Science and Belief

By Eilene Lyon I once asked a classroom of college biology majors, some of them pre-med, whether they “believe in evolution.” About half raised their hand. Ha! Trick question. Science is not about believing. Belief and faith are the realm of religion and spirituality. In fact, you could say that science is the antithesis of... Continue Reading →

March 27, 2018 7

Ecuador Highlight

By Eilene Lyon As much as we were impressed with our time in the Galapagos, I believe the real highlight of our 2007 trip to Ecuador was our time in the Amazon basin, along the Napo River. The Sacha eco-lodge arranged our transportation from Quito by plane, van and motorized canoe. Smaller boats carried us... Continue Reading →

March 25, 2018 18

Upside-Down and Sideways

By Eilene Lyon When you learn to draw, using a photo to sketch from, art teachers will suggest you turn the picture upside-down. That way, you focus on the shapes, rather than letting your mind tell you what you’re looking at (mountain, tree, bird, etc.). It’s a way of changing your perspective. Turning the familiar... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2018 6

Emptying the Bucket (List)

By Eilene Lyon My brother and I, along with our spouses, were visiting Mom in Oregon last week. Because she has rapidly progressing dementia, she lives in memory care at the retirement community she moved into 12 years ago. She’s doing pretty well physically, for now. I took her to see her regular physician so... Continue Reading →

March 23, 2018 6

How It All Went Wrong

Week 12: #52Ancestors – Misfortune By Eilene Lyon By all measures, my cousin Orville Bodtker was a very unlucky young man in World War II. But I think for sheer, unrelenting misfortune, I have to turn to the story of my great-great-grandparents, Robert Ransom and Emma Jenkins, the parents of Clara Pearl Ransom. Robert was... Continue Reading →

March 22, 2018 17

Supersize…My Bed

By Eilene Lyon I’m not a large person (5’ 4”, medium build), but my husband is 6’ 2” and prefers an extra-long bed to feel comfortable. Hence our California king-size bed, the largest standard-sized bed on the market at 72 x 84 inches (183 x 213 cm). I confess that I like having lots of... Continue Reading →

March 21, 2018 13

Absurdities #4

By Eilene Lyon I get tickled every time I read this species description for the Eurasian Collared-Dove in my National Geographic bird guide: "...do not do well in the wild" they claim. From Project FeederWatch: "No species of bird has colonized North America at the speed with which the Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) has marched... Continue Reading →

March 20, 2018 5

Don’t Do This…Though Your Descendants Might Wish You Would

By Eilene Lyon One way our ancestors may have left a trace of their passing is by carving their names in stone. You've likely heard how westward pioneers inscribed Independence Rock along the Oregon Trail, for example. Don't do this. First of all, it creates an unsightly mess on our public lands. Secondly, you'd be... Continue Reading →

March 19, 2018 10

Research Miracles

Week 11: #52 Ancestors – Luck By Eilene Lyon Given that next week’s theme is “Misfortune,” I take “Luck” to mean Good luck, not Bad luck. I can find innumerable bad luck or misfortune stories in my family history. Finding good luck stories is a real challenge. My ancestors had seriously hard lives. On the... Continue Reading →

March 15, 2018 3

Myricopia