Fox is late for lunch.
Go, Fox. Go!
      .    .    .
Fox gets home just in time.
                                                 from Fox is Late
                     written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor
                  Balzer + Bray/ HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018
                             (accessed on YouTube 5/27/2024)

    As shown in Cory Tabor’s last, clever illustration, Fox is rushing around because he is the one serving lunch. His friends are concerned that their own lunch will be late.
    Although I like to be on time, punctuality was not a gene I inherited from my mom. I’m not as procrastination-prone as my dad was though, and I’m not as distractible as my daughter. I’m just sometimes a little time-challenged. Doing that “one more thing” usually makes me “not early.”
    Quarter tills and quarter afters mess me up, too. And this past week, I was a whole week early for a scheduled meeting (that I had recorded correctly on my calendar). 
    My issues with timeliness usually only affect me, and it’s something I’ve become more aware of as I realize my time on this planet is limited.
    Not so, it seems, with Ohio’s legislators.
    In order for President Biden’s name to appear on Ohio’s ballot, he must be recognized as the Party’s official candidate at the Democratic National Convention (this year in Chicago) at least 90 days before the General Election. But 90 days from August 19, is November 17, and Election Day (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November) falls on November 5 in 2024. 
    Ohio’s ballot deadline is 12 days too late. 
    In April 2024, Secretary of State Frank LaRose advised Democrats in Ohio’s Congress that their convention was scheduled after the August 7 ballot deadline. He said they needed to pass a legislative decision by May 9 to solve the timing issue. The easiest way would be to change the deadline for certification. 
    Thats been done as a matter of course in the past. In 2012 and again in 2020, the Ohio legislature made sure all the candidates were certified in time for the election.
    But this time, disagreement between the Ds and the Rs resulted in different versions of a bill. Congress wants to move the certification deadline to accommodate a shorter “window of opportunity,” 74 days instead of the required 90. But Rs in the Senate included legislation to ban foreign nationals from contributing to ballot initiatives. Ds said “no” to that. 
    Ds agree that banning foreign political contributions is necessary,  and according to House Democratic leader, Allison Russo on her X platform, accepting money from foreign donors is already illegal. Ds want a “clean” bill that addresses only the issue at hand, the date discrepancy.
    Meanwhile, the Senate has already passed its version with the foreign contribution phrase, referred to as a “poison pill.”
    And the House is still deadlocked. 
    Last week, Governor Mike DeWine intervened. He wants to ensure that President Joe Biden's name will appear on Ohio’s ballot for the General Election this November so he called the Congress back into a special session to begin this very morning, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. 
    But DeWine, himself a Republican, does not support the “clean” bill in the House, the ones the Ds and Rs both support. He asked the Representatives to pass the Senate version.
    Obviously, it would be less than ideal (on many levels) for the citizens of Ohio to be forced to vote for Joe Biden, the incumbent President, by writing his name on a blank. And as reported in The Hill, “any newfound sense of urgency from Rs is not really about Biden…It’s about [the R’s wish] to undermine ballot initiatives.”
    It is an open (and a little bit scary) question, whether the Parties are willing to work together for the benefit of the citizens of Ohio to solve a problem that at its heart is not political.
    Both Parties and Biden’s campaign are confident that Joe Biden’s name will appear on Ohio’s ballot this fall. But at what cost?
    I’m sharpening my pencil.

I’m reading Mad Honey, by Jennifer Finney Boylan and Jodi Piccoult (Ballantine, 2022). It’s a story of domestic abuse and how it affects the survivors. I’ve only just started it, so I hope there’s some redemptive feature or a bit of optimism. I’ll let you know next week!
                       --Be curious! (and strive for punctuality)

     “If you become a tree,” said the Little Bunny, “I will become a little sail boat and I will sail away from you.”
    “If you become a sailboat and sail away from me,” said his mother, “I will become the wind and blow you where I want you to go.”
                                           from The Runaway Bunny
                                  written by Margaret Wise Brown
                                          illustrated by Clement Hurd
                                                          Harpers, 1942
    As my oldest grandchild graduates from high school this coming weekend, I remembered the book I gave to each of my daughters on their own graduations. The quote above was always my favorite 2-page spread. But for over 40 years, I had been misreading the text.
    Whenever I read the story to my kids (and grandkids), and my 20+ years worth of Storytime kids, I read the text as: “I will become the wind and blow you wherever you want to go.” It wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that I noticed my “mistake.” Really.
    I have always believed in kids having as much agency as is practical and safe. And I inadvertently read that into Ms. Brown’s classic text.
    For today, I decided to fall back on a list of advice solicited by WKSU on their social media page. I heard it read by Mike McIntyre, the Executive Editor of the station. 
    Here’s “Mike McIntyre’s Crowdsourced Commencement Speech for the Class of 2024” as he delivered it on air, May 15, 2024, on the show “The Sound of Ideas.” I hope you find it as inspiring, funny, thoughtful, delightful, sensible, and encouraging as I did.

