February 18, 2015 by suzannesmom
A New York Times blog called “Well” recently had a post on the value of a walk at lunch.
Gretchen Reynolds wrote, “A new study finds that even gentle lunchtime strolls can perceptibly — and immediately — buoy people’s moods and ability to handle stress at work.
“It is not news, of course, that walking is healthy and that people who walk or otherwise exercise regularly tend to be more calm, alert and happy than people who are inactive. But many past studies of the effects of walking and other exercise on mood have focused on somewhat long-term, gradual outcomes, looking at how weeks or months of exercise change people emotionally.”
For a new study “published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports … researchers at the University of Birmingham and other universities began by recruiting sedentary office workers at the university.
“A common problem with studies of the effect of exercise on mood, [researcher Cecilie] Thogersen-Ntoumani said, is that they rely on recall. People are asked to remember hours or days after the fact how exercise made them feel.” So participants were given a special app to record how they felt in the moment.
“On the afternoons after a lunchtime stroll, walkers said they felt considerably more enthusiastic, less tense, and generally more relaxed and able to cope than on afternoons when they hadn’t walked and even compared with their own moods from a morning before a walk.” More here.
Makes perfect sense to me. But until we get rid of some of our ice, my own lunchtime walks are indoors in South Station — under the disconcerting fish eye of the suspicious security guard.
Photo: Getty Images
I love the cobblestones here. But where I am at lunchtime may not get down to cobblestones for many, many weeks.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged emotion, gretchen reynolds, health, mood, postaday, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, Thogersen-Ntoumani, university of birmingham, walking | 2 Comments »
February 17, 2015 by suzannesmom
The New York Times Science section had a cute piece in January about surprising friendships among different species of animals. Perhaps you saw it.
Erica Goode reported, “Videos of unlikely animal pairs romping or snuggling have become so common that they are piquing the interest of some scientists, who say they invite more systematic study. Among other things, researchers say, the alliances could add to an understanding of how species communicate, what propels certain animals to connect across species lines and the degree to which some animals can adopt the behaviors of other species.
” ‘There’s no question that studying these relationships can give you some insight into the factors that go into normal relationships,’ said Gordon Burghardt, a professor in the departments of psychology and ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Tennessee, who added that one video he liked to show students was of a small and persistent tortoise tussling over a ball with a Jack Russell terrier. …
“Until recently, any suggestion that interspecies relationships might be based simply on companionship would probably have been met with derision, dismissed as Pixar-like anthropomorphism. That has changed as research has gradually eroded some boundaries between homo sapiens and other animals. Other species, it turns out, share abilities once considered exclusive to humans, including some emotions, tool use, counting, certain aspects of language and even a moral sense. …
“Barbara J. King, an anthropologist at the College of William and Mary, said that she hoped researchers would begin to collect examples of cross-species interactions to build a database that would merit scientific scrutiny. ‘I think we’re not even at the point of being able to extract patterns because the database is so small,’ she said, adding that the topic could also benefit from a rigorous definition of what constitutes a ‘friendship’ between members of different species.” More here.
Photo: Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary by way of Africa Geographic.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Africa Geographic, animals, barbara king, bear, college of william and mary, communicate, ecology, erica goode, evolutionary biology, friend, friendship, Gordon Burghardt, interspecies, lion, Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, postaday, psychology, science, tiger, University of Tennessee | Leave a Comment »
February 16, 2015 by suzannesmom
The BBC, having fun at our expense, has been measuring our snow depth in height of dogs. More recently, having passed what it calls “six dogs,” it is adding athletes as a unit of measure. See several illustrations here.
The unconventional measurement should work for Bostonians, who have been accustomed since 1958 to measuring the length of a bridge over the Charles River in Smoots. (Oliver Smoot was an MIT student pledging to a fraternity.)
