Well, it's over. My mom passed on late yesterday morning.
It was an intense month. She had dementia that, combined with a once necessary and protective stubbornness, made it nearly impossible for her to remember she had cancer. We did not treat the cancer, as the agitation caused by medical issues was far worse than the disease.
There were other, non-medical challenges. The painful part was not my mom's condition or our impending loss. And yet the last week or so evolved into a truly hallowed time. I made two new friends. And there is a tiny window of hope for some things to truly be let go - if we can get through the next phase.
I do think this CSLF space - the goodwill, the civility, the silliness, the breadth and depth of different expertise and experiences - contributed to changes in my perspective and handling of the past month. Thank you all.
No worries! Time hasn't had much meaning the past few weeks (It is almost Tuesday, right?)
I was not familiar with "May her/his memory be a blessing." I really like the thought because it is substantial enough to honor the easy and the complicated impacts of one life upon another.
I'm very sorry about your loss, knowing that "loss" is a very small word for a very large and complicated experience. I'm glad this community of fellow humans was helpful to you.
I'll be praying for all of you (whatever that includes) as you try to get through the next phase in a healthy way for everyone.
In a contentious exchange with one of my brothers several months ago, he informed me "I don't need paragraphs." I did not have the wit to respond "You don't know me well enough to not need my paragraphs."
Good Sunday morning. We had some sun yesterday afternoon, maybe some this afternoon. Temps in the 20s, predicted to flirt with above freezing this afternoon.
Remember a few days ago when we were talking about the "banished words" list from some university? I've got another phrase that needs to be eradicated:
Man! You and a certain commenter whose name I won't mention but who's got a thing about pointing out "objective inaccuracies". As opposed to "calling them out", of course. (A wink and a nod to you-know-who-you-are 😉)
Tough room!!
Yep. Could have gone with that, but chose "Better" because it matched up with the "better" in "Do better". Which I thought was best since I wanted to use "better" in the follow-on line and not "best".
I guess I'd best get better at sussing out certain kinds of objective inaccuracies and eliminating them from my comments. But then it's so seldom I get anything other than a 🚪 from certain people, maybe I'll just leave 'em in.
Good morning, Phil. Congrats on the OSU thing. Good it turned out the way it did. With the cold weather and all the Buckeye tears a loss would have caused, a lot of folks probably would have thought an ice storm had struck the state.
Fortunately, it didn't catch on. I guess the PR person was going for brevity over meaning, which seems to have been, "Be the best version of yourself," or something like that.
What a pointless time to be awake. Here’s an article that many will find at best pointless, but to me it’s cathartic. Andrew Stiles opens up a can of vitriol on Joe Biden that comes closest to summing up my measure of the person…
You were probably awake at such a pointless time because you felt a compulsion to find some way to use that turn of phrase after it popped into your head, and you wouldn't be able to rest until you did. Am I wight, or what?
If said dogs were in house, they’d make sure she was up. Or you were…
Clear skies last night at 3:00: brilliant moon above without a halo lighting up the snowy landscape. Temperature at daybreak around 5º. No wind. Sun on any bare pavement will help accelerate some melting.
That is one big Salamander...that is a very cool-looking interior of that house too...ad the scenery is pretty too
It is 28 degrees here, wind chill of 18 degrees, which is better than the single digits we were getting earlier this week. There has been lots of snow and cold, and I am tired of it already...lol..in the "olden" days, these kinds of temps and snowfall were pretty normal in January. But, we have been spoiled for quite a few years and got spoiled. January is always the fiercest month of winter here and most of our strong snow/ice storms have been over Christmas and New Years week. I heard on the radio it hasn't been like this since the late 70s or early 80s and we are breaking some records...There was a large blizzard the winter during the last week of 77 and the beginning of 78. I even have a tee shirt that says: I survived the blizzard of 1977-78. There was another one in 1980.
No snow today, though there was supposed to be, there is a rumor we might make it to 30 tomorrow....lol..I am on the budget for my gas bill, which I expect to go up significantly, sigh. Good thing I bought a new furnace...lol
I had my eye shot yesterday and the black dots are gone, and the eye headache and fuzziness, but, still some soreness. I'm taking the prednisone for the bronchitis and it seems to be working. The tree was finally taken down and going out tomorrow for Monday's garbage pick-up
Rick is going to his friend's to visit tomorrow and won't be back till Friday morning. So, I am on my own, which will be boring and occasionally scary...lol...he made me turkey and stuffing to eat for the week along with some other stuff.
This is my boring life...lol...though there may be a development in my dating/love life...we shall see
1974 Christmas vacation return from Wood County, West Virginia. Also known as those people across the Ohio River from Marietta and Belpre. Going along I-78, maybe near Pigsah and Hopewell WV, a complete icy stop. Hundreds of cars overnight. Me and my 1985 Buick LeSabre. Lotta country yak and help keeping city folk warm. Scout me always traveled with some food and blankets.
1st year married. New job. New house. Christmas 1977. Heat goes out. 950 gallons of fuel oil used in 25 days. Cold. Get oil
January 1978. 38" snow. Then 42" then 46" in 25 days. Large bucket loader creates walls 12 ft high on either side of driveway. Because I needed my frozen car hauled out to Tom's garage built in 1918. He had an old pre WW2 giant Oshkosh wrecker truck.
Also a welder and fixer mechanic..Except his sign said,
Will weld anything but the Crack of Dawn and a Broken Heart.
Well, Angie, it wasn't officially designated a blizzard, but this was about the next closest thing to one, and I got caught in it driving back up I-75 / U.S. 23 to MI from KY after visiting family down home over the Thanksgiving holiday with my wife and then 5-month-old daughter...
It started snowing late that morning as we came out of Cincinnati on 75 headed north for Dayton, and every mile north we went, the heavier it snowed. Long story short, it was way past dark and a 15-mph slog by the time we got to the 75 -23 split. I was low on gas at that point and pulled off 23 after a few miles to get into a gas station line for almost an hour and a half to fill up the tank. Only to get back on 23 to find it closed by State Troopers at the Maumee exit a few miles further north, all traffic being directed off into Maumee.
Ended up with my wife and infant daughter in a school gymnasium set up as a shelter by the Red Cross on a street down by the Maumee River at about 1AM, ... along with several hundred other people. There was barely room left to even sit on the floor by a wall. As we stood just inside the doors looking around and wondering what to do, a man and his wife walked in and started looking around just a few feet away from us. They were in their 40s (we were in our early 20s) and were each bundled up against the elements. Figured they were highway refugees like us.
But after scanning the scene for a few seconds, they turned and saw my wife standing next to me with our daughter in her arms, rocking her gently to try to keep her settled. They walked up and told us that they lived across the street and just down the block a piece, had two spare bedrooms and since we had a baby to look after, we'd be welcome to come and stay with them for the rest of the night if we wanted. They seemed ok. And we wanted. So we did.
