Happy Birthday Charles Darwin

 Yep!  It was Charles' birthday. And Abe Lincoln's and my kid sister too. So pretty easy to remember.  In times past we've had cake in the Herbarium but cake and a viral pandemic don't mix well.  And TPP gets  out all the Darwin books he owns just so students can see them.  Heck, it's getting so faculty don't own such things as books either.  Sadly books and journals used to be a measure of how good you were as a scholar.  Once a month a visit to a big library would help keep in touch with the literature and you would solicit reprint copies of really good papers by sending a postcard.  You would buy reprint copies to give away, now you just download a pdf copy.  As a graduate student at least you got mail with reprints.  Of course Charles wrote books, not a 8-10 page journal research article.  Well Happy  Birthday anyways, Chalres, you would not like how some things have changed.

Birthdays during a pandemic

There is no good time to have a birthday, and certainly not during a pandemic.  TPP's usual birthday celebration involves feeding a lot of fresh seafood to a bunch of friends who are happy to help you.  And it doesn't get any better than that.  But lots of things have been conspiring to make TPP feel old, and mostly because he is getting old.  As one T-shirt given to TPP says "Survived the 60s twice"  This is a good thing because lots of old friends have already died, so having birthdays is much better than not having any more birthdays.  On a bit of a lark, family and oldest friends find ourselves in very rural south central Missouri, a state where TPP spent a couple of years once upon a time.  The idea was to get away from people and just feel normal for a few days, eating and drinking and messing around like there was no pandemic.  Rented a rather plush farmhouse for the purpose, and the outdoor shower and toilet are first class.  The weather is comfortably warm during the day and cool at night.  Their spring-fed stream provides a nice swimming hole and lots of nice surrounding natural areas.  Just no seafood.  So far we have been quite lucky and none of our close friends have gotten sick during this pandemic, and this is most excellent so far, but you do begin to feel that you life has gotten a bit impoverished defined by things that you cannot safely do.  We were hiking this morning and since we were outside, most people, not a large number, were maskless, but the path was not terribly wide. A small number actually thanked TPP for stepping aside.  Tomorrow is the actual birthday event, and nothing particular has been planned except maybe a carrot cake and a nice cocktail.  On the whole TPP is thankful for the respite even if only a few days.  Wish you could all come along.  The number of Trump signs here in Missouri is actually rather depressing.  How could so many decent people find this man an acceptable president?

Happy Birthday cocktail

The local napkin that passes itself off as a newspaper had a fluff article declaring today as the birthday of the Negroni cocktail.  Equal parts Campari, sweet Vermouth, and gin.  This is not a kiddy cocktail and our 20-something nieces

decided after a taste that this was not a cocktail for them unless they were allowed to sugar it to death.  This image shows how the Phactors wait for relatives, in a totally appropriate manner in a sidewalk café in Florence.  If you substitute bourbon for the gin you have a cocktail called Boulevardier, and actually TPP likes it a bit better.  But when in Rome...(or Florence, or Genoa, or Levanto).

Good golly Miss Molly

Yesterday would have been Molly Ivins' birthday.  Just thinking about what she would be saying about today's political messes from the politically paralyzed government of Lincolnland, which is so much like her beloved Texas when it comes to doing nothing, to the ongoing presidential campaign.  She may not have had any answers, but she sure as hell could make you laugh about the remarkable foibles on display.  Here's some choice selections of Molly's wisdom
another fan has collected for us.  Many thanks to the Wonkette. Her takes on Ted Cruz and Rick Perry would have been choice given one of her past quotes, "Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention."  Can't even imagine what she would say about T-rump. 

A lot of water under the bridge...

On or about 45 years ago, and a few hours ago, the Phactors were wed.  It is quite hard to believe. 45 years is a long time and yet it doesn't seem so very long.  Over our evening cocktails (Mrs. Phactor was drinking a cold sparkling rose out of a silver goblet from the wedding, but they just don't work for margaritas. Our monogrammed silver mint julip cups, a wedding present from KY cousin Dan, continue to function just fine.) we were trying to remember certain events that took place on or about this time so many years ago, but with not very good recall on several issues.  Memory just fails us.  It's crazy what you do remember but sad what you forget. A best friend's wedding at which we apparently took no pictures.  And were TPP's parents present?  Not certain at all.  One thing is certain, and that is tomorrow is Mrs. Phactor's birthday, 49 me thinks, and not to be forgotten because of juxtaposition with this wedding thing as TPP was reminded so very many years ago. So yes, he  faithfully has gotten his bride a birthday gift.  The monstrous Hostapedia should keep her amused for a day or two, but even it may not help ID a couple of unknown varieties.  

Happy Birthday, Charles

Today is Charles Darwin's 207th birthday. TPP gave a lecture on evolutionary thinking last Sunday to a bunch of Unitarians who seemed to have liked it. It's also Abe Lincoln's birthday, a significant fact here in Lincolnland, but now lot's of people forget because Abe has been homogenized into President's Day, and it's also TPP's kid sister's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Sis; she's 39 if remembered correctly. Here's a really good essay about Darwin and his life if you don't know much about him and his life. TPP's Darwin lecture focuses on how biologists thought about things and how different this is from most people, and so evolution is greatly misunderstood. Darwin would be astonished to learn that he is remembered and commemorated still. Most of us don't expect our work to last very long because it gets supplanted by newer studies, by newer techniques, but Darwin provided a new way of thinking about biology, something with the potential to last a long time.

