Author Archives

Opinionated writer with hopes for a better future for all plus a big helping of skepticism about humanity.

• HOT, HUMID, AND HAZY – TWO DAYS OF SUMMER IN LATE SPRING

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/22/2022 • ( 3 )

  Two days ago is was nasty, cold, and I needed a sweater and wool socks. Today it was 98 degrees and we kept our windows closed and managed to keep the heat out. But everything is blooming regardless of weather…… Read More ›

• IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT BOOKS

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/21/2022 • ( 16 )

  Reading Culture and Books I want to start this off by saying almost everything I know that’s important to me I learned by reading. Yes, I went to school. I went to college. I got a degree. I took courses… Read More ›

• SELF-DIAGNOSIS: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/21/2022 • ( 13 )

  In recent weeks, my hearing has been getting weak. Since so many people I know have been losing their hearing as a result of age and since I’m 75, I went under the reasonable assumption that I was losing my… Read More ›

• CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND HATRED IN THE U.S.

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/21/2022 • ( 24 )

  Fandango’s Provocative Question #165 For some people, this is an interesting, albeit impersonal question. For some of us, it’s personal and cuts painfully close to home. How do you feel about what is going on in the United States in regard… Read More ›

• WHITE AZALEAS

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/21/2022 • ( 2 )

  

  FOTD – May 21 – White Azaleas It is blooming time here in the northeast. From icy rain with a hint of hail just 48 hours ago, the temperature has been on the rise ever since. We have our A/C’s in… Read More ›

• SKETCHBOOK 69 – A BETTER GREAT BLUE HERON

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/20/2022 • ( 5 )

  

  It isn’t entirely better, but the head on this great big bird is better than the previous drawing. Great Blue Herons aren’t blue. They are grey which in the world of animals is blue. Don’t ask why. I don’t know…. Read More ›

• BLOOMING IN STRANGE WEATHER

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/20/2022 • ( 3 )

  

  FOTD – May 19 – Lilacs and Rhododendrons It was nasty, wet, and in the low 50s today. Saturday it is supposed to hit 100 degrees. It’s hard to believe that given how cold it was today that we will… Read More ›

• SKETCHBOOK 69 – THE GREAT BLUE HERON

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/19/2022 • ( 5 )

  I think I’m going to redraw this guy so he looks like he’s standing guard. For one thing, they are really tall — 6 feet tall or more. Of course, their primary interest in life are fish. These great big… Read More ›

• THE RED MOON ECLIPSE

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/19/2022 • ( 11 )

  

  I miss all the great moons here because I can never see the sky through the trees — even in the winter when the leaves are gone. The moon’s passage is across the southern part of our sky, exactly where… Read More ›

• GREAT BLUE HERONS

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/19/2022 • ( 2 )

  

  Let’s have our beautiful Great Blue Herons take center stage. Many of these amazing birds make their home in this valley. They live in large groups who nest in trees near the rivers where they fish. Great Blue Herons will… Read More ›

• FUN WITH SQUARES AND TRIANGLES

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/18/2022 • ( 2 )

  

  CFFC: Squares and/or Triangles It’s easy enough to find squares, but triangles were more of a challenge. I did find a couple, though.

• A LITTLE PEEK AT NORTHFIELD

  By Marilyn Armstrong on 05/18/2022 • ( 17 )

  

  FOTD – May 18 – Spring in Northfield, Minnesota I wish I’d had time to get some pictures of St. Olaf’s campus, but at least we got some pictures of town and the river. A look up and down Main… Read More ›