“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi
I Love Frogs All my life I have been fascinated by frogs. Sometimes I wish they were not so slimy and there are poisonous ones I would not want to encounter, but overall frogs are intriguing creatures. Once as a child, I was climbing a tree and put my hand on a big piece of […]
There are things in life that just don’t seem worth it, especially when you consider that life is short. The older I get the more things I find not worth the effort, time or discomfort. I realize that this is in part due to simply being a senior, but I want more credit than that. […]
Goatman? Today while walking I thought I had spotted the Pope Lick Monster, https://crookedcreek.live/2018/05/23/pope-lick-park/ but it turned out to be just another tree. I wanted to share it with you regardless. Friendly Deer She wasn’t shy. I talked with her a while and didn’t want to disturb her by getting out my phone to photograph […]
Disclaimer: I am not a movie critic. I’m not even a movie buff. I probably see fewer than 6 movies per year at the theater. Review I loved the movie I saw yesterday with a friend. It was packed with great actors, Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Mary Steenburgen. Don’t be put off […]
After an unusually busy spring burdened with lack of energy, this morning I returned, yet again, to my favorite park. Pope Lick didn’t disappoint, so I will be there again tomorrow. https://www.theparklands.org/Parks/Pope-Lick-Park The honeysuckle was blooming abundantly and generously unleashing its heavenly fragrance. I wish there was a way to share that lovely scent with […]
History of the National Day of Prayer (NDP) The NDP began in 1952 when it was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. It was amended unanimously by Congress in 1988 and signed by President Ronald Reagan. That Amendment designated the first Thursday of May as the official day of observance. It has been approved […]
The Jumper National Geographic has announced that the University of Manchester has taught a spider named “Kim” to jump six times “her” (how do they know?) body length on demand. https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/180508-spider-jumps-on-demand-animals-vin-spd Why? Do you ask? Yeah, me too. It seems to be in preparation for tiny robot training. OK, fine. If they had to do […]
Matryoshka (Stacking) Dolls White Nights Beginning in May and lasting into July it never gets completely dark in St. Petersburg due to its geographical location as the Northern most city in the world. This period of time is referred to as “White Nights.” It was an eerie feeling and messed with my circadian rhythm. This […]
Welcome Guest Writer: Lula Reynolds traveled to Russia 18 years after my trip to St. Petersburg. She has graciously shared the post below about the city of Moscow. Thank you Lula! My one-day visit to Moscow in 2012 was interesting but left me with lots of questions. I had visited Communist China so knew a […]
Women While in Russia I met many interesting people. There were men who were bus drivers and pastors and volunteers, but it was some of the women who I really felt that I got to know. The interpreter, Natasha (yes, really, Natasha) was a beautiful young woman in her early twenties. She never lost patience […]
Russia Language The Russian language is very difficult. I worked for months before the trip to learn as many words as possible. I listened to tapes (yes, cassettes) and gradually learned approximately 100 Russian words. Today after all those years, I remember about three or four: “No”, “Goodbye”, and “Thank You” for sure. Often when […]
Preparation Traveling to Russia in 1994 was no doubt very different than today. At that point, Russia had just become more open to travelers due to “perestroika” but was not yet well prepared for those travelers. Before leaving home certain shots and immunizations were recommended. While at the Health Department meeting these requirements I received […]
Brief History During the “cold war” I grew up hearing about the evil Russians who lived in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). The country’s shortened name was the Soviet Union and even that sounded ominous. People with enough money to afford underground bomb shelters had them built. There were discussions about the hard […]
