Desmond Tutu – Doing Good
9
08, 2023
7
08, 2023
To Speed Read Or Not To Speed Read
Speed reading is defined as the process of recognizing and absorbing phrases or sentences on a page all at once, rather than focusing on individual words.
Research points to three advantages of speed reading.
- Increased comprehension
- Less eye time on the page
- Less eye fatigue
It’s a handy skill in today’s world where we spend so much time reading—emails, web articles, texts, etc. We likely feel pressure to get through all this information more quickly, so that we “stay in the loop” and make informed decisions. Speed reading allows us to do that.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko Pexels.com
Photo by seyfi durmaz, Pexels.com
Reading to gain information or facts is one type of reading. I use rapid reading to wade through writing craft articles, blogs, and book research.
I don’t use speed reading if I’m reading for pleasure.
Then I want to savor the story and the author’s style of writing. I read every word.
My go-to technique in speed reading is skimming and skipping smaller words, i.e., prepositions and articles.
The technique creates a problem when I’m writing, though. I tend to leave out those words there too. Fortunately, critique partners, beta readers, and editors put them all back in.
Average adult readers read at a speed of 238 words per minute. Learning to speed read can raise that rate.
President John F. Kennedy was a big believer in speed reading. He read 1200 per minute. President Jimmy Carter’s reading speed is reported at 2,000 words per minute. Evelyn Wood read 2,500 words per minute. Check out other famous speed readers speeds here.
Speed reading is not for everyone, but it is a skill you can acquire. Want to learn more and whether it’s for you? Check out these articles.
http://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html
http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/methods.html
Or give speed reading a try with this eight-minute free YouTube video that teaches speed reading techniques.
4
08, 2023
Complete Pack
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
We picked up our new puppy last week. The timing was perfect because we said goodbye to Coco in July. She was the last of our original pack of four.
The puppy is one of three that were born near Memorial Day. The foster mom named them Honor, Legacy, and Valor and they are the Tribute Puppies. Honor is ours and she is wonderful.
It has been 8 years since we had a puppy and I had forgotten some things.
- Puppies have sharp teeth which they use to chew on anything available – including noses. Beekeeper Brian has dubbed her “Baby Shark.”
- They are small and can fit through small spaces – like the bars of the baby gate – so they must be watched carefully. Fortunately, she will grow and be more containable.
- Puppies, like babies, get up at night – sometimes a lot. I’ve decided it is ok. I have to get up to use the bathroom frequently at night so we have a “potty party.” To clarify – I use the inside facilities and take Honor outside.
- It is incredibly fun to watch them run and play. Honor wrestles with Mini, our other rescue. They play and play until Honor is worn out. Then they recharge.
Max, who is the only male and 8 years old, is taking this all in stride. He has always been a calm dog and is very patient with the new additions.
It is good to have a full house again!
2
08, 2023
August Ferris Wheel
Photo by Marstion: www.pexels.com
31
07, 2023
Anthropomorphize
Simply put a big word that means attaching human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities.
This Calvin and Hobbs cartoon is a great explanation.
“Historically, anthropomorphizing has been treated as a sign of childishness or stupidity, but it’s actually a natural byproduct of the tendency that makes humans uniquely smart on this planet. No other species has this tendency.” —Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago and anthropomorphism expert
Why and how humans have this ability can’t be fully explained because our brains are so very complicated. Finding human characteristics in inanimate objects signals the brain’s creativity at work.
We are social animals. We want to befriend everyone we meet, give them a name, and talk to them.
If you saw the movie Castaway Tom Hanks’ beloved best friend was Wilson, a volleyball with a face. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s a great film.
Aesop’s fables personified the wind and sun. Beauty and the Beast brought knives and forks to life. Personification is a literary technique like anthropomorphizing, but not the same.
When I talk to my dogs, my plants, my car, and lots of things that can’t talk back, I’m anthropomorphizing. Naming non-human things is another example.