Turns out they were both professors at Bowling Green University a few miles back down off of I-75. And they could not have been kinder or any more gracious hosts to a couple of young strangers in a tough spot if they'd tried.
And what a cool home! A beautifully remodeled 3-story late-19th century grain mill right on the banks of the Maumee River! With huge picture windows streamside and a view to die for the next morning when the sun broke on all that fresh fallen snow and glistening water! I've seen fewer sunrises more spectacular in my life. And I've seen a lot of sunrises.
They took us in, sheltered us, fed us, insisted we use their phone at their expense (long distance was not cheap back then) to call our families and let them know we were ok. They were every bit as pleasant and good company as the storm had been unpleasant and a good-riddance-experience. We were there until the radio announced that 23 and the streets accessing it had been reopened late the next afternoon. And all they would accept for their trouble was my helping the husband shovel the sidewalk off in front of the house and a "Thank you so very much", along with a handshake with the husband and a hug between my wife and his when we finally departed.
I sort of choke up even now thinking about how kind these two people were toward a couple of complete strangers. Especially now, considering the animosity often directed at strangers for no good reason these days.
It took almost another 8 1/2 hours to drive the rest of the way back up to Flint and on to our home out north and east of there in the county, a drive that would normally take not much more than 5 1/2. The road was open all right. What the radio hadn't mentioned was that there was only one lane open all the way up to north of Ann Arbor a good ways, and it was still a hell of a mess the rest of the way up to Flint.
When we finally got home, I had to let us in through the back door, since the snow had drifted on the front porch 3/4 of the way up the front one. We were absolutely exhausted. And absolutely more than just a little bit thankful for the kindness shown to us by two perfect strangers. Strangers whom we left with as friends in our hearts.
Sadly, no. My wife was completely exhausted from trying to take care of our 5-month-old, the kid was quite cranky from being off her routine for so long, and we were so anxious to get home when we finally heard the roads were open that we never even thought about exchanging phone numbers or addresses. We were 20 and 21 years old and didn't really recognize the import of the moment in the moment, if you know what I mean.
I really wish we had, though. The problem with youth is its inexperience at recognizing the value of certain things until it's too late.
That the memories are still very much with me after 50 years says something pretty good about these people, I think. There's been many a time over the years I thought of them and that experience.
That sounds scary and exhausting, far worse than my several trips to and from Salamanca New York in snow storms...I got a room and stayed in Erie a couple of times instead of trying to do that long of a trip in the snow and or ice...one time I didn't have a choice, they closed the border on the PA/Oh turnpike, when we got up the next day, my car was covered in ice, I would have never made it.
By the time it got bad enough to think about holing up in a motel, there weren't any rooms left. On a couple of future winter trips along that route, I made it a point to play the better-safe-than-sorry card and give a motel my credit card while there were still rooms available. Didn't regret it, even on the occasion it turned out not to be necessary.
A. Wear layered clothing. We are inside. We did growing up 50s and 60s. Helped a ton in bitter cold western Massachusetts
B. If you also have songs from these 50s artists" Drifters, Buddy Holly, Tops, Valli, Ray, Lil Richard, Chuck Berry, etc. Elvis and Cash et al don't count - timeless
I wear long what they call loungers and use a blankie on my legs and furry slippers...lol...I also have thermal sheets...I sometimes have trouble breathing when I am too hot, so I do weird things like stick my legs out from under the covers when I am bed, but, pull the comforter up to my chin...
"The river is dammed at this point, which is far from ideal for the giant salamanders."
Point of inquiry: How long you reckon before those dammed giant salamanders form an alliance with their Chinese relatives and launch the Giant Amphibian Apocalypse with that tasty little morsel of a burgh called Yubara as ground zero?
They could probably do a heck of a lot more than that. Let's hope they don't get too cozy with each other. Otherwise, they might come up with some mutual defense treaty including themselves and lots of other salamanders from all over the place with an Article 5 provision. Then how do we stop the Giant Amphibian Apocalypse without igniting a worldwide conflagration?
Yes, it is that. And that whole bit about stomping skyscrapers and snapping up bullet trains made both me and my wife (I couldn't help myself - I had to interrupt her weaving to read it to her) laugh pretty good this morning. Props for thinking of it. Your humor is a taste easily acquired.
Tonight is the annual ENT/Derm Christmas party. You’re thinking to yourselves “oh this is going to be fancy.” Think again, it’s bowling then dinner at an adjacent Swiss restaurant. There’s no “fancy” where I live.
Yes. Got distracted and hit "reply" before I was done replying, playing on phonetics and that difference. Was fixing it as you were calling me out on that.
You mean pointing out an objective inaccuracy in a comment?
I'm making a statement about the use of "calling (person) out." The phrase creates a negative personal dynamic, a cry of grievance and injustice done (!) out of thin air.
What if humans decided where to live ...in the same way they decide where to camp when they are out in the wilderness on a hike?
To suggest this is to get an immediate knee jerk dismissal...excuse me, not open to discussion... as if questioning where the smart places to live is off limits.
In the same way that blaming the fires on climate change is an idiotic affront to any thinking person, suggesting that maybe we ought to think about where and how we build unsettles people. It goes to bedrock American frontier ideals...."How DARE you suggest I can't build my house on the shoreline!"...or "How dare you suggest I don't build in this area that has had Santa Ana winds and massive fires (or mudslides fer chrissakes) for eons!“
If climate change is real, and of course it is...and that doesn't mean I do or don't think humans caused it....what does that mean for how humans think about where the smart places are to live and build homes?
Because that's where this goes. What will really crank my ass is this (already well underway) idea that we must take immediate and highly debatable actions to solve climate change like we adjust our barcalounger angle or realign the steering on our cars.
People used to move around when the climate changed. They used to move around a lot. Some studies suggest that climate has changed hundreds or thousands of times and it does so quite rapidly, which may be why those humans that came across the Bering Strait made it all the way to Tierra Del Fuego in some (I forget the exact amount) very small passage of time.
Where are we gonna live is the question. It's not..."to be, or not to be."
OK, the "kick me" sign on my backside is activated....
Spectacular places to live require deep pockets, at least if they come with modern conveniences. Luxury buyers are a lot more into beautiful than smart. At some point in the ether, smart is a distraction: true luxury is useless.
(I'm rereading Vanity Fair, which has much to say on this subject.)
I think in our youth and middle age, we in America move to where our work takes us. We don't consider the weather. As we get into our 50s and 60s, weather, more than natural disaster risk, comes into thinking for some. I only know my wife is unusually considering of this. She didn't want to go from Michigan to LA Pasadena because of earthquakes. Yet there in 7 years, she only 2. She had 2 others, 1 in Massachusetts and 1 in Michigan. The Michigan quake was her scariest. She was on a horse which went nuts, rearing up. She's an excellent (former) equestrian.
