​3/29/23
I didn’t read the whole book this time. Just one chapter, that I remembered from before. Why? It’s all about the only American ever held in the Tower of London. His name – Henry Laurens. Here are the details that caught my eye. That I thought I might be able to use in the middle grade I’m working on.

​On Slavery
Henry owned slaves, but some of his actions surprised me. He had two partners in the slave trade . . . he left the business. Later during the Revolutionary War, Henry was put in charge of the defense of Charleston, and he suggested asking free blacks and slaves (to volunteer). Many slave owners opposed it, including George Washington. Henry did it anyway, and his troops kept the British out of Charleston. George Washington never forgave him, and he told his friends in Congress all about it too. 

​The Continental Congress
Henry joined the Continental Congress in January of 1777. In November he became its president, but he resigned a year later, in December of 1778. Politics! Henry kept his seat and focused on building an alliance with the Dutch. It took two years, but he got them to resume trade, and give the US a $10 million loan. Congress said OK, but do it yourself. Henry did, but he was captured as soon as his ship broke into the open sea. They found his briefcase and the treaty. He was taken into custody and later convicted of high treason. He couldn’t even be exchanged as a prisoner of war. And the Dutch – King George attacked them and destroyed their navy. There went Henry’s loan! 

​The Tower of London
Henry was taken to the Tower where he was expected to pay for his room, his guards, and for any necessities. He was finally exchanged for Lord Cornwallis himself. His surrender at Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War. But Henry didn’t go home – instead Benjamin Franklin asked him to come to France to help negotiate the peace. He didn’t even get to finish the treaty – Ben sent him back to England, as our first unofficial ambassador. 

Returning Home
Henry returned to find his plantations destroyed and one of his sons dead. He died during the closing days of the war. Henry lived for another seven years, and he gained a new nickname – Tower Laurens. He left two endowments behind . . . to the wife of his Tower jailer. The other . . . to their daughter. Evidently she carried messages to his friends, until some guards noticed her unusual activity. Then it stopped.   (Amazon's description is below.)

Amazon’s Description:
The brooding grey walls of the Tower of London circumscribe one of the most recognisable buildings on the planet. Over its thousand-year history the Tower stood as a symbol of the English monarchy and served as both a palace and a prison. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, unimaginable tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity. Tales from the Tower is the factual history of the great building itself told through the true stories of the people, royal and common, good and bad, heroes and villains, who lived and died there. Including characters such as William the Conqueror, the Princes in the Tower, Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Colonel Blood and Rudolf Hess, the broad range of stories encompassed in Tales from the Tower present a microcosm of all human experience, from love and death to greed and betrayal, all played out against romantic period settings ranging from medieval knights in shining armour to the darkest days of World War II.  Anyone who loves history and adventure will find Tales from the Tower a classic page turner.

​

​3/19/23
Here are 3 stories that caught my eye this week. Two are about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The third, George Washington.

1, In April and May of 1780, the British had their eyes on Charleston, South Carolina. It fell on May 12, but the British got a bonus – three men who signed the Declaration –Thomas Heyward, Edward Rutledge, and Arthur Middleton. They were arrested and held in a dungeon inside the city. Their next stop – a British prison in St. Augustine, Florida. I was glad they weren’t hanged, but, they weren’t famous like John Hancock or Thomas Jefferson. Maybe that’s why they survived.

​2. Richmond, Virginia was burned to the ground in January of 1781. The government escaped to Charlottesville, but the British found out, and now they’re riding hard to capture it. They stopped to rest at a tavern where Jack Jouett overheard them. He rides through the night to warn Thomas Jefferson. His face is scratched so badly that Jack will live with the scars for the rest of his life, but he makes it in time to warn Thomas. But the night isn’t over. Thomas sends him back out to warn the legislature. If Jouett hadn’t made that ride, the Brits would have captured the legislature, plus four signers – Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Nelson, Benjamin Harrison, and Richard Henry Lee. They all escaped, thanks to Jack’s ride. 

​3. ​Soldiers give up a lot for their country. George Washington left Mount Vernon in 1775, and he didn’t return until six years later. He finally stopped in on September 12, 1781, for one night. The army was on its way to Yorktown for a final matchup with General Cornwallis. George thought he could spare one night . . . to sleep in his own bed, to see his wife Martha, and to look out on the Potomac River from his porch. George couldn’t help himself . . . he stayed two nights. I would have too, after six years away from home.
​

3/15/2023
It’s working! I’m a week into this book, on Chapter 19, and it’s helped me to imagine this time period, its heroes, and villains. Here are three big discoveries I’ve made so far. There are others, of course, but not everyone loves reading research 😊

1. I discovered where many of the founders went for a drink, or for a stay. John Adams said it was the “most genteel tavern in America.” This is key! I need its name to help you picture the setting in the first couple chapters of my book.  

