Category: Blogging
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The Migratory Habits of the Boomers
In this lecture we will explore the migratory habits of certain unusual groups of animals. Let us begin by taking a glance at the Puffins of the North Atlantic. They migrate to a big rugged and very isolated rock somewhere in the waters of the Atlantic. There they breed. Then they migrate somewhere. It’s totally…
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Our Appeal To The Great Spirit
[Source: Google Search] It was the icon of our school. It stood in the large foyer of the Owego Free Academy high school. The title of this equestrian sculpture is Appeal to the Great Spirit. The artist was Cyrus Dallin and it dates from 1909. The original bronze statue is at the entrance of the…
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Spider Dilemma, My
I wanted desperately to write a blog about Daddy-Long-Leg spiders. But, there was a technical problem that I could not solve. It’s not that there is a shortage of this species here in the North Country. Indeed, just the opposite is true. They are everywhere. But try to get a photo of one…it’s not impossible,…
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56 Years Along The Blue Trail: Then And Now
Like brave mountaineers, we weren’t bothered much by time. –Gordon Lightfoot It’s late August in the North Country. The green of the leaves and shrubs are looking tired. Some hints of the colors of autumn are emerging from the maples and oaks. Late summer flowers like Black-Eyed Susans and Ragweed are everywhere. The quarter moon…
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My One And Only Superstition
I taught science for over thirty years. I have learned to separate fact from belief, real from unreal and rational thinking from irrational concepts. There is a world of superstition out there. It is a danger to society to rely on unproven ideas. This is why many people burned many women (and men) as witches…
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Day And Night At The County Fair–August, 2015
It was my third visit to the Franklin County Fair. I came on Senior’s Night when the admission is a mere $2.00 for older gents like me. It was crowded with North Country folks of all sizes, shapes, and ages. Teenage girls clung to the arms of their ‘guy’. Wounded vets were pushed in wheelchairs…
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The Great Guano Goldmine of Rainbow Lake
[WARNING: The subject matter of this post may not be suitable for general readers. If you are offended by such words as “droppings” or “do-do”, then please move on to another, more appropriate blog about late summer recipes or crocheting cat napping pillows.] On the afternoon of August 6, 2015, I was sitting quietly in…
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Kodak Moment
My son, Brian, just turned 28 on July 14. He is a part of the last generation of people (in America, I suspect) who had their childhood photos of them taken with film. I have boxes stacked in my closet of envelopes containing hundreds if not thousands of pictures of him, my daughter, my family,…
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The Moth
There are stories told around the world about a strange figure referred to as The Mothman. These are compelling stories that are, it is claimed, substantiated by eye-witness accounts and news articles. A Hollywood film was made about the Mothman, which starred Richard Gere. It was a pretty good film. Apparently, the figure of the…
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Is This Really Happening?
It’s 5:01 pm on July 23. Thirty-two days ago was the summer solstice. It’s 64.9 F. I’m standing on the back deck of our house at Rainbow Lake. I’m chilled. I have a thin blanket over my shoulders like a cheap superhero. It’s one of those free “blanket” covers they give you on long distance…
patrickjegan 