Tornados and such

While we were missing the Sierra Madre fire on the one hand, we were also missing the tornadoes at home on the other. Well, nearby tornadoes anyway.

Or so I thought. Apparently they were a lot closer than that.

And yes, purely in the interest of studying the social effects of natural disasters on communities, when we got the chance we moved toward the fire, not away. Kind of like when there's a storm.

UPDATE: Here's a great bit of tornado video, from the camera inside a parked ambulance.

The Wedding

We are just back from our daughter's wedding in Pasadena. Despite what some folks at the reception asked, no we were not the wedding party that had to be airlifted out of the Sierra Madre fire zone.

It was in a park, though, just south of Jet Propulsion Lab. I've posted the video above, and there are some photos loaded at Flickr. My thanks to Michele, who took all the best shots.

The County Budget

Here is why so many of us find government incomprehensible from the get go. I live in a county with a population of about 34,000.

The proposed budget for the county for FY2009 is $122 million dollars. That's seems incredibly large. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of spending that much money for anything in this county.

Sixty million goes to the school district, which has about 7,000 students. Plus federal dollars.

I know the numbers all add up and make sense, but the sheer scale makes me feel like I'm trying to do my personal finances by counting on my fingers and toes.

And the Government Shall Set You Free

Obama needs to learn to shut up. Fresh off of this -
You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them…And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Then he says this -

"What is absolutely true is that people don't feel like they're being listened to," the Democratic presidential contender said. "So they pray and they count on each other and they count on their families. You know this in your own lives.

" And what we need is a federal government that is actually paying attention. A government that is fighting for working people day in and day out making sure that we are trying to allow them to live out the American dream and that's what this campaign is about."

You see when people have problems they shouldn't be praying or turning to friends and family. Their first thought should be that the federal government should be doing something for them. That's sure my American dream.

Bringing Up Baby

Parenting is hard enough when everything is going smoothly, but it gets worse when the parents can't agree on "how to raise their kids." Sometimes it can even lead to fights.

When police asked the woman why the two had separated, she said they have "different ideas about how the baby should be raised," according to a police report.

When officer Daniel Swift asked the woman what she meant by that, she said that the two belong to different street gangs. "They could not agree on which gang the baby would claim," Swift said.

How about we all chip in and send them a little bitty prison uniform?

Gobal Warming Causes Volcanic Eruptions

You knew it had to come up eventually.

Increased volcanic activity is linked to ice melted by the effects of global warming, a study has found.

So much ice in Iceland has melted in the past century that the pressure on the land beneath has lessened, which allows more of the rock deep in the ground to turn to magma. Until the ice melted, the pressure was so intense that the rock remained solid.

Carolina Pagli, of the University of Leeds, led research which calculated that over the past century the production of magma had increased by 10 per cent.

The research team, reporting their findings in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, said an extra 1.4 cu km of magma has been created under the Vatnajökull ice-cap in the past 100 years.

Since 1890 the ice-cap has lost 10 per cent of its mass, which has allowed the land to rise by up to 25m (82ft) a year.

Son of a B! The area where this ice cap was has risen 25 meters per year for the last 118 years? Where there was a flat plain before, now there's a mountain nearly 10,000 feet tall? That in itself ought to pretty well accommodate a measly 1.4 cu km (0.34 cu mile) of magma. But what a great tourist attraction!

19 March 2005 - Day Thirty-one

Another momentous day has arrived! First, the kids got their first real solid food today. I feed them about 4 oz. of cooked hamburger, split 8 ways, this morning.

Then, they got their first trip outdoors! We moved the pen fencing out onto the patio, and let them roam for a bit. You never heard such complaints! This floor is hard! My toes are getting cold! What happened to the walls and ceiling? That light is too bright!

Anyway, I think you'll have to agree that they are adorable.

17 March 2005 - Day Twenty-nine

Chris Evans and grandson came by today to look at the pups. It sounds like Chris and David will be getting one of our girls, probably Miss Ginger Snap. That was two spoken for, two we keep, and four to go. however, Erin called and said she didn't think she was going to be able to keep a pup in her first year of graduate school. Poor thing would be alone most of the time. Plus, renting a place where they would allow her to have a dog would be very expensive.

