Circle of Life

When we left the house for an after-dinner walk, we were treated to a gruesome sight. There was a small patch of dried blood on the driveway with a few feathers stuck to it. Next to the driveway, several dozen downy feathers were caught in the grass. It was obviously the remnants of what was once a bird.

I wondered what would be the most likely predator. The area doesn't have any bushes or tall grass, so there wasn't anywhere for a cat or dog to hide

Based on the scarcity of the remains, I suspect it was the work of a raptor. Last summer we saw a hawk in the neighbor's yard, and last week there was a huge bird of prey perched in a tree as I drove down the road on my way to work.

The yard next to ours has a large tree in it. I wonder if that's where the raptor hid to plan its attack? I'm glad I wasn't there to see it!

Who Comes Up With These?

I was looking up a synonym for grow on Thesaurus.com the other day. When you use the Website, your result includes a few ads and a sidebar of related searches.

I got the answer to my original query, and these related links:

• Grow game

• Grow geography

• Grow taller

• Indoor marijuana growing

• Grow tips on marijuana

• Grow cube

• Cannabis growing

• Grow rpg

• Growing weed indoors

• Grow hydroponic weed

• Grow my own marijuana

• Grow cube walkthrough

HOW (and why) did they choose these topics?

You're Only As Old As You Feel

Saturday night Tony and I went to a surprise 40th anniversary party. The invitation indicated that we were invited to Boogie Down 70's Style.

After a bit of deliberation and shopping, I came up with my costume: a semi-hippie look, with elephant bell jeans, a "peasant-y" shirt and platform clogs. I couldn't find any jeans wide enough, so I made my own (just like back in the day) by ripping open the side seam of a pair of narrow jeans and sewing in a piece of material. I bought clogs with wooden platform bottoms at a thrift store; I could tell by the brand they were only a couple of years old, but they evoked the mood of the era. My hair was easy-I let it dry naturally straight, and parted it in the center. Tony wore jeans, a knit shirt with an open collar, his school ring, and a vintage necklace.

On the way to the party, we were scanning through the presets on the car radio to find something to listen to. We caught the end of a disco song. Perfect! Next was "Candle In the Wind" by Elton John, followed by Santana's Oye Como Va". We were loving the 1970's mood music. However, when the third song was over and the station went to a commercial, I found out we were listening to the OLDIES station!

When did I get old?

Not Just For Kids

Since the boys are all grown up, it's been a long time since I've gone to an Easter egg hunt, but tonight Tony and I participated in an Adults Only one.

There have been "over 21" egg hunts in the area for several years, but they've never fit my schedule. This is the second year three cities in our area (Manchester, Ballwin, and Ellisville) have joined together to sponsor a hunt, which changes locations each year. This year it was at Bluebird Park in Ellisville. When I signed up, they told me to bring a flashlight, a bag or basket, and a cooler with beverages for the post-hunt bonfire.

Since we didn't know what parking would be like, Tony and I arrived at the park early, but it wasn't really necessary. The hunt was held on the softball fields in the back of the park. Park employees directed us down a winding road to a lot. We parked the car and walked to a pavilion to check in. After we checked in we walked over to the large, roped off large hunt area. Yesterday's rain had made the infields quite muddy, and there was a huge puddle right where third base would be. Eggs were scattered haphazardly over the grass, not hidden at all.

While we waited for the hunt to start, we stood close to the bonfire; as the sun went down it got quite chilly, and I was glad I'd worn my winter coat. I checked out the opposition. Everyone had to be over 21 to attend, but the crowd skewed to the younger side. By the time the hunt started it was completely dark and there were several hundred anxious people lined up at the entrance to the field.

When the hunt started everyone ran out into the area, quickly snatching eggs. I held my flashlight in my right hand, with the handles of my bag over my wrist; that kept my left hand free for grabbing. Tony and I had agreed to stay together, but when I started running the adrenaline kicked in and I left him to fend for himself. At one point I stepped into a large puddle, completely soaking my shoes, but kept on going. All the flashlight beams bouncing around made the whole thing surreal. Each person could take 17 eggs; it didn't take long for the hunt to finish.

