Happy New Year!

A new volume.

Good Morning!

Lots of rain! No wind like you've had Livy, but rain and in the 50's today. We had a quiet New's Year eve. We always stay home and just "hang out". I did make an apple pie, my son's and husband's favorite dessert. I guess they enjoyed it, only crumbs were left in the pie plate this morning.... I guess I should have made two....

I haven't been listening to news for the past three days.....I do read the papers because I can read what I want and ignore the rest.
I don't know who wrote this, but I agree with the thought:
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elswhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us..."

And so........

Wishing all who frequent this place a very Happy and Peaceful New Year !

I played golf today.

Here in Kah-Lee-FAWN-Yah.

Where it is sunny and warm.

Sigh.

Well ....

It was not sunny here today ....

And I did not play golf .....

But it is warm up here .....

Which people are muttering about ....

As being un-natural ....

Which it is, of course .....

In comparison to what us older people remember as what normal or natural used to be ....

It's foggy out there right now ....

And very still ....

No wind .....

An interesting time to be alive .....

Whether or not you play golf ....

And so ....

And the same to you, Pie .....

Thank you, Livvy.

Drizzly, dark and nasty here in the land of flowers and sun today.
No golf courses open.
Very unnatural, at least as I remember what is natural.

Amy's pie must have been delicious.
My favorite is apple.

Yes, this was a really good recipe...a touch of lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. Do you or does anyone in your family make pies? If so, I can post the recipe in the Recipe Thread. When does your son go back to school? Mine starts back tomorrow... back to the hectic schedule. But, I'm not complaining..it's all "good stuff"...however, I get to remove all the Xmas decorations...last year, I removed the last set of outdoor lights in July... I'm thinking it would ne easier to leave them up year round.

I think it would be great if your posted your recipe- it made my mouth water when you mentioned lemon, cinnamon, etc. ...
altho it would be a miracle for me to actually bake a pie... have never done so. I remember my mother was about my age, though, when she made her first pie from scratch, so I should be open to a new experience. My son is still working (yes, even today)
and works through Thursday - he will then return to college- classes start Monday. My husband took down the tree and the outside lights today... but they are now stacked in the garage awaiting being hoisted into the so-called attic crawl space (which in Florida serves as both "attic" and "basement.") I think there is real merit in leaving the decor up all year. :xmas:

Well, we Northerners know how to play in the snow!

Snow?

What snow?

What exactly is snow?

It's warm out there again today ....

Supposed to be dropping this afternoon ....

But not a hard cold yet .....

I heard talk of around fifty degrees later in the week .....

I think Snuf comes up this way this weekend .....

And right now .....

It sounds like rain .....

Drizzly out there right now ....

Some huge dark clouds to the east ....

Geese are still flying around up here ....

I saw a cardinal yesterday ....

The nuthatches are out there still eating bugs ....

IS ANYONE IN THE WORLD MISSING YOUR CLIMATE?

IF SO, IT MIGHT BE UP HERE .....

AH .....

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE OURS MIGHT BE?

More proof (not that any more was needed) that golfers are indeed a crazy lot.

Do you know that the Scots had two major inventions: Golf and Whiskey.

Did you know why there are 18 holes in a round of golf? Because there are exactly 18 jigger shots in a fifth of whiskey.

Which then necessitates a return to the 19th hole .....

For a refill ....

And so ....

A big full moon out there tonight .....

A WOLF MOON ......

It is called .....

Because it is an "extra" full moon .....

Energy rising .....

A "healing" moon .....

And so ....

Full Moon tonight? Must mean the crazies will be afoot

It was sunny in Washington DC today, funeral gloom at the National Cathedral notwithstanding.

But there was a very cold wind about which managed to blow trash and leaves everywhere in my neighborhood.

And yes, Liv, I'm headed your way on Friday and quite surprised that I won't be dealing with snow and ice

at least not just yet. Going to be up your way the following weekend as well.

Snuff Jr. flew back from the West Coast late last night with a bad head cold, so I've been busy getting

him some meds to deal with the inevitable sinus infection that I know he will have in two days.

I am glad the holidays, such as they were, are over. I don't like setting up the Christmas tree, and taking it

down my myself. Ugh. It is now down, and out of the house. (Yes it too got blown around today in the wind) And

this holiday season has seen its share of funerals - from the first announcement of Ford's passing on the 26th,

the tributes to James Brown, to six days of mourning President Ford. I wonder what this foreshadows for 2007.

I'm glad Jeffmoskin was out playing golf in that warm California sun.

What I remember about Gerald Ford the most is just how wickedly dangerous he was ......

With a golf club in his hands .....

I think he could hit a ball out about fifty feet ....

And have it hook a right turn .....

And go right into a crowd of people ....

About head high ......

At least that is what I remember from watching film clips on the news of him beaning people at golf tournaments ......

Rifling golf balls into their foreheads at high speed .....

And so .....

