Desert Aura

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I spent four days of reflection in the desert aura of Tucson, Arizona while staying at a Residence Inn.

Around 7:00 am each day, I had the morning caregiver for Cindy call me. She held the phone near Cindy for my greeting.  I went with the usual endearments:  “you’re my Expedition Woman,” “we make a great team,” “I’ll be back soon,” “I love you.”  I also sang to her a few lines from songs like “Cindy” and “Good morning.”

Points from our timeshare that I usually cannot use saved money on booking a room.  Free breakfast buffets and a kitchenette minimized expenses further.  Needing an Uber to get anywhere would have added an expense but I mainly stayed at the resort.  The 100 degree temperature and an air conditioned fitness room  influenced that decision.

The first morning after the phone call I managed to walk about a mile to a Walmart for some essentials.  The outing provided enough of a desert aura to stir the senses and memories.  The calendar said winter; the weather said summer.  The vegetation bridged the difference with vestiges of a desert spring.  When growing in the inhospitable desert, plants bloom with gusto whenever the short window of opportunity arises.

I kept to a hiker’s desert heat schedule of hiking/walking mostly before nine or after five.  Early morning light bathed the distant mountains; desert wrens escorted my walk with song.  I smelled and felt more “desert” than “heat” on my walk.  The opposite occurs between nine to five with blanched colors, silent birds and the desert smelling and feeling more like an oven.

I am a proud resident from the Icebox of Connecticut, but I embraced the aura of being in the desert.  Who knows when or if I will feel this aura again.  This alone made my four day respite worth the air travel, though I prefer the ratio of resort to travel days being greater than 1:1.  Considering I mainly wanted to reflect during my respite, spending near equal time with air travel did not matter as much to me.  I got to interact with new folks just as well, perhaps more so.

On the way out I sat next to Zac, a freshman in college studying computer science who will be receiving heart surgery soon.  As he got up to use the bathroom I unwound his defibrillator from the seat belt, which got the conversation started.  I watched and learned how he applied code to alter a chess program.  The computer had to choose the fifth best move, which led to it losing no matter how poorly Zac deliberately played.

At the resort I practiced my schmoozing skills on the concierges: Katie, Jon and Cassandra.  The knack for schmoozing came from my father, the specialty advertising salesman.  Alas, I never picked up his ability to make sales as well, but I have made countless friends out of strangers during the course of my long distance hikes.

To continue with writings, music and presentations for humanity I need to get back to schmoozing with people I just met.  When we walked across the country people reading the blog expressed how it changed their views on humanity. Reporting on the kindness of others requires leaving home to meet them, which gets to the main purpose of my trip.  How comfortable am I to leave Cindy for how long?

A couple years ago I left Cindy at Geer Village while I took a long weekend off.  When I picked Cindy up I did not feel good about leaving her there.  The aides did nothing wrong, but a little of her spark seemed to be gone.  When I got back home from Tucson after leaving Cindy for twice as long she looked OK for her current condition.  Being at home matters, perhaps as much as being with me.

Indeed, I likely had more discomfort than Cindy at being away for four days.  Plus the coverage, though sufficient during that time, still ran into a few snags.  I believe I will need to limit my schmoozing excursions to 1-2 days, all within a few hour driving distance.

For other humanity writings: The Unenlightened Wisdom Project
For humanity music: The Bards of Balance on Bandcamp
For humanity presentations: My eCommerce Site (help me schmooze, book a presentation)

Please like and share, and encourage your friends to subscribe.

Posted in Home Care Journal | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Trial Respite

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I just returned  from Tucson, Arizona for what you might call a trial respite.  Not since 2017 have I gone past driving distance from my home.  Back then I left for a week while our oldest daughter Charissa stayed with Cindy.  That one week vacation provided some respite, but also some unease at being away from my Expedition Woman.  Would this shorter, four day vacation have a similar effect?  With a potential increase in coverage coming my way I wanted to know.

Why Tucson?
The idea started with a potential live-in caregiver that I ruled out before going to Tucson.  I still went because of the location and weather for March.  I may return to long distance hiking in another phase of life but Tucson lies too far south to be in my path. This means now or never.  Now normally would be a great time for a southern destination during the last week of winter, except that Tucson endured a record breaking heatwave.

