Road Trip Reads - Humor

Choosing road trip reads requires not only understanding the material to be read but the audience who will be listening. Here's a listing of some of my go to books for a road trip.

Humor is always a good choice
The problem with modern humor is that I'm never completely sure if it is suitable for all audiences. Not necessarily because they'll be offended, but because I'll be embarassed.

• Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, 1889
So very British, there are some wonderfully funny scenes.
• Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner, 1942
I was reading this out loud to my father and he had to pull over because we were laughing so hard

• The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald, 1945
Anything by this author is charming and she's able to find humor in the most extreme of circumstances
• Thurber's Dogs by James Thurber, 1955
My friend Arlene introduced me to this author, everything by him has been a hit in the car

• Dog Who Wouldnt Be by Farley Mowat, 1957
This author was introduced to the car by my mother, hysterical dog and/or owl antics
• Bellwether by Connie Willis, 1996
Another introduced to me by Arlene. She read it to me on a road trip and it is now a go-to for smart audiences, particularly those who have done research or worked in large institutions such as universities.

Recipe - Lasagne

• Noodles, I use the dried packaged noodles
• Filling
• Cream Cheese
• Lowfat Cottage Cheese
• Nutmeg
• Dill leaf (dried)
• Cheeses
• Mozzarella
• Sharp Cheddar
• Medium/Mild Cheddar Cheese
• Parmesan
• Sauce
• Basil
• Oregano
• Italian flat leaf parsley
• Bay leaf(s)
• White onion
• Garlic
• Tomatoes (sauce, paste, chopped) alternately start with a jar of pasta sauce
• Italian Sausage (hot or mild) or Chorizo

In pan, sauté chopped onion and garlic. Add sausage and brown. Add remaining sauce ingredients and stir. If using fresh herbs (and I'm sure you are), simmer for at least an hour. If you are going to simmer for any period of time, the liquids will need to be balanced. Use less paste and more sauce for a longer simmer.

In food processor, blend cream cheese, cottage cheese, nutmeg and dill.

Cook noodles, rinse under cool water. For ease of assembly I will lay them out on wax paper on the counter.

Alternately, you can layer the lasagne with uncooked noodles. To make this work the sauce must come up a little over 1/2 way up the depth of the pan. While the first bake of lasange will be a little too saucy, any leftovers will be perfect.

Layer the cheeses, noodles, fillings and sauce together.

Bake at 350 degrees until heated throughout.

Tip for two: If you are cooking for four people or fewer, make your lasagne's in bread pans. Additional pans can be frozen and cooked later.

P.S. Thanks to Evelyn at: EvelynGiggles for the use of your CC photo

Inquiry: Prehistoric Mammals

I was reading an alternative history/fantasy novel series “Thirteenth Child” by Patricia C. Wrede and in this alternate universe where magic lived and the American continents were populated by prehistoric as well as magic animals there was a reference to a wooly rhinoceros. I didn’t think much of it, other than it was a clever thing to make up. If there were wooly mammoths why not wooly rhinoceroses. Eventually my curiosity overcame me and I discovered that there really were wooly rhinos. Most of the fossil record comes from Russia, but just because we don’t have a fossil record for an animal in the USA doesn’t mean it wasn't here, just that we haven’t found any evidence, yet.

On one of my forays to visit family in Texas, Shanna and I stopped in Kemmerer WY. They have some fabulous rock shops there. And it was here at a rock shop they were featuring the fossil of a wooly rhino. It was smaller than I imagined, Shanna included for scale:

A few years later I was reading a new book Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years Book 2) in one of my favorite series and the wooly rhino shows up again. Another twist is that there are also ice age animal weres.

Suddenly, I was obsessed with prehistoric mammals. The best part of my job is that I have the ability to research anything that strikes my fancy. As a reference librarian I sit at a big desk and say to the world “bring it on, ask me anything” and it’s my job to help them find information and answers. Since curiosity is one of my defining characteristics it really is the perfect job. I never know when one of these inquiry topics will help me answer future questions.

I started by looking for books in the library. I found:

• “Atlas of a lost world : travels in Ice Age America” by Craig Childs, 2018

In Atlas of a Lost World, Craig Childs blends science and personal narrative to upend our notions of where these people came from and who they were. How they got here, persevered, and ultimately thrived is a story that resonates from the Pleistocene to our modern era, and reveals how much has changed since the time of mammoth hunters, and how little. Through it, readers will see the Ice Age, and their own age, in a whole new light.” - Amazon

Though this was an interesting book, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I was hoping to find a reference style book that included maps, drawing and details about the various extinct species.

• “Megafauna : giant beasts of Pleistocene South America” by Richard A. Fariña et al., 2013

“More than 10,000 years ago spectacularly large mammals roamed the pampas and jungles of South America. This book tells the story of these great beasts during and just after the Pleistocene, the geological epoch marked by the great ice ages. Megafauna describes the history and way of life of these animals, their comings and goings, and what befell them at the beginning of the modern era and the arrival of humans. It places these giants within the context of the other mammals then alive, describing their paleobiology―how they walked; how much they weighed; their diets, behavior, biomechanics; and the interactions among them and with their environment. It also tells the stories of the scientists who contributed to our discovery and knowledge of these transcendent creatures and the environment they inhabited. The episode known as the Great American Biotic Interchange, perhaps the most important of all natural history "experiments," is also an important theme of the book, tracing the biotic events of both North and South America that led to the fauna and the ecosystems discussed in this book.” - Amazon

Whoa, this was what I was looking for, but was so technically extensive that I gave up and started looking for a beginners or even a children’s book. I will eventually come back to this book, but it wasn’t a good place for me to start my inquiry.

• “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals” by Steve Brusatte, 2023

”We humans are the inheritors of a dynasty that has reigned over the planet for nearly 66 million years, through fiery cataclysm and ice ages: the mammals. Our lineage includes saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, armadillos the size of a car, cave bears three times the weight of a grizzly, clever scurriers that outlasted Tyrannosaurus rex, and even other types of humans, like Neanderthals. Indeed humankind and many of the beloved fellow mammals we share the planet with today—lions, whales, dogs—represent only the few survivors of a sprawling and astonishing family tree that has been pruned by time and mass extinctions.” - Amazon

Another great book that was too much for my brain. Time for Amazon to come to my rescue

I purchased the following books:

• “Stone Age Beasts” by Ben Lerwill, 2023

Finally, a children’s book with facts, pictures and simple information to get me started. I highly recommend this one. Amazon

• “The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals” by Donald R. Prothero, 2016

I recommend this one which is aimed at adults and includes a lot more information than the basic kids book. I was able to wrap my brain around this one. Amazon

• ”Ice Age Mammals of North America: A Guide to the Big, the Hairy, and the Bizarre” Ian M. Lange, 2017

And another one I’d recommend, written as a “nontechnical introduction” Amazon

Visiting the Bellagio - April 2024 pt 2

Long tailed grackle on the grounds

The surroundings

The Bellagio

Hotel room

Art piece that I loved in the hotel room

I love the hotel hallway outside of my room

Visiting the Bellagio - April 2024 pt 1

I went to a conference in Las Vegas and got to stay for several nights in the Bellagio. Here are a few images from the hotel

Chihuly installation in the lobby

Tea in the garden

Today's Photo Challenge: Garden

A visitor to my garden yesterday.

Today's Photo Challenge: Celebrate Kitchen Klutzes of America Day or Most dangerous item in your kitchen