Notes From A Bear's Journey

Graph from Backyardnature.net    When it comes to an end of life one has to wonder where does it all go.  Of the billions of birds and insects that pass away hourly, what happens to their bodies?  Even after a heavy rain when earthworms almost litter the sidewalks and streets (and it's not because they might drown since they "breathe" in an entirely different fashion than we humans) by the time the sun appears they too have virtually disappeared (at one time I collected well over 100 of them and eagerly added them to my vermipost pile, which turned out to be for naught since such worms are the wrong type of worms for this version of composting).  In my life I can recall seeing perhaps a few dozen decaying birds at most, and virtually no insect carcasses, much less cats or dogs; as for those bleached bones of cattle and horses and such, I have run across a total of zero which relegates them into the world of trusting photos which others have taken.  An...

   Our hearts go out to those in Sri Lanka, and to those in Paris, one group losing lives and another losing its symbol of life.  A local radio show brought out the question of just where we place our concern, this being a state where local land monuments here have been un-designated and reduced in size for the first time in history with a good portion of them removed from federal status.  What this means is that if the courts rule accordingly, the once-protected lands will be opened up for oil drilling* and uranium mining and with that, the probable loss of ancient petroglyphs and skeletal remains of cultures far beyond our imaginations.  So what's more important, the reporter asked (this being before the cowardly attacks in Sri Lanka)?...a historical and iconic building in France or a few cliffs in a desert which are hard to access?  The reporter had no opinion or judgement but was simply presenting a perspective.  Jump back to Paris and this is not...

   Once called the "swirl," I was tempted to use that term again because sometimes the news and information comes in so quickly that subjects can ndeed become muddled.  Those of you following Brexit will probably identify with this (the BBC recently held a town-hall broadcast in Brussels* which proved most explanatory as both EU and audience members tried to express their views in the confines of a single hour; perhaps some of this time limitation could or should be passed onto the House of Commons).  So, have your tickets ready, the ride is about to start (highlighted links take you back to the original post).    Let's begin by jumping back to the subject of milk .  Perhaps you've noticed all the varieties of almond and rice and soy "milks" approaching the cost of regular cow milk, and the unsweetened versions coming in without the fat or sugars (and often double or more of the calcium).  What was surprising was that of a new trend taking ho...

   It's my humble opinion that in general nobody cares for know-it-alls, those people who can out-talk and out-shine virtually any conversation no matter the topic; which isn't to say that they're that such characters are more knowledgeable but often that they're just a bit more of a bully and perhaps a bit more insecure and seem to need that spotlight to always be on them, even if they have to just make up stories to keep it there.  A good friend of mine once held this spot, boisterous and known to all as a person who could talk his way out of any predicament, that is until he was caught.  This happened while he did his blah-blah-blah about some Biblical event among some of our dinner guests, a conversation always started with the challenging phrase, "Well if you knew your Bible" (something that few of us did, or at least well enough to correct whatever he was saying); but one of our guests did know the Bible and knew it quite well and had had enough of the...

   Incontinence is no laughing matter and it's likely that anyone or anything that has it would probably rather not.  Of course the world of men's and women's diapers is such a growing field that analysts are citing the market as becoming a saving grace to the paper industry which has watched demand for its standard products (the world of printing and office paper) steadily decline.  And of course the world of disposable baby diapers* just continues to grow as any new parent knows; pretty much gone are the days of washing and drying cotton diapers (now replaced by bamboo diapers for those parents still wanting to avoid the high cost of the disposables) or at least the process of such being done at home (as with hospitals and restaurants, linen delivery services have taken up the slack).  But if there was any more memorable scene of a new parent's introduction into the world of baby's first poop it would likely be Michael Keaton's reaction in Mr. Mom where he wo...