Purple Iris

The bucket of life has spilled once again. I can turn the pail upright, but I'm not sure I can collect all that was lost (can you tell we've been painting the house?). I've been thinking a lot about what the future holds. Well, I don't have an answer. No one does. Despite what is going on with others, I've got to pursue what I'm destined to pursue. In the past, I've hobbled over obstacles by telling myself I'll find a way. I'll find a way. I WILL find a way. I always do.

Needless to say, I've been too distracted to send any emails and part of me is wary of a negative response or no response at all, but I'll get there. I will.

There is no better photograph for today than iris' that were given to me by my mother.

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Everything about writing involves making a decision. What topic to pursue? How to approach it? How to organize it? Which word to use? An entire career is made up of decisions, footsteps that propel a person in a direction. My resume reflects my choices.

As I look back on my years of writing I think about what I could have done differently to speed up the motion and reduce the frustration. I never pursued work for hire or an agent. Would that have helped? I never gave any thought to self-publishing. I don't regret that decision. Then there are those things that can not be rushed. Writing needs to season over time and with practice. Lots and lots of practice.

Anyhow, I made a decision, I have a direction. It was based on the question, where is the story? Now I need to ship out a couple of emails, one to a scientist or two, the other to an editor. Before I do, I need to give them careful thought so I include everything I need to include as I continue to move forward one tiny footstep at a time.

These photographs were taken at the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at the Hill-stead Museum where a friend and I sat in a garden and listened to music and poetry. I sat behind this tall clump of statice.My friend brought these wonderful ginger cranberry rolls stuffed with chicken salad because she knew I'd like them. She was right.

Right now, I'm split down the middle as to which route to pursue. It's one of those times where I wish I had an editor to ask. Oh, it doesn't matter which editor, anyone from A to Z. Hopefully, I can address my questions at Chautauqua. I'm tackling this four year old project piece by piece, starting with the smallest chunks. When I looked at this stuff a year or maybe it was two years ago, I revised and improved it a lot. It's all there, but not necessarily as polished or as clear as I plan to make it.

Aside from that, I have two pieces of writing waiting in the queue for my next crit email date early next week. One is an action packed revision. The other is that silly piece of fiction.

Walt took these excellent leaping cat photographs with a fast shutter speed and a multiple shots option (click on photos to view in full screen). What I found really interesting was Twinky's tail. Note in row 2 column 1 the tail is behind her, but in row 3 column 1 it is in the opposite direction over her body. I've read that cats use their tails for balance, but it almost looks like it's a brake for the landing.

Good thing I made those brochures! I had the opportunity to speak a bit about my presentation and handed all of them out at yesterday's meeting. The focus of this meeting seemed to be educating students which is exactly my intention. Another strong theme was collaboration among organizations. I recognized one woman from the CT Envirothon. She asked me if my husband was Roman. I said no and he'd better not be and laughter erupted. My only regret is that I had to leave early to collect Julia on her last day of school and I missed a presentation that I was interested in hearing. Drat.

Aside from that, I've dug out some four year old writing. It's time to strengthen and revise to make this proposal as strong as I can make it.

I found these pieces of hornet's nest scattered all over the deck. Walt pulled them out from underneath the shingles. I don't know if he was kidding or not, but he said there's now a hornet's nest in the umbrella of our outside table, the same table I put these pieces on. Ut oh!

I still need those photographs and my subject is in camp this week. I'll get them. Trust me. This brochure WILL be done by tomorrow morning's Climate Change Education Committee meeting. I'm going to throw out an idea for that committee and see how it goes.

I am overjoyed to see that a dead opportunity has sprung back to life. Years have strengthened my resume. I'm going for it with a full court press because opportunities come, but they don't linger long.

This gorgeous full rainbow was visible from the back deck. It's not often that we see an entire rainbow where every color in the spectrum is visible. For over ten minutes, I couldn't take my eyes off the sky. This photograph doesn't do it justice. The blues, violets and greens are lost in the sky. It was a spectacular sight.

