Monday Musings

  Today, Memorial Day, we commemorate those who died in the line of duty, protecting our freedom. Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it. ~ Unknown The patriot’s blood is the seed of freedom’s tree. ~ Thomas Campbell You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don’t ever count on having both at once. ~ Robert A Heinlein Today we honor those who have paid the ultimate price. You can follow the Author on her  Website  or on  Twitter .     

It’s been raining all day today after a hot, dry spell. The garden and its newly planted seedlings and seeds is grateful. When the rain began, there was a distinctive smell. But how can rain have a scent when water is odorless and colorless fluid. Petrichor is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from the Greek roots petra (mérpa), meaning “stone’and ichör (ixop), the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology. The phenomenon was first described in a March 1964 paper, in the journal Nature, by two Australian researchers, Isabel Bear and Dick Thomas. They coined the word  petrichor  to replace the term  argillaceous odour . The scientists explained that the smell derives from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, then absorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, this oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, a metabolic by-product of certain  actinobacteria , lik...

Since the first rumors, in December 2019, of a deadly disease spreading like wildfire in China, we’ve avoided infection. We stayed in social isolation for much of 2020, obtained both doses of the Moderna vaccine in early 2021, and even got boosted! We religiously wore masks during the high contagion periods. Now, we only don our muzzles when required, i.e., at medical appointments. Slowly we have increased interpersonal contact with neighbors, friends, and family. At first with outdoor visits, then with small groups of vaccinated individuals.  Last week we met with a local coffee klatch of nine ladies. Two days later, one was ill, and now four are COVID positive; of the remaining gals, one had a prior recent infection, three are negative, and one is an unknown status. Two of the positive attended another gathering before they knew they were ill. The further spread in our tiny mountain community is yet to be decided. My wife is one of the COVID-positive individuals, plagued with all...

Bleeding can occur from violent or non-violent causes: violence has become rampant in our society, whether from a random deranged shooter to a mass of enraged protestors; non-violent accidents, such as a chainsaw injury or a motor vehicle collision, can also cause severe bleeding. A penetrating wound involving a major blood vessel can result in catastrophic bleeding. Exsanguinating hemorrhage can occur in a matter of minutes. A human body contains five liters of blood; if you lose two liters you can die! As a trauma surgeon, I dealt with life-threatening bleeding both in the Trauma Center and the Operating Room, where I had access to well-trained staff and bountiful equipment. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to provide immediate life-saving treatment to yourself or bystanders, on the scene of the event with minimal supplies, until emergency services arrive. I was trained to respond by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) and have trained others. D...

Hurricane season is officially here: May through November. The dreaded storm “hurricane” got its name from “hurracane,” a Taino Native American word that means “evil spirit of the wind.” However, it is only called a hurricane in North America; in Asia, it is designated as a “typhoon,” and elsewhere as a “tropical cyclone.” We know that hurricanes are getting worse; due to climate change and rising sea levels, hurricane-related storm surges are increasing. The goal of preparedness week is to save lives and property by providing information and tools that people can use to prepare and protect themselves. An excellent resource is the  National Hurricane Center  site on Twitter. During active storms, they provide regular updates regarding storm location and status. This week they are posting helpful information to help you prepare. I’ll share a few topics, but I encourage you to look at it every day this week and bookmark the page for future knowledge. The first thing to do is to ...