nature
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Like everyone, I’ve pondered what’s to be done with my remains upon expiring. It’s unfortunate that mummification fell out of fashion. Initially I planned to donate my body to science. They use human remains for many things, some as organic crash-test dummies. I learned that from Mary Roach’s book Stiff. My following choice was to… Read more
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[I was trying to make this the German equivalent of ‘My Struggle with Plants,’ but ‘Mein Kämpfen mit Pflanzen’ is the closest I could get & it’s still grammatically incorrect. Sigh.] When I applied for financial aid to go to community college, I qualified for a work study job to supplement my grant monies. I… Read more
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It was a gradual process getting accustomed to the farmyard sounds here. The chickens’ favorite hang-out, in the huge rhododendron just outside a bathroom of the house, was filled one morning with their preening & clucks. Availing myself of the facilities, I heard sudden loud cackling. It’s disconcerting to have a laugh track accompany one… Read more
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There are some riled up folk putting stories under attack. Those fearful of ideas, with their twisty troll logic, only draw more attention to the very stories they’re trying to ban. More effective than glowing reviews! If a book’s been forbidden, that is the book I seek. But then I don’t outsource my thinking. I… Read more
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The squatter & I were in a standoff. She had made herself at home in the corner, 1 foot from the pillows at the head of my bed. I was fairly certain she was the one who had run across my face at 4 a.m. a few nights ago. Coffee is not nearly as jolting,… Read more
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Many corpses have spent time in my freezer. Being a renter I never wanted to bury my small pets anywhere I’d move away from. A vat of Dermestid beetles would’ve been handy to keep the bones of my feathered, furry, & scaly friends in my display case. Technically I do still have some bones, in… Read more
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As I walked the property the other day I was rewarded with a glimpse of a small garter snake. Inspiration struck & I hurried off, startling a huge bumblebee from a blossom to collide with my face. It then drunkenly course-corrected & buzzed away. I consider that a twofer with wildlife. I adore snakes, but… Read more
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Rare is the person who has kept house with critters & not, at some point, felt the close of teeth on skin. It’s a rite of passage. Sharing life with beings whose sole means of defense is the power of their jaws, it just happens. I may be antisocial, but no people have resorted to… Read more
Huh? 