Category Archives: Weather +Climate

Art and Culture, Humanities, Weather +Climate

PostModern? Oh, Yeah? Prove it.

Leave a comment

Spring                                              Awakening Moon

It’s been a long, long dry spell.  We’ve had no appreciable rain or snow since ()  and the garden has begun to show it.  The daffodils have come up a bit stunted, many still in the ground would have popped long ago if they had the moisture.  Our irrigation system doesn’t start up until late April.  I may give’em a call and see if we can move it up, but that means I have to fix the netaphim Rigel and Vega chewed up at the end of last growing season.  Gotta be done anyhow.

Until Now has me cranked up into steep learning curve mode.  I’ve had the first two lectures, another one comes up next week as do walk-throughs for Art Remix and Until Now.  Before then I have to get my head into the new artists and the new art, read a good bit.  Look at the art.  Read some more.  Write a little. Peck a little.  This should be fun, a new universe of art and artists to explore, many of them working with enlightenment ideas, especially the idea of the modern and the so-called post-modern.

That’s another rabbit hole I’m going to drop into again.  Post-modernism.  I started getting into when I did my D. Min. thesis back in 1990.  Since then, I’ve read a good deal about post-modernism.  The content of the term still eludes me.  Perversely, it has made me very interested in modernism.  That happened because I decided I needed to understand modernism to understand what folks claim about post-modernism.  Seems logical, but I’ve begun to suspect that post-modernism is camouflage for other ideas, especially an assault on the nature of truth claims.  Bet you can’t wait to find out what I learn.

Into the MIA today for two tours, both highlights.  I did a highlights collection of things I already know well because this was a busy week for me.  Besides, I’m putting my energy now into the Until Now/Art Remix.

Weather +Climate

A Traitorous Thought

Leave a comment

Spring                                         Awakening Moon (the moon phase is now available on this page elsewhere)

I saw an outdoor digital thermometer yesterday, on some bank, that read 76.  76.  We have 76 predicted for a high today, too.  76.  We have the moist, earthy smell and approximate temperature of Hawai’i. 76.

(Molokini on a day when the temperature was 76.  High yesterday in Princeville was 75.)

A traitorous thought crossed my mind yesterday as I rode along with the window down, taking deep breaths of the soil laden scents.  This is pretty nice.  Maybe this could happen early like this every year.  Even more traitorous.  I tried to remember the cold, the bleak midwinter and I could not recall why I liked it so much.  Then again.  This may be, probably is, living in the now.  It’s nice when the temperature is moderate, the air moist and the sky blue.  Just like it’s nice when the sky is crystalline, the earth white and the temperature well below zero.

Today though whatever the outside world has to offer my head will be plunked firmly back in the days of Augustus, Ovid and Caesar.  Today, Wheelock Ch. 10, 4th declension verbs and -io verbs of the 3rd declension.  Vale!

Weather +Climate

March the Lamb

Leave a comment

Spring                                                 Waxing Awakening Moon

All signs point to a historic meteorological March here in the north country.  No snow.  None.  Nada.  Null.  Only 6 nights below freezing and not one day when we claimed the lowest temps in the US.  El Nino is the culprit says meteorologist Paul Douglas.  It’s strange and has the plants and gardeners all confused.

Got a late start today, so it’s almost lunch time and I just had breakfast.  Unusual.  Gotta get my to-do lists in order and revise that presentation for tomorrow.

Art and Culture, Bees, Garden, permaculture, Weather +Climate

Echoes of Narcissus

Leave a comment

Imbolc                                     New Moon (Awakening)

An all day Latin day, this time 3rd conjugation verbs, the notorious bad boys of Latin grammar.  Due to a weak vowel they got jiggered around by spoken Latin until they’ve become most unusual, irregular in some ways.  Got remember the paradigms for present, future and imperfect.  Just gotta remember.  Latin has become easier and harder, reflecting, I suppose, past learning and present state of ignorance.  It is true though that I have begun to be able to read sentences without looking up a single word. That’s pretty exciting.

Ovid here I come.  Of course, that’s Owid to English speaker’s ears.  I have a plan to put my Latin and my affection for Ovid to good use.  When I get closer to its realization, I’ll let you know.

Talked to Mark Nordeen.  He has some pollen patties and has agreed to give me one for the live hive.  I’m gonna see him tomorrow.  Then, in April, I’ll hive the package bees and wait until mid-May to divide the new one, feeding and caring for both of them in the interim.  Kate has volunteered to be assistant apiarist.  Her first job involves whacking together ten hive boxes, eight supers plus frames and foundations.  It will be fun to have help.

All the fruit trees are now visible.  No rabbit or vole damage on any of them.  That’s a relief because I was exasperated at the end of the last growing season–trying to keep Rigel and Vega in the yard, then out of the gardens.  As a result, I didn’t put up the hardware cloth protective barriers around them.

It hit 64 here yesterday and its 56 today.  Geez.  The sun feels good.  When I walked out to pick up the mail today, I felt warmth on my neck.  It surprised me.

Family, Weather +Climate

Hello Thunder, My Old Friend

Leave a comment

Imbolc                                 Waning Wild Moon

While eating breakfast this morning a loud noise, like a souped up street cleaner, disturbed my cereal.  I asked Kate what it was.  She thought it was a souped up street cleaner, or some other machine outside.  I got up to look.  It was rain.  Pouring rain, buckets, pummeling the roof.  The old snow will take a beating today.