Why Now?
My coverage situation for the past week makes this the most ideal time in the past nine years for going this far away from home.  I have more agency coverage, though that alone would have caused problems given the snags that happened.  Fortunately, our son Noah was home from spring break during the week.  A high school classmate Gary also borders with us temporarily as he seeks permanent housing.

The respite provided time for reflection on my next adjustments as a dedicate care partner with the potential for expanded coverage.

Posted in Home Care Journal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Journey of Life

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I am engaged in a ten year endeavor I call “The Unenlightened Wisdom Project: Journeying from Brain Health to Democracy.” Some of the themes from that project overlap with this one and I occasionally will include excerpts. This first one about the journey of life comes from the White Paper that gives an overview of the whole ten year scope. Dave Coverly, the award winning cartoonist for the syndicated “Speed Bump,” graciously provides cartoons for this project. The former philosophy major stated: “This is just great. I am honored to be a part of this.”

“I hiked over 20,000 miles via long distance wilderness journeys, taking up to a year to complete.  Sometimes I followed well-defined trails, sometimes I used a map and compass to pioneer cross country routes.  Thousands of miles of experience determined the routes I chose and the wisdom I gathered along the way.

To those who commented over the years that my journeys sounded like recreational fun, I cautioned that even a well-defined trail can provide challenges related to terrain and weather, not to mention the challenges that one’s own physical or mental conditions impose.  Navigating cross country with map and compass introduced additional challenges, such as finding oneself immersed in an oppressively dense spruce and fir forest, or looking down a formidable cliff not fully revealed by the contour lines on a 1:250:000 scale topo map.  I considered none of those experiences as recreational fun, though in the end they provided wisdom, satisfaction and great stories to tell.

To those who believed only masochists endure the inconvenience, discomfort and pain of having to hike every day, regardless of environmental or personal conditions, I pointed out that every way of life has challenges that must be endured.  At least wilderness journeys provide simple, unbiased challenges to be met.  The rainstorm does not care who you are and sheltering yourself from the storm is a simple matter if you are experienced.  The grand diversity of humanity means we find joy in different activities; but for me no other way of life matches the joy experienced during a wilderness journey.

For years I compared these journeys to a way of life for inquiring minds who were curious or mistaken, filled with the rewards, challenges and routines that all ways of life involve.  Now I am struck by how life resembles a journey.  With both our lives and journeys we seek to explore, learn and grow along the way.

My long distance journeys brought me into frequent contact with strangers who turned into instant friends.  The kindness strangers extended to me, the kindness communities provided to their own and the belonging I felt with other long distance hikers during these journeys shaped the creed that guides my journey of life:

“Love kindness. Build community. Believe in humanity.”

Civilization features the presence of mass societies.  The challenges of a journey in mass societies exceed the challenges of a journey in a wilderness landscape.  The inherent complexities, chaos and confusion of mass societies increase dependence on authorities to guide us.  Authorities, representatives and many academics tend to favor materialism and individualism.  If we instead seek a humanitarian journey in civilized society, a wise place to start is with our own brain health.”

Visit the Unenlightened Wisdom Project website. By subscribing you get a free copy of the White Paper. Encourage your friends to subscribe, like and share content from this website as well.

Posted in Brain Health, Humanity, Journeying | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Brain Health Updates – 03/05/2026

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Here are the latest brain health updates.

Northwestern University has been at the forefront of studying the lifestyle behaviors that keep a person mentally vibrant into their nineties and beyond. Now they have a study to partially reveal the physiology behind that.

Need further proof that nature is good for brain health? Here you go.

Posted in Brain Health | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A New Sleep Hack

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I discovered a new sleep hack I can add to the ones I shared previously.  In my Elder Rest post I distinguished between hacks to help me fall asleep at bedtime from those needed when waking up in the middle of the night.  I have the most trouble falling back asleep at around 4:00 am. By that time 2-3 sleep cycles already have occurred.

