A mélange, if you will, of tidbits on a variety of topics.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that we got one of those DNA test kits for Lambeau. We have always suspected that he has some bully in him, but the actual results surprised me. He is 100% American pit bull terrier. Surprising because he was a shelter puppy and that often means a Heinz 57 type dog. He also only tested positive for 2 of the many, many genetic health issues they test for. Doesn’t mean he will develop them. It’s just something to keep an eye on.
The seeds I started a couple weeks ago are starting to sprout. More to come over the next month or so. The weather is supposed to warm up some this week, so I am hoping to get some of the boxes moved from their overwinter spots to their growing spots. The snow is melting everywhere now, and the sun has been out more, so I hope the boxes will start to warm up. I plan on putting the greenhouse cover on the big 2×8 raised bed toward the middle of the month so I can start some cool weather greens. It will be nice to have things growing again.
Last week, I did a major cleanout and plant trim on my aquarium. I have a really good filter on it that is well over the size that tank needs, and it does an excellent job of keeping things in good shape. All of the live plants help a lot, too. But that also means I tend to get a little lazy about cleaning it. When I do, I always like how nice it looks without all the overgrown stuff crowding things. I have cardinal tetras in there and they like some swimming room, so I think they appreciate it when the plants are trimmed back. I did a quick trim of some of the faster growing stuff this week and I am going to try to keep that up on a weekly basis. It will look so much better.
I got my first COVID vaccination on Friday. I got the Moderna vaccine, so I go back on April 2 for shot #2. My arm was a bit sore on Friday, and a bit worse on Saturday, but not too bad. I may also have had a bit of a reaction to it on Saturday. Just felt not well all day, and was alternating between freezing and melting all day long. Now, I do admit to perhaps indulging in a bit more of the alcoholic beverages on Friday night than I probably should have, so that might have been part of it. But I normally don’t get the freezing/overheated stuff with a hangover. And though I didn’t feel good, it wasn’t the same sort of icky feeling. I don’t know. Maybe a reaction? At any rate, I was fine on Sunday, so whatever it was, I got over it.
I usually don’t get into the (many) brouhahas that go around online, but I am going to here. This whole Dr. Seuss thing? It’s being blown way out of proportion. To hear some people talk about it, you would think that no one will ever be able to read any Dr. Seuss books, ever again. And that it was “just one more conspiracy to take away our freedom”. Look, folks, calm down. It’s only 6 titles out of more than 60. And six of the least well known ones, at that. They also contained images and text that Seuss himself said he regretted later in life. There was no protest. There was no call for the books to be taken out of publication. There was no viral internet outcry against them. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company founded by his wife and still a family business, made the decision independently to stop publishing titles that they felt were demeaning and degrading towards some. And you know what? They are perfectly within their rights to do it. You may not like it. You don’t have to agree with it. But you do have to accept that they are the owners of the property and they can do what they want with it. They are not saying bookstores can’t sell what stock they have, nor are they requiring libraries and schools to pull the books. They are just saying that going forward, those 6 titles will not be published. All you people screaming about “rights” and “freedom”? Well, Seuss Enterprises are exercising their rights and freedom to do whatever the bloody hell they want with something they own.
Last thing is that yesterday, Sunday, March 7, was the start of Read An E-Book Week. To that end, all of my books and stories are on sale at Smashwords. Everything is at least 50% off, and there are some freebies. You can see what I have available here. There are lots of other e-books on sale there, too. You can download in just about any format you prefer, including for your Kindle. I’d appreciate you taking a look, and thank you!
=====================================================================
I have a new story up here on the site. “Leaving Well Enough Alone” is set in the world of my urban fantasy series, The Yo-Yo Files. It is set in the town in Massachusetts where I live, and involves an old inn, a ghost, and a local urban legend. It’s free to read here on my site.
And So On... 