February Nor'easter

Anxiously awaiting the change over from rain to snow. The radar image above shows the rain/snow line over the Upper Cape. Looking out the window as I type, it is still raining. Wind speed is also increasing. Inland areas are expecting a widespread area of 12 - 18 inches of snow. Heavier, wetter snow on the coast should keep the accumulations down to around 8 - 12 inches, however I'd rather have lighter, fluffier snow. It's much easier to move around. Combine the heavy snow with the expected high winds and we may lose electricity for a while. Either way, we're ready.

Train Wreck

**I'm having some difficulty with Blogger and layout for some reason. There will likely be odd gaps between paragraphs that I cannot see to fix**

I've been watching with fascination this slow motion train wreck for the better part of year now. Friends disregarded my insistence that, one way or another, DJT would be in the White House. Those same friends were a bit shocked at my relative accuracy. I wish I had as much luck with lottery tickets.

That said, we are so close to being beyond the edge of the cliff, that I'm not sure there will be any recovering from it. I was having a discussion recently about the next election (not the mid-terms, the next presidential election) and remarked that I didn't believe there will be another president OR an election unless something drastic changes. We're either going to have a dictatorship, or be a smoking heap of debris after the nukes fly. Or both. If by chance we DO have another election, the system will be so far gone that any hope of change in the voting booth will be washed away by redistricting, voter ID laws, voter suppression, etc..... I've said many times to people in posts, text messages & conversation(remember those??) that I'm glad I never had kids that would have to see such times. Sad, but true.

I grew up in a conservative household. I remember my parents' excitement at the election of Reagan. I was 10. I could sense their feeling of hope and I felt a little safer. Things would be better. Maybe we would not be 'just squeaking by'. Maybe we could turn up the heat. Lower taxes, job opportunities, etc. None of that really materialized. Still, they held true to their beliefs. Their hope. But they NEVER lost their compassion for fellow humans. Within the next 10 years both of them would be gone, and I was left to make my own way. I could not have done it without several key people in my life. My other Moms, as I like to call them. And I had a bunch. I was able to finish college because of them. I came home to employment because of them. I re-learned compassion and love because of them. The only thing to this day that I don't trust is the medical community, but that's another story.
My dad fought long and hard in WWII. He never spoke of the horrors. A couple Purple Hearts, Bronze Star, scars from bullet holes and a forever changed mind were all he brought home. Our current occupier of the White House even espouses war crimes ('we should take the oil') while our men and women in uniform are still there and now in much more danger because of his words. Many of the principles, ideals and downright craziness my father and countless others fought against have come home too roost in our own country by his own party. He is turning over in his grave.

I'm not sure where we are headed, though I have a pretty good idea. I hope I am wrong this time, but with every day there is more psychosis and paranoia coming down the pike dressed up as policy. DJT can make all the promises he wants, but he's in an alternative reality that does not make sense or bode well for us. The Women's March was a start, but should have occurred on a much broader scale BEFORE the election. More attention should have been paid to rust belt states by the other candidates. None of that can be changed, but we can look forward with hope. Hope that someday there will be equality. Compassion for citizens and refugees. Taking care of one another. Taking care of our planet and not the pocketbooks and bank accounts of a few. They do not and will not ever care about you. For now, I'll continue to stay close to home as long as I can. Waiting, watching, hoping for the best for me, Mrs and our 4-legged babies.

Peace.

I invite you to and ask that you listen to the words that Mr Olbermann is uttering here. They are important. And urgent.

Birdie Day.... From Inside

This is one of those days that I look outside at the thick waves of cold, wind-blown, soaking drizzles coming in from the east/northeast and decide to only go outside for the essentials: grab the mail, return the rubbish barrel to the barn, pick up dog crap, etc. Inside, I wrapped up the end of year file organization (early for me!), drank more coffee than I should have, played with the pups and watched the birds (and squirrels) at the feeder. Sometimes you need a day like this.

We've had a pine warbler visiting regularly which is a nice treat. I normally associate them with warm, spring days. One of the first warbler songs heard here in the spring belongs to them.

