The Dow Jones Industrial average plummeted 7.86% this past week. I am not an investor. That is, I don't invest in the stock market. Not anymore. But, in a way, we are all investors. Even if we don't have a direct stake in the market, a dramatic fall such as we experienced in the last couple of days affects everyone. Unless we live in a cabin somewhere, off the grid, a dramatic economic downturn ripples through the economy.

Black Rat Snake on Display at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery. This past Sunday I went to the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, which is located on the North Shore of Long Island, NY. I went to the hatchery with my daughter but couldn't stay as long as I wanted because she had to leave. I got some pretty good pictures, though. I'll go back another time to snap the ones I missed. Maybe I'll have a second blog with those pictures.

A dog sniffed the beggar's rotting foot. It was a scruffy dog, with a scarred face. Instead of recoiling from the mutt, the beggar stretched his hand to pet it. The gesture was greeted with bared teeth, so the beggar retracted his offer of friendship. He tried another tact. He searched his voluminous pocket and pulled out a crust of bread. The crust was dry, and began to crumble in his hand.

The family cat, sleeping. Today's post constitutes my March, 2025 contribution to the LMAC Image Gallery, LIL. As I wrote this, and tried to put together a post, I thought I'd give readers a little insight into the distractions I work around.

Wild Horses Relaxing Near a Picnic Area on Assateague IslandThe 1933 Hurricane season in the U.S. was the most active on record, and was the most violent. It left behind, in many cases an altered landscape. This was certainly true for the barrier spit off the coast of Maryland that was home to Ocean City. What came to be known as the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane carved an inlet south of Ocean City, and created Assateague Island.

“There will be no need for penal colonies or prisons, anywhere on earth, ever again.”The brilliant Dr. Cuthbert was solving a problem that threatened every nation on the planet. Troublemakers. They were a plague. Attempts to close borders failed. Miscreants respected no boundaries. They seeped malignantly into the lives of good, ordinary citizens.