Hippocampus Secrets

There used to be a National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. It was located at 1401 Constitution Ave., Washington, D.C. It was permanently closed September 30, 2013. Fortunately we were able to visit it before it was closed.

I was especially drawn to the seahorses. Their bright yellow coloration made them stand out in the dark. The pair stayed close to each other and often wrapped their tails around one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since this time, I have learned that the scientific genus name for seahorse is called Hippocampus. In neuroscience the hippocampus is a structure hidden within our human brain. We have two hippocampi, one in each cerebral hemisphere. The hippocampal neurons string together the past and future in our minds. It forms part of our limbic system which is associated with hunger, pain, pleasure, satisfaction, sex, and instinctive motivation. I imagine the hippocampus holds many secrets.

Another resident of the D.C. aquarium was this sea turtle. I imagine it also holds some secrets somewhere, though it does not have a hippocampus in its brain, nor do the seahorses from our seas.

National Aquarium

SMILE

The other day I was sitting in one of my classes, that has the chairs arranged in a big circle without desks, and I looked across the circle and a beautiful blue National Aquarium sweatshirt caught my attention. I had recently spoken to the girl wearing it. She reminded me of a girl that was in one of my classes years ago. Not only does she look similar, she also has similar mannerisms and speech patterns. I had asked her during our previous class if she had an older sister. She said, “no”, and she added, “I am from Peru.” I smiled at her and told her she reminded me of a former student.

Her sweatshirt brought back to me fond memories of my family’s numerous visits to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. It is located about an hours drive from our home. We had been members at one point in time since we went about twice a year when my daughter was younger.

I had purchased a few souvenirs over the years since their gift shops are very nice and help to support the aquarium. Here is one of my favorite purchases which I still wear to this day. It is one of my favorite work-around-the house shirts. At the time of purchase I had recently completed the whole series of Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling, and therefore I felt as if I needed to purchase this Hairy Otter shirt. It makes me laugh.

As you can see, it has been well worn, and it will continue to be worn.

One of my favorite attractions at the National Aquarium was the Dolphin Show. The dolphin picture posted above is from a visit during the year 2010. Here is another picture from the same visit.

National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland in the year 2010.

I believe they did away with the show venue in 2011. Today in 2024 they still have dolphins, but the experience has evolved into something other than a show like above. I read that their hope is to return all the dolphins to the sea by 2026..

Seeing the student’s blue sweatshirt has inspired me to make plans for us to go and revisit the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It has been too long since our last visit. I hope we can see the dolphins again before the year 2026.

A Sunday Reflection

Some morning are filled with gray light.
The sky and clouds lack the warmth you want.
A morose mood shrouds your vision.
Prayers do not come readily to mind.
It might take a coffee or two to shake off this mood.
Lifting yourself up for the tasks ahead of you
Will take a little longer on mornings like this.
It is days like these when you need prayers the most.
Pessimism is knocking.
Do not open that door of grief.

The Meadowlark Wreath

This picture was taken outside the door at Meadowlark Botanical Garden in Vienna, Va.
I think the year was 2011 (Update: I went back to the original file. This picture was taken 10/12/2008)

Here is the picture of the succulent wreath that was my inspiration for my 2023 holiday wreath. I found the picture today.

I still plan to improve on my own wreath-making. My second wreath will be more seasonally appropriate. Wish me luck.

2/11/24– Today I decided to include a picture of my 1st attempt at a succulent wreath. My next attempt will not be holiday themed.

Does Size Matter?

“There is no clear correlation between absolute or relative brain size and intelligence. Assuming that absolute brain size is decisive for intelligence, then whales or elephants should be more intelligent than humans, and horses more intelligent than chimpanzees, which definitely is not the case. Jul 24, 2015″ I took this quote from NIH, National Library of Medicine.

I can also tell you that when it comes to backyard bird hierarchy, size does not always matter.
Case in point was an event witnessed by me today in my own backyard.
On display was bravery and not necessarily intelligence. In this particular case bravery took home the prize.