Sleep Hack

For falling back asleep in the wee hours holding Cindy’s hand and deep breathing help.  Counting the deep breaths turns this tactic into a mindfulness form of counting sheep.  Perhaps brought about by the long snow season, I now have a third wee hour tactic. I go for a walk/jog in my mind.

During “outdoor” season I go for 5-10 mile jaunts pushing Cindy in the adult stroller.  During “indoor” season I occasionally manage to go outside for 3-5 mile jaunts.  I have followed a handful of routes hundreds of times, ingraining each one into my mind.  The saying “I can do that in my sleep,” literally applies here.

When I go for hikes in the waking world I sometimes have a particular problem I want to solve. My mind drifts instead to wherever it wants to go instead.  The same principle applies to the sleep world.  We stay awake because too much weighs on our minds.  By going for that walk in my mind my thoughts turn to my “surroundings” rather than my issues.  Pair this with deep breathing and you have a form of meditation.

I still recommend deep breathing and counting first if you only need one strategy to fall asleep in the wee hours.  I often need two.  If you go for frequent walks over familiar routes, which you should do anyways for other health reasons if possible, add this new hack for a form of meditation.  Then again, holding a partner’s hand if you have one helps two people.  All three hacks can be done simultaneously, essentially meditating while at one with someone else.

I am starting to sound like a New Age guru.  Please offer your own sleep hacks in the comments if you have them.  Like and share this one with others.  Encourage your friends to subscribe.

Posted in Brain Health | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Brain Health Updates – 02/25/2026

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Here are some brain health updates related to the impact of inflammation,

Inflammation erodes the blood brain barrier of its gatekeeper function.

Want an excuse to drink caffeine in hot beverages?

I will keep this in mind when Cindy experiences her mini-seizures.

Stay tuned for more periodic updates. Like and share this and other meaningful posts. Encourage a friend to subscribe. Live well.

brain health
Posted in Brain Health | 1 Comment

Brain Health Cake?

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

What do you give a person in the final stage of Alzheimer’s everything she really needs,? I decided on baking a brain health cake for Cindy’s 66th birthday. Not having baked a cake in decades did not deter me.

I actually baked a cake as my first attempt at cooking.  One snow day while home from school I asked Mom if she could guide me.  That subsequently became my go-to snow day activity.  I favored a strawberry cake recipe back then.  Now I am all about chocolate baby!

Some might say my conversion to chocolate means I’ve come to my senses, literally.  I say that learning about the polyphenols/antioxidants in dark chocolate sealed the deal.  Yet I did not stop there with making the cake “healthy”… for a cake.  I cross referenced a few recipes and ratios to come up with my brain health cake. Here is that annotated recipe:

Mexican chocolate cake
2 cups whole wheat flour – The original Mexican chocolate recipe called for white flour. Whole wheat has more fiber, iron, calcium, protein, and B vitamins (B-1, B-3, B-5, folate).

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder – This low calorie ingredient is high in fiber, antioxidants (polyphenols), magnesium, iron, and manganese.  The original recipe called for 4 tablespoons, but other recipes called for a smaller ratio of cinnamon to cocoa powder.

¾ cup pure maple syrup – Pure maple syrup contains manganese, zinc, riboflavin and polyphenols.  This makes maple syrup the most nutritious of high sugar sweeteners.  The original recipe called for 2 cups of sugar.  However, other chocolate cake recipes only called for 1 cup, and the standard conversion of maple syrup to sugar is ¾ to 1.  I took a chance on less sweetener.

1 tsp ground cinnamon – Cinnamon contains potent antioxidants that improves insulin sensitivity, reduces blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol, and is anti-inflammatory.  This is my go to dessert spice for brain health and what makes this particular chocolate cake “Mexican.”  Common ratios suggested 1 tsp to 8 tbsp cocoa powder. With the original recipe calling for 4 tbsp I compromised with 1 tsp cinnamon : 6 tbsp cocoa powder.

1 cup softened, unsalted butter – This may be controversial.  The original recipe called for a combination of margarine and vegetable oil, which would be better for heart health and reducing LDL cholesterol.  However, this is a brain health cake. Increasing evidence is coming out regarding the benefits of various dairy fat for brain performance.

