To Read in the Summer

More summer windows.  I'm just drawn to windows right now. We have been so busy here and will continue to be, a window like this makes me think about the slow times with a good book. My favorite reads are mystery novels, and not the gory or graphic ones.  I sometimes go through phases of reading the early detective novels from England. I also love the Dasheille Hammett stories; The Thin Man and The Maltese Falcon.  I've read all of the Raymond Chandler novels and especially love the ones written of places I knew growing up in Southern California. And yes! I'll admit it: I was (am) a huge fan of Nancy Drew. On my book table I have Annalee Newitz' book Scatter, Adapt, Remember  How Humans will survive mass extinction and Alan Bradley's latest Flavia de Luce novel Speaking From Among the Bones.

v started his latest round of chemo today.  He's been at this for ten months now.  He is stronger, has more energy, but less hair, and a very good appetite.  The doctor saw him today and is very pleased (almost giddy) with v's continued progress and good cheer. The nurses have called him their "healthiest sick patient", but I'm beginning to disagree.  He's not sick.

We continue to work on our latest project (soon!) and the garden and the aquarium.  We have such a busy and tight schedule this week that I was afraid we might not be able to take advantage of our impending apricot harvest, but I was able to get up early the other morning and can some apricot/cherry jam before breakfast!  I keep forgetting that jam and jelly making is so much easier than pie!

So, here is a window with a cushion just inviting anyone who wants to just curl up with that book and a cup of whatever...

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

It is Humbling

v and I volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The mission of the aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans.  Volunteers speak to thousands of people every week.  Over one million school children have visited the aquarium through school field trips at no cost to the schools or families.  We meet people from every continent and we see the impact that the aquarium has on these people.  

This afternoon at the Kelp Forest exhibit I met a man and his wife who are visiting from India.  At the end of our conversation about the variety of animals living within the kelp beds he looked up through the thirty foot high stands of kelp on display with the rock fish floating motionless amongst the leaves, the sharks swimming in and out, and the schools of anchovies and sardines flashing silver in the sunlight.  He looked back at me and said that there is so much life on this earth that we do not see.  "It is humbling", he said.  

I am embedding a link to a video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute about 

Trash in the deep sea.  Small changes can make a big difference in the future of the oceans. One change that can start immediately is to reduce our use of single-use plastics.  Carry water in refillable bottles.  The aquarium has installed a bottle refilling station for people to replenish their water supply.  Ask your employers, schools, and shopping malls to install refill stations. Reduce the need to buy all those small, plastic bottles of water that take up so much room in your home. 

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

1st Year as a Volunteer

The next new group of volunteers are in the midst of their apprentice training at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It's been nearly a year since v and I joined and began this magical journey.  Recruitment now occurs twice a year, spring and fall.  

Yesterday we were delighted to act as personal guides for a group of friends of ours from out of town. I am amazed at how far I've come since joining the aquarium. A year ago I was only sure I could tell a fish from a dog.  Now I'm able to interpret the life cycle of jellies, explain that sea cucumbers, sea stars, and sea urchins are related, and direct folks, without hesitation to the nearest restroom.  I have great pleasure introducing children to living sea creatures and helping them look through a window at that very special world under the waves.

When we go tide pooling, or just walking along the shore, we see so much more than we ever saw before. We can identify things that we never even noticed before such as the egg case of a Moon Snail encrusted with broken shells, and corals.

I have links included in my links list to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Blog and to their website as well as MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) where amazing videos can be viewed.  v's favorite is the Mimic Octopus.  Check it out. 

In bocca al lupo.  m & v