crushed against my leg.  The treat man was standing and coaxing Loki with the small treats, but Loki would have none of it.  The man finally sat down (less intimidating) and tossed the treat in the middle of the room.  He finally got Loki to come away and get the treat, but he would rush back to sit on my foot.  It probably took half an hour of coaxing and cajoling before Loki was comfortable enough to begin working on his commands.  This time was not lost.  As Loki was becoming comfortable the trainer was going over my responses and what I should do regarding jumping and curtailing the excitement our 75 pound (34 kg) puppy displays when we first come home.  Loki was still wary of the treat man by the end of the hour, but the lure of food and his eagerness to please won out.        

The second session with the treat man went much better.  Loki went right through the door and was expecting to receive the treats that were going to be showered on him.  Over the week we had worked on my going down to Loki’s level when I arrive home and ignoring him if he tries to jump.  My niece even dropped by, so we were able to work on proper behavior with guests.  Loki was doing well, and the trainer decided to take us outside to work on leash behavior.  Here again, the leash problem is caused by excitement and lunging to reach the best smells faster.  All was going well until a man drove into the parking lot to see the lawyer located in another office.  The lawyer was closed but we were in the parking lot, so we became the focus of his attention.  The treat man listened patiently as the man describe his dismay over getting a notice from the post office requesting him to pick up a package that would be available on Monday.  As the man became comfortable with talking to us, he began to explain his problem and why he was seeing the lawyer for his son.  The trainer listened politely and finally said he needed to go as he was working with Loki.  By that time Loki was more interested in the parking lot smells than the treats that had initially kept his interest.

THOUGHTS:  As the treat man worked with Loki, he commented on how smart Golden Retriever’s are and how willing they are to perform tasks.  Loki was uncomfortable when we first arrived as this was a strange place with new expectations.  Now that Loki has grown accustomed to the trainer, he is willing to perform.  The man who met us in the parking lot was in a new place and finding it filled with new expectations.  He haltingly approached until he found we were willing to listen.  Finding someone to listen to him, he gladly began to share.  When Melissa and I were in Europe we had a similar problem.  Luckily, we were able to find someone willing to listen and try to help.  Strive to be the helper when others are uncertain.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 19, 2024

I have mentioned how I tend to practice daily intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast and refraining from eating until after noon, but that does not include coffee.  I like to have two cups of coffee (black) when I wake up.  My preference is to buy Lanna Fair Trade whole bean coffee.  This is ethically sourced from a hill tribe in Thailand that my parents worked with on two separate occasions over nearly 1-1/2 years.  I also prefer the robust flavor of a dark roast over the flavored coffees that are popular.  One of the popular flavored coffees is the Pumpkin Spice Latte offered by a national chain on a limited basis for two months in the fall.  The drink’s popularity gave rise to an entire market of pumpkin spice products and today you can find pumpkin spice versions from hummus to hard seltzer, to marshmallows, to mac and cheese.  When I was in the hardware store yesterday, I even found a fall version of pumpkin spice wild bird food blend with “ultimate pumpkin powder”.  I wonder if this was marketed toward the birds or the birders. 

When I looked online, I found the pumpkin spice craze can be divided into two eras, or before and after the introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL).  Before the PSL, pumpkin spice referred to a blend of spices that was used to flavor pumpkin pie, often combining cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.  This has long been part of the American baking tradition and Amelia Simmons’ 1798 reprint of her cookbook American Cookery lists two different recipes for “pompkin” pie, one with nutmeg and ginger and the other with allspice and ginger.  In the 1930’s, companies like Thompson & Taylor Spice Co and McCormick & Company came out with a revolutionary pre-blended mix that meant bakers could buy one spice (container) instead of several.  Thompson & Taylor’s version (1933) included nine spices.  McCormick’s blend was originally launched in 1934 and includes four spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.  Starbucks launched the original PSL in October of 2003.  It is now available around the world and is Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage, having sold over 424 million PSL’s in the US alone.

The pumpkin spice phenomenon is an intriguing psychological occurrence in the US.  Many argue the pumpkin spice flavor itself is delicious.  Ironically, pumpkin spice rarely has any pumpkin in them and are instead the toppings added to a pumpkin pie.  Cinnamon is a natural aphrodisiac and is known to relax muscles and increase sexual desire.  Nutmeg has aphrodisiac properties and a study on rats found extracts of nutmeg and clove stimulated the mounting behavior of male mice and significantly increase their mating performance.  Nutmeg also acts with an antidepressant-like effect involving various aspects of the human nervous system.  The strongest pull other than taste may be the pumpkin spice desirability due to its scarcity.  Social psychology tells us that once something is “limited supply”, “seasonal”, or “for a short time only”, its desirability increases.  This can lead to a bandwagon effect as people want to feel involved and part of the conversation.  We may feel we belong when sharing our seasonal pumpkin spice.

THOUGHTS:  Pumpkin spice is reminiscent of fall and is associated with coziness, with flannel, warm, fuzzy socks, and comfort.  Fall is also a time of greater stability and predictability in schedules after the vacations of summer.  Fall brings structure.  Fall is expectation of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the December holidays.  As such, pumpkin spice speaks to us on a conscious and subconscious level.  The use of persuasion to influence people and their response is as old as humankind.  In today’s digital age this is no longer an art, but a science carefully tailored to individual preferences. Since I do not drink PSL, I did not buy the pumpkin spice bird seed.  Your understanding of, “if Jimmy jumped off a bridge . . .” is insightful.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.