Suddenly, the world unfolded around Mary as her senses were filled with more beautiful things.
    A leaf hanging from a fine thread of spider silk.
    The smell of freshly cut grass.
    The tickle of the breeze ruffling her hair.
                                                     from A Quiet Girl
                          written and illustrated by Peter Carnavas
                                                   Pajama Press, 2020

    Not long ago, the electricity went out at my house. It’s not a usual occurrence around here and it didn’t last very long, but I became acutely aware of the silence. The refrigerator stopped humming. The clock I hardly noticed anymore stopped its low buzz. The radio quit, too. 
    I like quiet. So does my husband. We can drive for hours on a car trip and hardly speak a word. The world skims past. Sometimes waves splash under a long bridge. A great blue heron, rhythmically beats its wings, trying to keep up. Wind ruffles treetops in the elusive distance. All in silence.
    A quiet walk in the park always lifts my spirits, even when I fight the idea of exercising in the first place. Especially then. Time alone on the back porch gets me to the same frame of mind (but without the advantage of calorie burn). I listen to robins and cardinals. I hear traffic and lawnmowers. My neighbor's dog barks.
    Like light, sound travels in waves. When sound waves enter our ears, the bones of our middle ear begin to vibrate. The vibrations create ripples and waves in the fluid of our cochlea in our inner ear. Tiny hair-like structures convert the movements into electrical signals. The auditory nerve sends the electrical signals to our brains. Our brains interpret those signals and we identify a sound and all its nuances. 
    Like the olfactory bulb I wrote about in “Making Sense of Scents,” (March 14, 2023) connects to our emotional lives when we smell something familiar, sound waves travel to the amygdalae, two almond-shaped clusters of neurons that also trigger an emotional response. It’s part of the equation that transforms an old song into a vivid memory of a meaningful event or person. 
    The amygdalae in turn begin the process of hormone secretion, specifically cortisol, the stress hormone and adrenaline, to aid our fight or flight response. In short, too much sound (noise?) results in an overabundance of cortisol and adrenaline circulating in our blood system.
    As early as 1859, Florence Nightingale wrote that: “Unnecessary noise, then, is the most cruel absence of care which can be inflicted either on sick or well.” (Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not)
    Now, science is showing us just how disruptive noise really is. An article in Time Magazine, reports on Arline Bronzaft’s work in the 1970s. She found that “reading test scores of Manhattan middle schoolers whose classrooms faced a high-decibel elevated subway track lagged up to a year behind those of students in quieter classrooms on the opposite side of the building.”  
    Besides elevating stress hormones, noise can interrupt our ability to concentrate as Ms. Bronzaft showed. Even music, when it’s consistently loud and prolonged like some rock concerts and construction sites,, can affect the quality of our everyday hearing, even leading to hearing loss which in turn can also lead to social isolation, loneliness, and depression. Newer studies also show increased risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
    In 2013, Imke Kirste and her team published a paper through the auspices of the National Institutes of Health. They put mice in a soundproof chamber and introduced them to several different environments, one at a time: white noise, pup calls, and silence. After 24 hours, the mice that were exposed to pup calls and silence were found to have grown new brain cells. “But after 7 days, only silence remained associated with increased numbers of … cells.”  
    Of course, the next question is why? What is it about silence that promotes neural plasticity, our brain’s ability to grow new cells? Kirste discovered through functional imaging, that the mice who were enveloped in silence were “trying to hear.” When we listen to quiet, our ability to think is heightened. We become better at being able to distinguish, judge, and contemplate. And remember.
    Thousands of years ago Pythagoras (c.570 BCE - c.490 BCE) advised his students to learn to be silent. He told his brightest students, “Let your quiet mind listen and absorb the silence.” 
    In the millennia-old tradition of Nada Yoga, students practice focusing on the sounds in their immediate environment, "even the ringing in their own ears."
    We learn from Imke that the work we do in silence produces a type of positive stress called eustress, the opposite of distress. By challenging ourselves to bring our surroundings into sharp focus, we also sharpen our ability to rise to that challenge. The success we feel increases positive feelings: contentment, inspiration, and motivation. Eustress. 
    By taking some time to listen to the sounds of silence, we can discover for ourselves what a beautiful world we’re part of.

