upsaid_Jul-07-2004_Nov-08-2004

Upsaid journal entries and comments by user: cerise

Upsaid journal entries and comments by user: jpm14

(File created on: May 26 2008)

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First snow Woke up to white covering the picnic table this morning. Finished Peace Like a River by Leif Enger yesterday afternoon. Great novel. His depiction of living with asthma (before it was controllable) is right on. “Fair is whatever God wants to do.” p. 294, Peace Like a River Entry posted by jpm14 on November 08 2004 at 6:22 am

Questions From Selah and http://buriedtreasurebooks.com/weblog.php 1. What time do you get up? Between 5 and 6.30 AM 2. If you could eat lunch with one person, who would it be? My honey husband. 3. Gold or silver? Either. Design is more important. And stones. Colored stones. Precious colored stones. 4. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? With girlfriends who chose it: The Bourne Supremecy Note: There was no number 5. in the original post. So I made one up. 5. What new skill(s) have you learned recently? Knitting socks, burning CD’s 6. What did you have for breakfast? Chai and parsley pesto on toast. All homemade. 7. Who would you hate to be stuck in a room with? John Kerry 8. Beach, City or Country? Country. 9. Favorite ice cream? Purity’s mocha chip. Note: There was no number 10. in the original post. So I made one up. 10. Favorite thing to do before bed? Read. 11. Butter, plain or salted popcorn? butter, with salt 12. What kind of car do you drive? A blue Dodge Intrepid that is less that a decade old. 13. Favorite sandwich? Open-faced home-grown, just-picked tomato, homemade garlic mayo and hard cheese, broiled. 14. What characteristic do you despise? Willfull ignorance due to laziness 15. Favorite flower? Each in its season: Cyclamen, tree peony, violets, heirloom roses 16. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Spain 17. Favorite brand of clothing? I don’t do brands: design, fit, and price are what I look for. 18. Where would you retire to? Where we are is just fine. 19. Favorite day of the week? Thursday: the running around is mostly done for the week. 20. What did you do for your last birthday? Went to court for a speeding ticket. blah. 21. Where were you born? In a western New York hospital. 22. Favorite sport to watch? Rope climbing, stick jumping contests here at home. 23. What fabric detergent do you use? Tide or Arm and Hammer, unscented. 24. Coke or Pepsi? Neither. Bleh. Give me rhubarb wine. Or a Woodchuck hard cider. Or cold water. 25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning person. 26. What is your shoe size? 7 to 8, depending on brand. 27. Do you have any pets? One dog, one cat, one rabbit, one-half a horse. Entry posted by jpm14 on November 05 2004 at 1:09 pm

Salmon Jay was home yesterday. In the morning he went goose hunting. He saw six large gobblers instead, had an adrenaline rush, but did not bring one home. On the way back to the house the geese started landing. Later he went for a quick fish on Six Mile creek right in downtown Ithaca. After losing his worms three times to quick bites he hauled out a two to three pound freshwater salmon. It was almost 24 inches long and silvery. We all went down later to see if it had been one of a school or a loner. It had been alone: we caught three chubs of varying size, but all were suckers. We do not eat them. When we were descending into the gorge we saw two deer swim the creek. Later a large hawk came winging by so low it flew under the bridge. There were also seven turkey vultures circling and a murder of crows harassing another hawk. I picked a few lengths of bittersweet. The children built rock sculpture to add to the ones already on the bank edge. It was cold. We had garlic mashed potatoes (just add a few cloves to the taters when you boil them then mash altogether) with the oven baked fish that had been buttered and sprinkled with tamarind soup mix. The best. The potatoes were new finds from plants Isabelle had put in along the garden edge and we had all forgotten. Jay had found them while digging worms for the first foray. Entry posted by jpm14 on November 04 2004 at 6:19 am

Sat AM On the walk this morning a couple interesting things. Three small snakes of the same kind and size dead by the side of the road in separate areas. They are pale tan and seem to have a frill on each side of their heads. I brought the best one home. Isabelle is drawing it this moment. Adult, juvenile? 7 inches long, 3/16ths inch in diameter. He was found near a wet area. Got caught in a shower. The drops were large and muddied the puddles as they hit. Earthworms were crossing roads on voyages of discovery or escape. As I peruse cast-off Architectural Digests that make their way into our home because of certain friends who know Isaac’s interest in drawing house plans I have a couple times seem large, tall bundles of gigantic Equisetum used as a decorating element in similarly large, tall vases sitting on the floor. There happens to be a credibly large grove of such weed just 75 feet from the house so I went and picked a handfull of the largest and fattest large enough to be squeezed into the small flower holder in the bathroom. Our homegrown Equisetum is no where near the size of the monsters in the fancy magazines. I expect those are imported from some hot, humid tropic where everything grows to enormous size and the natives are only too happy to sell green silica-on-a-stick to cityfolk: Texas, maybe. We looked up the snake. It is a juvenile Northern Brown Snake. They eat slugs. They are my heros. Entry posted by jpm14 on October 30 2004 at 9:17 am One comment: Thanks for dinner last night! Everytrhing was delicious…especially the “little BROWN crunchy things “you put on the casserole. Was I imagining things, or did one of them have eyes? Comment posted by Suz (ip: 205.188.117.11) on 10 / 31 / 2004 at 9:06 pm

Brownie Recipe TulipGirl had a blog asking for good brownie recipes using specified ingredients. Mine fit the bill. The original recipe came decades ago from Cindy, who now resides with her family on top of a mountain in Colorado. Being me, I have changed it a bit. But they are the best brownies you will ever eat. 4+T. cocoa 1 stick butter, melted 1 cup or less sugar 1 T. vanilla or liquer (raspberry, orange_ 2 eggs 1+T. oil 3/4 cup flour Mix all together and pour into a 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes: just when you start to smell them and the knife comes out clean. Entry posted by jpm14 on October 29 2004 at 1:02 pm One comment: Thanks for the recipe! Looks great. And I laughed at your “Vanilla or liquour” option. I’m out of vanilla and the vanillin-sugar they have here is so artificial tasting. I use amaretto in place of vanilla in all my recipes! Comment posted by TulipGirl (ip: 83.170.255.113) on 10 / 30 / 2004 at 8:08 am TulipGirl’s website: http://www.tulipgirl.com

Burning Music No, not like those books some people dislike. I am not tottally inept at electronic device use: I finally spent awhile and figured out how to transfer music from one CD to another. Top requests by the children on their very own mixed music CD’s: ‘Mars’ and ‘Jupiter’ from Holst’s Planets Johnny Cash songs from his American III and IV albums Early Phil Keaggy cuts, especially ‘ As the Ruin Falls’ The three songs from the Toy Story 2 soundtrack, written by Randy Newman: ‘Woody’s Roundup’, ‘When She Loved Me’, ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ Entry posted by jpm14 on October 27 2004 at 1:39 pm 2 comments: Ooooh. Now I wanna go listen to old Phil Keaggy! But I’ve only got him on tape, so I’ll have to put a few in the car. Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 10 / 27 / 2004 at 1:43 PM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com We have quite a bit of new (to us) music circulating through the house because of my husband’s job. If you’re looking for something new, check out these three gorgeous recordings, all of which make me stop and take notice when Chris starts them spinning: Jerry Douglas’ CD, “Lookout For Hope,” Sugar Hill Records, 2002. “Entre Amigos,” by Rosa Passos and Ron Carter, Chesky Records, 2003. Hilary Hahn’s “Barber and Meyer Violin Concertos,” Sony Classical 2000. Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 4.231.29.43) on 10 / 31 / 2004 at 12:13 AM

Shameless promotion of insect appreciation at Bugbios Image Copyright 2000-2002 by Dexter Sear at IO Vision Entry posted by jpm14 on October 25 2004 at 7:30 am 4 comments: Deb, I think this — http://www.insects.org/entophiles/coleoptera/cole_l010.jpg — is the URL you want. Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 10 / 25 / 2004 at 11:11 AM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com You are exactly correct, Valerie. As you have also correctly surmised, I am incapable of putting up a photograph, but did try to. Any hints will be put to good use. Comment posted by Deb (ip: 128.253.49.150) on 10 / 25 / 2004 at 5:00 PM Deb’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Deb’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 1) To find the URL of a photo, right-click on the photo and then click on “Properties.” At least that’s how it works in Internet Explorer in Windows. 2) Make sure the URL ends with .jpg or .gif. Those are the most likely photo formats you’ll find online. Occasionally you’ll run into another type, but those are the only two you’ll probably need to worry about. Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 10 / 25 / 2004 at 5:39 PM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com We had to try our hand at morphological systematics on tiger beetles in grad school: Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.189.43) on 10 / 25 / 2004 at 10:41 PM