For a more realistic picture, see below. The first shot, from Sandra Kelly, is of New Shoreham, RI. It’s windy on the island, and snow usually blows right off. But it seems to be sticking this time. A poet out there tells me it’s “wild, white, and windy.” I can hear the wind whistling in that. I hope she writes a poem.
The icicles and front walk are from Massachusetts.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bbc, block island, dogs, measurement, new shoreham, smoot, snow | 2 Comments »
February 15, 2015 by suzannesmom
I learned about a sustainable, low-maintenance type of gardening from an article by Matthew Wilson in the Financial Times.
“Forest gardening is an ancient system with modern relevance,” he writes, “based on planting fruit, herbs and vegetables in distinct layer.
“This March marks the 15th anniversary of the death of Robert Adrian de Jauralde Hart, a man who quietly, and without outside recognition for much of his life, created a garden that was at once cutting edge but also rooted in ancient traditions and techniques. Hart was a pioneer in temperate forest gardening, and spent 40 years creating and tending to his eighth of an acre plot in Wenlock Edge, Shropshire.
“Hart had initially set out to make a traditional smallholding, with orderly beds of vegetables, a small orchard and assorted livestock. His aim was to provide healthy, health-giving food for him and his brother Lacon, who was born with severe learning difficulties and for whom Hart was the primary carer. Realising that the combined challenges of the smallholding and his responsibilities towards his brother were beyond him, he observed a planting of herbs and perennial vegetables in one corner of the smallholding that seemed to thrive in spite of a lack of intervention. Taking these observations further, Hart gradually converted the entire orchard into a forest garden, establishing one of the first prototypes for temperate climates.
“The principles of forest gardening are as ancient as the notion of cultivating plants for food. It is an agroforestry system, [composed] of planted layers with large trees at the apex and small, ground-covering herbs at the base. The spiritual descendants of ancient forest gardens can still be found across the world, in the ‘home gardens’ of Kerala, Zambia, and Nepal.” Read about how it works here.
Sometimes when you don’t have time to do things “right,” you discover shortcuts that work as well or better. Like boiling the corn cobs and the spaghetti together in the same pot.
Photo: Danita Delimont/Alamy
Avocado “family orchard” in Mexico
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged agroforestry, Danita Delimont, Financial Times, forest gardening, hart, layers, low maintenance, Matthew Wilson, postaday, Robert Adrian de Jauralde Hart, shropshire, sustainable, wenlock edge | Leave a Comment »
February 14, 2015 by suzannesmom
I followed the consummate eclectic blogger Andrew Sullivan from 2004 until a couple weeks ago, when he closed up shop. I can’t begin to say what a loss it is, but at least he decided to leave up all his previous posts. I had planned to link to this one some time ago. It’s a good example of the kind of story I probably would have missed but for Andrew and his team.
In the post, we are directed to a Wired story about a series of Fabrice Fouillet photographs featuring giant statues. Zachary Slobig wrote, “Enormous statues have been erected around the globe for centuries, omnipresent memorials to historical figures and events. Fabrice Fouillet’s series Colosses—a collection of photographs of the world’s most imposing monuments—makes these familiar sights downright strange through a simple shift in perspective. It’s not the size and scale that interests him, but their place in the surrounding landscape. The result can be dizzying and disorienting. …
“ ‘It was important to me to extract the monument from its formal touristic and religious surroundings,’ said Fouillet. ‘It is not about a description of monumental symbol but more to observe how and where it takes place.’ ”
The Andrew Sullivan post, Face of the Day, is still available here. Photographer Fouillet’s website is here.
Image: Fabrice Fouillet
Grand Byakue. Takazaki, Japan
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged andrew sullivan, colasses, fabrice fouillet, giant head, Grand Byakue. Takazaki, japan, photography, postaday, wired, zachary slobig | 2 Comments »
February 13, 2015 by suzannesmom
A husband and wife who run a restaurant in Norfolk, Mass., have opened their hearts to worthy causes, offering to assist through sales of a Brazilian dough boy.