Double whammy weekend

Every year TPP gets the double whammy; this year it fell on a weekend. Yes, the anniversary-birthday bam-bam double whammy, so it greatly behooves TPP to remember this appropriately each year. It may be the secret to our long marriage (44 years) even though neither of us is old enough for this to be possible. At any rate, to celebrate with a bit of a get away, a short trip to Madison WI was in order, a chance to soak up some cheese, sausage, and beer, the 3 legs of good nutrition. Here's a nice little breakfast (although actually eaten for a lunch): Wisconsin Benedict, the local twist on eggs Benedict, here served with herbed fried potatoes. In New York people know that the dish originated in the late 1800s at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC. If you are unfamiliar with this dish, and gad, can it be possible such unsophisticated people exist, then the classic recipe can be had at the link. It's all about the sauce. At any rate here in Madison at the Old Fashioned (both a place and a cocktail) the WI Benedict substitutes a bratwurst patty for the ham and makes a creamy tart mustard sauce in stead of Hollandaise. This meal along with a signature cocktail made TPP feel so good, he allowed Mrs. Phactor to purchase a remarkable piece of recycled glass sculpture for display in our gardens. Awesome, eh?  All in all quite a celebration.

Happy Birthday Charles

Today February 12th is Charles Darwin's birthday, and my dear little Sister's birthday too (A card is in the mail, Sis.); she's just a tad more than 1/4th as old, which sounds much worse than it is as this is Darwin's 206th birthday. In years past TPP would have cake and get out his Darwin library (10 of his books) for his students to peruse, but this year not. So here's your tiny dose of Darwin: "We now come to the nyctitropic or sleep movements of leaves." (The Power of Movement in Plants, 1880) The image shown is a species of Oxalis, a wood sorrel, which have leaves with three sort of heart-shaped leaflets. Darwin devoted several pages of this book to describing their sleep movements.  Sleep movements of leaves occur in many plants characterized by a drooping of the leaf and a folding of the leaflets such that half as much surface area is exposed. Reading his books leaves you impressed by Darwin's powers of observation.

Happy birdday, F1!

About 6 hours ago TPP awoke to celebrate the exact anniversary of the F1's birth (about 3:15 AM), either that or TPP had to use the bathroom.  My celebration was joined by the you-should-never-be-in-the- bathroom-alone cat. The actual birth event took place 30-something years ago, no more than a block from where TPP sits (the hospital is across the street) and as a result, this birthday places the F1 and her friends dangerously close to Middle Earth, no, coming of age, no, middle, middle, ah, yes, age!  TPP brings this up to remind this generation that they aren't kids any more and must be thinking about how they will care for their aged parents during the coming years. Later today brats and beer will be used for another celebration, this one without the cat. Now, to complete the celebration, TPP must mow some lawn; a salad is needed to go with the brats.  Nothing but the best for our youngster.

Happy Birthday, Charles, Abe, and my baby Sister

Here in Lincolnland, Abe's birthday is a pretty big deal.  Of course for us biologists, Charles Darwin's birthday is a big deal too in that this day is used to remember his contributions and encourage our students to be a bit more scholarly.  And it's also my kid sister's birthday, but we won't mention her age mostly because no matter what TPP is much older.  Unfortunately Tuesdays are a very busy day; the moss lab just doesn't set up or teach itself.  So for lack of time here's a link to Darwin, Darwinism, Darwinist, and Darwinian, all of which does seem a bit over used, but if ever you make a contribution as large as his, hopefully you'll be remembered for as well as Charles has.  Here's something you may not have seen, a complete list of Darwin's publications.  Copies of those in bold sit on TPP's bookshelves.

• 1835: Extracts from letters to Professor Henslow (privately printed, not for public sale)
• 1836: A LETTER, Containing Remarks on the Moral State of TAHITI, NEW ZEALAND, &c. – BY CAPT. R. FITZROY AND C. DARWIN, ESQ. OF H.M.S. 'Beagle.'
• 1838-43: Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle: published between 1839 and 1843 in five Parts (and nineteen numbers) by various authors, edited and superintended by Charles Darwin, who contributed sections to two of the Parts:
• 1838: Part 1 No. 1 Fossil Mammalia, by Richard Owen (Preface and Geological introduction by Darwin)
• 1838: Part 2 No. 1 Mammalia, by George R. Waterhouse (Geographical introduction and A notice of their habits and ranges by Darwin)
• 1839: Journal and Remarks (The Voyage of the Beagle)
• 1842: The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs
• 1844: Geological Observations of Volcanic Islands
• 1846: Geological Observations on South America
• 1849: Geology from A Manual of scientific enquiry; prepared for the use of Her Majesty's Navy: and adapted for travellers in general., John F.W. Herschel ed.
• 1851: A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia, with Figures of all the Species. The Lepadidae; or, Pedunculated Cirripedes.
• 1851: A Monograph on the Fossil Lepadidae, or, Pedunculated Cirripedes of Great Britain
• 1854: A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia, with Figures of all the Species. The Balanidae (or Sessile Cirripedes); the Verrucidae, etc.
• 1854: A Monograph on the Fossil Balanidæ and Verrucidæ of Great Britain
• 1858: On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection (Extract from an unpublished Work on Species)
• 1859: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
• 1862: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects
• 1868: Variation of Plants and Animals Under Domestication
• 1871: The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
• 1872: The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals
• 1875: Movement and Habits of Climbing Plants
• 1875: Insectivorous Plants
• 1876: The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom
• 1877: The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species
• 1879: "Preface and 'a preliminary notice'" in Ernst Krause's Erasmus Darwin
• 1880: The Power of Movement in Plants
• 1881: The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms