Fostering curiosity in kids (and their parents) since 2011

Posts from the ‘Miscellaneous’ category

My (@shalahowell) tweet from August 21: "There's a squirrel in my backyard frantically digging a hole to stash an emergency horde of nuts and all I can think is "Same Dude Same"

What a difference air quality makes

The wildfires in Northern California have sent a ton of smoke our way this week. While talking to my uncle this week, I found myself unable to explain adequately how weird the light has been as a result. Fortunately, my habit of taking multiple pictures of every flower I manage to grow means that I have a couple of photos that capture it.

Photo of me wearing a no-sew mask made from one of my husband's old t-shirts.

I tried 6 easy homemade face mask patterns. Here’s what happened.

There are a ton of handmade mask patterns out there. Luckily my habit of starting and abandoning various crafting projects has left me with a generous supply of quilting fabric, bias tape, elastic, thread, bandanas, old t-shirts, and flannel lying around the house. So I decided to put those raw materials to work by making and reviewing 6 so-called “easy” cloth face mask patterns.

Tweet from Dan Rather (@DanRather) reads: "Another day of uncertainty, tragedy. There's a feeling: Are those of us not deemed "essential" doing enough? Are we spending time productively? A reminder: Any day we don't get infected or infect others, that we protect our health system from being more burdened, is a good day."

Caterpickles Central Update

It’s been 33 days since we began sheltering in place. I suppose I should be using this time to write the next great American novel or taking my daughter’s education to the next level. Instead, I’m leaning into the idea that now is a great time to teach The 13-Year-Old some life skills, like how to manager her own schoolwork, clean her own bathroom, wash her own clothes, and regularly vacuum the chair(s) she likes to snack in.

a semi circle of flags against a pale blue sky

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! We’re going to take a few days off here at Caterpickles Central to enjoy the summer and maybe learn a few things about vintage cars. ‘Tis the season for vintage cars, after all.