Monthly Archives: July 2008
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Moves into the Neighborhood
Sometimes, the littlest things can get me excited — like spotting a hummingbird at our feeder. And they truly are little, as well as elusive. They barely weigh more than two ounces at the most and are about three to four inches … Continue reading
Filed under Biology, Bird-watching, Family, Humor, Kansas, Life, Nature, Personal, Uncategorized
Confessions of a Savoholic
My birthday is coming up, but don’t mail me a card. Forget a Christmas card, too. As much as I’m eager to hear from you — and I assure you that I am — I’ll be compelled to save whatever you … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Family, Friendship, Health, Humor, Life, Personal, Uncategorized
Chiggers!
This is a chigger, enlarged about 1,500 times. Chiggers are red until they are engorged, when they turn yellow. They feed on our dissolved skin cells, not blood. (Photo — Dr. W. Calvin Webourn, the Ohio State Acarology Laboratory.) … Continue reading
The Brothers Angora, Chapter One
We parents do crazy things for our children. My husband and I volunteered to help our daughter move her belongings to a new apartment with two roommates while we visited her in Boston, where she attended college. Usually, we flew, but this time we were … Continue reading
Malcolm, Old Friend
I’m the woman always wearing a sprinkling of cat hair. Sometimes I take the lint roller to my clothes, but usually I don’t even notice the hair. I miss not finding Malcolm, our cat, lying on a pile of my not-yet-folded laundry. … Continue reading
Berry Picking by Moonlight
How did chiggers make a living before people started wearing clothes? An entomologist explained in a college “bugs and boys” class that chiggers have weak mouth parts so they need pressure to clamp onto our skin. The invention of elastic waistbands was … Continue reading
There Will Be Blog
The mini-van’s thermometer shot up to 94 degrees as we left leaf-shaded suburbia. We hurried (careful not to exceed the speed limit) into the city, eager for a soft seat in a cool theater at a late afternoon movie, just before the higher evening … Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, History, Humor, Journalism, Life, Politics, Presidents, Writing
Googleganger
We all suspect we have a double out there in the world, but the internet makes it easier to find dozens of them. A couple of years ago, I googled my name to find one of my articles so I could email it to an editor. … Continue reading
Filed under Family, History, Humor, Internet, Life, Personal, Politics, Technology, Uncategorized
Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas
Call me weird, but I like to hang out with stuffed animals. I’m not alone, though. Fifty thousand people a year visit the exhibits at the Museum of Natural History & Biodiversity Research Center (that’s a mouthful) at the University of Kansas. The … Continue reading
Kansas City Symphony in the Flint Hills
SYMPHONY in the FLINT HILLS – A symphony concert in a pasture? Hmmmm? Concert veterans Matt and Sue R. told us about the Kansas City Symphony’s third annual concert in the Flint Hills of Kansas on June 15. I love the … Continue reading
