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Sometimes it is a wonderful thing to be wrong. I am reminded of this every time I look out our south-facing windows.

My husband and I designed our home, and making scores of decisions was a huge part of the process. Questions were raised such as “Do we really need a bathtub?” and “Can we have a flat roof?”(no and no) But one of the most crucial decisions is the first one: “Where should we put the house on the lot?”

My instant, intuitive response was “in the middle”. My spouse, on the other hand, preferred a site on the south side of the lot and adjacent to a grove of mature pine trees. I demurred, and this is where our house now stands. His judgment was brilliant.

Our views to the east and west are grand vistas. We have a complete view of the sunrise over the lake in the morning and an equally unimpaired view of the sunset over the fields to the west. We get the big picture and are grateful for it every day.

But my husband understood the close-up view is important as well. The pine grove is an entire world of activity that goes on all day and night, and we have ringside seats from our kitchen table.

The various bird families are a constant daytime presence and joy. Being next to the pines, we can discern the first, faint traces of yellow on our male goldfinches, a sure sign that spring is coming. And when a rare occurrence happened a week ago, we did not miss it. A flock of around 100 redpolls came to our feeders.

On a daily basis we get to check out what the juncos, mourning doves, woodpeckers, nuthatches, sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, finches and turkeys are doing. I’m a corvid lover, so the jays are a favorite of mine. Our group of six arrive in a flurry and bounce around like they have springs on their feet. I love their big cousins the crows as well, but they are extremely wary of coming up close to the house. I’ve threatened to hang hot dogs or Ritz crackers in the trees close by to lure them in.

After the sun sets, our nocturnal guests arrive. Watching the raccoons discover a particularly tasty treat never fails to amuse. When discovering a leftover piece of cake, a raccoon will immediately whisk it away to the depths of the woods. Raccoons are, however, ready to share the ordinary fare, seeds and nuts, with their friends. In winter, the deer pay us nightly visits as do my beloved opossums. Once, on a bitterly cold night, I even saw a tiny mouse race up a bush and make a leap into our hanging tray feeder.

The wildfowl bobbing in the lake and the deer in the fields across the road are no more than specks to our uneagle eyes. But thanks to a wise decision, we get an intimate view of wildlife. I happily stand corrected.

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Sharing isn’t just for kindergartners. It’s the basis of just about everything that makes life worth living. In this age of “ME”, those people who focus solely on themselves don’t seem to be getting any happier. In its many forms, sharing appears to be the win-win proposition. The person sharing and the person receiving both are enriched.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by friends and family all of whom eagerly share stories, books, food and suggestions on places to see, travel or explore. I am grateful to everyone who passes their knowledge along. “Have you read?”, “Have you seen?” or “I think you would like” are all words I love to hear. At the heart of all this sharing is the ultimate gift of time.

So thanks to all of you who take the time to send along all the newspaper clippings, posts, pictures, letters, cartoons, recipes and sometimes actual stuff (like a dead tropical spider found on a banana at the grocery store or an empty blue glass bottle).

A friend recently told me about a gallery show she thought I might enjoy. Since the gallery is in an industrial area with no signage on the outside of the building, I never would have found it by myself. Now I would like to share (with permission) some of the joyful artworks at the exhibit, The Secret Garden, at The Warehouse in Milwaukee. It’s a feast for winter weary eyes.

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The Age of Aquarius during the 60s was a time when peace and love were incredibly in style. It was impossible to live through a day of that era and not see visual symbols of those qualities…hearts, flowers and, most prevalent, the peace symbol.

Although the peace symbol is one of the most recognized logos on the planet, few people know its origins or what its design represents. Fortunately, its designer has explained his inspirations.

In 1958, a British graphic artist and ardent pacifist named Gerald Holtom was asked to design signs and banners for a nuclear disarmament march in London. Holton used the code signals of naval semaphore flags as the basis for his design… “N” for nuclear (two flags angled down at 45 degrees) and “D” for disarmament (one flag pointed straight up and one pointed straight down).

Simultaneously, Mr. Holton saw a personal, darker meaning to the symbol he created. As he explains in a letter to the editor of Peace News, the design was also “representative of an individual in despair with palms stretched outward and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad”.

Soon after the Good Friday disarmament march where the design was debuted, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament adopted it as their official sign. To this day it remains uncopyrighted.