A BIG WIND blowing trash and leaves about in Snuf's neighborhood down there in Washington, D.C. .......

Sounds like Dick Cheney is in town ....

Except you would think the BIG WIND would be real hot ......

Instead of cold .....

But of course .....

All of Dick's hot air would be rising .....

So what Snuf is experiencing .....

Is all of the cold air being sucked in .....

To replace all of that rising hot air from Dick Cheney .....

And so .....

The wonders of an education in science right here in the good old USA .....

Helps one to solve conundrums like that .....

Why there was a BIG WIND in Washington, D.C. today ....

And so ....

A big full moon last night ...

In the month of January ....

And the temperature only got down to 28 F. or so ....

Supposed to go up into the fifties today ....

And there is talk of sixty for this weekend ....

Of course .....

It is what it is ....

And there is nothing that we can do about it .....

Now, anyway .....

And who is to say what is "normal", anyway .....

Maybe it was just temporarily and un-naturally cold up here ....

For the last 10,000 years or so ......

And now .....

It is just starting to get back to what it really should be .....

When everything up here where I am ....

Was under an inland sea .....

And so .....

Bring scuba gear when you come this way, I guess, Snuf ....

And if you don't have any ....

Well ....

There is an economic opportunity waiting for someone, anyway ....

And so ....

"I deny allegations by Bob Hope that during my last game
I hit an eagle, a birdie, an elk and a moose"
~Gerald Ford


My husband enjoys golf, so many years ago I took a few lessons and gave it a try.....this was me.....

I gave it up and agree with Mark Twain:

"Golf is a good walk spoiled." - Mark Twain.

About this golf thing -----

Right after WWII I decided to give it a try.

I had two problems with golfing.

1. It took too much time away from fishing.

2. I stood too close to the ball AFTER I hit it.

A.B.

This is somewhat late but I, also wish for the entire world some peace and sanity starting with those who have any sort of leadership roles in government.

And while I'm here, it seems like a good place to express gratitude to Administrator Michael who solved a problem for me in being able to open CGCS.

Somehow my password went AWOL and a couple of other issues developed.

Michael quickly and expertly solved all, and I thank him.

A.B.

Indeed, Mr. A.B. ....

Michael is the REAL UNSUNG HERO in here .....

Like a better version of the Wizard of Oz who is not a self-promoter .....

Michael has made this a very comfortable place for me to come every day .....

And I am always impressed by that .....

How he has managed to put all of this together .....

And to keep it running so smoothly .....

It truly boggles my mind .....

And I am thankful every day for the opportunity that he has provided for us to all be in here .....

At the same time .....

FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD .....

And not just the United States .....

SO .....

HOORAY, MICHAEL!

I heard someone today saying that they heard that winter was going to be here next week ......

After the weekend is over .....

Perhaps out of politeness and deference to Snuf .....

Who will be on the road this weekend .....

And I suppose that it is indeed possible .....

It is January, after all .....

And things could become quite nasty in the blink of an eye and stay that way for the next six or eight weeks .....

Or longer ....

Because lately .....

It seems that March is becoming a worse month for cold and snow than January ......

But who does know, anymore .....

And the weather forecasts up here really only apply to smaller and smaller areas .....

Or bands, more properly stated .....

This band will likely get this .....

If you are to the north and east of this band ...

Then you will likely get this, instead ....

And if you are further to the east and south a bit .....

Then you might get nothing at all .....

While New York City and south are getting hammered .....

And so .....

When I was young ....

At this time of the year ....

The temperature would drop like a stone ....

And it would be below zero for days on end ....

Thirty or so below at night .....

And then it would warm up to maybe ten below ....

And as soon as the sun began to set ....

Back down it would go .....

If you breathed through your nose .....

The cold would stick your nostrils together .....

Then .....

After that ....

Later in January .....

There might be a thaw .....

Hence the name, "January thaw" .....

But for there to be a thaw .....

Something has to be frozen first .....

And that is the part that seems to have gone missing up here .....

THE REFRIGERATOR .....

So right now ...

Well ....

If it stays like this .....

The bugs will overrun us next spring and summer .....

And maybe that is a part of what this is all about .....

A lesson ...

From nature .....

About the REAL BALANCE OF POWER down here on this earth of OURS .....

And who the REAL AND ONLY WORLD SUPERPOWER is .....

And it sure is not the United States of America in that "contest" .....

As Katrina showed us .....

And so .....

Just doin' my job guys, but thanks for the props!

Well ......

Talk of a lot of rain come Saturday, Snuf .....

Up in the sixties .....

But wet .....

Haven't heard about Sunday, yet .....

But Saturday is supposed to be quite wet .....

And so ....

I heard White House SPOKESPERSON Anthony "TONY" Snow on Fox this morning ....

They were talking about the evolution of the NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD for Iraq ....

And how that is all coming along ....

And from what "Tony" Snow was saying .....

It sounds like they are still hot and heavy at it down there in Washington .....

Working that all out ....

