Simon at DiBella Law Office asked me to share a link to their website. I looked, said yes, and decided to add my advice as a retired teacher/parent/grandparent. I’d prepare my kids first before putting them on public transportation.

Simon’s link: dibellalawoffice.com/public-transportation-safety-guide-for-kids/ 

I live in a small town; my kids used school buses. But if you live near a city, your child may have to take public transit. It can be an opportunity to learn safety skills and independence. My goal, to help your kids do it safely. 

​

Simon at DiBella Law Office asked me to share a link to their website. I looked, said yes, and decided to add my advice as a retired teacher/parent/grandparent. I’d prepare my kids first before putting them on public transportation.

Simon’s link: dibellalawoffice.com/public-transportation-safety-guide-for-kids/ 

I live in a small town; my kids used school buses. But if you live near a city, your child may have to take public transit. It can be an opportunity to learn safety skills and independence. My goal, to help your kids do it safely. 

​​

                                                                                   
 Part 1: Talk to Your Kids: The first step is to have an age-appropriate conversation. You want to inform your child; to help them feel prepared, not anxious.

For elementary age kids, DiBella’s site suggests that parents focus on strangers. Talk about who’s trustworthy, like transit employees or moms with children, and who to avoid. I’d check in with your local transit system for safety suggestions. It’s in their interest to help you and your child.

​For middle and high schoolers, DiBella suggests that parents have honest conversations with their teens about risk, Unfortunately, that might include physical or sexual harassment. You also need to talk about how to report unsafe conditions. You should be their first contact, and their advocate.

To get them ready, I’d ride with my kids first and talk about what we see. How other people handle situations, what they did right, and what they didn’t. I’d let my kids sit by themselves, with me a few rows back as a safety net. It gives them confidence and lets them test their wings.
​
I’d also take DiBella’s suggestion to role-play situations your kids might encounter. Practicing where it’s safe, where they can make mistakes helps kids respond when they need to. A rule for teachers: repeat to remember; remember to repeat. Another strategy, ask your kids what they’d do in problem situations. The faster they can answer, the faster they can respond in real life.


​​

Part 2: Set Expectations for Behavior: Talk with your child about rules for public transportation. Help them understand there are consequences for breaking them.

Here are 6 rules from DiBella’s website. I’d also double check with your local transit company
to see if they have additional ones.

1. No running or climbing on buses or trains. It’s a safety issue.
2. Be courteous to fellow passengers. Think please, thank you, and excuse me.
3. Use headphones when listening to music and videos. It’s the polite thing to do.

4. Be aware of your surroundings and the people around you. If you’re using headphones,
I’d use 1 earbud to stay tuned in. Sit where you have the best view of the people
​around you. Consider the buddy system; 2 sets of eyes are better than 1.

5. Locate the fire extinguisher. I’d also look for exits in case there’s more than 1.
6. Share your location with your parents/guardians, just in case.
 
Tomorrow: Emergencies & Unsafe Situations

​Goodbye, Penny! On November 12, 2025, the US Mint stamped its last penny. They won’t make any more new ones, but there are lots of old ones still around. I wonder, how many can you find in your house?

My Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/11/12/penny-discontinued-shortages-us-mint/87214531007/


​​

                  Part 3: My Top Ten Songs
​
Can you think of any song titles with pennies? I picked the top ten from an online source.

My Source Link: https://www.ranker.com/list/the- best-songs-about-pennys/reference

​1. “Penny Lane,” was recorded by the Beatles, a 1960s English band from Liverpool. Think John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
 
It was released in February 1967. “Penny Lane” became a top five hit in Europe, and it reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100.


​​

2. “Penny Arcade” was sung by Roy Orbison, a famous American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
​
Orbison recorded “Penny Arcade” in 1969. He took it to #1 in Australia and New Zealand, to the Top 30 in the UK, and to #133 in the US. 



​

5. “Druscilla Penny” was recorded by the Carpenters, an American brother and sister duo

Karen and Richard released it on their 1971 album, Carpenters. It’s the seventh track on the album. 

​6. “Throw a Penny” was performed by the Bee Gees, a trio of brothers. Their first names, Barry, Robbin, and Maurice.
​
You’ll find “Throw a Penny” on their 1974 album, Mr. Natural. 




​

7. “Penny” was recorded by Night Ranger, an American rock band from San Francisco, California.

They released it on November 1, 1982. It was the ninth track on their album, Dawn Patrol. 


​

​9. “Penny Hardaway” was recorded by Ghostface Killah and the Cool Kids.
​
They released it on their album When Fish Ride Bicycles back on July 12, 2011. 

10. “The Penny Arcade in California” was recorded by the Neutral Milk Hotel.

