Pastries

On Saturday mornings, the two of us have various breakfast possibilities.  It is usually something different from everyday.  Lynn sometimes makes fried eggs and sometimes makes scrambled eggs.  We have been told by a health professional to avoid many eggs but this recent article raises questions and possibilities. t.ly/7FrUf

 Another possibility is pastries.  When we used to go to Madison more often, we sometimes bought pastries from Dunkin' Doughnuts.  We have several good bakeries here in town, one of which is so popular there is always a line at their sales window.  We have a Dunkin' Doughnuts in town and I bought Bavarian creams for us today.  Yummy!

Making bits of time fly

I was surprised when I saw a title "How to clear your mind". I looked at the suggested article and it said "Read a magazine".  I took that to mean get myself something to attend to, something that would keep my attention.  I was sufficiently surprised that I remember the advice clearly.  

I think I can clear my mind easily enough but it is also a procedure to make the little bits that time that bug me fly by.  When I have a few minutes to wait for the doctor to come into the room or the broadcast to begin, I find I can read a paragraph or compose a prompt. Of course, there is the danger that I will get so engrossed with the pseudo task, that I fail to come out in time for the event I was waiting for.

Capybarra Appreciation

Yay!  Today is capybarra appreciation day, a link on my Windows to MSN news informs me.  I often find it announces something or someone quite unexpected to dedicate the day to.  I am reminded that Dagwood was told by Mr. Dithers that Dithers had been considering installing a plaque on the water cooler dedicating that popular device in the name of Dagwood Bumstead.  Dagwood was surprised and said he was surprised and delighted.  Mr. Dithers said that he was just waiting for the $500 naming fee.  

I have no doubt that capybarras are insufficiently appreciated but I don't have an endless supply of appreciation just lying around so I may withhold my appreciation until later.

Kindergartens in the US

As a grad student in my home state, I was already somewhat involved with the University of Wisconsin because of the little book by Campbell and Stanley called "Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Research".  Because of that and other contacts, I chose to look for teaching jobs at the U. of W. When Lynn went to grad school, we had been living in Wisconsin so she gravitated to the U. of W. for PhD studies.

The other day, when I was blogging about my history, I wanted to cite some of the things I had read and heard about Wisconsin higher learning.  A friend who is a lifelong admirer of the Peabody family of Boston felt that I had wrongly credited Wisconsin with having the first kindergarten in the US.  We did some scrambling and decided that the Peabodies had the first English-speaking kindergarten and the one in Wisconsin was the first German-speaking kindergarten.

A pint in the morning

When I explained what my sensations were before falling, the doctor asked follow-up questions and said I should drink more water.  It isn't exactly clear how much water a person of my age, sex, activity level should drink.  I have read that as people age, they lose some of their ability to sense thirst.  So, that avenue is often not available.  There is a well-known idea that one should drink 8 eight oz. glasses a day but needs are now said to be more individual than that.  Since the human body tries to keep the right temperature and uses evaporation (sweating) to handle heat surplus, the amount of humidity already in the air and the surrounding temperature have important effects on the body's use of water.

The book "Quench" by Cohen and Bria looks at the question of human thirst and adequate water consumption.  Cohen is a physician and Bria has studied desert peoples' habits and is an officer of the Hydration Foundation.  The book emphasizes the importance of water in fruits and vegetables and not just liquid water swallowed.

Our state

Our state

 

Wisconsin's state seal shows a farmer and a miner.  We do have lots of farming and are a leading state for dairy.  t.ly/yHI5K

I have been in education and teacher training just about all of my working years.  The state does have good schools at all levels and a proud history of education.  To highlight Wisconsin's notable education firsts, consider the following achievements:

• First state to establish a public university system in 1848.

• Home to the first kindergarten in the U.S., founded in 1856.

• Introduced the first statewide high school graduation requirements in 1901.

• Pioneered the first public library system in the nation in 1876.

• Launched the first vocational education program in 1917.

• Established the first university-based extension service to support rural education in 1912.

Where we live, in central Wisconsin, we have sandy soil and such soil quickly drains water away.  You see extensive agriculture-level sprinkling systems in many crop fields.  

We have Lake Michigan along the east side of the state and Lake Superior across the northern side.  I have heard that in some parts of the world, our "Great Lakes" are referred to as "inland oceans".   I think that is apt terminology since the lakes are indeed massive.

CNN Photos of the week 7/6/2025

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/03/world/gallery/photos-this-week-june-26-july-03