Amazing petal edges cut with such precision. God in the details!
This is for Cee’s FOTD challenge!
Flower of the day: July 8, 2020
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Flower of the Day, do tree trunks count?: July 7, 2020
This summer I’ve been discovering tree trunks with unusual shapes, character, and textures. I mostly admired leaves, but these trunks were conspicuously different that made me do a double-take.
Nature is teaching me to look in different directions and angles. It could be the quarantine’s effect of noticing what’s in front of me rather than looking upward and outward. I have mostly admired their leaves, but this summer I’m noticing the splendor of trunks and the balanced strength(mostly) it provides in supporting the rest of the tree.
I have always been very interested in landscape… I find that all natural forms are a source of unending interest – tree trunks, the growth of branches from the trunk, each finding its own individual air-space.
Henry Moore
Thanks Cee for hosting this challenge! Have a great start to a new month.
Zoom class with Coyote Peterson: kid style reaction to seeing blood from a leech bite
Last week, Coyote Peterson, a wildlife adventurer and educator, offered a 2-part Zoom class about bites and stings. It was a free course hosted by Varsity Tutors. We’re familiar with his show ever since kids discovered his adventures on YouTube. They were thrilled to see him live.
If you don’t know Coyote Peterson, here’s a brief intro: He’s a popular YouTube personality and wildlife expert who travels the world to highlight the characteristics and species of rare animals living in those areas. He catches these animals, not easy to find, and teaches viewers all about their characteristics, habitat, and interesting facts. He ends with the tagline: “Be brave. Stay wild, and See you on the Next Adventure.”
My kids are big fans, and a favorite episode is Coyote P. meeting a rescue baby Sloth named B-Rad in Costa Rica’s nature center. Ellis has played B-Rad hundreds of times and think it’s hilarious that sloths climb down trees every seven days to poop. Yep, you guessed it right. Both of them role play sloths pooping on the ground with their nubby tails.
This was a mellow episode but others are too much adventure for me. He swims, leaps, jumps, climbs, falls, hikes…mostly in dangerous terrains.
Their favorite episodes involve Coyote getting bit or stung. Don’t understand the appeal, but they think it’s cool and scary at the same time.
These incidents are documented for the sake of teaching people about the effects of those bites and stings. On the Zoom call, one student asked how many times he’s been bitten: the actual number is hard to determine, but he’s been bitten by 52 species. Eeeek! How is this guy still alive?!
Those bites and stings look painful to bear; some of those effects can last for hours and cause excrutiating pain. We wince and wonder why anyone would purposely get bitten. It’s attention-grabbing entertainment, teaches how to avoid and respond to these attacks, and raises appreciation for animal’s innate protective mechanism. Message: don’t mess with wild animals, they’re not interested in interacting with humans, and give them their space. Animals and insects attack when they perceive threat rather than seeking human contact. That’s good to know! I’ll stick to my space.
I really appreciated Coyote Peterson emphasizing what not to do when you encounter a wild animal. Resist the urge to turn and run. Don’t run away! If you do, they will chase you and get hurt. Instead, make yourself large with loud noises, wave your arms, and stomp your feet to make yourself seem large and scary.
This was a nice treat! Thanks Varsity Tutors for offering this fun summer class for kids.
Flower of the day: July 3, 2020
Henry James
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
A poo poo day
Oh no, what’s going on? Yesterday was a good day with the kids. Today is not off to a smooth start. eeek!
I woke up grumpy and far behind on some unspecified schedule I give myself. My sleep was erratic since Ellis woke up and cried that she couldn’t go to sleep. She had already been sleeping for 2 hours, so that was weird.
Then she stared at me and had that look of “I’m not feeling good.” She felt nauseated and on the verge of throwing up. She ran to the bathroom and stood over the toilet. Nothing. I looked at her sitting in the hallway ready to spray down the toilet afterwards. This happened two times with nothing coming out. Next, she was all flustered and needed a massage, a cuddle, and me to sleep next to her on the floor (closer to the bathroom if she throws up).
Wide awake at this point. Fell asleep when the sun was coming up. 😦 For a person trying to stick to a non-existing schedule, this is not good.
Elliot is upset with me because his tablet was not charged. I told him it’s his responsibility; that comment annoyed him. We’re working on designating responsibilities; it’s not a pretty process.
I hope you don’t mind me sharing this post with no specific message. Just sharing what’s on my mind.
