Monday Musings

Looking out the window, I see a bright sunny day punctuated by tossing trees. The false hope of warmth is chilled by wind gusts over 50 mph. The thermometer declares it is 38 degrees. However, the “feels like” temperature is ~ 23 per the National Weather Service  Wind Chill Calculator . The following chart allows you to grossly estimate the temperature without using advanced mathematics. When I step outside to hang the bird feeder, my skin experiences the brisk fifteen-degree wind chill factor. Why does that matter, besides the miserable sensation? It’s important because it makes us at greater risk for hypothermia and/or frostbite. What exactly is hypothermia? The Mayo Clinic website provides valuable information regarding  symptoms, causes, and risk factors , as well as  diagnosis and treatment  of hypothermia. Click the prior links for details. The first sign of hypothermia is shivering, a natural defense against cold, as the body tries to warm itself. The other more progressive symp

Do you have a favorite memory? Memory fades over time. Is what we remember real or reconstructed?  Per psychology, false memory is a phenomenon where someone recalls an event differently from the way it actually happened or remembers something that did not happen at all. Several mechanisms that underly false memory are suggestibility, incorporation of misinformation, activation of associated information, and/or source misattribution. I have a sister and two brothers. A specific traumatic event occurred in our family. I was the individual in direct contact with the situation. Two of my siblings have separate and distinct memories of that evening. One has no recall at all. Do you have examples of false memories among your friends and family? My second book,  Family Treasons , is based on memories of the various abuses I experienced throughout my life. I am a survivor and thriver! You can follow the Author on her  Website  or on  Twitter

The holiday decorations have been put away, the work-a-day implements are back at hand, and now I’m looking at my untidy desk. It’s hard to concentrate surrounded by clutter. And it’s not just disarray. Did you know how really filthy an average desk can be? A 100 times dirtier than a kitchen table, and, even worse, 400 times less hygienic than a toilet seat. Plus, a typical office keyboard harbors 16 million microbes. Yuck! So start by clearing the top and giving the surface a good wipe with antiseptic/antiviral products that are appropriate for your desk. Remember to clean that nasty keyboard too. Do the same for each item before they regain their rightful spot. How tidy do you want your working area? Experts vary in their opinions. Some claim a pristine environment is essential. Others swear by the Einstein approach. You should have a sense of what level of organization works for you. Begin by replacing the essentials: desktop/laptop (remember the backup drive!), a notepad or noteboo

I’m pleased to announce the publication of my third poetry volume,  Voyage: Vista and Verse , a compilation of monoku, haiku, and senryu. Some haiku are written in the classic 5–7–5 format; more follow the looser American tradition. A monoku consists of a one-line haiku. The senryu utilizes irony or satire rather than the usual nature subject of the haiku. They may be cynical or darkly humorous. This paperback book is packed with over 75 poems and illustrated with 50 full-color photographs, that follow the Author on her voyage, near and far, via vista and verse. The inspiration for this work arises from travels, stateside and abroad, internal and external. For those that prefer the electronic reading experience, the Kindle version will be out in a few weeks. My thanks to two haikuists,   Roberta Beach Jacobson , Editor of Cold Moon Journal, and  Patricia McGuire , Editor of The Poetry Pea, for their mentorship and encouragement. I hope you enjoy my latest poetic endeavor. After you’ve