2. I found a HUGE mistake in my manuscript, in Chapter 2! I put Ben Franklin in Philadelphia in April of 1777. The problem – he sailed to France in November of 1776. OOPS! I’m glad I found it, and fixed it.  
3.  I can’t use this one yet, but I saw a passage in Wikipedia that said Thomas Jefferson blamed King George for slavery, and he put it in the Declaration of Independence, in one of the drafts. I didn’t believe it, but it’s true! I read his words, in a footnote in this book! Unfortunately, Georgia and South Carolina were slave-owning states, so they had the words pulled.  

It’s sad. It might have changed things, like no Civil War, but can you imagine getting 13 people to agree on anything? Imagine getting 13 colonies and their 56 representatives to do that. Sometimes you have to negotiate to get part of what you want. You can never, ever, get everything.

Started 3/7  
I started reading today because I need to immerse myself in research. I found an idea last July, and it wouldn’t let me go. It took me until the end of 2022 to figure out where the story should go. I was searching for a ribbon, a main idea, to thread through the story, from the beginning until the very end.

Now that it’s 2023, I’m writing! My critique group looked at chapter 1, twice. This time their advice – add comments and keep moving. I’ll do that this week.

I’ll also revise chapter 2 and have my critique group look at it again. I’ll take notes, and keep going. Why? Because this is a BIG topic! The biggest I’ve ever written. I could end up with 50-60 chapters, total.
As I write, I’ll learn more about the historical figures at the heart of the American story. I’ll revise better if I know their story, and, it will be easier. I love two-fers!

I started the prologue today, and I’m at the beginning of the French and Indian War. I’m watching a  young George Washington fight in the battle over Fort Duquesne and the Ohio Valley. I’m also listening to what Ben Franklin said, prebattle. He warned the British about the Indians and their kind of fighting, but they didn’t listen, and, they lost badly.

                                        PS - If I find any fun facts along the way, I’ll share them with you.
        PPS – Well written nonfiction is a joy to read. I love learning new details and points of view!

​Amazon’s Description:
The Revolutionary War as never told before.

This breathtaking installment in Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s mega-bestselling Killing series transports readers to the most important era in our nation’s history: the Revolutionary War. Told through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain’s King George III, Killing England chronicles the path to independence in gripping detail, taking the reader from the battlefields of America to the royal courts of Europe.

What started as protest and unrest in the colonies soon escalated to a world war with devastating casualties. O’Reilly and Dugard recreate the war’s landmark battles, including Bunker Hill, Long Island, Saratoga, and Yorktown, revealing the savagery of hand-to-hand combat and the often brutal conditions under which these brave American soldiers lived and fought. Also here is the reckless treachery of Benedict Arnold and the daring guerrilla tactics of the “Swamp Fox” Frances Marion.

A must read, Killing England reminds one and all how the course of history can be changed through the courage and determination of those intent on doing the impossible.

Here are some common characteristics according to my source atHealthline.com:
1.  Difficulty learning common nursery rhymes or songs
2.  Trouble recognizing rhyming patterns, like ‘cat’ and ‘bat’
3.  Mispronouncing common words
4.  Difficulty recognizing their own name
5.  Reading slowly
6.  Avoiding reading out loud in any situation
7.  Pausing often while speaking
8.  Using vague language
9.  Confusing similar-sounding words or images
​

Here are some suggestions from Healthline.com. They’re common sense ideas that I can summarize for you. If you’d like to read their full article, this link will take you there: How to Help a Child with Dyslexia at Home: Ideas, Resources (healthline.com)
​

​1.  Read together every day. It builds a relationship, and that’s always a good thing. Please do it in a way that fits your child. Sometimes I read a page, then one of my kids would read. If they didn’t know a word, I’d give them the first sound, wait a second, then give them the word. Other kids, I’d let them read as long as they wanted.

​​2.  Focus on sight words. I used the Dolch Words, the 200 most common words in books. Think words like: is, been, the, are, or could to name a few. If your child is in kindergarten, they’re already bringing words like this home every night. 

​​3.  Repeat, repeat, repeat. I used to say repeat to remember, and remember to repeat. It works with math flash cards and sight words. It also works with the leveled readers that teachers send home. Each time your child reads them, they get faster and more confident. 

​4.  Create a nurturing place to study. Think comfy, and also being patient with your child. Sometimes it helps to think of times when something was difficult for you. What did you need to succeed? Try those same kinds of things with your child, age appropriate of course. 

​​5.  Create a learning calendar and use it too keep track of progress or tasks to do. It’s great because kids can see their own growth, like how many words a minute they’re reading then, and now. If your child gets stuck, work together to get past the obstacle. 