My brochure is 92.75% done. It came out great, but needs some photographs. It looks like I'll have to plan a swim date with my niece so I can get myself a real life model of the appropriate age. I'm quite content that now I have something, something concrete to show people. Ahhh. I've tried and I will have to keep on trying because I intend to honor my part of the bargain.

I received a 21-page emailed pdf file (e-book) from the Highlights Foundation. Inside were short biographies for all one hundred writers/illustrators attending from all over the United States, Canada, India and South Africa. As expected, there weren't many men, but there were lots of teachers and lots of people who loved being outdoors. Of course they loved writing/illustrating too.

I've posted more photographs from the National Museum of Natural History. These were taken at the dinosaur casting area

Now that my article has been emailed, I've set a new goal and given myself a new deadline. I want/need to complete a trifold brochure by Monday night. There is a committee meeting next week and this brochure is coming with me. The thing that might hold me up is the photographs, but I'll get it done. I will.

Now for last post's question, "why is this article that I emailed important to me?" I consider everything I write to be a stepping stone, one notch further than the prior piece. I have high aspirations for this one.

I love the vivid blue color of a mound of lobelia. Yellow flowers are a dime a dozen. Dandelions are yellow, buttercups are yellow, black-eyed Susan's are yellow, but blue is not so common in the wild, at least not around here.

Yesterday, I worked from 9:30AM to nearly 9:30PM checking my work for accuracy. When I finished (ring the bell, I'm dun dun dun dun!!!!), I went straight into thinking mode. I wondered why I worked so hard. My first thought was the tag along the right side called "asylum." Then I thought about drive and what makes a person driven. Without looking at any research on the topic, here's what I came up with. To be driven to meet a goal a person needs:

1. A specific goal - With nothing to work toward, your efforts are scattered versus focused.
2. Belief that you can meet this goal - I call this mental toughness. Marathoners say this is a huge part of their runs.
3. A realistic goal - If the goal is unreachable, it's not going to happen.
4. An important goal - The goal must be important to the person.
6. A deadline - This is what pushes a person toward a goal at a faster rate than they would normally move.

I still have questions. Why is this article so important to me? Why did I push myself to finish it all in one intense chunk of time? The editor didn't give me a deadline, I gave myself one.

To fuel my writing fire, I didn't spend much time on dinner. Chipotle Black Bean Burrito's were Mexican, healthy, veggie, fast and yummy. Perfect for busy people.

I noticed a paper of mine is now on Google Scholar where you find research papers. I don't know how long it's been out there, but I kind of liked the company it's keeping. That set me off wondering how it got out there. The publisher submits it.

The bunny is back again searching for a garden to flourish in. It has yet to find one. Maybe some day soon.

Time is ticking fast lately. Crit group suggestions are nearly complete. Then it's back to fact-checking. I hope I can get the article out the door by the end of the week.

I learned the name of my Chautauqua (is that the hardest darn word to say or what?) workshop mentor and I'm uber-delighted. The forty-five workshop descriptions that arrived via email were more detailed than those on the website and they included who the speaker was. For example, there was a workshop on e-books (by Harold Underdown) a workshop called "200 words or less" and another called work-for-hire. I got to pick 15, at times that was tough. Many of us on the Chautauqua discussion board plan to swap notes. So, I have to remember to write clearly and neatly (or I'll have to retype, ugh).

Squirrels are so common out here. This one is clinging to our oak tree out front. Earlier today, Walt took some awesome fast shutter speed images of the cat leaping. I'll post them another time. I have to read the owners manual to learn all its capabilities........but reading manuals is so bbbbbborinnnngzzzz.

Currently, I'm answering some questions for a blog interview. Hopefully, I can finish that up today. Some of the questions are unusual, but I think that will make it interesting to read when and if it gets posted.

I will probably set myself a deadline to finish this article because I want it out of the way before I skip off to a conference in July. Also, I've been running some tests by simply making observations of how things are valued. Yep.

This, BTW, is my first butterfly of the season, a swallowtail.

