The Laughing Elf's Karmic Weatherglass

A new experiment

2011-11-23T20:06:00.000-06:00

Always looking out for new methods of communication can bear fruit upon occassion. This time I've entered into the publishing industry, but not the kind of publishing you may think. The paper I'm publishing is an internet auto aggregation from twitter. The subject? Weather, what else. The link to my paper is here: http://paper.li/n1yz/1321760746

It will be fun to see where this takes me next. Enjoy!

WIndy August Day on Grand Traverse Bay, MI

2011-09-25T20:09:00.000-06:00

It was just a beautiful day with the wind howling from the West. We stood on the shore near Elk Rapids and watched white caps blow across the bay and clouds race by.

How Hot Was This Summer?

2011-09-06T08:47:00.000-06:00

Weather historian Christopher C. Burt presents a fascinating article on the summer heat records that were broken during the HOT summer of 2011.

For the complete article with a Map and lists go here:
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/article.html?entrynum=40

"I have shaded the region that has just recorded its warmest summer on record. This represents about 15% of the contiguous United States (45 of my 303 stations)." (from Christopher's article).

Yellow light over the Black Mountains of North Carolina

2011-07-23T08:57:00.000-06:00

I still remember that evening, driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway trying to chase the sunset. The sun disappeared before we could get to a vantage point to view and photograph so we hung around for a while until this gorgeous light was revealed.

What is that in the sky

2011-06-18T10:13:00.001-06:00

This evocative cloud formation appeared two hours before the severe weather moved in. I'll look for this next time :)

The Trees Lost

2011-06-11T20:38:00.002-06:00

During the historic tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011 many tens of thousands of trees were bowed and broken. This is just one of the many.

Belief

2011-05-31T05:28:00.002-06:00

Belief is not enough to shelter you from ignorance and stupidity, nor shall concupiscence save you from the disingenuous. History is littered with campaigns that crashed and burned upon the truth-that-is-so.

So what is a Mother to do?

Don't preach that "gospill", or pass it along with a cup of water, teach people how to learn, teach people how to research, teach people logic, teach people how they can discern, teach teach teach teach....don't preach.

Another Climate Change Convert

2011-05-30T17:18:00.000-06:00

He says it better than I could.... http://www.coffeepartyusa.com/climate-change-convert

The real reason I sat down to write tonight....

2011-01-09T18:16:00.002-06:00

Today we celebrated the 16 year ministry of our priest, Margaret Taylor as it was her last time with us prior to retirement. It was a service and a feast and fellowship never to forget. It is easy to live a life and become slightly abraded, even jaded so that profound spiritual experience is an historic memory, distant in the past. Today I was reminded that if you are open to the Spirit, then profound spiritual experience can be experienced in fellowship, in a warm, open, loving, family.

On FaceBook I quipped "An ebullient celebration today...glad the kleenex was handy..." . It was emotional and it was warm, and it was fun, so we laughed and cried. A complete game.

Our parish now looks to the future for new leadership, for the first time. It will be an interesting journey...

The first photo with that camera

2011-01-09T18:12:00.002-06:00

I was more than pleasantly surprised by this photo. My first film photo taken in 10 years, taken with that amazing 40mm lens on the Bronica. This file, after being scanned, was only 2.14 mb, which is astonishingly small compared to similiar shots taken with my Nikon D-90.

A new adventure

2010-12-29T16:56:00.005-06:00

When you purchase a used item from Ebay, there is a period of time when you wonder if you'll receive what you paid for. In the case of a film camera there are two levels of testing. The first is to try out all of the features while shooting film. The second is when you get your film back.

This is an odd situation now, though it was the default experience for almost all photographers before the year 2000. You shoot, then get your film developed, to find out if you have anything at all.

I've been spoiled by digital photograhy. The instant I take a digital shot, a quick peek at the screen tells me volumes (out of focus, bad composition, huge ISO problem, white balance is screwed). Now, I take a shot, and wind the crank having nothing but faith that anything is happening at all. Of course, the first roll of film is the worst. I have not yet received anything that convinces me that I've captured an image!

The first roll will be completed tomorrow and will be turned in to the camera shop that actually develops 220 film. I'll be holding my breath....hoping I don't turn blue.

Watching Too Much FOX "News" can make you Dumb and Dumber

2010-12-18T13:20:00.002-06:00

It is always good to find substantial evidence to support an observation, even an unscientific observation. It has been quite obvious to me that people who gathered most of their news information from Fox "News" were in the dark about lots of facts. I strongly suspected for years, and then firmly believed after observations over time that Fox is a propaganda network.