It came from their 1998 album, The Aeroplane Over the Sea. Would you believe they actually renamed the song when they were touring?

​Goodbye, Penny! On November 12, 2025, the US Mint stamped its last penny. They won’t make any more new ones, but there are lots of old ones still around. I wonder, how many can you find in your house?

​Have you heard some great lines about pennies? I picked ten famous people who had something to say about them.  
​
My Source Link: www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/pennies.html

​
1. "One penny may seem to you a very insignificant thing,
​but it is the small seed from which fortunes spring."

By Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924)

American inspiration author & founder of Success magazine


​

​3. "Human beings have the remarkable ability to turn
nothing into something. They can turn weeds into
gardens and pennies into fortunes."

 By Jim Rohn (1930-2009)
​
American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker

​

​

5. "Few people know so clearly what they want. Most people
can't even think what to hope for when they throw a penny in a fountain."

By Barbara Kingsolver (1955)

Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, essayist, and poet



​

7. "When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts,
and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?"

By George Carlin (1937-2008)

American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, and author



​

9. "Every time I see a coin on the street, I stop, pick it up,
put it into my pocket, and say out loud "Thank you, God,
for this symbol of abundance that keeps flowing into
my life" Never once have I asked, "Why only a penny, God?
You know I need a lot more than that.""

By Wayne Dyer (1940-2015)
American self-help author and motivational speaker



​

​​Tomorrow: famous songs about pennies…will they disappear too?

Goodbye, Penny! On November 12, 2025, the US Mint stamped its last penny. They won’t make any more new ones, but there are lots of old ones still around. I wonder, how many can you find in your house?

My Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/11/12/penny-discontinued-shortages-us-mint/87214531007/
​

​                                                                                                                                      Part 1: The End of the Story: 
​

It all started with the Department of Government Efficiency. Think Doge. In January of 2025, they said that 4.5 billion pennies were stamped in 2023, and they cost taxpayers over $179 million. That’s a lot of pennies!

I couldn’t do the math, and Google couldn’t either. So I checked the US Mint’s 2024 Annual Report. They said each penny made in 2024 cost 3.69 cents to make. Ridiculous! To pay four pennies to make one? That’s non-cents! LOL!
​
President Donald Trump looked over both reports and then signed an executive order in February 2025. It ordered the US Mint to quit making pennies. They stopped…ten months later. 


​

It’s only been a week, but the end of the penny is already affecting businesses like McDonalds. When you use cash, they’ll ask if you could round up to the nearest nickel. Then they don’t need pennies to make change. Why? Thousands of stores can’t get them!

Note—if you use credit cards, no problem. Banks can give you change electronically.
​
Some businesses even round down. Losing a few pennies won’t hurt the bottom line in the short term, but over a year it can. Think dollars. Hundreds, even thousands! 


​

So what can business do? Ask Congress for help. Businesses have legal issues that are much bigger than mere pennies. Did you know 10 states and some localities already have laws that won’t let business round to the nearest nickel? Ouch!

You’d think government would have addressed this, but you’d be wrong. So what can you do? Use your credit card…it’s an easy button. If you prefer cash, use it. Just round up and be generous to businesses during this time of change. It won’t last forever.

                                                                                                         Part 2: My Top Ten Quotes

​Have you heard some great lines about pennies? I picked ten famous people who had something to say about them.  
​
My Source Link: www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/pennies.html


​

​
​1. "One penny may seem to you a very insignificant thing,
​but it is the small seed from which fortunes spring."

By Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924)
​
American inspiration author & founder of Success magazine



​​

2. "A penny saved is a penny earned."
And 
"Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."

By Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

American writer, scientist, inventor, statesman,
diplomat, printer, and publisher

PS... J. Paul Getty, founder of the Getty Oil Company, said something similar…
"If you look after the pennies, the dollars will look after themselves." 


​

​3. "Human beings have the remarkable ability to turn
nothing into something. They can turn weeds into
gardens and pennies into fortunes."

 By Jim Rohn (1930-2009)
​
American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker

​

​
4. "Be careful who you call your friends. I’d rather have
four quarters than one hundred pennies."

By Al Capone (1899-1947)

American gangster and businessman



​

6. "Pennies do not come from heaven.
They have to be earned here on earth."

By Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)

British stateswoman, leader of the Conservative Party,
​and Prime Minister

8. "If teardrops were pennies and heartaches were gold,
I'd have all the treasures my pockets could hold."

By Dolly Parton (1946)

American singer, songwriter, actress,
​philanthropist, and businesswoman

​10. "Whatever your dream is, every extra penny
you have needs to be going to that."