Reading lists It is so out of date over there on the right. One of these days I will get around to changing it. Life is full of more important things now. I started Madame Bovary but she was so darn unpleasant and ungrateful I could not bring myself to finish it. I did peek to see what became of her: an unrepentant and miserable end. So I have started Barchester Towersby Trollope on Matt and Sora’s recommendation. Have just finished the introductory explanation in the edition I am reading. The children and I are reading 1:The Falcon by john Tanner, an autobiography of a man who was captured as a boy of nine by the Shawnees and sold to the Ojubwas. Fascinating. Makes any slight hardships in our lives pale in comparison. 2: Incident at Hawk’s Hill , a novel based on a true incident of a 6 year old boy who lived with a badger for awhile. Similar geographical area as The Falcon. 3: Tuck Everlasting , which I think everyone should read and discuss. We have a cousin slowly dieing of cancer. She told me last night she wishes to re-read it now to help her perspective. We will watch the movie version of Tuck after we finish the book since we met a young lady this summer whose mom produced the film. Entry posted by jpm14 on October 17 2004 at 7:21 pm

punctuation Carmon</ A> put a put a link to a neat little game from the book “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”on her blog. I liked it so much a link is now here, also. Entry posted by jpm14 on October 17 2004 at 7:03 pm 4 comments: Bummer, I was only a 58% stickler! 😮 What were you? Comment posted by anja (ip: 64.232.221.158) on 10 / 21 / 2004 at 2:02 PM Bummer, I was only a 58% stickler! 😮 What were you? (P.S. Greetings from gate D23 at BWI.) Comment posted by anja (ip: 64.232.221.158) on 10 / 21 / 2004 at 2:02 PM Oh, I was 98%. I missed one comma. But I bet on a programming test you would win, since I know slight errors there throw off the whole kit and caboodle. Comment posted by Deb (ip: 132.236.155.95) on 10 / 22 / 2004 at 9:45 AM Deb’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Deb’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 Ha. That’s where you might be wrong; I use a text editor that does syntax highlighting – If I make a typo in a reserved word or punctuation, the colors of the text go all strange. Feeling Punctuationally Inferior, anja Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.189.43) on 10 / 22 / 2004 at 10:37 PM

Gotcha! Eight years ago today we arrived at the entrance of an orphanage in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and were handed our daughter by a Japanese Catholic nun. At that time she was within days of being one year old; she could neither walk or talk; she communicated with clawing motions towards the face, crying and screaming; she had scabies and very short hair. She had been in an orphanage since birth. Today it is difficult to get her to stop communicating her every thought; she plays violin, rides horses, writes beautifully, reads voraciously, is (usually) tender-hearted and loving and has the fullest head of dark hair I have ever seen. She loves God and prays regularly for the salvation of unrepentant family members and missionaries in the field. We thank God for his mercy to her and us in uniting us as a family. Entry posted by jpm14 on October 17 2004 at 6:41 pm 2 comments: Adoption is so very, very cool! Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 10 / 21 / 2004 at 9:59 PM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com What a beautiful post! Rejoicing with you in what God has done in your daughter’s and family’s lives. Comment posted by TulipGirl (ip: 62.64.119.34) on 10 / 28 / 2004 at 8:54 PM TulipGirl’s website: http://www.tulipgirl.com

Hunting Jay was out scouting for turkeys a couple weeks ago about dusk, trying to roost them so he could hunt them in the morning. He stood in a Hemlock grove and softly used a box call. No response. Until he saw a large dark shape winging its way towards him with suprising and then alarming agility through the trees at a height of about four feet. When it reached within 20 feet of him, Jay spooked and moved with a startle reflex. The owl, who had been hunting what it thought was turkey, also spooked and pulled up, out and away as quickly as possible. A friend has suggested Jay hunt with a helmet next time. Maybe a face guard? Entry posted by jpm14 on October 17 2004 at 6:31 pm

Wild Life Saturday morning I was up at 6.15 , started roll dough, checked my ammo and gun, put clothes in the dryer, dressed, put Lily out in her pasture pen and then went to check the beaver traps all before 7AM. As Jay says: “That’s my Proverbs 32 wife” That’s right, I go beyond the proverbial wife. Ha! Entry posted by jpm14 on October 17 2004 at 6:25 pm

Dead Journal IV (?) Sunday morning: a few baby snakes The road was warmer? a 5-inch spotted salamander, hit by car Another 5-inch spotted salamander stranded on the road came home with me and died a day later. Too cold? a few grasshoppers lots of small snails a couple planaria What Are they doing on the road? Tuesday morning:All tender plants in the frost zone Entry posted by jpm14 on October 05 2004 at 11:02 am

Things We Northerners Have to Look Forward To 1- Getting out a search party for the mailbox which has gone missing because the snowplow hit it and pushed it into the snowpile in the neighbor’s yard. 2- Those cute little solar lights that you put so fashionably right along the driveway this summer? Let’s guess how many will survive the paid plower, the family shovelers and your car wheels to last until the sun returns in late spring. 3-The neighbors are taking bets on which wins: the ostentatious stone pillars at the end of that new house down the road, or the snowplow. Odds favor the snowplow. 4- Will the neighbor to the west place his snow fence properly this year or will he again have more snow in his driveway than on the rest of his property combined? 5- Wondering if the paid plower will again push roadsalt laden snow all the way up the driveway into the raspberries, poisoning them so they bear no fruit again next year? 6- Are the expensive 15-foot trees you replanted now placed far enough back from your long curving fancy driveway not be ripped up or snapped off by the paid plower this winter? 7-Anticipating raking the lawn near the road in spring to remove the bushels of gravel the snowplow dropped there. 8-How many times will piano students come to lesson bloody or bruised having fallen on the ice between the car and the house? Entry posted by jpm14 on September 29 2004 at 1:04 pm 2 comments: C’mon down. Or, as Lyle Lovett puts it, “No, you’re not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway.” Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 4.231.62.43) on 09 / 29 / 2004 at 1:24 PM Jeni’s E-mail: rcjlmartens@msn.com 1- Our mailboxes are all together on a post. Since I check my mail about once every 2 weeks, I’m hoping my neighbors will dig it out so I won’t have to… 😉 2- Lights? Heck, I’m just glad the weeds next to the driveway are MOWED. 3- Ha. I’m betting on the plow, too. Although I don’t envy the owner of the blade. 4- You’ll have to keep us posted. 5- They can’t even plow my driveway. It’ll have to be snowblown. Or shoveled (horrors) 6- Expensive? Trees? I replanted the one that was too close to the house, but I think it’s dead now. Curved? Driveway? 😉 7- Hmm, yes. Maybe I will put a rock garden on the strip between the sidewalk and the street… (salt tolerant tundra plants that love gravel?) 8- No piano. No students. But you will have to keep us posted on your end. Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.188.164) on 09 / 29 / 2004 at 6:53 PM

Johnny Cash, and an un-Law-ful actor He was one of the most intriguing musical Christian persons I have ever read about and listened to. So much so I have read one of his biographies. I am not a biography reader in general. And then yesterday I went and plunked down a perfectly good five dollar bill and received only fifty cents change and the the October issue of Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair is a magazine that fulfills its name. The article about the relationship Johnny Cash and his producer Rick Rubin had is worth having to schlep through the rest of the magazine. Especially since there is an article about some busy 30-ish actor who is quoted saying of his recent divorce and his children, now almost aged four and two: ” I think sometimes parents can be stifling, making their children dependent on them, when in fact your role as a parent is to encourage them to feel safe about leaving you. They’re strong and they can cope and deal with it all. And you can only allow that by going back to yourself, by showing them that your’re doing it.” Bleah. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 27 2004 at 10:55 am One comment: Somebady pass me a wall. I need to bang my head…. Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 09 / 28 / 2004 at 5:34 pm Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com

Tell me all about yourself whether you want to or not The science that seemed surreal in <A href=”http://http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0767805712/102-243 9082-6912156?v=glance”>Gattaca is on its way…. A recent study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists reports that dust can serve as a fingerprint for the soil from which it originates, providing information on soil type and farming practices used on the field from which it blew. ARS microbiologist Veronica Acosta-Martinez and soil scientist Ted Zobeck, both at the agency’s Cropping System Research Laboratory in Lubbock, Texas, fed different soil samples into their own dust-generating machine, which works by applying kinetic energy by gravity to a dust source sample to generate dust. Samples were taken from agricultural soils with a history of continuous cotton, or cotton rotated with peanut, sorghum, rye, or wheat; and under different water management (irrigated or dryland) and tillage (conservation or conventional) systems. The dust samples showed activities of ß-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, and arylsulfatase, which are related to cellulose degradation and phosphorus and sulfur mineralization in soil, respectively. They were also able to identify the type of tillage and the crop rotation used on the field. As more information becomes available on dust characteristics, conservationists and land planners will be able to pinpoint areas and practices that are causing most of an area’s wind erosion. These techniques may also help to assess the relationship between these biochemical properties of dust and the soil sources, in order to evaluate their potential as biochemical fingerprints of the soil source. View the full article online at http://jeq.scijournals.org/ Entry posted by jpm14 on September 24 2004 at 10:13 am