This article, with it's many research sources, just makes it pretty clear. If you watch Fox all of the time, then you'll just be dumb and get dumber.

http://climateprogress.org/2010/12/17/fox-news-misinformation-policy-issues-climate-science/

As the comments posted below the article point out, there are many sublties that are important to consider as well. The notion that people who are obsessive about news in general, might enter into the calculations.

Ah, for the "good old days" when you only had to learn your ABC, CBS, NBCs. :)

One Minute Global Warming Speech -Refined

2010-12-12T11:05:00.002-06:00

In a blog post here on January 6, 2010, I formulated a one minute global warming speech. After some thought and inspiration from the thoughts of others, the speech has been refined a bit. The purpose of both talks is to shatter certain assumptions and illusions caused by inexpert use of our native language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The new speech titled "Global Climate Change Re-perspective"

1) GLOBAL - Your backyard, your state, and even your country are tiny fractions of the entire Globe's surface. The lower 48 states comprise about 1.5% of the entire global surface. This tiny amount is not in any way representative of the entire globe.

2) CLIMATE - Climate is not Weather and Weather is not Climate. What you see in your front yard today is Weather. When snow floats down from the sky you are seeing Weather. When the rain wets your upturned face that is Weather. That freezing wind from the North is Weather. Climate is a 30 year average on conditions. You cannot see Climate. You cannot taste Climate. Climate cannot chill or warm your bones today.

3) CHANGE - Change is not necessarily random. We search for patterns in change to determine whether or not one exists. Searching for patterns is a meticulous detective story requiring serious intellectual effort and time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entire purpose of the short speech is to provide a basis for a more intelligent discussion of global climate change. Once the definitions of the terms are clearly set, then a more fruitful conversation can ensue.

Happy conversations!

The old speech is here: http://blognimrod.blogspot.com/2010/01/cold-global-warming.html

While my page is by no means the best one out there it is a small effort to bring together references to the science in one location.
http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm

Election Day - Just another swing of a Pendulum

2010-11-02T06:30:00.003-06:00

The harvest of efforts gone toward victory are difficult to repeat. When you've inspired someone to drop all pretense of not caring, and actually vote for the first time, how to you get them to vote the next time.

Politics will always disappoint, yet can sometimes inspire. It is a mid term election again, and the pendulum is swinging back, like it usually does. Pundits desperate to get their pay check insist that its the sign of the Second Coming. The historically ignorant, are not sure. You, who do your homework, or have lived long enough with a conscious attention to detail (or both), know better.

A Miracle Is

2010-10-14T19:21:00.002-06:00

"A leap out of one’s seemingly determined fate (an act of charity) can come from any number of experiences as the novel, An Estate of Memory, labored to prove, and this message is offered to the twentieth century as something to be treasured. More than ever, now: to believe there is something that is not simply a norm.

In a sense, when this epiphany takes place, it is a miracle. A miracle is an event that changes the meaning of things. It is like a thought that floats free of the surrounding systems and conventions, and enters, uninvited, a sentence, a stanza, a conversation, a lab result, and sends it on another path. A miracle can be the appearance of another person rising out of an emptiness that we are beginning to accept as permanent.

As Paul Celan wrote, it is

A RUMBLING: it is
Truth itself
walked among
men,
amidst the
metaphor squall."

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/article.html?id=240252

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo

2010-10-14T07:11:00.001-06:00

I came across this poem while perusing the books in the Religion section of the Samford University Bookstore...

http://www.panhala.net/Archive/Eagle_Poem.html

enjoy!

The new "Cold War" censorship

2010-09-18T18:33:00.005-06:00

During the Cold War, people in Europe who lived behind the Iron Curtain had very limited access to news. The State controlled the media, controlled the content of the media, controlled the minds of the people. This was successful to a great extent as long as the News from the West was removed from access. Broadcasts from Western nations, including the US's Voice of America (the BBC, RFI, Radio Canada, Deutch Welle) tried to present the news from another perspective. Their broadcasts were jammed by the nations behind the Iron Curtain. Those oppressed behind the Iron Curtain hungered for News from different perspectives. Many radio signals made it past the jamming. The news of the rest of the world provided a clearer picture of what was happening.

When the Iron Curtain fell, those people were able to freely partake of the (unjammed) radio news from the rest of the world. They had been liberated from their prison!

Today, there are people who live freely in the West who have self imposed a censorship upon their media access. With access to the broadest scope of media in world history, they claim that only one source of news is correct, one source of news is true, and only one source of news is needed to discover how the world is.

