Solidago "to strengthen and make whole"

07/16/2025

💗 Honoring the life of Camp Mystic camper Ellen Getten 💗

Ellen’s obituary offers a touching glimpse into the remarkable person she was.

Ellen Elizabeth Getten of Houston, Texas, passed away on July 4, 2025, along with her Bubble Inn cabinmates, counselors, and friends while attending her first year at Camp Mystic. She was a bright light for her family and friends and is now dancing with her friends in heaven.

Ellen was the beloved daughter of Jennifer Wilson Getten and Douglas Vandever Getten and the best friend of her dear sister, Gwynne Olivia Getten.

Ellen was born on June 7, 2016, in Houston and was a joy to everyone around her from the moment she entered the world. She attended preschool at the House of Pooh Corner and loved every minute of her time there. She then went to St. John’s School, starting in kindergarten, and was so proud to wear her red uniform on the first day of school and to walk into school with her sister, Gwynne, and her Giraud cousins.

Every day, she was excited to go to school and to see her friends and teachers and found so much happiness there. She worked on her tennis game, attempted to hit a golf ball, and swam and medaled on the Mean Green swim team, but most of all she loved to play Roblox with her sister.

Ellen was a friend to everyone and had friends from St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, the Houston Country Club, Camp Mystic, and her neighborhood and beyond. She loved them all dearly.

Ellen was beautiful on the inside and the outside. She had precious freckles that she proudly collected over the years and wore glasses that distinguished her from other girls. She ate her meals with gusto, which was evident on her clothes most days, and especially loved pasta with red sauce
and gelato, which she discovered in Italy on a trip with her grandparents. She gave every person a hug and would not let anyone leave her presence without a huge one. There were no strangers in her life, only people she had not met yet and hugged.

Her big sister was her biggest cheerleader and her very best friend in life. Gwynne will miss Ellen every day.

Ellen loved to dance and make up silly dances with her sister and cousins. The dance parties at Bubble Inn at night were some of her happiest times at camp. She also loved time with her parents and sister—not only big experiences like a trip to Walt Disney World, where she celebrated her ninth birthday, but also quiet moments like snuggling on the sofa, hugging her family of avocado stuffed animals, and watching American Idol. Baking cookies and watching Hallmark movies at her grandparents’ house were highlights of her weekends. Ellen woke up happy, went to sleep happy, and made everyone around her happy. Though her nine years on earth was brief, she will always be remembered for her love of others and her sweet smile.

Ellen would want everyone to give more
hugs.

In lieu of flowers, the Getten family would like donations to be made in Ellen’s honor to
her beloved St. John’s School, sjs.org/in-memory-of-ellen-getten-35 or to the Ellen Elizabeth Getten Gift Fund (for more information, email
[email protected]).

07/12/2025

07/01/2025

06/01/2025

04/08/2025

03/17/2025

TEXAS CAUTION:

In regard to all the people wanting to move here from New York and California as well as many other heavily populated cities across the country, as well as those wanting to visit...

Before you come to Texas to visit you must be aware of what is happening here. Especially, around the rural and well, All of TEXAS There's a housing shortage, rent has tripled, and folks are vacationing here in record numbers...

So, if you plan on moving here, or just plan on vacationing in our river bottoms, hill country, mountains or lakes this summer, I think you should know that wolf spiders, fire ants and bedbugs have infested hotels and motels across the area due to dryer than usual weather. The woods will eat you alive with ticks and chiggers.

On the Texas Coast, Bull Sharks are bigger than Jaws & way more aggressive. The Beaches are overrun with Portuguese Man of War Jelly Fish & the Sting Rays are as big as a Volkswagen Beetle.

Our lakes are full of gators, freshwater sharks, and creepy old guys wearing speedos.

Our rivers are full of drunks in tubes peeing themselves while the banjo players lay waiting in the bushes.

Texas Mountain Lions have eaten many domesticated animals and possibly some small children.

The local bear and coyote population are all 'in heat' and think your wife/girlfriend is hot.

Snakes... don’t even get me started on the water headed copper moccasins here, and the Diamond Back Rattler Cobras.

The poison ivy has overtaken all other vegetation.

We have had bear sightings at every park and town and they are after your picnic baskets….and some cougars have been spotted in motel rooms and bars.

Watch out for the jackalopes, they have been extremely aggressive this season.

We have the Skunk Ape invading our parks and it’s their mating season. Porcupines are "stabbing" small children should they dare to utilize the local playground equipment.

Skunks have made their way over and multiplied at unprecedented rates and wander the local campgrounds in packs looking for beer.

Murder hornets!?! We’ve got great black clouds of murder hornets, and swarms of giant crickets and even some Oklahoma grasshoppers.

Scorpions have now migrated here and have been congregating in massive quantities under rocks, logs, wooden steps, automobiles, and tarantulas are now stealing peoples food and biting like crazy.

I’m pretty sure all private tiger owners (we had a jump in them after Tiger King) have released their cats into the streets of our cities and towns.

Head lice now fly and we have vampire bats.

Oh, and no one is vaccinated.

I hear Idaho and Louisiana are really nice though. 👍🏼

*wish I could take credit for this lol

02/05/2025

Research shows Pompeii’s dead aren’t who we thought they were:

The haunting plaster casts of Pompeii’s victims, preserved since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, have long been a source of fascination and speculation. Popular narratives about these individuals—who they were and how they might have been related—have often reflected modern assumptions.

But new genetic analysis challenges these interpretations, revealing surprising truths about their identities. Published in Current Biology, the study shows that many of the victims were not related as previously thought and came from diverse origins, including North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.

One striking example involves four bodies found in the "House of the Golden Bracelet," previously thought to be a family—a father, mother, and child—based on their positioning and the presence of a gold bracelet. DNA evidence has debunked this theory, showing that all four individuals were male and unrelated.

Similarly, genetic testing of a presumed mother-daughter pair from the "House of the Cryptoporticus" revealed that one of the bodies was male, excluding certain familial assumptions. These findings reflect the cosmopolitan nature of Pompeii’s population during the Roman Empire, shaped by mobility and cultural exchange.

Researchers caution against imposing modern gender and family narratives on ancient societies. “The scientific data we provide do not always align with common assumptions,” said geneticist David Reich. Co-author Alissa Mittnik emphasized the need to integrate genetic, archaeological, and historical data to avoid misrepresentations.

This study not only offers a deeper understanding of Pompeii’s diverse population but also serves as a reminder of the importance of challenging biases in interpreting the past.

12/24/2024