Monday Musings

Today is the day to celebrate the savory onion. This vegetable is an ancient cultivar originating in Central Asia and grown by humans for over 5000 years. They were first harvested in 3500 BC; the wild variety grew worldwide. In 1500 BC, the Egyptians believed that onions represented eternity because of their spherical shape and inner concentric circles. Their culture worshipped the onion and used them in the ritual burials of the pharaohs, decorating the monarch’s tombs. In the United States, the National Onion Association was founded in Ohio in 1913. New York City, now the Big Apple, used to be called the Big Onion because you could peel off layer after layer, never touching the center. Onions are used in culinary creations from country cooking to gourmet innovations: different onion types add varying flavors. And not only do they taste great, but they’re also good for you: they’re low calorie yet high in antioxidants, dietary fiber, and Vitamins C and B6.  Their medicinal proper...

There are many concepts of productivity. To an economist, it equals output per unit of input, i.e., GDP (gross domestic product), to number of hours worked. To someone else, it may not be a matter of getting a lot more done each day, but rather completing the things they consider essential done more consistently. For example, maintaining a steady, average speed on a small number of things instead of maximum speed on everything. There is a misconception that more can be accomplished by multitasking: WRONG. It is a very inefficient process. Individuals have different productivity styles. What can you do to enhance your productivity? The  Productivity Guide  in this link includes many valuable resources that approach productivity from various angles. Take a look and see if you can find one that fits your personality and needs. We all, myself included, spend too much time down the rabbit hole of the internet. Unplug and move forward with your projects. What will you do today to be...

Webster  defines  HOPE  as a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment. I begin and end each day with hope.   Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul — and sings the tunes without the words — and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson   Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers. Robert Green Ingersoll   Hope is patience with the lamp lit. Tertullian What do you hope for and dream about? What are your goals to achieve your hopes? You can follow the Author at her  Website  and on  Twitter .     

  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...