Afterwards, it was time to see what we'd gotten. Tony and I found a spot to sit and open our eggs. Most contained Tootsie Rolls or Hershey's Kisses, although there were also a few bite-sized candy bars. In addition to the candy, each green egg we'd gathered could be exchanged for a prize. I had two and Tony had one; we won a portable radio and two five dollar gift certificates for a local restaurant.

We retrieved our prizes and donated the empty eggs back to the park, then we sat by the fire for a bit. Even its heat couldn't keep my wet feet warm, though. It was time to leave.

Morpho Mania

Photo by Mark Deering, Courtesy Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House

Although it's been open for more than a decade, today I visited a place I've never been before, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Faust Park.

During "March Morpho Mania" the Butterfly House greatly increases the number of Blue Morpho butterflies. This month there are more than 3,000 fluttering around, in addition to the approximately 1,000 other tropical butterflies on display. Although I put the event on my calendar for sometime during the month, I was waiting for the right day--chilly and rainy, to take advantage of being inside a tropical place. Today fit that description.

There weren't a lot of cars in the parking lot when I arrived mid-morning, and I jogged through the raindrops to reach the entrance. After buying a ticket, I entered the building. With my admission, I got a brochure that included a Species Identification Guide that included pictures of the most commonly exhibited species and a "March Morpho Mania" quiz. By completing the 5-question quiz I could get a gift and a discount in the gift shop.

Before I entered to see the main event, I looked at the exhibits in the Grand Hall, an interesting display of other insects. There were arachnids, invertebrates, and several types of cockroaches. Thank goodness they were all behind glass! When I'd had my fill, I got in line to enter the Tropical Conservatory, where the butterflies reside. I had to wait a few minutes before I could enter. After a half-dozen people had collected, a volunteer opened a door and let us into a small vestibule. She explained the rules (watch our for dampness on the walkways, don't touch the butterflies), then opened the inner door and let us into a paradise.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the Conservatory was the heat and humidity. (It was so humid, my glasses fogged up momentarily.) The next thing I noticed were butterflies. They were everywhere-flying through the air, on the ground, and resting on plants. The room was filled with tropical trees, vines, and flowers.

The Conservatory is a giant greenhouse; it has exterior walls made of glass. A circular path looped around the outer perimeter of the room, and meandering paths cut through the middle. The sound of a small waterfall in the center echoed throughout. I wandered around in amazement, then sat on a bench, where a Blue Morpho landed just inches away from me. The underside of its wings made it quite nondescript, a startling contrast to the bright blue of the top. After a few moments of rest, it was off again.

Sadly, I couldn't stay in the Conservatory all day so after I'd seen everything it was time to exit. Again, there was a double door vestibule. This time, we were asked to check for butterflies on our clothes, hair, and belongings (even inside purses) before the outer door opened.

The Grand Hall was much fuller now, with some children on a field trip and a group of people from a senior center, many of whom were in wheelchairs, along with their attendants. I made my way to the gift shop to turn in my quiz and receive my gift. I decided not to take advantage of the discount, so I exited the building and went back to chilly, rainy reality.

A Bit of theTropics

Spring is in the air, but the weather's still too iffy here to do a lot of outside planting. Via Scribbit, last week I found a post on Tropical Permaculture about growing ginger root. I decided to try it.

Want to know an interesting fact? Although everyone calls it ginger root, the name isn't technically correct. Ginger grows from rhizomes, or horizontal underground stems. However, I'm not about to go against tradition, so ginger root it is.

You can grow a plant using store bought ginger root, so yesterday I went to a local supermarket and bought two nice looking pieces with well developed "eyes"--the growth buds that look like little horns at the end of the piece. Even though the per-pound price of ginger root always makes me wince, it takes a lot of root to actually make a pound. My tab was under a dollar.

Ginger is a tropical plant that likes warm weather and humidity. Our cold winters would kill it, so I'm starting it in a pot that can go out on the deck with the other houseplants when the weather warms up. By July, the St. Louis weather makes it feel like the tropics, so it should do well.

After soaking the pieces in water overnight it was time to plant it today.I have a motley collection of pots in the garage; it didn't take long to find one that looked like a good size. The plant does best in rich soil, so I wanted to mix potting soil with a bit of compost from the bin. However, I had to do a bit of work first.

