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Friday, June 11, 2021

From MicB to CathyO and Lauren - (doldrums)


MicB is a new exchanger - and her dragon flies are quite lovely.


I liked this one too. I even bought some of those stamps - hoping they will get me revved up again.



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Just so you know -- my doldrums disappeared in May - but there are still some posts that will refer to them.

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O.T.D. (off-topic drivel)

My new hobby is looking up words that I use - but then I wonder if I'm actually using them correctly. Yesterday I mentioned having doldrums and I wondered if I knew exactly what a doldrum was/is. The first definition was:

a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression.

I don't think I am depressed but I'd say inactivity and stagnation hits the nail on the head.
There is another definition that I had never heard of:

The Intertropical Convergence Zone, known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal equator though its specific position varies seasonally.

That was interesting - so I clicked a few more times and found out all kinds of interesting stuff, including this:

The Doldrums holds a distinct place in maritime history, having developed a reputation as a potentially deadly zone which could strand ships for weeks on end, causing them to run out of food and drinking water. In those days, with supplies running low, and scurvy setting in, delirium,  starvation and cabin fever could all set in – and getting through this mysterious patch of Atlantic Ocean quickly wasn’t just a matter of first or last place, but life and death.


Apparently, there are seven things we all need to know about the doldrums. I only need to know one. Stay away from sailing around the equator. That will be very easy for me.

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