By Will Smith (1968)

American actor, rapper, and film producer




​

                                                      Part 3: My Top Ten Songs
​​
​Can you think of any song titles with pennies? I picked the top ten from an online source.
​
​​My Source Link: https://www.ranker.com/list/the- best-songs-about-pennys/reference


​

​1. “Penny Lane,” was recorded by the Beatles, a 1960s English band from Liverpool. Think John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
 
It was released in February 1967. “Penny Lane” became a top five hit in Europe, and it reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100.


​

2. “Penny Arcade” was sung by Roy Orbison, a famous American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
​
Orbison recorded “Penny Arcade” in 1969. He took it to #1 in Australia and New Zealand, to the Top 30 in the UK, and to #133 in the US. 


​

​3. “A Penny for Your Thoughts” was recorded by Willie Nelson, an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and activist.

He released it in February of 1976. 

4. “Penny Lover” was sung by Lionel Richie, an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and TV personality.

​It was the fifth and final release from Ritchie’s 1983 multi-platinum album, Can’t Slow Down. “Penny Lover” was also a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. It hung out at #8 for two weeks in December 1984.



​

​

​6. “Throw a Penny” was performed by the Bee Gees, a trio of brothers. Their first names, Barry, Robbin, and Maurice.
​
You’ll find “Throw a Penny” on their 1974 album, Mr. Natural. 

8. “Pretty Penny” was recorded by Stone Temple Pilots, an American rock band from San Diego, California.

It came from their 1994 album Purple, but it was released as a 1995 promo single. 

​9. “Penny Hardaway” was recorded by Ghostface Killah and the Cool Kids.
​
They released it on their album When Fish Ride Bicycles back on July 12, 2011. 


​

10. “The Penny Arcade in California” was recorded by the Neutral Milk Hotel.

It came from their 1998 album, The Aeroplane Over the Sea. Would you believe they actually renamed the song when they were touring?

I was surprised when I got an email from Bella at Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers. She asked me to share their link about driving safely when you’re pregnant. I never connected the two in the 80s when I had my kids.

I checked their link and found some great common-sense tips I’d like to share with you. Here’s the link to their web site if you want to check it out for yourself.


​                                             Link: https://cooperhurley.com/driving-while-pregnant/

​
​

                                Part 1: Seat Belts & Safety Tips
​

Seat Belts: Whether you’re pregnant or not, driver or passenger, wearing a seat belt is the safe thing to do. Take a look at this photo and check out how this mom-to-be is buckled up. She’s following National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines.

1. Mama’s lap belt is under her baby belly. It fits against her hips and pelvic bone. Not across her stomach. That’s dangerous for both mom and baby-to-be.

2. See her shoulder belt? It’s on the shoulder, running across the middle of her chest. It’s not in a dangerous position, like around her neck, or under her arm, or behind her back. Keep as much space as you can between your baby bump and the steering wheel, and as little as possible between your shoulder and the seat belt. 


​

​ Safety Tips:
1. Buckle your lap and shoulder belt correctly. They’ll keep you safe.
2. Check with your doctor to see if your medications might affect your driving.
3. Adjust your seat, steering wheel, or seat belt as needed. Space and comfort are good things for both of you.
4. Move distractions. When you’re expecting, focus and memory can be tricky. Things like cell phones can take your focus away from the road.
5. If you’re not feeling well, it’s ok to be a passenger, especially if you’re tired, nauseas, or in pain.

   

​ Road Trips: When you’re pregnant, long commutes and road trips can be a challenge. Think pit stops alone! But don’t worry. I found six ways to stay safe and comfortable.

1. Share your plans. Make sure someone knows when you’ll arrive. Give them a contact number in case you’re running late.

2. Plan for emergencies. Have your insurance cards and contact information ready, just in case.
​

3. Pick rest stops carefully. Make sure they’re labeled and well-lit. If you run into a problem, stay in your car.

4. Take breaks, even if you don’t need them. Get out. Stretch your legs. Check out the bathroom. No one wants to feel tired or nauseous.

5. Bring snacks and drinks in case you need them. If you have gestational diabetes, pick healthy ones.

6. Travel in the right clothes. Think loose, casual, and well-worn. Don’t let cute clothes distract you. Think comfy when you’re pregnant and traveling!


​

When to Stop: Listen to these 4 signals. They’ll tell you when you need a break and for how long. Don’t be a hero. You’re driving for two.
​​

1. Discomfort—If you can’t reach the steering wheel, or wear your seat belt properly, or sit comfortably…Take a break. Discomfort affects your focus and your driving.

2. Nausea—most moms-to-be have it. If yours is intense or you get motion sickness, stop! Your body is working for two.

3. Fatigue—anyone who’s tired should take a break. Moms-to-be, you’re building a brand-new person. No wonder you’re tired!