It seems incredible that anyone could make such a mistake. In the past it was widely known that knowledge is gained by multiple perspectives. In the past it was widely known that being limited to one media outlet was tantamount to being in a dictatorship of the mind. In the past it was widely known that it was worth while to risk your freedom to hear other(even contrary) perspectives. That was defined as FREEDOM. In fact, there are hundreds of millions of people who believe that multiplicity in access to the media is the key to understanding and constructing a truthful knowledge of the world.

Today there are thousands (maybe more), who believe that FOX news is the only news worth watching. They believe that they are tapped into the only source of news worth watching. These people have (sadly) imposed censorship upon their view of the world. These people have put them selves behind a new Iron Curtain, and stripped themselves of Freedom.

What a sad sad tale...to see people I know who have placed themselves in bondage in this fashion is just almost unbelievable.

Cold Global Warming

2010-01-06T20:46:00.002-06:00

I too joke with others about global warming, especially on record breaking cold days such as we have now. It's a clever play on language to explore oxymorons like "cold global warming".

But seriously folks, after enjoying the release of laughter...don't forget that global warming is as close to a fact as you can get.

Here is my one minute speech on Global Warming

1) Climate is not Weather and Weather is not Climate. What you see in your front yard today is Weather. When snow floats down from the sky you are seeing Weather. When the rain wets your upturned face that is Weather. That freezing wind from the North is Weather.

Climate is a 30 year average on conditions. You cannot see Climate. You cannot taste Climate. Climate cannot chill or warm your bones today.

2) Global Warming is not happening in your acre! Your acre is an infinitesimal spot on the immensity of the Earth. What you see in your neighboorhood is not what is happening on the Earth. Global warming is an average of the entire Globe, not your one acre lot. To think that the weather you see in your acre is representative of the Earth can be represented by this thought experiment.

The Earth's entire surface is equal to 126 billion acres. If you took 126 billion dollar bills and laid them end to end at the equator, the line of greenbacks would circle the earth 488 times. One of those 126 billion dollars has a specific serial number. The chance that the weather in your acre is representative of Global weather is the same as you picking the correct dollar bill out of that line of 126 billion bucks on the first choice.

You cannot decide whether Global Warming is true or false based on what you see out your front door.

Stay warm!

Keeping up with the temperature

2009-12-13T20:17:00.001-06:00

Hard to Keep Up

2009-08-10T19:28:00.002-06:00

The cool fountain in Linn Park, downtown Birmingham, AL. It was very refreshing on a hot summer day.

How do you measure the News ?

2009-05-11T17:25:00.003-06:00

Many, many years ago I sat with a stopwatch in hand and timed the total amount of advertising that occured during "The Evening News". This is the 1/2 hour period of time that the original 3 networks devoted to all the news that could be fit into an half hour. Way back then, advertisers claimed about 7 minutes of the 30 minutes of news, leaving us with 23 minutes of real news stories.

A few years back it became apparent that the advertisers were gaining on the news and so I pulled out my digital watch with a timer and clocked 10 minutes of advertising. So, 1/3 of the entire news program was advertising. I vowed that when the ratio became 50/50 that I'd never tune in again.

I understand the economics of advertising and why networks need the income...but I challenge the relevance and scope of a 30 minute news program that is bookended by 10 minutes of advertising.

Two weeks ago it had become painfully apparent that the advertisers had claimed more time so I pulled out my I-Pod and used the timer to clock 13 minutes and 30 seconds of advertising. That leaves 16 minutes and 30 seconds of news in a 1/2 news program. This is absurd!

It is quite obvious to me that more and more of us will refuse to tune in to a "talking head" to hear the news when you can just look at Google News and find more news that you could read in 1/2 hour.

Good bye to the nightly news. Sure, I'll still catch a few minutes here and there, but I can state categorically that their preminence has been long gone, and now their relevance is about to go the same way as the dodo.

Gee

A creative approach to Church Communications

2009-04-15T19:58:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure how long this link will remain available but this creative and thought provoking approach to defining The Episcopal Church is sure to open some eyes.

http://www.iamepiscopalian.org/

The gun is still smoking, the smoke is still visible

2009-03-20T20:45:00.002-06:00

Well well well....now I know "the rest of the story".

This hour long program details the "secret history" behind the careers of the scientists who have driven a significant part of the "anti global warming" (AGW) movement. Follow their careers with Dr. Oreskes, scientist and historian as she shows how some of the movers and shakers got their start supporting "Star Wars" and then supporting R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company during the tobacco law suits of the last two decades of the 20th Century. Here you are introduced to scientists who will say anything for a pay check, even tell you that second hand smoke is totally safe. These are the same scientists who have lead the AGW movement and lent it their "credibility".