Yet, in LA, 2000-2008, it was the scary, unexpected wildfires that shocked us.
It is now irrelevant to me the causes of the climate change we see all over.
It is only a question of planning for the obvious need to move from the coasts over time.
Kurt, you seem to be working up to Earl "the Daily Rant" King back at the mothership.
Not that I disagree, mind you.
Climate change deserves a sustained human response -- but not one borne of moral panic. (And I could get into a rant of my own about how people who get into moral panics have significant moral blindspots of their own. . .)
It's helpful if I feed the nags on time. Otherwise, they start making so much noise yellin' for their grain and hay that I can hardly hear myself think, much less clarify any thoughts.
I'm not going to argue with your premise. Humanity hasn't survived this long by everyone sitting in their original spot and getting burnout out, flooded, frozen, or covered by magma.
However, the practical impediments are significant, and the ideological ones may be even more of a barrier. Consider, for example, the ideology that made Los Angeles even more of a firetrap than it intrinsically is.
We don’t adequately understand how the climate system works without human-driven changes. There’s no way to separate signal from noise. Which makes it perfect for political ax grinding…
Ax grinding can be extremely noisy. I think ax grinders should be required by government regulation to post the anticipated decibel level of their grievance and appropriate warnings about the need for hearing protection. Of course that would probably just gore their ox, causing ever more ax grinding.
Yep. The climate is changing. it's less clear how much humans are changing it, and even less clear if humans can stop those changes.
The late Charles Krauthammer had the opinion that it would be prudent to reduce CO2 emissions -- not necessarily critical, but prudent. I like that approach.
"We" were arguing 40 years ago that reducing fossil fuel use was a smart geopolitical act. Take away the loonies cash machine. It seemed like a better idea than war. Climate change wasn't on "our" radar. (We were a bunch of dummies that were onto something and we didn't even know it.)
40 years ago, there was actualy talk about "global cooling" premised on how we were reflecting so much sunlight back into space, the earth would cool off. Climate change zealots now angrily insist "real" scientists never said that.
I absolutely agree we should reduce fossil fuel use. But those same climate change zealots, who insist we have a moral duty to stop burning fossil fuels, also have (until very recently) pushed wind and solar, and not the one power source that can replace fossil fuels at scale, 24x7 -- nuclear power.
** "We" were arguing 40 years ago that reducing fossil fuel use was a smart geopolitical act. Take away the loonies cash machine. **
And also reduce environmental damage from extraction as well as particulate and other pollution from burning, especially oil and coal. It was good reasoning then and still is.
Merriam-Webster shows the primary spelling as axe, and ax without the e as an acceptable variant. M-W nas nothing to say about British vs. American usage.
In Britain axe is the preferred usage. At least that's what it said when I axed Google. Actually, I axed Bing, but "Google" sounds more authoritative for some reason. "Bing" puts me in mind of a jack-in-the-box popping up with the answer.
Same thing with knives. Dull knives invite carelessness and mental fog. Sharp knives remind you immediately of what's in front of you if you're careless.
I looked out the window and....SNOW! 🥶 I had cleared my driveway this week, getting it down to pavement. probably 6 inches yesterday. Ugh! After I type this I'll probably start up the snow thrower, and do a good chunk of the driveway (I have a 140' long driveway, plus a turnaround).
In sportball news, The Ohio State University and the University of Texas played football last evening. Did you know the Texas QB (Quinn Ewers) came to OSU his freshman year, some say in search of NIL money? He then tranferred to UT.
On the games penultimate moment, his former roommate, Jack Sawyer became a legend. UT had a first and goal, to tie the game. 3 bad plays later, Ewers goes back to pass. Jack Sawyer gets around the blocker and puts a blind side 𝑻𝑯𝑾𝑨𝑪𝑲! on Ewers, causing a fumble. The ball bounced neatly back to Jack Sawyer, who ran like my dogs do when they escape the house, looking over their shoulder to see if I'm gonna catch them. 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏! 😀 Final score 28-14.
Buckeye fans are happy, unless they were out drinking and driving, in which case they're probably in a holding cell. Me, I stayed home last night (I don't drink either).
My dilemma is this: Christy (my best friend in college, who died) was a hardcore Bucks fan. She got it from her father, who for decades had lower bowl season tickets. His birthday is in November, a little before "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚!" The past two years I've sent a birthday card to him, the past to years they've lost to That Team Up North. Perhaps it is just a coincidence. Should I send a quick note now, or should I wait for The Buckeyes to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the championship? 🧐
Off to shoveling. Ummm those salamanders don't hide in snowbanks do they? 🥶
Plows are still coming through neighborhoods here twice a day for some reason. They skate over all the ice and land in the only loose snow they can find, the snow people keep shovelling from their driveways and mailboxes, twice a day, right after the plows pass.
the Ohio State win over Texas was exciting! The Sawyer sack, strip, scoop and score is the stuff of Buckeye legends!
After last night, I'm close to forgiving coach Ryan Day to losing to That Team Up North for 4 years straight!. Maybe if the bucks defeat Notre Dame a week from Monday for the NCAA title!
I remember two years ago The OSU and NDU faced each other, came down to a last second score for The OSU to win. I 'fessed up to Christy's Father that I was kinda rooting for both teams, and he very graciously forgave me.
lol, I think he was raised to be polite. Christy used to say her Mom enjoyed my weekly letters (Christy would read them aloud to her). I've noticed the thank you notes come from her Mom.
I watched the game with Ohio friends here in Texas. Only one was rooting for OSU but she was polite about it so I let her stay (it was at my house). It was a good game by both teams and I hope OSU beats ND. During the game we had a group text smackfest with college friends back in Ohio. My best line was that UT fans were better looking than OSU’s. Well, the young ladies at least. When I got some pushback, I said that OSU fans will go home and freeze, while UT fans will go home and look for their swimsuits. I was pretty proud of myself for that one.
Last night would have been an awesome championship game.
Lol, I don't comment on how pretty are the coeds; being a professor it could too easily look creepy. When I do study abroad, I talk about that with students. I won't socialize with them (other than in an all class field trip), to avoid any perceptions of anything. They think that's lame, but a few respect it.
Amphibians tend to be dormant in freezing weather, if they survive at all.
If I understand correctly, you are happy about the sportball outcome. I think it would be polite to send a card Christy's father, saying something to the effect, "Thinking of you! We are both happy about this!"
Somewhere I have a picture of Godzilla holding up a subway car, complaining about how the filling oozes out when he tries to eat one....The good news is apparently NY's guv fixed that issue. She made the subways safe....from being eaten by Godzilla...
I’m still working through my giant salamander trauma…
Generally, I walk around in a state of wonder at the natural environment, even when I’m in the middle of a city of 16 million. It’s everywhere, if one knows where to look.
