https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:35:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/gus-is-grieving-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/gus-is-grieving-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 01 May 2025 12:00:58 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183946 My dog, Gus, is grieving. He misses Annie, my cockapoo who died several weeks ago. I adopted Gus after I already had Annie, so he has only known a household with her. They were close, although they did not play together (neither of them learned play in their previous dwellings), they would sleep together and […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/01/gus-is-grieving-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/24/asteroid-2024-yr4-redux-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/24/asteroid-2024-yr4-redux-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:00:06 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183801 In February, I wrote about an asteroid (2024 YR4) that originally had a 3.1% projected chance of hitting the Earth in 2032. As its orbit became more predictable, this was lowered to virtually 0%. Recently they upgraded the chance of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the Moon to 3.8%.  A team of astronomers recently studied the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/24/asteroid-2024-yr4-redux-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/17/saying-goodbye-to-annie-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/17/saying-goodbye-to-annie-by-angela-rieck/#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:00:44 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183663 This week my dog, Annie, an (almost) 19-year-old cockapoo passed away. My grief is immeasurable.  At the end she had dementia, cataracts, and was deaf; but she loved to be by my side or watch Annie TV (watching the birds, squirrels, and bunnies running around the yard). Annie was not a normal dog, nor was […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/17/saying-goodbye-to-annie-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/10/its-all-in-the-mindset-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/10/its-all-in-the-mindset-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:00:31 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183515 There are many ways to categorize people, but one way is mindset. Do you have a destination or a journey mindset? People with a “destination mindset” (like me) have a focus on the end result, the achievement, the completion of a task or subtask, or the “box checked.” Our motivation is to reach the specific […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/10/its-all-in-the-mindset-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/03/scientific-revolution-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/03/scientific-revolution-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:00:23 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183362 Arguably, one of the most important books in the 20th century was Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1962. Before his seminal work, science was believed to move in linear increments. Namely, science progressed in a relatively predictable way as scientists learned more and more. But instead, Kuhn demonstrated that science really […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/03/scientific-revolution-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/27/missing-early-spring-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/27/missing-early-spring-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:00:32 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/27/missing-early-spring-by-angela-rieck/ As a Floridian, one of the things that I miss the most is early spring in the mid-Atlantic. This is when the landscape shakes off its winter doldrums. Bright green shoots appear on seemingly dead shrub branches. The trees cast a light green or red tint, letting us know that large expansive leaves are growing […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/27/missing-early-spring-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/20/womens-history-month-the-every-woman-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/20/womens-history-month-the-every-woman-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:00:49 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183086 It’s Women’s History month. And this month, I would like to celebrate Orin O’Brien. She is representative of so many women who have made contributions that we don’t always see. For those who haven’t been lucky enough to watch it, I recommend the Oscar-winning short film The Only Girl in the Orchestra (on Netflix). It […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/20/womens-history-month-the-every-woman-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/13/lifes-lessons-by-angela-rieck-2/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/13/lifes-lessons-by-angela-rieck-2/#comments Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:00:43 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182956 Retirement is called the gift because it allows us to reflect on what we have learned in life. By now most of us have become comfortable in our own skin.  I was talking to a friend about principles that I have learned, but still sometimes find hard to follow. The first is about criticism and […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/13/lifes-lessons-by-angela-rieck-2/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/06/the-complications-of-weight-loss-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/06/the-complications-of-weight-loss-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:00:08 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182823 The FDA recently announced that Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide GLP-1 medication (Ozempic and Wegovy) is no longer in short supply. Before this announcement, the FDA permitted compounded GLP-1 products to be sold at much lower prices to maintain supplies. But, since the FDA only allows compounded drugs to be sold while the branded forms they’re mimicking […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/06/the-complications-of-weight-loss-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/a-near-miss-sort-of-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/a-near-miss-sort-of-by-angela-rieck/#comments Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:00:51 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182685 Okay, I am being overly dramatic by the title, the asteroid YR4 was initially projected to have a 3.1% chance of hitting the earth in 2032. A day later, NASA downgraded it significantly and by February 21st, the space agency lowered its chances of a potential strike to 0.28%. At the same time, they increased […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/27/a-near-miss-sort-of-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/20/science-on-the-shore-viruses-and-our-waterways-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/20/science-on-the-shore-viruses-and-our-waterways-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:00:26 