4. High blood pressure—whether it’s chronic or because of pregnancy, STOP! It’s dangerous for you and your precious cargo.
​

​

Car Accidents: Would you believe car crashes happen more often during the second trimester? The rate was 42% higher than for nonpregnant women. There wasn’t data for the first trimester or the third. My guess, they’re both lower than the second trimester.

The most serious kinds of injuries: pre-term labor, hemorrhaging, placental abruption, internal bleeding, miscarriage, and birth complications. They sound like collision injuries, not the kind you get from fender-benders.
​​

So what do you do in an accident? First, take some slow, deep breaths to calm down. Next keep an eye out for symptoms. If you have a concern, see the doctor. If they’re serious, call 911 or get someone to drive you to the ER. If you see a doctor, follow orders. Ask questions about your condition or about changes you notice.
If you’re in an accident, exchange insurance and contact information. Call the police to make an accident report. Touch base with your insurance company. They’ll help you if you decide to make a claim or get legal advice.


​

Post Delivery: Take time after you get home to recoup from childbirth and sleepless nights. If you had a normal birth, give yourself a few weeks to recover from any abdominal pain, bleeding, or soreness. Let family take care of you while you learn to care for your new baby.

If you had a C-section, you’ll need more time to heal. Maybe as much as six weeks before you drive again. Until then, rest up; follow doctor’s orders. Don’t do any lifting or heavy movements. Instead take time to catch up on your sleep and enjoy your new baby. 


​​

Car Seats: You probably bought yours long before baby’s due date, and you made sure it met safety standards. That it didn’t have any recalls or visible defects.

Make sure you install it a few weeks before your due date. The seat must face backwards according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines.

No matter what kind of delivery you had, car seats are too heavy for you to lift once baby’s here. Enjoy letting someone else do the heavy lifting; your turn will come soon enough.

Many strollers are designed to hold car seats safely. They’ll help you move baby around, but you’ll still need help getting it out of the car and into the stroller. Your doctor can tell you how much to carry right away, and when you’re fully healed. ​

If you’re my age, do you remember January in second grade? That’s when I learned cursive. It was thrilling! But by the time I was teaching second grade, cursive was gone. The era of teaching to the Ohio Fourth Grade Proficiency Test had begun.
​

So what’s so special about cursive? Take a stroll down cursive’s timeline to see how it developed and why it might be coming back.
​
                                                          My Sources: Who Invented Cursive? - Word Smarts
                                            Why Cursive Writing and Penmanship Is Important - Word Smarts


​

  Part 1: In the Beginning, There was the Roman Empire
​

Rome became an empire in 44BC (Before Christ). That’s when Julius Caesar decided to promote himself to emporer, but Rome had already been powerful for 600 years. This illustration features Roman chariot races in a coliseum. Think stadiums with horses and gladiators. 
​

Roman scribes modeled their writing after the Etruscans of Ancient Italy. That’s Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio in modern Italy. If you want to learn more about the Etruscans, check out Wikipedia’s maps and alphabets. Funny, their alphabet only has capital letters.

                                Links: Etruscan civilization - Wikipedia   &    Etruscan alphabet - Wikipedia
​

​Check out some real Roman writing! Did you notice it’s all in caps; without one single lower-case letter? It reminds me of the Etruscan alphabet.

Tomorrow: Meet Charlemagne. He came up with a new version too

                       Part 2: Fastforward to Charlemagne and the Middle Ages

​Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the Holy Roman Emperor, enters the cursive story sometime around 768 AD. He remains on the scene until 814 AD. AD means After the Death of Jesus Christ.
​
Charlemagne wanted an English monk to standardize handwriting. Over the years the monks created the first standard form of cursive. Its name, Carolingian script or miniscule.

​

Look below, and you’ll see an older example. Carolingian has lower-case letters. There’s separation between each word and even punctuation, but letters aren’t connected yet. Later versions of cursive will be based on Carolingian. 
​

During the Middle Ages, parchment grew more expensive, so writers pushed letters and words close together.  Then in the 1400’s the printing press was created, and typeface grew dark and heavy.

By the time the Renaissance came along, people added twists and curls to their writing, making it difficult to read. As a result, people returned to Carolingian. 
​
​

​


​
By the 1300s Italian humanism appeared. Did you notice the print is light and elegant? Its name, italic. 

The italics we read in books today looks like this… humanism arose from the study of ancient Greece and Rome, and it spread across western Europe. Interesting, the two fonts look a lot alike.
 

​​


 Part 3: Cursive Comes to the New World
​
When the English came to America, they brought their culture too. Their books and their handwriting. The first and most successful one written especially for the colonies, The New England Primer. Many children learned to read and write from its pages, especially in the northeast.

​This is one of its pages. The verses focus on the role of parents, the wages of sin, and on salvation. Many passages come straight out of the King James Bible. 