    This week I’m reading Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group, 2017). Rill Foss is only 12 years old in 1939, when she and her four younger siblings were kidnapped and sent to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. Based on a true story, Rill is physically abused by the people in charge and emotionally distraught because her father put her in charge of watching the little ones while he took their mother on an emergency run to the hospital. It’s also the modern-day story of Avery Stafford who has been groomed for an elected position in state government. 
    The intersection of Rill’s story with Avery’s is compelling, heart wrenching, and inevitable. Highly recommended.  

                                            be curious! (and enjoy a little quiet time)

It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.
                                         from: Because of Winn Dixie
                                              written by Kate DiCamillo
                                                      Candlewick, 2000
                                               Newbery Award winner

    My daughter and her family just adopted (another) rescue dog. This one is a Chug. “Is she trained?” I quipped. "You know, Chugga-chugga, choo! choo!"
    I quickly learned that Ruby is a cross between a Chihuahua and a Pug. They’re occasionally called Puhuahuas, but that doesn’t trip off the tongue as easily. 
    I wondered, “What’s the difference between a designer dog and a mutt?” (Besides the cost, of course.)
    Since they are not purebreds, the American Kennel Club (AKC) does not recognize designer dogs. Designer dogs must be bred from two purebred, recognized breeds. The AKC recognizes 200 of the over 340 breeds known worldwide, and only purebreds are allowed into their club. Each breed has specific traits including temperament, coloration, and size. The standards for each breed are described in an official document called a “breed standard.” 
    The Continental Kennel Club (CKC) does recognize designer dogs. They believe “every dog deserves an identity” but reserve the discretion to “recognize an official ‘designer’ name.” CKC dogs are registered through an application process using a special Non-Purebred Canine Registration Application Form. The CKC website notes “NON-PUREBRED is prominently printed on all the dog’s registration papers.”
    Like the AKC, each dog’s lineage is preserved on official papers.  
    The ancestor of all modern dogs is a wolf. Even in ancient times, as soon as people recognized that wolves could be tamed, wolves and people became companions. Soon, people purposefully bred dogs for specific tasks: hunting, guarding, herding. Later personality traits were sought. Brains, gentleness, loyalty were bred into particular breeds. Pit bulls and Greyhounds were bred for their entertainment value. St. Bernards, Siberian huskies, and bloodhounds perform heroic rescues, haul vital loads over treacherous terrain, and solve complicated mysteries, respectfully.
    According to the 2023 Pet Ownership Statistics published April, 2023, in forbes.com almost 87 million American households (44.5%) own a pet. Over half are dogs. Forty-two percent of dogs are purchased from a store and 38% come from a shelter. Twenty-three percent come from a breeder. I know, this adds up to more than 100%. I used the stats from Forbes as published.
    Homeowners are more apt to own a dog than renters. Even though the number of households with dogs has increased greatly over the last several years, fewer dogs live in each home. The total pet dog population according to the World Animal Foundation’s Pet Survey, is about 89.7 million. 
    Dogs are big business. Forbes reports that dog owners spend over $700.00 per year on their dogs. In 2022, pet owners spent $136.8 billion. (That includes all pets, though, cats, hamsters, turtles, fish…and dogs.) And pet insurance is a thing, now, too. 
    So what is the difference between a purebred and every other dog? 
    Designer dogs are crossbred on purpose to enhance the best qualities of each breed.
    Mutts are mixed breeds, the result (usually) of unplanned mating. Mutts can be just as cute, just as lovable, just as happy as a purebred or a designer dog. It’s a little like the difference between a spaghetti and meatball dinner at Olive Garden or spaghetti and meatballs at your favorite local restaurant that uses old family recipes. At one, you know what you’re getting. It’s always the same. The other is unique. You might be in for a happy surprise.    
    People share their lives with dogs for many reasons. Some, according to the AKC, are science based.

