By Posted on Posted in General Interest Tagged with , , ,

I’m certain most of us have experienced this. Say a word repeatedly and soon it loses its meaning. What? What? What? What? What? What? What? WHAat? Whattt? Waaaaat? Whaaat? Whaaaat??

Did the word just kind of disintegrate before your eyes? Become strange, incomprehensible, or a meaningless string of letters? If so, what just happened to you is nothing new. The phenomenon was first described in The American Journal of Psychology in 1907. It was the research topic and dissertation of Dr Leon James in 1962. He demonstrated through several linked experiments that when people repeat a word over and over the word loses meaning. He was able to trace this effect in several areas including verbal learning, problem solving, bilingualism, popular songs, advertising, and stuttering…

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By Posted on Posted in Birds/Birding, Gardening, The great outdoors Tagged with , , , ,
yellowjacket-wasp

Another gorgeous day in northern Michigan. Birds singing, happily nibbling away at numerous feeders that fill the yard. I turn to see a lovely couple, a male and female grosbeak having lunch together. Every now and then they look into each other’s eyes. I wonder what their love story is. A few feet away, gregarious birds gather around the flat feeder. Hey, I was here first. No, you weren’t. Well watch this. There I showed you. Uh, that was until two more landed, taking care of the younger squawkers. Meanwhile a lone hummingbird hovers nearby over the deck. Scanning the area for aberrant invaders, he goes into a dive, Table for one, please. Extracting sugar-water from deep inside, he sits for at least 60 seconds. He feels safe. Secure. But he never stops perusing the area for signs of trespassers. Another day in the life of backyard birding…

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By Posted on Posted in Birds/Birding, Mare's photos, Photography, The great outdoors Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Now, with a total of nine feeders (not counting the three hummingbird feeders put out this week), it’s a regular bird fest for breakfast lunch and dinner. Our backyard has become a haven for over 40 species of our flying …

May 6th backyard birds Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Music Tagged with , ,

Approximately a year ago, I introduced an eleven-year-old handpan player, Sunni Holden from Australia. I immediately fell in love with his infectious smile and his talent. Due to the number of accounts I follow on YouTube, I realized that I hadn’t had much of a chance to hear Sunni’s latest golden moments. So, today without further ado, I’m sharing some wonderfully inspiring music from the land down under. I love listening to him (and other handpan players) for mediation and as a sleep-aid. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. It’s a great escape from the hectic pace of everyday life…

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