I spent the morning incorporating most of the changes that my critique group suggested. They are so helpful! Nobody was too thrilled to have their picture taken so I didn't take one. We also changed our meeting location from a park to a patio. Writing time is getting tougher to find as my social calendar heats up with the thermometer.

I love this purple and white Iris that originated from my mother's garden. Close up, this frilly flower reminds me of a preschool coffee filter project where water and deep purple paint blend and wet edges ripple.

I spent the whole morning fact checking an article and there's much more to do. Amazing all the piddly little things you find to clarify points and add precision. I also need to create a brochure and I need to do it soon.

Tomorrow, I'm getting together with my writing friends and we are taking it outside this time. YEAH! I'm bringing my camera so maybe, if my human subjects cooperate, I'll post a photograph next time. I also plan to post about the Chautauqua Writing Conference in July, but I'm not interrupting the experience by doing it real time. I will write about it after I return.

While I was examining the wilting remnants of invasive Oriental Bittersweet, this robin perched in the oak tree above my head. He looked so stately sitting there that I couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

I noticed this sharply critical blog post about a wolf article in Highlights magazine and since I also had an article about wolves published in Highlights several years ago, I felt a duty to respond to it. Either something went wrong when I tried to post or the poster chose not to publish my comment (maybe it was too long!). Therefore, I feel the need to get that information out another way, right here.

The blogger questioned the scientific accuracy of the article by asking for the names of the researchers. Although I can not speak for that writer and their research, I can write about the five articles that I've had accepted for publication by that magazine. They were all based on research papers and consultation with an expert. Not only that, all the editors at Highlights review every article so there is absolutely no way they would publish any nonfiction without it being based on fact. No way. No how. Not happening.

Anyhow, I explained that in my 800 word article the bibliography was two pages and I consulted four research papers, one from a study in Montana and three from a study in Banff National Park. Additionally, the finished article was reviewed by the expert.

In my article, wolves were scared out of the park by park rangers who used to shoot them. They returned to the Eastern and Western portions of the park, but not the central region. For fifteen years, scientists studied the ecosystem in all three areas. They counted elk by helicopter, they examined aspen and willow trees, they monitored songbirds and beavers. They also followed wolves on snowshoes and on cross-country skis to learn where they went and what they ate. In the central area of the park, where there were no wolves, elk populations had grown out of control. They wandered in the roads, gardens, and on soccer fields. They chewed through aspen and willow, killing some trees. Songbirds nest in the trees so there were less songbirds. Beavers used the willows to make their lodges so there were less beavers. The bottom line was that without wolves, the ecosystem was out of balance.

I then commented that he was lucky to have received such a long letter from a busy well-respected editor. Many writers yearn for such feedback.

If the blogger was truly interested in reading the research paper(s), he/she could easily type in some keywords on Google Scholar. Words like "wolf" or "wolves", location, and researcher last name should be enough to find the paper. I haven't read the article, but the controversy has certainly captivated me to want to.

Thankfully, the internet technician finally arrived and was able to pinpoint the problem. He suggested we do a test to see if the problem was inside or outside the house:

He suggested we connect a long phone cord out the window or door from the computer directly to the jack-in-the-box (phone box) on the side of the house, thus bypassing the inside lines. Who knew there was a phone jack in that box? Anyhow, full signal outside. + awful signal inside = inside problem. To circumvent the problem, two jacks (out of three) are not being used. The computer is now humming along with great response times (HALLELUJAH!!!!), but the casualty is that I record interviews using the jack upstairs. I've lost that ability. Deep sigh. This problem needs to be addressed.

I sent ten pages to my critique group, so there was no room to include that fun little fiction piece. Next time. We meet early next week. I finished reading the book on writing which had some good advice on revising and made me feel right at home. Now, I'm reading two science books that make me think a shredder went off.

Today, the search website BING features the Montgolfier brothers and the first balloon ride. I thought I'd post my photograph from the National Air and Space Museum.

