The shortest day of the year, or winter solstice, was just 10 days ago. But, already, I am noticing that the days are growing noticeably longer in the evening. Just a few short days ago, it was dark enough by 6 PM that I did not want to take the trash out into the alley to the dumpster. Today, it was not that dark at 6 PM, although getting there.
There is a second factor involved. That during the time approaching the shortest day of the year, we had some very cloudy weather that made the evening seem to darken even faster than usual. But it is the day length that is changing, and I know it is.
That is one of the things that really struck me about Lubbock, when I moved here: The summer days are so very long, staying light till well after 9 PM in the summer. And the day length changes very noticeably whenever we pass a solstice or equinox.
I really like the very long summer days. I really like the fact that the short days change very quickly after the winter solstice.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Nuts and Sunflower Seeds
I have previously written that my cats like the Friskies Sunflower Seed treats http://www.friskies.com/Cat-Food/Cat-Treats/Natural-Sensations-With-Real-Chicken. Well, tonight I was standing at the kitchen counter cracking whole nuts for a snack for myself. I bought some whole nuts last year at the holiday season, and had a few left but bought some more this year. Especially because the news is out that just a handful of whole nuts is a good snack or treat.
Well, Taki came into the kitchen and kept pawing at me and reaching for the counter. She does not jump on the counter, although Sake and Haiku both do that. If I have something on the counter that they want to check out, they help themselves, although, lately, Sake has not been able to jump that high very well. So Taki would go away and then come back, paw at me and reach up again, and again. I finally offered her a small piece of nut, but she did not want it.
So, I check the dishes that hold the treat foods. And, there was dairy and chicken treats left, but no sunflower seed treats. So, I put some in the dish, and Taki started eating right away. That was what she was asking for. It is conceivable to me that whole nuts have enough aroma to stimulate the thought or idea of wanting sunflower seed treats. This I will have to keep in mind.
Well, Taki came into the kitchen and kept pawing at me and reaching for the counter. She does not jump on the counter, although Sake and Haiku both do that. If I have something on the counter that they want to check out, they help themselves, although, lately, Sake has not been able to jump that high very well. So Taki would go away and then come back, paw at me and reach up again, and again. I finally offered her a small piece of nut, but she did not want it.
So, I check the dishes that hold the treat foods. And, there was dairy and chicken treats left, but no sunflower seed treats. So, I put some in the dish, and Taki started eating right away. That was what she was asking for. It is conceivable to me that whole nuts have enough aroma to stimulate the thought or idea of wanting sunflower seed treats. This I will have to keep in mind.
The Open Computer
Well, I screwed up yesterday morning. I had turned on the computer, thinking to look up something quickly before I went to work. I got distracted, and never did look anything up, and did not shut the computer down before I went to work. I thought about it on the way to work, but decided it would be okay. In retrospect, it was probably not the best thing to do.
I know that the cats like to sit on the computer, I think because it is warm. I keep the house cool, but not cold, and cats like it to be warm.
When I got home last night, I realized that someone had been on the computer: there were lots and lots of windows open, including 48 searches for files. Well, this was easily tended to. But today, when I tried to type numbers, I could only get the symbols to come out. I am not sure what I did, but I went into some controls, and changed somethings and then was able to change numbers. I really did not know what to do to fix the problem, I am just lucky that it got fixed.
Lesson learned.
I know that the cats like to sit on the computer, I think because it is warm. I keep the house cool, but not cold, and cats like it to be warm.
When I got home last night, I realized that someone had been on the computer: there were lots and lots of windows open, including 48 searches for files. Well, this was easily tended to. But today, when I tried to type numbers, I could only get the symbols to come out. I am not sure what I did, but I went into some controls, and changed somethings and then was able to change numbers. I really did not know what to do to fix the problem, I am just lucky that it got fixed.
Lesson learned.
New Year's Resolutions 2013
I wrote about New Year's Resolutions last year. Maybe this will become a tradition, that on December 31, I blog about New Year's Resolutions. Doing something two years in a row is a sort of tradition in and of itself, already, wouldn't you say?
So, I have already indicated I wanted to make a change or improvement next year, in a previous blog: I want to read more books in 2014, than I have read in 2013. I ended up reading 49 books this year. That should be a goal I can keep, given the fact that I really do enjoy reading. I am not sure that is a real improvement, because I frequently read a book when I should be doing chores around the house. But I believe that reading is a very good past time, and it is not time wasted. I believe it challenges the mind and keeps your mind active, and helps you to learn. Although, I have to admit, I read very little non-fiction. But I like historical mysteries, and mysteries with a theme that gives me new information (a specific topic, culture, science.) And, I have started reading more non-fiction.