Selfish Parents Can’t wait nine months to see the baby you chose to allow to stay in utero until it is born? Are you visual, not kinesthetic? Don’t fret! Now you can “have an emotioanl experience” with your baby AND subject it to “unnecessary exposure to high-frequency sound waves” that may be unhealthy. I ran an ultrasound lab that did research on muscle physiology. We used meat animals. I would not expose any child to the risk of cell cavitation by unnecessary, minutes long exposure. The NIH has this extract on line explaining cell cavitation by ultrasound irradiation might be a way to kill malignant cancer cells. Normal cells were considered “relatively resistant”. Read: some of the normal cells were severely affected also. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 24 2004 at 8:02 am

First Frost Clear sky, day temp in the 50’s. As of 7.30PM it is just below 50 degrees on the house. So now there are over a bushel of large tomatoes, a peck of small yellow and red tomatoes, a couple pecks of peppers, the rest of the summer squash, the two painfully small eggplants, two and one-half quarts of red raspberries, an armload of basil and a handful of quillquina camping on the back entryway. Tonight’s scheduled processing: raspberry jam and pesto. The copious rain has had a negative impact on the flavor of the berries (not to mention the proliferation of mold) so all but one picking has been jammed. Sugar and boiling cover a multitude of small furry spots. And I added a dollop of rum right at the end to one batch. Mmm. Tomorrow: salsa and more canned tomatoes with rosemary and oregano. Those particular spices will not survive a hard freeze. And freezing peppers. Ugh. Not my favorite thing. But we do like them in the mid-winter. We got 2.7 inches of rain this week in the 24 hour period the very outer edge of Ivan came by. I think our water table has recovered from the five year drougth. I am able to do more than one load of laundry and dishes and a family member shower and flush the toilet without the water becoming cloudy. Jay and Isabelle went up back to see if there is any fresh turkey sign. He and his brother and nephews shot 11 Canada Geese last weekend in a 70 minute period. A dismal showing considering how much ammo was expended and how many geese were involved in the fracas. We ate the breasts of two. Tough–they actually use those muscles–unlike the chickens from the store…. The spotters just returned with an arrow Isabelle found in the woods in the dark; a lovely arrangement of goldenrod, red maple leaves, small white asters and Christmas fern; a report of two 2-1/2 year old bucks, and a flock of turkeys just going to roost down in the ravine where I shot one years ago. For that hunt I laid recumbant on my back partially under and right next to a downed tree with two homemade neck warmers of polar fleece on my head. One from my eyebrows up and one from below my eyes down. I was a broken branch. It convinced the turkeys. I got a nice one in the morning as it came gliding out of its roost. The flock has not come back to that area since. Perhaps the memory of ‘the tree that spat fire’ has died out from the flock? Ha! Entry posted by jpm14 on September 19 2004 at 7:42 pm 2 comments: I am hoping to have another 6 weeks before frost but the night temps here are finally down into the 50s which makes evenings and mornings much more comfortable. The squirrels have destroyed all the baby lettuces I’d planted for a fall crop. As Zek’l would say, “Wretched, wretched squirrels!” The raspberries we picked the last two weeks of August tasted awful. Now they are good. The only thing I can think of that has changed is the temperatures. Do raspberries need it to be under a certain temperature, at least part of the day, to taste good? Comment posted by Sora (ip: 216.68.14.113) on 09 / 20 / 2004 at 10:10 PM Cool temps certainly have not helped the taste of ours any. Jjust now I asked Jay and he postulates that it is the lack of sunlight and lower leaves. Sunlight would bring out the sugars. And more leaves (which were lost here in the cool and rain) would mean more sugar in the plant as a whole. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.132) on 09 / 22 / 2004 at 7:35 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14

singing psalms Psalm 62 fits nicely to Lully’s Gavotte in Suzuki violin Book 2. I repeat the running middle section for verses 11 and 12, returning to the ending phrase to re-sing verse one to end. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 13 2004 at 6:03 am 2 comments: oh–KJV Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.137) on 09 / 19 / 2004 at 5:25 PM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 Which translation? Comment posted by Matt (ip: 216.68.44.193) on 09 / 18 / 2004 at 10:00 PM Matt’s E-mail: mac47@fuse.net Matt’s website: http://www.upsaid.com/mac47

“Strong evidence” that the Law of Entropy is wrong! “A major unsolved question in biology has been where eukaryotes came from, where we came from,” Lake said. “The answer is that we have two parents, and we now know who those parents were.” He is not speaking of Adam and Eve. And the Tree of Life may instead have been a Ring. Did Disney get it right without NSF grants? Circle of Life indeed. But I do not trust computers or their operators who indicate they can tell what happened way before any living creature was around. My computational biologist friend Angela will probably have comments on all this. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 10 2004 at 10:10 am 5 comments: It’s more like a web than a ring, but yes, there have been a lot of inputs and gene flow does not go only from parents to offspring. I’m not really clear on why this press release is “news;” the endosymbiotic theory has been around at least since the 1920’s. What’s much more interesting it the historical possibility of transfer of biological material between Mars and Earth. If that were the case, then WE could be the Martians! 🙂 Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.52.241) on 09 / 10 / 2004 at 8:46 PM It amazes me how the article jumps from “probably resulted in” to an hypothesis stated as a fact. I would like to see the MEASURABLE EVIDENCE that suggests that this hypothesis is true. Has anyone recreated the circumstance that caused these two types of cells to combine genetic material without human intervention? No synthetic additives to break bonds and no centrifuges, please! I also think that Angela has been seeing too many reruns of “The Fly”. HEEEELP MEEE! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 205.188.117.17) on 09 / 12 / 2004 at 8:40 PM Suz’s website: http://journals.aol.com/momraupp/FlyingPigs/ I read the article you hypertexted, Anja. There are an awful lot of “probablies” in there. Also, comparison does not equal fact. Like I told a grad student years ago, maybe God just had a good idea and decided to repeat it! Why reinvent the wheel? Comment posted by Suz again (ip: 205.188.117.17) on 09 / 12 / 2004 at 8:46 PM Huh? One of the articles I referenced uses the word “probably” twice. The other doesn’t at all. I haven’t seen The Fly (original or remake) since the remake came out (1986). Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.97.98.201) on 09 / 13 / 2004 at 6:27 PM Sorry. I didn’t read the other article. Still, I don’t recall anywhere in the scientific method where probably = fact, even once, and where is that “measurable evidence”? The original Fly had this bizzare scene where the half human/ half fly is caught in a web and is about to be devoured by a spider. Of course, that freakish creature was the direct result of human experimentation, not a single cell trying to increase its chances of survival in the nasty primordeal ooze. Comment posted by Suz (ip: 64.12.117.17) on 09 / 13 / 2004 at 9:22 PM

Deptors are slaves to lenders and Muslims prefer Christian slaves. My sister-in-law has relatives working as domestics in Arab nations. She reports Arabs prefer Christians as domestics; Christians are honest, hard-working, clean, sober. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 10 2004 at 9:55 am

Why this blog does not resemble my real life: Diaries are bad for your health. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 10 2004 at 9:50 am 2 comments: It sounds as if they’re saying you’ll be mostly OK as long as you don’t ruminate over misfortunes! 🙂 Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.52.241) on 09 / 10 / 2004 at 8:35 PM The only time writing ever prevented me from sleeping was in college. Too many all-nighters! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 205.188.117.17) on 09 / 12 / 2004 at 8:48 PM

What’s up? Finished one sock. Canning salsa made with small yellow tomatoes. Canning tomatoes. Visited Sparks at his new home, Angela at her new home and the Amish gocery store Sauder’s in Seneca Falls. Getting ready to start school. More than halfway through “The Hundred Days”, the next Captain Aubrey/Dr. Maturin novel. Trying not to spend so much life time on line. Entry posted by jpm14 on September 02 2004 at 1:34 pm One comment: It was Very Fun having you guys here, and going to Sauder’s (and getting Gummy Eggs), and can’t wait to see you again on Sunday! I’m plowing through The Thirteen Gun Salute at the moment. Really enjoyed The Letter of Marque. Comment posted by (ip: 24.24.52.241) on 09 / 02 / 2004 at 8:15 pm

When fleece sorting goes wrong Fleece Bust! Entry posted by jpm14 on September 02 2004 at 1:29 pm 2 comments: Somebody’s lawn-cutting guys just lost their jobs. Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 09 / 02 / 2004 at 3:47 PM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com Maybe they did the poor thing in with an assault rifle. Did they check the garden to make sure they didn’t have any illegal poles? You never know with these law breakin’ types! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 205.188.117.18) on 09 / 09 / 2004 at 8:45 PM

