Butterflies (and two caterpillars)!

I finally visited the annual Brookside Gardens Wings of Fancy butterfly exhibit. It's just down the road from me but I've never gone; today I went sort of by chance. It was very busy at this tiny and other-worldly exhibit, so I plan to go back mid-week when I can avoid so many 3-foot high people, who were adorable and enchanting in their own way but they made it hard to get good pictures. The butterflies land on you! A beautiful black and white butterfly friend followed me around the exhibit, landing on my shoulder or back from time to time. An attendant had to remove him or her manually before I left the room. I was wearing a shade of blue that may have been especially appealing. Next time I'll wear something bright pink or orange.

Can someone identify this flower? [Yes! I do believe that Jane nailed it: Torenia fournieri AKA wishbone flower. It looks so much like johnny-jump-up but there are subtle differences.]

I think it's a pretty common annual but I can't remember what it's called.

Not a political comment, just a fashion comment.

Those shoes! That belt! The whole package!  I'm drawn to and repelled by this picture in equal measure. Sarah is quite an amazing person in a way. She brings out such high emotions, both in those who agree with her and those who don't (that would include me). She's got something that I can't give a name to: not charisma exactly, not a high Q score exactly, but something that draws people to her. As long as she just stays behind a podium entertaining me I'm OK with her. Those shoes!

I wish my friend Paula hadn't posted this on Facebook.

You can probably figure out the question ("how many squares are in this diagram?") but do you know the answer. The Facebook guesses, of which there are currently 214,094, range from 27 to 90. I get a different number every time I try (usually in the 34-36 range) but I'm getting dizzy so I hope someone will know the answer and let me know.

Brain Hat! Gotta make one.

The pattern is here. It will cost you $5 but it's for a good cause, or so the author says and I choose to believe her. She says this:
Jan 31, 2011
I do not have any hats for sale. Unfortunately medical school takes up enough of my time that I am unable to make any hats for sale at this point. My best recommendation is to find a friend or family member that knits and bribe them with some delicious cookies.

The wormy looking things are called gyri and the grooves they create are called sulci (or fissures). Explained clearly here.

I hope to make a hat but we'll see. I follow through on about 25% of the projects I start. And I'm more or less OK on that. Better than 20%.

Note: Thanks to Natalie F. for sending me this link. It's good, no it's great, to have so many thoughtful friends from my years at NIH.

Another loss, but he made it to 86 so that's not bad. And we still have Cavett. I hope there's some kind of heaven so Vidal can see this headline.

I'm really getting weary of all these great writers dying lately -- Nora Ephron was one I failed to note on my blog. (Talk about a funny lady -- and a class act.) At least Ephron, Hitchens, and Vidal leave behind books to be read and re-read.

And for anyone who loves a good political confrontation check out Vidal vs Buckley discussing life as we knew it in August 1968 here. Please do not watch if you'll be offended by the words "queer" and "crypto-Nazi." In my opinion Vidal won the battle because he never really lost his cool and he didn't lunge out of his chair the way Buckley did.