Taming Bigfoot

This post and corresponding booklist were created by students at Nathan Hale High School as part of a teen service learning project. 

(Photo credit: Soraya Jessa)

Over the past nine months I have had the pleasure of volunteering with the non-profit organization Taming Bigfoot Seattle. Taming Bigfoot Seattle is a 1Sustainable Planet volunteer project, inspired and guided by retired NASA climate scientist Bob Bindschadler, that aims to engage the community in accelerating Seattle’s progress towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Nap Time is my Happy Hour

Napping isn’t just for kids anymore. Sometimes on my days off just curling up with my cats and a good book I’ll find myself just nodding off a bit…and it’s wonderful! Same goes for work, when I’m working a late shift and the afternoon yawns hit, I’ll curl under my desk on my 15-minute break and take a little shuteye. Turns out, there’s a scientific reason for nap time.

From Scientific American (11/18/15):

We reach peak daytime sleepiness in the afternoon, making 2-3pm the ideal time for a nap. If you are an early riser, you may need to shift that time slightly earlier.

Napping between 10 and 20 minutes is best, and no longer than 30 minutes. Longer naps can cause you to feel groggy, something researchers call sleep inertia.

Set an alarm so that you can rest easy without worrying whether or not you’ll wake up in time for your next meeting or class.

Create a nap-friendly environment. Dim the lights and perhaps add some white noise or some low level classical music, whatever works for you.

Some people swear by the coffee-and-nap combo. Since caffeine takes about 20 minutes to kick in, you can swig a cup of joe and then take a 15-20 minute power nap.

 

Here are a few nap inspired reads to get you started!

Bird Week: Birds of the Pacific Northwest

The Seattle Public Library is partnering with the Seward Park Audubon Center for Bird Week, April 23-30, in celebration of the center’s tenth anniversary and the National Audubon Society’s 2018 Year of the Bird.

The Pacific Northwest region is blessed with many bird species and birdwatching enthusiasts.  With longer days, April is a fine month to appreciate wild birds.  To learn more about birds, check out the Birds of North America database by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It offers a wealth of information on over 700 species – including biology, distribution, habitats, and migration.  There is also a multimedia gallery with vocalizations and videos.

Cooking Wild

View from our cabin!

Every year around February or March my husband and I plan our first camping outing. We have a cabin that we love, so even if it’s cold outside we can be nice and cozy. Our cabin has the absolute basics though, no cooking inside, no kitchenette, just a bed and a table, so that means we have to find easy ways to cook our meals. The first time we came out I was all about the foil packets on the campfire, but rain sometimes doesn’t fit with that plan. We now have an electric skillet that we can use on the porch if need be and a cast iron skillet with a cover for those light rains, and a camping tote that holds utensils and towels and spices, just little things we have found over the years to make cooking a little easier.

Here are a few books in our collection…beautiful ones I might add…that can help with the planning of an outdoor cooking adventure away from home.

New Nonfiction Roundup – March 2018

Historical narratives set in remote locations. Inspiring stories of the pursuit for peace, justice and equality. Examinations on the perils of authoritarianism. Cookbooks galore. All these, and more, await you this March!

3/5: The People vs. Democracy by Yascha Mounk. The author cautions that freedom is at stake in a world increasingly led by populist leaders. Will be at the Central Library on March 15th!

3/6: Always Delicious by David Ludwig. This companion to Always Hungry contains over 100 recipes for those frustrated with typical diet cookbooks.

3/6: Brain Food by Lisa Mosconi. Neuroscience meets nutrition in this book designed to improve cognition.

3/6: Can It Happen Here? by Cass Sunstein. The author’s answer to Sinclair Lewis’s novel It Can’t Happen Here is yes, authoritarianism can happen in America.