I never jumped to any conclusions during my year and a half research into the entre climate change controversy. The evidence, the science, the overwhelming weight of the truth lead me to my conclusions. The controversy is over (it has been over for over 15 years), the AGW people need to leave the building, while they can still hold on to their heads.

If you want the history and the truth check out the video:
http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.asp?showID=13459

And of course, to read more about it see my website, even though it is not particularly attractive, it is full of information: http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm

We are changing the weather

2009-02-17T21:29:00.002-06:00

This was a surprise article and graphic. I was stunned to see the results of the National Lightning Detection Network analysis of lightning over the last 11 summers. It is obvious that lightning ( and thunderstorms ) are occurring primarily during the work week in the Southeastern United States. The predominant theory at this point in time is that the extra pollutants released during the work week creates enhanced conditions for thunderstorm development.

The graphic and article are located at http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/viewImage.php?id=254
The graphic alone is located here: http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/iotw/20090212144628.jpg

Pretty amazing huh? We do affect our environment!

Climate Part Two

2008-12-01T20:17:00.002-06:00

The disingenousness of a local media celebrity, one of the "talent" at a local media outlet on the subject of Global Warming has been one of about 10 factors driving my research into this complex subject.

An earlier post on this blog ( Sunday, June 29, 2008) alluded to some of the issues involved, so they'll not be repeated here. However, I'll post a resource for those who want to understand how much science is behind the theory of Global Warming.

Checkout the links here http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm
to "read more about it".

Enjoy!

2008-11-23T15:52:00.002-06:00

There are reflections around us, constantly shifting as we move, changing color, angle, tint, hue. Sometimes they can be captured...as this one was at a small country church.

Evening of Alabama Designer-Craftsmen Guild Art Show

2008-11-13T19:25:00.000-06:00

The saturday evening of the ADC Guild annual art show at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is traditionally meal time for the artists. After wonderful fellowship around the table and super food I went for a walk. The sun was setting and I took some shots. This one was taken looking southwest on the upper walkway that leaves the Botanical Gardens building on the second floor and takes you to the Gardens themselves.

It was an enjoyable evening all around.

My wife's ( the artist ) blog:

http://debsthreads.blogspot.com/

The artistic technique of felting - 4 Pieces by my wife Debbie

2008-10-05T20:26:00.000-06:00

Poster Child ?

2008-09-19T21:39:00.000-06:00

Not me! But, when I mentioned that I owned and rode a bicycle in a meeting where volunteers were being solicited for a corporate wide health kick, the inevitable happened.

See picture :)

A potential tropical storm right off shore from Mobile

2008-08-02T15:13:00.000-06:00

We'd better watch #1 - it's pretty close to home :)

CZC MIATWOAT ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM 
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACCOMPANIED BY CLOUDINESS AND
SHOWERS HAS MOVED INTO THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. LITTLE
MOTION IS ANTICIPATED TODAY OR SUNDAY...AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT
DAY OR TWO.  IF NECESSARY...A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WILL INVESTIGATE
THE AREA ON SUNDAY.

Its 107 degrees out side ( heat index )

2008-08-02T14:43:00.000-06:00

When you step outside, you feel insulted: baked, broiled, fried, really well done. Yikes, it does not feel very comfortable. Blazing heat combined with suffocating humidity created heat index values that have been over 100 degrees for the last four hours.

A visitor to our tomato patch

2008-07-21T17:58:00.000-06:00

This squirrel is standing on the deck railing looking around. He is standing by the tallest part of our tiny tomato patch. Fortunately he has no interest in the tomatos.

In this 100 degree heat all manner of critters have been seen on our deck checking out the water bowls, bird seed, and the like.

The climate is getting in my way

2008-06-29T12:15:00.000-06:00

About 7 months ago a relative asked me what I believed about climate change and the assertion that the global climate was warming. This relative also asked me if I had come to terms with the possibility that anthropogenic processes were contributing to any climate change taking place.

Ok, let us back up a bit and define the term 'anthropogenic'; the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines it as "of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature" .

Now let us break up my relatives' query into some definitive questions that would need to be answered, and suggest an order in which they may be tackled.

one, is the global climate undergoing change?
two, is the global climate warming, cooling, or remaining statistically average?
three, is mankind contributing to climate change in any way?
four, if mankind is contributing to climate change in any way, is there a way to reduce, nullify, or reverse any anthropogenic changes?

Well, these four "small questions" have the potential to develop into an enormous research project. How does one even consider tackling issues like this? Where do you start? What pitfalls lie ahead? What standards do you apply to interpreting research? What part does philosophy play in this quest? Is anyone attempting to mislead me? What sources are trustworthy? Where will I encounter people with hidden agendas?