• A dog can make us feel less lonely.
• Dog owners have lower blood pressure and better responses to stress.
• Dog owners are more physically active.
• Dog owners are more attractive to others. In a study, test subjects identified people with dogs in a photo as more approachable, friendlier, and happier.
• A study at Tufts University concluded that people with strong attachments to their dog also had strong attachments to other people and their communities.
• Dogs’ facial features trigger caregiver responses in humans. Dogs are cute. We love them.
• Pet therapy is shown to improve cognitive abilities of some patients in long-term care facilities.

    Science aside, dogs can teach children responsibility, and empathy. Some adults would benefit from these lessons, too. 
    I prefer to share my life with a cat or two (or five!). I like knowing my cat can take care of her own needs for a couple of days (if I provide a clean box and plenty of crunchy food and clean water). I like that she’s quiet. No barking! I like that she loves without licking!
    I like that she loves me unconditionally. 
    Of course, a dog would too. But dogs bark. They lick. And they need a walking buddy.  

    I’m reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Published in 2006, by Vintage Press/Knopf Doubleday, among its other awards and accolades, the book won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2007. I was so concerned for the main characters that I had to cheat and look up the ending when I was a little less than halfway through. Without giving anything away, the story is a hero’s journey. After his wife gives birth and ends her life, a man left with his baby son searches for life’s meaning. He makes his way south looking for warmth, feigning optimism, and finding ways to stay alive. 
    Only An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (Boni & Liveright, 1925) is sadder.
    While it was a best-seller, dystopian fiction is not for everyone. Cormac McCarthy was a great American novelist, playwright, and screen writer. Try one of his other titles. 
                   July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023.
                                   RIP
                              -—Be curious! (and true to your nature)     

There was an old lady who swallowed some sand.
From out of her hand she swallowed that sand.
She swallowed the sand to plant the cactus.
I don’t know why she swallowed a cactus,
but it took lots of practice.
       from: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus
                                         written by Lucille Colandro
                                             illustrated by Jared Lee
                                          Cartwheel/Scholastic, 2021
                                      accessed on YouTube 6/12/23

