Hot Pink Flamingos

Reading the information offered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium is always interesting and informative, and sometimes very sad. Today I read about Hot Pink Flamingos, the Changing Seas. More about the devastating effects of climate change.

It tells us about the Shishmarel community, native Alaskans, tribes of the Bering Strait, who voted to leave their ancestral island because it was literally dissolving beneath them.

It tells about the Carteret Islanders, who must do the same thing. They are the first climate refugees, but as the article states, they will not be the last. Can you imagine realizing that you have to pack up your things and leave the place where you were born, and your father and his father before you, and go in search of someplace safe to live? Here is a very short little video about these people.

Sun Come Up from Jennifer Redfearn on Vimeo.

Hot Pink Flamingos does list some practical things we can do to make a difference. Nothing new, really. Things we have all heard before, but most of us do not think about often.

Old Comments

Here's one that's new to me.

Just now I went to my dashboard to see if there were any comments to be moderated. There were three. The odd thing is that all of them were on Sky Watch posts. I haven't done the Sky Watch meme for a while now. One of them was for Sky Watch #57 and told me "what a difference a few hours can make". The other two were for #74 and both told me about the wonderful colors in the photos. Well - thank you Sally, Daryl and Dianne, but I have no idea what dates those comments addressed, or why they are showing up now.

I didn't usually number my Sky Watch posts, so have no idea when they were done. I tried going to the Sky Watch site itself to find out what the current number might be. But the site came up on my computer as a jumbled mess. And there was no number for the current post.

Is this a problem with Sky Watch, with Blogger, or just some kind of fluke?
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How annoying. I can't get rid of them. I've tried checking "publish" and "reject" both, and Blogger tells me that no comment was selected.

Happy Doctors' Day

Well, at least that's what the sign said in my doctor's office today.


Had to go up the Parkway in teeming rain. But it did let up on the way back. The Almighty doesn't seem to think we've had enough rain yet I guess. We are still trying to pump away the floods from last time, but yesterday and today we got more. Along the Parkway, we usually see the wetlands with all kinds of little trickling streams making pretty patterns.
Today it looked like this.








Breakwater Road was blocked off yesterday, but is passable today, but this is how Tabernacle Road looked today.






I don't think this homeowner will be able to get in or out of his driveway.












And this is just a small part of Mr. Wuerker's vineyard. You should see the rest of it!





Oh, but from sunny California, my daughter sent me these. She says he looks as if he just needs a tin cup beside him. No, he doesn't really play yet. That's his dad's guitar. But he says he might want to start a band.















But whatever the weather, the forsythia abounds, so it can't be all bad.

Dear Old Cape May

Yesterday the sun did shine. It was breezy, but not too bad. Rita and I decided to take a ride down to Cape May City.




First, we saw flying fish above the beach.







Next thing we knew - Here come the Coasties!


You know, there is a big Coast Guard base here. When the Coasties are out in force, traffic stops and everyone watches them. And silly people
like me take pictures.




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All the Bed and Breakfasts and hotels are getting spruced up for spring.







Don't think I'd be too happy living so close to my neighbors. Sometimes it seems like inches away. But their many colors are very cheerful.






They come in all shapes and sizes.









A lot sit high because of the flooding during bad storms. Others just seem to take their chances.



Some of these are actually private homes, but most are B & B's.



And of course, we rode on up to the Point. Here is what they call "a cottage" at the Point.





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Chapter 2 of our Story:
Then we ended at Lily Lake. Found a very interesting sight there. First we saw a lovely swan.



Then we realized, the swan was chasing a goose. I have no idea what their problem was, but they seem to have had one.







That swan stayed right on the goose's tail. Started at the opposite side of the lake from us. Came across quickly, and the goose came up on the grass.


The swan never left the water, but the goose marched along the edge, and the swan followed closely, back and forth many times.














The swan sometimes looked as if it would come up on land, ruffling its feathers, but never did.





Eventually the goose entered the water again, and the chase was on, back to the other shore.






Never did find out why this was going on.

