As far as quotes go, I’ve been on a kindness kick lately. That’s not a bad thing!
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’
Not A Bad Thing!
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, kindness, quotes, Thoughts on August 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »
To the Explorers
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronauts, heroes, inspiration, NASA, Thoughts on August 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Astronaut James Lovell, Apollo 13 commander, dies at 97
“James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering, has died. He was 97.”
(If you’re curious, here’s a quick refresher on the Apollo program.)
And because so many of us know of Lovell from the excellent movie version of his most famous mission, here’s Tom Hanks’ appreciation:
Tom Hanks pays tribute to Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell
“There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own. Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy.”
Here’s to the brave, to the can-do, to the explorers among us. Humanity is the better for you.
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A Good Place to Be
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, home, lawns, nature, Thoughts, wildlife on August 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Like many of you, we’re currently sitting in the middle of a days-long heat wave, and its effects are being felt. Not only is the air quality too soupy for much in the way of outdoor exercise, but everything is dry. Our issues are minor compared to the ones playing out in farmers’ fields all around us, and normally I wouldn’t worry about watering our lawn. I have little love for perfect lawns and mowing and all the other inputs the American lawn requires, including water. Lots and lots of water.
But it’s not just a lawn. Because we don’t work at having a perfect suburban lawn, because we don’t worry about volunteer flowers and the odd weed, our lawn is actually pretty popular with the local wildlife.
The roster includes birds, squirrels (grey, black and red), more birds, bees, butterflies, an occasional skunk (which I don’t love but what am I going to do, go out and shoo him away? no thanks!), chipmunks, groundhogs and rabbits.
It’s that last critter that’s on my mind today. An adorable little rabbit has moved in under a bush. I see the faint trail she leaves moving between the bush and the cedar hedges. I see the little circle of matted grass inside a fountain of daisies. And I see her out in the early mornings looking for breakfast, which she finds at the edge of the bush in our yard, or in the pocket of native plants we have in the planter bed. And so I’m watering, at least a little.
I’m not worried about the lawn. I’m thinking about the food sources that keep Ms Bun and the rest of our animal neighbors happy and healthy. And so I was out early this morning watering her front doorstep, helping to make our corner of the world a good place to be.
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Be Kind, Have Fun
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, fun, inspiration, Saturdays, Thoughts on August 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
From Small to Big
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“People overestimate what they can accomplish in a year but dramatically underestimate what they can do in a decade.”
— Maya Andrews, Olympic gold medalist
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For Your Inner Child
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, a bit of fun, creativity, fond memories, inspiration, Thoughts on August 5, 2025| 1 Comment »
Have a few minutes to let your inner child run free?
Perhaps you have fond memories of staring up at the sky during summer break, letting clouds drift across your subconscious until “Look! An elephant! An pterodactyl! Jabba the Hutt!”
If so, this site might be just the thing for you:
Cloud Drawing Gallery – Create & Share Cloud Art
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Real Life Dune
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, ISS, NASA, science, space, technology, Thoughts, Writers on August 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I have a folder of interesting articles, quotes, and ideas. When the cicadas are buzzing and the temperature is too hot to think of anything particularly timely, I search that folder for stories that might interest you.
Today, this treasure trove of ideas wants you to know about a critical space station issue: water.
When you’re on a camping trip, you might have to pack your own food and maybe something to filter or treat water that you find. But imagine your campsite is in space, where there’s no water, and packing jugs of water would take up room when every inch of cargo space counts. That’s a key challenge engineers faced when designing the International Space Station.
Real life Dune! Ok, not really, but kind of! And this is exactly the sort of technology that can benefit the Earth-bound among us too.
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Nothing So High
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, crafts, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“You shall, I question not, find a way to the top if you diligently seek for it; for nature hath placed nothing so high that it is out of the reach of industry and valor.”
— Alexander the Great
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Magical Things
Posted in Entertainment, Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, cool facts, creativity, Indiana Jones, inspiration, NASA, Thoughts on August 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I enjoy the fact that there is always something new to learn. Some things are big, like the latest on asteroid deflection from NASA’s DART program, and some are small, like the fact that Dan Aykroyd had a cameo in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (Did you know that? I didn’t, until last night when I did a double take and said, “Wait, the guy with the mustache and the British accent. Was that Dan Aykroyd?” It was!)
Of global importance or not, these facts are all interesting reminders that there is always something new around the corner, if you keep looking.
And that, I think, is magic.
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To the Stars? To the Stars!
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, innovation, inspiration, science, science fiction, Thoughts on August 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a fun and productive use of the internet that answers a very important question: How close are we to living in the Star Trek universe?
Check it out and see!
This guide is intended to be a comprehensive look at the tech that Star Trek suggested to drive humanity forward ad astra per aspera. The emphasis is on innovations that don’t violate physics according to present consensus understanding. Go ahead and explore boldly… Just don’t waste too much time on idle speculation: there’s a whole lot to do if we’re going to get to Trek, and it’s going to take all of us.
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