Oct 5, 2006 by Naomi.

Rodents are but one animal we share relationship to in the species of mammals. Not nearly as numerous as the insects rodents are varied and prevalent all the same. Oddly some of their kind thrive better in the presence of humans than in the wild because they reap the benefits of our excesses. Especially rats and mice that actually share our houses and storerooms. The more we try to rid ourselves of their presence, the more they appear to thrive. Because of their perseverance and proximity to our living space they infect us with disease and pestilence, although I suppose we would attract lice and such parasites with our own close living.

A well known rodent, the beaver, was so prized for its pelt the species were trapped near to extinction. Their tails stored fat and were eaten by trappers and immigrants. Beavers are not completely welcomed in wildlife refuges because of their need to chew bark of native trees. They must chew to wear down their teeth which like our finger and toe nails continue to grow throughout their lives.

A more visible rodent where ever there are trees is the squirrel. What a pleasure to watch their antics whether chasing each other in play or copulation, or their indecision in the storing of nuts in the fall. In my backyard either the squirrels forget where the nuts were put in the ground or they did not need them for food after all. Many black and English trees sprout up every summer to attest to their folly. If they do not like the nuts from neighborhood trees they feed on bird seed in every sort of feeder engineers have ever designed. James Michener tells of the ingenuity of a friend of his determined to create a squirrel proof bird feeder. Hundreds of dollars later and after many intricate designs discarded, he gave up and now simply enjoys the feisty rodents. I let the neighborhood cats harass those who chatter from my trees. Neither the cats nor the squirrels are discouraged. Putting up with others is in their genes. Must be where humans get a similar trait.

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Oct 5, 2006 by Naomi.

Retinopathy — A new disease? Perhaps. Ophthalmologists are finding leaking capillaries within the retina, the sensitive tissue behind the eye that receives light and sends it to the brain. This condition is considered by the optical profession as being the result of prolonged diabetes or even high blood pressure. Eyes are two of the smallest, yet most detailed and complex organs in our body. Retinopathy is a disease that begins without symptoms of pain or discomfort that heralds the flu or an ulcer.

It should be of no surprise that nature would evolve such a malady because that is what evolution is all about. Consider the increase of sugar intake within the last century — ingestion of 135 pounds per year per person in the 1990s up from five pounds per person in the 1880s when sugar was first vigorously marketed from the Caribbean islands. The human palette craves sugar. My sister cooked at a high school and was proud that the students loved her lunchroom foods. She said all it took to please the kids was the addition of sugar. And it is not simply school lunches. Look at any food label and marvel at the scope of sugar types manufacturers add to every food on the shelves.

How can we pretend that such an increase of an item we do not need has no effect on our health? Alcohol and nicotine have already proven themselves to be killers by attacking liver and lungs. Diabetes may be the label used by optometrists but further study may discover something entirely different. The verdict is not yet in. We have many eye strains not experienced by a few generations past. Computers come to mind. I spent many hours close to a computer screen during the last 15 years. Not as much as my computer guru who makes a living at it and now faces laser surgery to stall vision impairment from retinopathy.

Computer screens are changing. Our life styles are not. Checking the eyes is as important as checking the teeth. Probably more so. I will live much the same without teeth but will find life a lot more difficult without eyesight.

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