I once caught a hellbender on a spinner bait fishing on the Ouachita River when I was a little kid. Probably a couple of pounds. It startled my dad. I was pretty sure it was Nessie's baby.
But that's a new class of mud puppy there.
Maybe 5 inches of snow here in exurban Nashvegas. Over in the Ouachita Mountains toward Oklahoma, they got 14 inches. That's not good. They can't deal.
Its 69 degrees here today, allegedly going up to 73. We had dinner last night with some friends who live in Coral Springs, about 1/2 hr. away. It was in the mid 60s. We wore light jackets; they were clad in heavy fleece jackets and were okay dining outside but wanted to sit near the propane flame throwers (sorry: heaters). I found it very pleasant. They were shivering.
I used to joke to FL people who visited, that that get cold about the time I start taking layers off...lol..and losing the jacket...( are you visiting in FL? My dad used to live in Coral Springs, one of the several places I have been to in FL)
You too? I first saw The Simpsons when it was a short cartoon element within the Tracey Ullman show, and in that early form it struck me as not only ugly, but stupid. So I never followed it further, and by the time I heard it was a series of its own and becoming clever, I didn't have available time to commit to watching a new series. So I just skipped it. Meanwhile, the time I had was taken up watching series that I did find worthwhile and don't regret spending time on.
Experiences like that one gradually extinguished my Fear of Missing Out. We're all going to miss out on far more than we get in on. But that's life. Most of what we miss probably wasn't that great anyway. But greatness can be found in a variety of places; it tends to pop up in many guises. So the best policy is to just try to make some good choices for how to spend our time and energy and thought.
I, too, find myself immune to Fear of Missing Out. It goes with my aphorism, "Comparison is the thief of joy." If I like what I've chosen to watch (read, eat, etc.), what do I gain by worrying that I might be missing something "better"?
It's amazing how they are frozen and then unthaw...a video came up right after about the problems they cause, I didn't know that they are not native to FL...Florida gets a lot of non-native species for various reasons apparently...and many of them are destructive or dangerous to other animals and people.
Good morning. We had a couple more inches last night — snow not ice. Temps in the 20s, maybe breaking 30 later.
That giant salamander looks like the stuff of nightmares! Don’t let it anywhere near a nuclear reactor, or it might mutate and become Godzilla!
Meanwhile, FP continues to cover a real nightmare — the LA fires that so far have killed 11, displaced over 100,000 and burned an area the size of the city of Miami.
Well, it's over. My mom passed on late yesterday morning.
It was an intense month. She had dementia that, combined with a once necessary and protective stubbornness, made it nearly impossible for her to remember she had cancer. We did not treat the cancer, as the agitation caused by medical issues was far worse than the disease.
There were other, non-medical challenges. The painful part was not my mom's condition or our impending loss. And yet the last week or so evolved into a truly hallowed time. I made two new friends. And there is a tiny window of hope for some things to truly be let go - if we can get through the next phase.
I do think this CSLF space - the goodwill, the civility, the silliness, the breadth and depth of different expertise and experiences - contributed to changes in my perspective and handling of the past month. Thank you all.
Lucy: I feel terrible that I missed this post from you. My deepest condolences to you and your family. May your mother's memory be a blessing.
No worries! Time hasn't had much meaning the past few weeks (It is almost Tuesday, right?)
I was not familiar with "May her/his memory be a blessing." I really like the thought because it is substantial enough to honor the easy and the complicated impacts of one life upon another.
Thank you.
I’m sure it’s used by other religions, but it is a staple of Jewish condolences.
My sincere sorrow at your loss Lucy
Thanks Doug.
Sad to hear, Lucy. Very sorry for your loss.
In that lovely expression of our Jewish friends here: May her memory be a blessing.
Thanks. I like that expression.
I'm very sorry about your loss, knowing that "loss" is a very small word for a very large and complicated experience. I'm glad this community of fellow humans was helpful to you.
I'll be praying for all of you (whatever that includes) as you try to get through the next phase in a healthy way for everyone.
So sorry for the loss of your mother. I’m glad she’s no longer suffering as well. I’ll be praying for you as you walk this path.
Thank you. She had a hard road, parts of which are only visible in hindsight. We have so much more to be thankful for than not.
You get it! Thank you.
In a contentious exchange with one of my brothers several months ago, he informed me "I don't need paragraphs." I did not have the wit to respond "You don't know me well enough to not need my paragraphs."
I think there are few people in life who know us well enough not to need paragraphs. Hang in there!
Sincere condolences, Lucy. May the peace of resolution assuage any sorrow in your heart.
Thanks. It is a relief she is no longer suffering.
Good Sunday morning. We had some sun yesterday afternoon, maybe some this afternoon. Temps in the 20s, predicted to flirt with above freezing this afternoon.
Remember a few days ago when we were talking about the "banished words" list from some university? I've got another phrase that needs to be eradicated:
"Do better."
To the list I add: "It is what it is."
“It’s been a minute”, meaning, “It has been a very long time”… I think I only heard that twice before I disliked it.
Good observation.
Melania wants to know if it will Be Better if we get rid of "Do better".
Maybe I'd better watch myself, cracking wise right off the bat like that?
Good morning, Cynthia.
Good morning.
Melaina's catchphrase was "Be best".
Man! You and a certain commenter whose name I won't mention but who's got a thing about pointing out "objective inaccuracies". As opposed to "calling them out", of course. (A wink and a nod to you-know-who-you-are 😉)
Tough room!!
Yep. Could have gone with that, but chose "Better" because it matched up with the "better" in "Do better". Which I thought was best since I wanted to use "better" in the follow-on line and not "best".
I guess I'd best get better at sussing out certain kinds of objective inaccuracies and eliminating them from my comments. But then it's so seldom I get anything other than a 🚪 from certain people, maybe I'll just leave 'em in.
Good morning, Phil. Congrats on the OSU thing. Good it turned out the way it did. With the cold weather and all the Buckeye tears a loss would have caused, a lot of folks probably would have thought an ice storm had struck the state.
Fortunately, it didn't catch on. I guess the PR person was going for brevity over meaning, which seems to have been, "Be the best version of yourself," or something like that.
Brief catchy phrases > meaning = the bulk of American political discourse in many quarters.
What a pointless time to be awake. Here’s an article that many will find at best pointless, but to me it’s cathartic. Andrew Stiles opens up a can of vitriol on Joe Biden that comes closest to summing up my measure of the person…
https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/joe-biden-is-historic-a-hole-analysis-finds/
Now, back to my previous practice of keeping my thoughts to myself on the poor wight trash…
"poor wight trash"
You were probably awake at such a pointless time because you felt a compulsion to find some way to use that turn of phrase after it popped into your head, and you wouldn't be able to rest until you did. Am I wight, or what?
Good morning. I'm awake now.
Had to go back for a refresher on Zzzz. Much better now.