But we enjoyed our afternoon.

Ralph

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Today would have been my husband's 87th birthday. See - we're doing it again - reversing numbers. He 87. I am 78. He was born in 23, I in 32. We were married in 57. He died in 75. Strange, how these coincidences occur.



But this is my favorite picture of him. I just love it. He was growing up in Hempstead, NY. wasn't he the cutest darned kid you ever saw?



Happy Birthday, Darling. I miss you.

Just This and That

I am enjoying learning and experimenting with my new little Nikon, when it isn't raining. There is an unbelievable amount to learn about it. I haven't even installed the software yet, but since I am able to put the pictures into my computer without that, I haven't tried to figure it out yet.




I am anxious to learn about the macro setting. I made a first attempt at that. Not too wonderful, but I'll read more and get better at it - I hope.

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All of this is distracting me from getting my tax form done. I usually have that out of the way by the end of January, but just couldn't make myself do it yet this year. Technically, I don't even have to submit a tax form, but it's needed if I want the State tax rebate, since that form is attached. From the sound of things this year, there won't even be a tax rebate if the governor has his way, so it may be a total waste of time for me anyway. This governor is slashing everywhere. I could be happy about that if it meant getting rid of wasted spending - and there is plenty of that. But he seems to be adding spending on the one hand, for those who need it least, while he is cutting funds for things like schools and libraries and the blind and other disabled.

Well, I guess I wouldn't be happy if I didn't have something to whine about. But I'm afraid this one will cause a whole lot of whining for the next four years. Might save me filling out tax forms though.
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Wouldn't you think, since I am retired and have very little to do, that I could find lots of time to read books and blogs? Granted, my eyes won't let me read for long periods of time, but still... The camera does take up a lot of time of course. I do enjoy that more than anything. But the weather often prevents me from spending a lot of time on that. And yet I seem to be reading less and less. What on earth am I so busy at? I think I am just getting to be so old that I nod off, or sit and daydream too much. Soon they will have to find me a corner with a rocking chair.
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Speaking of blogs, my friend, Singing Bear, from Wales has a question. He gives us much wonderful music on his blog, but is finding that many of the U-Tube videos are just too big to fit. How can he make them smaller? Anyone have an idea? Actually, he asked this a while ago, and may have found a solution, but I'm interested myself. Every once in a while I run into this problem. I see that many bloggers place videos on their posts and they are a very small size. How is that done?
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Enough of this for today.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday again. Tracy may or may not have Mr. Linky up, since she is busy moving house. I'll have to check a little later.

I had hoped to find interesting shadows among the old Victorian houses in Cape May City. The sun wasn't cooperating too well for me that day, but here are a couple down near the Atlantic shore.

This is the Peter Shields Inn, which is a restaurant with an ocean view.



This is the Morning Star Villa. (The Evening Star backs it, on the next street, obviously facing in the opposite direction.)



And this is one of the two building of the Angel of the Sea.


I will have to try again another day with some of the other bed and breakfasts.

Earth Hour

Tonight is the night! Turn off your lights for an hour at 8:30 PM.
.

It's Purple Day

It is Purple Day today. Support Epilepsy Awareness around the world.


And don't forget to check out Michele's beautiful photos of the Rocky Mountains. She is an inspiration.

Thinking Green Thursday

Michelle is hosting Thinking Green Thursday for us once again.

I would like to urge everyone to participate in EARTH HOUR on Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 PM.

This site will tell you all about it, if you haven't heard. It will be celebrated all over the world. You can also learn about so many well known sites who have participated in the past, and will again this year. Even if your town or state does not participate, YOU can do it yourself. Turn out those lights and turn off your TV and computer for just one hour THIS SATURDAY at 8:30 PM to call attention to a real concern.

About Earth Hour

"On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010."

New Camera

My new camera arrived on Tuesday. Didn't expect it that soon. Of course it had to rain on Tuesday.


On Wednesday I had an appointment up the road. It was beautifully sunny, so on the way home I snapped a few experimental pics just to see how it worked under various conditions and distances.