I can imagine children placing velum, a thin sheet of paper on top, then tracing over the letters and words. That’s how they learned to write, and it’s also why New England had so many literate citizens. Boys, especially.

Penmanship was a sign of education and wealth, but it also showed your gender. Everyone added flourishes to their writing. Ladies used curves and bows while men favored straight lines. 


​

​Do you recognize this document? It’s the Declaration of Independence. 
​

I thought it was written by Thomas Jefferson, but it turns out Timothy Matlack, a calligrapher, copied Jefferson’s words onto that original Declaration. The name of that early cursive, Copperplate.

Do you recognize this man? His name is Platt Rogers Spencer; I’d never heard of him either. Platt was an abolitionist. He lived during the 1800’s, and he worked to free slaves before the Civil War. But that’s not why he’s in this post…

In the mid 1850’s he came up with a new form of writing. Its original name, chirythmography. I don’t think I can pronounce it. In Greek it means timed handwriting. Would you believe Platt actually used a metronome to help writers match their pen strokes to a beat?
​
BTW, a metronome is used in music to help you play at a steady pace. Not too fast. Not too slow. Funny, I never pictured it as a handwriting tool.

Chirythmography is too fancy for me. I prefer its ordinary name, Spencerian script. It’s much easier to pronounce! Spencer wanted to make penmanship available to everyone, and it worked! Look below…

​
Do you recognize this logo? Platt penned it, and it’s been Coke’s logo ever since. His writing style caught on. Many schools and businesses adopted it. Why? Because good penmanship meant opportunities…for jobs and promotions.
​

 
                                                            Part 4: The Twentieth Century and a New Millenia
                                                                     

The late 1800s brought change. Spencerian was too slow for clerks and telegraph operators who had to turn Morse code into cursive. 

​Austin Palmer had a new idea, and a how-to book. He also taught writers to use their arm muscles to write faster. It worked!

The Palmer Method became super successful for business and personal writing. If your great grandparents wrote letters during the early 1900s, their handwriting would have looked like this.

​Do you recognize Zaner-Bloser from your schooldays? I printed in it. In 2nd grade I learned cursive, and in 3rd grade I HAD to use it…on spelling tests and everything else! Imagine spelling a word right but mixing up a cursive stroke. URGH!
​

Elmer W. Bloser, a classmate and friend of Zaner, bought part of the company in 1891. Five years later they renamed it, Zaner & Bloser, and in 1921 it became simply Zaner-Bloser. As of 1972 ownership of Zaner-Bloser was sold to Highlights for Children. They still own it, and children still learn their letters from them.


​

So what happened to all those kids born in the late 80s like mine? All three of them print. The only thing they write in cursive is a signature. Why?

My two sources claim it’s because of keyboards and touchscreens. That’s partly true: we take tests online. But from my perch as a 2nd grade teacher, it’s testing. From 3rd grade up, tests dominate the curriculum. If it’s not on that test, teachers don’t teach it. They might want to, but penmanship isn’t tested.

In Europe, kids are still taught penmanship, and it’s coming back here in the states. Would you believe in 2024 California became the 22nd state to require that cursive be taught again? Why? Research is beginning to show that there are benefits to cursive, like increasing memory. People who take notes on paper remember things longer. 

​

​My two original sources:
​
1.https://wordsmarts.com/cursive-penmanship/?lctg=c4d2fe5b-125d-41db-a63c-ea78909f2d82
​
2. https://wordsmarts.com/history-cursive-writing/?lctg=a98ce4ad-51ba-48fd-ac39-1bd7f46aac1d

If you’d like to learn more, check out this link. It lists twelve benefits your child will miss if they don’t learn cursive. Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/the-death-of-cursive-writing-will-have-serious-consequences-for-your-grandkids/ss-AA1OTN8q?ocid=winp2fp

Do you recognize this landform? It’s the continent of Africa, and this is a political map from 2021. Did you know Africa is the 2nd largest and 2nd most populated continent?  Only Asia is bigger. 
​

 Before she left, she had some prep work to do. There were shots to take, for yellow fever, typhoid, and tetanus. And her clothes went to a special place called Insect Shield. Would you believe they soaked them in insect repellent, then let them air dry so she wouldn’t have to worry about bug bites?


​

                                    Part 1: The Inspiration for Sandra’s Trip
​

​My interest in Africa started when I read the book The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The series is enjoyable to read. I love the descriptions of Botswana in the books, and the main character, Mma Precious Ramotswe, a traditionally built lady, as she calls herself, not your typical detective.
                   
Precious enjoys drinking rooibos tea, a habit I adopted after reading the books. I also watched a documentary on PBS about a hot-air balloon ride over the Serengeti. I knew I had to fly someday over an African park and witness the animal migrations.