I slept in until almost 7. I might have loafed a bit longer, but I had to get D up for her dog walk job.
Is dog walking a ruff job?
Do applicants have to be vetted?
What kind of boneafidos does one need to get such a job?
BTW... If D fails to get up, does she end up in the doghouse?
See... This is the kind of thing that happens when an old dog gets out the door and runs off-leash in the neighborhood.
I'd be havin' a talk with Phil about that if I were y'all.
Wow, that was a lot of effort.
I may be an old dog, but I'm not a slacker.
If said dogs were in house, they’d make sure she was up. Or you were…
Clear skies last night at 3:00: brilliant moon above without a halo lighting up the snowy landscape. Temperature at daybreak around 5º. No wind. Sun on any bare pavement will help accelerate some melting.
The dog is in a neighbor's house.
Afternoon All.
Cynthia:
That is one big Salamander...that is a very cool-looking interior of that house too...ad the scenery is pretty too
It is 28 degrees here, wind chill of 18 degrees, which is better than the single digits we were getting earlier this week. There has been lots of snow and cold, and I am tired of it already...lol..in the "olden" days, these kinds of temps and snowfall were pretty normal in January. But, we have been spoiled for quite a few years and got spoiled. January is always the fiercest month of winter here and most of our strong snow/ice storms have been over Christmas and New Years week. I heard on the radio it hasn't been like this since the late 70s or early 80s and we are breaking some records...There was a large blizzard the winter during the last week of 77 and the beginning of 78. I even have a tee shirt that says: I survived the blizzard of 1977-78. There was another one in 1980.
No snow today, though there was supposed to be, there is a rumor we might make it to 30 tomorrow....lol..I am on the budget for my gas bill, which I expect to go up significantly, sigh. Good thing I bought a new furnace...lol
I had my eye shot yesterday and the black dots are gone, and the eye headache and fuzziness, but, still some soreness. I'm taking the prednisone for the bronchitis and it seems to be working. The tree was finally taken down and going out tomorrow for Monday's garbage pick-up
Rick is going to his friend's to visit tomorrow and won't be back till Friday morning. So, I am on my own, which will be boring and occasionally scary...lol...he made me turkey and stuffing to eat for the week along with some other stuff.
This is my boring life...lol...though there may be a development in my dating/love life...we shall see
Memorable blizzards!!
1974 Christmas vacation return from Wood County, West Virginia. Also known as those people across the Ohio River from Marietta and Belpre. Going along I-78, maybe near Pigsah and Hopewell WV, a complete icy stop. Hundreds of cars overnight. Me and my 1985 Buick LeSabre. Lotta country yak and help keeping city folk warm. Scout me always traveled with some food and blankets.
1st year married. New job. New house. Christmas 1977. Heat goes out. 950 gallons of fuel oil used in 25 days. Cold. Get oil
January 1978. 38" snow. Then 42" then 46" in 25 days. Large bucket loader creates walls 12 ft high on either side of driveway. Because I needed my frozen car hauled out to Tom's garage built in 1918. He had an old pre WW2 giant Oshkosh wrecker truck.
Also a welder and fixer mechanic..Except his sign said,
Will weld anything but the Crack of Dawn and a Broken Heart.
Sending hope for your potentials Angie A
Thanks, Doug
Those sound like scary winter stories and stressful...I have a couple of others that are not driving-related.
RE: Ohio blizzards
Well, Angie, it wasn't officially designated a blizzard, but this was about the next closest thing to one, and I got caught in it driving back up I-75 / U.S. 23 to MI from KY after visiting family down home over the Thanksgiving holiday with my wife and then 5-month-old daughter...
https://www.toledohistorybox.com/2010/12/01/snowstorm-buries-toledo-december-1-1974/
It started snowing late that morning as we came out of Cincinnati on 75 headed north for Dayton, and every mile north we went, the heavier it snowed. Long story short, it was way past dark and a 15-mph slog by the time we got to the 75 -23 split. I was low on gas at that point and pulled off 23 after a few miles to get into a gas station line for almost an hour and a half to fill up the tank. Only to get back on 23 to find it closed by State Troopers at the Maumee exit a few miles further north, all traffic being directed off into Maumee.
Ended up with my wife and infant daughter in a school gymnasium set up as a shelter by the Red Cross on a street down by the Maumee River at about 1AM, ... along with several hundred other people. There was barely room left to even sit on the floor by a wall. As we stood just inside the doors looking around and wondering what to do, a man and his wife walked in and started looking around just a few feet away from us. They were in their 40s (we were in our early 20s) and were each bundled up against the elements. Figured they were highway refugees like us.
But after scanning the scene for a few seconds, they turned and saw my wife standing next to me with our daughter in her arms, rocking her gently to try to keep her settled. They walked up and told us that they lived across the street and just down the block a piece, had two spare bedrooms and since we had a baby to look after, we'd be welcome to come and stay with them for the rest of the night if we wanted. They seemed ok. And we wanted. So we did.
Turns out they were both professors at Bowling Green University a few miles back down off of I-75. And they could not have been kinder or any more gracious hosts to a couple of young strangers in a tough spot if they'd tried.
And what a cool home! A beautifully remodeled 3-story late-19th century grain mill right on the banks of the Maumee River! With huge picture windows streamside and a view to die for the next morning when the sun broke on all that fresh fallen snow and glistening water! I've seen fewer sunrises more spectacular in my life. And I've seen a lot of sunrises.
They took us in, sheltered us, fed us, insisted we use their phone at their expense (long distance was not cheap back then) to call our families and let them know we were ok. They were every bit as pleasant and good company as the storm had been unpleasant and a good-riddance-experience. We were there until the radio announced that 23 and the streets accessing it had been reopened late the next afternoon. And all they would accept for their trouble was my helping the husband shovel the sidewalk off in front of the house and a "Thank you so very much", along with a handshake with the husband and a hug between my wife and his when we finally departed.
I sort of choke up even now thinking about how kind these two people were toward a couple of complete strangers. Especially now, considering the animosity often directed at strangers for no good reason these days.
It took almost another 8 1/2 hours to drive the rest of the way back up to Flint and on to our home out north and east of there in the county, a drive that would normally take not much more than 5 1/2. The road was open all right. What the radio hadn't mentioned was that there was only one lane open all the way up to north of Ann Arbor a good ways, and it was still a hell of a mess the rest of the way up to Flint.
When we finally got home, I had to let us in through the back door, since the snow had drifted on the front porch 3/4 of the way up the front one. We were absolutely exhausted. And absolutely more than just a little bit thankful for the kindness shown to us by two perfect strangers. Strangers whom we left with as friends in our hearts.
Did you and they keep in touch?
Sadly, no. My wife was completely exhausted from trying to take care of our 5-month-old, the kid was quite cranky from being off her routine for so long, and we were so anxious to get home when we finally heard the roads were open that we never even thought about exchanging phone numbers or addresses. We were 20 and 21 years old and didn't really recognize the import of the moment in the moment, if you know what I mean.