Then, another noise.  Thunder.  An old friend from the warmer seasons.  On your marks, get set, grow.

Kate and I began our 21st year last night at midnight.  Another growing season has begun to push its way toward us, too.  As we celebrate events this year, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, the growing season, each one gets punctuated with, When we (do this next), you’ll be retired.  This is Kate’s last year at Allina, and she will not be sad to let go.  Medicine has changed and not in a good way.

Family, GeekWorld, Weather +Climate

The Common Experience

Leave a comment

Imbolc                                                  Waning Wild Moon

“The one common experience of all humanity is the challenge of problems.” – R. Buckminster Fuller

I’ve had a lot of our common experience today.  Both of my computers have gone mute.  The Gateway, on which I’m writing my novel and doing art history research, I don’t mind.  This one, though, on which I listen to music from Folk Alley, Skype with the grandkids and watch videos on many websites, well, I do mind.

I spent several hours today under the hood of this device, trying this, trying that.  I don’t know.  My main speaker doesn’t show any electricity getting to it, but I’ve checked all the connections.  Frak, as they would say on Galactica.  Part way Geek but not far enough.  But enough about my common experience, Bucky.

We’ve had a run of weather that has not suggested much in the way of commentary for my weatherblog on the Star-Trib weatherwatcher site.  High pressure has kept us stable and reasonably warm.  Not a bad thing, even, perhaps, a good thing, since evaporation without rapid melting reduces the chance of flooding in the Red River Valley.

Kate has got her sewing machine humming, churning out princess regalia for the soon-to-be 4 queen in waiting of Pontiac Street.  She bought 4, 4, tiara’s for Ruth today.  A couple of cute outfits for the Gabester’s 2nd birthday, they’re both April babies, and a new shower head completed her longest shopping excursion since her back surgery.  She’s feeling a lot better, more stamina.  More sass.

Humanities, Weather +Climate

The Sun! The Sun!

Leave a comment

Imbolc                                        Waning Wild Moon

On these days I often think of Fantasy Island, when Tatto would say, The plane!  The plane!  I want to run outside in the street and yell, The sun!  The sun!  After a long run of dreary weather the sight of the sun climbing higher and higher in the sky bucks us up and makes us eager for the end of winter.  By now we have earned our spring and the joys of the cold and snow have begun to fade when weighed against the possibility of flowers and vegetables and outdoor walks.

Most of us do not come to this place without some regret and I’m among them, a part of me yearning for the depths of winter with its ascetic cold and its spare landscape, but the gardener in me has begun to awaken, thinking of which vegetable to put in which plot, how much, what new flowers might look good.

Another 1,300 words in before Kate and I began to check our work chapter 6 of Wheelock.  She’s improving fast, as I knew she would.  Working together does make a difference, a major positive difference.  And just think how surprised the natives will be when we start using our newly acquired Latin on them.

What’s that?  All dead?  Really?  Whoa, that’s a pity, all this language and no place to speak it.

Sierra Club legcom tonight.  7:00 pm sharp.

Dogs, Weather +Climate

49 Degrees!

Leave a comment

Imbolc                                 Full Wild Moon

Paul Douglas says we reach 49 for an average high by the end of this month.  Wow.  That will be a dramatic change.

Right now the garden looks as it has since roughly mid-December, snow covered.  Today well defined shadows lead back to a bright sun shining in a clear sky.  The squirrel that took up house-keeping or food storage underneath the snow outside my study window seems to have abandoned his effort.  A rabbit comes by with some regularity to eat our shrubs.  We lost a wonderful, mature mugo pine to rabbits three or four years ago.

Rigel and Vega come back in every day with snow on their muzzles.  These big dogs love plunging into the snow for voles or mice they detect.  Every once in a while, they score.

Business meeting time.  Bye for now.

Weather +Climate

Sunday

Leave a comment

Imbolc                                        Waxing Wild Moon

Sitting smack in the middle of the continent mother nature’s worst usually passes us by and heads instead for coastal regions, islands, the ring of fire or arid areas.  Chile.  Hilo, Hawai’i. Kobe, Japan.  Miami or New Orleans.

Yeah, we get the occasional blast of heavy snow, the odd derecho and tornado, big hail (as bad as big hair), but I can’t honestly say any of these rise to earthquake, volcanic eruption, tsunami, hurricane proportions.  That’s not to say  our life is boring here.  Quite the opposite.  We have four full seasons and plenty of interesting weather.

We just got passed by on the wrath of God, city destroying events some others find part of their life.

With a temperature of 37 you’d think the snow would disappear fast, but our northfacing land keeps snow.  We have winter a week or two longer than most folks, including the people right across the street.  Sorta strange.

More novel dreamed into existence.  A bit of Sunday drifted by.  Stuff happening, but slow.  Good.

Vega woke up without a limp this morning.  We both felt relieved. So did she I imagine.

Weather +Climate

Potholes. Puddles. Slush. Oh, Boy.

Leave a comment

610temp_new

Imbolc                                       Full Wild Moon

March will come in under a full Wild Moon.  It will also come in gently, according to the weather reports.  It will not, however, be all calm and sunshine.  March is a transition month here in the North Country, one that can swing from melting snow to blizzards and high drifts.

Right now this graphic from the Climate Prediction Center of NOAA suggests an above average chance for above average temperatures over the next 6-10 days.  Puddles.  Potholes.  Slush.

Stay tuned though.  March has moods and they can swing under a full Wild Moon.