R = Rachel Carson

Marine biologist, conservationist, writer and editor, Rachel Carson pioneered in government service during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Her service to science and the environment has lasting impact into the 21^st century.

Rachel Carson was the daughter of a successful insurance salesman. Her childhood was spent exploring the 65 acre family farm and reading Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson. She attended college in the 1920s changing her major from English to Biology.

Her pioneering scientific work focused attention on pesticides and the negative and cumulative impact on the environment. Her work directly brought about the ban on DDT.

She served as the editor of the Fish and Wildlife Service publications and supervised the writing staff by 1945. She wrote articles for Reader’s digest and the New York Times as well as penning  the bestseller ‘Under the Sea Wind’ and ‘Silent Spring’.

Her work inspired others to found the Environmental Protection Agency. Her research and writing has continued to find its way into current publications including the Scientist of the Food and Drug Administration, and giving the base information for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

More about Rachel Carson: http://www.rachelcarson.org/

Mad As a Hatter

A booming trade in the 18^th century, hat makers exported American hats to Europe creating black on the balance sheet with many trading countries including England. Often the second or winter trade for many tradesmen during slow times, America was the perfect place for hat makers. The wide spaces full of natural resources offered plenty of water and an abundance of animal pelts. 

By the late 18^th - early 19^th century, with the increasing demands and the influence of industrialization, hat makers produced millions of hats per year. The once small industry or secondary trade became a full vocation for many young men and women.

Hatters not only shaped the hats but prepped the materials used to create the hats. In particular, the preparation of the animal skin & fur involved a washing process which used a mercury solution which was orange in color. The furs were boiled several times, exposing the hatters to toxic fumes. Once the fur was separated from the skin, it was matted together to make felt.

The toxic fumes and mercury absorption through the skin, poisoned the hatters nervous systems. Common signs of mercury poisoning were red fingers, toes and cheeks. Behavioral effects included drooling, confusion, trembling and muscle twitching. Once the signs began to show, death from the mercury poisoning was inevitable. 

Reflections on the water

'Reflections on the water, like shadows in my mind, Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time...' ~ Season Suite by John Denver

I find calm in watching the reflections on the water. There is something fascinating about the ripples, shadows and reflections that hold my attention to the point of calming my mind.

This is where stories are born...

From the depth of the water, the whisper rises up to the surface speaking of the secrets just below. 'Love,' says a voice. 'Hate,' says another. 'Choose,' says a third. 'Choose' sings the choir and the echo fades.

The choir begins with a quiet song, reaching crescendo before falling silent for seconds until the next song begins.

'Do this,' says one. 'Do that,' follows the next. 'What to do?' say the third. 'What to do? What to do?' they join together.

The beginning of the story comes into view:

A girl looks out onto the water. She sits watching the ducks, the bugs and the water. She comes to know all the creatures living near the pond. She comes to know their habits. She knows them so well, she begins to name them not only by their species name but also by their familiar name.

She began by calling the duck, 'duck'. After studying the duck, she learned it was a Mallard. Mallard became Mr. Mallard which became Mr. Merle Mallard. And when he waddled close to her, she resolved that Merle was a friend.

The story of 'Pond' waits to become real in the not so distant future.

In the meantime, you may like to listen to the Season Suite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q5197B_7iI

Beluga Whales

Known as the white whale, beluga whales or Dephinapterus leucas naturally live in the Arctic & sub-Arctic regions of the ocean, around Alaska, Canada, Russia and Greenland. Adult Belugas grow up to length of 16 feet and live to 50 years in captivity. They are stunningly white. The name Beluga comes from the Russian word ‘belukkha’ which means white.

Scientists refer to the Belugas as canaries for the high pitch sound they make. But the term canary is also accurate in that the whales are sensitive to pollution and serve as indicators of healthful or unhealthful environments, much like the mine canaries.