Bella English writes at the Boston Globe, ” ‘We know the stresses of running a restaurant,” says Jennifer [Lima], 37. ‘But we promised each other we would also use it to do some good.’ …
“They donate bread weekly to the Wrentham Food Pantry. Their first Easter brunch, they donated much of the sales to the local fire department. They’re constantly giving gift cards to this or that raffle.
“When a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer, struggling to work while raising her son and undergoing treatment, they donated a percentage of their earnings to Project Princess, which a friend organized on the woman’s behalf.
“And when the family of a young Marine just back from Afghanistan wanted to book a welcome home party, the Limas told them no problem. In late December, a peak holiday time, they closed the restaurant and donated the entire party. They hung signs and strung red, white, and blue lights around the bar.
“ ‘Who else closes on a busy Saturday night?’ asks Lauren Eliopoulos, the Marine’s sister. ‘They would not take anything in return. It touched my entire family.’ …
“Rolling in the Dough, [is] the couple’s latest endeavor. Their ‘Doughboy,’ take my word for it, is the best piece of fried dough you’ll ever eat. … The box notes that 100 percent of the proceeds from Doughboy sales will go to a person, family, or cause in need. ‘Do you know a deserving cause? E-mail lima@novatosgrill.com.’ ”
Read more here.
Photo: Bella English
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alex lima, bella english, charity, dough boy, Doughboy, generous, giving, jennifer lima, Lauren Eliopoulos, novatos, postaday, restaurant, rolling in dough, wrentham food pantry | 4 Comments »
February 12, 2015 by suzannesmom
Photo: AP Images/Associated Press
You can’t make these things up.
Jenni Ryall writes at Mashable, “Australia’s oldest man has spent a lot of his days knitting sweaters for little penguins. Alfred ‘Alfie’ Date spoke to 9 Stories about how his inability to say ‘no’ to favours got him into making the miniature animal clothes.
“The jerseys were requested from Victoria’s Phillip Island Penguin Foundation in 2013, to assist the survival of little penguins after an oil spill. Little penguins are a species of penguin only found in southern Australia and New Zealand, with a lone colony of 32,000 remaining on Phillip Island.
“The 109-year-old, who lives in a retirement home on the New South Wales Central Coast, was asked by two nurses to help make the sweaters, as they had heard he was an experienced knitter. It was a request he could not refuse. Using heavy wool provided by the nurses, Alfie put his 80 years of knitting skills to good use and got to work. …
“When oiled penguins arrive at the foundation, they are given a jacket to wear so that they don’t consume the toxins or preen their feathers. In 2001, 438 penguins were affected in an oil spill at Phillip Island and by using the knitted outfits, 96% of the penguins were rehabilitated at the clinic, according to the foundation’s website.”
More at Mashable, here.
Photo: PINP/AAT Kings/Spotlight/Rex Feat
Penguin sweaters worn by stuffed toys at Phillip Island.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 109, 9 stories, alfie, alfred, australlian, date, jenni ryall, knit sweater, oil, penguin, phillip island, postaday, Victoria's Phillip Island Penguin Foundation | 3 Comments »
February 11, 2015 by suzannesmom
The Red Line was telling people not to take the Red Line but to go North Station and walk. So I did.
Between Porter Square, Cambridge, and North Station, Boston, the young conductor sat down near me. I said, “How’s it been going for you?”
He said it’s OK, but he doesn’t like it when passengers start screaming at him like it’s all his fault. He said one day the train had to stop because snow was packed around a switch, and a passenger was angry with him. He got out in the snow, came back with snow up to his chest, and said, “I cleared the switch.”
He wishes passengers could take the same two-month class he took before he started. They would be amazed about all the rules and regulations. Our route passes through three track jurisdictions (I think he said three, maybe more.) At each one, the engineer has to ask permission to pass, and he has to write down the interaction in a book. Sometimes he asks the conductor to come help.
