Earth Day and Science March

April 22nd is Earth Day this year. Scientists and science enthusiasts around the planet are planning to march in support of science and the smart people that know its worth and provide it to all of us. Earth Day is a perfect day for this because here in the US, we have a climate of politics that is trying to convince the world that science is not important in order to take funding away from things like climate change research, regulations for our protected lands and animals, and laws that keeps us safe and healthy. This is all in the name of the dollar and nothing else.

If you care at all about your health, the planet and the generations behind you, you need to realize that without science, our planet would be a wasteland and our species would already be extinct. We need science if we have any hope of surviving the changes that are coming to our planet due to our own negligence and greed.

Please go to this site and find a march near you and join in the effort to keep science funded and ultimately keep our planet and ourselves healthy.
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Nine Years Ago on In My Words...Seventh Generation (and I still use this brand faithfully)

Spring Is Here

Officially bringing in Spring around here, by taking down my snowflakes, and changing out the seasonal candle.

Rainy today, which is also very Spring-like for this area. I don't mind the rain because we need it to avoid our usual summer droughts, but does make mowing the lawn with an electric more difficult.

I have a huge list of things that need to be done around here, so there is plenty to keep me busy even if it is wet outside. Lots of them are indoor items so other than the fact that I am waiting for the ice to take affect on my sore knee, I am raring to go!

No time like the present to make changes and do what needs to be done. Feels pretty good to knock things out so that helps to keep me motivated.

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Eleven Years Ago on In My Words...Pre-Spring

Eagle Cam

Harriet feeding E9 on the Eagle Cam right now...so awesome to be able to see this up close!

Happy New Year to all!! We started out with some snow earlier but it has stopped and melted for now. We are expecting to get more though so we will see.

Now both parents are in the nest, must be time for the babysitting watch to change out for a bit. Looks like M15 is taking over for a bit so Harriet can go out and stretch her wings.

I haven't been as diligent as some watching the live feed but I do check in periodically as time allows. Just got lucky today that they were feeding and changing out.

Getting over a small chest cold this holiday season has slowed my activities but not so much that it hasn't still be a good season. The snow this morning on Day One of 2017 was a nice addition. Hoping the year is good for everyone...
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Eleven Years Ago on In My Words....Morning Shots (when I was addicted to Africam)

Winter Bloom

A few months ago when we were going to get our first freeze, I brought some of the plants I had put on the back porch to be repotted indoors so they wouldn't be killed. They have been sitting on our kitchen counter since then because it has just been too cold (or dark, since I sleep days) to deal with them.

This guy is a group of starts I got from my SIL that she had in a class jar at home in some water. I brought them home and put them in a pot, but decided later that I wanted to have them in a different pot.

A few days ago, I noticed that a new shoot was starting to come out from the spider plant and soon after that I noticed this pretty flower. I grabbed the camera because I wasn't sure how long it would last, and I am glad I did because within a day, it was gone again.

I wish my Christmas cactus would bloom...but I am happy with what I have so far.
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Ten Years Ago on In My Words...Getting There

Sledding

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Sun was out, wind was brisk and the roads were clear-ish. We drove up to what we thought was the snow park for sledding (turns out it was a trail head for snowshoeing/cross-country skiing).

We hit a local restaurant for breakfast and then headed up with our borrowed sleds. My cousin was visiting from SoCal and wanted to get her feet in the snow and we were all ready to do it. The drive up was decent...only hit a couple of shaded areas that had ice, but my aunt's 4WD Explorer had no problems.

We found a nice smallish hill that none of us would die on and got down to it. I went down first with my aunt and she was laughing so hard the entire time that she thought she was going to pee her pants which would have made the rest of the day tough on both of us. Thankfully she was able to hold it in.

We had three different sleds with us and we each got a few decent runs in. The ride was a bit bumpy so soon enough, butts were starting to hurt a bit and we decided to call it a day. We all had a great time and felt great about getting some fresh air and exercise.

What a great day!! I took this shot of Mt Pitt from our starting point of the run, you can see how awesome the day was!
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...You

Second Sprinkling

I was on my way home from work but decided I just couldn't pass up the photo opportunity. The sky was so cool looking and everything was covered in white.

I thought this drive way looked really cool. I had stopped here because there is a pond nearby and a good view of the surrounding hills.

I also found a gaggle of geese...which is amazingly actually called a gaggle...who knew. They were walking through the snow...probably wishing they could find some water that wasn't frozen over.

I told myself that next time it snows substantially, I am going to go downtown and see about getting some pics in the park as well.

The weather this year so far has been very normal winter which is nice because that means the ski mountain is open and our snow pack is at a level that might mean we don't have a horribly dry summer.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Snow Updated

First Snow 2015

Came out of work the other morning with an inch of slush on the ground. Drive to Gma's for breakfast wasn't too bad even though the depth of the snow had moved up to 4 inches.

Hung out for a bit with some breakfast and knocked snow out of the bushes until my hands were cold.

