All Things Are Relative - All things are relative. In the News - They walk among us! Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!
Whilst I bemoaned the cold 36° morning and saw the forecast for a brisk 67° afternoon,
I received an email from my dear friend, Chris. His email quickly made my grumbling seem inane indeed.
His message contained this bulletin:
* THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM MONDAY TO 7 PM EST TUESDAY. THE WIND CHILL WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
* SNOW WILL CONTINUE TODAY AND WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY THIS EVENING.
* WIND GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 MPH LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY COULD CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.
* WIND CHILLS WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 20 AND 30 BELOW DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY.
I felt truly ashamed for the self-pity I had been feeling and vowed to accept the weather as I find it. It is now 42° at 8:30 AM. I shall endure!
Monday, January 06, 2014
All Things Are Relative, In the News, and Enjoy
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Weather, In the News, and Enjoy
The Weather - If I could choose only one word to describe our weather, I would choose the word "COLD"! To many, our 27° morning might seem relatively comfortable and deem me a whiner. The truth is, I detest cold weather. I offer no apologies for this abhorrence. In the News - They walk among us! Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!
Laura took this image on her way home from work yesterday. She exhibited safe driving by stopping on the side of the roadway to take this beautiful photograph with her Motorola smartphone.
Not far from here, two adults and four young children were lost in even colder weather (19°!) for two days. The local news reported they were found and taken to the hospital. A doctor pronounced them to be in good health and said they would make a full recovery soon.
Surely, the prayers of many were instrumental in this rescue!
A dear friend related to me yesterday that snow is falling with abandon—as it has been for several days—and temperatures are setting records. I pray for his safety, certainly, yet I simply cannot imagine living in such conditions!
I shall, most likely, shiver until Spring arrives!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
National Cat Day, Heated Seats, and Enjoy
National Cat Day - Today is National Cat Day! Heated Seats - The mornings have been uncomfortably cool lately. I am thankful for Mr. Nitro R/T's heated seats! Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!
Charles Dickens said, "What greater gift than the love of a cat?"
Cats are one of the most beloved human companions of all time. They were first domesticated in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent approximately 12,000 years ago.
When humans relied on hunting as their main source of food, dogs were most useful; but when the first agricultural societies emerged, cats became invaluable. Domesticated cats became responsible for keeping grain stores free of mice and other rodents.
Today, cats can be found in 34% of American households, making them the most popular house pet in the United States.
Pet lifestyle expert and animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige established National Cat Day in 2005. In honor of the occasion, celebrate cats and the unconditional love and companionship they give to their owners.
There are few things in this world that bring greater discomfort than a cold butt!
I travel only a few blocks from our nest to mine office, but traveling that distance is sufficient for me to luxuriate in the warmth generated by the heated seat upon which I am posed.
The seats warm more quickly than the heater, so my butt is the first warm place on my body each morning. I cannot imagine life without heated seats!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
National Day of Wind and the Oklahoma Tornado
National Day of Wind - Today is the National Day of Wind. No. It is not, but it should be!
I enjoy a gentle breeze on a warm summer evening, but this WIND is NOT WELCOME! The weatherpeople predict gusts of 40+ MPH today for this area! As I walked from our house to Mr. Nitro R/T this morning, such a gust nearly felled me! I found it necessary to quickly button mine outer shirt—since the fierce wind was creating the similitude of a kite from it, and I felt myself being lifted skyward! Once buttoned, my shirt became safe—no longer an object to be feared—and I scurried to the (relative) safety of Mr. Nitro R/T.
My preference for a day is clear skies, sunshine, warmth, and dryness. When it rains, I hear people say, "Well, we sure need the water. Have you seen the river lately? It is low!" No one ever offers a credible reason to herald the wind, however. There is none! The wind exists for no other purpose than to spread pollen and dust and to annoy people and vex their sinuses!
I was bemoaning the wind—imagining what a nice day it would be were it not for the wind—and I moved my focus from the live Web cam feed on my Desktop monitor to the 39" Vizio LCD HDTV. Fox News was showing video of the recent tornado in Oklahoma.
I immediately dropped to my knees and prayed to God for the victims of this horrid tragedy. As I prayed, I felt considerable shame for my selfishness! What, after all, is a bit of wind compared with the suffering many endure daily throughout the world?
