Zumi suckles from Tessa

We were overjoyed to see this going on in the yard today.

That little furball suckling from our dog is Zumi Zoom-Zoom, our newly adopted kitten. The dog is of course Tessa, our ciobanesc mioritic breed, sporting her summer look. She normally looks like this.

With summer temperatures rising into the mid and upper 30s (Celsius), we didn’t want to cook her under that thick winter fur, so we gave her a haircut.

Of course, Zumi’s suckling empty teats. Tessa isn’t pregnant, nor do we have any plans to let her get pregnant until she’s over 2 years old. (She’s just about nine months now.) But the two of them have been getting along pretty nicely so far, in the short time that Zumi’s been with us. It took a week or so for Zumi to get used to the big, white, drooling monster who ran to greet her whenever she ventured into the yard, but they’ve warmed up nicely to each other. And I’m glad to see Tessa provide Zumi with a bit of comfort, while getting in a bit of practice for motherhood.

Ligia's Kitchen

Ligia’s Kitchen: Lentil and scallion entree

We just published episode 32 of our show, Ligia’s Kitchen, featuring a delicious entree made from lentils and scallions, seasoned with dill, lemon and salt. Ever since Ligia created the recipe a couple of months ago, she’s made it for us at least once a week, and it’s still great, every time I taste it. It’s a wonderful summer recipe.

LK-032-EN-HD
Released 6/25/12

Enjoy!

Thoughts

Mel Blanc: the man of a thousand voices

I found and watched a documentary about Mel Blanc today, entitled “Mel Blanc, Man of a Thousand Voices“, and I wanted to share it with you as well. This one man has given me and countless other people so much joy over the years, that I can’t thank him enough. He’s gone, but knowing the kind of person he was, I’m sure he would have appreciated my thanks and would have been glad to say hi to me, if we’d have met, just as he did with all his fans.

Photos used courtesy of Mel Blanc and Warner Brothers.

Thoughts

Multitasking and digital gadgets are making us less productive

Here’s a neat infographic that clearly shows how multitasking and the various gadgets we own and use throughout the day are making us less productive and stressing our brains and our hearts.

Frequent multitasking makes us unable to focus properly, to make good decisions, set goals and retrieve memories from short and long-term memory. It also makes us less empathic and decreases the amount of grey matter in our brains; it keeps us in a constant state of “fight or flight”. This is NOT good for us. It can take as long as five days for the harmful effects of our digital lifestyle to wear off and for our bodies to return to normal, if we decide to cut ourselves off from it or reduce it drastically.

So, focus on only one thing at a time when you’re at the computer. Limit the amount of time you spend browsing websites and/or switching between them. And take breaks from the computer. If it’s not your job to be at it all day long, don’t spend your day glued to it. Use it as little as possible. Make your life as analog as possible. You’ll be healthier and smarter for it.

Via: OnlineUniversities.com

Places

On Constitution Avenue in DC

This is a series of photos taken on Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, DC. Maybe you’ll recognize the buildings; some, like the Federal Reserve, are famous enough these days. This post contains a lot of photos (29 of them) and only selected ones are posted large below. Go through the thumbnails to see them all.