I really wish we had, though. The problem with youth is its inexperience at recognizing the value of certain things until it's too late.
That the memories are still very much with me after 50 years says something pretty good about these people, I think. There's been many a time over the years I thought of them and that experience.
Youth and inexperience: very true. Of course, I recognize from third-party observation that a five-month old is quite enough preoccupation.
What a lovely couple of kind adults! I’m sure it helped that you and your wife were close in age to their university charges.
That sounds scary and exhausting, far worse than my several trips to and from Salamanca New York in snow storms...I got a room and stayed in Erie a couple of times instead of trying to do that long of a trip in the snow and or ice...one time I didn't have a choice, they closed the border on the PA/Oh turnpike, when we got up the next day, my car was covered in ice, I would have never made it.
By the time it got bad enough to think about holing up in a motel, there weren't any rooms left. On a couple of future winter trips along that route, I made it a point to play the better-safe-than-sorry card and give a motel my credit card while there were still rooms available. Didn't regret it, even on the occasion it turned out not to be necessary.
Raise your hand if you:
A. Wear layered clothing. We are inside. We did growing up 50s and 60s. Helped a ton in bitter cold western Massachusetts
B. If you also have songs from these 50s artists" Drifters, Buddy Holly, Tops, Valli, Ray, Lil Richard, Chuck Berry, etc. Elvis and Cash et al don't count - timeless
🤗🐓🐓🐓🐾🐾🐾
🖐🖐
Hand up for both!
A. 🖐️
I wear long what they call loungers and use a blankie on my legs and furry slippers...lol...I also have thermal sheets...I sometimes have trouble breathing when I am too hot, so I do weird things like stick my legs out from under the covers when I am bed, but, pull the comforter up to my chin...
39 overnight. 53F now. One heat pump funky. Being an old time heating engineer, I have an oil filled 1500w electric radiator. Yeah!!
Below from Construction Physics, is an overlay onto Chicago of the Chicago fire, including an overlay of the Palisades fire.
The length of the Palisade fire and square would reach 5 people from my house.
The length of the Palisades fire is a mile short of the first gas station and no stoplights.
https://open.substack.com/pub/constructionphysics/p/reading-list-11125?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2st43
As to the size overlay of the Chicago fire in the 1880s, it would be 85% within my visual backyard, East to North to West
"The river is dammed at this point, which is far from ideal for the giant salamanders."
Point of inquiry: How long you reckon before those dammed giant salamanders form an alliance with their Chinese relatives and launch the Giant Amphibian Apocalypse with that tasty little morsel of a burgh called Yubara as ground zero?
If the hybrid Chinese-Japanese salamanders worked together, they might be able to eliminate the dam.
They could probably do a heck of a lot more than that. Let's hope they don't get too cozy with each other. Otherwise, they might come up with some mutual defense treaty including themselves and lots of other salamanders from all over the place with an Article 5 provision. Then how do we stop the Giant Amphibian Apocalypse without igniting a worldwide conflagration?
If we're going to have the apocalypse, Giant Amphibian is at least original.
Yes, it is that. And that whole bit about stomping skyscrapers and snapping up bullet trains made both me and my wife (I couldn't help myself - I had to interrupt her weaving to read it to her) laugh pretty good this morning. Props for thinking of it. Your humor is a taste easily acquired.
Thank you.
Tonight is the annual ENT/Derm Christmas party. You’re thinking to yourselves “oh this is going to be fancy.” Think again, it’s bowling then dinner at an adjacent Swiss restaurant. There’s no “fancy” where I live.
I hope everyone has a really nice time. What do they serve at a Swiss restaurant?
Kalberwurst, Schublig, Schnitzel (3 types), spatzli, and fondue on Saturday nights. I’m surprised Rosti isn’t on the menu.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/stores/restaurant/?msockid=2a98c6f2e0b3622d2985d401e14b6396
I'll have the Swedish meatballs and a Stockholm salad with a coffee table on the side and a 3-drawer organizer for dessert.
Yeah... it's Swedish not Swiss. But you have to admit it sounds pretty good.
I expect the coffee table is full of holes.
Sort of like my comment was... 🙄
Swedish is different from Swiss.
Yes. Got distracted and hit "reply" before I was done replying, playing on phonetics and that difference. Was fixing it as you were calling me out on that.
You mean pointing out an objective inaccuracy in a comment?
I'm making a statement about the use of "calling (person) out." The phrase creates a negative personal dynamic, a cry of grievance and injustice done (!) out of thin air.
Huh? OK. What you said, then. I'm positive I meant nothing negative by that, but I'm good with pointing out objective inaccuracies. 👈👇👉👆🤞🖐🖖
In Trosino’s case he’s more used to getting shouted down.
I’m assuming Swiss Steak is on the menu.
Toblerone?
What if humans decided where to live ...in the same way they decide where to camp when they are out in the wilderness on a hike?
To suggest this is to get an immediate knee jerk dismissal...excuse me, not open to discussion... as if questioning where the smart places to live is off limits.
In the same way that blaming the fires on climate change is an idiotic affront to any thinking person, suggesting that maybe we ought to think about where and how we build unsettles people. It goes to bedrock American frontier ideals...."How DARE you suggest I can't build my house on the shoreline!"...or "How dare you suggest I don't build in this area that has had Santa Ana winds and massive fires (or mudslides fer chrissakes) for eons!“
If climate change is real, and of course it is...and that doesn't mean I do or don't think humans caused it....what does that mean for how humans think about where the smart places are to live and build homes?
Because that's where this goes. What will really crank my ass is this (already well underway) idea that we must take immediate and highly debatable actions to solve climate change like we adjust our barcalounger angle or realign the steering on our cars.
People used to move around when the climate changed. They used to move around a lot. Some studies suggest that climate has changed hundreds or thousands of times and it does so quite rapidly, which may be why those humans that came across the Bering Strait made it all the way to Tierra Del Fuego in some (I forget the exact amount) very small passage of time.
Where are we gonna live is the question. It's not..."to be, or not to be."
OK, the "kick me" sign on my backside is activated....
Spectacular places to live require deep pockets, at least if they come with modern conveniences. Luxury buyers are a lot more into beautiful than smart. At some point in the ether, smart is a distraction: true luxury is useless.
(I'm rereading Vanity Fair, which has much to say on this subject.)
Time is my game and thing.
Can't change the past
Can't predict the future due to unknown unknowns.
I think in our youth and middle age, we in America move to where our work takes us. We don't consider the weather. As we get into our 50s and 60s, weather, more than natural disaster risk, comes into thinking for some. I only know my wife is unusually considering of this. She didn't want to go from Michigan to LA Pasadena because of earthquakes. Yet there in 7 years, she only 2. She had 2 others, 1 in Massachusetts and 1 in Michigan. The Michigan quake was her scariest. She was on a horse which went nuts, rearing up. She's an excellent (former) equestrian.
