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Ticks Among Us
I was struck by how much ticks and tick-borne illness is in the news lately, although it shouldn’t be surprising as it’s that time of year for people to be outside in the garden or the woods. There’s a great podcast on Rounding@IOWA on tick borne illness that I thought was pretty interesting. I was…
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Thoughts on Nature
Yesterday afternoon when Sena came inside from working in the backyard garden, I noticed she had some swelling around her lips and eyes. Despite applying OFF! Deep Woods she got trapped in a swarm of gnats. This reminded me of a similar swarm last spring around this time while we were out at Terry Trueblood…
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The Excitable Electrons
I’ve talked about some of my college professors when I was attending, Huston-Tillotson College in the 1970s. It’s an HBCU in Austin, Texas. But I haven’t talked about my teachers elsewhere. That just occurred to me in the last few days. I had some exciting teachers at Iowa State University in Ames in the early…
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Red-tailed Hawk in the Rain!
Well, Sena came running in the garage from the back yard covered with dirt! She excitedly told me she found a spot out in the garden to get a good picture of the Red-tail hawk sitting on the nest. It started raining while we were out there, but you can still see the hawk settling…
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The Udder Flashing Cow and Other Memories
Sena ordered some Hoosier Hill Farm Whole Milk Powder from Hoosier Hill Farm. Much to my chagrin, it should arrive tomorrow or the next day. I was not consulted. I remember choking down powdered milk when I was a kid. It tasted off, somehow. I can’t put my finger on just what the problem was.…
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NAMI Walk in Johnson County May 2nd 2026!
Hey, there’s a scheduled NAMI walk upcoming on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area!
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Iowa Bill HF2676 Which Would Allow OTC Ivermectin in Iowa On its Way to Governor Reynolds Desk
Late yesterday, there was a story published in the Iowa Capital Dispatch announcing that the MAHA bill HF2676 is on its way to Governor Reynolds for her signature. A part of that bill “…also would allow ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections that some have claimed can be used in preventing or treating…
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All That Digital News
I guess you have to be a certain age to develop the habit of doomscrolling. I’m not minimizing the problem. I just can’t see how anybody gets into it. I’m talking about digital news websites. It’s a tableau of yawners every day. It’s full of models, goggle-eyed golden retrievers, and ads for knuckle removers (“Do…
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John Heim aka Big Mo Retiring from the Big Mo Blues Show
We were listening to the KCCK radio Big Mo Blues Show last night when John Heim aka Big Mo announced he’s retiring as of May 15, 2026. Iowa musician Ed English (Uncle Ed of the Beaker Brothers band) was also in the studio and remarked that he’ll be taking over the show sometime after that.…
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What’s Happening with the Hawks?
This morning I got a couple of videos of one of the hawks perched on the side of the nest fiddling with something in it. We can’t tell what’s happening with it, but I don’t think anything has hatched, if any eggs are in there. We’re hoping the chicks hatch so we can see them…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 