Her Hidden Genius

 Marie Benedict writes stories about smart women living in a man's world. I have read The Other Einstein and Lady Clementine and The Personal Librarian. This time I read Her Hidden Genius which is about a British scientist named Rosalind Franklin. She studies physics and chemistry and takes pictures of things with X-rays.  She was the first to hypothesize the double helix structure of DNA. James Watson and Francis Crick got the credit and were the first to go public with the hypothesis. This was an enjoyable book. The author does extensive research.

Immune

 I listened to a non-fiction book called Immune: A Journey Into The Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive. The author, Phillip Dettmer, is enthralled with the immune system. He complains about some of the confusing named immunologists use. The book was scientific but sprinkled with humor and easy to understand references to animals. I know much more about my immune system now than I did before. Also, despite advertising to the contrary, there is no way to boost your immune system. And you might not want to do that anyway. Keeping your immune system in balance is essential to our  health. He compared the health of a group of Hutterites in North Dakota to a group of Amish in Pennsylvania. Hutterites farm differently than the Amish. Amish tend to have old fashioned farms with a variety of animals. Hutterites use more machinery and farm more like corporations. The Amish have a significantly lower rate of auto immune disorders than the Hutterites. Also developed countries have a higher rate of auto immune disorders than underdeveloped countries. I guess the next time I catch a cold I will be more grateful to my swollen glands and fever.

Skyline Drive

This morning I started driving the Skyline Drive of the Shenandoah National Park. I had great weather. I started at the south eastern end of the park and drove northwest finishing about 5 p.m. The speed limit is 35 mph but I often went slower. Congested areas have a speed limit of 25 mph. The road is smooth and in great shape. I stopped at one visitor center about 10:30 to walk for an hour. This road has about 500 scenic overlooks. I didn't stop at them all. In the Smoky Mountains National Park admission is free but you pay for parking in one place for more than 15 minutes. I paid $15 for a five day pass. Here there is no fee for parking but I had to show my senior national park pass.

I saw many squirrels and 4 deer and turkey vultures, red tailed hawks, Carolina wrens and tufted titmouse.

The first section of the park has the highest elevation. I stopped for lunch at 1 o'clock at the Grand Meadow visitor center. Here, in the middle of all these mountains, was a huge meadow. Field sparrows called as I walked through the meadow. I saw dozens of people biking on this road. 

These two does seem to enjoy running with me down the road. I had a great day driving on mountain roads making sharp turns and going up and down hills.

At my third and final hike of the day I came upon a puddle in a dirt road. Tadpoles were swimming!

 

Shenandoah

Today I drove from Waynesville, NC to Stauton, VA. Tomorrow I will drive the length of the Shenandoah National Park Skyline Trail. I plan to do a couple hikes while I am up there.

 

Happy Earth Day!

 

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Written in 1933 by James Hilton, Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a novella about a teacher at a boy's boarding school in England named Mr. Chipping. He teaches Latin and Greek to the boys in his school and maintains a firm discipline with them. In his 40's he goes on vacation and meets a woman. He marries the woman and she influences his discipline on the boys and improves his sense of humor. Unfortunately his wife and child die during the process of childbirth. Mr. Chips spends the rest of his days working at the school and learning about boys. I enjoyed reading this story about a kind and gentle man and his career with children.

 

Smoky

 

Today was a rainy day and it was fun to watch the smoky clouds move over and through the trees on the mountains.