Birds here this morning:

Black-capped chickadee
Tufted titmouse
Song Sparrow
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed junco
Carolina wren (2)
Mourning Dove
Hairy woodpecker
House finch
Downy woodpecker
Northern cardinal
American goldfinch
Red-breasted nuthatch
White-breasted nuthatch
Pine warbler

So, nothing much else going on here today. Time to suit up and retrieve the recycle bin from the roadside.

Peace.

Welcome 2017

I think....

Here it is. The first day of 2017. Mrs and I drove to TF Green Airport in Warwick, RI this morning to drop off her mom who had spent a bit more than two weeks with us over the holidays. Back to warm, sunny Florida.
It was a nice day, topping out at 46°F; mostly sunny. We left MIL (Mom-In-Law) at the curb and made sure she was inside the airport before we left. It is always tough for me to leave loved ones at the airport and drive away.

While driving home on I-195 somewhere near Fall River, MA I saw an adult bald eagle soaring above. Mrs also saw it, confirming the white head and tail. Not a bad bird to get on the first day of the year!

Once home, we went about the serious business of cleaning and reorganizing the house. As I type this at 9:40 PM the last of the laundry is spinning away in the dryer, and I'm wondering what to do tomorrow. Gas both cars, for sure. Food shop, as well.

2016 didn't go nearly as I had planned with fewer trips north and NO additional ink under my skin. I'm hoping to change both of those situations this year.

My main plan is to get several nights on the Long Trail in Vermont to begin a "section hike" of the trail. If I had about 20 or 25 days straight to devote to it, I would, but that's not in the cards. 4 days/nights I think I  can do to get my feet wet.... I hope.

I also slacked off on running and exercising which has been a bad, bad thing.  I feel like a 46 year old slug and am not happy with my appearance. I'm not one for resolutions, but I have to do something!

As for the fraudulent election, I'm just going to let it implode and hope that the things and people I care about are not terribly impacted by it. I'll be spending a lot of time with my middle finger in the air!

So, not much more to add as this first day of 2017 winds down.

Be well.

Peace.

Terrorists Have Won

I've hesitated getting into anything political on this site for quite some time. I have Facebook for that.
Part of me believes that social media including Facebook and even, to a lesser extent blogs, are partially to blame for where we are today. The terrorists have played us like a fiddle. It's a sad state, indeed.

I do take comfort, albeit slight and only a bit less nauseating that 2018 mid-terms will be here before we know it. Too far away to save any semblance of a responsible, American-ideal loving supreme court, but close enough to have a bit of hope left. My hope is that the country will see him for what he is, even some of what's left of the old-school GOP, and swing the congress back to blue. We are in big trouble here, as a country. I've said it before, and I'll not back away from it: I'm glad I never had children.

Below is a video from the voice of reason.

Good luck, folks.

Hermine Remnants

The remnants of once-hurricane Hermine are still churning off the New England coast this Labor Day. Mrs and I took a road trip to the other side of the Cape to Town Neck in Sandwich and Sandy Neck in Barnstable. We arrived, unfortunately at a dead low tide which made for not as exciting conditions as I had hoped. Still, it was nice too get out to see the bay all worked up, literally to a froth.

The lower parking area at Sandy Neck was being sand blasted, which you might be able to see in the below image. The hazy/cloud above the lot is sand coming up from the beach. I ended up with sand in just about every place imaginable, and I was dressed for winter.

 Once down on the beach itself the sand whirling around wasn't as bad, but the sea spray was a bit dampening.

We headed back towards home, but had to take a few detours down some back roads to get around the piles of traffic trying to get to the bridges to get off Cape; guests cutting their trips a bit short. We were surprised at a few locations where we didn't expect traffic. I guess some of our beloved backroads are not so unknown anymore.

I snapped this image at Rt 151 and Old Barnstable Road in Mashpee.  Miles and miles away from the bridges.

As I type this, the rain bands have finally arrived and winds continue to gust, causing the trees some stress, but so far, so good.