The conductor pointed out a light low down in the snow-covered track. Someone had dug it out. He told me that if the engineer can’t see a track light, he is obliged to treat it as malfunctioning and just stop.
I asked how long the conductor had worked for the system. He said he started New Year’s Eve. It’s been a real trial by ice. But he says he thinks it will get better and he actually likes it. I told him most passengers don’t blame the conductor for snow or aging train equipment.
The walk to work took longer than it should as the sidewalks were not equally clear. Charles Schwab did a lovely job with its sidewalk. Fidelity not so much. I’m thinking of switching my account.
Railroad track near my home.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged boston, commuter rail, conductor, mbta, north station, passenger, porter square, postaday, red line, snow, switch, track, train | 8 Comments »
February 10, 2015 by suzannesmom
Public transit in Greater Boston didn’t run today as MBTA staff tried to dig out tracks, switches, and signals. We were told to work at home for the 5th time in two weeks. I went for a walk at lunch. Where sidewalks were plowed, the snow was often piled shoulder high on either side. I like walking in recently plowed snow because boots have more traction. The texture is like pie dough that’s a little too dry. Once the snow gets packed down, it makes for slippery walking. In the town, where merchants went bananas with salt, the sidewalk and crosswalks were unpleasantly soupy.
The first photo is from today. It’s Concord Academy. The others were taken in the past week and include a tree on Congress Street in Boston, a snowbank that the plow cut through as if slicing cake, snowy fire escapes near the TD Garden, a view of the Boston Seaport District from a roof garden, and my ice lantern (still going after more than a week of evening lighting).
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged boston, concord academy, ice lantern, new england, photo, photographs, postaday, seaport, snow, winter | 4 Comments »
February 9, 2015 by suzannesmom
People do come up with some pretty far-out ideas.
Aisha Gani writes at the Guardian about one recent idea — to put a public swimming pool in the Thames River.
“An online crowd-funding campaign to build a £10m open-air swimming pool in the middle of the river Thames in central London is to launch [this] month. Initial designs for the Thames Baths, which is to open next year on the Victoria Embankment if planning permission is granted, feature a 25-metre by 10-metre main pool, filtration system and pool-side decking.
Chris Romer-Lee, 42, an architect from Studio Octopi said the group was looking for sponsorship and wanted Londoners to get behind the scheme. The London swimming-pool designs have received high-profile backers, such as The Outdoor Swimming Society and award-winning British artist Tracey Emin, who is to feature in the promotional video.”
Romer-Lee says, “There’s something very wild and liberating being in open water. I don’t get this so much swimming inside indoor pools where it’s hot and smelly. The decked areas are open to anyone who wants to come along, so you don’t have to come along just to swim.”
The #backthebaths campaign can be found at Kickstarter. More here.
Photograph: Picture Plane Ltd/Thames Baths Project
Artist’s impression of the proposed Thames Baths project.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aisha gani, Chris Romer-Lee, Outdoor Swimming Society, Picture Plane Ltd/Thames Baths Project, postaday, river, studio octopi, swimming pool, thames, Tracey Emin, Victoria Embankment | Leave a Comment »
February 9, 2015 by suzannesmom
Dear Things I Find in the Garbage, Such an amazing post. It must take all day to create an entry like this. I am offering it as a bonus to my readers. Thank you!
Things I find in the garbage
I drove Sarah to the airport early Monday morning and figured I might as well explore some new neighborhoods while I was at it. I didn’t have a plan going in, but remembered that Monday morning was garbage day in Pierrefonds east of St Jean Boulevard. It was a nice area, one that I might return to if I’m feeling adventurous or if circumstances encourage it. It’s too far away to cover regularly.
This spot provided a few neat finds. It was pretty cold out, but having the car makes all but the worst weather pretty tolerable. Nothing compares to some of the bike trips I went on last year.