Our downstairs iRobot vacuum is CP3O, upstairs iRobot is R2D2. The canning strainer that we use to make applesauce and tomato juice is Shirley. The metal art dragon guarding our backyard is Custard.
Houseplants have names too and sometimes they even perk up when I talk to them.
Violet needs a pep talk. The summer heat is taking a toll.
My Old English sheepdog Finnegan MacCool and I communicate well. Not that he’s thinking, it’s more hours and hours of training.
Because he has more understanding than Violet or Custard, I use facial expressions and key phrases when talking to him.
Fellow anthropomorphizing pet owners will relate. Others think I’ve gone cuckoo.
That’s okay.
I take comfort in Nicolas Epley’s words that anthropomorphizing demonstrates superior intellect and creativity.
Do you have any inanimate friends you have anthropomorphized?
28
07, 2023
Community Effort
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
I received two different texts yesterday offering things for my chickens.
A former colleague wrote to say there were two bags of leaves at her house. She knows our chickens like to dig through leaves. It keeps them entertained. We were on the way home from Lake Jackson, but I told her I would get them later in the day.
I’ll unload them when it “cools off” to below 100 degrees.
Later in the day, I got a text from another friend who had watermelon rinds for our chickens. She dropped them off on the front porch while I was teaching lessons.
The chickens were thrilled
I never really thought of owning chickens as a community event. I’m glad I was wrong.
26
07, 2023
24
07, 2023
We had squatters while we were away.
We took a short trip to New Mexico and Colorado recently. Visiting family and friends was great. Wonderful. The heat that followed us surprised us.
High summer temperatures aren’t usually a part of summer in the mountains of Colorado or New Mexico. This year the heat dome that hovered over Texas spread to those states too and greatly limited our outdoor time. We still had fun seeing folks we hadn’t seen in a while.
Anticipating increased hot temperatures while we were gone, I placed all the backyard patio plants where the yard sprinkler would reach them and in shady spots so the sun wouldn’t bake anything in its rays.
When we returned, I was shocked to discover the plants I’d moved to save from the heat were stripped bare. Squatters had munched down just about EVERYTHING.
I was upset and a little mad.
While we are a habitat for all the creatures that visit, our backyard has always been off-limits. Finnegan, our ninety-five-pound Old English sheepdog, takes care of that.
Creatures may wander in the backyard but quickly leave when the backdoor opens.
The front yard is different.
I know whatever I plant in the front, deer-resistant or not, is food for the deer. The deer know it too.
They also know Finnegan won’t be loose in the front yard or street. I’ll always have him on a lead. The deer know they are safe.
Recently a doe trusted our safe front yard enough to leave her fawn in the shade of our giant oak for us to watch during the day while she foraged elsewhere.
I guess when the doe realized we were gone, she bedded her baby in the shrubs on the front side of the house and jumped the fence to the backyard flower garden.
She was nibbling the firecracker plants around the fountain when we pulled in and jumped the fence fast when Finn got out of the car. She knew she didn’t belong in the backyard.
I quickly forgot my mad the next morning when this year’s fawns came through our yard.
Flowers can grow again but the babies and their mommas need nourishment.
21
07, 2023
Duck Report
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
It has been a while since I’ve talked about the ducks and they are feeling neglected. In fact, someone asked me this weekend how many ducks we have and I couldn’t give an exact count.
I have since counted and there are fifteen ducks.
Part of the challenge to knowing how many ducks we have is that we have hatched two different sets of eggs and sold four ducks to a friend so the number is in constant flux. But yesterday I moved the final ducklings out with the big ducks and so they are all together – for now.
I used the travel cage to move them, put them in the duck yard, and opened the door to the cage.
As expected, they huddled in the corner, terrified.
The bigger ducks were also terrified and ran to the opposite side of the yard.
Eventually, they realized that they were all ducks and had nothing to fear from each other.
Minimus Dachsamus, on the other hand, has to be watched diligently.
19
07, 2023