6.  Make sure your child is getting enough sleep. I didn’t know that kids with dyslexia are more at risk for sleep disorders. I could tell when my 2nd graders weren’t getting enough sleep. When that happened, they didn’t do as well. I have sleep problems myself so I do these things as much as possible.
​
- establish a bedtime. Try to keep it at the same time, even on weekends.
- create an environment for sleep, like a dark room or a nightlight. Whatever your child needs.
- limit social media and electronics before bedtime. They stimulate you when it’s time to wind down.
- develop a sleep routine that you do every night before bed (a snack, brush teeth, read a book). Whatever fits your family.
Kids ages 5-13 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night. Teenagers aged 13-18 need 8 to10 hours.

​7.  Praise success and effort. You can do no more than your best. Your child can’t either. Remember, they already know they’re behind. Noticing those tries and successes builds confidence. Princess Beatrice said pushing back against dyslexia built her problem-solving skills and confidence. It can do that for your child too. 

8.  Use mnemonic devices. (new-mon-ic) They’re tricks to help you remember something.
​
- turn information into a song. I did. It helped my kids remember things like weather and landforms.
- letter or word imagery. Example – make b’s look like beds and d’s like dogs. For letter sounds like ow, I had ow as in cow, and ow as tow.
- acronyms like ROY G BIV. My second graders used that to remember the colors of the rainbow . . . red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

​9.  Find a tutor, especially over summer vacation. When I met my new 2nd graders, I could tell which ones read over vacation – they took off right away. The kids who didn’t took a few weeks to brush up on their skills.
 

During secondary school, which sounds like American middle/ high school, the princess got support from the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, and it worked! Beatrice passed eight GCSE’s when she was 16. That’s the UK abbreviation for General Certificate of Secondary Education, and my guess is she passed eight tests. I wonder if she got eight certificates?!

Beatrice went on to pass three A-levels. In the US we’d call them college prep classes/end of year testing. She went on to college and graduated with a degree in History and the History of Ideas from Goldsmiths College in London. Here are two pictures of Beatrice, outside school of course.

The first picture is Beatrice skiing with her mom and sister back in 2004. She’s on the left. I did the math . . . She was 16 back then, and those GCSE’s must have been around the corner. 

The second photo is of Beatrice with her baby sister Eugenie from 2013. I did the math again, and now Beatrice must be 24. She’s done all the hard work (school), and she’s working for a living. BTW – 2013 is the same year she became the Royal Patron for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. Remember the group who helped her find coping strategies for her dyslexia? I bet it felt great to help the people who helped her.

Before covid, Beatrice worked for a software company. Her niche – communications and strategic partnerships. Best of all it played to her strengths in communication, and it’s much better than “sitting behind a desk.” She’s still at the same company, but Beatrice has worked herself up the ladder. Now she’s Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti.com. Would you believe it specializes in artificial intelligence, or that Beatrice says her dyslexia gave her an advantage?

She ended one of her interviews by saying that a lot of her colleagues have dyslexia, and that it’s a strength because they see things differently. They’re problem solvers who look for new ways to do things. They’re not afraid to be experimental or entrepreneurial. Beatrice said dyslexia turned into a gift. The best part – understanding that it’s not about what’s wrong with you. Dyslexia “is a great part of how your brain works, and everybody’s brain works incredibly differently.” What a great way to look at yourself and at your abilities! I imagine Beatrice’s parents are pretty proud of her 😊

Tomorrow – some suggestions from the teacher in me. First how to recognize dyslexia, and second how to move forward just like Princess Beatrice did. 
​

Photo Sources:
By Norbert Aepli, Switzerland, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5678659
​

​By Carfax2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26706695

Princesses are supposed to be practically perfect, right? They should be pretty and kind, and they should be able to read.

​What if the princess was pretty and kind, but she discovered she couldn’t read. What do you do with a princess like that, who isn’t quite perfect enough?
​
                                                                              Part 1 – A Princess and Dyslexia

This is that practically perfect princess as a baby. She’s with her grandmother and great grandmother. Together they’re three generations of the Windsor family. Do you recognize Princess Beatrice, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Queen Mum of England?
​
That was Beatrice – until she turned seven. That’s when she discovered life wasn’t so perfect. The print in her book looked muddled, like a bunch of gobbledy-gook. Why? Dyslexia, and it made Beatrice feel confused, like she wasn’t good enough, or smart enough. Imagine – a princess who didn’t feel like she was enough?!
​

Beatrice is a very private person, but in the last few years she started talking about her dyslexia. How as a child she noticed her best friends were ahead of her. They read yellow and green books, and Beatrice, she was left behind in the white ones.

I was surprised Beatrice felt lucky, but her friends and family never made her feel like she wasn’t enough. The people that surrounded her talked about how to move forward. They looked at what she could do, not at what she couldn’t. Beatrice talked to them about her struggles, and it changed minds, including her own. How could it not? Everyone is a sum of their capabilities and limitations.