Inside the recycling bin was a collection of nice ceramic pots, many of which were vintage. Most had price tags on them, making me wonder if they were left behind from a yard or estate sale. They were all in…
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February 8, 2015 by suzannesmom
From time to time I hear about a growing interest in play areas that focus less on safety and more on creativity and fending for yourself. Safety has always been important to me, but maybe children (grownups, too) get in more trouble when they leave the safety issues to authorities. Maybe there’s something to be said for learning to handle tricky situations by being in tricky situations.
In any case, woodland nursery schools, wild parks, and junky playgrounds are getting attention.
Amy Fusselman, adapting her book Savage Park for the Atlantic, describes her family’s reaction to a wild park in Japan.
“As the eight of us walked, first up a slight dirt hill, then past a gaggle of unlocked bicycles, we smelled it: smoke. The smell became stronger as we went ahead. We followed it until at last we were all standing beside a traditional Japanese hut that was perched atop a downward-sloping one-acre patch of dirt and trees.
“The hut’s front porch was completely overflowing with crap, including a pink-painted piano at which a girl, five, was sitting and playing a John Cage-ian ditty. It was a strangely radiant sound to be hearing as we stood there looking down through the smoke—we could see it as well as smell it now—to the smoke’s source: open fires.
“There were three of them. At one, a boy about eight years old was kneeling, poking at the flames with paper fans; at another, a father was sitting and roasting marshmallows with his toddler son. A third fire seemed to be unattended. …
“We stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the dirt and trees and the structures that were woven around and between them, structures that were clearly not made in any place where safety surfacing had ever been a subject of serious discussion. These were structures that looked like what remained when my sons decided to build an airport out of Legos and then abandoned the project halfway through, only these half-made baggage carts and control towers were much larger and crafted not from nicely interlocking plastic rectangles but from scraps of wood and nails. …
“At one point, I looked up at the trees. I was astonished to see that there were children in them. The more I looked, the more children I saw. There were children 15 feet high in the air. …
“I sat on a log, eating warm, white gooey marshmallows. The park was around us, and the trees were around us, and the dirt was around us, and the smoke, and the music. The children were in the trees, and were flying in the air. We stayed there as long as we could.”
More here.
Photo: Associated Press
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amy Fusselman, japan, park, playground, postaday, risk, savage park, wild | 3 Comments »
February 7, 2015 by suzannesmom
Good news for Letterbox Farm Collective in New York State! The environmental nonprofit Scenic Hudson’s interest in protecting a Hudson River tributary has enabled the young farmers to purchase land.
Scenic Hudson’s Jay Burgess writes, “Scenic Hudson has acquired a conservation easement protecting 62 acres of productive farm fields and watershed lands in Greenport, just south of the City of Hudson. The easement’s purchase enabled a group of young farmers who had been leasing the property to purchase it, securing the future of their farm operations.
“Known as the Letterbox Farm Collective, the farm partners supply specialty vegetables, herbs, pork, poultry, rabbits and eggs to a variety of regional and New York City markets — local bakeries and food trucks, many restaurants (including New York City’s renowned Momofuku restaurants) and two farmers’ markets. In the spring the farmers will launch a diversified Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation. …
“ ‘Achieving the goal of Scenic Hudson’s Foodshed Conservation Plan — meeting the growing demand for fresh, local food in the Hudson Valley and New York City — depends on successful partnerships like this, which provides a stable base of operations for the dedicated young farmers in the Letterbox Farm Collective. We also thank these farmers for enabling a future public access point to our protected lands along South Bay Creek, which present exciting opportunities for Hudson residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors,’ said Steve Rosenberg, executive director of The Scenic Hudson Land Trust. …
“ ‘We were lucky to have Scenic Hudson with us while we gathered our financing and at the closing table when the moment came and we were able to buy our land,” said Letterbox’s Faith Gilbert.” More here.
Thanks to Sandy and Pat for letting me know and congrats to their niece for being successfully launched in farming.