At the Fairbanks Museum Sans notes: The largest treasure trove of stuffed animals and birds I ever beheld including apheasants from S.E. Asia that were a wonder to behold. One had very long, large tail feathers we wondered how the bird could support in such varied brown shades that resulted in large eyespots of a most fabulous design. And a Capercaillie the wild grouse of Scotland; larger than any wild turkey we have shot. Hummingbirds, a musk ox, bears, minerals, fossils. All the extant work of of John Hampson, an emigree from Britain, an ardent amateur entomologist, who in his later life made large- up to 3 feet by 2 feet- framed art pieces; quilt designs, Abraham Lincoln, various other political personages, personal greetings “Happy Birthday to the USA this year of our Lord….” all from dead insects: beetles of all sizes and descriptions, moth and butterfly carcasses with wings still attached. Thousands upon thousands of similar insects used for each piece. Where did he get hundreds or thousands of one blue-green shiny beetle? Tens of thousands of a certain white moth (suspiciously like a cabbage looper moth). Jay thinks he might have bred them for his work. Hundreds of lady bugs? Well, maybe out of Jeni’s home she sold. Ravishing black and white photos by _____ Balch, reprinted from original plates, of the wild orchids of Vermont. And nothing on them at all in the museum’s shop! Several Civil war era sewing kits carried by soldiers on their jouneys, quite within the reach of older single digit girls. A very nice insect exhibit aimed at children in the basement. A microscope was set up so you could see the scales on a butterfly wing and then make your own ‘scale’ to put on a large wing on the wall. A great photo and written discussion (but nothing to take home and ruminate on later!) of the various varieties and uses of different types of insect mouth parts, legs, body shapes, wings. Loads of anthropologically exquisitely made interesting items from all over the world reflecting just about any culural area known in victorian times. This family travelled! Just a few things off the top of my head: Carved miniature wooden houses to scale showing the change over time in what was the housing norm in the Alps, African masks and armour on mannikins, silver jewelry bought off shepherd boys in the mid-east, a delicate, intricate replica of Japanese home made of bamboo so large one wondered how it was shipped home to Vermont without damage. An incredible wealth of objects and culture. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 25 2004 at 6:30 am 2 comments: That sounds like a museum I saw in New Zealand: Wagener Museum Houhora Heads Road RD4, Kaitaia Phone: 09 409 8850 Fax: 09 409 8880 Welcome to Northland’s premier tourist attraction. The Wagener Museum, situated only 30 minutes from Kaitaia, at the entrance to the Houhora Harbour, this fascinating and unique ‘collection of collections’ rates amongst the top 3 most-visited museums in Northland. Owned and managed by the Wagener family since 1969, this all-weather attraction has something for everybody. Telephones, phonographs, lamps, Maori artefacts, guns, slot-machines, shells, butterflies, washing machines, typewriters and even 480 chamberpots, this huge and varied collection with many unusual items will be of interest to all. Guides available to demonstrate the working exhibits. Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.52.241) on 08 / 27 / 2004 at 11:39 PM How sad. I wonder what happened to the oodles of stuffed birds, including the many varieties of parrots? And to the collection of tiny little letters that had been sent and received, just to see if they could? Aah, for eclectic Victoriana… October 28, 2003 Houhora’s Wagener Museum, once home to the largest privately-owned museum collection in the Southern Hemisphere and recognised internationally as one of New Zealand’s best, venue for Sunday’s final auction. The complex and emotional job of dismantling the Wagener Museum’s collection will finally be completed at the museum, at Houhora Heads (just south of Pukenui) on Sunday. Auction house Webb’s has already conducted a series of auctions in Auckland, and will clear the remainder of the collection on Sunday starting 10.30 a.m. Potential bidders will be welcome to look over what is on offer from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and again from 8 a.m. on Sunday. More than 420 lots will be offered on Sunday, ranging from aged washing machines, a saw bench, cast iron wood-burning stoves, ploughs, pumps, a steel stairway rail, an art noveau fire surround, wagon wheels, axles and parts, animal feeding troughs, pumps and a set of cast iron scales to a wooden farm wagon, an early hay baling machine, tractors that have seen better days, a wooden passenger wagon, a late Victorian boot-scraper and a selection of tills, calculating machines and a black bakelite telephone. Old refrigerators, an Edwardian pianola with ebonised case, wooden panelled doors, a large cast iron cheese press, a Strauss and Son upright piano, slabs of swamp kauri and macrocarpa, a two-wheeled gig, display cabinets, deep-frying baskets, stationary engines and assorted cow bells are also listed, numerous items having been estimated by Webb’s as likely to bring as little as $20. Webb’s staff will be available during the pre-auction viewing times, and by appointment, to assist prospective bidders with estimates and any aspect of the auction procedure. Payment is to be made on the day of sale by cash, cheque or eftpos. Credit cards will not be accepted. October 24, 2003: Wagener Museum Sale The sale of much of the content of the Wagener Museum from Houhora proceeded recently. The catalogue is online at Webbs There was some important Maori material. NZAA deplores that private museums can be in a situation of attracting donations of material from a community only to disperse them when financial stringency intervenes. The Museum had been in financial difficulty. The trustees decided it had to get smaller to survive. A smaller version of the museum with more localised displays is to re-open in future. When the sale was first proposed NZAA was alarmed that some of the Mt Camel material there might be going to be sold and dispersed. We were in contact with the Museum and Cathy Barr paid a visit expressing our concern. Fortunately the trustees decided that this national treasure would be retained, so it is safe for the moment. Still there was some important material in the sale. Kath Pricket writes: “Yesterday at Webb’s Wagener Museum auction the prices were extremely high but Auckland Museum managed to acquire the early amulet ($31,000), the rare rua door ($26,000), tapa beater ($1,800), two of the folk art figures ($13,000), and some kete and other smaller things. It was fortunate the Museum was financially empowered for this sale! Sad to see things dispersed into the private ether though.” Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.52.241) on 08 / 27 / 2004 at 11:52 PM

Home again, home again, Jiggity jig The area around Wiscasset, Maine is a great area to visit. We stayed with M. and I. at the Chewonki Foundation on the farm. The pigs and Sal the draft horse got lots of attention from Isabelle; Isaac helped the farm crew without complaint after he got to know a lovely young girl volunteering there. We milked Adaline, the Jersey cow and drank her milk for the week, helped move the sheep pasture, collected eggs, canoed and kayaked. Oh, also the ocean nearby: Popham and Reid State Park beaches, and the tidepools and a lighthouse at Pemaquid Point. Also the Maine Maritime Museum , and Bath, Me which continues as one of the largest ship building cities in the US. On the way up we drove through Vermont, a state that looks pretty but seemed not to have much soul. It does have the Montshire Museum of Science and the Fairbanks Museum, two wonderful places to visit. More on the latter in another post. We drove through part of the Green Mountains, spent a night in Bethel, Me and visited Old Fort Western, celebrating its’ 250th birthday in Augusta, Me. We ate lobsters. I ate crab cakes. We found fascinating rocks full of mica. We watched someone catch a bluefish out of the ocean. We played in the waves and built in sand, picked up shells and seaweeds, feathers and fungi. We tasted chanterelles, which are growing prodigiously in the woods up there this year. We went to a church chowder supper. We visited Halcyon Yarn and two small farmer’s markets where we bought plums:yellow and red. I circumnavigated the globe with Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 22 2004 at 5:56 pm One comment: Sounds very relaxing and wonderful. Welcome back! (meanwhile, I’ve been to DC and back…) Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.52.241) on 08 / 23 / 2004 at 5:56 pm

“Moooom” I was on the computer in a silent public access place. All of the sudden a young voice said “Moooom!” “What, dear?” And turning around I discovered another mother with her five children in tow, one of which had produced the utterance. Abashed, I apologized. But she knew, and we both laughed. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 13 2004 at 7:16 pm

Untitled John and Wendy, now from the Midwest, came to supper last night with their two children, A. and J. What a wonderful time sitting at the same table eating and chatting once again, like decades ago. We have had corn every night this week. I found only two ears big enough for last night so the kernals went into the squash, tomato, onion, basil melange. We also had salsa. The little round yellow cherry tomatos make the sweetest and most colorful salsa with red onion, salt, lemon juice, quillquina and coriander. tortilla chips optional. the main dish was freshly dug potatoes cut up and placed on top of cut up kielbasa in a large pot then cooked on high with a half bottle of a decent mexican beer poured over all. Dessert: Purity Mocha Chip ice cream and banana halves with thick hot chocolate sauce made from Sora’s recipe. I cut the sugar in half. Here is the modified recipe: Sora’s Chocolate Sauce 3 Tbls butter 1/2 cup + good quality cocoa powder 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 2+ Tbls corn syrup Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small pan over medium flame until smooth. Add the other ingredients, stir until smooth and let cook 3-5 minutes without stirring. Adding a shot of rum towards the end is a nice touch….. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 12 2004 at 9:15 am

To the Tune of “The Brady Bunch” Here’s a story ’bout a young grown woodchuck digging a hole that’s nice and dry. It was underneath a rhododendron with lots of grass nearby. And it’s a story about a woman who saw this woodchuck running to and fro with mouthfulls of grass: she got the gun out and set livetraps at the hole. Chorus: Now it’s the trapped woodchuck the trapped woodchuck He won’t be spending winter here. The trapped woodchuck the trapped woodchuck that’s why it’s now the trapped woodchuck. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 12 2004 at 8:02 am One comment: “How many rhododendrons would a woodchuck chuck…” Lovely lyricism there, Deborah! ;^) Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 151.196.29.202) on 08 / 12 / 2004 at 9:48 am Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com

