It has been over a year that I have posted these monthly lists, and one of the things I’ve learned is that I learn 6-8 notable things every month. (I didn’t add this fact to September’s list because it felt so obvious.)
- Ladyfinger grapes are a new variety of seedless grape. I don’t know where to buy them, but I sure enjoyed them at a potluck!
Lady finger grapes, a new variety. - My last name is associated with jaundice in Ukraine; they call it Botkin’s Disease. Jana Jaundice does sort of flow, but I will choose to stick with Botkin.
- The wildflower Indian pink, which blooms in the foothills in the spring, is red, not pink. This has bothered me for many years (Yes, I know, get a life already). In September, I learned that it is so named because the edge appears as if it was trimmed with pinking shears!
- Duckduckgo is a search engine that doesn’t save history, chase you around the internet, and clutter your life with ads. I’ve used it most of September; this is how my home page looks now. Back in the last century when I chose the G for my home page, it was because of its clean white simplicity. This will do quite nicely instead. I’m very happy to not have ads chasing me onto every web site.
- Clean air is essential for people with lung diseases even with oxygen 24/7. My friend who is waiting for lungs is markedly improved in her strength, endurance, and overall health after 6 weeks in a place of clean air.
On the Cayucos pier. - The Elfin Forest in Los Osos is a San Luis Obispo County park. It has pygmie oaks, because of the salt air and poor soil. It all looked like shrubs to me; seeing it satisfied my curiosity about the place.
The Elfin Forest, Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County - Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal is the most instructive book I’ve ever read about aging and terminal illness. If you have people in your life who are aging and are wondering about assisted living options for them, or people who are facing a terminal illness, this book will help you figure things out with your loved one’s best interests in mind. It is outstanding, teaching through stories and the author’s personal experiences. I learned way more than you want to read in a blog list.
- The plant that I and everyone I know calls “Ice Plant” at the beach is actually called “Sea Fig”. “Sea Fig”? Who makes up these names? I found it in several of the wildflower books that I’m using to gather names for the upcoming Wildflowers of Mineral King: Common Names.
And now, may we PLEASE be finished with summer’s heat??
4 Comments
Can’t help you with the heat, except to let you know it usually gives a last sigh around my birthday in the late-middle of October. Soon!
Be sure to give Roz Chast’s painfully honest book about her aging and dying parents a go, “Can’t We Talk About Something Pleasant??!” a good adjunct to Being Mortal. She’s a cartoonist for the New Yorker. There are beautiful drawings of her mom in her last days, and also many poignant and funny bits. Highly recommend! Likely available via your library.
Joyce, could we possibly be birthday twins? (the 12th for me) And thank you for the words about Roz Chast’s book – it has been on my To Be Read list for quite awhile. So far I haven’t located it in my library system but will check again after I get through my current skyscraper of library books with looming due dates.
Wow. So now I have 8 things I just learned on October 1. Does my learning them in one day make me smarter than you, who took a whole month to gather them?? Thanks for enriching my life. 🙂
Louise, you are and always have been smarter than me! Happy to share these sometimes relevant and sometimes frivolous facts.
Comments are closed for this article!