Christmas 2015

Family, food, festival and faith.

Fun this year for me was to share apple sauce with my youngest granddaughter!

She has good taste in fruit.

Savior or Saviour

Dottie asked me to take the large old Bible.  Last night I misspelled saviour so checked three Bibles. I also opened my 1964 dictionary.  The dictionary listed the word with an or. No matter, voir is an error.

Fire Flame

Ink on a four-fold card or these pixels one will survive for thirty years.

Fire Flame

Burning gases.

Dancing flames.
Burning gases.

Locked in the
woodstove.

Fire
flames.
Burning gases.

Heavy; very heavy

Two speakers each standing over two feet tall are moderately heavy.  An Akai reel to reel tape deck is much heavier than I recalled.  The Pioneer receiver similar in heft to the speakers.  With all that weight and metal I assumed my metal collector would accept all no charge. Not so.  No matter, a heavy weight is off our floors, off my shoulders, out of the house.  I can now listen to music using a device the weight of our bird.  Ounces not one hundred pounds for a noise in my ear.

Items above purchased in 1972.  It was probably time to move on.  DONE.

Thanksgiving Day 2015 and 2014 summary

Yesterday on our three plus mile walk temperature hovered near 50F.  On the south side of Back Cove wind touched twenty miles per hour. On the north side trees, buildings and city gave us calm moments.

One year ago my records show cold and six inches of snow on the ground.  The  Thanksgiving Wednesday, 2014 snow melted in a later December rain.

A walk - a circle walk

Portland, Maine has the Back Cove Trail.  Parking is plentiful, the path is crushed stone and smooth. It is a circle.  Commit and after one hour the path ends at the same place you started.  Views change, compass directions spin and a walk into the wind is balanced with no wind in tree or building shadows.  Traffic is nearby but the total number of crosswalks is zero.

Ducks and geese were using the tidal water yesterday.  Salt water and seaweed odor adds but was absent yesterday.  I have a walking and life partner who has walked that path with me approaching twenty times in twenty five years.

Monday of Thanksgiving week.

If you could see the top of my right hand, you would see a mess.  Two weeks ago the clothespin bag fell out of my grip. The wire hook gouged a wound in the top of my hand.  I tried something new by using a liquid bandage solution.  The chemical caused an allergic reaction and wide spread inflammation on my hand.  A mess. To sooth the pain I held my hand near the hot coals in the woodstove. I added a minor burn.  From now on I will wash the wound, use the least amount of alcohol and cover lightly with cotton fibers.  No chemicals.

Saturday and time to post my blog!

We are discarding items not used.

Today I threw out work blue jeans and gloves with holes. Our metal recycling location also is a frequent stop.

A leap of faith

Step out in faith.

Years ago Kathy said she was buying her van her choice. Some 200,000 miles later she looked back on an excellent decision.

Her faith step.  Now for my talk of God. One of our sons has been watched over from a very high risk beginning.  Why would he
(HE) not continue to do the same?  Take a big step.

God's track record looks really strong. Trust big.

Clear and cold, Saturday

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Nehemiah 8:6 Amen and amen.
Nehemiah had a wooden pulpit.

Profound grief aches, throbs, continues

One week in the past the shock and grief was immense. In a year or more it may ease.

White cane walk -

Those blind or visually impaired trust you the driver to stop as they use a crosswalk.

If a white cane is extended the blind pedestrian feels it is safe! Please be polite. My friend has been hit in a crosswalk where other cars had stopped but one did not.

I'm not you

Willie Nelson may have written the tune It's not you.

People often say to me, but you should do ________. 

I say something or nothing, but I am thinking, I'm not you, I have no desire to do what you do, I do what I do.   Thank you very much.

I'M NOT YOU.

Where did you get the idea?
10/13/15, dlj,mj,Bartholomew

Apple Harvest - Massive

Conditions for huge apple crops were just right this season. Deep snow and cool spring temperatures improved blossoms, pollination and insect control.

Two Omaha birthdays in October

The eldest and the eldest each reach the date of their birth this month.  Early acknowledgement.  HAPPY  BIRTHDAY.  We were  in the middle of the country for one special year one year ago and I was also there four years ago.

Two green horn parents were there in 1971 at a time of first, great anxiety, followed by prayful hope, followed by God's will to this time forty four years later. 