More This and That We may actually eat corn from the garden tonight! — Kids are loving Pinnochio. P is now in the Land of Boobies, has turned into a donkey, been lamed and has just been tied to a rock and thrown into the sea to drown so his new owner can skin him and make a drum out of his hide. It is a wonderfully entertaining didactic book on the evils of sloth, disobedience, and ignorance. And the great good of repentance, forgiveness and mercy. —- I quickly read Ruth Reichl’s Tender at the Bone. Her autobiography with recipes showing how food and foodies have made her what she is today, since her parents chose not to have any significant positive input in her life. Spirituality? None, unless you count good food experiences. She truly ‘lives in the flesh’. What a starved soul. Reichl now edits Gourmet magazine, which has undergone lots of changes since she has come on board. Not all of which I like. I do like the travel articles. An inexpensive way to experience foreign places vicariously. — Have also finished reading The Peking Battles Cape Horn by Irving Johnson. He was a great uncle of Karl and David, friends of ours. Fascinating. Now we will watch the movies he made while on the trip, including the section taken during 100 mile an hour winds from 150 feet up on the mast of this massive sailing cargo ship. I highly recommend this book! Eye-opening how soft we have become, how safe everything needs to be, how we do not value and use the hands God has given us in manual labor. —– Saturday Isabelle and I put most of the 5+ pound fleece I bought at the Troy fair to soak in the washing machine. I use about a cup of DAWN dish detergent in hot water and let the wool soak until the water is a tad less than lukewarm–5-7 hours. I push the fleece down several times. Then spin off the dirty water, run in warm water, soak again for 10+ minutes and spin that out. Never agitate: we do not want felt! It is from a sheep of mixed heritage: 3/4 Border Leister with Corriedale, Finn and Suffolk crosses in the mix. White, 5 inch staple length, soft but strong and wonderfully clean. I buy only from Mary Stepney due to the cleanliness of her flock’s fleeces. Mary has recently retired and a younger woman now administers her shearing. Saturday afternoon and Sunday the fleece dried on the lawn on a sheetom the sun. It is beautiful and now ready to card. The part that was not washed we will card and spin in the grease. A good experience. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 09 2004 at 10:52 am 3 comments: Speaking of cargo sailing ships, I went to see the Glenlee today. There are some photos up online. The bunks looked way less comfortable than hammocks; I could just imagine being thrown from side to side against the walls, or even out onto the floor! Is the movie something you own, or did you rent it? The book/film combination sounds really interesting. Did you read _Two_Years_Before_the_Mast_ yet? 🙂 Comment posted by anja (ip: 217.41.233.93) on 08 / 09 / 2004 at 4:09 PM Next on the list! Borrowed the book/film combo direct from relatives of the author. The ship, the Peking, is in drydock in NY City. Shall we make a jaunt down there to see it? Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.245) on 08 / 09 / 2004 at 7:50 PM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 Oooh yes, that would be Very Fun. Let’s go to NYC again! 🙂 Comment posted by anja (ip: 80.187.129.77) on 08 / 10 / 2004 at 6:22 AM

News Alert: Our Solar System is Unique! Read all about it. Who would have thunk it? There is one demographic group I can name. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 04 2004 at 9:41 pm 3 comments: I love science. When used correctly, it actually proves the existance of God as creator instead of relying on some outmoded idea of life being a statistical improbability that just “happened”. Comment posted by Suz (ip: 149.174.164.82) on 08 / 06 / 2004 at 11:19 AM Technically speaking, *every* physical object is unique, down to electrons and neutrinos, etc. Just my demographic 2 cents… Comment posted by anja (ip: 217.204.67.6) on 08 / 08 / 2004 at 10:47 AM Agreed. But you know what is meant in this article. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.42) on 08 / 09 / 2004 at 10:21 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14

Dead Journal Update 2 At the risk of becoming tedious: -13 (fresh) frogs -2 large grasshoppes -2 garter snakes, one large, one medium – a goldfinch Astonishing live things on the road: -a planaria! I moved him back into the grass. – a mass of small larvae which on first glance I thought was an earthworm. Then I thought is was a parasitized earthworm. But no. Each individual was one centimeter, small black pin-head sized head, translucent, with a mm on each end appearing pale and the midsection brown. Over one hundred individuals, moving en masse. Dead insects in their way did not deter them. One tire will. They had all the characteristics of carnivorous larvae: smooth, viscid, many, blandly colored. (Herbivorous larva, you will consider, are usually highly colored and/or hairy or knobby or spiked, usually seen as individuals or in small groups (except for tent worms), are on plants, and do not move as a group). I have no idea what they were. Jay came down to see them at my request. I recall Annie Dillard writing about something similar, that is, as mass of larvae following one another around the edge of a glass, in – I think- “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”. Will have to look it up. Any ideas? Explanations? Places or people to ask? Entry posted by jpm14 on August 04 2004 at 8:47 am 4 comments: Heh. I looked up planaria because I couldn’t remember what one was, and found this photo: http://www.earthsign.com/es-images/planaria.jpg Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 08 / 04 / 2004 at 1:38 PM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com Wow, that must be a really moist place! What a fun sign. I think the mass were some sort of vermiform larvae, probably order Diptera. Suzanne has been asked to consult with her brother-in-law the entomologist. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.150) on 08 / 04 / 2004 at 5:08 PM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 Oh, and herbivorous larvae have legs, while vermiforms do not. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.150) on 08 / 04 / 2004 at 5:10 PM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 I poked around a bit on that site. The picture is a digitally altered image, but it’s still pretty cute! Comment posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) (ip: 65.170.128.61) on 08 / 04 / 2004 at 5:37 PM Valerie (Kyriosity)’s E-mail: valerie [at] kyriosity [dot] com Valerie (Kyriosity)’s website: http://www.kyriosity.com

OSEDAX : Whale bone devourers Forget politics. The interesting news lies in natural history. These new species have just been described. A picture is at the page. “The most visible features of Osedax rubiplumus and Osedax frankpressi are their reddish feathery plumes, which extend into the water and act as gills. The plumes connect to a muscular trunk, which can be withdrawn into a transparent tube when the worms are disturbed. At the other end of the trunk, hidden inside the whale bone, the body widens to form a large egg sac. The greenish roots, branching off from the egg sac, are filled with bacteria that break down oil in the whale bones.” It appears there are many more whales still extant than popularly presumed since these animals are so genetically diverse. And is it not intriguing to think there are persons raising families by studying whale falls? God’s creation is much more interesting and encouraging than other news. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 04 2004 at 8:27 am

This and That Isabelle now has a pale pink walls in her room. Jay stripped the border off and washed the 19 year-old peach colored walls. Isabelle and I shopped for the paint. I painted the room. — Unlike Sora and Matt who were able to keep their children out of the NY school system, ours have been in one country’s or another system since before we brought them home. I jumped the first of each school year’s hoops and sent in our letter of intent to home school. —- Wish you could all see the lovely Antique Flemish poppies now in bloom. Pictures I have found on the web do not do them justice. —– We watched a PBS video of “The Flood of ’35”. The 10.5 inches we had in July had no economic or personal impact compared to the 11 inches rainfall received in one night in the Southern Tier that year. Death and destruction. —- The first tomatos went onto couscous with fresh carrots and scallions. Squash cassarole is already redundant. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 04 2004 at 8:09 am One comment: Among the Johnson relics, there is an old home movie of Karl’s dad boarding a canoe from a second story window of his boyhood home in MA when the CT River flooded in about ’34. It was one of the most dramatic of many floods in that valley. Comment posted by Julie J. (ip: 70.16.54.189) on 08 / 04 / 2004 at 10:55 am

Mama, don’t let your daughter grow up to be a Texas Rollergirl. Entry posted by jpm14 on August 01 2004 at 8:07 am

Dead Journal Update 1 On the morning walk yesterday were counted: -unnumbered hundreds of snails and slugs -a few worms -54 frogs of various size and type -one grasshopper Also, living: – three grey squirrels, one of which dropped his apple almost on my head he was so surprised to see me -one green heron -one small young garter snake who was found foolishly lying in the road and who then came home with me and was eventually released into the garden after being suitably admired The quantities of rain are coaxing the frogs into a false sense of security on the road at night I am afraid. We are over 10 inches of rain for July. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 30 2004 at 8:25 am 2 comments: I think the Dead Journal is one of the high points of your blog, Deb. Isabelle has really hit onto something, there. I almost laughed right out loud in this very crowded hot little silent cave of people accessing the internet, as I imagined you two carefully counting 54 dead frogs. Comment posted by anja (ip: 194.168.215.67) on 07 / 30 / 2004 at 12:17 PM I know where the dead frogs will turn up….stay tuned for more “flat frog” cards. Comment posted by Suz (ip: 152.163.253.101) on 08 / 02 / 2004 at 8:07 PM

