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Family Stories Month

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As the holidays approach, families gather to celebrate together. In our mobile society, this may be the only time members meet in person. The reunion of loved ones is the perfect time to recount ancestral stories. Ancient oral traditions of songs or poems commemorating important cultural events have nearly disappeared. The shared tales may have been true or imagined, but they provided a basis for memories. There has been a resurgence of the study of genealogy, with supporting websites, such as  Ancestry , to facilitate and store family trees. Valuable links include censuses, military records, birth/death/marriage/divorce documents, property deeds, and newspaper clippings. Some aficionados trace their lineage back multiple generations. The definition of family has changed over time, from a clan in a cave, culture to culture, nation to nation. Its meaning has expanded to include other non-related individuals dear to one another. Perhaps this year, if you cannot travel to see your genetic
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The Smell of Autumn

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  Autumn has arrived with its signature sensory inputs. The crunch of leaves underfoot, the kaleidoscope of changing colors, and the distinct scents of fall. In an 1841 letter, English poet and novelist George Eliot called the smell of fall “a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit.” According to  Theresa M. Crimmins, PhD (director of the USA National Phenology Network) ,  autumn’s classic aroma derives mainly from decaying plant material.  As leaf fall decomposes, “sugars and carbohydrates break down, emitting volatile organic compounds and other gasses that have a musky, somewhat sweet smell.” There is a regional variation in the odor, dependent on the local plants that drop leaves. With less humidity and lower temperatures, there is a “crisp, clean feeling” attributed to fall air. “Cooler air holds fewer molecules, meaning fewer things are floating around for our noses to detect — the air is less ‘cluttered’ than during warmer, more humid seasons,” Dr. Crimmins says. The scent of fa
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Daylight Saving Time

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  On Sunday, November 3, 2024 (the first Sunday in November), at 2:00 AM, clocks were turned backward one hour to 1:00 AM. This was officially the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the US, time to “Fall Back.” Humans may or may not appreciate the change in time. My dogs, however, think I am the worst person on earth for “delaying” dinner time. I am convinced they have an internal alarm clock. One pup is whining at my side while I write this blog post. DST was first observed in 1918 to conserve energy during WWI and WWII, to permit more cost-effective war-time production, and to mitigate blackouts. In fact, at times, it was called “War Time.” From 1945 to 1966, there were no uniform DST rules, which was chaotic for broadcasting and transport. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 aligned switch dates across the US. There were two periods after the 1973 Oil Embargo when the DST period was extended to try to save energy: ten months in 1974 and eight months in 1975. Over the next 11 years, the D
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National First Responders Day

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Today, October 28, 2024, we celebrate first responders. The above flag includes the colors attached to the various service providers. Some banners also include an orange stripe for Search & Rescue. The intent of this day is to honor the brave and selfless professionals who put their lives on the line to serve, protect, and rescue citizens in desperate emergencies. They run directly toward danger. Recognition of the extent of morbidity and mortality from accidents began in 1966 with the federal study  Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society . This report showed accidental injuries were the “leading cause of death in the first half of life’s span.” Finally, in 2017, Congress passed the resolution to establish National First Responders Day. Emergency Dispatchers  are the critical link between callers in distress and emergency response teams. They staff 911 phone lines and gather key information to connect the appropriate police, fire, and/or EMS and di
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I Voted!

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  [ No trigger warning required: this is a non-partisan post .] Election Day 2024 is Tuesday, November 5th. This date is a crucial Federal Election; State and Local elections are also on the ballot. This is the  60th quadrennial presidential election in the USA . Record numbers of voters are flocking to the polls. We voted early to avoid the rush, but even at our rural polling place, we waited an hour. Many locations nationwide have already seen record-breaking queues. The first step is to ensure you are  registered to vote . No further steps are needed if you have not changed your name, address, or previously voted. However, if you have changed your name or moved within your state, you must update your registration. If you have moved to another state, you need to re-register. Even if you have not made any of these changes, it is worth checking that you are still on the roll, as states are cleaning up their databases: ascertain that you have not been inadvertently removed. In addition,
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Aurora Borealis

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Over the past week, auroras have danced in the sky, with visibility as far south in the US as Texas and New Mexico. We have had excellent viewing opportunities in the dark skies of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. Indigenous societies  have interpreted these sky-lights in various ways. But what do modern scientists say? Solar Cycle 25 is  approaching Solar Maximum , a period in the approximate 11-year cycle when we will see intense, stormy Sun activity. Once the maximum is reached, the north and south magnetic fields of our star will flip, and the Sun’s activity will gradually slow to a “solar minimum.” The  Space Weather Prediction Center , a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) branch, actively tracks the science behind solar events. Daily information regarding the number and intensity of solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and the aurora forecast is available at the above link: you can click on the individual areas and watch their progression. Trad
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