Late morning I stepped outside to a light holiday snow. It was expected, and I had filled the bird feeders the day before.
I felt a weirdness in the air, and a moment after I had this feeling, a huge coppery colored hawk flew over the pond heading in my direction.
It was close, and I marveled at its beauty and size. I wondered why it was in flight towards me, something totally unexpected.
Then I spotted the angry instigator, an adult mockingbird closely chasing it. It was unbelievable, you could see the absurd size difference.
The hawk was easily twice to three or four times bigger. The mockingbird's anger made up for the obvious difference in size.
The hawk was gone, and soon the mockingbird returned and proudly stood guard atop a metal hook by the feeders.
Even a large blue jay stood nearby, yielding until the mockingbird finally went on its way.



Trolls

Trolls movie 2023
"Sing and dance and scrapbook is all they know how to do."
This sounds wonderful to me.
This movie is upbeat and funny. "No troll left behind" is the king's motto.
Poppy is very pink and perky. She bubbles over with optimism.

To tell the truth, I have not watched it all closely with my full attention.
However, its music and songs have been drummed into the background of my brain.
Currently, my daughter does not want to watch anything else.
She shakes her head and sings at the top of her voice,
"Put your hair in the air!" 
I would highly recommend this movie for family friendly entertainment.
I went looking for my old troll doll. It had green hair and never any clothes.
I played with trolls long ago. They are timeless.

Saying Prayers

Many of us say a prayer at some point in our lives.
Many of us say them regularly as a habit of humility.
Many have different religions and different words.
We know that in the moment it is a one way conversation.
We know we will not get an immediate answer back to a question.

Some say the same words over and over again.
Some use prayer as a conversation with oneself,
and a way to get some heavenly guidance.

All prayer is a way to reinforce the good within us.
It encourages us to fight against the forces that want
to derail us from doing the right things.

Some of us need prayers more than others.
We all need to be saying prayers for our world.

Some people think they are God and have no need to pray.
We should all pray for these people that one day they will see the light.

Sibling Rivalry

This past year has been a year of emotional growth for me (yes, even at my advanced age.)
Here is a picture of me when I was anywhere from 1 to 3 months old. My sister here is 2 years older than me.
I had to laugh when I saw it in my father's slides. She does not look too happy to have a baby sister.
I amazingly sensed her emotion and put up protection to my face. (Smile)
To be fair to my sister, I can never remember her actually hitting me. 
I always looked up to her and adored her.

I still play with the numbers during my idle time. I was doing that today while I was waiting for something.
I have previously written about the numbers 226 or 622 because these numbers connect me to my father.
What I have never mentioned is the fact that all three of his children had the same due date two years apart.(1955,1957,& 1959)
February 26th was the auspicious day. His first child, my brother, was born early, his second child, my sister, was born late.
His third child, me, was born right on the due date. If you go 9 months back in time you arrive at graduations. 
I never could connect it to an important event in my parents' lives since their wedding anniversary was in early September.
Oh well, all of this is history now.

I am ready to move forward into 2024 with patience and resilience. My daughter's favorite radio station's motto is
"Always encouraging", so my daughter repeats this frequently...echoing the words.
This acts as my constant reminder that we should always give hope, confidence,and courage in our spoken words, 
and we should follow through in all our actions.

The other day when I was at a store doing self check-out I was encountering a few problems. There was a young man
waiting patiently behind me at a respectful distance. I smiled at him and I thanked him for waiting patiently.
He smiled back and responded, "Take your time." His graciousness was greatly appreciated by me.
I would like to pay this forward and work on patience with everyone I encounter in my daily life,
and always be encouraging. This is my biggest goal for 2024.
I do plan to work on other goals...always being patient with myself. 






Peace Begins with a Smile

In search of some unique jewelry gifts for my daughter,
I have been going through boxes of inherited trinkets and beads.
I rediscovered some crafting supplies I purchased long ago.
Re-using & re-designing is a earth friendly practice I like to employ.
My mother had a very long white stone necklace with black fabric spacers.
It was ugly in its original design, not to mention the length made it too heavy.
Since I am a scavenger at heart, 
I disassembled a part of it to re-use.
The necklace fasteners I found in my old crafting box became useful.
I chose the one that had an upbeat message: "Peace begins with a...Smile"
Possibly in the upcoming new year I will get back into jewelry crafting.
Below are a couple of pictures.
P.S. Another interesting find is an arrowhead charm. 
I think it is made of petrified wood.