I was quite happy to get the mail yesterday. An article I wrote earlier this year placed in the 2011 Writer-editors Network International Writing Competition. It competed against poems, picture books, YA book chapters and other works of fiction and came in second. The article is unpublished and unpurchased. Granted, I'm about the only one that is delighted as I've read this kind of news is of little fanfare to agents, editors and publishing houses. For me, placing in a contest is something to strive for, a challenge to meet. I don't think I'm alone in my views. Last year, the PEN committee selected my chapter as a winner and so did this same contest.

I should finish my book on writing today. It has helped me clean up some superfluous wording. Yesterday, I removed four adjectives and today I revised the ending once more by rearranging and revising some sentences. One of the questions I want to ask my writer friends is if the organization should be changed. Currently it looks like a sandwich with scientist 1 being the bread: Scientist 1, scientist 2, scientist 3, scientist 1. I'm wondering if the stuff at the end should be put together so it would more like an open-faced sandwich: Scientist 1, 2, 3. I've got about a week before I get input. The scientist 1 stuff at the end is pretty exciting, so I'm thinking it might be a letdown to move it up.

Internet service (if you want to call it that) has been so poor that it has been impossible for me to do any research lately. Thankfully, I'm writing and revising at this time. Walt, a software engineer, insists that it is NOT a virus. He says how can FIVE computers all have virus'? He's also rerouted the downstairs computer to bypass the phone line and replaced/disconnected filters. I dug up a 3/20/11 email from the phone company (hint: begins with an "A") about changes to terms of service:

1. Added language to allows us to convert customers from DSL to U-verse, where available (the next door neighbor has this).
2. We have added language that you are responsible for paying collection agency fees (are they anticipating people will not be paying their bills? Why?)
3. We have added language that allows us to terminate customers who harass or abuse our employees (are they expecting to get harassed and abused? Why?)

I did a broadband test. When the light was flashing orange I called the phone company. THREE times the light turned green while on the phone. The minute I hung up it turned orange.
I'm paying for a MONTH of internet service and not getting it. I think this is wrong. All wrong. Is giving bad service an acceptable means of doing business? Why do they feel they need to take this approach?

As for my article, I've stripped away about 7 lines that were interesting, but off topic. I think they dragged it down. The quotes that I have from two scientists are in, but I'm still waiting on the third. I'm about halfway through the book I'm reading and entering a chapter on love scenes. Oh yeah, as a writer of nonfiction science, I have so much use for that chapter. But I'll read it. I'm one of those writers that TOTALLY avoids animal love scenes too. I'm eagerly awaiting the chapters on writing nonfiction.

I thought a nice flower photograph should accompany this whiny post. Again, this is spring in D.C.. Hopefully, I can post this before my internet service grrrrrrrrinds to a halt again.

The ending of my article is moving along, but it's still not there. I have six more days before I pass it off to my critique group. Hopefully, it'll be rocking by then. Currently, I'm reading about writing. This book feels like it has opened another door—the door to the first day of college. It's probably because of the chapter on characterization for fiction. I suppose I could have skipped it and gone straight to the nonfiction parts, but I wouldn't want to miss any savory nuggets in between.

Since the Mars rover Spirit has been in the news I thought I'd post my photograph of a Mars Rover taken at the National Air and Space Museum. Here's a letter from the head of the Mars Exploration Project Manager to his team about the end of Spirit's mission. NASA's Spirit was sent out for a three month mission that lasted over six years.

The article is now done, but I'm still tweaking and I have to add quotes. The last line isn't packing the punch I'm looking for. Yesterday, I went into a little panic attack that maybe I ventured down the wrong path with the chemistry concept. There is nothing quite like finishing an entire article and realizing it's not what the elusive editor is looking for. Well, the concept I picked is most certainly in my daughter's high school chemistry book, so there.

I enjoyed watching the panda at the National Zoo and I guess I'm not the only one. Scientists study the panda using the panda cam. The panda was kind of buried in bamboo for a while (top photo) and not moving much. When I got to the panda cam, I noticed the panda had risen and left the viewing area. Such excitement! I ran back to get a much better view and to take better photographs (not shown).