Troy Fair Today the kids went with MA and her grandkids. Kody and Erica are spending the other days of the week here. Shelly, Ellie and I went to the Troy Fair in Bradford County, PA to judge Wool Day which event we have judged lo these many years. Highlight of the day was the dead, inflated porcupine we stopped to harvest quills from. I have been waiting years for that opportunity! Entry posted by jpm14 on July 28 2004 at 9:20 pm 4 comments: As Aubrey or Maturin would say, “Wish you joy of your road kill.” Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 4.167.26.181) on 07 / 29 / 2004 at 2:32 PM Jeni’s E-mail: rcjlmartens@msn.com Sis; Call Rose she has been trying to contact you. Mom and Dad Sackett reached their hotel and Mom S tried to call with no answer yesterday the 28th. Rose also tried to speak with you repeatedly. I’m in Warner Robins Georgia. I wil be back home tommorrow morning. Hope all is well and dry. Jay S Comment posted by Jay (ip: 63.241.65.90) on 07 / 29 / 2004 at 10:43 PM I remember once in Nova Scotia a friend of mine insisted on stopping and harvesting quills from a RK porkypine. Good one, Jeni! haha! Comment posted by anja (ip: 194.168.215.95) on 08 / 01 / 2004 at 2:13 PM Reminds me of a women in NC who sold jewelry that she made from porcupine quills. I must admit that I thought of you when I saw them! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 152.163.253.101) on 08 / 01 / 2004 at 10:53 PM

Pie Pallooza Jay works at a great Research Institute: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research . The picture of the greenhouse on the front page is one of 20 Jay tends. Their vision and mission statement are ultimately to “improve the quality of human life”. Since BTI is small and private, the employees are friends and more like a real community. One of the numerous yearly bonding events will be held this week: Pie Pallooza. Here is a description from the memo sent round to employees: Sign-up sheet is on the mailroom door!!! The official day of pie rapture is Wednesday, July 28th, 3:00pm, in the Atrium area. The game is simple. A glorious afternoon of pie sharing and eating with 20-50 of your closest BTI pals. There is no competition. Just plain pie enjoyment. As much pie as your heart desires. Here are the rules, with one slight change from past paloozas: 1) Bring a pie to eat a pie. No pie-yenas. 2) One person to a pie. In other words, a group of people cannot claim ownership of one pie. Refer to Rule #1. 3) All pies must be edible. No mud pies, etc. 4) NEW ADDITION: Due to the overwhelming popularity of this event, the Pie Alliance feels the need to “tighten the reins”. So from this day forth, all pies must be…home-made. DON’T PANIC! Breathe deep and calm thyself. This doesn’t necessarily mean you actually have to “bake”. There are a bevy of pies out there that don’t require the use of oven mitts. There are tons of websites, like the following one, that offer very appealing no-bake recipes. _______ Jay has signed up to take in a Cherry pie courtesy of my Mom, who picked and packaged the sour cherries from her tree. He is also making a box cake mix to slip into the fray anonymously. He gleefully anticipates sputters of (feigned) outrage. Jay’s cooking methods leave something to be desired. He just fished out the whole egg he had dropped into the cake batter. “Oops! Forgot to break it!. That would have been a surprise at the contest.” Entry posted by jpm14 on July 26 2004 at 7:37 pm 3 comments: Will there be any banana-creme-polio-vaccine pies? 😉 Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.53.59) on 07 / 26 / 2004 at 9:46 PM Is Jay baking this pie? I remember Henry’s first pie-baking experience. He handled the dough as if it was bread dough. It was so tough, we couldn’t cut it! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 64.12.117.17) on 07 / 27 / 2004 at 9:57 AM Jay’s report: He slipped his cake ‘pie’ in as a “Boston Cake Pie”. It did not rouse the indignation of the rulemakers which is what he wished for. There were over 20 pies. None of the transgenic plants are at BTI anymore. Boo-hoo. There was plenteous milk for all. Jay had peaches and cream pie ( very good), someone else’s cherry (laskluster), apple-caramel (bad), his cherry (excellent), and one spoonful of couplel others: key lime, a gooey messy one he did not know the name of and then lost his appetite. He said by 3.30 people were sitting against the wall with no motivation to go back to work. One guy felt sick to his stomach. Jay’s comment on the contest: “Three o’clock is a lousy time for a pie contest. Spoils your dinner, makes you feel bloated and one does not wish to return to work.” Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.32) on 07 / 28 / 2004 at 9:10 PM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14

Returning thanks ‘Returning thanks at any length is virtually impossible,’ he reflected, sitting on a stile and watching two hares at play, sitting up and fibing at one another, then leaping and running and leaping again. ‘How few manage even five phrases with any effect. And how intolerable are most dedications too, even the best. Perhaps the endless repetition of flat formal praise’ — for the Gloria was still running in his head — ‘is an attempt at overcoming this, an attempt at expressing gratitude by another means. I shall put this thought to Jack,’ he said, having considered for a moment. The hares raced away out of sight and he walked on, singing in a harsh undertone ‘Quoniam tu solu sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solu altissimus’ until… pp178-179, The Reverse of the Medal, Patrick O’Brian Entry posted by jpm14 on July 22 2004 at 9:16 am

Drop In at Our Home The church middle school youth group came to our back yard last night. They were here from 6.30-8.00. Eight kids, two leaders and Jay. They played with the cat and the rabbit. They ran around and played badminton. They ate blueberries, no-bake chocolate cookies and drank mint tea pink lemonade. They climbed the rope, swung on the swings, talked and talked. They did have a guided talk about something spiritual for eight to ten minutes. Obviously we consider it a social group. Isabelle and I stayed in the house. It was hard for her to not be out there inserting herself into the conversations, watching and commenting on the games, feeling like she is older than she really is. Ooh, the green eyed monster. Logic just does not cut it when it strikes. In between tears and rants we read some Minn of the Mississippi, made sure Pounce did not escape outdoors, looked at a map, made a few small puzzles and started reading Amos and Boris by William Steig. She did eventually get two cookies and some drink, which was some sort of balm. Isabelle had also helped make the cookies. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 22 2004 at 6:55 am

Little sewing this Fall History Jeanne Englehart started Angelheart Designs a long time back in an old dairy barn up in Danby, just South of Ithaca. Her clothes now sell under the brand name “FLAX”. Her Angelheart website is devoted to pushing botanical products from the rainforest and New Age-y stuff she has “discovered” since her clothing lines have been successful. I wonder if her marriage has been as successful? When Kathy and I were in business we made a conscious decision to not “go big”. There were too many small businesswomen we came across who had forfeited marriage and family for success. And when I say forfeit, I do mean just that. Married women with small children who chose big money and fleeting fame instead of mothering, homemaking and fleeting businesses. Anyway, Jeanne’s designs and garment construction techniques have been lauded by sewers; in the late 80’s or early 90’s there was an article on them in the magazine Threads. There is a “barn sale” once a year. I have made it one time in all the years I have lived here. I bought blues and violets striped linen yardage. Beautiful. _____ Dinosaur Dry Goods in King Ferry is on the way to the home farm. It is a used clothing store and is usually not open when we pass by on a weekend. It specializes in FLAX and other not-found-in-the-mall clothing. Isabelle and I stopped one week day after we took Isaac to meet Mom at a Thruway exit a couple weeks ago. Then I stopped on the way to pick Isabelle up from the farm. In those two stops I bought five pieces of interesting, well fitting clothing for much less than the fabric and findings would have cost me. To say nothing of my time, time, time and effort, effort, effort. And I do not have such wonderful pattern designs. Dinosaur Dry Goods is a hub for FLAX (and other) afficianados across the USA according to its owner. I found some great things. Linen,cotton damask, dyed to match heavy cotton twill tape set with with small snaps every inch, metal shank shell buttons, beautifully finished seams, darts and all edges inside and out, large lovely pockets, unique designs (that incorporate details) that fit either very well or very loosely. Here is what I bought: 1- a wide,slightly dropped shoulder pea soup green linen dress with twill tape snap front reaching from shin to neck bone where it ends at a collar. Sleeves that roll up to be buttoned by tabs; decorative tabs in front and back ornamented by olive round buttons; two 1/16th inch pleats front and back on the bodice that have been ironed flat at intervals to be decorative. The bodice joins the skirt at the waist; no gathers. Side pockets run from waist to thigh and their openings start in 1.5 inches from the side seam. In size small it sort of fits at the shoulders and is quite baggy elsewhere. A great every day dress. an old FLAZ design. 2- a wrap skirt of minute black and white herringbone linen with a waistband of black twill tape snaps. Ingenious. One wraps the skirt around, snapping it at the wait and then wrapping the remainder, snapping as you go. All edges and darts fully finished. an old FLAX design. 3- a fitted purple damask jacket top. Long sleeves, V-front with deep full collar, matching buttons, bottom edge full and higher in front and dropping in the back, like a modified integrated peplum. The front and back each are four pieces so the fit is fabulous. an old FLAX design. 4- a long jacket-y type thing in an odd lightweight greeny/blue linen that shifts color depending on light and movement. Victorian-ish. Reminds me of a riding coat. Long sleeves with deep cuffs. Deep pockets. Shell center shank buttons. Collar that is deep enough to fold over and stand up in the back dropping to a deep ‘V’ in the front. Front four pieces, back three. The middle back panel had a faced area that gathers by means of fabric bands on the inside that can be tied more or less loosely around one’s middle for more or less gather. Very cool and jaunty. an old FLAX design. 5- A light blue cotton/lycra seersucker-y (maybe) material made into a tea length button front dress with a short high bodice (which I prefer and look good in), 3/4 length sleeves, V-neck front and flower-y scalloped white buttons. Front and back four pieces each so it fits great. My favorite. This dress is by “Neesh”. Most of the clothes were sewn in Lithuania. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 21 2004 at 1:49 pm