Which people up here are attributing to all this hot air in the atmosphere ....

As was previously reported in here by this poster ....

And from what I can gather .....

And this, of course, is reading "between the lines" a bit here .....

Because this being America ......

No one is allowed to comment on anything .....

But my information is that for this NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD for Iraq ......

At Karl Rove's alleged and supposed suggestion .....

They are going totally RETRO in terms of the superlatives and hyperbole that they use to describe this NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD .....

Calling it BOFFO!

As in "This NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD in IRAQ is really BOFFO!"

That pronouncement is allegedly for General Peter Pace to make from a podium on a stage at the Pentagon .....

According to the way Karl Rove supposedly has this scripted right now ....

And then there is ZOWIE!

And as I understand the present scripting plans .....

This will actually be the lead-in to a full-face shot of General Peter Pace at the Pentagon ....

And someone from FOX is supposed to say those words:

"We have just heard that there is a NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD for Iraq that is really ZOWIE!"

"And with that said, let us go to the Pentagon, where General Peter Pace is waiting for us ..."

"Hi, General ....."

And from there ......

They plan to go to the Rose Garden ....

At the White House .....

Where the best superlative is being saved for last ......

The GINCHIEST!

And of course, being President of America .....

This is the one that George W. Bush will get to say ....

"America, by now, you have heard me talk about many different NEW WAYS FORWARD in Iraq, all of which have taken us further and further backwards, but let me assure you, and all my investors out there, that in consultation with all of the people that I have consulted with on the NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD in Iraq, that we have achieved a BI-PARTISAN CONSENSUS that this NEXT NEW WAY FORWARD that I am about to anoounce is just the GINCHIEST NEW WAY FORWARD that there has ever been, and YADA, YADA, YADA ..."

And people in America .....

Upon hearing that said ....

Will be up out of their seats ....

Waving flags ....

Cheering ....

Marching around their living rooms to John Philip Sousa marching songs .....

The man of the house shouting out orders .....

"QUICK STEP MARCH ..."

"TO THE REAR MARCH ..."

Stuff like that .....

And everyone once again will believe that we won ......

And so ......

Good Morning!




I was interested in learning more about the "Wolf Moon".

So, some info I found.

Sometimes, in the fall, you may hear people call a Full Moon the "Harvest Moon". That's because farmers can stay in their fields late, after sunset, harvesting their crops by the bright light of a Full Moon. Did you know that there are special names for the Full Moon during each month of the year?

The names for the Full Moon were made up by the Algonquian tribes of Native Americans. Most of the Algonquian people hunted and fished to get food, but some also grew crops. The names they had for the Moon are related to nature & the seasons, hunting & fishing, and farming. The Algonquian people lived all over the northern and eastern parts of North America. When settlers from Europe met up with them, some of the settlers started using most of the same names for the Full Moon.
The table below lists the names the Algonquian people used for the Full Moon during different months of the year.

Month ~ Moon name ~ Why that name?

January ~ Wolf Moon ~ Hungry wolf packs howled at night
February ~ Snow Moon ~ Heaviest snowfalls in the middle of winter
March ~ Worm Moon ~ Start of spring, as earthworms (and the robins that eat them!) began to appear
April ~Pink Moon ~ An early spring flower called "moss pink" started to bloom
May ~ Flower Moon ~ Many types of flowers bloom in May
June ~ Strawberry Moon ~ Strawberries were ready to be picked and eaten
July ~Buck Moon ~ New antlers of buck deer, coated with velvety fur, began to form
August ~ Sturgeon Moon ~ Sturgeon, a large fish found in the Great Lakes, were easily caught at this time of year
September ~ Harvest Moon ~ Farmers could continue harvesting until after sunset by the light of the Harvest Moon
October ~ Hunter's Moon ~ Hunters tracked and killed prey by moonlight, stockpiling food for the coming winter
November ~Beaver Moon ~ Time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to make sure of a supply of warm winter furs
December ~Cold Moon ~ The cold of winter sets in

Well .....

There certainly is that aspect of it .....

Especially when it has been real cold and there is a lot of snow ....

And the wolves are hungry ....

And the other night up here, anyway .....

When the moon was full ....

The coyotes were yipping to beat the band .....

And since the wolves are gone .....

They'll have to do as a substitute .....

But there is also another significance to it ....

And that has to do with the fact that the moon does not neatly rotate around the earth .....

In exact synchronization ....

With the earth going around the sun .....

So in twelve months ....

There ends up being a thirteenth moon ....

An "extra" moon .....

Which is considered a kind of "gift" ......

Light at night ....

Although today .....

Many people never see the moon .....

And they have streetlights and such every night .....

To light their way for them ....

And doctors and hospitals to heal them .....

And so .....

The "wolf" moon doesn't really mean that much anymore ....

But I appreciated it .....

The "wolf" moon up here the other night ....

Which was quite clear ....

And cloudless ....

The light of a full moon when it is very cold can really be intense .....