The collie daddy seems to be taking quite a shine to the babies. He will get in and nuzzle and check on them, being ever so careful not to step on anyone.

16 March 2005 - Day Twenty-eight

Four weeks old this evening. And the rough realities of life strike. Tonight, Woody (Arrowhead) and Star (Spiral) got their first baths. Star was pretty good about it but Woody complained, a lot.

The last few days have been fairly rough dealing with these guys. They are eating rapidly growing amounts. We were using the formula plus rice cereal, but the kids were also getting constipated, and taking turns with a lot of grunting and groaning. We are about to finish our second carton of formula in a week, at $30 a carton. Tonight we are trying competing methods to soften puppy kibble for them. I'm soaking a few in milk. Winnie pulverized a few in a mini-blender container. We'll try feeding them soon and see.


The area we set aside for them in the dining room is good, but there was a problem. I had lined it with a plastic sheet, topped by a canvas painters drop cloth, topped by newspaper, and then their soft rug. I was assuming the canvas drop cloth would bead up more moisture than it did, and it was getting wet.

Our friend Donna suggested a piece of linoleum as a base. That's what she used when her dog had pups. So, we bought a 6x9 piece at Lowe's. When I pulled up the other stuff I was in for a rude surprise. The plastic drop cloth had leaked, it was damp underneath, and going to ammonia. So, first that had to get cleaned up. What a smell!

We have our first definite 'forever home' for one of our girls. They hope to come visit soon and meet every little body.

We were down

For a day or so we had electrical problems here. Seems we had a failing neutral wire in the line between our electric meter and the breaker box.

Why? The doofus that installed out deck three years ago scraped and pinched the insulation off the wire. We're damn lucky he didn't manage to burn our house down, or electrocute us.

10 March 2005 - Day Twenty-two

The first bowl of formula went down this morning, and they just devoured it. We had been planning on supplementing with this just once or twice a day, but maybe they are ready to accelerate through the weaning. Maybe give them just formula a couple ore times today, and then start mixing in some baby cereal tomorrow. I want to be careful, so they don't get constipated, though.

Today was also a big day, as we moved them around the house to give them more room, and more contact with us. They had been in just the wading pool, and they were feeling very isolated and frustrated in there. There was a lot of whining going on. So now, they are in the dining room, with about 3 times as much space as before.

8 March 2005 - Day Twenty

OK, they are beyond getting near to having teeth. They have teeth coming in. Momma is starting to look a little hesitant about nursing. We'll need to start weaning them on.

The weeing is really commencing, we are having to wash the liners twice a day now.

7 March 2005 - Day Nineteen

Let the weeing begin! Cinny did not want to get into pool this morning to feed the pups. The pups were very wiggly too, or maybe, as a result. Eventually I decided that maybe it smelled too much like puppy pee, so I pulled up the cover to wash it, even though it had only been in since the night before. Silly me! The pups have started to wee in earnest, and the papers underneath were significantly wet over large areas. As soon as I cleaned this out, and put in fresh liners, everyone settled down.

Also, these guys are getting near having teeth. We can feel the little bumps on their gums.

6 March 2005 - Day Eighteen

(And if you think a picture of a collie puppy is cute, check out the video.)

The pups continue to grow very big and very fast. It's getting hard to do photos
of them, because they are always in motion. And if not in motion, too sleepy to be
really fun! Their eyes have opened a bit, and they see us when we come into the room.
They crowd over near the edge of the pool for a pat. If it's momma, they all crowd
around, and get rowdy waiting for a meal.

I weighed the biggest (Arrowhead), and smallest (Bitty Girl) yesterday, and the
range was about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds. That's not too bad. I thought the range was
probably more, as that boy's head is about twice the size of her's.

Personalities are definitely coming out. Blaze is a climber, Bitty Girl is a
growler, and all of them are little loves. They nuzzle up to our hands and lick us, and
try to suck our fingers.