​

​It became popular international in the 2000s, coincidentally when the book came out and later a TV series. If you’re curious what it tastes like, Wikipedia said it has an earthy flavor and aroma to yerba mate or tobacco. In the UK, it’s known as bush tea, red tea, or redbush tea. Would you believe you can find rooibos tea on Amazon?      
 
 
​

                                                        Part 2: Sandra Goes on Safari—Her Photos & Words

​My dream came true this year when I went on a safari in Kenya and Tanzania. I took a hot-air balloon ride over the Masai Mara and saw hundreds of different creatures.   
​

​Seeing animals in their natural habitat, interacting with each other--
zebras with wildebeest, impalas, gazelles….

A leopard hanging in a tree…

​Lions by the side of the road…

​Giraffes munching on acacia leaves…

Cheetahs with their cubs—was incredible. TOTAL MAGIC!

(Rinda) I’m so glad Sandra didn’t forget the elephants, especially the baby!
​

​
​Do you see it in the first photo? There must be something that alerted the adults.
They encircled the baby to protect it. That’s what elephants do when they sense danger.
​
​

Part 3: Sandra Meets the People of Africa—Her Photos and Words
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​I also loved the people I met—their warmth, pride in their countries, and friendliness. I want to return and explore other parts of this vast continent. My memories of Africa have stayed deep in my heart. This photo came from a Masai village in Amboseli Park.

These kids are dressed for school. All children, even in public school wear uniforms. They’re on a field trip at the end of the year to the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi. Buses brought them from villages outside of Nairobi.
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                                                                   They were very well-behaved children. 



                                                                              Part 4: Africa by the Numbers

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​(Rinda) Africa takes up about 20% of the land on earth. It’s home to 18% of the world’s population. In 2021 that was approximately 1.4 billion people. Africans are the youngest people on earth. In 2012 their median age was 19.7. Worldwide, it’s 30.4. (Median means the number in the middle.)

Africa, as of 2021 is made up of 54 nations. There are also 8 cities and some islands that belong to non-African countries. Would you believe Malta and Sicily are geographically part of the African continent, but both belong to the European Union? Algeria is Africa’s largest country, and Nigeria has the most people.

                                                                                       Source: Africa - Wikipedia


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                                                                                A Map of African Languages
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​(Rinda) Would you believe Africa has between 1,250 and 2,100 languages, depending on how you count the dialects? Some say it could be over 3,000!

There are 7 distinct families of African languages. They’re spread across the continent. Nigeria has the most people and over 500 languages.

                                                                  Learn more at: Languages of Africa - Wikipedia

Can you imagine how one creature, one animal has the power to shape an entire ecosystem? I knew the blue whale was the largest animal that ever lived…Even bigger than the dinosaurs, but I never imagined it could affect our oceans.

When I read an article about blue whales from Animals Around the World, I knew I had to write about them.
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Their link: https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/why-a-single-blue-whale-can-reshape-an-entire-ecosystem-3-333179/


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1. How Big is a Blue Whale?
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- A blue whale is 100 feet long, or 6 feet longer than a basketball court.
- It weighs 200 tons. That’s as heavy as the engine pulling a train.
- Their tongue weighs about 2.7 tons. Can you imagine a whale with an elephant-sized tongue?

i -  Their hearts weigh as much as a car. Ours, only 10 ounces. That’s the size of a grocery store can.
- Blue whales pump 220 pounds of blood through their body. That’s what some football players weigh.

- Their arteries are so big grown-ups could swim through them. 
- When a blue whale eats, goes to the bathroom, or decays after death, 
it changes the ocean around them.


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                              ​2. How Much Do They Eat?
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- One blue whale can eat up to 4 tons of krill in 24 hours.

- 4 tons of krill equal the weight of one hippo.
- It also equals 40 million teeny tiny creatures.
- Each one, 1-2 centimeters long.

- Eating all that krill keeps their population in check.
- That leaves room for other kinds of krill and
plankton to live too.

- Blue whales feed on thick patches of krill.
- A single blue whale can set the trophic levels lower in the ocean.
- The plants and animals at the lowest trophic levels are also at the bottom of the food chain. 

- These 2 animals can equal each other…
- 40 million krill equal one 4-ton hippo.

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                                                                  ​3. How Do Blue Whales Affect the Ocean?

Do you remember how one blue whale eats about 49 million krill? That’s about 4 tons a day! That gives them the power to keep krill populations in check. It also allows diversity within plankton communities too. 

​This map shows where blue whales live and influence ocean life. They don’t live in the white spaces, and they don’t control krill populations there either. 