To the Class of 2024:
Everyone is looking for the keys to success. Here they are: Show up
    and take responsibility.
The key to success is to do what you say you will do.
Hard work is not a bad thing. Work hard and build your network --
    these two things will set you up for a successful career.
Remain humble, aware, compassionate and curious. Always remember
    that compassion trumps indifference in life.
Listen to the voice that's telling you to create something.
Always buy the concert tickets.
The world needs your hope and your passion. Chase your dreams,
    because they won't chase you.
Walk in doubt, step with confidence. Stay true to yourself and be
    authentic, the world has enough people trying to be someone they
    are not. Confidence comes from competence.
Develop a severe allergy to generalizations about generations — your
    own, and others’. Notice when things are nice. And when you feel
    like complaining about how bad the old folks messed everything up,
    remember they just got here too.
Don’t burn the boomers.
Try to think for yourself before using AI.
When faced with two choices, pick the one that scares you the most.
No matter what advice you receive to succeed, to triumph, to
    prosper, to thrive, remember to be kind. Just be nice.
The only person you're guaranteed to spend the rest of your life with
    is yourself. Treat yourself with love and kindness.
Buy yourself flowers.
There is no greater joy than loving someone even more than you love
    yourself. Find your own happiness, in yourself. Invest in yourself,
    learn to know your limits and worth, become your own best friend.
You’re entering a phase of life where all too often it’s all about you.
     Make sure to focus on others — not just yourself. Do something
     for someone you will never meet.
Say yes to as many things as you can. Except drugs.
Try to accomplish something each day. The first thing is making your
    bed when you get up. The little accomplishments add up to big
    accomplishments.
Expect nothing, earn everything.
Don’t think of mistakes as failures. You can always pivot. Fall apart on
    schedule. Since you, just like everyone else in the world, will never be perfect — know that every failure is an opportunity to grow. Stay
    strong and keep the faith. If it is not going to matter in five years,
    don't stress about it.
Life's like a Wi-Fi signal — sometimes you just need to reset to find a
    better connection.
Be a positive person and try to hang out with positive people. Not only
    do they get things done, they're way more fun.
If you’re going to marry someone, which I highly recommend (It’s
    great.), make sure you find someone with good taste in TV shows,
    because that’s the only thing you’ll do together. Especially if you
    have kids.
Ditch your smartphone for at least an hour a day. This especially
    applies to the bathroom.
In school, your success is often measured by how well you follow the
    instructions. At work, there are almost never instructions. It’s okay
    to say, “I don’t know.”
If you throw your mortarboard into the air and don’t catch it, you
    have to go to grad school so you can try again.
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
    Give some of your money away. You’ll be richer for it. You’re
    never too young to start to build your financial future.
Time is the most valuable resource you have — be mindful of how and
    with whom you spend it, in work and in life.
Remember to call your mom.
Dream big, act boldly and never underestimate your potential. The
    world belongs to you and the only limits that exist are the ones you
    set for yourself! Keep aiming high, do things, go places. And when
    the time is right, drink beer!
Easy on the cheese. Sure, it’s tasty and all, but your gut really doesn’t
    need all that. I have two words for you, listen very closely: Greek
    yogurt.
The future is a foreign country. Learn the mindset of an immigrant.
Don’t rake your leaves, nature prefers it that way. Even if you get
    rich and …  and every lawn on the street looks like a golf course in
    early December, don’t rake them.
If you want to steal deep thoughts from famous people, pick Vonnegut.
If you’ve always wanted to try something, go for it. Nobody cares.
    You’re a grown up now.
Don’t be a dum-dum.
https://www.ideastream.org/community/2024-05-15/mike-mcintyres-crowdsourced-commencement-speech-for-the-class-of-2024 

I’m getting close to the end of Nathan Hill’s Wellness. At 624 pages, it’s a lot longer than most of what I read. 
Next up is Mad Honey by Jodi Piccoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (Ballantine Books, 2022).
                            Be curious! (and take the next step)

    On Saturday he ate through
one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon.
                              from The Very Hungry Caterpillar,
                                          50th Anniversary Edition
                             written and illustrated by Eric Carle
                                               Philomel Books, 2018

