Beginning ~ with some parks history

Beginning

Since medieval times, parks — in one form or another — have been an essential part of man's (sic) existence.  As early as 1079, William the Conqueror set aside The New Forest in southwestern Hampshire, England.  In those days, parks functioned as private hunting reserves and consequently were preserved in their natural state so that wildlife could flourish, albeit to be hunted.

Pictorial Atlas of North American National Parks ~ edited by Marie Cahill and W. J. Yenne, 1991, atlas, 256 pages

        Today, national parks exist from the Everglades in southern Florida to the far north reaches of Ellesmere Island in the Arctic, and from the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean to Newfoundland's eastern shore.

        The only reviewer on Amazon said, "This is a well researched book and contained all the major parks in North America, very interesting to read and look thru."  He gave it 4 of 5 stars.  I just got it from the library and haven't read it yet.  It's big and heavy (4.6 pounds), but it is mostly large beautiful photos with not a lot of words on each page, relatively speaking.  So it probably won't take me long to read it and maybe share more about it here on my blog.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

This morning, I attended the first of eight classes

A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls is an evidence-based fall prevention program designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults. The program helps participants learn to view falls as controllable, set goals to increase activity, make changes to reduce fall risk at home, and exercise to improve strength and balance.  The illustration above shows the cover of our Participant Workbook.  Ours was revisted in 2022.

Our leader asked how many of us had already fallen and which of us were afraid of falling, so I'll ask you readers to respond to those questions, as well.  She also mentioned endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.  I have focused on these four things for years, and we will focus on them in this class.

A glitch in the matrix

The phrase "glitch in the matrix" gained popularity from the 1999 film "The Matrix," which depicts a world where humans are living in a simulated reality created by machines.

Meaning:  In the context of the movie, a glitch is an anomaly in the simulated world, suggesting that the simulation is not perfect and can have errors or breaks. 

Real-life Application:  People have used the phrase to describe strange or inexplicable events they experience in real life, often questioning their perception of reality.  For example, common "glitches" described include objects suddenly appearing or disappearing, time distortions, and déjà vu experiences. 

Simulation Theory:  The idea of "glitches in the matrix" is often linked to the simulation theory, which posits that our reality could be a computer simulation created by an advanced civilization.

Perceptual Glitches:  The most fundamental glitch can be one's own subjectivity, as our perceptions are filtered through our unique minds and sensory experiences.

Runny Nose? — or — Post Nasal Drip?

What's the difference between runny nose and post-nasal drip?

A runny nose refers to excess mucus flowing out of the nose, while post-nasal drip is when excess mucus drips down the back of the throat.  Both are often caused by similar factors like colds, allergies, or sinus infections.  Here's a more detailed explanation:

Runny Nose:

Definition:  A runny nose, also known as rhinorrhea, is when mucus flows out of the nose. 

Causes:  Runny noses can be caused by various factors, including colds, allergies, sinus infections, and even environmental irritants. 

Symptoms:  Besides the discharge, other symptoms may include nasal congestion, sneezing, and itching or watery eyes. 

Post-Nasal Drip:

Definition:  Post-nasal drip is when excess mucus from the nose and sinuses drips down the back of the throat. 

Causes:  Similar to runny nose, post-nasal drip can be caused by colds, allergies, sinus infections, and other irritants. 

Symptoms:  Common symptoms include a sore throat, cough, hoarseness, and a feeling of mucus gathering in the throat, which can lead to frequent throat clearing.

A book, a photo, and a coincidence

Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America ~ by Jane Borden, 2025, cultural anthropology, pages

This colorful and enlightening pop history explains why the eccentric doomsday beliefs of our Puritan founders are still driving American culture today.  The current rise in far-right extremism as a natural result of our latent indoctrination, so the author proposes that the United States is the largest cult of all.

Since the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock, cult ideology has been ingrained in the DNA of the United States.  Journalist Jane Borden argues that Puritan doomsday belief never went away; it went secular and became American culture.  From our fascination with cowboys and superheroes to our allegiance to influencers and self-help, susceptibility to advertising, and undying devotion to the self-made man, Americans remain particularly vulnerable to a specific brand of cult-like thinking.

