twelve things I learned in june

Emily Freeman over at Chatting at the Sky has invited us to join in community and share what we’ve learned this month–whether wise, witty, random, informative, or quirky. These are off the top of my head, but keeping track of what we learn daily through the mundane moments might have great merit. So, here we go…

1. There’s a new melon called a Kandy Lemondrop, touted as sweet with a lemon twist. It looks like a yellow-tinged cantaloupe with green flesh. I bought it. I tried it. I learned I don’t like it. It surprised me to realize how I often prefer the tried and true. Like don’t mess with an original M&M. That includes adding nuts or any kind of twist.

2. I learned (again) not to depend on packaging and marketing. A certain toilet bowl cleaner packaged as two in a “value pack” does not necessarily  cost less than two singles. You really can’t count on the outside of anything.

3. The grandgirl has a great big compassionate heart. I knew that, but I saw it in action as I watched her love on my dad over Father’s Day air show weekend. She even danced with him in a hangar to Big Band music. It enlarged my own heart.

4. My yard hosts the meanest, baddest, bravest, boldest, most persistent house sparrows on the planet. They terrorized my baby bluebirds and then proceeded to try to take over their house. They build. I toss. And they’re not afraid of the fish-line booby-trapping,

5. I entered The Republic of Tea, and I’ve been drinking three to four cups a day–sometimes on ice–after one cup of morning coffee. Currently on the shelf: Asian Jasmine White, Milk Oolong, Red Velvet Chocolate, and Coconut Pu-erh.

6. I learned I procrastinate. Oh wait. I already knew that. I’m already working on that.

7. A neighbor once told me I had a terrible job history. My sister says instead I’m a woman of many interests. I learned there’s a name for that. I’m a Renaissance Girl.

8. I learned there is little difference between “partly sunny” and “partly cloudy.” That the forecast for a given day may depend on the weatherman’s current disposition.

9.  I discovered a new-to-me site called bibliomania.

10. Did you know that Mark Twain was the first author to submit a typewritten manuscript?

11. I learned that our brains can actually improve with age.

12. And I learned  some funny stuff about Leonardo da Vinci in this course I’m taking through Tweetspeak Poetry:

Although generally recognized as the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo made many colossal mistakes and staggering blunders. Among his most notable faux pas were tragically unsuccessful experiments in fixing paint for The Battle of Anghiari and The Last Supper; disastrous and hugely wasteful attempts, sponsored by the Signoria of Florence, to divert the Arnor River; and a flying machine that never got off the ground. There was also a particularly hilarious failed scheme to automate Ludovico Sforza’s kitchen. Asked to preside as head chef for a major banquet, Leonardo created a grand plan for sculpting each course to be served to the more than two hundred guests. The dishes were designed as miniature works of art. Leonardo built a new, more powerful stove and a complex system of mechanical conveyor belts to move plates around the kitchen. He also designed and installed a massive sprinkler system in case of fire. On the day of the banquet everything that could go wrong did. Ludovico’s regular kitchen staff weren’t capable of the fine carving that Leonardo required, so the maestro invited more than a hundred of his artist friends to help out. In the vastly overcrowded kitchen, the conveyor system failed, and then fire broke out. The sprinkler system worked all too well, causing a flood that washed away all the food and a good part of the kitchen!

Despite mistakes, disasters, failures, and disappointments, Leonardo never stopped learning, exploring and experimenting.

~How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb

Tell me, what’s one thing you’ve learned this month? Then visit Emily’s place to find out what others have learned, and we’ll all grow our brains together.

Still learning,

Sandy