    My brother was no different from most curious kids who like to see how things work and how they’re put together. The day he found a caterpillar, though, he wanted to find out how things come apart. Caterpillars have three thoracic segments and ten abdominal segments. He meticulously separated all 13 of them.
    Mom found several caterpillar segments the next day when she was folding our clean laundry. Although I didn’t hear it, I’m sure my young brother got a simple lesson in the difference between living and not living, respect for nature, and what is acceptable pocket fare.
    We had lots of caterpillars and other bugs, and insects, too, in our yard. Mostly we left them alone.
    Caterpillars are not too similar to cicadas, except that they both molt. With the on-coming emergence of the cicadas later this month, I began to wonder about the difference between cicadas and grasshoppers. Turns out there are many.
    Both cicadas and grasshoppers (and most other insects with an exoskeleton) molt. Most molt five times. Since their skin (really exoskeleton) doesn’t grow, while the insects eat and get bigger, a new, larger exoskeleton develops underneath. By the time they shed their last outer “skin,” the adults, including cicadas, have developed wings.
    The first four times cicadas molt, they’re underground. Then the nymphs make their way to the surface, clamber up a tree or shrub, and molt once more. Now they are adults. They can, and do, spread their wings and look for a mate.
    And what about grasshoppers? Grasshoppers molt, too. So do most other insects with an exoskeleton. It’s easy to tell the difference between grasshoppers and katydids and crickets and locusts. Even though they all, including cicadas, make sounds, grasshoppers and their like sport long back legs. To make noise, some rub them together, some have special spiny protrusions to scrape against. But cicadas have drum-like structures on their abdomens to make their loud, raucous sound. 
    And cicadas are true bugs. They are a type of insect that has a mouth shaped like a straw. Their eggs hatch as nymphs and then they transform into adults.
    Like most insects, cicadas start out as eggs. Females deposit up to 400 eggs into tiny holes they bored into the branch of a tree or shrub. When the eggs hatch, between 6 and ten weeks later, the nymphs immediately fall to the ground and burrow under in search of tree roots. They stay buried, using their mouth-parts to sip on sap for a long time. Annual cicadas emerge each summer. Periodical cicadas can take a couple of years. Some more, up to seventeen years. Cicadas have one of the longest life spans in the insect world, but only a tiny portion of it is spent above ground. 
    They “count” the number of years that have passed by “noticing” the fluctuation in sap-flow between times of plenty and times of scarcity. When their time has come, the cicadas wait until the soil at their level, 6-8 inches below ground, reaches about 64 degrees F. 
    Then they emerge, up to one and a half million of them per acre. Their simultaneous emergence is a survival mechanism. Birds are waiting. So are skunks, bats, wasps, snakes, mice, fish, spiders, opossums, and even people. And my daughter’s dog.
    Cicadas buzz, squawk, produce rhythmic ticks and high-pitched whines. When they sing together, it’s called chorusing. The males fill the air with their buzzing. If a female is interested, she responds with clicking sounds. 
    Cicadas' sole focus is progenerating their species.
    They emerge, sing, mate, lay their eggs, and die all within about five weeks. 
    Neil Steinberg is calling this week (5/12-5/18/24) “ground zero, cicada-wise” because the 13-year and the 17-year broods have aligned. No one has heard and seen this many cicadas at one time since 1803 when Thomas Jefferson lived in the White House and Ohio gained statehood.
    Cicadas are loud. The world’s loudest insect, an African cicada, sings at almost 107 decibels when measured at a distance of 20 inches. Two North American species clock in at 106. They are as loud as a motorcycle (probably a Kawasaki or a Honda. Harleys are really loud at up to 120 Db). 
    Cicadas are big. Adult cicadas are about an inch and a half long. They have red eyes, a greenish-brown body and two sets of clear wings. 
    Periodical cicadas live in the central and eastern United States. Thirteen-year cicadas (Brood XIX) will emerge in most of Missouri and northern Arkansas. Scattered broods will appear from northern Louisiana, across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. 
    An area from the northwest tip of Indiana and southern Michigan to southern Wisconsin, eastern Iowa, and north-central Illinois is home to the seventeen-year cicadas (Brood XIII.) Central Illinois will experience the greatest overlap. 
    If you want to be part of the experience, you might need to travel. The next double-emergence is predicted to occur in 2245. 
    Cicadas make a tasty meal, so I’m told. They are arthropods just like shrimp, lobsters, and crabs. Isa Betancourt, an entomologist from Drexel University calls them “the shrimp of the land.” They’re high-protein, low-fat, low-carb, and gluten free. According to Neil Steinberg in his article in the Chicago Sun-Times, they taste “papery and “a tad bitter” but “[n]ot at all unpleasant.” 
    If you’re going to try them, fresh or fried, boiled, or grilled, be sure to wash them thoroughly first.