Family My brother Jay, sister-in-law Rose and niece Janine are at the home farm visiting from Arizona. The 5.5+ inches of rain that has fallen the past two weeks has not been a welcome change for them. They prefer sun. We may be graced with their presence here soon for an overnight. There is only a 50 percent chance of rain here for the next day or so. My other brother Charlie and his wife Amy are celebrating the successful birth of son Chandler after a long difficult pregnancy. Ya-hoo! ____ The earlier blueberries are ripe. We picked and froze several quarts and have given several quarts away. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 19 2004 at 7:59 am One comment: Brother Jay and I went to see I, Robot while husband Jay took Rose and the chilluns fishing. I will never own a machine that speaks intelligently to me. Rose and Jay caught eleven bass. We are having fish for lunch today. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.186) on 07 / 20 / 2004 at 9:39 am Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14

Terror in the skies, again? Jeni sent this incredible article from the Women’s Wall Street Journal. I had no idea the Journal was courting females. Anyway, it is the most chilling, bizarre example of our lack of concern for ourselves in the face of liberal agendas that I have read. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 17 2004 at 8:44 am 10 comments: You found that story on Freerepublic, didn’t you? Here are some interesting comments/links: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/1218/ http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/16/112500.php Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.189.222) on 07 / 17 / 2004 at 6:28 PM No, no! Jeni sent me that particular address and I have registered for the womens’ wall street jopurnal. Will check your links, though. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.174) on 07 / 18 / 2004 at 7:33 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 Angela- Better go check at least your second reference site again. The author of that screed apologizes for calling Jacobson’s article BS. M. Malkin has interviewed an air marshall on board to confirm details. I do not know what to think of so many people so willing to ridicule Jacobson and demonize the attendant instead of focusing on the real concern. Well, I guess I do, but will not write it here. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.174) on 07 / 18 / 2004 at 7:43 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 http://instapundit.com/archives/016586.php on the latest with links pro and con. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.33) on 07 / 19 / 2004 at 8:08 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 This is pathetic! So how come more is not being done? Why didn’t the air marshals do anything to question the men while the plane was in the air? I suppose “an incident” would have been the plane being blown out of the air. Who cares what their nationality was? I would have been suspicious of that type of behavior in anyone. Comment posted by Suz (ip: 149.174.164.81) on 07 / 19 / 2004 at 5:54 PM Suz’s website: http://journals.aol.com/momraupp/FlyingPigs/ http://www.womenswallstreet.com/WWS/article_landing.aspx?titleid=1&articleid=716 is the second article by Jacobson on this flight and the aftermath. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.186) on 07 / 20 / 2004 at 9:15 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 Two of my kids flew from San Diego to Austin yesterday. I asked my dad to please not pre-board them, but to hang back and watch the crowd getting on the plane. If a group of Middle Eastern men gets on board, keep the kids for another flight. Will you call me a racist? Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 4.167.29.59) on 07 / 20 / 2004 at 2:07 PM Jeni’s E-mail: rcjlmartens@msn.com Unfortunately, as Suzanne points out, people of any nationality can be dangerous; even our homegrown nutcases can pull off something like Oklahoma City… Security is better than it used to be, but that isn’t saying much. Deb, didn’t you say your dad’s experience is that they still don’t check prostheses? A person could get all kinds of things aboard in some of those. The most I can say is that we’ve collectively got a healthier dose of paranoia, and because of that we’re more likely to question things. I’m willing to take the risk of something happening to me, but I would feel nervous in sending kids unaccompanied, too. Comment posted by anja (ip: 66.66.189.222) on 07 / 20 / 2004 at 10:33 PM http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/taylor200407211921.asp Interesting followup article. The Syrian Band in the story above backes up a Syrian Wayne Newton? Good points about security concerns. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 132.236.155.188) on 07 / 22 / 2004 at 3:49 PM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14 http://www.kfi640.com/ericleonard.html AIR MARSHALS SAY PASSENGER OVERREACTED By ERIC LEONARD KFI NEWS LOS ANGELES | July 22, 2004 – Undercover federal air marshals on board a June 29 Northwest airlines flight from Detroit to LAX identified themselves after a passenger, “overreacted,” to a group of middle-eastern men on board, federal officials and sources have told KFI NEWS. The passenger, later identified as Annie Jacobsen, was in danger of panicking other passengers and creating a larger problem on the plane, according to a source close to the secretive federal protective service. Jacobsen, a self-described freelance writer, has published two stories about her experience at womenswallstreet.com, a business advice web site designed for women. “The lady was overreacting,” said the source. “A flight attendant was told to tell the passenger to calm down; that there were air marshals on the plane.” The middle eastern men were identified by federal agents as a group of touring musicians travelling to a concert date at a casino, said Air Marshals spokesman Dave Adams. Jacobsen wrote she became alarmed when the men made frequent trips to the lavatory, repeatedly opened and closed the overhead luggage compartments, and appeared to be signaling each other. “Initially it was brought to [the air marshals] attention by a passenger,” Adams said, adding the agents had been watching the men and chose to stay undercover. Jacobsen and her husband had a number of conversations with the flight attendants and gestured towards the men several times, the source said. “In concert with the flight crew, the decision was made to keep [the men] under surveillance since no terrorist or criminal acts were being perpetrated aboard the aircraft; they didn’t interfere with the flight crew,” Adams said. The air marshals did, however, check the bathrooms after the middle-eastern men had spent time inside, Adams said. FBI agents met the plane when it landed in Los Angeles and the men were questioned, and Los Angeles field office spokeswoman Cathy Viray said it’s significant the alarm on the flight came from a passenger. “We have to take all calls seriously, but the passenger was worried, not the flight crew or the federal air marshals,” she said. “The complaint did not stem from the flight crew.” Several people were questioned, she said, but no one was detained. Jacobsen’s husband Kevin told KFI NEWS he approached a man he thought was an air marshal after the flight had landed. “You made me nervous,” Kevin said the air marshal told him. “I was freaking out,” Kevin replied. “We don’t freak out in situations like this,” the air marshal responded. Federal agents later verified the musicians’ story. “We followed up with the casino,” Adams said. A supervisor verified they were playing a concert. A second federal law enforcement source said the concert itself was monitored by an agent. “We also went to the hotel, determined they had checked into the hotel,” Adams said. Each of the men were checked through a series of databases and watch-lists with negative results, he said. The source said the air marshals on the flight were partially concerned Jacobsen’s actions could have been an effort by terrorists or attackers to create a disturbance on the plane to force the agents to identify themselves. Air marshals’ only tactical advantage on a flight is their anonymity, the source said, and Jacobsen could have put the entire flight in danger. “They have to be very cognizant of their surroundings,” spokesman Adams confirmed, “to make sure it isn’t a ruse to try and pull them out of their cover.” KFI reporter Jessica Rosenthal contributed to this report. Copyright 2004 KFI NEWS. All rights reserved. Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.24.53.59) on 07 / 24 / 2004 at 11:14 PM

“Pathetic” quoth Julie on this article she forwarded from the NEA. Literary reading is in drastic decline. Fewer Than Half of American Adults Now Read Literature. Surprise, surprise. Not really. Tell me you were not aware that reading and TV watching are inversely related. Or that those persons recently completing our state sponsored educational system show the highest rate of decline in reading. Hmmm. Throwing money at the problem does not seem to be answering the problem. But I bet those same persons are easier to lead by the nose, as it were. This report was cited at the Friends Board meeting this past Tuesday by the head of the county library. She then went on at length about the wireless technology they are installing and how the current computer use policy will have to be re-written. There was grousing about how much money the Friends have given other literacy programs for children. Other? Hmmm. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 17 2004 at 8:11 am