During secondary school, which sounds like American middle/ high school, the princess got support from the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, and it worked! Beatrice passed eight GCSE’s when she was 16. That’s the UK abbreviation for General Certificate of Secondary Education, and my guess is she passed eight tests. I wonder if she got eight certificates?!

Beatrice went on to pass three A-levels. In the US we’d call them college prep classes/end of year testing. She went on to college and graduated with a degree in History and the History of Ideas from Goldsmiths College in London. Here are two pictures of Beatrice, outside school of course.
​
The first picture is Beatrice skiing with her mom and sister back in 2004. She’s on the left. I did the math . . . She was 16 back then, and those GCSE’s must have been around the corner. 
​

​The second photo is of Beatrice with her baby sister Eugenie from 2013. I did the math again, and now Beatrice must be 24. She’s done all the hard work (school), and she’s working for a living. BTW – 2013 is the same year she became the Royal Patron for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. Remember the group who helped her find coping strategies for her dyslexia? I bet it felt great to help the people who helped her.

Before covid, Beatrice worked for a software company. Her niche – communications and strategic partnerships. Best of all it played to her strengths in communication, and it’s much better than “sitting behind a desk.” She’s still at the same company, but Beatrice has worked herself up the ladder. Now she’s Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti.com. Would you believe it specializes in artificial intelligence, or that Beatrice says her dyslexia gave her an advantage?

She ended one of her interviews by saying that a lot of her colleagues have dyslexia, and that it’s a strength because they see things differently. They’re problem solvers who look for new ways to do things. They’re not afraid to be experimental or entrepreneurial. Beatrice said dyslexia turned into a gift. The best part – understanding that it’s not about what’s wrong with you. Dyslexia “is a great part of how your brain works, and everybody’s brain works incredibly differently.” What a great way to look at yourself and at your abilities! I imagine Beatrice’s parents are pretty proud of her 😊

                                                     ​​​Part 3 – Dyslexia: How to Recognize and Cope with It
Dyslexia makes it hard to match letters to sounds, whether they’re an individual letter or in combinations. It’s usually diagnosed when kids start formal reading, sometime in kindergarten or first grade, but it’s not a vision problem.

Here are some suggestions from Healthline.com. They’re common sense ideas that I can summarize for you. If you’d like to read their full article, this link will take you there: How to Help a Child with Dyslexia at Home: Ideas, Resources (healthline.com)
​

​1. Read together every day. It builds a relationship, and that’s always a good thing. Please do it in a way that fits your child. Sometimes I read a page, then one of my kids would read. If they didn’t know a word, I’d give them the first sound, wait a second, then give them the word. Other kids, I’d let them read as long as they wanted.

​2.  Focus on sight words. I used the Dolch Words, the 200 most common words in books. Think words like: is, been, the, are, or could to name a few. If your child is in kindergarten, they’re already bringing words like this home every night. 

3.  Repeat, repeat, repeat. I used to say repeat to remember, and remember to repeat. It works with math flash cards and sight words. It also works with the leveled readers that teachers send home. Each time your child reads them, they get faster and more confident. 

​4.  Create a nurturing place to study. Think comfy, and also being patient with your child. Sometimes it helps to think of times when something was difficult for you. What did you need to succeed? Try those same kinds of things with your child, age appropriate of course. 

​5.  Create a learning calendar and use it too keep track of progress or tasks to do. It’s great because kids can see their own growth, like how many words a minute they’re reading then, and now. If your child gets stuck, work together to get past the obstacle. 

6.  Make sure your child is getting enough sleep. I didn’t know that kids with dyslexia are more at risk for sleep disorders. I could tell when my 2nd graders weren’t getting enough sleep. When that happened, they didn’t do as well. I have sleep problems myself so I do these things as much as possible.
​
- establish a bedtime. Try to keep it at the same time, even on weekends.
- create an environment for sleep, like a dark room or a nightlight. Whatever your child needs.
- limit social media and electronics before bedtime. They stimulate you when it’s time to wind down.
- develop a sleep routine that you do every night before bed (a snack, brush teeth, read a book). Whatever fits your family.
Kids ages 5-13 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night. Teenagers aged 13-18 need 8 to10 hours.

​7.  Praise success and effort. You can do no more than your best. Your child can’t either. Remember, they already know they’re behind. Noticing those tries and successes builds confidence. Princess Beatrice said pushing back against dyslexia built her problem-solving skills and confidence. It can do that for your child too. 