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182556 It’s hard to say something nice about viruses, but Dr. Joaquín Martínez Martínez can. Dr. Martínez Martínez is a new aquatic virus ecologist at Horn Point who studies how viruses interact with acceptable host cells (typically each virus targets only a single host cell type). He studies how those interactions are influenced by environmental conditions […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/20/science-on-the-shore-viruses-and-our-waterways-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/more-than-best-friends-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/more-than-best-friends-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 30 Jan 2025 13:00:46 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182146 Meg Daley Olmert makes us think about dogs differently. She published a book, Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond. She was recently interviewed by Val Cavalheri in the Talbot Spy (https://talbotspy.org/author-meg-daley-olmert-makes-the-case-that-man-and-dog-is-made-for-each-other/). The Spy article described Olmert’s groundbreaking book about the bond between dogs and humans. After 15 years of research she […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/more-than-best-friends-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/science-on-the-shore-evaluating-oyster-substrates-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/science-on-the-shore-evaluating-oyster-substrates-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 23 Jan 2025 12:00:03 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/science-on-the-shore-evaluating-oyster-substrates-by-angela-rieck/ We need oysters in our Bay and rivers. We don’t have enough. But one of the major impediments to restoring oysters is the availability of substrates. Substrates are what oyster larvae latch onto while they are mobile (e.g., other oyster shells, piers). Oysters begin their lives as free-swimming larvae. Oyster parents release eggs and sperm […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/23/science-on-the-shore-evaluating-oyster-substrates-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/the-grass-is-always-greener-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/the-grass-is-always-greener-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:00:30 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181876 Every day I give my dogs a dental treat made of a rawhide composite recommended by my veterinarian. I have three dogs. Annie is a 16-pound cockapoo who is almost 18 years old. She is virtually blind and doesn’t hear very well. She is slow these days, with enough dementia to keep her confused and […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/the-grass-is-always-greener-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/09/the-polar-vortex-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/09/the-polar-vortex-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 09 Jan 2025 11:00:41 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181740 The recent snowstorm on the Eastern Shore is just the beginning of freezing temperatures due to the polar vortex. These temperatures from the Arctic are forecast to hit a large portion of the United States. The Arctic blast is being driven by large-scale pressure changes and an expansion of the polar vortex.  Temperatures could be […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/09/the-polar-vortex-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/26/new-years-resolution-2025-edition-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/26/new-years-resolution-2025-edition-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:00:08 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/26/new-years-resolution-2025-edition-by-angela-rieck/ Well, it is time for New Year’s resolutions. While I am not particularly good at keeping them, I am skilled at making them. I am not alone in my lack of commitment. Eighty to ninety-one percent of New Year’s resolutions don’t last more than six months. Twenty-three percent of those who make New Year’s resolutions […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/26/new-years-resolution-2025-edition-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/19/living-in-paradise-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/19/living-in-paradise-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2024 11:00:56 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181497 I have retreated to the warm sunshine of Key West. I know that the weather has been unpleasant at times up North, with cold temperatures and torrential rain. I am fortunate enough to live in Key West, where this time of year chilly days are in the high sixties; and most days are in the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/19/living-in-paradise-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/12/soups-on-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/12/soups-on-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 12 Dec 2024 11:00:18 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181340 It is hard to be positive about the cold weather that is gripping a large part of the nation. It is unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. It even affects us in Florida, although there are few sympathizers in the northeast. Key West is not built for cold temperatures. Most of our transportation is […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/12/soups-on-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/28/the-tyranny-of-dinner-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/28/the-tyranny-of-dinner-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 28 Nov 2024 11:00:26 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181088 Years ago, I was congratulating a mother whose youngest child had graduated from high school with honors. She was gracious, and said that she was looking forward to the end of the “tyranny of dinner.”  I love that phrase. But we have learned that the tyranny of dinner didn’t necessarily end when the children leave. […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/28/the-tyranny-of-dinner-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/21/a-new-rx-friends-and-family-by-angela-rieck/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/21/a-new-rx-friends-and-family-by-angela-rieck/#respond Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:00:15 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=180982 I am blessed with a number of friends and a close family. I enjoy our conversations and gatherings. Over the years, I have relied on them for support and advice. I can’t imagine life without them. I am not alone in my view of the importance of friends and family; healthcare professionals know that friends […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/21/a-new-rx-friends-and-family-by-angela-rieck/feed/ 0