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Let It Rain and Gun Control
Let It Rain - I realize that water levels are becoming dangerously low in lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks, and we need rain and snow. I really enjoy warm, dry, sunny weather, however. Tomorrow is forecast to be very warm, with temperatures reaching into the low 80s! Thursday, however, rain and wind are forecast, and highs are predicted to be in the high 50s to low 60s! When the rain comes, it will be welcomed by many. I shall long for the return of the sun. I am being selfish, however, and I fully admit it.
There is a dramatic diversity among these legislative proposals: It is patently obvious that little or no harmony of opinion exists between the states. This fact leads many to propose that federal legislation should set gun-regulating standards. Many, contrarily, argue that individual state legislation reflects the will of the people and that gun-regulating laws should necessarily be state-based in order to ensure that the will of the people is satisfied.
Let it rain!
States are proposing gun-regulating legislation:
In my opinion, there should be no new gun regulation—neither by the federal government nor by individual states. I recommend that the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution should be strictly followed and that any proposed legislation that would in any way restrict the God-given right to own and bear arms should not be allowed.
The Old Testament teaches that the morality of self-defense is not only presumed—the act of self-defense is permitted and even mandated by key Biblical figures. Jesus' disciples carried swords, and Jesus even said in some contexts the unarmed should arm themselves.
The right to bear arms predates the Bill of Rights; the Second Amendment was based partially on the right to bear arms in English common-law and was influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689. This right is an auxiliary right, supporting the natural rights of self-defense, resistance to oppression, and the civic duty to act in concert in defense of the state.
It all seems so simple: By restricting the constitutional right of citizens to self defense by limiting their access to firearms significantly limits the capability of citizens to protect themselves against personal attack, terrorism, and tyranny.
The concept of "gun control" is, in fact, ill advised, at best, and highly dangerous, at worst: When the availability of firearms is restricted by legislation, it is only the law-abiding citizen who is affected—since criminals pay no mind to gun laws. After all, they are purposed to commit crimes, and it is patently inane to imagine a bank robber, for example, is going to be concerned with the legality of the firearm he acquires to facilitate his perpetration of criminal activity. After all, he has already committed himself to a life of crime, so it makes no sense whatever to imagine he will selectively obey some laws while ignoring others!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Weather - The weatherpeople were correct when they predicted rain for today. It is very wet outside!
Current forecasts indicate several storms will drop as much as 13 inches of rain in this area! (Northern California) Rain is predicted through the weekend—with the heaviest rainfall expected on Thursday. Fortunately, temperatures are expected to be relatively warm— with lows in the range of 48° to 50° and highs of 55° to 60°. Wind advisories predict winds to be 10 to 30 MPH. Wind gusts are expected to reach 35 to 40 MPH.
Flooding is not expected to be an issue here in Corning, but the outlying areas may well suffer flooding. Flooding is uncommon here, but it does happen. If memory serves me correctly, it has been around 10 years since last there was flooding in this area. Flooding within the city limits of Corning takes place when the rainfall exceeds the capability of the sewer system. It is advisable to be prepared, and several locations are producing and providing sandbags.
When I see reporting on television of the devastating flooding that has taken place in other areas, I thank God that we are fortunate to live in an area that suffers very little from weather conditions.
I then ask myself why people chose to live where weather poses a significant and predictable threat. I would move elsewhere.
Where do the hummers go when the weather is bad?
Addiction Counselor Charged with Murder in DUI - I stared at this headline—imagining that the pressures involved with counseling people suffering from addictions had taken a toll upon this person and "driven him to drink," as it were. I was completely unprepared for the story behind the headline!
The convertible the addiction counselor was driving hit the victim so hard that it knocked him out of his shoes and lodged him in the windshield. As he lay dying on the hood, police said, the counselor drove another two miles—until other motorists swarmed her car at a traffic light and grabbed her keys.
The counselor was charged with DUI and murder. She had a blood alcohol content of over twice the legal limit. She had a history of drug addiction and criminal activity. She was convicted of first-degree burglary in 1989 and a month later of having narcotics while in custody. In 1994, she was convicted on one count of burglary and given nine years in prison.
This story particularly saddened me—not simply because of the tragic, unnecessary death of the victim—but because someone with such a history of drug addiction and criminal activity would be placed in the position of counselor to addicts. This seems so absurd to me that I simply cannot imagine the vetting process under which such a person would be found acceptable for such a position.
I followed the story online and determined that such appointments are commonplace.
Why???????