Anyone who has grown a vegetable garden knows it is first and foremost a labor of love. You LOVE watching things grow and reaping your home grown harvest, but it take a tremendous amount of physical LABOR. And, yes, the … Read more...
For The Joy Of Animals: Ninja Squirrels
We humans tend to think our intelligence makes us superior, but we still have a lot to learn from the animal world, especially when it comes to patience, persistence, and adaptability…
Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer, entrepreneur and science … Read more...
xkcd comic: Weird Hill
Is a deep attachment to hills weirdly universal? Or are all hills inherently weird?… Read more...
Beyond PARASITE, The Heart & Humor Of South Korean TV Series
Okay, I’ll confess, I haven’t seen the movie PARASITE yet. But, I am among the growing number of viewers eagerly devouring the slew of Asian — mostly, South Korean tv series on Netflix and Amazon Prime. So I wasn’t at … Read more...
xkcd Comic: An Apple A Day
Could the tipping point in our health care come from an unexpected source…… Read more...
Music: Brad Paisley’s TICKS
It’s tick season — time for Brad Paisley’s TICKS song.
He claims it was about “having fun and the Country culture of courting.” Well, romance is in the eye of the beholder. Still, it is hard to imagine … Read more...
For The Joy of Animals: Happy Water Dance
On a hot day — some dance to make it rain. While others dance to celebrate what the fountain gods deliver…… Read more...
Are We More Food Naive Than Food Savvy?
A bit of food for an “April Fools” thought…
Most of us would consider ourselves to be something of a foodie — we take great pleasure in our food and eating. We know where to get the best buffalo wings, … Read more...
For The Joy Of Animals: Mouse Maid
Apparently, Cinderella isn't the only one with a mouse helper. So Handy and compact -- may be having a mouse maid will become the next little thing...
Book Review: THE WIFE by Meg Wolitzer
I picked THE WIFE by Meg Wolitzer for our book club, as I thought it would be so much fun to have a corresponding “go to the movies night” to compare the novel with the new movie featuring Glenn Close. … Read more...
Tis The Season…
Tis the season -- to share love and laughter among friends, family and furcritters...
Topi’s Camping Adventure
What did you do this summer?
That seems to be the universal question of greeting as summer winds down and we begin to migrate back to our normal routine of work, school, and fall social occasions.
Of course, how you … Read more...
Here’s To Your Liberty And Mine
While your liberty and mine can take many different forms, may we ever embrace and strive towards an ideal of liberty where all people have the right, the power, and the ability to choose…
… Read more...“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according
Book Review: THE SHAPE OF IDEAS by Grant Snider
First, a confession:
I’ve long been a fan and a follower of Grant Snider’s “Incidental Comics.” Seeing one of his comic strips pop-up in my Twitter feed is like a gift of sunshine to brighten my day. My … Read more...
Pondering The Possibilities: Repeal of Whopper Neutrality
Have you heard of “Net Neutrality”? What about “Whopper Neutrality”?
Back in December of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to overturn regulations mandating net neutrality. Net Neutrality was one of those things that too many of us took for … Read more...
Music: Augustin Hadelich’s “Fantasy of the Cats”
We listen to music for a variety of reasons — to relax, to distract, to celebrate, to evoke a memory, to capture a moment, to alter our mood, to reflect our emotions, to enhance our brain functions…
But, have you … Read more...
Book Review: GOODBYE, VITAMIN by Rachel Khong
“…there is a bit of magic in this author’s ability to tell a deeply affecting story with interspersed humor”
I will be honest: I don’t know how to feel about this book. Prior to picking up GOODBYE, VITAMIN by Rachel … Read more...
Series Review: THE GOOD PLACE
Every now and then a tv show surprises me in an unexpectedly good way. A recent Netflix binge brought me, happily, to THE GOOD PLACE!
While our lives often seem like a twisted series of moral dilemmas (and then we … Read more...
DEMENTIA DIALOGUES (TEDx) — Remaking Conversation
The value of communications and conversations are not just in their exchange of wants, needs, and information, but the connections and relationships they build with each interaction. One of the most compelling things about TEDTalks — they help us to … Read more...
Community Culture Environment Food Health Humor Inspiration Knowledge Resiliency Science & Technology
Pondering The Possibility: A Tease of Orange Blossoms
I’m a sucker for trivia questions that ask what a group of a particular type of animal is called? The fun being when the names are distinctive and not what one would expect. Yeah, a pride of lions, a parliament … Read more...
Animals Community Culture Environment Food Governance Health Humor Knowledge Money Resiliency Science & Technology
Lost & Found News: Galaxies, Whale Dung, Unicorns, & Wild Horses
Lost: Carl Sagan’s Billions; Earth’s Little Blue Orb
Found: The Universe Has Two Trillion Galaxies
Back in the 1980’s, Carl Sagan captured the publics imagination with his talk of the Universe’s Billions. Now, based on images collected over 20 years … Read more...
Pondering The Possibilities: The Bat-Candy-Halloween Connection
Have you ever wondered how the bat-candy-halloween connection got started?
Well, I think I might have the answer. Okay, it is pure speculation on my part, but the evidence seems pretty convincing me.
It is all because of fruit.
Does … Read more...
Words: “I Am Not Simply A Story-teller …”
One of my goals in starting BELOW THE SALT NEWS was to explore the power and possibilities of stories and storytellers to create change.
Whether the story is based in fact or fantasy; whether it is told through art, invention, … Read more...
Fun Must Share Twitter Animal Tales – Part I
I love to read around the internet and frequently come across engaging, funny or insightful news and superb storytelling that are “must shares.” Since I often find them through twitter (sorry, not a facebooker) I just automatically “tweet” or “retweet” … Read more...
Pondering Possibilities: Embracing Ridiculous
If “possibilities are endless,” where and how will we find them? And when should we stop looking?
I wonder, because lately it feels as if too many of us stop looking for possibilities. We’ve settled for what is and handed … Read more...