Today was a browsing day

I didn’t have anything specific that I wanted to write about, today, so I decided to spend the time browsing through the blogs of some of the other NaBloPoMo participants.

The first one I explored was Withywindle Nature by Cynthia Menard. Her post on December 12 was about what bears do in the woods in winter time. (No, they don’t hibernate. Really.) It’s thoroughly researched and [putting on my Editor hat] very well written, too.

“The  next time you’re out walking during the winter and feeling bummed because everything looks so cold and dead, remember all the stored energy that’s around you: buds on trees waiting to unfold, animals running around under the snow living out lives completely unseen (that’s call “subnivean” for you nature geeks out there), mammals curled up in dens sleeping or hibernating, and somewhere in the woods near you, a mother bear is nursing her cubs.”

Jennifer Barbour, of Another Jennifer, wondered about the implications of a Wall Street Journal article on the mental health risks of being left-handed.

“Should I be worried that my left-handed child will develop ADHD. Or, should I just worry about my own “behavioral difficulties?”

Read her post for a link to the WSJ article and more information about the research.

Kathy Kramer, of the site Ms Ann O’Malley, wrote a wonderful post titled “I GOT YOUR BACK,” in response to a heart-wrenching post in an online forum. It’s one of the best pieces I’ve read on the issue of same-sex marriage.

“Love isn’t the exclusive domain of one segment of the population.  The entire human race has the capacity to love. “

Oklahoma writer Red Dirt Kelly, author of the Red Dirt Chronicles, posted her appreciation of a cherished friend. The examples are truly priceless.

“If I were a tree and beneath my branches lay gifts adorned in lovely holiday fare, I would hide the small collection wrapped in gilded sheets of friendship tied with bows of years together.

They are from my friend Cathy, and I would hide them because I know the contents. They fall into thepriceless category; not for sale.  Only to be distributed at the perfect times, and with Love’s careful delivery.

The contents are no secret, however, because they have been shared among her family and friends all her adult life.  They are the gifts of her prolific and perfect catchphrases.  Let’s open one, shall we?”

I’ve always wanted to make salt dough ornaments, but never had a tested-and-vouched-for recipe at hand when I had the time, and never had the time when I found a good recipe. (They are usually published in December. Who has time in December?!?) There’s a good step-by-step procedure at Freaks from the Hills, which has lots of interesting stuff about living and raising a family in a simpler, more sustainable way. I’ve bookmarked it for next year.

So, does reviewing others’ blog posts qualify as a daily post for NaBloPoMo? Guess I’ll find out!