In face of the enormity of the questions and the potential for encountering intellectual quicksand at many turns, I answered my relative's question thusly: while I've kept in touch with some of these issues in a superficial manner for over two decades, to really deal with the competing viewpoints and information available I'm going to dedicate the next two years to finding out what I can to make an intelligent response to your question.

Yikes! What was I thinking of when I responded? Who on earth can add a two year long research project to their lives? Like many of you I work 40+ hours a week, have family commitments and do volunteer work. When will this research fit in to my life?

Well, the answer is: in bursts! Yet, during the last 7 months I've read several hundred pages of research papers put out by climatologists, physicists, chemists, and meteorologists. During this time frame it has been fruitful to delve into dozens of web sites, scores of blogs, and even engage in email discussions. I've "travelled the world" in this research reading articles from Canada, England, Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and another half dozen other countries.

I've also been surprised at some of the things discovered along the way: namely,

some people with evidence of an education display an appalling lack of intellectual honesty,
a lot of evidence of disingenuous arguementation,
noted ignorance of the simple logical fallacies in their presentation of arguements,
a willingness to ignore (and conceal) presuppositional paradigms in theory development.

Now, this above post does suggest a couple of things about me and my perspective that I've not revealed. Firstly, I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in Philosphy & Religion. My philosophical education trained me in deconstructing logical arguementation and illuminating logical fallacies. Secondly, I've been passionately engaged in the study of meteorology and weather for over 35 years. Finally, my passionate commitment to the "truth", drives all of my intellectual interests. My intellectual roadmap does not illustrate all of the waypoints on that map. I'm going to travel to where the search for truth leads.

Ok, this is all for now..... there will be more forthcoming.

Blessings,

Rod

Fast Trip to North Carolina

2008-03-24T19:29:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken from the cabin where we stayed. What an incredible view. Had to scrape, melt, off the snow flakes and ice from the windshield this morning.

New Year - Old Back

2007-12-06T19:20:00.000-06:00

Well, it is not yet the new year, but the old back has made it's presence known. Yesterday, my neurosurgeon called me at work to state that I had a ruptured disk (again). Ah, the joys of a lost L5/S1 . Well, "back" to the drawing board! Once again, patience and zenlike movements will be called for to assist in the recovery.

that is all from "back here", what is going on where you live???

A Tail of Two Weathers

2007-10-07T20:34:00.000-06:00

Well, the official map from last week tells in part, a dreary tale, a tail of two weathers.

One tail, is the tail we normally grab in October, a tail of a kite. October is the driest month of the year and sometimes a windy month. It makes for great fun outdoors. In October the cool breezes of fall commence and summer is a distant memory. Except now.

The second tail, is the tail of the drought. We've grabbed it by the tail and it is slinging us against a brick wall. We are 18 inches shy of the average rain fall for this year. We've only received 23 inches. Weeds are dying, trees are dying, birds are dying, the grass is, in many places, long since dead. What a year! You know it has been a year of crazy weather when August posts the largest monthly rainfall in the previous 12 months.

This drought has weighed heavily upon the psyche. People are experiencing mental abberations that have their genesis in the lack of rain. The sight of a dark cloud has been known to send thousands to the windows of homes, apartments, office towers, glass pressed with faces all hoping for a sight of falling rain.

On top of the drought has been temperatures hotter than hell. August, the hottest month in my life, continued though September and October unabated. The forecast high for Tuesday October 9th, is the same temperature you'd expect for July 9th, 92 degrees. Is it Global Warming? Who knows? But it certainly is LOCAL WARMING! Local warming all over the place.

Stay cool, do a rain dance, keep praying.

Railroad Earth In Concert in Birmingham

2007-09-16T20:05:00.001-06:00

Mark Twain Says it Again - Almost 100 years ago

2007-09-15T10:21:00.000-06:00

"And now the whole nation--pulpit and all--will take up the war-cry, and shout itself hoarse, and mob any honest man who ventures to open his mouth; and presently such mouths will cease to open. Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception."

- Mark Twain "The Mysterious Stranger" (1910)

Thanks to Tim Carbone, of Railroad Earth & Kings in Disguise for publishing part of this quote

Railroad Earth: Birmingham

2007-09-09T14:57:00.001-06:00

Birmingham Railroad through the center of town, between Powell and Morris avenues. Daylight shot, indigo shot, and white out shot.