1 ¼ cup milk – The original recipe called for 1 cup water, ½ cup sour milk.  I used a slightly less total amount of just milk to compensate for the extra liquid involved in substituting maple syrup for sugar.

2 eggs – Eggs provide all nine essential amino acids. They also contain choline, selenium, vitamins A, D, B2, B12, and antioxidants.  Despite the bad rap they used to get for cholesterol, eggs are a superfood for brain health.

1 ½ tsp baking soda – The Mexican chocolate cake recipe called for 1 tsp, but another recipe with maple syrup suggested 1 ½ as another compensation for the liquid sweetener.

1 tsp vanilla extract – This is nutritionally and calorically insignificant.

Notes:  The recipes with sugar called for baking at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, but substituting maple syrup requires a lower oven temperature for better taste.  My oven seems to bake hot, so I ended up baking at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Cake was properly cooked and textured when it came out.

Cream cheese and sour cream frosting
8 oz cream cheese – Most calories in cream cheese come from fat instead of sugar and has vitamin A.

4 tbsp softened, unsalted butter – See above.

¼ cup sour cream – Again, the calories from fat instead of sugar.

1 tbsp pure maple syrup – The original recipe calls for vanilla extract.

2 cups powdered sugar – See notes below. 

Notes: I wanted to substitute healthy maple syrup for nutrient void powdered sugar, but the liquid content turns the frosting into a glaze.  What can I say?  It’s a birthday cake!  Maybe next time I go with a glaze.

Taste test:  The cake tasted great! The texture fell between a normally airy cake and a dense one.  I was fine with the texture, considering even more baking soda might affect the taste.  I did not really taste much of the cinnamon, so maintaining the original ratio by using 1 ½ tsp cinnamon to 6 tbsp cocoa powder might be better.  The home health aide reported the cake to be “balanced and not too sweet.”  She ate the whole slice.  I had no trouble feeding Cindy her birthday cake!

Posted in Brain Health, Care Partner Vignettes | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Duck in the Bathroom

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

As I receive more coverage this year I spend some of my time writing at one of the two local establishments.  Both serve delicious coffee.  The environs and coffee stimulate my thinking, but at the cost of at least one trip to the bathroom.

While taking care of business I look up from my target to note the portrait of a duck at eye level.  He seems to be laughing and I chuckle in response.  The owner of the Berkshire Country Store must have put the portrait there for that very response.  That in turn causes me to reflect on one of my two favorite Robert Frost poems.

The Tuft of Flowers begins when a lone farm worker “went to turn the grass once after one who mowed it in the dew before the sun.”  At first his thoughts turned to being alone with his chore on that day.  He concludes a lone existence to be the way of things, even when people work together.

A butterfly catches his sight and he follows the beautiful winged creature’s path until it alights on a tuft of flowers.  In appreciating the beauty of the flowers he feels a kinship with the butterfly.  Then he realizes that the flower still exists because the mower who came before him also appreciated their beauty and left them alone.  The lone farm worker, no longer feeling alone, imagines himself communicating with the mower:

”’Men work together,’ I told him from the heart, ‘whether they work together or apart.’”

With one of my favorite poems in mind I imagine telling Ryan:  “Well done! You got the chuckle out of me you wanted.”  Yet he knows that without me telling him.  If not me, then the other male customers taking care of business in his bathroom.  Being able to “feel each other” makes being human special, and helps to keep us from being alone.  It’s called empathy.

I enjoyed haying immensely when I worked on a farm sixty years after the 1913 publication of The Tuft of Flowers.  Times change.  Unlike Frost’s lone farm worker, the teamwork involved in picking up and stacking hay bales contributed to my joy.

Now when I pass by the fields I used to hay in 1973, tractors and trucks take care of all the tasks.  Two workers may be present, but usually just one, reverting back to the days of Frost’s poem.  Do the drivers still get to appreciate a beautiful tuft of flowers nowadays?  Who is to say?

We live in trying times.  We may look at the behaviors of others and feel estranged rather than connected.  If you get this feeling while in town may I suggest visiting the Berkshire Country Store?  Buy a cup of coffee, get a chuckle while using the bathroom, then give a nod to Ryan on your way out.  Tell him I sent you.