Because the air is so dry ....

And so ....

The Wolf Moon is the "extra" moon in a year, the moon which does not fit in with the standard lunar cycle .....

As such, it is the best time to do work oriented toward the breaking of old habits or destructive patterns ....

Freeing oneself from a negative cycle ....

At a time when the human species as a whole is locked into a variety of destructive patterns and cycles which, if unchecked, could lead to social and ecological collapse, the energies of the Wolf Moon seem very appropriate to evoke .....

In some versions of the calendar, the Wolf Moon is specifically indicated by a month with two New Moons rather than two Full Moons .....

The New Moon is a time of darkness, of turning inward, facing unpleasant truths, and reevaluating where you're going .....

And so ....

"Prospect of warm winter worries farmers"

By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press

Last updated: 12:15 p.m., Thursday, January 4, 2007

ALBANY -- It's January.

Bees are buzzing, sap is running and farmers are worrying.

This is supposed to be the season when crops lie protected under a blanket of snow and animals stay barnbound.

Topsy-turvy temperatures have changed that.

While it has been cold enough in New York to keep apple trees, grape vines and strawberry plants dormant, farmers say a few more weeks of warmth could coax plants awake prematurely.

If a hard freeze hits then, it could create havoc.

"There is a lot of concern, especially with fruit growers, that trees might start to bud way before their time," said New York Farm Bureau spokesman Peter Gregg.

"If that happens, it makes them vulnerable to a freeze."

It has already been warm enough to start maple sap flowing.

Charles Emerson, a veteran Southern Tier syrup maker, said he's getting calls from other producers wondering whether to gamble and tap early.

A couple of producers have reportedly already tapped.

"Everybody's nervous," he said.

Emerson is sticking to his target of setting his 2,500 taps in Alfred Station the week of Feb. 12 -- about three weeks earlier in the season than when he started in the business four decades ago.

"I've been making syrup since 1966, " he said, "and what's happening with these warming winters are a real concern."

Over by the Catskill Mountains, farmer and beekeeper Carol Clement said her bees have been buzzing around so much in recent days that she has to leave sugar syrup at the hives.

The bees are expending so much energy, she is afraid their honey stores won't last through winter.

"The bees are all over the chickens, picking up grain as if it were pollen," said Clement of Heather Ridge Farms in Preston Hollow.

"The chickens are annoyed by the bees buzzing around all their food."

Clement also worries about hungry bears raiding her 28 bee colonies.

That's normally not a concern in the winter, but she is keeping her electric fencing on in case the warmth rouses any bears from hibernation.

It's not all bad for farmers.

It's warm enough for Clement to put in new fencing.

Workers at Becker Farms in Niagara County are pruning apple trees.

Richard Ball of Schoharie Valley Farms west of Albany has spent recent days digging drainage ditches in the unfrozen ground and hauling equipment outside.

"I spend a fair part of my day working outside still," he said.

"It's a joy to be outside and not freezing."

The winter warmth also gives farmers more chance to let their animals graze.

Gregg calls the weather a "mixed blessing."

Farmers note that last winter was also unusually warm, with little detriment to many crops.

And they note there's plenty of time for the temperatures to drop to more seasonable levels.

"We have a long stretch of winter left here," said Michael Boylan of Wright's Apple Farm in the Hudson Valley.

"I don't think anybody's losing sleep just yet."

------

On the Net:

http://www.nyfb.org/

Happy to be aboard!

As the fourth twenty-four hour period of our calendric marking of this planet's annual orbiting around the sun is happening, let us look at the facts of our journey. This earthship is travelling at sixty-seven thousand miles per hour, 67,000 mph; at the same time it is rotating at one thousand miles per hour, 1000 mph, tilted at the axis by ~ 24 degrees, the result of which is what we designate as "seasons". This mind-stretching phenomonem happens without much awareness by the six billion, 6,000,000,000
passengers.

And our blob of cosmic coalesced debris resulting in a terrestial ship, is of such substance that the mass keeps us transfixed in position while transversing the elliptical path around the star that provides us with warmth, and light, plus a nutrient we call Vitamin D.

And just whom do we have on board?

Today given our communication capabilities, we in the advanced nations know that there are many nationalities, and that many of our fellow travelers are in need of the basics of life. Not only can we be aware of them, our means of traveling within the atmosphere of our orb, enables us to reach out to these unfortunate passengers inhabiting distant lands of earth. And many may not be that distant.

During this 365 day loop, let's see if more sharing of the fruits of the soil can be given to those who can be saved from starvation, or can be spared death from unnecessary diseases.

There are encouraging signs - let us hope that these signs expand sufficiently to end the famines, and the starvation by the innocents flying through space with us.

Being a passenger that still dares to dream, may we see such humanitarian efforts replace the arms trade and allow all passengers to enjoy the trip through our little neighborhood area of the universe.

During this particular encircling, I will be enjoying my eightieth ride on this good ship. Reassured by the astral scenes visible from our viewpoint, I also am confident that there will continue to be a future. Let us all endeavor to make it all that it can be.

