Footle and Grok

Messing about with empathy

“Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy”

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

I always thought April was a nice month.

Quotists and poets do not agree with me. As I went looking for sweet gentle sentiments, I found ego, pain, and anger. Who knew?

“April is the cruelest month.”  T. S. Eliot

This year, April is definitely going to do its best to toss us around, so I think these quotes and poems can be thought of as a warning.

“Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.” Charles Lamb

Have a great April, but stay on your guard.

Always Marry An April Girl
by Ogden Nash
Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true —
I love April, I love you.

 

The dinosaurs are coloring

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

Last week I talked about dinosaur colors.

Today I want to share some awesome dinosaur coloring pages. They are free from the Dinovember crew.

Do you Dinovember? This event started several years ago when two parents created messy scenes with their children’s toy dinosaurs each night in November. When the children woke up, they discovered that their dinosaurs has spread toothpaste all over the sink, or tried to make milkshakes in the blender with the lid off. These nightly adventures were first shared on Facebook and then in best-selling picture books. Other parents started sharing their own toy dinosaur’s adventures, and Dinovember was born.

The dinosaurs now have their own coloring pages, and you can download them for free. Color the dinosaurs whatever color you want or go to the Facebook Dinovember page and see what color they really are. If you like the coloring page, why not follow their page. The dinosaurs have had some helpful advice, so we don’t go extinct.

From Josh Gad to George R. R. Martin

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

Today is International Children’s Book Day.

There is nothing more special than a parent or other loved one reading to a child. But if you lack children’s books, or if you have read everything in the house a dozen times, various celebrities are here to help you out.

From Dolly Parton to Betty White, dozens of actors, artists, and writers are reading picture books online. It can be a fun way to occupy children while you get some work done, or to hear a book you may not have in your library. It seems that more celebrities are contributing every day. Perhaps one that you like will read a book soon.

I googled to find this list on YouTube. I’m sure there are a lot more videos out there.

Happy International Children’s Book Day! Share your favorite story today.

I always hide today

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

It’s a day for pranks and hoaxes.

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By Sandra Boyton

I always try to stay home and avoid the internet on April 1, that way I don’t end up the recipient of a prank or hoax.

Of course, this year, we’re all staying home. April Fools!!!

There will, of course, be a lot of online pranking, so beware. You should always be skeptical, but today, be doubly so.

Good luck!

Wear your ears!!!

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

Today is National Wear Your Ears Day.

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This is intended for everyone to wear their Mickey or Minnie Ears and share your happiness on social media.

I don’t usually wear Mickey ears on headbands because I’ve never found one that didn’t give me a headache. However, I do love the look. The best part is that a lot of people are making their own ears, so you can model them after any character you want.

Some of the ears are fun, and some of them are elegant. Some don’t even require a sewing machine. There truly are ears for everyone.

I think I’ll make a pair to wear on National Wear Your Ears Day. We can never have too much Disney.

I made this!!!

Do birds cry?

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

Blue, the velociraptor in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, shed a tear.

My hubby said that dinosaurs don’t cry. I disagreed, and then he asked if birds cried. I didn’t know but wanted to find out.

As with all answers, it is complicated. Birds do have tear ducts, and they make tears to protect their eyes. Some birds that live near saltwater secrete an oily tear for the same reason.

So they could cry if they wanted to, and since birds are dinosaurs, dinosaurs have the ability to cry too. Even Blue.

 

Meet a scientist

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

I learned something cool today.

I was listening to the Shortwave podcast and they talked about an online program called Skype a Scientist. It was originally designed for classrooms but they have added a way for families to participate.

Is your daughter dinosaur crazy, or does your son want to know everything about caterpillars? Through this website, you can talk to an expert in whatever field interests your family. This is not a lecture. The scientist you skype will answer your questions in real-time. How cool is that?

This is also a great way for kids today to see possibilities. When I was a kid, the only scientists I saw were Mr. Wizard or in the movies (I’m sure Christopher Lloyd’s character in Back to the Future was a role model for budding scientists.) Nowadays scientists come in all shapes and sizes and really want to share their work.

I hope you will try out Skype a Scientist. It can turn staying-at-home into a virtual field trip.

How to help in just 5 seconds

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

I was listening to 60-Second Science and learned about a helpful website.

Covidnearyou.org is a way for everyone to help map the disease. It is run by the Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. All you have to do is click whether you feel good or bad. It is just as vital for you to report that you feel healthy as well as sick, so everyone should go to the site.

I feel fine, so I don’t know what questions are asked if you don’t feel good, but I hope this collection of data can help people make the best policy decisions possible. Please take a moment and go to covidnearyou.org.

Thanks.

A “Get Creative” idea

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

My friend Arlene has a creative idea.

“Everyone wants sewers to make face masks right now (akin to knitting socks during WWll?). That could keep you busy plus reduce your stash! Patterns abound.”

This is a good idea if your area needs masks. Check with your hospital or clinic. My local hospital has posted a notice on their website that they do not need handmade masks at the moment. Other hospitals do though, so do some research.

There are many online instructions for making masks in a variety of styles. Check with the facility you are donating to so you make the right style.

Being creative is important. Being creative while helping others is important and kind.

Be kind.

Get creative

Posted on by Jennifer Vandenberg

Turn off the world and do something creative.

A lot of people in the Facebook groups I follow (positive, uplifting groups, all of them) have been lamenting that they are not handling things well. Things may not be easy right now, but it is the perfect time to get creative.

Everyone is creative. Humans, by our very makeup, are creative. So, don’t tell me you aren’t. You may not be Da Vinci or Michelangelo, but that’s okay. We are all creative. Repeat that until you believe it.

Do you believe it now? Great. Now do something creative. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Cut out a heart from a piece of paper and write something on it. There you were creative. That is all it takes.

Do you have a phone? Does it have a camera? Go take close up pictures of ordinary things. Do they still look ordinary? You did something creative.

Now, obviously, you can do more. You can color, or knit, or quilt, or forge knives, or bake a cake in the shape of the Empire State Building. If you can do any of that, great! Have fun being creative. But creativity doesn’t have a size. You can do something small, like draw a picture for someone, or glue a ribbon to a plain lampshade. It’s all creative, and that’s what I want to you be.

If you need inspiration, google the project you want to try. There will be tons of advice and instructions for you to follow.

Show me what creative projects you are making as you practice social distancing. We can inspire each other.