Posted in Humanity | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Two Rocks in Barbour Woods

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

The three feet of snow and single digit temperature found me trudging along the carriage road in Barbour Woods.  This path and I go way back to before I attended Center School and Mom occupied me with walks in the woods.  We used the Shepard Road entrance and would go as far as a boulder where Mom sat and watched me climb.  After I became a parent I appreciated the strategy she used for an energetic youngster.

Back then the boulder towered over me.  Now I am taller than the “boulder,” which might be considered more of a rock outcrop.  During my extensive wilderness travels I encountered real boulders that towered over my adult size.  Yet none hold the towering presence in my memories as the rock outcrop along a carriage road in Barbour Woods.

I cannot remember my age when I first followed the carriage road beyond the “boulder” to the stone bridge.  Old enough to be on my own by then, but young enough to be thoroughly enchanted by the sight.  How could a young mind look at a forest path traversing an old stone bridge without conjuring trolls and other fairy tale images?

The stone bridge now lies in total disrepair. To postpone the inevitable, at one point my brother Ernie helped to reinforce the structure.  Now wooden fences bar the way across on either side, pieces of stonework fallen into the stream below.  As viewed from an alternative steel bridge constructed downstream, the ancient stonework now conjures images of old Middle Earth.

I remember the year when I hung a left at the stone bridge and followed the stream downhill, admiring the frozen cascades along the way.  January of 1977 featured less snow but a frigid six degrees when I ventured on my nature walk.  I veered from the path with the confidence of someone who already had much wilderness experience. Unfortunately, I also possessed the foolishness of someone without enough experience.

Entranced by one particular cascade I walked on the thick, frozen ice up to the base.  Unfortunately, the frozen churning water did not extend in thickness to the shallow pool at the base.  The end of that day found me in a hospital bed, with a heating lamp over my toes. A complete stranger dashed into my room to see “the crazy person that ran barefoot over the snow.”

In fairness to me, I made enough good decisions after falling through the ice to prevent hypothermia or losing my toes, but that makes for a story to be told another time.

I trudge through the snow far beyond the stone bridge now, closer to the exit on Lovers Lane.  I follow cross country ski tracks up to Beech Hill, which occasionally keeps me from plunging through the deep snow.   I pause periodically to catch my breath.  Some would caution against such vigorous exercise at my age, but I need to stay fit for two people.

During “outdoor season” I push Cindy in her adult stroller for 5 – 10 miles.  In the winter I hike or jog these trails so that I can continue to take Cindy out when spring comes.  I have four, six and eight mile routes, with only the latter requiring me to leave Barbour Woods to “conquer” Haystack Mountain on the other side of Route 272.

I think about the trail that heads off to the left before reaching the boulder (rock outcrop) from Shepard Road.  The end of this short trail brings you to the top of a steep hill overlooking the Wood Creek watershed and flood control dam.  Haystack Mountain rises beautifully in the background.  A rock the right size for sitting provides a convenient spot for admiring the scene and reflecting.

After snowstorms our son and other neighborhood kids came here to snowboard down the steep slope.  I joined them a couple times.  They added jumps to the hill for themselves, but I had enough trouble just negotiating the two drainage gullies that traverse the slope.  One time Trent and Glen came by on their cross country skis.  In a pure fluke I carved down the slope in front of them and navigated the gullies without falling once.  Ever since then I fancied that these two experienced recreationalists mistakenly thought that I could snowboard!

On another wintry day in 2009 I cut down a tree near this spot.  The family had been going through our darkest time, dark enough to abandon Christmas traditions that year.  Yet snowstorms inspire me.  A few days before Christmas I trudged through two feet of snow to defy cruel Fate.

Fate continued to be unkind as I trudged along, offering no evergreens of suitable size and appearance.  After reaching the outlook, the spot made for reflection, I decided to cut down the next evergreen tree of suitable height, no matter the appearance.  I ended up with a hemlock, the sorriest evergreen that might be used for a Christmas tree.  As I trudged back home dragging the sparsely branched and needled tree behind me, I realized I chose the perfect tree for the occasion after all.

The next year I bought a Charlie Brown type tree, less than two feet high, which fulfills a personal Christmas tradition.