Garden Update/Cards Unlike Sora in southern Ohio, it has been unusually cool and moist here in the northeast. We did actually get a few days when it reached 80 degrees, but this week, now the boys are at scout camp, it is overcast and raining with threats of floods all around us. We received nearly 3 inches of rain last week and 0.3 inches so far this week. Now harvesting carrots, the first small yellow squash, beets. This is in addition to the ongoing harvest of broccoli, sugar snap peas, chard, herbs, lettuces. The first five morning glories blossoms bloomed this week. The poppies are going great guns. Have picked all the first translplanted lettuces and put onions and dianthus in their place. The first cleome just started blooming. The hosta are in their full glories. Lilies and Echinacea in bloom. Sunday one purple echinacea was covered with 17 Baltimore butterflies at once. I am making cards. Yesterday one each of feathers and insect wings. I managed to get copies made already. Today I have made two; one has a small road flattened frog holding a tiny poppy with a large autumn crocus in the background. The other is a more typical collage of print, paper, leaf, watercolor. If you want a note on one of these new ones, send your address to me at jpm14@cornell.edu. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 13 2004 at 12:50 pm 4 comments: I definitely want one of the frog! As I said: Martha Stewart meets Little Shop of Horrors. Comment posted by Suz (ip: 205.188.117.17) on 07 / 13 / 2004 at 10:39 PM Suz’s website: http://journals.aol.com/momraupp/FlyingPigs/ I wonder how the bony shell of a dead armadillo would inspire you. I was staring at one the other day on my morning walk, then decided I didn’t want to pick it up. (The innards were gone, efficiently removed by vultures, so only the outer shell was lying by the curb. It’s made of bone covered with horn, according to our book about animals.) Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 4.167.29.112) on 07 / 13 / 2004 at 11:47 PM Jeni’s E-mail: rcjlmartens@msn.com Good one, Jeni. When I told Henry about the frog card, he was puzzled as to why you didn’t use the frog in soup: sort of like shittake mushrooms! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 152.163.253.101) on 07 / 15 / 2004 at 1:28 PM Suz’s website: http://journals.aol.com/momraupp/FlyingPigs/ Oh Yuck! That’s an icky suggestion. You can tell Henry I said that, too. Blech! Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.97.98.201) on 07 / 15 / 2004 at 6:07 PM

Alsmost like Paradise Jay joined me on a walk up back on the home farm early last Saturday morning. Sunny and cool. We traversed the whole perimeter acreage eating from the clover blossoms, wild cherries, black and red raspberries as we went. The basswood and asclepias (milkweed) were in fragrant bloom. Minute scarlet pimpernels cover the otherwise bare field edges. The alfalfa was starting its blue-violet bloom. How glorious His creation is! The wild cherries in the hedgerows were as I remembered them from childhood; overloaded with sweet, ripe full fruit, the branches low and loaded. Black, red, yellow. It has been so many years since the trees have borne so heavily; I never thought I would see the like again. We ate until we could barely walk back. When I was little I thought if I ever needed to I could live up back easily; I would eat off the trees and bushes. It never crossed my mind the berries and cherries are only at peak for about two weeks. The grapevines strangling the trees, the poison ivy and biting insects were a little reminder we were not really yet in Paradise, but as close I hope to come for a long time yet. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 13 2004 at 12:32 pm

Girly stuff–SPF moisturizer Jeni recommended and I have been using for a few months now Neutrogena’s Healthy Defense daily moisturizer. Untinted. SPF 30. It is the first SPF 30 moisturizer I have used that has not made my eyes water, hurt and turn red. I tried about half a dozen other varieties over the past two years. It is great. And relatively inexpensive. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 08 2004 at 10:12 am One comment: I think we discussed that when you were here in January. I’ve recently switched to another type (one of the Coppertone products), because I noticed that as the intensity of the Texas sun increased in June, I was getting burned through the Neutrogena. Can’t have that. I may have a lot of years ahead of me under this southern sun. (I hope so.) Comment posted by Jeni (ip: 4.167.26.111) on 07 / 08 / 2004 at 11:34 pm Jeni’s E-mail: rcjlmartens@msn.com

Arabia Reads Recently finished Arabian Sands by Wilfed Thesiger. Wow. A few things I remember: Thesiger quotes T.E. Lawrence about a trip Lawrence took with Bedu to the ruins of a castle built by some long dead monarch for his queen at the edge of the Empty Quarter in Arabia. The Bedu told him that the moisture for the handmade bricks for individual rooms were various flowers so the walls would hold the scent forever. They went from room to room, sniffing; “Here is jasmine, over here, rose, over there violet.” But to the Bedu the best smell was in the room which had a large window looking out to the sands: the smell of the desert. I love the idea of rooms which have been designed and built to have an integral scent. The Bedu were able to tell from hoof tracks and manure individual camels, who they belonged to, tribal group, time, where they were from, where they were going, and the circumstances of their reason for passing that way. The Islam the Bedu practiced in the 1940’s was not Wahabism. Ibn Saud brought and used that vile form of zealotry to secure his position. The description of the heights and incredibly varied colors of dunes, sands and rock. The extreme deprivation and harshness the Bedu accepted as their lot in life in order to be beholden to no one. Thesiger saw that the Bedu way of life was doomed by machinery and the discovery of oil. Indeed, his last trek recounts how all of a sudden at one point he was asked for a visa, something unheard of in those parts before then. I just dug out my copy of The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud by Robert Lacey. It was published in 1981. Glancing through it quickly I see it has some of Thesigers pictures in it. I will read it next. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 08 2004 at 9:50 am One comment: I found interesting Thesiger’s comment that the Arabs will be remembered for contributing to world culture long after the influence of modern Western powers wanes. Comment posted by anja (ip: 24.97.98.201) on 07 / 08 / 2004 at 5:56 pm

A long thin worm In the garden this morning upon a small weed close to the ground I found a 5-6 inch long thread-like pale worm, its pointy head end swaying and weaving about. It rained 1.1 inches last night. I think that fact is relevant to its appearance. I have only seen two other similar creatures in my life: one a couple years ago on a hosta after a rain and the other emerging from a dead cricket in the damp stone walled basement of my parents’ home years ago when I was young. I was helping my mother with laundry at the time and remember being both at once fascinated and repelled by this singular sight. Here is a sight about nematodes. Since there seem to be 80,000 catagorized species and many times more than that not yet cataloged I think it is safe to presume the worm of this morning is some specie of nematode. It seems much too large to be Chronogaster or microfilaria.. There are lost of sites on Chronogasters and microfilaria. They tend to give me the creeps. I can scarce imagine devoting my professional career to such creatures, although one of my college friends did his Masters research on Filariasis. Mike fed his mosquitos with his arm in the cage. His work with his professor in Africa resulted in the first use of Ivermectin on humans to successfully treat River Blindness. Today it is used worldwide as the anthelminic of choice. He went on to become a doctor and I just learned he and his wife (also a physician) take their three or four children yearly to Africa to volunteer their skills where needed in Christ’s name. Many nematodes are destroyers of crops. I would have collected this specimen for John, an entomologist friend, except he and his wife are currently on sabbatic in Denmark. He really wanted the I found a couple years ago. Update I looked under nematodes in my 1975 Palmer’s Field Book of Natural History. The creature is a hairworm, order Gordioidea. “Commonly found in water or wet vegetation or inside insects and other animals, often coiled into a “Gordian knot”, which gives the animal its name. Food absorbed through body wall.” It is a parasite. The one we saw must have been a mature adult which left its host seeking water in which to lay eggs. Last sentence in the entry: “Some who will not accept the theory of evolution readily believe that a horsehair can turn into this worm even though attempts to prove it always fail.” Entry posted by jpm14 on July 08 2004 at 9:19 am

Pirates Isabelle and I just watched a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. taping of the 1985 Stratford Festival production of The Pirates of Penzance. We got it from the library. Brent Carver played the role of Pirate King. Johnny Depp must have seen this performance before he filmed the role of Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean as there are way too many similarities for coincidence. The Stratford Pirates of Penzance was wonderfully done theatre. The attention to detail was on par with the best plays Stuart‘s company has put on. When I was younger and single a girlfriend and I went to Stratford one summer and saw two plays (The Tempest and Midsummer Night’s Dream) and attended a Bruce Cockburn concert. We stayed at a B+B and I bought an antique cake plate I still use. Entry posted by jpm14 on July 07 2004 at 4:16 pm 2 comments: We saw a more recent version years ago. The music lyrics are hysterical! Comment posted by Suz (ip: 64.12.117.17) on 07 / 07 / 2004 at 8:46 PM Or perhaps the ruffly, billowing shirt and cloak contributed to the actors’ penchant for moving and acting similary. Mincing, moueing, large sometimes effeminate gesturing, over the top dramatic movements and faces combined with great physical agility and occasional masculine fierceness. Depp takes it to a much greater extreme. Comment posted by Herself (ip: 128.253.49.197) on 07 / 08 / 2004 at 8:45 AM Herself’s E-mail: jpm14@cornell.edu Herself’s website: http://upsaid.com/jpm14