8.  Use mnemonic devices. (new-mon-ic) They’re tricks to help you remember something.
​
- turn information into a song. I did. It helped my kids remember things like weather and landforms.
- letter or word imagery. Example – make b’s look like beds and d’s like dogs. For letter sounds like ow, I had ow as in cow, and ow as tow.
- acronyms like ROY G BIV. My second graders used that to remember the colors of the rainbow . . . red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

​​9.  Find a tutor, especially over summer vacation. When I met my new 2nd graders, I could tell which ones read over vacation – they took off right away. The kids who didn’t took a few weeks to brush up on their skills.

Sources:
- Princess Beatrice's ongoing difficulty with 'muddled' thoughts swirling in her head (msn.com) 
- Watch Princess Beatrice Open Up About Her Dyslexia in Rare Interview (townandcountrymag.com)  
- Princess Beatrice: The Gift of Dyslexia - Dyslexia | Dyslexic Advantage
- How to Help a Child with Dyslexia at Home: Ideas, Resources (healthline.com)

Photo Sources:
By Archives New Zealand from New Zealand - Image from Christmas card issued by H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II (1988), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122834578
​

​By File:Web Summit 2018 - Forum - Day 2, November 7 DF1 7541 (45765935451).jpg: Web Summitderivative work: Minerva97 - This file was derived from: Web Summit 2018 - Forum - Day 2, November 7 DF1 7541 (45765935451).jpg:, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8679423

​By Norbert Aepli, Switzerland, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5678659

​By Carfax2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26706695

​When I think of whales, this is what I picture . . . one of them leaping out of the water. They are magnificent! How could such a huge and mighty creature find itself beached, without a chance of swimming back out to sea? It should be something that’s impossible.
​

​I’d never want to see a whale die like this – beached. Stuck in the sand, without a chance to escape, but 25 have died this way since December 1, 2022. Many, along the New Jersey and New York shoreline.

Our government has been studying these deaths since 2016, and 186 whales died in those six years. That’s a lot. The highest – 2017 – when 34 whales beached themselves. So, 25 whales in three months, that’s super high. I hope this isn’t a record-breaking year.

Scientists have done necropsies on 13 of those 25 whales. We have autopsies when we die to tell us why. Whales, they have necropsies.  Out of the 13 examined, 8 died because they ran into boats and ships. The other 12 whales – the scientists are still waiting on those results.

Usually if a whale beaches itself, it’s sick. Sometimes it’s trying to avoid sharks or killer whales. But 25, that’s way higher than normal. What’s going on? No one knows for sure. Some people suspect global warming. Others wonder if it’s the new offshore wind farms. Everyone has guesses, but no one knows the true answer, for sure.
​

​Source: As More Dead Whales Wash Up in NJ and NY, Officials Eye Research Into Wind Farms – NBC New York

                                               Part 2 – Which Whales Beached Themselves, and Where?
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has been tracking where the whales beached themselves along the eastern seaboard. It’s mostly been on the shores of New York and New Jersey, but it stretches all the way down to Florida.

​Do you have trouble imagining the size of something large? I do. That’s why I added these two pictures to this post about whales . . . to help us imagine just how big they are. The average school bus is 35 feet long, probably longer than a classroom. And an elephant, he weighs about a ton, whether he’s from Africa or India.
​

​Humpback whales have suffered the most. Eighteen of these giant creatures have stranded themselves along beaches between New York and North Carolina.
​

​
 Only 3 sperm whales have been stranded, so far. They were found on beaches between New York and Florida. Three is a lot less, and they were scattered far apart along the Atlantic coastline.

Male sperm whales can be 52 feet long. That’s about a bus and a half. (Two buses are 70 feet in length.) Male whales weigh 50 tons. That’s 50 elephants sitting on your lap. No thanks!

Females, like the one in the photo, are about 36 feet long, just a little longer than your bus. They only weigh 15 tons, but I would still say no if 15 elephants asked to sit on my lap.

And a new baby whale – it’s only 13 feet long. If you add a yardstick to its length, you’d have half a bus. As for the weight, only 1.1 tons. That’s one elephant, on my lap? No thanks, I’d rather sit beside that elephant. Oh, I mean baby whale!
​

Meet a mama and baby North Atlantic right whale. I don’t understand why they’re right, not left. Maybe you can look it up and report back to me and my readers. Only two of the right whales have been stranded – along the shore of North Carolina and Virginia. I guess it’s good to be right 😊

Right whales are about 43 – 56 feet long. That’s about as long as the other two whales. The short ones are as long as a bus, plus the height of a 6-foot basketball player. The long ones are a bus long, plus four kids stretched out in front of it (if they’re about 5 feet tall).

And their weight? DO NOT let them sit on your lap! Each whale weighs about 100 tons. I don’t want to imagine 100 elephants anywhere near my lap ☹
​

These are sei whales! I’ll say . . . that’s how you say their name. Not like see or sigh. Only one of them has been stranded, along the North Carolina coast.