Celebrating the arrival of RAILROAD EARTH this coming week in Birmingham Alabama: http://www.railroadearth.com/high_band/home/

On the way to Charlie's Bunion: 30 years of time travel

2007-08-26T20:35:00.001-06:00

It was a chilly day for sure, the picture of my better half hiking companion, Debbie, reveals how cold she was. We had hiked over from Newfound Gap and were enjoying the day when we stopped to take photos of each other. I appear asleep here....who knows maybe sleep walking :) There are few photos that show the Baxter State parka, made by LL Bean, that was purchased in Freeport, ME, during the summer trips of 1976. It was the first of several parkas worn (out) over the last 32 years. The boots were Vasque, and they did not last too many years longer. But man, they saw some trails and peaks !

Debbie showed the love of fibers that continues to this day by her preference for a beautiful multi colored yarn sweater.

Our gear was rather basic....but the hiking sticks were superb! Hand carved from fallen trees, or perhaps, I fell the trees and then carved them. Ah, it is so hard to get those kind of facts straight these days.

And the view, the trail, the rocks, the moss, the shafts of sunlight penetrating the leaves and needles and stirring fantastic shapes on the trail. It was a GREAT Day to be together and be Alive !

Arwen Congratulates Debbie On Her Passing The Jury

2007-08-21T18:37:00.001-06:00

Debbie passed the jury to be come a juried member of the ADC. Arwen shows her approval by becoming closely attached to a piece of felting that Debbie had done earlier :)

See The Sea anemone

2007-08-13T20:46:00.000-06:00

Tonight Debbie became a juried member of the Alabama Designer Craftsman (ADC)! This is a great accomplishment and reflects a huge commitment to her art. Her art that was used for the judging was "felting". The creation and artistic work in taking wool and turning it into felt. The piece photographed here, "Sea Anemone" will be used in the special preview show leading up to the annual show held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Congratulations Debbie !!

With old friends you just pick up where you left off

2007-08-12T17:36:00.000-06:00

David and his daugher Tess were at a meeting in Alabama back in March of this year. We connected at the Cracker Barrel in Gardendale while they were on their way back to Ledbetter, KY. It was great to see them again!

It is rather amazing, but proven many times in my experience: with old friends you just pick up the conversation you left off with the last time you met. This we were able to do without any effort.

Love and Peace,

Rod

2007-08-12T17:27:00.000-06:00

This picture is worth a thousand words. It is a chart showing the high and low temperatures at my weather station for the past month. Without expanding the picture one story is obvious, it is getting warmer as you move from left to right. What is personally interesting is what you see in the last six day's data: the high is over 100 degrees for six days in a row. In 35+ years of being an amateur meteorologist, I've never experienced six days in a row where the high temperature exceeded 100 degrees.

Wow, that is HOT !

Photographic Proof of What Happened

2007-07-01T15:32:00.000-06:00

During June 1974 I flew down to Miami, FL to visit my girlfriend, Debbie, who was to later become my wife. This photo was taken the day we visited Vizcaya http://www.vizcayamuseum.com/ . Well, standing on the stone dock I lost my balance and here you see the photographic evidence of what happened.

A Red, Red Rose

2007-06-29T22:21:00.000-06:00

A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns

O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a'the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.

And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

Recumbent At Last

2007-06-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

Well, it took about 5 years to get here, but now I'm riding in comfort. 12-13 years of back issues prevented me from getting upon an upright bike, but my physical therapist said that a recumbent bike would work.

I've only ridden about 25 miles in the last 3 weeks but they have been a lot of fun.

Perhaps I'll see you on the road. Be sure and wave!

Hijinks at Thanksgiving!

2006-12-05T13:35:00.000-06:00

My nephew up to some hijinks at the Thanksgiving day gathering of the Scott clan :)

Working Backwards in Time

2006-12-04T06:56:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the time confusion- we need Dr. Who to straighten us out. The picture here is from the last trip to the North Carolina mountains, way back in October. For the first time we travelled during peak leaf peeping season (say that 10 times really fast). Here is a small sample of the coloration we saw. Those of you who are more awake than I am now, will note there are no mountains in this photo. True! However, had the photographer turned the camera 180 then a picture of the "front range" of the North Carolina mountains would have covered the horizon. This photo was taken on I-40 just after driving out of the mountains.

The other photo is of the Biltmore Mansion, in Asheville, NC. The statistics on this "home" are too stunning to recall. I just remember that it contained more bathrooms than a certain 16 story office building in downtown Birmingham.

The third photo is one taken of the view from Granfather Mountain. Here we are 5,000' above sea level. Just ignore the photographer on the left side of the picture.

I going to stop now.....especially since while previewing the photo's here the layout seems a bit askew. I'm really not sure how these pictures will correspond with the text. More photos next time!

