What a Winter

This is the most snow, or number of snows (4 so far), we've seen around here in years, so I guess we're due.  The snow and all the rain we had this fall and winter has offset the years of drought, and brought the water levels up to normal or above.  That's a good thing.  It was getting scary when the weeks and months went by without measurable rainfall.  Even though we only got an inch or so this time, it made for some really good pictures.

 

These are the seed pods from our Poplar tree, filled with snow.  They look like snow cones.

 

View up the driveway.

The snow came with the night, and the day dawned clear, but it was still cold and windy.  Thankfully, though, it was not like last Wednesday with 50+ mph winds.  We do pick great days to car shop!

A Lunar Vacation Part II

Remember the new Lunar vacation  spot, the hottest or coolest new getaway scene?  It seems that the monetary cost is not the only price to be paid. Another danger to be considered may be even more difficult.  With extended time in space we lose bone density - kind of like a rapid onset of osteoporosis, and weightlessness, or zero gravity, is the culprit.  How do we combat that for the chance to vacation among the stars, other than Hollywood, of course. A possible solution?   If we can simulate weightlessness here on earth for the purpose of space training, then isn't it possible to simulate gravity in outer space?  This is where it does take a rocket scientist to figure it out.  However, I can envision a large arena, covered and climate controlled to keep our bodies on an even keel.  Filled with oxygen and whatever science has discovered to keep our feet firmly on the floor.  Think of the walled cities from centuries ago, only with a roof as well.  Everything you could need contained within, and going outside is dangerous.  Looks like sometimes we have to go back to go forward.

Another thing has come up, and this is an area for the space wear fashion designers.  We need outfits that are some two inches longer than our earthly clothes.  Why?  Well, it is a known fact, at least to the space bound, that the human body grows two inches over the course of a 12-week exposure to zero gravity.  Bone loss and height increases are both attributable to weightlessness.  There is nothing pulling you down, so your bones reconfigure themselves to adapt to their new circumstances.  Your height will return to normal back on earth, and scientists are working on ways to prevent the bone loss.  It's not likely that any of this will be a serious problem for the casual visitor.  Heck, we can't afford to stay long enough to be affected.  The full-timers do have a problem, though.  So bring on those shuttles, rocket scientists, engineers and fashion designers and lets get busy.  The ultimate vacation awaits. 

Does Your Bathroom Need a Pet Door?

Seriously.  I suppose y'all think I'm nuts for asking such a question, but if you live with cats or at least cats like ours, you know what I'm talking about.  We have three cats, and some days it's like Grand Central Station in and out of our bathroom.  They won't close the door when come and go, so out goes my heat and I end up shivering in the shower, well at least after my shower anyway.  Are your cats like that?

OK, just latch the door you say.  Ha!  You don't know our cats, do you.  Sophie will beat her head or some other body part (I can't tell because I'm in the shower at that point) up against the door until the offending door is opened for her - by someone else when he gets tired of the racket or worries that she'll beat her brains out (no comment).

Quite often when she realizes someone's going into the bathroom, she gets up and heads in to get her attention.  She'll put her head down and pretend she's going to roll over to one side, then switches to the other side - ha! faked you out.  This is prime petting time for her, and she doesn't always leave when you leave, she just waits for the next visitor.  She's been known to spend hours in there.  Sometimes she stays during the shower.  If she's already in there when get ready to start my shower, I latch the door.  She's usually OK with that, and it means I stay warm.

Here's Sophie holding court in the bathroom.

Dood, on the other hand, will just lay quietly on the other said of the closed door, waiting.  He is the patient one of the bunch.  If the door is not latched, he'll come in and sit and stare at the shower curtain.  Hmmm, what's going on in there?  I wonder if he's surprised when I peak out at him?  Then he'll leave and come back and leave again.  See why I think our bathroom needs a pet door?  There's too much in-ing and out-ing going on, and it's not unusual to have more than one in at a time.

If the door is closed and Rosie wants in, he'll sit outside and cry...er meow.  Nah, Rosie never "meows".  He has his own language with an extensive vocabulary.  He'll occasionally stay in the bathroom for showers too.  Sometimes, I find him in the small space between the tub and the toilet.  No idea why that particular spot appeals to him but I do believe he feels warmer in there.  He has long, silky hair without the undercoat most cats have, so he feels the cold more than the others.

I guess to sum it up, all of our cats, even those who have gone on, have enjoyed bathroom visiting for whatever reason.  I'd love to hear your cat stories!

Edited to add the pics.

Change back from your dime!

Think I'm kidding?  What, you ask, can you get for under 10 cents?  Well, I was in CVS picking up a prescription for my hubby, and I had these Extra Bucks that were going to expire soon.  Now I wasn't about to let that happen.  No siree, that's money!  So I started looking around the store for something I wanted, needed, someone else needed, but I came up empty, not even a Valentine card.  I was about to walk out when I decided to hit the food aisle.  No, I don't usually buy food at a drug store, but sometimes you get lucky.  Now, I had $3 in Extra Bucks and the DAK canned hams just happened to be on sale for, you guessed it, $3.  That's not the brand I normally buy, so I was going to pass.  I walked a bit further up the aisle and spotted small boxes of Wheat Thins for $1 each (marked down from $1.99).  It just so happened that I had a coupon for $2 off any 2 boxes of Nabisco snack crackers (no size or variety restrictions).  I couldn't pass that up - 2 free boxes of crackers.  Thinking just how great a deal it would be to get the ham with my Extra Bucks and free crackers, I went back for the ham.  After the EBs and coupon, my subtotal was $0.00, and I paid only tax.  And that, folks, is how I got change back from my dime.  I mean it didn't seem right to swipe my card for 8 cents.

Good things come to those who coupon.

Giving Plastic a New Life

A ban went into effect on October 1, 2009 requiring all plastic bottles such as soda bottles, milk and laundry detergent containers, etc. to be recycled rather than tossed into the garbage.  This posed no problem for the folks of Winston-Salem.  City residents have been recycling at a rate of 84%.  The city's curb-based recycling program makes that easy.  It is not so easy for people outside the city limits where there is no curbside pickup.  One company is working to make recycling available for their customers.  Rural Garbage Services, Inc. which services eastern Forsyth Co. is currently providing that service for free, with pickup of recyclables on regular trash collection days.  Chris Parrish, president, says he has been an environmentalist and recycling for years, and will continue to provide this service until there is a better solution.

While the ban on disposing of plastics is difficult to enforce, it does encourage recycling.  The success of this can be measured by the amount of plastic collected.  For the one-year period from September 2008 - September 2009, collection averaged 14,000 lbs. per month and increased to 19,000 per month for the first three months following the ban.  

There is a huge market for plastics to recycle, and North Carolina has some of the largest processors, with a new plant under construction in Fayetteville.  With one out of two bottles going to China, it leaves the US fighting for recyclables  The ban should help us retain more for our own use.  There are many items made with recycled plastic such as flower pots, strapping, tiles, plastic furniture, and yes, even new plastic bottles.  

While there is an expense to collecting and recycling these items, and a it is a much discussed issue between city and county officials, it does help extend the life of our landfills by not filling them with unnecessary items.  

So please help give used plastic a new life.  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle today.  For more information see the full story in the Winston-Salem Journal, or my original post on the ban.