ALBINO OAK

ALBINO OAK

I found this albino oak tree in the forest in Germany, just outside of Kiserslautern. I could not believe my eyes, but there it was! I took the albino seedling home and another seedling, for comparison. I planted them both, and over the next few weeks I watched as the green, chlorophyll-producing seedling thrived and the albino seedling died. The difference, of course, between the two is chlorophyll production. The albino produces no chlorophyll, hence the white/pink color. Because of the lack of chlorophyll, the tree could not undergo photosynthesis to make food; thus, the tree died after about two weeks. It was such a beautiful tree while it lasted! Do not worry, I planted the green oak back in the forest with its friends :)

persistence

At times in life, you must proceed with caution

Yeah

"Sure, I understand. No, actually I do not." 

"What is wrong with you?"

"Well, to begin, I am actually dead. My heart stopped beating about a year ago."

"hum."

"Indeed, I have been unsuccessful at reviving myself. I have no idea what happens next."

My picture of the day:
Lotus asking for dinner from under our desk.
She is seriously adorable about 95% of the time.

I cannot hear you -Lotus

LOTUS

Lotus has never known her name, nor has she ever responded, even remotely, to any verbal command. She looks to our other dog to make decisions and to gain awareness about certain activities. She is a beautiful little thing, and just recently I decided to gather classic signs of hearing difficulties. The point of this entry is to document findings regarding Lotus' hearing.

Hearing difficulties may present in the following ways:
~unaware you have come home
~sound sleeper
~may only wake when touched
~startled when touched from behind
~exaggerated response to physical stimuli
~unusual vocal sounds
~a decline in or void response to own name
~ trouble finding the origin of a sound

Hearing issues may present in other ways too, of course. Lotus exhibits all of the above symptoms.

My picture of the day:

A doll I made out of an old shirt. She is a strange mix between creepy and neat.

  

Life: A drive in a thunderstorm

At times life feels like a drive in a thunderstorm....hmmmm?

Have you ever driven in a thunderstorm...?
...while on the highway...

                     ...in the middle of the night...

...out in the middle of Oklahoma, where you are 700 miles from home...
                   ...where the rain is pounding down so hard that you cannot see anything in any direction, and you are not even sure you are still in your lane... 
                                     ...where your hands grip the steering wheel with such pressure that your hands go numb...
                          ...where your eyes try in vain to make sense out the pounding water, water so fierce that you cannot even find your way to the side of the road...
...where you wish like hell your mom would come and rescue you...
                 ...a situation so completely stressful that you begin to crack under the pressure...
     ...and then the pounding rain turns to hail and your blood pressure rises further. Suddenly, you have been catapulted into another dimension by the stress response...

Welcome to this place

May your stay be short 

May your nerves be strong

and May your resilience be enough

My picture of the day:

Duske's first spring in Germany

Oh, I truly, truly love thee!

it don't make me no never mind

Let us pretend I am an alien and that I have decided to investigate chocolate chip cookies. What are some observations I might make?

Question:

Are double chocolate chip cookies the same as chocolate chocolate chip cookies?

Analysis:

Name: Chocolate chocolate chip cookie
The name of this cookie suggests that such a cookie is similar in nature to a chocolate chip cookie; however, the two cookies differ in that a chocolate chocolate chip cookie is made with a chocolate batter: A regular chocolate chip cookie is made with a non-chocolate batter.
Name: Double chocolate chip cookie
The name of this cookie strikes me as being less obvious. In fact, I think the name double chocolate chip cookie is ambiguous at best. A double chocolate chip cookie suggest, in all respects, a chocolate chip cookie made with double the chocolate chips or a cookie that is double in nature, such as one cookie stacked upon another. The name double chocolate chip cookie also suggests that each cookie is made using double the amount of dough, making each cookie double the expected size. 

Conclusion:

I conclude that a double chocolate chip cookie is likely one of three things: a cookie made with double the chocolate chips, a cookie that is made using twice the amount of dough, or a single cookie made by stacking two cookies, which would presumable require using some sort of binding agent between the two cookies. I conclude that a chocolate chocolate chip cookie is a chocolate chip cookie made with chocolate batter.

In  my opinion, the best recipe for chocolate chocolate chip cookies is as follows:

• 
  
• 2 1/4 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 sticks butter, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 2 cups chocolate chips

• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

set oven to 375 and bake for 7-10 minutes 

My picture of the day:

Los Conchas Fire 2011

The second largest forest fire in New Mexico history

Where the hell is Milwaukee?

I decided to start a blog. Knowing me, I will probably forget about its existence in about a week.

It all started with Milwaukee. I was sitting here and suddenly Milwaukee, a place I have never been and will likely never go, popped into my vacant mind. I wondered to my self:

Where the hell is Milwaukee?

My discovery of Milwaukee's location led me to Falcon: A boat shipwrecked on the shores of Lake Michigan around November of 2007. Pictures of the boat cause my breathing to slow and my gaze to become fixed, as if the boat is beaconing my soul to board her.  

What is it about this boat that causes my soul to quietly churn? 

I write today about Falcon because pictures of her elicit emotions in me I cannot completely understand. 

I expect you will understand soon enough: Please follow the link below to see pictures of her

http://soul-amp.blogspot.com/2007/12/chinook-34-wrecked-milwaukee-sailboat.html

When I see this abandoned boat, I think of the human spirit, unrealized dreams, hope, resilience, perseverance, devastating mistakes, regret, courage, and patience. 

I have nothing else to say, and you will likely not see me on here again.

~Krysta

My picture of the day:

Fresh snow on the forest floor of the Jemez Mountains, near the Valles Caldera