HELLOoo 2022!

The Christmas tree has been undecorated and taken to a specified place to be ground up for mulch.  The decorations have been carefully packed away until the next Christmas.  The outside lights and decorations are down and packed away...had a nice sunny day before the rain moved in.   And the house looks so empty!!  Just need to vacuum up the left-over pine needles.  It was a different holiday again due to COVID, but this time due to the Omicron variant.  But what wasn't different was the usual franticness of holiday preparations, partying, and the lack of sleep!  But fear not.....TODAY IS YOUR DAY.....JANUARY 3RD. IS FESTIVAL OF SLEEP DAY!!  It is a day to sleep in, take naps, and not even getting out of bed.  It is a festival and should be celebrated with enthusiasm.

We have been unable to find out when this festival began.  Ancient Greeks thought the reason for sleep was due to the lack of circulation in the brain or heart; so, sleep caused us to become unconscious as our body rebalanced blood movement.

The organizers of this festival hope to restore some normality to our biology and help create more positive attitudes.  Sleep is a basic human function, and helps our bodies regain energy for the next day.  A lack of sleep can be fatal to the human body and mind.  It can cause people to get into vehicular accidents.  Lack of sleep impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and problem solving.  It makes it difficult to learn and retain memories of the previous day's experiences.  This makes sleep incredibly important for students.  But the most dangerous effect from long term lack of sleep, is deadly health problems.  Those problems include heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.

There is a wide range of the amount of sleep needed by animals and humans.  Brown bats sleep for almost twenty hours a day, while giraffes sleep for only about two.  Humans need between seven and nine hours of sleep.  Infants sleep on and off about sixteen hours a day.  The longest someone has ever gone without sleeping in just over eleven days.  In December 1963/January 1964, Randy Gardner a 17-year-old American from San Diego stayed awake for 11 days and 25 minutes.  It is interesting to note that according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24-hour sleep deprivation is the same as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 percent.  This percentage results in obvious physical impairment and loss of judgement.  If your blood alcohol content(BAC) is 0.08% or higher you are considered legally impaired in the United States and are certain to be arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and sentenced with a DUI.

Dreaming if often a part of sleep. It occurs in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep.  Dreaming in color is the norm, but about 12 % of the people dream in black and white.  When you eat, metabolism makes your brain more active, so sleeping too soon after you eat your brain becomes active and usually with bad dreams.  As you age, bad dreams decrease.  The greatest intensity of bad dreams occurs between the ages of 3 to 6 years.  Cats and dogs have dreams, too.  They move their legs and faces when dreaming, just like us!

If you are unable to relax and have errands to do, or have to work during the day, then save the celebration for when you get home..... or another day!

In celebration of this day, we give you "Snoozing".  This Rhesus macaque monkey is the best-known species of the macaque.  We captured him in Kathmandu, Nepal. The noise and activity in the plaza didn't interfere with his napping.

This image is available in table top to wall size, triple matted and with or without a frame.  The matted versions are yours at a 10% discount and the framed matted versions in sizes 11x14 and larger can be yours at a 15% discount.

Visit this website for available sizes and prices.

Stop by and see us on Monday through Friday from 10a.m. to 12 noon and 2p.m. to 5p.m.

The gallery is open for arranged Saturday appointments.  Call us at 904-387-8710 to schedule your special visit.  Come see us and order now.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.

                    --  Irish Proverb