    It’s been so dry here for so long, I was beginning to feel like I live in a desert, without the extreme heat! When a story came on the radio last Friday, about the decline of saguaro (sah WAH ro) cacti in the Sonoran Desert, I knew I had a bl-idea.
    When my husband and I drove out West several years ago, we visited lots of National Parks, small towns, and interesting museums. The saguaro cactus is a Western phenomenon. It’s iconic. We learned a little bit about it from a naturalist at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. The info has gotten a little fuzzy, so I did some research.
    While they usually grow as high as 40 feet or more according to The National Park Service, a baby saguaro might not reach even one inch tall until it’s 10 years old! By age 60 or 70 years, it will begin to grow arms. It won’t reach its full height until it is about 100 years old. No telling how many or how few arms it will grow.
    The saguaro is a keystone species of the Sonoran Desert. If the saguaro were gone, the effects on the ecosystem would be devastating. Birds, insects, and mammals depend on the saguaro for food and shelter. Because so many saguaros were destroyed by wildfires in recent years, the Tucson Audubon Society along with other non-profits, are working to bring back the species in an effort to save and revitalize the desert ecosystem.  
    Even in the desert, winters are part of the weather pattern. More big freezes mean less Saguaro will survive. Rains are still predictable, but are becoming less frequent. Saguaros have one long tap root that can stretch to five feet and reach the water table. This provides water during the dry summers. Connected to the taproot is a complex root system that develops only a few inches underground to “feed” the cactus during the rainy season and store excess rainwater to be used as needed. A saguaro at its full height, full of stored water, can weigh over a ton.  
    On 3/7/23 I posted a blog I named “Science vs. the Groundhog.” In it I wrote about phenology. Scientists are combining meteorology with climatology to discover how the changing seasons impact living things and their environment. In the Sonoran Desert, saguaros flower and fruit from April to June when food is at its scarcest. Birds and insects are attracted to the pollen and nectar’s sweet scent. A vast variety of bats feed on the saguaro fruit. Phenologists are studying whether the rising temperatures and less frequent rain will affect the saguaro’s flowering time and if so, cause it to become “out of sync” with its pollinators.
    The Tucson Audubon Society is in the midst of a 3-year effort to replant 14,000 saguaros. Where wildfires have destroyed them, naturalists are scouting out locations where the seedlings will be safe from the scorching sun and hungry animals until they are big and strong enough to defend themselves. 
    Wildlife experts and volunteers are also planting small saguaros in places that will become viable new habitats, based on current projections of climate change, in a hundred years or so. 
    Saguaros can live to be 200-300 years old.
    Besides providing food for insects and bats, saguaros supply Gila woodpeckers attractive nesting sites. After they dig their nest hole in living saguaros, the Gila waits several months before moving in to allow the cactus time to heal. The inner pulp of the cactus dries into a solid casing around the cavity and becomes a sturdy home base for a nest. 
    Once the woodpeckers are finished using their nest, other desert birds like American Kestrels, Elf Owls, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Brown-crested Flycatchers, Purple Martins, Cactus Wrens, and Lucy’s Warblers will re-use the site as their own.
    Now onto bufflegrass. It’s native to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and was brought to the western US during the 1930s as fodder for cattle to forage, and in the 1970s and 80s to control erosion. But the very qualities that made bufflegrass so attractive to the Sonoran landscape may truly be the desert’s downfall. The grass is drought tolerant and produces a prolific amount of seeds. The grass in its native savannah has adapted to survive the intense heat of its natural fire cycle. 
    Besides crowding out native plants that feed native animals, the dense grass is excellent fuel for wildfires.
    When bufflegrass is controlled, native plant communities including saguaros, especially saguaros, recover. Control is an ongoing maintenance issue for Saguaro National Park and other areas where bufflegrass threatens. A program for citizen volunteers is established in the park. Dates and times are set up for training first, then to participate in weed-pulls on a regular schedule. They’re making good progress. 
    Finally, yesterday, after 22 days of sunshine, it rained. I don’t live in a desert! My flowers are dancing! My parsley perked up! Even the lettuce is trilling its frilly leaves! My tiny succulents are smiling in their tiny pots full of sandy soil, away from the rain.
                                -—Be curious! (and dance in the rain)

I’m reading The Oppermanns by Lion Feuchtwanger. It is the story of a wealthy Jewish family living in 1933 Germany who don’t recognize Hitler as a threat. The family is horrified as the Nazis come to power. They must decide whether to try to adapt, try to fight, or try to flee. The book was written in 1933. The realism is chilling.                              

    And I couldn’t believe my eyes
because guess what she was pointing at --
    the
        TOMATOES.
                        from  I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato
                             written and illustrated by Lauren Child
                                                     Candlewick, 2007
                                       accessed on YouTube 6/4/23