Needed to get home to get some sleep for my next work shift so decided to hit the road. No problems until I got closer to home where there were lots of people pulled over on the freeway putting on chains. I was behind the plow so the road was clear for me until I left the freeway.

Road was clear until I hit our neighborhood. There was 6-8 inches of snow on the ground and the weight in the back of the truck was just not enough to manage to make it up the street (slight incline). I ended up sliding to a stop down the block in front of a neighbors house. They were outside so I told them I was going to walk home and get into snow gear and come back and put chains on our tires. I had my muckalucks in the truck so I didn't get soaked on the walk.

At home, I put on snow gear, grabbed the snow shovel and a tarp and headed back down. The neighbors were super nice and helped me to put the chains on. I was able to drive up the street and into our driveway. I grabbed a broom and walked about the house knocking heavy wet snow out of the trees and bushes so we wouldn't lose too many (I found three big ones). After an hour, I decided it was time to get to bed.

That night, I left the the chains on until I got back to the freeway, which was probably a good idea since our roads were still not cleared. No more snow, but we have been kind of cold so it is sticking around for a while.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Snow

First Fire

Tonight is the first night in a while where I have not had too much of an agenda, so I thought this would be a good night to put a log on the fire.

I wasn't able to burn any fires last fall/winter because of all the unpacking that needed to be done and the fact that the fireplace was hidden behind a pile of boxes.

Our fireplace doesn't put out a lot of heat, but the ambiance is definitely there. With a few fall smelly candles burning and a big cup of hot tea, it was perfect and definitely worth the wait.

Fall is here, in fact you might even say that winter is here, so I hope to get more logs burnt over the next few months, but none of them will feel as good as the first one does.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...POTD Day 20 I'm Listening To

RA Peak

Met a friend from work for a hike this morning. We had plans to get to the top, but traffic and time constraints limited that. I had never been there before so I felt like just knowing where to start from was an accomplishment.

The view is amazing and I can totally see why more houses are being built up this way. It was a bit scary driving up because it was straight into the sun and there were spots in the road where I couldn't see in front of me and I thought I might hit something. It would probably help if I cleaned the windshield a little better...lol.

Anyhow, now that I know where the trail head is, I plan to get over there after work for a workout more often before it gets too cold or dark in the mornings. Can't wait to take pics from the top!
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Earlier this year on In My Words...First Time Up

Pretty Sunsets

I do have to say one thing for the smoke in the air....it makes for some gorgeous sunsets. This first one was two nights ago with the air relatively clear (nice break from the last week). My cousin and I were out walking around our grandma's neighborhood trying to work off some of the huge dinner we had. I love how the rays are coming out of it.

This second one is from last night. I had visited my grandma's again and was driving home right at sunset. I could see the amazing sun in my mirrors as I tried to get home before it completely set. I had to drive up a different road from where we live to catch this one because our road is behind a hill and the sun was already gone there. I just didn't want to miss this beauty.

Last Year on In My Words....POTD Day 9 Natural

Smoke Is Here

I got off work the other afternoon in a town about 10 miles from our town. It was kind of hazy outside but not too bad. We have a forest fire burning north of us and the wind had shifted, hence the haze.

I ran some errands, and when I was coming out of the grocery store, I noticed that I couldn't even see the other side of the parking lot. The smoke had completely dropped into our little valley.

I drove home (having to put on my headlights as our truck is grey/silver and blends right into the smoke), and when I was about a mile from town, I drove out of the wall of smoke to a much clearer scene. It was a little scary to see the wall of smoke behind me and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before it got all the way here.

Below is a picture I took after getting home, looking down our street towards the hills to the east of us. You can see that it is kind of hazy and we could definitely smell the smoke in the air.

The picture below, is the next morning when the smoke had moved in. As you can see, you can barely make out the hills in the background. And this isn't even as bad as it was when I came out of the grocery store. Needless to say, I put a N95 mask in the truck in case I need it in the next week. The weather is expected to stay pretty much as is so we are forecast-ed to have the smoke for a while.

They had to cancel one of the plays the other night because the outdoor theatre is obviously exposed to the smoke. Thankfully, I don't seem to have any breathing issues so the smoke doesn't bother me much but I do feel for those that it greatly impacts.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Red Skies At Night

Upper Table Rock Hike

These two mesas have always loomed in the distance. They are very distinct fixtures against our landscape to the northeast of my home town.

They are covered in poison oak and are rumored to have lots of rattle snakes on them as well...which is part of why I had never attempted to hike either of them.

Recently, I had seen some great pictures that my uncle took a few years ago during a hike in the spring and I got the urge to see the views for myself.

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers mentioned that she was going to climb the Upper one (which means it is up river from the other), and I decided to jump on the chance.