Like - the road to Ocean City.












And this - still pumping after two weeks of trying to get rid of all the water.




And - Spring Is Here!






















Not bad.
















I have a whole lot of reading to do to learn all of the wonderful things it can do.

Attention: New Jersey Residents

Our new governor is out to save money and "rescue" us from what he considers wasteful spending. Hey! I'm all for cutting out wasteful spending myself! But just what does he consider wasteful? We've all seen the commercials on TV protesting cuts to our schools in spite of his plans to cut taxes for the wealthy. Here's another one. If he has his way, many of our libraries will be CLOSING, and all of our libraries will have services cut drastically, including those to the blind and handicapped.

Click on this URL to take action now
http://capwiz.com/ala/nj/utr/2/?a=14842591&i=91602723&c=

Please at least go to this site and read all of the details. Find out just what services are in danger of disappearing, and decide for yourself whether you are willing to see them disappear.

And please spread the word before it's too late.

Human Nature

I have been reading a blog post of someone who strongly opposed the Health Care Bill. He is a very fine man, and unlike the rabble-rousing, blindly conservative people we hear from all too often, he is an intelligent, thinking person who has looked at the problems and has arrived quite sincerely at a different conclusion than the one I have reached. I am truly sad that he is devastated by the passage of the bill, knowing that I would have exactly that reaction had it not passed. His feelings today are that the majority of the American people were NOT heard and that disaster for our country will surely follow. Just what I would have felt if the situation were reversed.

Only time will tell which of us has drawn the right conclusions. Without a crystal ball, no human on earth ever knows exactly what is the right path - for country, for family, or for personal action. Each of us draws on experience, observation, the teachings of those we believe in, and as much plain common sense as we can muster, and forges ahead, praying that we are doing the right thing.

Sadly, along the way, far too many of us choose to demonize "the other guy" who disagrees with us, hurling epithets and widening the gap between "my way" and "your way".

Why is it so difficult for us to agree to disagree? No one - absolutely NO ONE - is right all of the time. Not about political or social issues. Not even about religious issues - because everyone's interpretations differ. Each one of us has to think long and seriously, and once convinced of the right thing to do, make every effort to follow that path.

My personal feelings concerning this Health Care Bill are that it falls far short of what it should be. That there will be many problems and glitches along the way. But that it was way past time to make a start to do something - almost anything - toward bringing us closer to providing for millions of suffering people in our country. We still have such a long way to go.

Purple Day

This Friday, March 26th, is a day dedicated to Epilepsy Awareness.

Purple Day was founded in 2008 by a nine year old girl, Cassidy Megan, from Nova Scotia, Canada. She suffers from epilepsy, as do fifty million people around the world. She decided that she wanted the rest of us to become more aware of the problems involved with epilepsy, and that one way to do that was to ask us to wear the color purple on one day a year.
You can read about her at this site. (T-shirts are available.)

The Bill Passed !

YES WE CAN !

Thank you, God.
It's far from perfect. But it has been passed at long, long last!

We've heard the opposition tell us over and over that "the people" were against it. I am "the people", as are millions of others who are now daring to hope again that our needs just may be met sometime in the near future. I think that the surveys spoken of by the opposition must have been very selective.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Tracy, of Hey Harriet, our weekly host for Shadow Shot Sunday, is in the midst of moving house. But I'm sure she will catch up with us as soon as she can.

I have been away too long. Before I return my borrowed camera, maybe I can sneak in one Sunday. I hope I will have my new camera by next week.

When I wake in the morning, I always enjoy the shadows made by the Venetian blinds.

Earth Hour

Saturday, March 27, 2010 - at 8:30 PM

Earth Hour will be celebrated all over the world to show that we are united in our concern regarding a need for real action on climate change. We will all turn out our lights for one hour at 8:30 PM, local time.

