There are many conservation laws that govern how the universe works. I teach two of these laws in my chemistry classes. The first is the Law of Conservation of Matter, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed. Atoms can rearrange to make new compounds, but the amount of matter you start with will […]
During my senior year of high school, I got my first car – a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta Royale in toad green. We called it The Toad. It was a hand-me-down from my Uncle Jerry. It was a boat, but it got me where I needed to go. This car offered several amenities to 18-year-old Catherine: […]
I live life by the semester as a college teacher: fall, spring, and summer. It’s generally an excellent rhythm for me. I have time and space to work on new ideas for my classes in the summer. This is important because it’s hard to work on new ideas for courses while teaching. Then, in the […]
His name was Oscar. He lived at Westphalia Hills for some period of time that covered at least the end of November 2019 to the very beginning of December 2019. I don’t know exactly how long he was there, just that his stay overlapped with my uncle’s time there in hospice. I encountered Oscar every […]
I flew for the first time when I was 10. I went with my grandma and uncle to California to visit my other uncle. We flew TWA out of St. Louis. I recently took my first plane trip in 2 years. I flew to Las Cruces to visit some friends. As I sat in Chicago […]
Everyone wants your attention. The junk mail. The spam texts. The telemarketers. The jingles on the radio. The commercials on TV. The ads on social media. The Billboards along the roadside. The videos blaring at the gas stations. The sponsored content in online news. Each one stealing a little from you, Until you have nothing […]
Primetime, prime numbers, Amazon Prime, prime meridian, prime rib, Prime Directive, primadonna, primeval, Optimus Prime, primordial, prime cut, prima ballerina, prime of your life. Prime can be used as an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, it means of first importance, main, of the best possible quality, excellent. As a noun, it is a […]
One year ago this month, I posted my first blog. I created this space to help me develop my voice and become a better writer. Over the course of the past year, I have learned a lot about myself, how I want to live my life, what I want to say with my voice, and […]
It happened again this November 7. In the wee hours of the morning, the clocks rolled back an hour. Daylight savings time ended. This time of year is hard for me. The daylight is already dwindling as the northern hemisphere tilts further from the sun. I live in southern Minnesota. The summer solstice provides us […]