I’m reading Wellness by Nathan Hill (Knopf, 2023). Jack and Elizabeth are first drawn to each other when they attend college in Chicago. They’re attracted to what they each have in common, as well as what sets them apart. We watch them navigate the tricky roads of togetherness, child raising, and home remodeling, all while trying to maintain their priorities as a couple and holding fiercely to their own individuality.
                         -—stay curious! (and try something new)

    Arm in arm, the King and Bartholomew went down to the counting room to count out the gold. Then the King sent Bartholomew home to his parents, no basket on his arm, no hat on his head, but with five hundred pieces of gold in a bag.
                  from The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
                        written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel
                                                writing as Dr. Seuss
                                                Random House, 1938

    My grandfather was a tailor. He brought his cap-making skills with him from the Old Country and opened a haberdashery on Cleveland’s west side. He made caps and sold them. He sold ties, too, neckties and bowties, and Adam Hats. The neckties hung on a twirly rack that always got me in trouble. I loved to spin that thing and watch the ties fly out to horizontal while still firmly attached to a shiny metal ring at one end. My grandma would catch me up and try to distract me with the miniature red-plastic toy Adam Hats my grandpa kept on hand. I didn’t like them as much as the ties. They didn’t fit my doll’s head, and they were for boys, anyway. 
    My grandmother, among her other talents, could knit and crochet practically anything. My mom learned from the best. Consequently, my hats were knit, they were not frilly. They had nothing to do with style or show-off decoration. My hats were the keep-your-head-warm kind. They fit close with earflaps knitted right in and knitted strings for under-the-chin tying. My hats were finished off with a tassel on top and came with matching knitted mittens. 
     Mom made my favorite hat (and matching mittens) with a skein of yarn that gradually moved from royal blue to deep violet and ruby red, bright orange, sunny yellow, then back again to orange, red, violet, and blue. The hat and mittens came out looking like a rainbow. The kids asked where I got such a hat and mittens. I’d raise my chin a little and say, “My mom made them for me.” I smiled when I said it.
    Although I tried knitting, my results always came out lumpy. I finally gave up. My own kids had store-bought hats and mittens, some knitted (by a machine in another country?) some cloth, not made by me or my grandpa. I hand-sewed a bonnet once when my younger daughter dressed up as Laura Ingalls Wilder for a school assignment, though.
    Derby hats and horse races are called Derbies after Edward Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby (1752 - 1834). He initiated the first race in 1870, at Epsom Downs, just south of London. And he liked the newly designed hat.
    The first Kentucky Derby was held in 1875 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. That first race imposed a strict dress code, on its attendees. A hat for men and women was required especially to attract fashionable society to the race and assure the public of a high moral standard. That year ten thousand hatted spectators watched 15 horses run a mile and a half.    
    The length of the race was shortened in 1896 to a mile and a quarter, thought to be more suitable for a three-year-old Thoroughbred in early spring. 
    By 1902, the race had become a “must-see” event.
    Preparation is extensive. Training, for horses and jockeys, clothes for them, too, and the audience, and the track, and the flowers. The horses are fast. In 1914, Old Rosebud set a new track record. He finished in just over two minutes. All that prep, over in a flash.
    Regret, the first filly to win, raced the next year, but she did not win.
    Over five million listeners tuned in in 1925 for the first radio broadcast. 
    In 1939, at the start of  WWII, admission was 50 cents, Lawrin, the winner, was the first horse to receive his honor on the newly built infield podium, and the Mint Julep became the Derby’s official drink. 
    Ten years later, locals could watch on TV. 
    In 1952, the first live, national broadcast reached between 10 and 15 million viewers.
    The first female jockey to ride, Diane Crump, ran her horse, Fathom, in 1970. They didn’t win the race, but they won credibility for female jockeys.
    Secretariat broke the speed record, finishing the race in under two minutes in 1973.
    1986 saw the placement of Churchill Downs Racetrack, the home of the Kentucky Derby, on the register of National Historic Landmarks.
    In 2020, for the first time since it opened, the Kentucky Derby was postponed. The date moved from May to September. COVID-19 was raging.
    This past Saturday May 4, 2024, twenty racehorses lined up at the Churchill Downs starting gate and waited for the 150th Kentucky Derby to begin. Some horses waited patiently, some were eager to run. Nearly 157,000 spectators watched.    
    Mystic Dan won the race in just over two minutes in a three-way photo finish. His odds of winning were 18-1 and bets placed on the field brought in a record over $210.7 million. About $5 million was paid out to all winners.
    But for some, it was all about the hats.
I just finished reading Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte (Scholastic, 2020). The author has given us an emotionally charged coming-of-age story about a Deaf girl growing up on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 1800s. Its backdrop includes sibling death, secrets and guilt, a kidnapping, prejudice, friendship, trust, and reconciliation. Yes, all that in a book for middle-schoolers, with plenty to ponder for adults, too.
                  -—stay curious! (and move at your own pace)