A big preparation

Today is the first day of November.  We just finished with groups of children dressed as witches and monsters, but it is a different sort of day for artists.  It certainly is for members of the artists cooperative on Main Street in Stevens Point.  Today is the day for setting up the Christmas display in Gallery Q.  You may still have fake tombstones in your yard and a big bag of little leftover candies in the kitchen but the Gallery Q people are busy arranging photos and paintings and jewelry and ceramics artfully around the gallery. Christmas is coming!

Boo!

Did I scare you? Heck!  You were forewarned, weren't you?

How cold is it outside? What time is it?

I often look at the Yahoo weather app in the morning.  I have three other indicators of the temperature outside.  It was about 37°.  But other apps often give different readings.  We have two thermometers outside and they never agree exactly.  We attribute the difference to the difference in the ages of the two.  Sometimes, the best thing to do is to go outside and sample the weather physically.

I often look at time.gov if I am hankering for exactish time.  The web page even gives a correction for the transmission of the time reading across the wires of the internet.  In a way that seems related to trying my own reaction to the outside temperature, I sometimes ask how others I am dealing with seem likely to read the time - phone?  Computer?  Watch?  House clock?  In the end, everything seems to be an approximation. 

Do you have a fine sister, too?

Ok, I admit my sister is a little bit finer than yours.  But still, let's combine energies and declare a likely coming day "National Sisters Day".  Yes, I am proposing a little conspiracy.  Here is a handy tool that will help us make National Sisters Day rival today (Oatmeal Day).  The tool is NationalDayCalendar.com and it lists days of the year that are already devoted to something, frequently to multiple glories.  For instance, not only is today reported to be Oatmeal Day but also National Cat Day and National Hermit Day.

Websites Kirbyvariety 1 and 2

Here is a link to my web site:

https://sites.google.com/view/kirbyvariety1/welcome-to-my-home-page

It includes pages related to the courses I taught but also many other items that may be of interest.  There is a three line symbol in the upper left corner.  It leads to a table of contents with live links to the "pages" listed.

There are two websites since the first one was getting rather large.

There are many pages that relate to books and some that relate to movies.

More on hydration

I have read comments and articles about hydration but the book "Quench" by Dana Cohen, MD and Gina Bria is the only book I have read on the subject.  Cohen is a practicing physician while Bria is an anthropologist.  From reading Quench, I gather that Bria studied desert people and saw that their diet was a factor in allowing them to live in places with scarce water.

If you cook spinach leaves in a frying pan, you can see that cooking removes quite a bit of moisture from them.  Their volume after cooking is much less than before heat does its work.  I looked up how much of an apple's weight is water and the answer was generally about 86% with some varieties reaching into the 90% range.

I have read that elderly people have bodies that offer a sensation of thirst less than younger people.

I asked Firefox "How many die in the US of dehydration?"  and got this from AI:

1. To understand the impact of dehydration in the U.S., consider the following points:
   
   

• Approximately 1,000 deaths annually are attributed to dehydration-related causes.

• Dehydration is more common among the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.

• Heat-related illnesses can exacerbate dehydration risks, especially in summer.

• Symptoms of severe dehydration include confusion, rapid heartbeat, and fainting.

• Prevention includes staying hydrated, especially during hot weather or illness.

• Public awareness campaigns can help reduce dehydration-related fatalities.

1. media.market.us › dehydration-statisticsDehydration Statistics and Facts (2025) - Market.us Media

2. Jan 14, 2025 · Dehydration prevalence varies by age, affecting 16-21% of individuals, with symptoms like thirst, dry mouth, decreased urination, and darkened urine indicating its presence. Severe dehydration can lead to rapid weight loss. Global surveys highlight inadequate awareness of hydration needs.

1. Data are for the U.S.
   •Number of deaths: 3,464,231
   •Death rate: 1,043.8 deaths per 100,000 population
   Source: National Vital Statistics System – Mortality Data (2021) via CDC WONDER
   See full list on cdc.gov

2. www.naturawater.com › 7-surprising-dehydrationTop 7 Facts About Dehydration In 2022 And How You Can Fight It

• 75% of Americans are dehydrated. Most Americans are considered chronically dehydrated. When this happens, we get used to the lack of water, so it can be difficult to tell when our bodies need to drink more.

• The average American drinks just 2.5 cups of water daily. On average, adults in the U.S. drink well below the Institute of Medicine's recommended intake of 10 cups of water per day.

• Even mild dehydration can inhibit your ability to think clearly. Scientists say that when people drive dehydrated, they make the same number of mistakes that drivers make when under the influence of alcohol.

• Feeling thirsty? You're already dehydrated. When we are dehydrated, the body's thirst response gets triggered. So, whenever you get thirsty, dehydration is already occurring.

3. www.cardiologistnyc.com › blog › dehydration-mayDehydration May Increase Risk Of Death By Up To 20%

4. Jan 24, 2023 · A new study has found that not consuming enough water can increase the risk of death by 20%. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from various institutions, analyzed data from over 20,000 adults and found a clear link between low water intake and an increased risk of death from all causes.

5. www.uhhospitals.org › blog › articles9 Facts About Dehydration That May Surprise You

6. Jan 18, 2023 · The study involved about 20,000 adults in the United States and China. It found those who slept six hours or less had up to a 59 percent higher risk of dehydration compared to the other group.

7. quench.culligan.com › blog › how-many-people-areHow Many People are Dehydrated? | Culligan Quench

8. Fortunately, in the U.S., people are drinking more water now than they were 30 years ago. However, the average American still drinks significantly less than the 8.5 cups a day that are recommended by the European Hydration Institute — one of the world's leading organizations in human hydration.

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pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › 32310416Adult Dehydration - PubMed

Mar 5, 2025 · In contrast, dehydration is highly prevalent among older adults, with reported prevalence rates in the United States ranging from 17% to 28%. Dehydration is often precipitated by low fluid intake, increased fluid loss, or a combination of both of these factors.

www.cdc.gov › nchs › fastatsFastStats - Deaths and Mortality

CNN Photos of the week 10/26/25

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/world/gallery/photos-this-week-october-16-october-23