What is a life lesson as I now look back.

MANY MANY TIMES THE BEST THING IS TO DO NOTHING. 
I MEAN NOTHING.

GOD HAS A WAY TO SAY,  "back off."

God still talking,
" Say nothing, do nothing."
 "Stay out of MY way."
"I will take care of it." 

Do you recall my (our) October 9, 1971 3AM narrative of the specific events.

God talking again, "stand off in the distance and just watch!"

Psalms 41 and 89; AMEN AND AMEN.

A surprise rotted wood.

At the camp I have zeroed in on numerous areas (rotting wood).   However at our house this morning I pushed with a screw driver and thirty minutes later was groaning with the true damage.

If it is wet insects rule. 

Wizard Island at Crater Lake 8/2015

In the morning smoke was in the basin.

By afternoon improved.  Water to peak height is 170 feet on this
tiny island.    A 33 mile drive around Crater Lake.

A hay crop from our lawn!

Sixteen days without a trim equals tall grass. Mulch for her gardens.  A separate fact concerns the health of three. Prayers always heard. ACTS. S is for supplication. Supplication means asking. Heavenly Father look after these three.

Monday Labor Day

We are now doing final preparations for the travel west to east.

We have seen canyons, dams, dry mountains and high valleys where clouds and water collect.  No trees in one valley and forest nearby.  Cell phone coverage jumps strong to nothing just around the bend.

A rodeo

Fifty miles on a barren road out and back to a local rodeo. In lodging near 11PM.

NO VACANCY

It caught up with us. We don't do reservations. In the middle of a rugged and empty Oregon all motels were full. Only an extra two hours in rain and summer cold put us in a room.  The John Day fire and the fire crews also had much to do with the full rooms.

Fried ice cream and Mexican beer also compensation! Amen and amen.

brian's pourhouse Hood River, Oregon

Coated almonds exceptional! Beer and fish tacos.

Followed by Mike's ice cream. Also the large rear picture window in our one night abode faces scenic Mt. Adams.

We drove 45 minutes on an isolated road to finally see Mt. Hood.

Close call - September 8 closing

As we visited the Portland, Oregon Japanese Garden today, we heard construction noise. Tonight I found the notice of a six month construction closing. Serene walks, water, and raked gravel.
A bonus was a gigantic rose garden. Free provided by the City of Portland.  Literally approaching one million blossoms.

Think 65 flights of stairs

Crater Lake has one trail from rim to water. It is 1.1 miles with an elevation change of 600 feet. The dusty sandy trail is excellent with the up walk from 6100 to 6700 feet elevation.

Time to fall back to a simple weather history.

The first  (top) weather link on your right is now in a bare bones format.

WHY?
I recorded calibrated maximum and minimum temperatures using a Comp-u-temp device.  With a push of a button I saw the previous seven days of max or min temperatures and the time they occurred on each day.  I could be away from home for five or six days and still have a complete history of temperatures.  The problem was the device( the processor) would fry easily with lightning discharges.  In 1999, 2008, 2010 and now in August 2015 that happened.  It was good business for Comp-u-temp but becoming expensive.

The temperatures now on my weather blog will be a mix of National Weather Service values recorded at the Portland jetport and my best estimate using a single day battery powered sensor.

The change will also save me more than fifteen minutes each week.  I will load only one file per week, not four.

Most of the old data back to 2007 is still available.  Now you must back into it using previous page.
dlj, Maine

Last MSMT for season

Kathy and I have four tickets each for Ghost, Mama Mia, Evita and Fiddler on the Roof!  Anyone or all readers state your choice.

Thursdays June, July and August 2016.

I found twelve (faith) sayings- see only one below

"Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to." - George Seaton

Different topic but the same tone from dj or MJ or Dale or Honey,

I love to hang out in church where the room (for us a warehouse) is filled with those who have faith.  Many of you know.  You can just feel it.  Thousands and thousands and millions through the years know.

THEY JUST KNOW.

One work week at camp

Monday through Friday last week we kayaked and worked at projects. Steps removed a year ago are now repositioned at the front door. Cement pads are now deeper so the porch has corrected itself. A satellite dish is gone. Thousands of nails also; gone.

Away at camp

Sunday last arrive - depart and home today!
Kayak four long paddles.