My internet connection is still slow and spotty. They told us three days ago it would be fixed in three days. This is getting old.

I spent the weekend doing a great deal of revising and now the article is much more polished although the last two or three paragraphs still need work. My daughter picked it up and snickered at the title so I am trying to come up with a new more enticing one for this wildly exciting topic.

I'm waiting for a book about writing to arrive. In the meantime, I've been reading lots of books by Chautauqua faculty. Some of my favorites are:
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt - beautifully written.
Gator Gumbo by Candace Fleming - SO cute and flavorful language. Great illustrations.
Where Horses Run Free - by Joy Cowley - A really nice story where you really feel for those horses
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann - A fast read (no words!). Neat idea to pair the now with the then.
The Prairie Builders - by Sneed Collard - Nicely written unusual story about rebuilding a prairie.

"The Battle Against Invasive Species" by Sneed Collard came to mind as I yanked up Asian bittersweet yesterday. I've seen those orange roots before, but I always thought they were the roots of my Rose of Sharon (which I have taken to calling the Rose of Linda!). I noticed the invasive plant had snaked around a branch, choking the life out of it. A couple of branches of bittersweet had worked their way to the top of the "Rose of Linda" and reached up into our oak tree (bottom photo you can see it coming in from the right). I sawed and snipped the stalks. Now what's left of bittersweet has been severed from its roots. For now, I win this one.

This morning the songbirds kept me company while I worked outside wrapped in a snuggie blanket. That was SO pleasant. Somewhere along the line my writing friends and I got our dates crossed as far as when we're meeting next. I think what may have happened is that we inadvertently set our meeting date an extra week ahead and one of my writing friends noticed this. Anyhow, my new self-inflicted deadline is June 1st.

My article is in really good shape. There's still plenty left undone, the final section and ending to untangle, all the quote stuff to contend with and the fine-tooth scrutinizing for accuracy. Aside from that it's an exciting topic that I'm enjoying and it's much less complex than others I've chosen.

Here's a shot of a sloth bear at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. They live in India and Sri Lanka and eat ants and termites. Delicious. Apparently they like cantaloupe too.

I've been having internet problems since May 1st at about 2:30PM (not that I'm keeping track at all). Today the phone guy was here to look at the line. He found some corrosion down the street so hopefully it's fixed.

The chemistry article is now about 2/3 done. I reread it this morning and when I got to the chemistry part it felt like the words fell off the paper and into a tar pit. That part was lousy. So, I looked at it and tried to figure out why it dragged. I finally concluded that the writing was generalized. It helped immensely when I related it to the specific topic I was writing about.

My next crit group email date is June 8th so that now becomes my deadline to finish this article. Getting questions together is my new priority. Hopefully, (this article - bibliography) + the fiction piece is < or = the 10 page maximum we set.

These photographs are from the National Museum of Natural History. This room is where scientists examine fossils. I once did an archaeological dig with my youngest daughter. No one in the group found anything terribly noteworthy. It must be so exciting to scrape away the dirt and find a 15 million year old bone. Note: Click on the top photo and you can read the note easier.

Orchids

I lingered in the orchid room at the Botanical Gardens admiring the flowers and pondering the lure of their petals. I am not certain if all of these are orchids though.

Today, I will spend the day pouring through the _ _ _ ing (rhymes with pouring) pages of my daughter's high school chemistry book. Zzzzz. About 1/3 of my article is pretty polished.

I don't know what it is about that little 500 word piece of fiction that keeps me coming back for more. There is a lot in there--a humorous (or so I hope) main story, a connection to curriculum and a third little thing that leaves a reader wondering. I am pleased with it and I do think it's done (until I pick it up again).

Another thing I need to do soon is to review the Chautauqua workshops and start making some preliminary decisions about what classes I might want to take. Fun fun fun!!!