This morning we made the trek. And even with my terrible fitness status, I did make it to the top (just had to take a couple of breaks along the way). The view was just as awesome as I imagined. The top itself was covered in green, wild flowers, and baby poison oak...LOL. It was quite beautiful. I am hoping to get to the top of the Lower Table Rock (seen in the distance of this image) before the poison oak gets too big as I am highly allergic to it.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...New Hike

Work Tulips

The beds out front at work always have some cool plants in them...I am not sure if the tulips are left in year around, and some of the other seasonal stuff is just brought in and taken out when it dies, but the tulips are in full bloom now and I was determined to remember to get a shot of them before they disappeared.

I walk past them each day on my way for my break walk and of course, I am in a hurry then and rarely have my camera and then by the time I go back in, I have forgotten about them...but not today. I finished my walk a little early, went straight to my desk and grabbed my camera to get a shot in the morning sun.

Tulips are such a happy flower and always feel like a true sign that spring is on its way.
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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Ikebana Lesson #1

Loving Spring Flowers

This is evergreen clemantis and is one of my favorites because it stays green all winter and also because of the big fragrant blooms in the spring.

We have a bit of this in our back yard but there is a ton of it growing on the fence at work near our parking lot and it smells so good....wish it kept blooms longer than just spring though.

Spring has definitely sprung here, even if the temps can't make up their mind what they want to do for sure.

We still have a lot to do in the yard...never ends, but it is nice to see the life coming back with the new season.
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Last Year on In My Words...POTD Day 13 Fresh

Spring Has Sprung

This is the pretty Phlox in our front yard...it is super cute and fuzzy. The other big one we have isn't doing as well because it was entwined with some weeds during the winter and getting them out was kind of a pain in the ass. It has been done now though, so hopefully it will bounce back okay.

A lot of flowers are starting to make their appearance in the yard which just reminds me how much I need to get done before the good weather gets here...

It seems the tasks are never ending!!
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Pop Spring Visit

Goodbye Tree

So I said I would get a pic of the downed tree across the way...in this shot, the renter was cleaning it up. He ended up cutting the entire trunk down to the ground...bummer for that shade.

A few days later, the property management company came and picked up the scraps. He stacked the biggest pieces he kept for fire wood but the branchy parts all went to the yard wasted people.

I'll be curious if the tree doesn't grow back since those plum trees are pretty hard to keep down once they get established.

Speaking of plum trees, we have 8000 little baby ones coming up in the grass in the front lawn from the seeds of last years plums. I will have to get out there with a tool and pop them all back up. I can't believe how easy these freaking trees grow!!
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Poor Plum Tree

Wind and Power

Radar

We are experiencing a windy rain storm. The wind really started blowing last night, and we even lost power for a couple of hours last night, but I wasn't worried about getting up for work because my cell phone is my alarm clock and it was fully charged before I went to bed.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, the fan we have blowing in our room was back on, so I knew that the power was back on.

When I left for work this morning, I noticed that the house across the street lost their purple plum tree to the wind. It is broken in half and laying in their yard. They are renters so I am sure they have to wait for the rental company to figure something out. It will suck next summer because that tree really gave them some great shade from the afternoon sun. I'll try to get a picture of it later and post it on here.

When I got home from work, I noticed that we must have lost power at least one more time while I was gone because the computer was back off and so was the cable box. I unplugged the laptop and Chromebook last night since I didn't have surge protectors for them. The big PC is on a great surge protector so I am not worried about it.

Our recycle bin and yard waste bins were on their sides in the middle of our driveway this morning and the rain was coming down in buckets.

I'll have to get out and check the pool tomorrow to make sure that the water isn't too high and that the timers on the pump and light aren't messed up from the power outage...hopefully the rain will drop off some so I can get some yard work...
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Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Super Typhoon Krosa

Smile 100/100 Thunder And Lightening

This is my lucky shot from a storm we had. I was standing on our front balcony and the storm was so perfectly located that I could stand there forever just taking pictures hoping to get the lightening in one.

When I took this one, it looked like just a flash on the camera but then when I transferred it to the computer, that is when the details were shown.

I love that this is my last picture for this project too because I have always been a huge storm fan! In another life, I am sure I was a storm chaser...LOL

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited in GIMP 2.6 for color and light and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years on In My Words...Technical Difficulties

Smile 97/100 Pool

Nice sight on a hot day...still have a lot of work to do up here around the deck but one day at a time, is the only way to tackle it, otherwise it becomes overwhelming.

I think this shot is actually from last summer because I have cut the plants along the fence way back so they are not dropping fruit and leaves into the pool.

I took this picture with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color and light balance and then added the fuzzy border to it.
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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Productive Day

Smile 87/100 More Rain

This was the view on my way home from work. This is looking south towards the mountains that border our town.

We did get some rain from it, but I think some areas south of us also got some fires from the lightening.

I just love the look of the sky when it is so black and the sun is shining behind...the contrast is just awesome.

I took this picture from our truck with my Fuji Finepix f50 with no flash. I edited it in GIMP 2.6 for color and light balance and then added the fuzzy border.
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Eight Years Ago on In My Words...Storms