“If anything is endemic to Wyoming it is wind. This big room of space is swept out daily, leaving a bone yard of fossils, agates, and carcasses in every stage of decay. Though it was water that initially shaped the state, wind is the meticulous gardener, raising dust and pruning the sage.” IfsStatesBigsWaterSpaceRoomsStageWindLeavingBonesDustDecayYardsSageFossilsGardenerWyomingMeticulousPruning Book:The solace of open spaces Source: The solace of open spaces
“The winter oak... is very useful in buildings but when in a moist place it takes in water to its centre... and so it rots. The Turkey oak and the beech both... take in moisture to their centre and soon decay. White and black poplar, as well as willow, linden, and the agnus castus... are of great service from their stiffness... they are a convenient material to use in carving.” WellsUseBlackWaterWhiteBuildingMaterialsWinterDecayCentreTurkeysConvenientOaksCarvingGreat ServiceMoistureStiffness Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
“The larch... is not only preserved from decay and the worm by the great bitterness of its sap, but also it cannot be kindled with fire nor ignite of itself, unless like stone in a limekiln it is burned with other wood... This is because there is a very small proportion of the elements of fire and air in its composition, which is a dense and solid mass of moisture and the earthy, so that it has no open pores through which fire can find its way... Further, its weight will not let it float in water.” WayWaterFireAirElementsMassStonesWeightWoodsProportionBitternessDecayBurnedCompositionWormsFloatsDenseSapIgniteMoisture Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
“Everything seems beautiful because you don't understand. Those flying fish, they're not leaping for joy, they're jumping in terror. Bigger fish want to eat them. That luminous water, it takes its gleam from millions of tiny dead bodies, the glitter of putrescence. There's no beauty here, only death and decay.” WantBodySeemsBeautifulJoyWaterBeautyMillionsBiggerFishesTerrorTinyFlyingDecayJumpingGlitterLuminousGleamJumping In Author:Curt Siodmak
“Another agricultural trend of growing concern is the increased nutrient content of coastal waters resulting from fertilizer runoff in agricultural regions. Augmented by urban sewage discharge in some situations, this results in huge algal blooms, which, as they die and decay, deplete the oxygen content in the water, leading to the death of the fish.” DiesWaterResultsSituationGrowingHugeConcernEnvironmentalFishesRegionsTrendsPollutionDecayUrbanOxygenDischargeNutrientsFertilizerCoastalSewage Book:Vital Signs 1999-2000: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future Source: Vital Signs 1999-2000: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future