photo by rachel

My daughter, Rachel, is a photographer as well as a painter.

quote of the day

Why are so many Americans so unhappy...? All manner of plausible causes present themselves, but the master cause may be the most elemental: Homo sapiens, a familial animal like the wolf or hyena rather than solitary like the bear, is genetically unequipped to live without the emotional support of uncles, aunts, first cousins, and second cousins, in addition to siblings, parents, and children..... Periodic gatherings for the ceremonies of birth, marriage, and death; the much more frequent celebration of birthdays, name days, anniversaries, and seasonal feasts; as well as webs of less-formal socializing, all serve to keep the machinery of human families in working order. That is how people live all over the world in village, town, or city -- but not in contemporary Amerca.

--Edward N. Luttwak

gleaned from The Sun

sub species

I have come to the conclusion that the human animal designated as homo sapiens should be divided into two sub species. The humans that were able to send a man to the moon, discover cures for diseases and create technological wonders that make life on this planet more pleasant cannot possibly belong to the same group that fails to learn how to drive on winter roads year after year. There are people who have lived their entire lives in a region whose roads frequently become slick and hazardous in the winter months, yet it never occurs to them to exercise caution during their morning commute. The homo sapien intelligenticus and the home sapien dumbasdirticus are two entirely different animals.

remodel update

I've been busy with the remodel. Not making much progress.

snow

Marley catches snowflakes on her tongue

We had our first significant snowfall yesterday. Dorothy left work early so she wouldn't get stuck away from home.

The grandkids we're playing in the snow in the field next to their house by the fire station when two fire fighters came out and threw snowballs at them. Then they made them a huge snowman. A police car drove up and the officers made a comment about the snowman which resulted in a firefighter throwing a snowball into the patrol car. That's when the snowball war began. It was the firefighters against the police and the kids against both of them. To see photos click here.

what i'm reading now

This book is about the danger and likelyhood of catastrophic earthquakes in California. It's an interesting read that gives you an historical account of the state and it's propensity to grow urban areas in the places that are riddled seismic faults. According to the author Los Angeles and San Francisco "straddle two of the most violently seismic zones on the planet".

rachel's painting

This is my daughter Rachel's latest painting. She hasn't been at it long but I'm amazed at the balance of her composition and her use of color. She's a better artist than her dad.

jenna whistles

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

jenna counts

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

what i'm reading now

This book is an excellent read about the blizzard of Jan 12, 1888 which swept south from Canada across the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas. The cold front eventually reached the southernmost boundary of Mexico. As it rapidly advanced across the prairie states teachers let the students go home and many were lost in the blinding wind and snow and froze to death, some within a few yards of their homes.

The author describes the backgrounds of the immigrants that were struggling to make a living on the land, the failure of the U.S. Army Signal Corps to adequately warn the people of the approached cold wave, and the heart breaking efforts of parents and citizens to rescue the children and adults who were lost in the storm.

spaghetti

Jenna drinks a grape soda while she watches grandpa cook spaghetti. I was getting a few strands of spaghetti from the boiling pot with some tongs , running cold water over them, and then testing them for doneness. Jenna soon wanted the tiny samples I was getting. After a few samples, she went to the cupboard and pointed and grunted until her mother figured out she wanted a bowl. She brought the bowl over to the stove where I was standing and held it up for more spaghetti. She can't talk but she communicates very well.

quote of the day

The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else.
--Umberto Eco

quote of the day

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
-- Arthur Schopenhauer

i should have stayed in bed

We woke up to 15 degrees this morning and it never got above freezing all day. I should have stayed in bed, or at least on the couch reading a book and drinking coffee. I went to Lowe's to get more material for the project. I went for 6/3 with ground eletrical cable and also some 12/2 with ground. I came home with 6/3 without ground and 12/3 with ground. I just wasn't paying attention. For the uninitiated the six stands for the size of the wire and the three means it has a black insulated wire, a red insulated wire, and a white insulated wire. I needed an additional bare ground wire. All four wires are bound together in plastic insulation. The 12/2 with ground has a black wire, a white one, and a bare ground wire. The 6/3 is for 240 volts and will be used to conduct power to Dorothy's new electric oven. The 12/2 is for 120 volts and will be used for ordinary outlet circuits. I may have to take a day or two off to think about this. You can't plan too much. I'll drink coffee and stare at the project until my head clears.

jenna's first haircut

Kelly thought that Jenna's hair was getting out of control so she took her to the salon for her first cut. I thought it was just perfect.

Here's the finished product. It looks like it still has an urge to rebel.