A trip to the Farm (again)

2006-11-27T07:36:00.000-06:00

How time does fly. My last post prior to the blistering heat of summer and now, Thanksgiving is past and Christmas approaches rapidly from the starboard bow. In an earlier post I told of the birth of a cria, to Paco and Rose, two llamas who live west of Columbus, MS. Three weeks ago, Shiloh, was born to the same proud parents. Shiloh is a thriving youngster who requires bottle feeding each day. Here is a picture of her tethered prior to her thrice weekly "training". These sessions last 10 minutes and are designed for Shiloh's benefit.

More later :)

Food for thought

2006-06-01T19:56:00.000-06:00

Well, it is time to provide another provocative quotation worthy of thought.

From Theology Today, January 1964, comes a book review of Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy In Art, by Gerardus van der Leeuw, 357 pp. New York, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, 1963. $6.50. The reviewer is Joseph M. Kitagawa, from the University of Chicago. The book is discussed here:http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1964/v20-4-bookreview13.htm but the quotation that leaped across my desk to hit me between the eyes comes from van der Leeuw's book:

"It is the curse of theology always to forget that God is love, that is movement. The dance reminds us of it" (p. 74).

Now that is food for thought !

2006-05-06T13:45:00.000-06:00

Laura Rebecca Scott, my eldest niece, graduated today magna cum laude from the University of Montevallo. Needless to say she was really excited. We, of course, as her aunt and uncle are really proud of her!

2006-04-09T19:48:00.000-06:00

Today is our anniversary. We were gifted by a visit from a beautiful butterfly.

The sky today was a vivid shade of blue, similiar to that day we tied the knot. Wow, time sure goes by fast, and then again, it goes by slow too.

Love to Debbie !

2006-03-28T23:02:00.000-06:00

My anniversary is coming up soon....and this is the beautiful girl I married those years ago. The most amazing thing about it all, is that we are closer and better friends today than we were then.

All my love to Debbie !

AAAAArrrrrrgggggggggg !

2006-02-25T22:36:00.000-06:00

TAXES ! TAXES ! Arrrrrrggggg!
Every year we have an obligation as citizens to pay our legitimate taxes. Most of us in this country try to pay our fair share, but also want to take advantage of every possible legal deduction. Some of the more subtle parts of the tax code are lost on me, but, Hey! that is what tax software is for, right?

I've used tax software for more years than I can count...but my experience this year has left me a broken shell of my former self :). Intuit's, Turbo Tax Deluxe, recommended for those of us playing with capital gains and capital losses, is a software pile of junk. I've used Intuit for years and years and marvelled at how intuitive (pun intended) it seemed to be. This years distribution is a throwback to the worst software I've used in 10-15 years.

It is not intuitive, it is bull headed! It is not slick, it is gooey. It is not software, it is a headache. :)

Ok, I feel better now. After about 8 hours of tax work I completed my taxes. Last year it took between 3-4 hours. Over half of my time was spent in rebooting the PC due to frozen software, deleting files and re creating files, de-installing the entire application and reinstalling it. Then it took 9 separate attempts to transmit the returns.

Yep, feeling better and better now....the refund will be on its way in a week or two, and when the little bump happens in the account, I'll feel that it was almost worth it.

However, this blog will help me remember to never forget------------>> I'll not buy TURDO TAX again :)

Happy 80th Birthday, Dad !

2006-02-12T11:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday our family and Dad's friends celebrated his 80th birthday. The family gathered for a lunch around noon. The food was as fantastic as the fellowship. Then after lunch, plan B went into effect. This is where we kept Dad busy downstairs while his friends secretly arrived upstairs. When Dad was "allowed" back upstairs we had the huge surprise crowd singing "Happy Birthday!" Thanks to everyone who participated and assisted, and special thanks to my sister-in-law Donna who did the cake.

2006-01-21T22:48:00.000-06:00

Morning storm genesis.

Another Poem

2006-01-21T22:37:00.000-06:00

GARDEN STORM
By Rod Scott

The garden's disheveled appearance belies the
meticulous care exerted last evening.

Testifies now to the fury of the nocturnal visitor
who,
armed with the powers of the four winds,
arsenal of fork'ed lightening,
reservoirs of cold liquid
flood waters,
threatened
tomato serenity and
prevented
frightened robins from
reproduction.

-------------------

Birmingham, AL
May 13, 1992

2006-01-16T18:41:00.000-06:00

Meet Rose! She is the mother of the cria that I spoke about in an earlier post on this blog. Rose is a very friendly llama who allows anyone (even me) to hand feed her. Rose has a male llama companion, Paco. These beautiful animals live on a farm where they are loved and cared for by two wonderful people, our good friends David & Becky.