I used to call the rock at the top of the outlook Davidson’s Rock.  Karen Davidson meditated there often, before passing away all too soon from cancer.  Her Mom, the beloved Dottie Satherlie, just passed away at age 102.  Dottie earned a reputation as one of the kindest and most charitable souls to ever call Norfolk her home.  She sat with Cindy as a volunteer for four years, always making us feel like we were doing her a favor.

I reach the top of Beech Hill where the Norfolk Land Trust placed two Adirondack chairs for viewing Haystack from a different angle.  The chairs provide more comfort, but I prefer the view and nostalgia from Davidson’s Rock.  The time has come for me to call that place Cindy’s Rock now, as prominent in my memory as the “boulder” a preschool adventurer climbed long ago.

As I head back down Beech Hill part of me wants to veer off to go by the two memorable rocks of Barbour Woods.  By doing so I would manifest the impetuous me that fell through ice or dragged a tree through two feet of snow.  Instead I literally retrace my footsteps, sensibly landing in the holes I already made.  With the older you become, sometimes memories have to be enough.

Posted in Brain Health | 5 Comments

Brain Health Soup

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I make a concoction called brain health soup. One batch feeds Cindy and me for about a week, or a little less if shared with others. Several folks have praised my brain health soup, but the most meaningful endorsement came from our daughter Charissa. After sampling some of my soup she declared with an incredulous tone, a tone that revealed she could not believe her taste buds:

“Dad! You can actually cook!”

To which I replied:

“That’s because I do not care how things taste.”

I only put stuff in the soup that benefits brain health, without consideration of taste. As a long distance hiker I focused on quantity more than quality of food for most of my life. I discovered by accident that stuff good for the brain happens to taste good. I like to accept the credit anyways. Now you can accept credit as well with this recipe for brain health soup.

INGREDIENTS

Broth
1 – 2 quarts chicken stock
1 heaping tbsp black pepper
1 heaping tbsp turmeric
1 heaping tbsp ginger
1/4 – 1/2 cup parsley flakes
1 5 oz can tomato paste

Notes: how much chicken stock I put in depends on how soupy or stewy I make it, which in turn depends whether I want the batch to last a whole week or not. If I just use a quart of chicken stock I will add a can of diced tomatoes instead of tomato paste. The essence of the good taste comes from the spices in the broth.

Vegetables
1 cup of mixed black, kidney and cannellini beans
carrots
broccoli, spinach or both
onion

Notes: I put the beans in first, even before the spices, as they must simmer for hours in the broth. The proportions of other vegetables depend on the ratio of stuff to broth you want, though I always use at least one medium onion. Carrots and onions as root vegetables last a long time in a broth without fermenting. Broccoli lasts pretty well in a broth, spinach not as long. Which dark green vegetable I use depends on how long I want the batch to keep.

Sauteed Meat
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Italian dressing
lemon juice
onion
minced garlic
same spices used in broth

Notes: I may use a variety of peppers in the saute as well, but these seem to ferment the quickest if left in a broth for a long time.

STEPS

Add the stock and other ingredients for the broth into a large pot. Include the cup of mixed beans.
Bring to a boil on high, then turn down to low medium heat. Stir occasionally.

While broth is heating chop vegetables and add to the broth.
Chop chicken breasts into small pieces.

Layer a large frying pan with Italian dressing.
Add some of the chopped onions (and peppers if desired).
Add the chopped chicken and turn the heat on to medium.
Drizzle the the layer of chicken with lemon juice and sprinkle spices.
Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of minced garlic over top.
Heat about five minutes, turn over chicken and heat for about five more minutes.

Dump entire contents of frying pan into the pot.
Simmer for at least four hours to cook the beans.
For an extra kick add ten drops Tabasco or other hot sauce to the broth while simmering.
Add Parmesan cheese either while cooking or whenever reheating the soup.

I actually do care how things taste these days and I never get tired of eating this soup. Let me know if you try and like it as well. If making the batch for a lot of people rather than a lot of days, add the peppers!

Please encourage your friends to subscribe, like and share.

Posted in Brain Health | Tagged | 2 Comments