With in-depth research, Borden uncovers the American history you didn’t learn in school, including how we are still being brainwashed, making us a nation of easy marks for con artists and strong men.  Along the way, she also revisits some of the most fascinating cults in this country presenting them as integral parts of our national psyche rather than aberrations.

Family photo

A photo I found recently among my stuff shows my dad holding my little brother and me when there were only the two of us children.  Since Billy was two-and-a-half years younger than I was, I think the photo was taken about 1944 or 1945.  I believe our car was a black 1940 Chevy.

I could call this coincidence #1142

I love coincidences.  I went to the Café one morning this week and got back to my apartment a bit before noon.  I looked to see how many steps I had taken by that time.  There would be many more steps before I went to bed, but I smiled when I saw that at 11:42 a.m. I had taken exactly 1,142 steps.

Here's what I posted this week:

1. Monday's focus was on food, HERE.  Fried okra is my favorite food.
2. Wednesday was a "purr-fect" day to "Adopt a Shelter Pet," HERE.
3. Thursday was about May Day protests, HERE.
4. Saturday was a family birthday, HERE.  My twins are now 65 years old.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Medicare fairy?

My twins were born 65 years ago, and one of them told me that this image is her "thought for the day."  I told her that it is good to have that particular fairy.

May Day Strong at the Arch

There will be protests today

from 12:00 until 3:00 pm

at the Gateway Arch.

This is today's slogan:

Today is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

Each year, National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day on April 30th raises awareness for thousands of pets that are waiting for (and needing) adoption from the shelters.

That's how I adopted Clawdia, who almost seems to be posing in this photo that I use at the top of my blog.  I like to tell people she was the purr-fect pet.  She was not the only one I got that way, but she was my most recent pet.

Word of the Day

"Purr-fect" = a play on words that combines "purr," the sound a cat makes, with "perfect."  It's a way to describe something as exceptionally good, cute, or ideal, often with a feline-related context.  The word "purr" suggests a sense of content-ment and softness, while "perfect" implies a high level of excellence. 

A problem (or two)

Do you ever feel like when you've solved one problem, another one appears (or maybe even TWO)?  Yeah, me too.  I mean, "me TWO."  Oh, never mind.  I'm just feeling a bit frustrated.  I think I'll go read a book.  Now, which book shall I read?  This one or that one?  Hmmm.  Hey, this is the kind of problem I prefer!

Musing about food

My friend Jane knows my favorite food is fried okra, so for my birthday on Saturday she took me out for dinner to a place that has it.  What's your favorite food?  Do you read books about food?  Do you like to cook or bake?

Recommendation by a friend

Conclave ~ by Robert Harris, 2024, literary fiction, 304 pages

The pope is dead.  Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will gather to cast their votes in the world's most secretive election.  They are holy men, but they are not immune to the human temptations of power and glory.  And they are not above the tribalism and factionalism that consumes humanity.  When all is said and done, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.

The selection of a new Pope by the college of Cardinals is in the news right now, so this book that my friend Lois showed me yesterday when we met downstairs to talk is timely.  She offered to let me read it when she's finished.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. Monday was National Tea Day, honoring my favorite beverage, HERE.
2. Tuesday was another special day, Earth Day, which I wrote about HERE.
3. World Book Day was celebrated on Wednesday, and I wrote about it HERE.
4. On Thursday, I wrote about three library books, HERE.
5. Friday's book beginning was about how America is changing, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Beginning ~ with a town disappearing

Beginning

The town had been there for a century and a half.  Then one evening, in the summer of 2021, it disappeared.

The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration ~ by Jake Bittle, 2023, climatology, xxi + 345 pages

Even as climate change dominates the headlines, many of us still think about it in the future tense — we imagine that as global warming gets worse over the coming decades, millions of people will scatter around the world fleeing famine and rising seas.  What we often don’t realize is that the consequences of climate change are already visible, right here in the United States.  In communities across the country, climate disasters are pushing thousands of people away from their homes.

From half-drowned Louisiana to fire-scorched California, from the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona to the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, people are moving.  In the last few decades, the federal government has moved tens of thousands of families away from flood zones, and tens of thousands more have moved of their own accord in the aftermath of natural disasters.  Insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect mounting climate risk, pricing people out of risky areas.