May our ride together not be too bumpy as we whiz along.

Peace.


lenal

"Today given our communication capabilities, we in the advanced nations know ...."

Well, lenal, it is good to know that you at least are in an "advanced" nation down there where you are .....

It is NOT the same all over ....

And no ...

You don't really have to go all that far ....

RIGHT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ....

To fall right off the edge of that dream ...

And to find yourself in some pretty backwards places ....

Come up here to New York State and see what I mean .....

And you can start right at the state capital in Albany, New York ....

As for there being a future ....

Well ....

There always has been one ....

So ....

Likely, there will continue to be one ...

And it is the bumpy road that builds character .....

So ....

Maybe what we need in this country are a lot more bumpy roads .....

But that is just the thoughts of a country person in what used to be a cold place musing along here .....

On life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness .....

Down here on this earth of OURS .....

And a happy birthday to you now .....

Well done, indeed ....

Seeing 80 turns of the wheel .....

And still being young in your mind .....

And hopeful .....

Very uplifting, lenal .....

And here is my wish for many more ....

I see the earth as a living, breathing thing, myself ...

Which I and other living things are a part of ....

As I walk around each day up here ....

And am confronted by what nature can provide ....

And does for me, anyway .....

A continual miracle of the loaves and fishes, so to speak .....

If you are not greedy, anyway .....

Wishing for a two or three-egg-a-day goose .....

When the one you have is just good for one a day ....

It is hard to picture it as nothing more than a blob of cosmic coalesced debris .....

But it could be, I suppose .....

And so ....

Hi All from Westchester County, New York. I feel like I am in the tropics today. Its in the high sixties and raining. Will probably rain all the way to Williams where I am headed this afternoon. This is global warming and the El Nino effect. Its downright hot outside. What a contrast from last year at this time when I dealing with a snowstorm on the New York Throughway. Williams/Amherst face off tomorrow in several sports including basketball. They will likely win the basketball game. I'm not complaining about this weather Liv - you've managed to roll out the welcome mat weatherwise. JeffMoskin - Eat your heart out. East Coast can have some good weather too.
The Snuff

Well, Snuf ....

We yokels are still big on hospitality ....

Up here in the hinterlands of civilization ....

So I'm glad the weather suited you ....

It's raining up here now ....

But it held off most of the day .....

Which was good ....

Because it allowed me a chance to get in so much more firewood ....

Instead of having it laying around in mud and wet leaves ....

It really reminds me a lot of San Francisco, right now ....

To be truthful .....

This whole fall and winter up till now ....

And like that other guy said ....

To be outside up here this time of the year without freezing ....

Well ...

It's not bad on the bones ....

And so .....

I'm thinking .....

Maybe jeffmoskin will want to reverse migrate .....

Come back here to upstate New York .....

And have Los Angeles weather .....

Without the smog .....

And so ....

An Old Farmer's Advice:
* Keep your fences horse-high, pig-tight & bull-strong.
* Keep skunks & bankers & lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Don't corner something that would normally run from you.
* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older & think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, & sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Don't fix it if it ain't broke.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, & a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Leave the rest up to God

Well Liv, you were right about the rain. It rained the whole way up the Taconic with bouts of fog to boot. But its hot and humid out.

I'm not going to complain that it isn't cold. I'm waiting for my son to get back before going off to dinner with him and the sophomore

basketball players. My treat. But to be able to walk around Williamstown without a coat on this time of year is quite a novel experience.

And you are right about it feeling like San Francisco, but believe it or not, its colder in San Francisco.

Well, as Snuf says .....

It is warm up here ....

In the sixties, today .....

Quite windy last night ....

Or early this morning ....

A strong, steady insistent wind ....

And it rained pretty good there for a while ....

An inch of rain is about a foot of snow ....

And so .....

Good Morning!

A beautiful day here...in the high 50's and sunny. I like this warm weather in January....I'll be disappointed if and when we get snow and low temps. I'm able to do some work in my garden....it's great!

A wind-driven torrent of rain went through here this morning .....

And it has been mostly overcast out there ....

Although blue could be seen here and there .....

Sure didn't need a coat outside today .....

So I didn't wear one ....

And the air smelled so alive down in the woods ....

So alive ....

And so ....

Seventy-one degrees they are saying it was up here yesterday ....

But I'm not at all certain that I am supposed to be reporting that in here, today ....

Because I heard that the White House is having some of its lawyers get ahold of the weather service ....

To revise that number back down .....

To around forty-three degrees, is what I heard that the new revised number is going to be ....

Which is more in line with what the White House expects our weather to be up here at this time of the year .....

They apparently believe that if people persist in thinking that it was really seventy-one up here yesterday ....

That that might give some credence to the theory of global warming ....

And since the White House lawyers have already debunked that theory .....

Well .....

Then it is just a simple matter of finding any evidence .....