Sei whales are about 64 feet long. Put two school buses together. Then subtract that 6-foot basketball player.

These whales are long and thin, and they only weigh 31 tons. I thought they were the thinnest, but female sperm whales have them beat by 16 tons. Still, I’d prefer those 15 elephants, or 31, sitting beside me, not on my lap. 
​

 
                                                     Part 3 – A Summary and My Conclusions:
​               These are results over 3 months, from December 2022 through February 2023…
Number                            Kind                                                                               Location
18                                         humpback whales                                                 New York to North Carolina
3                                            sperm whales                                                           New York to Florida
2                                            North Atlantic right whale                               North Carolina and Virginia
1                                            sei whale                                                                      North Carolina
1                                            minke whale                                                               New York

Did you notice that no whale has beached itself north of New York? Or that most of these whales are choosing beaches north of North Carolina? It must have something to do with the water temperature. Evidently these whales like colder water, especially the humpbacks who have suffered the most.

I hope scientists can figure out why whales are doing this, and then find a solution. I would hate to see the humpbacks, or any of the other whales, disappear from the earth. Fingers crossed!

​

Sources:
Map: The original was edited by Andrew c to include Nova Scotia, PEI, Bahamas, and scale key.It was originally uploaded to the English Wikipedia with the same title by Wapcaplet:20:57, 9 October 2005 . . Dbenbenn . . 959x593 (339217 bytes) (fix South Carolina label)20:27, 9 October 2005 . . Dbenbenn . . 959x593 (339227 bytes) (typo, Massachussetts -> Massachusetts)19:01, 9 October 2005 . . Dbenbenn . . 959x593 (371653 bytes) (crop, and remove some shapes (rivers, highways, capitals, lakes) that didn't display anyway)13:18, 23 September 2005 . . Ed g2s . . 990x855 (978668 bytes) (fix (removed <image /> tag))23:48, 23 September 2004 . . Wapcaplet . . 0x0 (978926 bytes) (SVG map of the United States. Created by Wapcaplet. {{GFDL} }) - see below, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=362916

​Sperm Whale photo - By Gabriel Barathieu - https://www.flickr.com/photos/barathieu/7277953560/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24212362

Information: As More Dead Whales Wash Up in NJ and NY, Officials Eye Research Into Wind Farms – NBC New York

​Started 2/28                                                                 Finished 3/6
This book came out at the end of May in 2018. I bought it in early July because I was working on a lockdown story for kids, and I was curious what the adult version looked like – it’s as different as night and day.

What fascinated me – how Nora built the plot. The first five chapters are about set-up and world building. We meet the main characters. We watch them react to the first shots, to the arrival of the police, and to the funerals. It’s a drama roller coaster.

In the middle the two main characters learn to cope. One becomes a policeman. The other an artist. That’s when Nora adds in a new twist – a hidden conspirator who’s picking off survivors, and the hunt is on.

​Amazon’s Description:
It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at video game store tended to customers. Then the shooters arrived.

The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, helplessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.

But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.

Started 2/19                                                             Finished 2/27
I love this title . . . It reminds me of the old television show, Murder She Wrote, but this book is so much more than the events behind Disney’s Movie, Saving Mr. Banks.

Valerie Lawson took three years to write this book, and it reads like a story because she knew her character in and out. Would you believe she got to sit at P.L.’s desk a week or two after she died, and look around? OMG! Pamela’s son gave her permission.

P.L. was into philosophy, magic and mysticism so Valerie broke her biography into three parts – nymph, mother, and crone. P.L. was even OK with being a crone. Me – I’m still thinking about it.

The first time I read this book, it took two days, but this time it took me two months to reread it. That’s because I took time out to read all four Mary Poppins books, twice. Then I returned to reread and make notes on this one.

I want to write about P.L., Mary Poppins, and what I learned about both of them. Keep your eyes open – it might be another week or two before I get to write it, but believe me, it’s worth waiting for. Pamela is MORE fascinating than Disney’s version of her. 
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​Amazon’s Description:
The spellbinding stories of Mary Poppins, the quintessentially English and utterly magical nanny, have been loved by generations. She flew into the lives of the unsuspecting Banks family in a children’s book that was instantly hailed as a classic, then became a household name when Julie Andrews stepped into the title role in Walt Disney’s hugely successful and equally classic film. But the Mary Poppins in the stories was not the cheery film character. She was tart and sharp, plain and vain. She was a remarkable character.