Over the next fifty years, millions of Americans will be caught up in this churn of displacement, forced inland and northward in what will be the largest migration in our country’s history.  The Great Displacement tells the stories of those who are already experiencing life on the move, while detailing just how radically climate change will transform our lives — erasing historic towns and villages, pushing people toward new areas, and reshaping the geography of the United States.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thinking about books I've read more than once

Yesterday, I noticed that three books I had checked out of the Crown Center library were books I had already read.  Yes, I do re-read books, but having that many at the same time surprised me.  I am now in the middle of re-reading Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout, literally about halfway.  So I'll keep reading that one.  You can see what I wrote about it, HERE.

I also checked out Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, knowing that I had read it before.  It is a wonderful book, and I decided that it was time to read it again.  Not only have I mentioned it on this blog at least half a dozen times (as you can see HERE), but it is a book I have recommended to many readers.

The third book is March by Geraldine Brooks, which I read so long ago (the copyright date is 2005) that I had not even started blogging.  My first blog post was dated January 2007, HERE.  I will probably read each of these three books (I mean, re-read them, of course) before returning them to the library.

World Book Day

World Book Day is celebrated on April 23.  This date marks the anniversary of the deaths of the literary giants William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, making it a symbolic day to honor literature.

Today is Earth Day

Earth Day is a global event dedicated to environmental protection, celebrated annually on April 22.  Why?  Because the first Earth Day was April 22, 1970, when millions of Americans mobilized to advocate for environmental reform.  This movement led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the enactment of significant environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.  Learn more HERE.

Let's drink tea today

April 21st is National Tea Day, to honor one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world.  It's a time for tea lovers to enjoy a hot cup of their favorite tea or an icy glass of tea (as I prefer).  Some articles I found seem to indicate that this day is only celebrated in Great Britain, but others say that the United States also celebrates this day.  Whatever day it is, I'm sure I will be drinking hot or cold tea.  Maybe it's because I have English ancestors.  Now, where's my tea?

Reading history ~ from a time I remember

Betty Friedan and the Making of the Feminine Mystique: The American Left, the Cold War, and Modern Feminism ~ by Daniel Horowitz, 1998, feminist history, xiii + 355 pages

Ever since the 1963 publication of her landmark book, The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan has insisted that her commitment to women's rights grew out of her experiences as an alienated suburban housewife.  Yet as Daniel Horowitz persuasively demonstrates in this illuminating and provocative biography, the roots of Friedan's feminism run much deeper than she has led us to believe.  Drawing on an impressive body of new research ― including Friedan's own papers ― Horowitz traces the development of Friedan's feminist outlook from her childhood in Peoria, Illinois, through her wartime years at Smith College and Berkeley, to her decade-long career as a writer for two of the period's most radical labor journals, the Federated Press and the United Electrical Workers' UE News.

He goes on to show that even after she married and began to raise a family, Betty Friedan continued during the 1950s to write and work on behalf of a wide range of progressive social causes.  By resituating Friedan within a broader cultural context, and by offering a fresh reading of The Feminine Mystique against that background, Horowitz not only overturns conventional ideas about "second wave" feminism but also reveals long submerged links to its past.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, I mused about carrots being healthy, HERE.
2. On Wednesday, I was feeling overwhelmed, HERE.
3. On Thursday, I wrote about falling into a good book, HERE.
4. My subject for Friday was five things I'm grateful for, HERE.
5. Saturday was CATurday again, HERE, even though it was not my cat.  What?  Nothing posted about what I read?

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Shared by somebody online ~ not my cat

... but just right for a Caturday post.

Five things I'm grateful for

I'm GRATEFUL for .....

1.  Being able to find JOY in at least some part of every day.

2.  Still being able to read and write and blog about books; I've been blogging since January 2007.

3.  Living in a place with great activities available for seniors who reside here and also for seniors who live in the neighborhood.

4.  Being able to walk (even with a Rollator) thousands of steps each day.  I walked more than 9,300 steps yesterday.

5.  Having someone on staff where I live who will help us deal with complicated paperwork.

Do you see "EMBRACING EACH DAY WITH JOY 

GRATITUDE" at the bottom of my Gratitude Journal?

Librarians know readers, as this cartoon shows

I think the idea of falling into a good book may actually describe a lot of readers like me and probably most of you who read my blog.  Well, except for wanting those cookies.  I may eat breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, or a midnight snack while reading.  Uh, maybe I do eat an occasional cookie or two.