Saturday, March 21, 2009

Frosty Spring

It may be spring, but that didn't stop Jack Frost from paying a visit. The ice crystals on my jeep were beautiful and with the help a piece of black paper i attempted to capture their delicate features. Not being a photographer or having a good quality camera i didn't quite achieve what i intended, but for those photographers out there you should give it a try! Happy Spring!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Obscured View

The sky has been filled with sun and the days mild. I've been enjoying the weather, sky, and daylight. Sadly I can no longer enjoy the view from my living room window or front porch for this is what I see (minus the construction workers). Last summer this industrial structure claimed the pasture and obscured my view of the mountains I once enjoyed. I won't be able to fly kites outside my door with my grandsons as I had with my children. Tie a string to me, launch me into the air, and let the winds blow!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Lost an Hour, Maybe More

I had decided to start reading more than just the daily newspaper and work related materials and came upon this book - Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution- and How it Can Renew America. This book is so thought provoking, informative, Scary! The main focus of the book is climate change, energy poverty, petrodictatorship, and biodiversity loss. If watching An Inconvenient Truth made you stop and think, then reading this book will make you think harder!

CO2 emissions are the tip of the iceberg and more complex than vehicle exhaust and coal burning power plants. For example, as the planet warms plant material in previously frozen permafrost begins to decay releasing copious amounts of CO2. Cows due to their digestive system pass methane gas, another green house gas. Even smoking a cigarette contributes to climate change!

The author prefers the term Climate Change as opposed to global warming since as the planet warms, oceans warm causing jet stream patterns that drive the weather to change and therefor the climate of Earth is impacted.

Many are concerned about the deforestation of the rain forest and the author drives the point home in discussing Indonesia. "Though covering only 1.3% of earth's land surface, Indonesia's forest represent 10% of all the world's tropical forest cover and are home to 20% of all the world's species of flora and fauna, 17% of the world's bird species, and more than 25% of the world's fish species. Just 10 hectares in the Indonesian island of Borneo contains more different tree species than are in all of North America-" The author points out a dubious fact, "...Indonesia had been entered into Guinness World Records for having the fastest rate of deforestation in the world."

I urge you to visit your library or bookstore, read this book, and make changes in your life. We may have lost an hour this weekend, but humanity may loose so much more!



Saturday, March 7, 2009

Campus Visit - Wyotech

We visited the Wyotech campus and I must say I'm impressed. The Blairsville campus opened in 2002 and is very modern. The apartments are not all that large, but Garret will only have to share his bathroom with one other person and his bedroom seems bigger than his at home. It was beautiful weather with sunny skies and temps reaching 70. From Brookville to about 10 miles away the drive was on meandering roads through the mountains. I would like to find an alternate route since in bad weather it could be quite the harrowing drive.

Can't believe in less than 4 weeks he'll be gone. So much to do!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009