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Autumn Miracles
We saw the miracles of autumn the other day, out on the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. It was quiet, only a light breeze set the flowers and grasses swaying. There were almost no birds out. No ducks were out on Sand Lake. On the other hand, I guess there were birds, sort of. We greeted…
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Dr. Igor Galynker and The Suicidal Crisis Syndrome
I was looking at my bookshelves and found the copy of the book, “The Suicidal Crisis: Clinical Guide to the Assessment of Imminent Suicide Risk.” It was written by Dr. Igor Galynker. It’s a fit topic for this month because September is National Suicide Prevention Month. This brings back memories. I still have a gift…
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Brand Spanking New Air Purifier!
Sena got a brand spankin’ new air purifier and it’s whisper quiet. It’s made by RENPHO. Air purifiers probably don’t reduce virus particles but they at least they give you the impression you’re doing something to keep the air clean in your home. We had an air purifier years ago, and the whole unit had…
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A Summer Cold
Well, as I predicted in an earlier post, I caught Sena’s head cold. I have not had one of these in over 3 years, believe it or not. It was easy to distinguish my cold from Covid-19, influenza, bubonic plague, and abduction by extraterrestrials. I usually get a dry cough, which causes a headache, a…
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The Trouble with HOAs According to the X-Files
I just recently saw an old rerun of the X-Files episode, Arcadia. The Wikipedia spoiler link is here, but I’m going to talk about it anyway. Arcadia in Greek mythology was the home of the gods, Hermes and Pan. In the X-Files episode, though, it’s more like one of the deepest circles of Hell in…
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A Short Review of Dixie Paper Coffee Cups
Sena bought some Dixie coffee cups the other day. They don’t contain polystyrene foam, which is what Styrofoam cups are made of. Dixie cups are made from paper with a polyethylene coating and contain 80% cellulose fiber by weight, according to the Dixie company website. On the other hand, many recycling centers won’t take paper…
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Phenylephrine Spelled Backwards is Enirhpelynbehp
News headlines are screaming about class action lawsuits being filed against drug companies selling the oral form of a nasal decongestant that the FDA says doesn’t work. It’s called phenylephrine. Phenylephrine has been around since the early 1970s and it’s a common ingredient in over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies found in grocery stores in the medicine…
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The Cat is Literally Littering the Litterbox with Her Litter
Is it OK to say that using the word “literally” for emphasis bugs me—a little? I don’t get enraged and break furniture when I hear it, but it does sound wrong. I get over it in a couple of days, literally without taking any hard drugs. The problem is that some dictionaries say we can…
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Striking a Blow for Science with the Coffee Temperature Experiment!
We got our new thermometer the other day and did a coffee cup temperature test. It’s certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), but we’re not sure where it was manufactured. The instruction sheet looks like it was translated into English. First, we measured the temperature of coffee in different cups. We measured the temperature…