The issue of names is also being worked on. Their eventual owners can name them as
they like, but we'll use our usual "spice" scheme in giving them some sort of names to
start with. What we've come up with so far, is something like this:

• 'Spiral' - Spiral Galaxy Star Anise ('Spiral' or 'Star')
  
• 'Big girl' - Nutmeg Custard ('Meggy')
  
• ''Bitty girl' - Ginger Snap ('Ginger')
  
• 'Arrowhead' - Sasparilla or Sweet Woodruff ('Woody')
  
• 'Island' - Something something Wasabi something ('Wasabi')
  
• 'Big Boy' - Something something Coriander something ('Cory')
  
• 'Short Stocking' - Something something Basil something ('Basil')
  
• 'Blaze' - Blazin' Hot Chipotle ("Blaze')

• 
  

What My Kid Is Up To

Damn that Global Warming!

It's just not safe to go outside anymore.

GILFORD, N.H. (AP) - Much of this week's winter carnival in Gilford has been canceled, due to too much winter.

Parks and Recreation Director Herb Greene notes that the cancellation of 2 events was due to poor road conditions and snow-filled parking lots.

Of the three events originally scheduled for Wednesday, the Cardboard Box Sled Derby has been rescheduled to Friday morning.

Cole Porter Got There First

A college education I should never propose,
A bachelor's degree won't even keep you in clo'es,
But millions you will win if you can spin on your nose.
Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown.

Obviously, this guy wasn't listening.

After James McGrath graduated from Christopher Newport University, he spent a year or two "working miscellaneous odd jobs here and there" while looking for the opportunity that would become his career.

He expected it to be some form of social work - that's what he had planned when he took his degree in psychology with a minor in religious studies - but instead, he would up turning a college hobby into a role in The Greatest Show on Earth. McGrath, 26, has returned to the Peninsula this week in character as Crickett, a spike-haired clown in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Well, I always wondered what people did with a Bachelor's in Psychology.

28 February 2005 - Day Twelve

It wasn't our imagination last night. The pups are wiggly. Today they are all, in effect, walking. Unsteady to be sure, but up on all fours, and bellies off the ground. Another day or two, and their eyes should open.

They are also getting very cuddly and cute. Yes, the cuteness factor is beginning to rise exponentially.

Cinny went to the vet today. They said her ear problem is a yeast infection. She has some ear drops to set her right. One of the techs was wondering if the pups are all spoken for yet. Her mom would like a collie.

We also started looking at other names for these guys. The plan was to give them spice, herb, or pepper related names. I also wanted to sneak in pastries there somewhere. So far it looks like Big Girl will become "Nutmeg" (Meg), Bitty Girl will be "Ginger Snap" (Ginger), and Spiral will become something like "Marjoram" (Margie) or Pennyroyal (Penny).

In jest I've suggested Arrowhead become "Arrowroot Biscuit". My other leading names for boys are Coriander (Cory) and Sweet Woodruff (Woody). Finally, maybe an Ancho or some such in there. I also suggested "Jalapeno Cornbread". Well, OK, maybe that is a little too silly.

27 February 2005 - Day Eleven

I had an e-mail from a lady in Arizona today. She has been looking at my page,
and wondered if I knew of collie rescues or breeders she could contact. I sent her
info for contacting rescues through the Collie Club of America, and breeders through
Collies Online.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 35 ounces (+4)
  
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 36 ounces (+3)
  
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 28 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Arrowhead' - 41 ounces (+5)
  
• 'Island' - 34 ounces (+3)
  
• 'Big Boy' - 38 ounces (+4)
  
• 'Short Stocking' - 33 ounces (+1)
  
• 'Blaze' - 37 ounces (+2)
  

Well, I think this was the last night for the "weighing". They were all so
wiggly I could hardly get them in the sling long enough to check them.

Cinny is showing a new problem. I've noticed for a couple days she had a lot of
bloody crusts in her ears. It comes right out with a Q-tip, but we are concerned
she might have ear mites or some such thing.

Renewable energy, but not very reliable

Windmills sound great, but not so good in practice at times.

A drop in wind generation late on Tuesday, coupled with colder weather,
triggered an electric emergency that caused the Texas grid operator to cut
service to some large customers, the grid agency said on Wednesday.
Electric
Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said a decline in wind energy production in
west Texas occurred at the same time evening electric demand was building as
colder temperatures moved into the state.
The grid operator went directly to
the second stage of an emergency plan at 6:41 PM CST (0041 GMT), ERCOT said in a
statement.