Beluga whales were the first live ocean mammal to be displayed in a permanent tank to the public in New York City. Since that time Belugas are periodically harvested from the sea to replenish the aquatic centers around the world. Researchers working with the whale have discovered that the whales are able to identify and have distinctive sounds for particular objects, giving the hope that someday humans and whales will be able to communicate.

Belugas swim at a tranquil pace and appear to be smiling most of the time. They are known to be playful with each other and their human handlers. In general, they are social creatures living in pods. However, belugas move from pod to pod increasing their social circles.

Dog First-Aid Kit 'Cuz Ya Never Know

Well-meaning intensions aside, procrastination can be profoundly revealed when a pet is injured. My story is simple: my pets never get injured, so why have a first aid kit? Because never can turn into rarely in a blink of an eye.

My little dog has a small head. She can poke her head through the fence to gaze at the neighbor’s beautifully manicured and dog-free yard. The rest of Tippy, the little dog is too wide to make it through the fence. My neighbor, an older lady actually likes to talk with Tippy. So I figured no harm, no foul.

Until one day when Tippy’s ear got caught on the fence as she pulled her head back through. It is amazing how much blood is in a dog ear. There was blood all over the yard, blood all over Tippy, and when I went to help, blood all over me.

I won’t keep you in suspense. It was a flesh wound, no stitches required but it was a mess.

Had I had a dog first aid kit, things might have been less messy. Instead, I was yelling at child one and child two to look in the various household cupboards for gaze, for tape, for antiseptic.

End result: I’ve made a list for the dog first-aid kit and will keep it readily available for the potential future occurrence. Now that I’m prepared I do hope we’ll just return to the “my dog never gets hurt” status.

Dog First Aid Kit

Muzzle (even when they love you, they nip when you make their ouch worse)
Roll of Gauze
Gauze Squares
Non-stick Pads
First-aid tape
Vet-wrap/bandage roll
Sterile Saline Solution
Tube of Antiseptic
Scissors
Tweezers
Cotton Balls
Cotton Swabs
Gloves
Pet Carrier
Leash
Cold Paks
Heat Paks
Syringe
Pliers
Thermometer
Pedialyte
Bitter Apple Product (to discourage licking)
Vet’s phone number

For humans
Band-aids
Sterile Saline
Antiseptic cream
Doctor’s phone number


Diane Harrison of Wild Side Kerry Blues sent this message.

"Great article! Things to add to your dog first aid kit: Benedryl (for bug bites, stings, hot spots and any allergic reactions. and very good to use to calm your dog down), Tagamet,(great for large breed dogs that can or get, gastric torsion aka: Bloat) Tums, Aspirin, Clavamox (a very good antibiotic that you could get from your Veterinarian. Any good Vet will sell this to you if you tell him/her it's for your dog first aid kit) Pedialyte is great, but so you won't have to worry about it going bad, get an Electrolyte powder. Gold bond powder, Kwik Stop Powder, Super Glue, And a Bulb syringe. Just my 2 cents worth! :-)

For more information about Kerry Blue Terriers:
http://www.wildsidekerryblues.com/contact.html

Gerenuk

Watching Gerenuk (genus: Litocranius) eat is a calming experience. The East African antelope also known as the giraffe-necked antelope have a beautifully muscular, yet slender body. Their movement is delightfully graceful.

Indigenous to the African continent, it may be surprising that the Gerenuk are picky eaters. They tend to select the juiciest leaves available, leaving the rest behind.

Nature has uniquely situated these elegant animals at just the right height for the best food selection: fruit, flowers and leaves. Taller than the most gazelles, their selection is greater and higher on the bush or tree than their smaller food competitors. Since they average 4-5 feet in length, they are far smaller than giraffes that graze further up the tree.

Male Gerenuk have horns, females do not. They are otherwise very similar in size, shape and coloring. Both the male and the female stand on their hind legs to feed.

A well-cared for Gerenuk can live up to 13 years in captivity, while the average lifespan in the wild is only 8 years.