Yet, in LA, 2000-2008, it was the scary, unexpected wildfires that shocked us.
It is now irrelevant to me the causes of the climate change we see all over.
It is only a question of planning for the obvious need to move from the coasts over time.
Kurt, you seem to be working up to Earl "the Daily Rant" King back at the mothership.
Not that I disagree, mind you.
Climate change deserves a sustained human response -- but not one borne of moral panic. (And I could get into a rant of my own about how people who get into moral panics have significant moral blindspots of their own. . .)
I'm confused. Was that a rant?
It could morph into a rant if I give it more time.
I guess it's your morning. That means I should go to bed. Seeya!
Way past your bedtime...I was still soaking in bed when I typed that.
Something about modern art:
https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-artist-as-tyrant
Anything sound familiar?
More like a long comment.
Haha ok
I go through periods of existential angst. I write to figure out what I'm thinking.
I thought it was because of the time difference between here and there and that sometimes you're just cranky due to the hour. 🥱😒
I like that. You like discussing and collaboration! As do I !
Cooperation is the only way groups of people can get anywhere.
Very true!
I find writing helps me clarify my thoughts as well.
Thoughtful feedback is helpful, too.
It's helpful if I feed the nags on time. Otherwise, they start making so much noise yellin' for their grain and hay that I can hardly hear myself think, much less clarify any thoughts.
Really?
"I write to figure out what I'm thinking."
Yes, exactly. (I don't think existential angst is a necessary catalyst, though.)
I'm not going to argue with your premise. Humanity hasn't survived this long by everyone sitting in their original spot and getting burnout out, flooded, frozen, or covered by magma.
However, the practical impediments are significant, and the ideological ones may be even more of a barrier. Consider, for example, the ideology that made Los Angeles even more of a firetrap than it intrinsically is.
"Premise" might be overstating things. I'm not entirely sure where that came from. Lots of houses burning to nothing has unbalanced me.
Okay. I'm not going to argue that the concepts you're bringing up are not worth discussing.
No arguments....just looking for a civilizational baseline that makes sense.
We have that already if we care to act accordingly. We apparently don't.
We don’t adequately understand how the climate system works without human-driven changes. There’s no way to separate signal from noise. Which makes it perfect for political ax grinding…
Ax grinding can be extremely noisy. I think ax grinders should be required by government regulation to post the anticipated decibel level of their grievance and appropriate warnings about the need for hearing protection. Of course that would probably just gore their ox, causing ever more ax grinding.
Yep. The climate is changing. it's less clear how much humans are changing it, and even less clear if humans can stop those changes.
The late Charles Krauthammer had the opinion that it would be prudent to reduce CO2 emissions -- not necessarily critical, but prudent. I like that approach.
"We" were arguing 40 years ago that reducing fossil fuel use was a smart geopolitical act. Take away the loonies cash machine. It seemed like a better idea than war. Climate change wasn't on "our" radar. (We were a bunch of dummies that were onto something and we didn't even know it.)
(As per usual.)
40 years ago, there was actualy talk about "global cooling" premised on how we were reflecting so much sunlight back into space, the earth would cool off. Climate change zealots now angrily insist "real" scientists never said that.
I absolutely agree we should reduce fossil fuel use. But those same climate change zealots, who insist we have a moral duty to stop burning fossil fuels, also have (until very recently) pushed wind and solar, and not the one power source that can replace fossil fuels at scale, 24x7 -- nuclear power.
It's exactly what Kurt was saying about “sensible baseline.” Nuclear is it, but no. People are wondrously nonsensical.
I remember the global cooling thing.
** "We" were arguing 40 years ago that reducing fossil fuel use was a smart geopolitical act. Take away the loonies cash machine. **
And also reduce environmental damage from extraction as well as particulate and other pollution from burning, especially oil and coal. It was good reasoning then and still is.
Ah yes...the axe grinding.
A sharp axe is safer than a dull one. We learned this in the "Using Tools" section of the Scout Handbook.
So, is the proper spelling of axe ax or axe? Axing for friend.
Axe offers better Scrabble options.
Also, olfactory options...
https://www.axe.com/us/en/home.html
Either is okay.
Merriam-Webster shows the primary spelling as axe, and ax without the e as an acceptable variant. M-W nas nothing to say about British vs. American usage.
In Britain axe is the preferred usage. At least that's what it said when I axed Google. Actually, I axed Bing, but "Google" sounds more authoritative for some reason. "Bing" puts me in mind of a jack-in-the-box popping up with the answer.
Not our Jack, of course.
Same thing with knives. Dull knives invite carelessness and mental fog. Sharp knives remind you immediately of what's in front of you if you're careless.
I looked out the window and....SNOW! 🥶 I had cleared my driveway this week, getting it down to pavement. probably 6 inches yesterday. Ugh! After I type this I'll probably start up the snow thrower, and do a good chunk of the driveway (I have a 140' long driveway, plus a turnaround).
In sportball news, The Ohio State University and the University of Texas played football last evening. Did you know the Texas QB (Quinn Ewers) came to OSU his freshman year, some say in search of NIL money? He then tranferred to UT.
On the games penultimate moment, his former roommate, Jack Sawyer became a legend. UT had a first and goal, to tie the game. 3 bad plays later, Ewers goes back to pass. Jack Sawyer gets around the blocker and puts a blind side 𝑻𝑯𝑾𝑨𝑪𝑲! on Ewers, causing a fumble. The ball bounced neatly back to Jack Sawyer, who ran like my dogs do when they escape the house, looking over their shoulder to see if I'm gonna catch them. 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏! 😀 Final score 28-14.
Buckeye fans are happy, unless they were out drinking and driving, in which case they're probably in a holding cell. Me, I stayed home last night (I don't drink either).
My dilemma is this: Christy (my best friend in college, who died) was a hardcore Bucks fan. She got it from her father, who for decades had lower bowl season tickets. His birthday is in November, a little before "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚!" The past two years I've sent a birthday card to him, the past to years they've lost to That Team Up North. Perhaps it is just a coincidence. Should I send a quick note now, or should I wait for The Buckeyes to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the championship? 🧐
Off to shoveling. Ummm those salamanders don't hide in snowbanks do they? 🥶
Plows are still coming through neighborhoods here twice a day for some reason. They skate over all the ice and land in the only loose snow they can find, the snow people keep shovelling from their driveways and mailboxes, twice a day, right after the plows pass.
the Ohio State win over Texas was exciting! The Sawyer sack, strip, scoop and score is the stuff of Buckeye legends!
After last night, I'm close to forgiving coach Ryan Day to losing to That Team Up North for 4 years straight!. Maybe if the bucks defeat Notre Dame a week from Monday for the NCAA title!
