Past, Present and Future

This picture was taken five minutes ago ( 10: 35 AM ) looking out the backdoor of the office...Another 2 inches of snow overnight after a couple of weeks of melting and 35-50 degree temperatures. The forecast is for rain/sleet/snow all day then clearing and high temperatures near or below freezing for the next five days. The rivers are flooding and the skies are still mostly cloudy...March in Warren- ya gotta love it... just like December and January and February.....However the distant future promises to be exceptional and is the main theme of this entry:
Beth and I have plane tickets to Los Angeles for April 5th, where we will be married on the 6th near the beach, then spend ten days touring and honeymooning in the city and surrounding desert. Three years have solidified the connection we both felt from the beginning, and the rare hard times have only reassured us that we are equally committed, perfect companions for one another. I can honestly say that the good times and laughter continue to outshine all my past experience and that I have never known another woman so sincerely goodhearted and generous with her love. At the end of our first road trip in 2008-to meet Paul Rodgers- we both spontaneously commented that we were not being "giddy" about our relationship, which I think meant that we were both simply being ourselves without pretension. That original honesty and sincerity has withstood the test of time so that even after learning, or rather, experiencing one anothers flaws we have emerged as not merely lovers but best friends, and isn't that what marriage is about?- to trust ones partner with ones most intimate secrets and desires and know in your soul that they love you anyway, as you are? So wish us well as we wish our blessings on all those who seek happiness... .
POSTSCRIPT: 3/30/11 - Still several inches of hard packed snow in the mountains, and potentially another inch will fall tonight after several sunny days with high temperatures in the low to upper thirties. In the mountains of California they have beat records for snowfall dating back to the early 1950's, so it's been a winter for the books I'd say...
POSTSCRIPT:5/9/11 - After perpetual rain all of April, it's been decent the past four days, meaning more clear sky than not with only a passing shower, and the forecast for another four days is No chance of precipitation..According to the Erie news this is the first four day forecast without rain or snow since October 7th, 2010...So because of that terrible weather I cannot recommend western PA or NY as a permanent residence to anyone..Several cities in the region ( Buffalo, Erie, Syracuse ) are among the top ten worst weather in the nation, #1 being Mt. Washington, N.H...with some of the others being in Washington and Oregon...I shall be living here full time another few years for the sake of my mother and Kenny -God willing- and likely will continue to complain occasionally as I have before in this blog..It simply is hard to ignore for an active outdoor person, and becomes depressing...my apologies to those who have to bear with both me and with the dismal skies...Long live the Summer Sun!

Wisconsin

I would Not support the cushy deals the teachers unions have IF Wall street and corporations and politicians had not robbed the middle class blind over the last three decades...( ..an example? GE pays 7.4% or Less in tax on it's billions of U.S. profits due to "tax shelters" and lobbying and "innovative' accounting"...) 85% of the net wealth in this country is owned by 20% of the people..the bottom 80% own just 15%. End of story. The former have the gall to say that they earned it. I suspect this is only the beginning of class warfare that has been festering a long time, and I for one will defend the poor. Our system as it stands IS morally bankrupt. An excellent book that details our present situation is "CORNERED" by Barry C. Lynn ...read just a chapter or two and you will understand the intuitive suspicions you have about what has gone wrong with this country.

An Astounding Fact

According to a recent poll, 45% of Americans did not know that the sun was a star. That sounds incredible to me. What have our schools been teaching? How can we expect to survive in a technologically global society if elementary science is neglected? I guess the water will settle at the level it deserves, and this is one more example of the country wide pessimism regarding America's future. No...I do not lose sleep over such things, merely observe the society around me and the lack of will-in both individuals and institutions- to do anything constructive. The corruption and bureaucracy in America are different in kind but not in scope from the corruption being protested currently in Egypt, so Egyptians are now fighting for the democracy that we have perverted by our mismanagement. I have no illusion that if things become worse here there will be more angry people in the streets-but I wonder what would replace democracy- a dictator who would rightly or wrongly impose his will?....so... yes my 45% neighbors, the sun is a star some 8.3 light minutes away from us, and the next closest star is about 4.2 light years away, which is the distance light-at around 186,000 miles per second-would travel in that time. Visible light would encircle the 25,000 mile diameter earth about 7.4 times in one second. Basic science is simple really, with truly astounding facts!

January

Beth's son Kenny won the lead role in the all county production of "Once Upon A Mattress" at the Struther's Theater in town, so that's quite a thrill and honor for a fifteen year old kid. This is not his first lead role, but perhaps the most challenging considering that the older he gets the higher the expectations, and there are already conflicts of interest between him and his girlfriend-not to mention schoolwork and his other interests. He told me once that he loves the theater experience as much as anything else he does, so no doubt he is a born ham and thrives on the camaraderie. In this play he sings two solos and will be onstage for most of script, so the next few months are going to be full of practice and additional-but mostly good- stress....