Orchid

When I read The Orchid Thief, it was a turning point in my writing. I doubt this creative nonfiction book would have any significance for anyone else, but it did for me. It made me realize a key thing I was consistently getting wrong. I was reminded of that great book when we toured the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington D.C. After climbing flights of stairs, I walked along the inside perimeter of a 93-foot dome in the Conservatory. Essentially, I was in the mezzanine, the steamy tree canopy of a tropical rain forest. I loved the Botanical Gardens.

It's only fitting that I post some photographs and a link to a video tour that is more representative of what the place really looks like inside.

Currently, I'm working on three things, the chemistry article, a revised first chapter from several years ago (wow, WHAT an improvement), and that piece of fiction that I am enjoying tinkering with. Now that I really have a handle on the article (or so I think), I need to come up with questions for the three scientists. I'm happy to say it's pretty much down on paper, the beginning is really polished, but it loses steam quickly.

I spent four and a half hours today at the University library picking through the abstracts from a myriad of research papers. For others, I knew exactly what paper I wanted. The time slipped by unnoticed. I got quite a stack, I think I might have killed a tree. Wince.

Here is a photograph of a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the Smithsonian Museum National Museum of Natural History.

Lots of progress today. All day I read research papers, wrote and jotted down the papers I couldn't find online. I needed a huge hunk of time to get myself back into this project. By working outside, phone calls didn't interrupt me, butterflies did. I ran for the camera at the sight of a swallowtail.

Word count is now hovering about 700 words short of the target. Sometimes working an hour here or there simply does not cut it.

I received a nice email from a NJ teacher whose class enjoyed my beavers article (2007) during state assessment testing. How cool is that!

Probably the most stunning thing I've accomplished during the weekend was that I've written a PB, my first ever. If that's not enough of a shocker, the thing is a work of fiction. No, I don't expect this to start a trend. I'm interested to hear what my writing friends have to say about this--after they recover from their heart attacks.

The photograph of the day is the marine research center at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.

Today, I'm posting photographs of Common Ground, Connecticut's only charter high school focused on the environment. I was there with a small contingency from the CT Climate Change Education Committee. One woman described the group as an eclectic mix and they definitely were, but they were all involved with education in one way or another.

At the school, we listened to some presentations about the place then four students stood up to talk about the projects they were working on which all centered around conservation/reduction of the school's resources, specifically water, energy, waste, and food. We applauded them on the content of their speeches and their excellent presentation skills. Then we toured the facilities. I loved the outdoor amphitheater where the drama class practices and entertains. It reminded me of something you might see at a National Park. The school runs a farm and eats, sells, and donates what they produce. It was a school vastly different than any other I've ever been to, a place where the outdoors was integrated into the classroom. In addition to passing out a few business cards, I did talk to one person who gave me a different perspective on the speaking scene from the viewpoint of a school and their needs of time and curriculum. Before I left, I gave the school one of my five contributor copies of ChemMatters (2/11 water issue) . One student and one faculty member had mentioned how passionate they were about the topic.

I thought I had pretty stylish science writing until I started reading The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. It is fiction, but the lovely lyrical writing is making me feel like the Plain Jane of writers.
In my defense, when you write for magazines, there is no room for excess words that add to the drama. They will inevitably be trimmed out and more science will be stuffed in their spot.

Next week, I anticipate making a trip to the university library for research papers. Many are online, but not all.

I'm writing about a fascinating subject and I'm really happy with the way this article is coming along. My enthusiasm for a topic grows as I get deeper into the research. I have high hopes for this one. Tomorrow I'm converging with my writing friends, but we won't be discussing this article because I still have another 1,000 words to write and the whole thing needs plenty more polish.

While on the whirlwind campus visit tour, we stopped at a college in Baltimore Maryland. While we were there we walked to Edgar Allan Poe's grave. In 1865, there was a movement, called Pennies for Poe, to raise funds for a new monument(bottom photograph) to replace his neglected grave. Today, people still leave pennies on his old grave (top photograph). If you look closely, you can see the glint of copper by the raven.

With about 25% of this article written, I'm trying very hard to stay on track. If there is one thing I've learned (the hard way) it is to write about the specific topic the editor wants me to write about and zero in on that. I'm still trying to make this a story by zeroing in on one scientist.