Around here the compost pile freezes during the winter, making turning impossible, so we've just been throwing things on top for the past few months. The surface was covered with an even, deep layer of coffee filters and grounds, orange, grapefruit, and banana peels, and random plant debris. I completed the first ceremonial turning of the bin for the year, then scooped out some compost and mixed it with potting soil from a bag in the garage. I got a bit distracted; while I had the shovel out, I dug up a couple patches of wild onions, then walked around the house and excavated several dandelions.

After I got done ADHDing, I broke the ginger into several pieces and buried them about two inches into the soil, watered the whole thing well, and set it on the window seat in the kitchen in between the philodendron plant and schefflera tree. They'll all go outside when the weather gets warm.

In the tropics the plant dies back as the weather cools down, and the ginger is ready for harvest. However, it takes eight to ten months to get to that point, so I don't think I'll be harvesting any. It will be more of a wonderful (I hope) ornamental specimen.

Get A Job!

I love my job, but it's not full time. I only work 20 hours per week, and I'd like something more substantial. This is the time of year when education professionals indicate whether or not they're accepting a contract for next year, so I decided to fill out a few applications and get in the queue for any teacher or assistant openings.

This morning, I applied for a behind-the-scenes job with my local district. Filling out job applications is one of my least favorite activities. It's nice to be able to do it online, because I was able to gather the needed details from my files as I went along, but it takes a VERY long time. Fortunately, I had copies of the applications I'd filled out last year, so I didn't have to search for many of the addresses, phone numbers, and employment dates. After I finished the process and sent the application through cyberspace, I e-mailed my references and contacted the Registrar department at my college to request an official transcript.

The second application was easier. In our county all of the public special education services are provided by the Special School District. Having one entity to deal with makes the application process much smoother.

I was pleasantly surprised when I could still access my online application from earlier in the year. All I had to do was update it with my new job information. The district had updated things, too. Now the reference process is electronic; instead of printing off a form for each person to fill out and getting it to them, they're e-mailed a reference request directly from the district. I was also able to scan my college transcript and teaching license and attach them to the file before I sent it off.

It feels good to have applications submitted. Now all I have to do is wait for some phone calls!

How Things Have Changed

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

How many of the ideas and concepts covered in the test are still relevant today?

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run'
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. For tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft.. Long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver ,Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
7. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
8. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers..
9. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Sharing Local Information

If you live in St. Louis, Denver, Las Vegas, or San Diego, there's a great new resource for finding things to do called Urbhub. It allows you to ask and answer questions about local places and happenings (a blurb) in 140 characters or less, making it quick and easy to exchange information.

From the Website:

Urbhub takes something basic, like asking a friend - "What's a good place for sushi?" or "Are there any sales this weekend?" - and broadcasts that to your neighbors, visitors, and friends.

Why these four cities? Brad Hogan, the owner, has connections in all of them. His theory is finding new things to do, whether as a tourist, local, or new resident shouldn't be complicated.

The site has some features that are similar to other social networking sites. You're encouraged to invite your friends to join (the more people involved, the better the site's content). If you appreciate what someone has written, you can LIKE it. You can also share the site's content with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and email.

However, Urbhub has a couple of unique features. First, the blubs you create can get you discounts. Each time someone LIKES your blurb, you earn a point. You can use the points to obtain discounts provided by local business. The second distinctive attribute is called Ego Busting. If you think a blurb is too self-centered, self-promoting, or spam, you can DISLIKE it. If too many people dislike something, that author isn't allowed to create new content for a period of time.

At this point Urbhub is still in it's Beta launch. Check it out and help Brad test out his concept!

Hope Springs Eternal

I'm on Spring Break this week, and today's springlike weather made me decide that today was the first gardening day of the year. Here's what I did:


You can see the fence and if you look hard you can see the trellis on the left; what you can't see are the snow peas that I planted next to the trellis (in what will be the back row). In our area, mid-March is the magic planting date for cool weather vegetables like lettuce, radishes, and peas.

Unlike last year, when all of the early-season plants I'd planted and babied were eaten (see HERE and HERE for all the sordid details), I'm hopeful that things will actually produce this year. The first thing I did was put chicken wire around the perimeter of the area, then added the support for the snow peas. In a few days I'll plant a row of lettuce in front of the beans. All the other planting will wait for much warmer weather.

Now all I need are the proper temperatures, proportions of sun and rain, and the absence of bunnies, squirrels, and other creatures. Is that too much to ask?