I saw the highlight. Dagger in the heart...legend.
I remember two years ago The OSU and NDU faced each other, came down to a last second score for The OSU to win. I 'fessed up to Christy's Father that I was kinda rooting for both teams, and he very graciously forgave me.
He must have liked you.
lol, I think he was raised to be polite. Christy used to say her Mom enjoyed my weekly letters (Christy would read them aloud to her). I've noticed the thank you notes come from her Mom.
I watched the game with Ohio friends here in Texas. Only one was rooting for OSU but she was polite about it so I let her stay (it was at my house). It was a good game by both teams and I hope OSU beats ND. During the game we had a group text smackfest with college friends back in Ohio. My best line was that UT fans were better looking than OSU’s. Well, the young ladies at least. When I got some pushback, I said that OSU fans will go home and freeze, while UT fans will go home and look for their swimsuits. I was pretty proud of myself for that one.
Last night would have been an awesome championship game.
Lol, I don't comment on how pretty are the coeds; being a professor it could too easily look creepy. When I do study abroad, I talk about that with students. I won't socialize with them (other than in an all class field trip), to avoid any perceptions of anything. They think that's lame, but a few respect it.
The Longhorns had a great season, and fought hard last night.
Amphibians tend to be dormant in freezing weather, if they survive at all.
If I understand correctly, you are happy about the sportball outcome. I think it would be polite to send a card Christy's father, saying something to the effect, "Thinking of you! We are both happy about this!"
".....and why on earth would anyone do that unless they plan a Giant Amphibian Apocalypse?"
and...
"....When it’s not eating people whole and stomping skyscrapers to the ground or snapping up bullet trains as if they were earthworms...."
Those changeups made me laugh.
Somewhere I have a picture of Godzilla holding up a subway car, complaining about how the filling oozes out when he tries to eat one....The good news is apparently NY's guv fixed that issue. She made the subways safe....from being eaten by Godzilla...
That made me laugh… today’s a good laugh day.
Thank you. That's one of my aims! The other aim is to have you say, "Wow! Cool animals! What a fine and various world this is!"
Success on both counts!
I also love your stories about your kids.
They are amusing animals, too.
Your own "special animal friends"?
They really are!!
They are very cool. I didn’t like the River Monster guy manhandling that sweet creature but all turned out OK in the end.
I’m still working through my giant salamander trauma…
Generally, I walk around in a state of wonder at the natural environment, even when I’m in the middle of a city of 16 million. It’s everywhere, if one knows where to look.
I once caught a hellbender on a spinner bait fishing on the Ouachita River when I was a little kid. Probably a couple of pounds. It startled my dad. I was pretty sure it was Nessie's baby.
But that's a new class of mud puppy there.
Maybe 5 inches of snow here in exurban Nashvegas. Over in the Ouachita Mountains toward Oklahoma, they got 14 inches. That's not good. They can't deal.
I hope you and the residents of the Ouachitas thaw out soon.
Its 69 degrees here today, allegedly going up to 73. We had dinner last night with some friends who live in Coral Springs, about 1/2 hr. away. It was in the mid 60s. We wore light jackets; they were clad in heavy fleece jackets and were okay dining outside but wanted to sit near the propane flame throwers (sorry: heaters). I found it very pleasant. They were shivering.
I used to joke to FL people who visited, that that get cold about the time I start taking layers off...lol..and losing the jacket...( are you visiting in FL? My dad used to live in Coral Springs, one of the several places I have been to in FL)
We are renting for a few months in Delray. I will be leaving from time to time to ski.
I was wondering about your skiing, isn't this a good time to do so?
Yes but I’ve already skied 21 days and I will get another 10 or so in March during t annual trip out West with a buddy. That will sate me.
If you don’t have to worry about iguanas falling on your head, it’s really not that bad.
Those little lizards in FL are kinda cute...I could do without the cockroaches, oh, I mean Palmetto Bugs...
A constant fear. Like Jack with bears.
Bear Patrol...
https://youtu.be/EiUcY4dECqA
You should direct that to Jack. I have bears on my property in Vermont every year.
I would but my turn on bear patrol starts in 3 minutes.
The main reason I've never watched more than one minute of The Simpsons is that it is so UGLY.
You too? I first saw The Simpsons when it was a short cartoon element within the Tracey Ullman show, and in that early form it struck me as not only ugly, but stupid. So I never followed it further, and by the time I heard it was a series of its own and becoming clever, I didn't have available time to commit to watching a new series. So I just skipped it. Meanwhile, the time I had was taken up watching series that I did find worthwhile and don't regret spending time on.
Experiences like that one gradually extinguished my Fear of Missing Out. We're all going to miss out on far more than we get in on. But that's life. Most of what we miss probably wasn't that great anyway. But greatness can be found in a variety of places; it tends to pop up in many guises. So the best policy is to just try to make some good choices for how to spend our time and energy and thought.
I, too, find myself immune to Fear of Missing Out. It goes with my aphorism, "Comparison is the thief of joy." If I like what I've chosen to watch (read, eat, etc.), what do I gain by worrying that I might be missing something "better"?
"I hate ugliness. You know I'm allergic to ugliness."
....Imelda Marcos
It's all in your perception. I like reptiles and fungus ...
That was Matt Groening’s hallmark. His strip “Life in Hell” showed the prototype.
I knew some kids in college and some coworkers after college who liked that. I thought it was ugly. I don't need to use my leisure time for ugliness.
https://youtu.be/RNZN5PfMdqw?si=viYtu9CSz4njTm8Z
Well, that was pretty scary...about frogs...lol
Gee, thanks, Kurt.
OK, found one. Not as engaging as the frogs, though...
https://youtu.be/jmpVgZLm7Tw?si=5MO_PiF1DMppCou3
It's amazing how they are frozen and then unthaw...a video came up right after about the problems they cause, I didn't know that they are not native to FL...Florida gets a lot of non-native species for various reasons apparently...and many of them are destructive or dangerous to other animals and people.
Hey, its a free state!
The source is funded in whole or in part by the Emirati government. I wonder what specific interest the UAE has in Florida's iguanas.
It probably runs through Jared Kushner...
I couldn't find a raining iguana video, so I went with frogs.
I appreciate the effort.
The video notes that they are fake frogs.
>10,000 fake frogs....
Painting fake frogs is an honest living ...
And I, appropriately, had fake fear!
It would have been super gross if they were real frogs.
Good morning. We had a couple more inches last night — snow not ice. Temps in the 20s, maybe breaking 30 later.
That giant salamander looks like the stuff of nightmares! Don’t let it anywhere near a nuclear reactor, or it might mutate and become Godzilla!
Meanwhile, FP continues to cover a real nightmare — the LA fires that so far have killed 11, displaced over 100,000 and burned an area the size of the city of Miami.
It’s sort of the manatee of salamanders.
Very true.