I went looking for an odd scientific fact to share and found something odder than I expected. However, it’s about poop, a lot of poop (however, not people poop), so if that grosses you out, don’t read on. (But I hope you will.)

Sea cucumbers live in the ocean and are often found on coral reefs. A study was done to learn how much poop these animals produce in a year. The results were startling.

The sea cucumbers that live on Heron Reef (Holothuria atra) average about 7 inches long. In one year, one sea cucumber can produce 30 pounds of poop. That’s pretty impressive for an animal the length of a pencil. But it gets even crazier.

Studies have shown that about 3 million sea cucumbers live on Heron Reef (an area of about 7 square miles.) That means that sea cucumbers produce about 70,000 tons of poop a year on this one reef.

That’s a lot of poop.

Aren’t you glad you read all the way to the end? For the complete story, check out this article in Live Science.

Happy Send a Card to a Friend Day.

I like email. I really like texts. It’s nice to be able to communicate without disturbing people’s schedules. But even in the twenty-first century, there is something nice about getting mail that isn’t bills or junk.

One of my no-buy items is greeting cards and wrapping paper. That’s because I have a ton of both. My goal is to reduce my stash by sending people letters, not just today but throughout the year.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m scanning a ton of letters and cards that I have received throughout my life. (I’m not kidding about a ton, it probably numbers in the thousands.) It’s wonderful to read through them and remember the people who wrote me.

I didn’t keep all the emails I received, but I did keep the letters because there’s something special about snail mail. Make someone happy in a few days by writing a letter today and mailing it on Monday. It’s better than bills.

There are 7.8 billion people on the planet, yet we are connected to each of them by just six people. Of course, it has to be the right six people, but it’s a fascinating concept.

If you find six degrees of separation a remarkable concept, or if you are skeptical, I recommend this Veritasium video. It’s not long, but it does a deep dive into how we are all linked.

In an age when it feels like we are becoming more and more distanced from each other, I think it is nice to know that connections still exist.

My diet right now consists of eating the excessive food I have in my kitchen. It’s a good thing I’m not a picky eater. For the last few weeks, I have been eating flavored instant oatmeal. I’m not fond of oatmeal, but we had several boxes that Hubby bought on sale, so I made it go away.

We also had four jars of Skippy’s Natural peanut butter, which is strange because neither of us like natural peanut butter. (I find the oil on top disgusting.) However, I tolerate oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter mixed in (it makes a delicious 400 calorie breakfast.)

The instant oatmeal is gone, and we only have one jar of natural peanut butter left. So now I’m moving on in my breakfast food decluttering.

We have two big boxes of old-fashioned oats (the round cardboard containers.) I also have oats in a mason jar in my baking section. It’s time to consume more oats.

Did I mention I’m not fond of oatmeal? I’d heard of overnight oats, but every recipe I found was full of extras that hid the flavor of the oats but added a ton of calories. I tried to make a simple version, and it tasted like paste. So I’m in search mode.

I need a healthy way to eat oats that also tastes good. I considered making breakfast bars or maybe granola. I’m going to research online for some recipes. I don’t want to buy a lot of new ingredients when I’m trying to use up the food in my kitchen.

Do you eat oats? Do you have a good recipe? I have lots of cookie recipes, but I prefer chocolate chip to oatmeal. Hubby loves the oatmeal raisin cookies from the Northern Exposure Cookbook, so I’ll probably be making a batch.

I may not love the food I’m eating, but I love having a pantry that’s not overflowing (as much), so I can stomach it.

Have you ever read a book and then immediately wanted to read every book in the series? That just happened to me.

Since I’m moving to Montana, I thought I would find some mystery books set in my new home state. My library had a few, so I randomly put a Gabriel Du Pré mystery by Peter Bowen on hold.

This book is set in eastern Montana and features a group of people called the Métis. They are an Indigenous people that have both Indigenous and European lineages.

I’d never heard of this culture, but I was hooked after page one. The dialogue takes some getting used to since it is written as they would talk, but Du Pre’s family is so funny and wicked smart that I loved them all.

The tension throughout the book is wound tight, and I couldn’t wait to get to the end, just so I could be sure none of the good guys were hurt. It was a marvelous book.

The Du Pré book I read was called Stewball and is book twelve in the series. Once I finished this book, I immediately went back to the library website to check out another. To my horror, Stewball is the only book by Peter Bowen that the library has. It’s a tragedy!!!

I went to Amazon, but they want over six dollars for the Kindle versions. If I am going to spend that kind of money, I’ll buy the physical book. Unfortunately, I’m not buying physical books in 2021, so I’m stymied. 

There is one hope. This series takes place in Montana, so there is a good chance that the Bozeman library will have the books I need. Just another reason to move to Montana.

I don’t know if your library has this book, but if you like mysteries, I highly recommend Stewball* by Peter Bowen. I’m sure I’ll recommend others as soon as I can read them.

*Depending on when you read this post, Stewball is $1.99 on Amazon. A great bargain on a great book.

Today is World Read Aloud Day.

Many people may think that reading aloud involves an adult reading to a child. However, anyone can read out loud to anyone, and I encourage you to do so.

I read out loud to Hubby the evening before we started dating. The book was James and the Giant Peach. We just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last December, so reading to another must be powerful.

I read to kids whenever I can, but I also read out loud to myself. I gain a new understanding of the words on the page when I speak them. I have read many a nonfiction book aloud that was like music. Really lovely.

Here is a secret. When an author is editing their story, they will read it aloud to see how it flows and sounds. If you don’t read out loud, you are missing part of the author’s creative process.