To learn more about this show of unity, and to learn how many major actions were taken last year, please go to this link. Some who participated are as follows:

Empire State Building
Brooklyn Bridge

• Broadway Theater Marquees
• Las Vegas Strip
• United Nations Headquarters
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Seattle’s Space Needle
• Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple
• Gateway Arch in St. Louis
• Great Pyramids of Giza
• Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens
• Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
• St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
• Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London
• Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris
• Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube
• Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
• Sydney’s Opera House

Pretty impressive, isn't it? It is a big concern and we do need action, and quickly. It is difficult to understand why more has not been done.

Please participate.

Delayed Account of My Week

I've been going just a little crazy the past few days because my camera stopped working. I am lost without a camera. Good thing it has been raining so steadily, so I really haven't had too much to take pictures of. But still, I see some of my crocuses are blooming - well, would be blooming if the sun ever came out. They are up. Purple and white. All those I planted last fall are still just sprouting along with the daffodils and tulips.

But there are a few things I would like to photograph in the house. My darling grandson sent me a hug. He lay down and his mom drew an outline around him on paper. Then they cut it out and colored it. His arms are reaching out to hug me. I tacked it to the wall in the hallway, and I would like to take a picture to show him where I put it.
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I started this post last week. But now - the sunshine has returned, I bought a new camera, still to be delivered, and things are looking up. Of course the first thing I will photograph will be the hug that Isaac sent me for my birthday.

The sun shone again for my birthday too. Can't get better than that! Both of my out-of-state daughters called me, and the other two kids came bearing birthday cake . Lisa, my "other daughter" came too. Here are miniature roses that she brought me. So of course it was a great day for me. The crocuses opened wide in the garden as well. And the hawk laid her second egg on my birthday. - But I only see one egg left in the hummer's nest. - There was a real close up picture of the eagles, and as the parents changed places, the three chicks were easily seen. The biggest was craning its neck over the side. So cute!
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I bought another point and shoot - but its a Nikon with a stronger zoom and more megapixels. Always wanted a Nikon. Of course, I envisioned something more fancy, but this will do just fine. I'm past the point where I can go on real photo safaris. I don't have it yet. Staples let me down and didn't send it out when promised. But I'll have it next week. Meantime, I took pictures of my crocuses because Lisa was kind enough to let me use one of her cameras. Figured they wouldn't last forever. But, I should have another crop of them by the time mine arrives anyway.

I'm so grateful for these past few days of glorious weather. They say it will be chilly again next week.
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Today we had another birthday celebration. My son turned fifty! Rita and I enjoyed a visit there, along with their daughter, SOL, and the two babies. Jimmy is a pretty precocious two year old, and Joey is an adorable five and a half months. And of course, their dog, Eli. Here he is with Rita.

Thanks for the loan of the camera, Lisa!
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By the way. I removed the hummingbird nest video from the sidebar for now. After a couple of encounters with a lizard, first one egg then the other disappeared and I believe Phoebe abandoned the nest. Hopefully she will move to a new one.

Feather Stars and Sea Lilies

As you know, one of my favorite sites is that of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
They have given us a link to what I believe is a very interesting video of underwater sights that I had never heard of before.

If you would be interested in seeing the beautiful feather stars and sea lilies, you will find them at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFWeqDcAYGk

Thinking Green Thursday

Thinking Green Thursday is hosted by Michelle, at Rambling Woods. Please join us with your ideas and photos.

Once again, I'm turning to news from Monterey Bay Aquarium's blog, Sea Notes. Not very good news this time. As their headline says, "Once again commerce trumps conservation". The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has rejected a ban on global trade in bluefin tuna. Countries led by Japan claim that they just can't afford to give up this trade. As a probable result, the tuna may well be driven to extinction. It was pointed out, however, that at least the debate and discussion preceding this action has made the public more aware of the situation, so there may be hope for the future.

The second disappointment concerns the polar bear. The United States had requested prohibition of export of bear skins and parts. This too was defeated. Canada is the only country that allows this, and they protested that their economy would be hurt by banning it, and claimed that hunting of these bears was not endangering the species. Actually they are more endangered by global warming than by hunting.

MBA will continue their research of course, as well as their lead in the fight toward conservation.

Photos from the Sea Notes site.