Hey, I just found out I’m a pluviophile! How do you make the most of a rainy day? I love the sound of a thunderstorm and big wind — as long as I know it’s not a hurricane level event. Some of the best sleep I’ve ever gotten was during the rumbling of thunder with wind whistling around the corner. …

They were saving my sanity Three years ago I was working full time in an Early Head Start Center as a Family Advocate. My job was a liaison position helping parents primarily to set and reach goals. The job was a mostly thankless one. Why? Well, most of these parents worked or went to college and here I was trying to pin them down at drop off time…

You’ve earned a vacation…wish I could give that to you Diana Meresc and David Perlmutter. Give them 5 minutes and there they are: the first 2 people almost every single time I hit publish. Do I mind that they read and clap, seldom leaving a comment? Not at all! I have gotten comments from each…

Every morning is a new chance and a fresh start Hope is important Hope is a desire for something; an expectation for a specific thing to happen. People hope for things every moment of every day. People hope their kids will do well in school that day, that everyone will be safe, that…

What are they good for anyway? Let’s face it: some insects are just more interesting than others. They’re cool. Some are just….downright creepy. What is the purpose of a mosquito or a tick for that matter? Some insects just seem to be a nuisance, with no useful purpose. With that in mind, I did some digging. I wanted to find out…

What is the best length for a story on Medium New writers are always curious about how long their articles should be to get the most readers. As ChrisIvy901 said: “When you’re starting as a new writer you’re always wondering if your articles are too long or too short. Questions like will I be able to get my point across in a timely fashion without boring the…

Introducing the Milky Way and our very own black hole There’s a lot of space out there, and apparently it’s getting bigger. When something expands, it usually takes away space from something else. Encroaches on some other territory or crosses a boundary. Something. But that’s not what outer space is doing. Scientists say that objects such as planets and stars keep expanding…

Some full moons really are bigger and brighter You’d think after seeing a full moon each month for over 60 years, it would lose its appeal, its magic. But each time I see one unexpectedly, I ooh and ahh like it’s the first time I’m viewing this spectacle! Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone Without a dream in my heart Without a love of my own…Frank Sinatra The color…

Unforgettable paintings that soothe your soul I don’t know about you, but looking at landscapes soothes me and fires my imagination and sense of wonder at the same time. There is something awe-inspiring in a majestic mountain scene or looking down into a lush green valley from the top of a mountain ridge. Whether in full sunshine with no clouds in the sky, or a moonlit night, or a rainy autumn day, or…