Here are photographs of two very different left hands. The top is an orangutan hand taken through a filthy window (at the National Zoo). The bottom is my hand holding a green tobacco hornworm at the National Museum of Natural History. This website details the difference between the tomato and the tobacco horn worm.

Cherry tree and tulips

I'm off and running in one direction on this article, whether it's the right one remains to be seen. It all depends on the concept they want to convey. I've got a pretty decent first couple of paragraphs that I think can withstand any change in focus of the article. The new printer is here and very much in use printing research papers and everything I need to critique (done!). Twinky has made nine blank copies, but she doesn't seem interested in reading them.

They say the climate is changing and spring is arriving two weeks earlier than it used to. During April vacation, it was beautiful to experience an early bloom by traveling to D.C. Mass plantings of tulips were everywhere. The bottom photograph, "the citrus collection," was taken while passing the beautiful grounds of the Marriott enroute to the National Zoo. The Cherry Blossom Festival had passed and there was one lonely tree by the Tidal Basin that must have been sleeping during the festivities. It's great to come home to a second bloom that is just starting here in CT.

This rather boring looking boxy device is a mass spectrometer/gas chromatograph. I couldn't help but take a picture of the thing because it's such a useful tool in chemical analysis. One way a mass spectrometer is used is to compute a radiocarbon date by counting carbon-12 and carbon-14. A gas chromatograph can separate out and analyze the components of a compound. One way scientists use it is to analyze the atmosphere of the past.

Since today is the email date for my crit group and I'm not anywhere near done with my article, I took some time and revised some vintage material from 2008. Oh, what an improvement! I changed the whole thing from past tense to present tense and that made it more immediate. I also grouped the action into two sections and didn't disrupt it with explanation. I've learned a lot in two years. Now, I'm interested to hear what they have to say.

While in D.C., I thought I would finally get to meet the editor that I've worked with for the past three years. Enroute to the National Zoo, we strolled up to the building which was across the street from National Geographic. I figured I'd go in, introduce myself and drop off my new business card. I figured wrong. The security guard at the front desk told me, "we don't operate like that. You have to have an appointment." I decided it was not in my best interest to sneak by him (not that I would do such a thing). I wasn't exactly dressed in business attire either, so it probably was a good thing.

Needless to say, all this college visit stuff and Easter has made me feel like I've accomplished nothing this week (which is pretty accurate). This coming week, I've got to pour on the steam to make up for lost time. Currently, I'm researching printers because we need a replacement soon.

While looking at colleges in the Washington D.C. area this past week, we had some time to see a few things. I was hoping to catch the Supreme Court in session on Tuesday, but they were only in session about an hour and I heard the line was really long. Since I live in Connecticut, I was particularly interested in a climate-change-related case on the agenda, Connecticut, et al. versus American Electric Power Company.

Happy Earth Day to all!

Seven Sisters, Massachusetts - part 3

While at the library last week I happened to find an oversized book on the topic I'm writing about. This thing is a great resource. The photographs are exceptional and the essays are all interesting and written by top researchers in the field. I was delighted that some of the researchers I plan to write about had written essays for this book.

I've been looking into some different ideas on where to give presentations. One website suggested Toastmasters (check), clubs and speakers bureaus. Since the program is for elementary aged kids, the Lions and Rotary Clubs are really not appropriate. However, if they were interested I'd be happy to present. I looked up environmental clubs in CT and noted that these clubs exist at the high school level, but there does not appear to be much going on at the elementary age level (that has a web presence at least). I was happy to find a whole list of speakers on one website, but I wondered how much traffic that site gets. Thus my first thought is local and small. If my kids were still in elementary school I think it would be easy work to convince a teacher since I used to volunteer in their classrooms all the time.

Here are a couple more photographs of the Seven Sisters. I regret that Walt and I did not pretend to hang on like we were falling off a cliff (grin). Actually, the rock sloped downward and was a perfect set up for the camera to take the photo without a human holding it. We noticed a couple of these boxes with log books in them.