We will pick you up!

I picked her up. Her sister also.

I am almost getting comfortable with Boston Logan airport driving.  She picked three of us up in mid June. Now even.

How to:

Saint Louis University summer publication had ten questions. How to live to one hundred? How to think outside the box? How to become a runner?

One not included was how to be kind. My eldest granddaughter has always been kind. Documented on Facebook in the last couple days.

Kayak - dig - cut

Going to camp.  Back from camp worn out.  We are in full swing using our kayaks. Up river, down river brief out and backs.  Her project was to continue to discard.  Heaps and bags of discards.  Mine was to level the porch.  Two choices, either raise the camp or lower the porch.  The level showed a tilted porch but level camp.  Patient digging allowed me to undercut the porch support pads.  Finally the pad slipped gently off the supporting clay and with a sigh the porch settled. 

In following days I must reset the pad and fill the trenches.  Goal is to reduce future frost heaves.

Risk when trying to help others

In a month the actions will play out back to a normal. Today was not good. Mostly good is the normal I seek.

Second flight to MN

Two trips and eight days this month in the middle of the country.  Mom is in St Anthony Care Center.
Some days she eats and drinks well.  Other days not so well.

Two now one

Two sisters arrived.  One is now home. A variety of Maine weather during the visit.


Also a variety of activities.  Ocean, lighthouses, food and laughs at the show.

Rapid rapid

Out and back flight for me. Major health change down then up for ___.

Psalms 118:24

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.


This Psalms is hidden away.


19:14
All of Psalms 23
Psalms 42, " like a deer..."
Psalms 63:5,  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.
Proverbs 17:28

God is love. And rain is food.

I like my blog.  If no one reads it I do read it and recall my thoughts at the time.


Thought one.  There are kind people and those not so.  I thank you dear Lord for kind people.


Thought number two;  this weekend cold and rain were in control.  Rainfall amount in my three gauges near three and three quarter inches. Time to move tomatoes outside.  More beets also please.  The writer of Psalms 89 would say, Amen and Amen.  Let it be so. 

My garden was sad

Uniform dousing from a rain needed to make the garden happy!
A thunderstorm dumped over one inch late afternoon. Two are now pleased.

Tulip

May 2015

Tomatoes are up!!

Five days and the pre-soaked seeds germinated.

Tomato seeds covered by vermiculite

vermiculite..- helps stop damp off.

Damp off occurs when soil bacteria attacks newly emerged plants. This morning I moved eight tomato seeds into three pots.  In one week I should see newly germinated plants.  In months I should be eating cherry tomatoes.

NEWS - at home

We have been home for two weeks after a twenty five night circuit. Stops in NY, OH, WI,  MN (4), NE (x6), IN, VA (one, plus two, plus four, plus two), PA, CT.


Then this Thursday we saw granddaughter #3 Sij, in The Sound of Music.  She was in make up wearing a microphone taped to her neck.  Real life on stage stuff.  Singing, speaking and dancing.
FUN.

Home to cool air

My weather records are up to date.  Over 90 inches of snow for this 2014-2015 snow season. Temperatures may stay below 50F this first day of the week.

Eastern US struggling toward warmth

Various places manufacture heat. North is cold, there is no global warming.  Every winter tons of cold air will flood south.

Portland, Maine July temperatures will not exceed 95F for three consecutive days. Ask my granddaughters in thirty years.

My only guess is hippy Al Gore wants to steal coal company dollars (with out working).

Should I  rant or read Proverbs 17:28? dlj

April cool

Cold air followed us here in the middle of the country. Wind and an uncomfortable chill.

Thursday report after the fact.

Three Thursdays in a row with either biting 18F air or slightly warmer with howling wind. I guess 34F on the slopes would give minor melting.  This year I wore mittens with hand warming packs. Sunday and today afternoon maximum temperature below 26F.


This too must end.

We ski today.

Last day of 2015 to ski. Most days have been cold.  Today's forecast is similar except for the high sun angle.  After the fact I will report. 

One week ago Thursday the wind howled all day.  Yesterday the wind howled. I say again, I will report.

Travel reality

Driving in Minnesota on rural roads and driving in the Northeast, how are the two different?