Crossing the Atlantic to America, the peace sign was used by the civil rights movement. Bayard Rustin, an associate of Martin Luther King, was at that famous Good Friday march and is credited with suggesting its use for justice as well as peace. The Vietnam War was also raging at that time, and the versatile peace sign became the signature graphic of the anti-war and counterculture movements as well.

Down through the decades and around the globe, Mr. Holtom’s simple design holds its power. After the 2015 French terror attacks, artist Jean Jillien recreated the design in the shape of the Eiffel tower. And as Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine rages, the peace sign is again used to convey the universal wish…that good will triumph over evil.

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For most of my adult life, friends and family have been telling me to “drink more”. They are not referring to wine, but H₂O. I guess they fear I will dehydrate and turn two-dimensional or simply evaporate.

Their concern is gratifying, but I’ve never been able to drink my 8 daily glasses. I’ve tried, but do not like to feel like a water balloon ready to burst. So I rely on thirst as my signal to sip and am happy that science is now on my side.

Scientists have completely debunked the 8 glasses of water myth. Unless you are sick, sufficient water consumption can be achieved with one guideline, “drink when you’re thirsty.” To the chagrin of scientists, the 8 glasses rule will linger for a long time…myths don’t just instantly dry up.

So how did this popular dictum get started? Research brought me to this explanation from the doctors at McGill University:

“The actual notion of 8 glasses a day originates from a 1945 U.S. Food and Nutrition Board which recommended 2.5 litres of daily water intake. But what is generally forgotten from this recommendation is, firstly, that it was not based on research and that, secondly, the recommendation stated that most water intake could come from food sources.”

Another myth that won’t die is that all our American children are suffering from dehydration. Teachers will know exactly what I am talking about. A “scientific” study came out about ten years ago which purportedly showed that the majority of American kids weren’t getting enough water. Teachers began requiring water bottles on all desks and urged children to keep drinking. “Hydrate” became the most spoken word in classrooms. This situation naturally resulted in constant traffic to the bathrooms and constant spills all over the desks. I’ve witnessed many great art projects drowned by wayward water bottles.

The studies about the water needs of children were funded by Nestle Waters. Need I say more?

In conclusion, here are three more ideas about water consumption that are all wet.

• Coffee doesn’t count as water. Wrong, it is a slight diuretic, but that doesn’t cancel out its value for water intake.
• Drinking lots of water keeps the skin smooth. Wrong, you can’t drink your way out of wrinkles; skin has to be hydrated from the outside in.
• Drinking lots of water helps you lose weight. Wrong, scientific studies prove that “drinking water and waiting for the pounds to melt away does not work.”

Science is a wonderful thing. Too bad more people don’t believe in it.

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It all began with an article I read about Quincy, Illinois, being a mecca for lovers of mid-century modern architecture or mid mod as it’s nicknamed.

Named after John Quincy Adams and located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, the city has a current population of 39,652. From its earliest days as a bustling, prosperous Mississippi port, it was referred to as “a gem of a city”. To this day, the residents still advertise it as the “Gem City”.

Since my husband and I both have a fondness for the Great River Road and mid mod architecture, we set off for Adams County and Quincy. We had no idea what treasures lay in store for us.

Arriving at sunset, we immediately drove across the bridge to Missouri. We wanted to view the sunset from the top of their massive suspension bridge. The trip back to town was over another bridge; Quincy’s two distinctive bridges are both one way. Driving through the town at dusk to our hotel, we were flabbergasted…such a funny word, but the correct one.

The mid-century modern homes we had come to see turned out to be only a small part of Quincy’s architectural treasures. This town has over 3,600 structures contributing to the National Register of Historic Places, with over 30 styles represented …everything from art deco to Venetian gothic revival and everything in between.

I am sure as we drove in the dusk, our heads resembled those of owls, turning in all directions. We had stumbled into a wonderland of architecture.

The next morning we began our tour at the Visitors’ Center which is located in Villa Kathrine, a former residence built to resemble a Moorish castle. Perched on a high bluff, this eccentric building has spectacular interiors and sweeping views of the Mississippi River.

I can’t find enough words to describe the endless riches and delights to be found touring Quincy’s neighborhoods. Pictures are so much better than any words I can conjure up…see for yourself.

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