The story of Mary Poppins’ creator, as this definitive biography reveals, is equally remarkable. The fabulous English nanny was actually conceived by an Australian, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who came to London in 1924 from Queensland as a journalist. She became involved with Theosophy, traveled in the literary circles of W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot, and became a disciple of the famed spiritual guru, Gurdjieff. She famously clashed with Walt Disney over the adaptation of the Mary Poppins books into film. Travers, whom Disney accused of vanity for “thinking you know more about Mary Poppins than I do,” was as tart and opinionated as Julie Andrews’s big-screen Mary Poppins was cheery. Yet it was a love of mysticism and magic that shaped Travers’s life as well as the character of Mary Poppins. The clipped, strict, and ultimately mysterious nanny who emerged from her pen was the creation of someone who remained inscrutable and enigmatic to the end of her ninety-six years.

Valerie Lawson’s illuminating biography provides the first full look whose personal journey is as intriguing as her beloved characters.

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Started 2/4                                                                             Finished 2/19
This is the 4th Mary Poppins book, but it felt like the end of the series. When I checked, Amazon carried the first four, then skipped to #7 and 8. If you want #5 and 6, you have to search for them.

IN THE PARK started with an author note, like #3. This time she wanted readers to understand that Mary couldn’t come and go forever. She’d done it three times already, and that’s a magic number in fairy tales. P.L. loved mixing them into her plots.

The chapters this time could be added to any one of her three earlier books, and the characters . . . many returned for encore adventures. If you don’t recognize them, I think you’ll enjoy meeting them now.

The Park book has six stories, but I picked two to share. The first was the Goosegirl and the Swineherd. It’s all about how every character sees themselves as someone cooler, like a prince or princess. The only one who doesn’t . . . Mary Poppins, of course.

The second has a tea party under the dandelions. That caught my attention . . . P.L. built tiny houses in Saving Mr. Banks, and said she did it as a kid. In 1952 she put them into this book. 

​Amazon’s Description:
Who else but Mary Poppins can lead the Banks children on such extraordinary adventures? Together they all meet the Goosegirl and the Swineherd, argue with talking cats on a distant planet, make the acquaintance of the folks who live under dandelions, and celebrate a birthday by dancing with their own shadows. And that’s just for starters!

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Started 1/22                                                                  Finished 2/4
The more Mary Poppins books I read (I’m on #3), the more I realize how very British it is. The movie reflects more of Walt Disney than P.L. Travers. Plus, readers get to travel back to Britain of 1943, almost a century ago. This one opens with an explanation about Guy Fawkes Day.

In 1605 people were upset with King James I and Parliament. They came up with the Gunpowder Plot. It was discovered and stopped on November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes was one of its leaders, and he was executed. Today Britain celebrates him in fireworks. King James – forgotten.

P.L. wrote her first author’s note for this book. She explained that Guy Fawkes Day stopped in 1939 – because of World War II. You can’t have fireworks when the enemy’s dropping bombs. In 1943 when Pamela published this book, she wrote that someday, it would be celebrated again, and it has been, ever since World War II ended. Chapter 1 begins on Guy Fawkes Day.

This is my favorite book, so far. Pamela pulled out all the stops. She wrote about the things she loved, like stars and folk tales. Each chapter is a gem of a story. Britain was depressed and gloomy in 1943. Guy Fawkes fireworks – banished – for four years. No end in sight. There’s nothing like a book to brighten life, for readers and writers. If you’re feeling gloomy in 2023, my suggestion – try this book.  

Amazon’s Description:
From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.
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Mary Poppins reappears just in time! According to her tape measure, Jane and Michael have grown "Worse and Worse" since she went away. But the children won't have time to be naughty with all that Mary has planned for them. A visit to Mr. Twigley’s music box-filled attic, an encounter with the Marble Boy, and a ride on Miss Calico’s enchanted candy canes are all part of an average day out with everyone's favorite nanny.​

​Most people strive for perfection – the perfect wedding, the perfect vacation, the perfect you. Perfect, truly perfect is incredibly difficult to achieve. You could work your entire life, yet never reach it. I found three inspiring quotes about perfection to share with you. 
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It was Tyra Banks. If you’ve never heard of her, she’s one of the world’s top models. If anyone wanted to be perfect, you’d think it’d be a model, but Tyra actually encourages young models to be themselves. To embrace what makes them special. What sets them apart, what makes them beautiful.

Tyra wasn’t always successful. In middle school kids teased her about her looks. They thought of her as the ugly duckling. You know the one who became a swan? So did Tyra.

Tyra started modeling at age 15. She failed repeatedly, but she didn’t quit. She was rejected by four agencies before LA Models signed her. Then she moved to Elite Model Management, one of the top agencies in the world. That would have been around 1989 when she turned 16.