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                                                                                                                ​​4. Do Blue Whales Fight Climate Change?
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Yes, they can! Blue whales live more than 90 years. During that time, they accumulate tons of carbon inside their bodies; 33 tons of carbon dioxide to be precise. When a whale dies and sinks to the bottom of the ocean, it’s called a whale fall. Those tons of carbon are stored away inside their bodies for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.
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The blue whale population is now in decline, meaning they’re pulling less carbon out of the environment. One blue whale can capture the same amount of carbon dioxide as thousands of trees, and now there are fewer blue whales to do that.


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       ​5. Can a Dead Whale Create an Oasis Under the Sea?

Yes! A blue whale stimulates the ocean long beyond its lifetime. As its carcass reaches the ocean floor, the seabed grows rich in resources that can last ocean creatures for 75 years, or the turn of the next century. One blue whale carcass can deposit 2,000 years’ worth of carbon. That’s the year 4025.
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There are 400 species that can colonize a whale fall. Some of those organisms are found nowhere else on earth. That new community will become a hotspot for biodiversity for decades. It will also serve as a steppingstone for the spread of those species across the plains of our deepest oceans. 


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                                               ​​6. Did You Know When Blue Whales Move, It Changes the Ocean?
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When a blue whale eats, each lunge they make moves over 70 tons of water. The turbulence extends down hundreds of meters. That movement mixes and distributes nutrients, oxygen, and heat through the layers of water. It also affects the chemistry and circulation patterns, and blue whales can temporarily change the temperature and microbes in the water.

Would you believe as blue whales dive and surface, they create pressure waves that keep seafloor sediments in shallow water? It also pulls up buried nutrients for ocean communities. Those disturbances are multiplied across a whale’s migration route. One whale can influence ecosystems across thousands of miles of ocean. 

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​Absolutely! When a blue whale swims into an area full of krill, they change the way they swarm. Krill take defensive measures like migrating vertically, changing when they reproduce, and where they live. Why wouldn’t they? One blue whale eats 4 tons of krill in 24 hours; that’s the weight of one hippo.

When blue whales often swim through an area, the krill population is more stable and diverse. They also feed other ocean animals like seabirds and small fish.

                 8. How Loud Are Blue Whales?
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They are the    loudest creature on Earth. As the Earth’s largest animal, it makes sense they have a HUGE voice. It’s 188 decibels loud, or as loud as a rocket ship when it blasts off.

Their voice is deep because of its low frequency. Its long wavelength lets it travel hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles across the ocean.

Would you believe the call of one blue whale can change how schools of fish swim? That it can trigger defensive responses in prey, or that it can change migration patterns for zooplankton. Blue whales have ONE powerful voice!


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9. Do Migration Routes Affect Ocean Habitats?
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Absolutely! Blue Whales travel up to 10,000 miles each year between their feeding and breeding grounds. Their routes are biological highways that connect ocean ecosystems. As whales swim between both points, they carry with them nutrients, microorganisms, even parasites.

Seabirds, sharks, and other smaller fish know when whales will arrive. They gather, waiting to share in the feast. Some parasites complete their entire life cycle aboard a whale during one of those journeys. It’s hard to believe that just one blue whale can strengthen an ecosystem. They prevent isolation and promote genetic exchange between distant communities.


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                                                                                                                            10. Do Blue Whales Affect Ocean Evolution?
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​Absolutely! Krill have changed and evolved how they swarm, migrate vertically, and reproduce based on the presence or absence of blue whales. There are distinct differences between the two krill populations.

The whale’s baleen digestive system also favors certain krill species and sizes over others in the evolutionary fight to survive. That in turn favors some krill-eating seabirds and fish too. It’s hard to believe one blue whale can drive marine evolution across thousands of ocean habitats.
 
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                         11. What if Blue Whales Disappeared?
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Ocean habitats would suffer. In the Southern Ocean, it’s already happened. Commercial whaling removed about 99% of the blue whales. You can still see the results today.
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Without whales feeding on them, the krill populations have changed. They’ve grown larger and denser. They’ve stopped changing physically; there’s no need to escape a predator.

There’s also a reduction in nutrients. Without whale poop, there’s less iron in the ocean, almost 40% less. Without their deaths, other creatures aren’t born. They become rarer and more isolated. There are millions of tons of carbon that whales no longer remove and store away. We need blue whales to keep the oceans healthy and thriving. 


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12. Is There Still Time to Save Them?
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                                                                                                     13. Is One Blue Whale Irreplaceable?
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​The conclusion to the article—YES! A blue whale is so much more than its incredible size. Just one whale influences the ocean by the way they eat, migrate, poop, communicate, and even die. All those things enhance biodiversity, stabilize food webs, and connect distant ecosystems.

