Loose Leaf Notes

1. Don’t ghost me.

2. Take me to your banker.

3. Where Have all the Pumpkins Gone?

4. Sadly, this is the first year in about 30 that I haven’t grown my own pumpkins. It’s been harder to grow them in the last few years. I plant the seeds and they germinate fine but then die on the vine. This year, none. So, I had to go out looking for some.

5. I just dug potatoes. I like to do it with my bare hands, and I smiled the whole time. Now I’m thinking it’s like magic that the earth can produce food like that. Every seed is a magic bean.

6. “Alexa, Do Counting Numbers ever end? Answer: No, the numbers in the universe have no end.”

7. “A study found that using two spaces after a period improves reading speed. The scientific case for two spaces after a period is based on a study that found that people who write with two spaces after periods read text with two spaces following periods 3% faster than text with one space following periods. This preference for two spaces after a period falls along generational lines, with younger generations preferring the single space after a period and older generations usually preferring the double space. Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, tweeted in reference to the study: “Science can blow your mind sometimes, and this time it has come down on the side of two spaces after a period.” -The Atlantic

8. The dilemma over how to hang the toilet paper roll has also been determined: “It’s actually even more sanitary to hang the paper over, according to a study conducted by the University of Colorado which identified the 19 strains of bacteria lingering in restrooms. Why? Because if the toilet paper is hung “over” fingers only touch the toilet paper that they’ll be using, which will subsequently be flushed. However, if the toilet paper is hung “under” there’s a good chance their fingers will brush the wall as well, leaving a deposit.” Also, the original patent shows that the paper should hang over the top of the roll.

9. I’m honored to be published in the current issue of Artemis Journal. HERE is the story I did on the literary/art journal and its editor/founder Jerri Rogers for The Floyd Press in 2021

10. “Is cursive becoming a lost art? even though this form of handwriting used to be a mainstay of American public education, “for many students, cursive is becoming as foreign as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics…”  This directly impacts archival work. Many written documents from the 19th century and other early time periods are written in cursive. Also, advocates point to the many studies that have shown that learning cursive not only improves retention and comprehension, it engages the brain on a deep level as students learn to join letters in a continuous flow. It also enhances fine motor dexterity and gives children a better idea of how words work in combination.” – Atlantic

11. Sadly, last Halloween was the first one that we couldn’t dance to The Kind at their yearly Halloween Party at The Pine Tavern because the Pine changed hands is no longer a restaurant and event venue.  So, Joe and I drove an hour to see The Kind for Halloween at the Milk Parlor in Blacksburg. This year, Joe and I won’t be dressing in costume for Halloween and dancing because we’ll be out of town at a wedding. But Dogtown is celebrating Halloween with Sex Bruise, who I saw at Floydfest and described as a little weird Al Yankovic-esque.  One of the bandmates is from the Talking Heads, and they are billed as a cutting-edge pancake delivery system that’s also a band and a shark.

12.  It was a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. And these are some of the neighbors. We rode to the Saddle Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the place of our wedding vows, sunsets and spectacular views. It was a 9-mile ride in total. I feel pretty accomplished! More HERE.

13. The sun tips its pool / on a chatter of trees / wading in flooded light / A fleet of leaves / like paper canoes / are whisked upstream / by a dash of wind / Whispered secrets / are shushed away / in the hurry of days / growing shorter… Read the Gleaning of October in its entirety HERE.

_______Thirteen Thursday