Tyra got involved in lots of different businesses over the years, from movies to music, television to teaching, cosmetics to writing. She continued to reinvent herself. You need to be brave to do that, ready to own your own mistakes. It’s the only way to grow. I haven’t read any of her books, but I love the title of the one she wrote with her mother in 2018. Its title . . . Perfect is Boring. I totally agree!
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   Sources:
- Quote:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
​- Information:   Tyra Banks - Wikipedia
- Photo: By VOGUE Taiwan - 泰拉班克斯走秀摔倒才不怕：「多跌幾次」讓別人以為你是故意的！How Tyra Banks Would Handle Peter Kavinsky｜拆解經典電影｜Vogue Taiwan, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95508569
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Whoever said this, might agree that these two babies show the opposite sides of perfect care. The first one is so happy. Clearly her parents love her dearly.

​The second baby looks like she’s in the middle of a meltdown, but that doesn’t mean she’s unloved. Her parents are probably struggling to figure out what she wants. When they do, she’ll be happy and content again. So, who said it?
​

It was Fred Rogers. You know, Mister Rogers, the one with the neighborhood? Fred didn’t have the perfect childhood, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t loved. His parents probably struggled with how to help him.

Fred was shy, introverted, and overweight as a kid. He was also stuck at home because of asthma attacks. Would you believe he was bullied? Kids can be mean. How did Fred survive it? He created his own world in his bedroom. Later bits and pieces of that world became Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.

Fred focused on a child’s developing psyche. On their feelings and the way they reasoned their way through problems, especially moral and ethical ones. His show modeled civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth. It handled hard things like the death of a pet, sibling rivalry, new babies, moving, and divorce. These are the problems of childhood, and I’m speaking as a retired second-grade teacher. They’re also the things families struggle with. I’m glad Fred was there to give us a helping hand.

Another piece of Fred’s legacy showed up nine years after his death. It was a new show created from some of his characters . . . Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. It touches young children the same way Fred did. My grandchildren watch Daniel Tiger. They love him, and I love what he’s teaching them about feelings and reasoning. They’re the same things that Fred learned from his own experiences, then shared with his audience.
​

​Sources:
Quote:  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
Information:   Fred Rogers - Wikipedia

Monday, February 20th is Presidents’ Day.
It’s a great time to quiz yourself on presidential knowledge.

Part 1 – Presidents and Colleges
1.  How many United States Presidents never attended college?
7     9     17     21
​
2. How many presidents graduated from Ivy League schools since 1980?
1   3   5   7

​And the answers are:  

1.  Nine presidents didn’t go to college, at all. They include . . . George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman. Everyone since Harry has had a college degree. PS – James Monroe studied at the College of William and Mary but never graduated.

2.  Five presidents in a row have come from the Ivy League. They include . . . George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. They all graduated from Yale. Barack Obama went to Harvard, and Donald Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. PS – Our current president, Joe Biden, broke the Ivy League streak.
​

Sources:
More Info: getunbound.org
https://quizzclub.com/games/daily-trivia/how-many-us-presidents-never-attended-college/answer/1796158/

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​Part 2 – Presidents and Citizenship
3.  How many US presidents were born as British subjects?
4   6    8   10
 
4.  Out of that number, how many presidents enjoyed dual citizenship at birth?
(Both American & British)
0   1   2    3
 
And the answers are . . . ​
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3.  The total number of US presidents who were born as British subjects – 10. Eight of them were born before the 13 colonies became the United States of America. Their names . . . George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Henry Harrison. That’s 8. What about the other two?

4.  Two presidents had dual citizenship when they were born, so they were considered British subjects AND American citizens. They were born AFTER we became a country, after 1789. They were  . . . Chester A. Arthur and Barack Obama. 
​

Sources:
More Info: en.wikipedia.org
How many US presidents were born as ... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub
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​Part 3 – Presidents Captured during the Revolutionary War
5.  Which future US President was captured by the British during the American Revolutionary War?
James Madison             James Monroe             Andrew Jackson              John Quincy Adams
 
6.  How old was he?
13           23          33          43
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And the answer is . . . 
​

​5.  That was Andrew Jackson. He was born on the frontier, between North and South Carolina in March of 1767. His parents left Ireland to come to the US. Andrew grew up as an orphan because everyone in his family, except for one person, was killed during the war. He was exceptional – growing up from humble beginnings. He became a celebrated soldier, and one of our country’s most influential presidents.

6.  Andrew was a courier when the British captured him. His age – 13. He’s the only prisoner of war to ever become president. Andrew, the orphan, went onto work in Tennessee as a lawyer, plantation owner, Tennessee Supreme Court justice, senator, and governor of the Florida Territory. He beat the British in the Battle for New Orleans. That was during the War of 1812. That’s when he became a national hero.
​
John Quincy Adams, son of the second president, beat him in his first presidential campaign, but it was so close the House of Representatives had to decide the winner. They chose Adams. Andrew defeated him in his second try. He went on to serve two terms as president. Check out the $20 bill if you’d like to see his picture. 
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Sources:
More Info: en.wikipedia.org
Which future U.S. President was... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub
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