Lake Effect Snow

Warren had it's first substantial snowfall this week, mostly lake effect accumulation which occurred as Arctic winds blew across Lake Erie and dumped 19 inches in town over the past three days. Some claim two feet fell here but that's not what I measured in my mother's yard.
Lake effect snow differs from normal snow in that it never ends. That is, imagine a steady rainfall for three or four days during which periods of thunderstorm intensity squalls occur every few hours in different locations, the overall effect of which can be up to six feet (!) of snow locally. But walking this morning along roads north west of town I observed more of the former depth than than latter, and felt a welcome sun for the first time since the weekend. My concern is that, because winters in Warren produce seven or eight cloudy days for every two sunny ones, if this lake effect precipitation continues the snow may not melt until spring so will be piled upon until March. If that happens I am not sure where I will put all the shoveled accumulation-which is already above my waist. But I must admit that the exercise is good for me and provides an alternative to walking. As for heading south for the winters?- that is still my preference and hopefully will come to fruition in a few more years....Beth and I are already discussing what type of van to purchase...
POSTSCRIPT: One Week Later- Rain and 35 degrees melted some of the snow then more lake effect piled on this week so we are right about where we started. Ten day forecast is clouds, cold and snow showers...Dismal winters 'round here unless you enjoy such things.
POSTSCRIPT: January 6th- Well, the paper says we've had 54 inches of snow so far, and the bulk of that was before Christmas. There have been snow showers and an inch or two since then but not the steady accumulation. Still no steady sunshine however, and the ten day forecast remains cloudy and mid 20's F every day but one. Sometimes I make the mistake of looking at the forecast back east, where I grew up, and see that it is mostly sunny and mid 30's-and that's the difference I become nostalgic for. I walk where and when I can despite the snow and ice, so my spirits remain positive regardless of my petty whining, but it gets tougher the longer this lasts. Weekends away from here with Beth break the doldrums, and that's all we have for now. Meanwhile I'm still plodding away on the book and counting my blessings, and my mom is mostly healthy and coherent, so life goes on.
POSTSCRIPT: March 7th- About 45* today after literally the worst winter weather wise in my life. There are yet snow piles here and there and several inches to a foot higher up the mountains and more sleet and snow predicted for tonight. I was able to walk on clear sidewalks for the first time in three months on the 4th, then it snowed another couple inches which melted off in the March sun and that's how it will be for a few weeks. Winter simply does not quit in these here parts...On the bright side I saw a crocus on the 3rd and five robins the next day, and yesterday the grackles started to return. Whew. My sanity is in need of some steady sun and warmth. Finally spring is coming-thank God for the laws of physics... The weather service reported that nationally the moisture pack from snow and ice and rain is the highest it's been in six decades, so it's been a tough season everywhere.

THE VOTE

After much thought I've decided that I shall never vote again so long as government and politics persist in business as usual. I cannot with a clear conscience support a system that is as corrupt and wasteful as this one, and I see no difference between the political parties when the truth is exposed. It is all very simple to me really, for there is no justification for any moral nation to spend over two trillion dollars on war, period. Humanitarian foreign aid meanwhile is a fraction of a percent of GDP per year. American priorities are clear despite all the talk, and I will not be complicit to them. In a perverse way I comprehend the 9-11 bombers motives more clearly now in the sense that they were desperately trying to stop the economic abuses and inequalities of Wall Street and Congress long before the rest of us woke up to them. I am not an idealist expecting the rest of the world to lay down their arms, merely stating my abhorrence to human nature as I see it expressed by those in power-in many nations- who absolutely do not represent me. I can only imagine the good that humanity could achieve were we to put our resources into peaceful endeavors, but that will not happen so long as good people make this more complicated than it has do be. It is a fine line between self defense and violence as a way of life. At any rate, factor in the wasteful spending in fraud, bureaucracy and sheer stupidity, and I simply want no part of it. My one vote today would mean that in some small way I am agreeable to the 2 billion dollars politicians and special interest groups have spent on this mid term election...when 50 cents a day could feed a starving child in Bolivia. I think not.

HALLOWEEN

Did the usual paper plate routine again this year, and this is what the kids saw as they approached the house...only had two little girls take a look and say "Nope!-not goin' near that!" But over sixty kids were game and Beth's presence to my left tempered the shock...Trick or Treating is something I remember fondly from my childhood so I feel like it's my obligation to give the kids a good time. According to a poll in the local paper however, less than 50% of people gave out candy this year..'tis a shame me thinks with all the bad news around the world-and I Know it is not because they can't afford it..the bar rooms are still doing a great business.