Read aloud today. Rick a book* that you love and recite a favorite bit to someone else. It doesn’t have to be long, but it could be life-changing.

*If you can’t decide what to read out loud, I recommend anything by Edgar Allan Poe. He knew how to blend twisty stories with a lyrical style.

Happy Groundhog’s Day.

I’ve talked about the animal and the holiday in previous posts, so today I want to talk about the movie. Well, not the movie itself, but the idea in the movie.

Most people have seen Groundhog’s Day with Bill Murray, so I hope nothing I say will be a spoiler. In the movie, Bill Murray relives February 2nd repeatedly and becomes a better person along the way. I don’t enjoy this movie, but it’s interesting how we can do the same thing every day until the days all look like.

Now, some chores have to be done every day (or almost every day.) No one wants the dishes to stack up, so they must be cleaned. Food has to be cooked every day, and you should brush your teeth and comb your hair.

But other things that should end can begin to feel like a daily chore. Those are the items I want to look at. Perhaps you are painting a room or reading War and Peace. Whatever the project is, it can feel eternal, which can take the fun out of it.

What is the solution?

Deadlines.

I love deadlines. I especially love deadlines that can not be violated. Hubby decided to move out of his office. He had to turn the keys in on January 31. That was our hard deadline. Without that, it would have taken months to clean out the space. Instead, we did it in three days. Hooray!

I love to write stories, but I can drag them out for years. Giving myself a deadline (or entering a contest with a deadline) ensures that the story will get done, and I can write another.

Take a look at some of your projects. Have they become like Groundhog’s Day, repeating and repeating when they should be done? Can you set a reasonable deadline? One of my favorite deadlines is company coming over. That is difficult in the time of Covid, but we can fake it.

Tell a friend your deadline. On that day, they can Zoom call you, and after you show them the completed item, you can each enjoy a coffee (or wine, depending on the time of day.) It’s a wonderful feeling.

Every month, I share a poem with that month in the title. I’m not too fond of poetry, but I can usually find something I like. But not this month.

I read dozens of February poems, and none of them moved me. I think everyone is tired of winter, and their topics reflect it. A lot of it was depressing, and much of it had nothing to do with February at all.

Due to a dearth of good poems, I’m not including any. Instead, I’d like to know if you know of any February poems. Somewhere there is a good poem about February. It just needs to be found.

Perhaps I should write my own. I like February.

A new month begins tomorrow with new goals and challenges. Get ready to be uber-productive by cleaning off your desk (or whatever table holds your work.)

Set a timer for fifteen minutes. Put away the items that don’t belong on the desk and toss the trash and recycling.

Find a container (a box, bag, or file folder) for each project piled on your desk and put them on a shelf or in a drawer. Make a to-do list, so you remember that you want to work on them. Tabletops are not storage places, and you can only work on one project at a time.

Now remove all the holders of pencils, paperclips, and other office stuff.  Take away the knick-knacks too. The only thing on your desk should be your computer. If you can move that, do so.

Once the desk is clear, wipe off all the coffee mug rings and cat hair (if you are me.) Step back and admire your desk. Isn’t it lovely? I assume you picked out your desk and you like it. I got my desk from a neighbor, but I love it when I can see the white top. Wouldn’t it be nice to see your desk all the time, instead of seeing all the stuff on it?

It’s time to make some decisions.

Here is a common way to organize your office supplies:

• Keep what you use daily within arms reach
• Keep what you use weekly within lean back reach (if you lean back in your chair, can you reach it?)
• Keep occasional items where you have to walk to grab them

But before you make all those choices, ask this question first. Do I really need it, and if I do, do I need to look at it constantly?

You might need paperclips and a stapler every day. That does not mean they have to sit on your desk. Do you have a drawer or basket that you could put all your use daily items in? Something close at hand but out of sight. Something that would keep your desk looking neat?

Perhaps you like having everything on your desk. Then reassess the containers those items are in. Do you like them? Do they do a good job? Would something else be a better choice? After fifteen years, I bought a new mug to store my pens and pencils. It’s smaller than my previous one and fits the space much better. Plus, I smile whenever I see it.

Everyone’s desk is different so do what works for you. All I ask is that you make deliberate decisions and not just leave stuff out because you always have. Most of us spend a lot of time at our desks. It should make you happy when you sit down, not add to your stress.

Don’t forget the timer. I wrote a lot about this project, but it should not consume your day unless you want it to.

February is almost here. Please don’t ask me where January went, because I have no idea. I did declutter 2,021 items, but other projects have progressed more slowly.

That is behind me now, and I’m looking forward. With only twenty-eight days, February is a great month to complete a daily challenge. You can pick one on-line by googling a topic or design it yourself.

Do you want to cut back on carbs, drink more water, exercise more consistently, or do more planks? This could be a good time to improve your health.

If you want to declutter, you could do the thirty-day challenge (or twenty-eight-day challenge this month.) On day one, you declutter one item. On day two, you declutter two. Each day you declutter the number for that day. By the time you are done, you will have removed over 400 items from your home.

Perhaps your challenge could be connected to a hobby or sport. Make a quilt, study a different chess master each day, or make a new recipe for dinner each night.  Pick a project and work on it daily.

I’m doing a flash fiction challenge with Writer’s Digest. They’ll send me a prompt each morning, and I’ll create a story. I enjoy writing flash fiction, and prompts help me get past the resistance of a blank page. (Getting started is often the hardest part of any project.)

Pick a challenge and join me for a fulfilling February. It’s a short month with no high maintenance holidays (although, be careful with Valentine’s Day treats), so it’s a great time to focus on goals. Plus, it’s fun!