Photo: Nathaniel Nardi-Cyrus
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged conservation, easement, environment, faith Gilbert, farmland, food, foodshed, greenport, hudson river, jay burgess, land trust, letterbox farm, Momofuku, Nathaniel Nardi-Cyrus, ned sullivan, postaday, preservation, scenic hudson, South Bay Creek, Steve Rosenberg, young farmers | 2 Comments »
February 6, 2015 by suzannesmom
Photo: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ArchDaily has published the editorial team’s choices for best houses of 2014. Some of the houses are widely fanciful, like storybook dwellings. Be sure to look at them all.
The magazine says, “For another year, in 2014 ArchDaily has featured hundreds of houses from designers around the globe, with homes that appear to float above ground, sink below grade, snake through forests, jut over cliffs, and blur the line between building and environment.
“This year, we’ve seen some of the most intuitive, outlandish, and creative designs cropping up around the world, from São Paulo to Ho Chi Minh City to Stockholm, and to celebrate the end of the year we’ve rounded up our 50 best projects from 2014, representing an incredible range of living environments from the world’s most innovative architects.
“Enjoy the sandy surrounds of House in Miyake or the minimalist paradise of Love House; or escape for a getaway to Weekend House in Downtown São Paulo. Find out which houses stray from the norm, reviving the wooden cottage and redefining the stone cabin with a touch of linearity and serious panoramic views. Step inside wondrous spaces that soar skyward or connect with the earth, speak to the divine or convene with the spiritual – and yet all share the unmistakable feeling of ‘home.’ ”
See the amazing houses here.
Architecture on the Stockholm page includes homes, apartment complexes, and the public library. Perhaps a Swedish reader will be familiar with a few of them.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged archdaily, architect, architecture, best houses, designer, Fernando Guerra, FG+SG, Ho Chi Minh City, House in Miyake, São Paulo, stockholm | 2 Comments »
February 5, 2015 by suzannesmom
I have written a few times about young people who commit themselves to a life of farming. At National Public Radio, Jennifer Mitchell explains why Northern New England states like Maine are particularly attractive to beginning farmers.
“On a windy hillside just a few miles from Maine’s rocky mid-coast, it’s 10 degrees; snow is crunching underfoot. Hairy highland cattle munch on flakes of hay and native Katahdin sheep are mustered in a white pool just outside the fence. Not far away, heritage chickens scuttle about a mobile poultry house that looks a bit like a Conestoga wagon.
“Marya Gelvosa, majored in English literature and has never lived out in the country before. ‘Just a few years ago, if you’d told me that I was going to be a farmer, I would have probably laughed at you,’ she says.
“But Gelvosa and her partner, Josh Gerritsen, a New York City photographer, have thrown all their resources into this farm, where they provide a small local base of customers with beef, lamb and heritage poultry. Gerritsen says their livelihood now ties them to a community. …
” ‘It’s very fulfilling work,’ Gelvosa says, ‘and noble work.’ …
“In Maine, farmers under the age of 35 have increased by 40 percent, says John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension: ‘Nationally, that increase is 1.5 percent.’
“And young farmers are being drawn to other rural Northeastern states as well, he says. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont were all hotbeds of activity during the previous back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s. Many of those pioneers stayed and helped create farming and gardening organizations that now offer support and encouragement for new farmers. …
“Sparsely developed states like Maine still possess affordable lands, which savvy young farmers with a little money — and a lot of elbow grease — are starting to acquire.” Read all about it here.
Photo: Josh Gerritsen/Donkey Universe Farm
Marya Gelvosa and Josh Gerritsen run a small farm on Maine’s rocky mid-coast, providing their local community with beef, lamb and heritage poultry.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged development supported agriculture, farm, jennifer mitchell, John Rebar, Josh Gerritsen, maine, Marya Gelvosa, midcoast, new england, new hampshire, npr, University of Maine Cooperative Extension:, Vermont, young farmers | 2 Comments »
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