And each reader asks, what?  There are too many people in the Northeast.  Even in a lower density region of mid Maine there was a recent 140 vehicle pile up.  Truckers and SUV drivers flying as conditions (visibility and road surface) became horrible.

I observed a first ever event yesterday.  I picked up my charge at Logan airport and started driving south on Route 1A and Rt. 1.  Out of 800 vehicles one or maybe two were driving Boston stupid. The other 798 were going 30mph on the terrible freshly snow covered roads. Speed limits were 40 and 45.  All 798 were keeping a driving cushion behind the car ahead.  Yes some did not have headlights on but my grade was a strong A- for most. 

The 140 car pile up in Maine was the Maine stupid for those who have been told for 22 years to drive at a speed for the conditions.  Mercedes up on the center median with a dumb look and cell phone out. The Press Herald photo was of a women but numerous 30, 40 and 50 year old men do the same.

So ends my editorial comment.  And two of the Psalms conclude AMEN and AMEN.

Do you enter an intersection on a red light often?  You are not that important. See above.

News - decrease or diminish

Our eight by ten woodshed holds six front to back or back to front sandwich tiers. These six tiers of stacked firewood have decreased.  You would see random piles some high, some low.

Eight feet deep, ten feet wide and over six feet high. God did not say build a woodshed eight by ten by six cubits. My son did design the more typical common dimensions. When standing at the base of a six foot high tier few or numerous firewood sticks may tumble down or drop vertical.  Important to keep my face and head clear as gravity grabs everything up high and pulls it down.

If I stand on an adjacent three foot high tier gravity is a friend.  I pull wood off the top and allow it to tumble clear of feet, shins and ankles.

If temperatures truly touch 40F in four days I can then work in mild air restacking the entire shed to a safe four foot height.  A snow and blue tarp enshrouded exterior firewood stockpile needs to be moved under cover.  An added task. 

March 1, 2015 Sunday

The weather.unisys.com site has an excellent ten day model (avn).  The ten day pattern shows continued slow  slow  warming trend.  The cycle must break to give us two days 36F or above. I still don't see it.

I will document (and dance on the table) when it occurs.  Bartholomew.

Clean the deck x1, x2, x3

Last Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday.  Day after day.  Oh, it is only two inches, only three inches and so on and so on.  We are getting stronger and certainly have the method down.

I can shovel through most five foot high mounds of fluffy snow in 20 minutes.

An escape - a lovely busted weather forecast

Sunday sunrise mounds of new snow did not happen. Twenty miles south did receive a foot of snow.  We did have extreme winds late yesterday and today.  Bitter cold, painful cold.

This Monday afternoon I see clear sky, twigs breaking off the trees in the wind and a 15F temperature. Wind chill on my bare hands below zero.  The car was dirt on dirt.  Hot water in a bucket helped remove one layer of winter road filth.

Snow photo

My son asked for a snow photo.  In a Sunday - Monday 53 hour period we had snow for 50 of 53 hours.  Plow two inches, plow 2.5 inches it went on and on.

 

This shows me up to my knees with the leach field snow bank about seven feet thick.

snow- SNOW - snow

A Saturday wet snow four inches, three days later a Tuesday 23 inch snow, then Friday four inch, and this Monday ten inches of snow.  Where do we pile it.

Ten days and the snow banks at all intersections are dangerous.

All day Saturday and now Tuesday

Saturday snow was 3 inches. However since 3AM today we have one foot of powder.  Winds near 40kts means I hear the snow plow and then dimly see it in the white out.

As of 1PM.  Blog time is Californai time.

The storm - above four inches?

I kept March 12,13,14, 1993 newspaper reports about the monster storm giving Maine 18 inches of snow.  That storm gave snow in FL and all the states up the coast.  Well forecast and many stayed off the road.
Tomorrow we will see some snow.  Most states in the mid Atlantic are now warm and getting rain. I will post actual liquid and snow amounts by Monday or Tuesday.

Flight to Boston

Two of my sisters will have all needed information by Tuesday.  Ticket information is enroute.

See msmt.org for the Thursday, June 18 event.

Very cold followed by cold!

July is July - hot.
January is January - cold!

COLD COLD

My sensor recorded -20F for three hours until 8AM.

Afternoon temperature 3F. Many share the same story except they had biting wind chill. The light wind here allowed the radiational cooling to give our -20F.