That goes against those prior White House findings .....

And having a federal judge bury that evidence .....

Along with anyone who persists in believing their own eyes .....

And senses ....

Along with that evidence .....

And so .....

Whatever .....

It sure was warm out there yesterday ....

Even if it was only really forty-three ....

And not really seventy-one ....

And there really is no global warming ....

Otherwise .....

It wouldn't have been just forty-three up here yesterday .....

Why ....

If there really was global warming .....

I bet it would have been something like seventy-one up here yesterday ...

Instead of a more seasonal forty-three .....

And so .....

Another beautiful day today up here, us .....

A clear, blue sky .....

Warm, again, today .....

A lot of birds were out there in the sunlight ....

Singing away ....

And talking back and forth as they do .....

People say the birds and such are confused .....

About what season it really is out there .....

But I don't know about that, me .....

The birds and such live out there .....

They are among nature all the time ....

No day job ....

No condo in the 'burbs to go home to at night .....

No wide screen TV .....

I don't think the birds can afford to be confused ....

About what nature is about to do, myself .....

The first ones that would suffer for it .....

Their confusion, that is .....

Would be them ......

And nature would be the first to miss them ....

If the birds got wiped out because of their own confusion about what the weather might be tomarrow ....

And then nature would just have to bring them back again ....

As did happen after humans nearly wiped them out back in the fifties and sixties with DDT ....

And so ...

I think that there is some communication between them, myself .....

And so ....

"The cold realities of a balmy winter - Depressing or delightful? Some are fans of our unusually warm winter, while others simply want to see some snow."

By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union ....

First published: Sunday, January 7, 2007

COLONIE -- Ed Miller is keeping a wary eye on 17,000 apple trees, some of which are starting to bud in the warm winter air.

The manager of Goold Orchards in Castleton is afraid a sudden cold snap, like those of a normal January, will freeze fragile buds and "we won't have to worry about an apple crop."

Up in Clifton Park, Michael Schaffer, who grew up in the Vermont snow belt, saw his kids riding sleds down a muddy bank after a dusting of snow melted away.

"Kids will be kids," he said, "but this winter is pretty depressing."

Throughout the region, contractors are working outside in comfort, golfers are dreaming, skiers are depressed and tulips are poking out of the ground.

Wildlife pathologist Ward Stone went for a walk Saturday and encountered an 18-inch garter snake near the Five River Environmental Education Center in Bethlehem.

The reptile should be in hibernation this time of year and its appearance is highly unusual, said Stone, who works for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

"This is highly unusual and tells us the earth is changing," he said.

With the mercury reaching a date record 71 Saturday and only three-tenths of an inch of snow recorded in Albany so far, Old Man Winter is nowhere in sight.

That season has skipped the Northeast, with a government climate forecast blaming both El Nino, a cyclic warming of the Pacific Ocean and long-term trends brought on by global warming.

The El Nino effect has pushed the jet stream farther south, which is sending warmer air from the Pacific flowing eastward across the U.S. while blocking colder Canadian air, said Michael Alpert, lead forecaster at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center.

But El Nino alone is not behind our missing winter.

Climate trends associated with global warming seem to be providing a "possible strengthening" of the El Nino effect, said Alpert, noting the Pacific warming is not strong enough to explain all the balminess in the Northeast.

Regardless of this year's El Nino, winter has been gradually retreating from New York and neighboring states for the last four decades, said Cameron Wake, a professor at the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

In the 1970s, a winter would average 87 days with snow on the ground -- a full two weeks longer than now, according to figures Wake provided from the National Climatic Data Center, which operates a network of more than 5,000 stations across the country.

During those decades, average winter temperatures in the region climbed 4.5 degrees, said Wake.

Not surprisingly, more rain is taking the place of less snow.

Snow used to account for about 80 percent of winter precipitation, he said.

That's dropped to 70 percent.

Downhill ski centers can make snow during cold dry stretches, but cross-country areas nearly all rely on natural snow.

This week, 55 of the 73 cross-country centers in the Northeast were closed with no snow, according to figures from the Cross Country Ski Areas Association.

"We are doing snow dances and whatever magic we can invoke," said Chris Frado, the association's executive director.

"There is no question in my mind, global warming is a reality."

But others see benefits in the weather.

It means more work for Ward Hamilton, who owns Olde Mohawk Masonry & Historic Restoration, a contracting firm in Niskayuna.

"We have been working nonstop since last February, and anticipate only four to six weeks of extreme conditions this winter that will make outside work prohibitive," said Hamilton, who was contacted through the Times Union Reader Network.

"We once anticipated being 'inside' from December to March; I now plan for year-round work with only minor interruptions."

Dave Metz is happy not to be cutting so much firewood to heat his East Greenbush house.

"It's much more pleasant to cut wood in this weather than in a blizzard," he said.

But he's concerned he'll have to look out for even more ticks next spring.

"I've heard that with this weather, they are still laying eggs."