    Several years ago, my husband built me a raised bed. I planned a garden full of tomatoes, cucumbers, green and wax beans, bell peppers, and a couple of exotic eggplants. I prepped my soil and lined up all my little seedlings, fresh from the local garden shop.
    A little while into my new project, my neighbor, the caretaker for our county fairgrounds, came over to borrow my husband’s riding mower. He wanted to clip the pasture he kept for his goat and mule. 
    When I saw him walking over, I reveled in my new-found pride in finally joining the ranks of real gardeners. “Well,” he said in a serious tone. “I see you’re putting in one of those ‘instant gardens!’” 
    Of course, all the plants in his garden were sprouted from his own seeds that he collected year over year and started indoors. I was not jealous. My feelings were not hurt in the least. I was doing the best I could with what I had. He knew that and was complimenting me in his own way, I’m sure.
    According to GAIN, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world. In 2017, 17% of all vegetables produced in the world were tomatoes, 182 million tons! 
    Only corn has been cultivated longer than tomatoes. While both are indigenous to the Americas, corn is native to southern Mexico. It was domesticated 9,000 or 10,000 years ago.             
    The wild tomatoes that thrived in ancient Peru were domesticated about 7,000 years ago. The Incas cultivated them for culinary use in the 1400s. Conquistadors brought tomatoes back to Europe and by the mid 1500s, tomatoes were used in recipes from England and Spain to France and Italy. When the British and others came here to establish the colonies, they brought tomatoes back to the “New World.” By the mid 1800s, through that circuitous route, the tomato was accepted into American cuisine.   
    Botanically tomatoes are classified as fruit, the edible part of a plant developed from a flower, along with accessory tissues, as the peach, mulberry, or banana [or tomato]. (Dictionary.com) 
    Although tomatoes are botanically a berry, a kind of fruit, they are considered vegetables because of the way they are used and because of their savory flavor. 
    The first formal classification of the tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, took into account its similarity to the poisonous nightshade family. Other nightshades include white potatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers. Nightshades contain atropine and scopolamine that are lethal in high doses. As the vegetables ripen, though, the amounts of these chemicals lessen to nontoxic levels. So enjoy your vegetables, but compost the leaves and stems!
    According to Craig LeHoullier, the biggest problem for home gardeners is the long, windy vine. It can grow to over 8 feet and branch out in many directions. Heavy tomatoes can break the stems preventing nutrients from reaching them. Wrestling the vines into cages is only somewhat effective. Over 15 years ago LeHoullier started the Dwarf Tomato Project. You can find their homepage here. Their goal “is to create delicious tomatoes of all flavour and size variations on compact, easy-to-maintain dwarf tomato plants.” 
    LeHoullier cross-pollinated dwarf tomato varieties with heirlooms. After eight crosses, he asked for volunteers around the world to continue the crossings. He was on the lookout for taste, color, and size that would equal the heirloom varieties, but would be more compact, more manageable. Instead of payment, anyone who discovered a new hybrid variety would have naming rights. 
    By 2019, his group designated over 100 new dwarf tomatoes in various colors, sizes, shapes, and tastes as OSSI varieties. OSSI stands for Open Source Seed Initiative. Seeds bought from the OSSI may be used in any way the purchaser desires. The buyers pledge not to restrict others’ use by obtaining patents or other restrictions on the original seeds or of any of their derivatives. Seeds from the Dwarf Tomato Project are available from Victory Seed Company. Click on the link and you’ll find a beautiful photo along with a helpful description of each variety.    
    My husband and I disagree about our favorite kind of tomato. He likes the big, smooth, round ones. I like the dainty grape varieties. So we grow both. Our plants are growing nicely. More flowers are appearing daily. Bees and other pollinators are visiting. I’m anticipating a juicy crop. 
    By the way, LeHoullier says tomatoes are best if picked when they are half-ripe. They’ll last longer and taste just as good. Bananas and apples give off ethylene, a natural gas, that helps tomatoes ripen. Put your half-ripe tomato in a paper bag or cardboard box with an apple or banana to quicken the ripening process.
    I’m still learning about soil conditions, water quantity, sunshine requirements, and of course the ever-present pests and helpers.    
    All these years later, my raised beds nurture mostly flowers and herbs. I surround my tomatoes with marigolds, not because they help the tomato plants. I just like the bright yellow among all the lush green foliage.

    I’m listening to the audiobook edition of Redefining Realness by Janet Mock. Read by the author, it’s a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Growing up poor, multiracial, and trans at the end of the 20th century, was anything but easy for young Charles Mock. By sharing challenges, vulnerabilities, and triumphs through her own eyes, Ms. Mock has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, in all our varieties.
                                      -—Be curious! (and bon appétit!)