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!

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!

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!

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!

Painted Sky

Summer sky I long for you - the winter chill just lingers

No Bull I'm Going Bananas!

I've been wanting to post to my blog, but have had no time whatsoever to do so. Kaylee's art is piling up around her room, so I thought I'd take a couple of pics since it only takes a minute and that's about all the time I have these days.

Out of Tragedy Something Good

Today I signed a permission slip from school like no other. The permission slip's letterhead was from the District Attorney's office and it was asking permission to allow students to view a video on underage drinking. Sounds common enough for high school students to view such a video until you know the specifics. Ian McCloskey was a BAHS student who died in an automobile accident that was the result of an underage drunk driver trying to pass another car of friends. The car went off the road, struck several trees, and then caught fire. What was supposed to be a night of teenagers having fun was tragic in so many ways. Friends trying to save friends, but couldn't and a boy starting his life as a man by being convicted of homicide by motor vehicle and DUI. At sentencing hearings victims are permitted to make a victim's impact statement. Ian's mother, Nadine Staiger, used a video to document her loss. According to the DA's office this video was so moving they developed an anti-DUI program that includes the video.

This accident occurred when my daughter and I were staying in the Buffalo area for a soccer tournament. Because of cell phones the news spread like wildfire throughout the hotel within hours of the crash. Instead of kids running amok and having a blast there was crying and consoling and disbelief. The news sent chills down my spine. I did not know the boys involved, but as a mother- a mother whose son was life-flighted to ECMC while we staying at the same hotel a year earlier- my heart ached for his family. My son fell asleep at the wheel about a half mile from home and I'll never forget the phone call. Seat belts saved his life and I make a point to tell kids that along with the fact that driving drowsy almost killed my son.

My son will never become lax at wearing his seat belt and will never drive exhausted again - he learned a lot the hard way. I hope the kids who see this presentation learn from it, if not for their own sake, then for those who love them.