Blue whales are one BIG animal in the ocean, but they’re key to its health. With the decline in their population, protecting blue whales is more crucial today for the whales, for the health of our oceans, and for their fellow creatures.
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My source link: https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/why-a-single-blue-whale-can-reshape-an-entire-ecosystem-3-333179/

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​Sometimes your mind just stalls out. Not from lack of effort, but from running in too many directions without pause. Creative energy isn’t infinite—it depletes, especially when life demands too much and gives too little space in return. The good news? You can restart it. Like a muscle, creativity responds to movement, rhythm, and shifts in perspective—especially when you step outside the loop you’re stuck in.



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     Tip #2: Use Movement to Clear Mental Clutter

There’s a strange relief that comes when your feet are moving and your mind trails behind them. A walk clears static you didn’t know you were carrying. It's not just exercise—it's a way of thinking without trying. The repetition of footsteps untangles thoughts quietly in the background. That rhythmic forward motion often acts like a reset switch on problem-solving. Not every idea is born at a desk. Some of your best breakthroughs might be waiting just outside your door, pacing alongside your shadow.



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You don’t need a giant breakthrough. Simple ways to stay creative include sticky notes, sketchpads, lists of bad ideas, or mind maps that go nowhere. These aren’t productivity hacks. They’re frictionless ways to loosen mental bottlenecks. Let your tools be dumb. Let your output be pointless. Eventually, something catches. You’ll be surprised by how often a diagram or scattered phrase gives shape to something previously invisible. Small tools work because they lower the stakes. They allow you to experiment without overthinking, and that freedom lets deeper thought patterns start to move again.


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​   Tip #4: Pursue New Professional Pathways

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​Sometimes creativity doesn’t just slow—it stalls completely, stuck in work that no longer lights you up. That’s when a bigger change can spark something deeper. If you’ve always felt drawn to technology, pursuing an online computer science degree gives you a way to explore programming, IT, and real-world tech applications with fresh eyes. You don’t have to quit everything to start—online programs make it easier to study while keeping your current job. The shift might be the very thing that brings energy and creativity back into your work and your thinking.


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                                                                                                                     Tip #5: Engage with Hands-On Expression

​You don’t need to “be an artist.” You need space to move your thoughts with your hands. Using art to slow down works best when you stop expecting results. Try a pen, some markers, maybe clay. Let it be terrible. The process is the payoff. The reflection comes later. Making something visual or tactile gives your brain a different channel. You’re not analyzing or solving—you’re observing, releasing, shaping. That act alone can return you to center, especially during periods of mental fog. It doesn’t have to look good. It just has to move something that’s been sitting still for too long.

                                                             Tip #6: Create Distance to Gain Perspective

​Problem-solving isn’t always about staring harder. Taking a step back mentally allows insights to surface sideways. Let the pressure drop for a minute. Change the scenery. Pretend it’s someone else’s problem. These shifts open up angles that brute force can’t. Psychological distance reshuffles mental associations, turning stuck ideas into movable ones. When you detach, even briefly, your subconscious does work your conscious mind can’t. It’s not about giving up—it’s about letting the solution come through the side door while your ego takes a break.

                              Tip #7: Make Time for Drifting

​You’re not lazy—you’re building space. Letting your mind wander is how new connections form without effort. Don’t fill every pause with scrolling. Just stare out the window sometimes. Doodle. Breathe. Let yourself be bored long enough for something unusual to slip through. That quiet space where nothing is demanded often becomes the birthplace of something unexpectedly clear. It’s not distraction—it’s incubation. And it only works when you stop forcing it and let your attention soften.
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                                                                                                                                           Part 8: A Conclusion

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​Creativity isn’t a single switch. It’s a circuit with multiple wires: movement, curiosity, quiet, reflection, structure, space. You can learn how to rebuild it, even after long periods of burnout or doubt. The key isn’t inspiration—it’s rhythm. You don’t need to wait for something big to spark again. Just start where you are. Small shifts, repeated often, lead to very real change. And if you treat creativity as something to be fed, rather than forced, you’ll find it begins to show up more often—and stay longer when it does.


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Discover the magic of storytelling with Rinda Beach, a passionate children's author, teacher, and speaker! Explore her books, blog, and author visit opportunities to inspire creativity and learning today!

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                                                                                                                                   Meet Guest Blogger, Kent Elliot                         

​​I am a retired architect with a passion for dogs, DIY, and universal design. After my stroke that left me with mobility issues, I thought I’d need to move out of my home and into an assisted living community. But, using my experience as an architect and with a little creativity, I was able to successfully remodel my family home instead. The relief I felt has inspired me to help others do the same. I created At Home Aging to share what I’ve learned and I’m currently working on a book, Aging in Place One Project at a Time: DIY Home Modifications That Don’t Require a Professional
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