If you have never hand fed a llama, then you may be in for a shock. A llama's upper lip is split, and they gobble the food with a dry mouthed suction that is a cross between a hoover vacuum cleaner, and an elephant's nose.

Rose would only let me stroke her neck when she was allowed to put her entire mouth in the bowl to gain the last scraps of food. Now I know why llama fleece is so prized, she was as warm as toast as we shivered in the 40 degree wind chill.

Merry Christmas !

2005-12-25T14:22:00.000-06:00

In looking back at all of 2005, one of the truly bright stars in our lives was this gift, Arwen. She's been in our lives for 10 months now and brings an exuberant perspective to each day.

Now, if we can just convince her to stay under the tree rather than high in the evergreen branches :)

Lookout Mtn. Tennessee

2005-12-21T22:44:00.000-06:00

Aerial Survey

2005-12-21T22:34:00.000-06:00

AERIAL SURVEY
by Rod Scott

City tough and town wise
they plotted their course
with seeming abandon,
A veer here, and
A jibe there, black
lightning in the
cloudless sky.

Unkempt buildings have
poor roof drainage;
But, behold!
The pools on top
mirror the missing sun
the pools
mirror azure skies.

Flocks of city tough
and town wise sparrows
arrow down to drink
deeply from the
gravelly pond,
and ponder gravely
apathetic men.

Birmingham, AL January 24, 1996
(from the 13th floor window)

Falling Sky

2005-12-17T23:29:00.000-06:00

The crisp dry winter sky
ahh....humidity is dead.

It is great to live in Fall and Winter again, such as it is in the Deep South. The daymares of 80 degree dewpoints, burning sun soaked asphalt, and parched throats are gone for yet a little while. We fling our doors and windows open when it is 50 degrees outside just for the pure pleasure of drinking in the dry champagne of winter.

This photo was taken at sunset from Bluff Park, Alabama. It was 16 October, the genesis of a new Fall.

The Crias of the World

2005-11-23T20:51:00.000-06:00

This week I learned a new word; Cria, a baby llama. My esteemed and learned Mississippi friend (recently turned farmer) had to assist in the post birth caring of a cute cuddly cria. What a surprise to everyone! No one was sure that the mother was "that" pregnant. The cria lived for only a short while, but it was not for a lack of loving concern by everyone involved. David described the trip to University where a team of vets and students performed an heroic attempt to save the life of the cria.

Pull back from that scene a bit...withdraw from the surging emotions that existed in medias res.

We humans are touched by life, and by lives around us. The sheer wonder of it all! David described being awakened out of a sound sleep by a certainty that there was trouble in the farm yard. It was then that the discovery was made that the cria was in trouble.

What was that vibe that awakened him? What connection, that cannot be detected by any electronic instrumentation exists between living creatures inhabiting this planet? WOW!
Who knows?

I'm Grateful

2005-11-21T20:52:00.000-06:00

I was listening to some music today and heard this
tune by The Grateful Dead; Ripple, one of my all time favorites.
A lovely lyric set to gentle music.

"Ripple"

Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
("Ripple" composed and written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.
Reproduced by arrangement with Ice Nine Publishing Co., Inc. (ASCAP))

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music
Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they're better left unsung
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air
(Chorus)
Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone
(Chorus)
You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall you fall alone
If you should stand then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home

Copied from
http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/ripple.html

The newest member of our family - Arwen

2005-11-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

Arwen was rescued by good friends from an uncertain and possibly terminal future. She appeared in our house hold as a gift and we willingly have submitted to her leadership :)

We think she may be part Maine Coon, or Norwegian Forest Cat. At any rate she is as intelligent and sweet as she is beautiful.

Thoughts on the title of this blog

2005-11-12T19:59:00.000-06:00

Laughing Elf is a "trade mark" I've used for well over 15 years to signify a printer, a publisher, an editorial service, and web page design company.
The image must have some from somewhere in Tolkien's vast writings, but has been as close to me as an altar-ego (pun intended).

The weatherglass is an ancient barometric pressure measuring instrument who's usage goes back into time. As a lover of weather and all of its facets, this instrument is a key to unlocking another aspect of who I am.

The notion of Karma, a cause and effect relationship is almost universal in human religion. Galatians 6.7 says in part "...for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." In both Hinduism and Buddhism the concept of Karma play their part . Generally they describe karma as actions of the will that create effects. Every intentional action that you make creates real effects. These are spiritual concepts, but they sound rather similiar to Newton's 3rd Law of Motion : "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Hmmm... food for thought.

Was Mark Twain right?

2005-11-12T19:28:00.000-06:00

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."--Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad (1869)