Watch and learn more about Gerenuk: http://www.lazoo.org/animals/mammals/gerenuk/

My Dog Talks

“My dog talks,” said the boy.

“Dogs don’t talk,” said the man.

“He does too and I can prove it,” said the boy.

“I’ll go with you boy, just to show you dogs don’t talk,” said the man.

“My dog asks for walks, he does,” said the boy.

The two walked over to the window on the inside of the house.

The dog walked up to the window on the outside of the house.

The dog lifted his paw & tapped on the window.

The man turned to the boy and asked, “What does that mean?”

“Ask him,” said the boy.

“What do you want?” asked the man through the glass to the dog.

“Waaah,” said the dog.

“A walk” laughed the man.

“See, it’s not hard to understand him” said the boy.

“No, it’s not…” paused the man.

“Ruff,” said the dog.

Stop & Smell the Flowers

Great wisdom can be found in a hectic life, if only we take the moment to become aware of our environment, to look for the good and to follow our bliss.

Bliss comes in large and small packages. With progress on the road of life, we hope that we have more moments of awareness, less chaos. Often it is right in front of us, we need only look for it.

In the midst of big change: change location, change work, change, change, change… at a moment of utter craze I stopped to watch Merlin, my dog, explore his new environment.

Merlin felt the warm concrete under his paws, a new sensation. He stepped out onto the lawn. He walked over to the flower bed in full spring bloom with flowers he’d never experienced before… he sniffed this one, that one… looked up at the sky… sniffed that one, this one, stuck his nose in a particularly low hanging rose, laid next to it and took a nap.

Life is good when we take time to smell the roses.

Book Review:Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Barbara Kingsolver with Steven Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
NY: Harper Collins, 2007
Hardcover: $26.95 370 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-085255-9

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is the story of the author, Barbara Kingsolver’s family’s adventure moving from urban Tucson Arizona to a rural Tennessee farm. The move may be what many Americans might call, extreme but not just because of the geographical location, but because the family’s lifestyle and diet changed from store bought to home grown…radically.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle promotes a return to locally grown seasonal diet to the extreme. The Kingsolver family grew much of their own food and what they didn’t grow they purchased from local farmers.

A few items such as coffee and spices such as cinnamon were obviously not local commodities, so the these scant items the author justified her diversion from the thesis with purchasing necessary items through Earth friendly, employee friendly World focused cooperative programs.

The entire family participated in the experiment adding to their list of family projects, cheese making, and raising chickens for eggs as well as slaughter. I laughed out loud when the author declared she’d slaughter “only the mean ones” for dinner. Clearly, Mrs. Cluck’s personality could extend or shorten her life span, which is more a city folk determination rather than a traditional rural attitude toward subsistence farm/food animals.

Barbara Kingsolver’s husband, a scientist influences the source of the basic premise from which the family makes life changing decisions. The statistics are not overwhelming for the non-scientific reader because Kingsolver puts them within the narrative.

Within the story is another story told by Camille, Kingsolver’s oldest child. Camille offers a young person’s perspective and recipes to adapt to the new life style. Her contributions are set off as side bars.

Kingsolver’s passion for her family and local farm movement as well as the planet as a whole is evident throughout. Her argument is persuasive and many sensible suggestions for a less radical conversion helps the reader relate because the author realizes that an overnight change is quite demanding.

Still the corporatization of farming spearheaded by Monsanto and Dow companies have produced chemically resistant bugs which in turn has doubled the percentage of crop damage from 6% loss in the 1950s to 13% 50 years later. Clearly, the corporate bean counters have fewer beans to count because of their shortsighted decisions of just 40 to 50 years ago.

Return to local food, local water, grow your own, be with your family, create a home around your hearth; these are the directions of which Kingsolver encourages ever reader to strive.

Interested in this subject?? Visit http://animalvegetablemiracle.com