Author Archives: Roger Gosden
Forest Bathing
If we can bathe in sunshine or in glory or in misery, why not in a forest? I didn’t invent the expression: it’s from the Japanese (shinrin-yoku) who believe time spent in nature boosts health. Most people agree that gulping … Continue reading
The Berkeley Thanksgiving
It will be missed by no one on this side of the North Atlantic that Thanksgiving Day 2016 falls on Thursday. Yet, some Virginians mindful of another tradition already had their Thanksgiving a fortnight ago. They resent the hegemony of … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Seasons in Virginia
Tagged Berkeley Plantation, Captain John Woodlief, Good Ship Margaret, Lyon Tyler, Nibley Papers, Thanksgiving Day, Virginia
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Carving for the Ages (Petroglyphs)
A slab of yellow sandstone larger than a dinner plate lay at the foot of an old maple tree close to a woodland trail in the Allegheny Mountains. The shadow of an inscription on its flat face made me pause … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir
Tagged Allegheny Mountains, Appalachia, Civil War, Droop Mountain, James Alexander Thom, log cabin, Petroglyph, Pocahontas County, Rock carving, Shawnee, İmamkullu
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A Third Parent contributes her Mighty Mites (Mitochondria)
Two biological parents are enough for any baby, aren’t they? Maybe not: sometimes it’s better to have two mamas. The media have hyped a story that broke in September about a boy who was conceived by “mitochondrial replacement therapy.” His … Continue reading
Posted in Assisted reproductive technology, Fertility, Health, Other
Tagged Augment technology, Erichthonius, Hephaeustus, Human egg or oocyte, John Zhang, Mitochondria transfer, Mitochondrial disease, New Hope Fertility Center, Ovascience, Robert Hughes, Turner's syndrome
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Feast of the Animals
The Feast is held today, October 4. I don’t mean a feast of animals like a medieval banquet crammed with meaty dishes, but an ecclesiastical “feast” offered for animals, for blessing them and wishing them health and longevity. It commemorates … Continue reading
Posted in Animalia
Tagged Blessing of the Animals, Canticle of the Sun, Dylan Thomas, Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals, St. Francis of Assisi
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Roger musing about Peace with Nature 