So, I have already indicated I wanted to make a change or improvement next year, in a previous blog: I want to read more books in 2014, than I have read in 2013. I ended up reading 49 books this year. That should be a goal I can keep, given the fact that I really do enjoy reading. I am not sure that is a real improvement, because I frequently read a book when I should be doing chores around the house. But I believe that reading is a very good past time, and it is not time wasted. I believe it challenges the mind and keeps your mind active, and helps you to learn. Although, I have to admit, I read very little non-fiction. But I like historical mysteries, and mysteries with a theme that gives me new information (a specific topic, culture, science.) And, I have started reading more non-fiction.
Handwriting vs. Penmanship
When I was in elementary school, we learned to print in the first grade (I did not go to kindergarten.) We had large lined papers, like Big Chief Tablets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Chief_tablet and pencils that were fat http://www.pencils.com/all-pencils/jumbo.
I think it was the third grade when we started having penmanship. It was not handwriting or even cursive, although sometimes it was called cursive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive. But it was penmanship. And, my school system used the Palmer Method of Penmanship http://palmermethod.com/. With that, you would think that all of our handwriting would be very similar, but the truth is, that was not the case. We each put our own distinctive style in our handwriting, no matter how much the teacher tried to get us to make letters that looked like the examples in the Palmer books.
As the years progressed, my hand writing has changed some. It actually can change in the course of a few minutes. A colleague noted that one time when we were in a meeting, that my handwriting got larger and sloppier the more stressed I was. That day, there was a great deal of noise outside the meeting room, and as the noise continued, my handwriting got worse. When the noise stopped, my handwriting became more what I normally wrote like. That was not something I cognitively realized about myself, although I did know that when I am stressed, my handwriting changed.
I do not do much handwriting anymore. Most of the documentation I do at work is on the computer. So, when I have to hand write something, my handwriting is jerky. Another colleague noted the same thing has happened to his handwriting. My printing is usually better, but very often I will start printing something and it will evolve into a kind of cursive that is not full cursive but is not printing, either.
I recently read a book, The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. He commented on the writing of "the madman," Dr. William Chester Minor, which was a form of Copperplate. He had very neat handwriting. I suspect the presentation of the information he shared was very important to him. Sometimes, I feel the same about my handwriting, but mostly, I do not even notice it.
I think it was the third grade when we started having penmanship. It was not handwriting or even cursive, although sometimes it was called cursive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive. But it was penmanship. And, my school system used the Palmer Method of Penmanship http://palmermethod.com/. With that, you would think that all of our handwriting would be very similar, but the truth is, that was not the case. We each put our own distinctive style in our handwriting, no matter how much the teacher tried to get us to make letters that looked like the examples in the Palmer books.
As the years progressed, my hand writing has changed some. It actually can change in the course of a few minutes. A colleague noted that one time when we were in a meeting, that my handwriting got larger and sloppier the more stressed I was. That day, there was a great deal of noise outside the meeting room, and as the noise continued, my handwriting got worse. When the noise stopped, my handwriting became more what I normally wrote like. That was not something I cognitively realized about myself, although I did know that when I am stressed, my handwriting changed.
I do not do much handwriting anymore. Most of the documentation I do at work is on the computer. So, when I have to hand write something, my handwriting is jerky. Another colleague noted the same thing has happened to his handwriting. My printing is usually better, but very often I will start printing something and it will evolve into a kind of cursive that is not full cursive but is not printing, either.
I recently read a book, The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. He commented on the writing of "the madman," Dr. William Chester Minor, which was a form of Copperplate. He had very neat handwriting. I suspect the presentation of the information he shared was very important to him. Sometimes, I feel the same about my handwriting, but mostly, I do not even notice it.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Early Morning Crescent Moon
This was unusual. There was an early morning crescent moon, and it was a waning moon http://lunaf.com/english/moon-phases/lunar-calendar-2013/12/30/. The official new moon is on January 1, 2014, and the moon will start waxing. The morning sky was so neat today. I am so thankful I took a few minutes to look at the early morning crescent moon.
The moon in Lubbock is very interesting. Who expects to see the moon in the morning sky? But we do. Who expects to see the sun in the east and the moon in the west in the early morning. But we do. Is it the wide open spaces? The latitude? The longitude?
I am not an astronomer even by avocation, so these questions are not some I could even begin to more than ponder. But I love the wide open sky of West Texas.
The moon in Lubbock is very interesting. Who expects to see the moon in the morning sky? But we do. Who expects to see the sun in the east and the moon in the west in the early morning. But we do. Is it the wide open spaces? The latitude? The longitude?
I am not an astronomer even by avocation, so these questions are not some I could even begin to more than ponder. But I love the wide open sky of West Texas.
The missing phone.
I mislaid my phone the day after Christmas. I ran into a friend at the library, and as we shared Christmas stories, I embarrassingly added that one. As I was leaving for home after the library, she agreed to call me in a time frame, allowing me to get home. What a great help that was: my phone was charged, and I found it right where I had put it, in the pocket of the folding chair I have in the kitchen! I have what used to be a state of the art flip phone, but is now a non-smart phone. It is small and slips into nooks, crannies and pockets quite frequently.
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