"It could be a problem," said Metz, also part of the Times Union Reader Network.

Winter warming in the Northeast is happening far more rapidly than the change in the global average temperature during that time, which rose about one degree, said Wake.

Loss of snow on the ground is accelerating the trend, as the dark-colored Earth absorbs more heat than snow, which reflects solar energy.

Spreading warmth, which Wake said is expected to continue as greenhouse gas levels rise, will change the seasonal character of New York.

Apples, maple sugaring trees and dairy cows, which prefer cooler temperatures, could be in trouble.

But European vinifera grapes, which fuel a thriving vineyard industry in the Finger Lakes, and more southerly trees, like oak and hickory, could get a boost from rising temperatures.

So could the state's bald eagle population.

Stone, the wildlife pathologist, noted that salamanders, toads and other reptiles and amphibians also have been recently been spotted around the state.

He believes the reptiles and amphibians are coming out because of the warmer temperatures and could be imperiled if temperatures return to normal.

"This could increase the mortality rate of reptiles and amphibians which are already in trouble," Stone said.

Warmer winters also mean that pests like ticks and mosquitoes could propagate, as could poison ivy, which thrives in higher levels of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas that scientists believe is responsible for the planetary warming.

"If you like the brilliant red color of maple trees in the fall, you may notice that disappearing over the next few decades," said David Wolfe, a professor of plant ecology at Cornell University.

Apple growers like Miller need between 1,600 to 1,800 hours of winter temperatures below 42, or trees won't flower properly, said Wolfe.

The change in seasons has become so pronounced that the Arbor Day Foundation last month revised its national map of "hardiness" zones, a guide in tree planting.

The zone for maples is rapidly receding from upstate New York and New England.

Mild winters also are bad news for farmers who grow corn, said Wolfe.

Two pests, the flea beetle and the corn ear worm, are surviving until spring in increasing numbers.

The beetles carry a bacterial disease that causes corn to wilt.

And as summers continue to warm, dairy farmers face hardships.

Cows produce the most milk when temperatures are between 40 and 70 degrees.

Last year's heat cost the dairy industry between 10 and 20 percent of its expected yield, Wolfe said.

"The Northeast as we know it is going to be changing," Wolfe said.

"It is happening even faster than we thought when I first started doing climate search 15 years ago."

"The train has left the station, but it can still make a big difference what we decide to do about it."

Saturday's 71 degree high temperature established a new record high for this date; 31 is the normal high for this time of year.

The previous high was 60 in 1929.

The mark also tied the record high for the month of January, which was set on Jan. 13, 1932.

Next week's temperatures will return to the 30s, but no major weather event is expected, according to Kevin Lipton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany.

Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by e-mail at bnearing@timesunion.com.

The Northeast's retreating winters, as part of a continuing trend of higher year-round temperatures, will change the face of nature and some of the state's iconic traditions, like dairy farming and maple syrup making.

Some people, like vineyard owners and air conditioning salespeople, could benefit.

Hurt:

Dairy cows give less milk in hot weather

Maple sugaring trees cannot thrive

Air conditioning costs increase

Apple orchards develop less fruit without winter cold

Corn at risk from pests is no longer killed by cold

Helped:

Wine grapes thrive in vineyards

Lilacs and other spring plants will flower earlier

Poison ivy, oak and hickory trees spread north with warmer climate

Bald eagle hatchlings' survival increases

Heating costs decrease

SOURCE: Reports presented at Hudson Valley Climate Change Conference conducted in December by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Well ....

Rain this morning ....

Although it is still above freezing ....

So I guess that you would expect rain ....

And not snow ....

When you get snow ....

The water goes into the earth more slowly .....

When you get rain .....

You get more rapid run-off ....

So the water is gone quicker ....

Into the streams ....

And on its way to the ocean ....

Instead of blanketing the ground .....

In the form of snow ....

So there is a whole dynamic that is changing up here ....

Beyond just warmer temperatures ...

And so .....

Where is any of this going to take us?

Have to stay tuned and see ....

And so .....

Snow tonight, they say .....

Maybe, anyway .....

Coming in off the Great Lakes .....

So it will be to the west of here .....

Where they get it the most .....

And we might get none at all ....

Or an inch ....

Have to wait and see .....

Going down into the twenties tonight .....

Cold day ahead for tomarrow .....

Compared to the other day, anyway .....

It'll be thirty or so .....

Down forty-one degrees from the other day ....

And so .....

Well ....

It's white out there this morning ....

A dusting of snow, really ....

Barely enough to cover the ground and make it white ....

But all it takes anymore is a couple of snowflakes, it seems, and people are spinning out right and left on the roads up here .....

Which is job security for the ones who call out the morning traffic on the radio up here ....

Spin-outs here ....

Spin-outs there ....

And so .....

Well, we had a bit of snow overnight but the temps will rise into the 40's and low 50's over the next few days. I think children in my neck of the woods are missing the snow and the ski areas are suffering.....but I'm enjoying the warmish temps!

Tonight I really should listen to Bush's explanation as to how he plans on improving the situation Iraq.....being a politically aware citizen certainly does have its drawbacks. I have to prepare myself for this event...downing a couple of Tylenol before his speech might avert the big headache I usually get when listening to him......I might need more than two Tylenol to survive this particular "a new way and improved way to win in Iraq" speech.

"All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field."~Albert Einstein

Hi, amy .....

There's a cold wind blowing up here, right now ....

And all day .....

It's about twenty-eight now .....

Without the wind chill ....

And it's going down to fifteen or so tonight .....

But it sounds like a lot of real hot air will be put back out into the atmosphere tonight .....

And so .....

And you are right about citizenship responsibilities ....

They do take time and effort .....

We could always appoint a dictator to do our thinking for us ......

But then ...

We would all get mentally lazy ....

And so .....

As for me ....

There is nothing that can get me settled enough to listen to George W. Bush, period .....

He literally has me to the point of gagging when I hear his voice ....

So I will read about it in the news tomarrow .....

These are real interesting times that we older people in here are now in .....

Maybe lenal or Mr. A.B. could remember something akin to these when they were younger .....

But my study of American history has me wondering what on earth that could possibly be .....

In many ways .....

George W. Bush seems to be a re-run or clone of Lyndon Baines Johnson ....

LBJ had his GREAT SOCIETY .....

And his Viet Nam war .....

Based on dereliction of duty right at the top echelons of the federal government .....

The president ....

The Congress ....

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. military ....

And George W. Bush has his GREAT DEAL ....

For rich Republicans .....

And his CORPORATE friends ....

And George has his IRAQINAM war .....

Based on dereliction of duty right at the top echelons of the federal government .....

The president ....

The Congress ....

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. military ....

And there is where we seem to be ....

And so .....

I can relate to that sick feeling you get when listening to Bush....I'll try to get through his entire speech, but I don't know if I'll make it ...I'll probably end up getting the transcript....what a sorry state of affairs....

I guess it is a thing of having been lied to .....

Too many times already by George W. Bush and that pack of seemingly-pathological liars he hangs with down there in Washington, D.C. .....

On the one hand .....

And being faced with a man for whom I have absolutely no respect .....

PERIOD .....

By the time that I was in the fith grade .....

I was reading about the different early American presidents .....

AS EXAMPLES FOR MY OWN LIFE ....

Overcoming adversity ....

Being studious ....

BEING HONEST ....

And forthright ....

TRUSTWORTHY ....

Things like that ....

Not only having a sense of responsibility ....

BUT ACTUALLY BEING AND ACTING RESPONSIBLY .....

Especially when no one else could maybe tell the difference .....

And there is absolutely nothing in George W. Bush's life that I can relate to .....

Or take any inspiration from .....

And the man just flat turns me right off .....

I am with Mr. A.B. in the thought that George W. Bush is thoroughly unfit for that high office that he now occupies ....

And that he should have been removed ....

And here is America ....

Now looking to this same fool for wisdom tonight .....

From the preview of his speech that I just posted over in Life in OUR America ....

It appears that there will be some MEA CULPAS out of George W. Bush tonight .....

And if those MEA CULPAS were accompanied by a Nixonian type of resignation .....

I certainly would be for that .....

And I might listen to him for a couple of minutes ....

If he could get his resignation overwith in that short amount of time .....

But George isn't resigning .....

From what I can gather, anyway .....

And what he is planning to do ....

According to his press releases ....

IS TO JUST JERK HIS KNEES SOMEMORE .....

WING IT SOMEMORE .....

THROW THE DICE SOMEMORE .....

WASTE A BUNCH MORE LIVES .....

For he is not at all control of the situation in Iraq any longer ....

If he ever was .....

And to hear him talk as if he were in control .....

Would only serve as mockery .....

Which I don't need at the end of the day .....

And so ....

Well ....

It's fourteen out there right now ....

A bit on the nippy side ....

But no real wind, anyway .....

Not till later ....

Then there is a big surge of hot air moving north ....

From Washington, D.C. ....

That will have it up to thirty for tonight .....

And into the forties or so by the weekend .....

If George W. Bush had kept on talking last night for just a bit longer .....

They say he might have melted the whole polar ice cap .....

With just one speech ....

And so .....

People up here don't like George W. Bush ....

They think that he is the world's most odious man ....

But they do like it when he talks ....

Because of all the hot air that gushes out of him ....

Which has really relieved people's cost of living ....

So far as heating bills go ....

And since that hurts Dick Cheney ....

People like George maybe that much more ....

As a source of hot air, that is ....

They can't stand him as a human being or a president ....

But if all George's hot air puts a dent in Dick Cheney's big fat wallet ....

Well ...

That makes George a little more tolerable ....

And so ....

I was up very late watching coverage of Bush's speech. I wanted to hear some reactions and analysis. What can I say about Bush's speech, other than this: