Georgia Shoots for a Partial Eclipse

 

It's an omen!

Well, not really. It's an astrological event. symbolic of ... science.

It's not the Rapture, a theological construct less than 200 years old.

It's not a sign of the end times. It's something that has been set to happen at this time because, based on the movement of the sun and the moon and the earth, this is a scientific inevitability.

If it was truly supernatural in origin, you would hear the scientists say, "Oh, no! This wasn't supposed to happen right now! It defies the known orbits and movements of these celestial bodies!"

And...no one is saying that.

So, sorry. It briefly darkens the Ark Museum. It might pass over a couple of towns named Nineveh. No one is being raptured off the planet.

It is no more God-led than the recent earthquake centered near Trump's New Jersey golf course.

Will I be looking up at the eclipse when it passes this afternoon? No, mostly because I don't have the right equipment to do it. I have seen eclipses before and have not been particularly overwhelmed by them.  

From what I read, the eclipse in South Georgia will be about 70%. That may be enough to confuse some animals, but I'm not sure what we'll see without the right equipment. The best time estimate for peak coverage is around 3 PM.

I'll be home. I'll look to see if the yard gets any darker. Mostly if I see something, it will be via television.

I definitely will not look directly at it. I'm not stupid. I'm not Donald Trump.

A Cold Without Snow

 

It happens all the time.

The temperature suddenly drops, and all my Southeast Georgian friends are all a-twitterpated. Oh, no! It's below freezing! What are we gonna do? We're not made for this! Does the Piggly Wiggly still have bread and milk?

But you know what it doesn't do?

SNOW!

We don't get snow. We might get something significant once or twice a decade. Maybe.

It's something to do with how the Arctic air drops down to us - cold and dry. Then, when that passes, and it warms up to the 50s, or so, then it will start to rain.

Sometimes, we'll get what I call "frost on the pumpkins," a frost-like coating on the grass that will last until the sun evaporates it. Ungaraged cars may need to be idled for a while to defrost.

Growing up in Michigan, I was no stranger to Winter and snow. Sometimes, we had snow drifts so big we could walk onto the roof of our house, 

I moved to the South in 1978. Even living in North Georgia until 1997, I missed the snow and the seasons.

That has changed. I no longer long for the long, cold winters. One of the best things about it was that the snow would make people stay home once in a while, and you didn't have to go to school. Now I'm retired and that don't work anymore.

It took forever to change, but I no longer have the tolerance for the cold that I used to have. I spend the cold days inside wearing a thick University of Michigan sweater. 

I wouldn't mind seeing snow every now and then. I feel like it's fairly useless to have freezing temperatures and no snow. Seems like such a waste.

I might finally be transitioning into a true Southerner. First, the food. Then, the weather.

And then I remember the politics here.

Nope. That ain't gonna happen.

Idalia Peels Into Our House

 

For years, hurricanes have threatened our little corner of Southeast Georgia, but most veered away before they got here. Some came close, with wind, rain, and maybe a few downed limbs.

But Idalia? At least for us, it passed directly over us, at or about Category 1.

We had two of our twenty-four trees fall, damaging our house.

As you can see from the picture above, one poked right through into our bedroom. 

Hi! Mind if I  come in?

Well..we'd rather you didn't.

Too late!

The first tree to fall whacked the storage portion of our carport. It smashed part of our metal roof and poked five holes through it. It just missed taking out my electric mower.

Speaking of near misses, it was just inches away from taking out my Honda Civic.

The big Pinehuna landed squarely over our bedroom area.

Tuesday, August 29, we returned from a beautiful trip to the Catskills to visit the newest love of our lives, our 17-month-old granddaughter. I didn't do a story about it, partly because I can't show pictures of her and partly due to the distractions of the events that happened a day later.

Wednesday was when Idalia peeled into our neighborhood. In addition to the storm damage, we lost power until Thursday night and internet until Friday. Then there was catching up, cleaning up, and other things I will share later.

Rest assured, we have had insurance agents and adjustors out here, and we are in good shape to get stuff fixed.   We have plastic sheeting and protection on the roof, and most of the trees moved away from the house. This was mainly due to the help of Kevin Manders (a friend and a godparent to Benjamin) and LeVance Gay (a former co-worker of Alison and a neighbor).

Our church opened its doors and provided food and air conditioning to those in need, and yes, we did take advantage of it. Let me repeat this for anyone who may not remember - I love Grace Episcopal Church. It is the living, breathing definition of Christianity.

I can also update you that Benjamin's recovery from his femur break is picking up pace, and he is now using a cane instead of a walker. It may be a couple more weeks, but he has arranged his apartment in Warner Robins and hopes to return to work by the end of the month.

Idalia knocked us around, but it did not knock us out.

February and its Usual Premature Exit

 

Well, well, is that Blackshear in February?

Nah, I think that's Dubuque, Iowa. Snow in Blackshear is rare.

The last time I remember was January a few years ago. It actually stuck for a few days. Freaked everybody out!

What are we getting at the end of this February? A high of 84! Even for us, that's pretty darn high for this time of year. I don't do well in high heat, so I stay indoors as much as possible.

Imagine being born on February 29th! You get your true birthday only every four years! We have one friend like that, Vincent. Happy birthday anyway, Vincent!

Does February seem shorter to me? Everything seems shorter and faster to me now. Part of aging, I guess.

I am struggling to just enjoy each day. It's not easy. I'm not a natural optimist.  

But I'm learning, folks. Really, I am.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Podlicious Monday Musings

 

That is the top of a pod cup. I use it to make an individual cup of coffee in the afternoons.

I don't know about you, but I find the picture a little scary and disturbing. At first, I thought it was a clown, but on closer inspection, I think it's a picture of a woman holding a coffee cup up in front of her. It's either a smile or getting ready to gulp or something. I feel like coffee's a little too hot to gulp like that, but what do I know? 

Our area is a little unsettled today. Hurricane Ian's current projected path would take it over us on Friday and Saturday. These paths weeble and wobble as they get closer, so it's a guess at this point.

But some scheduled events are not taking a chance. They are already canceling and moving to other dates. Is this panic or prudence? I don't know. Better safe than sorry.

So far, Harvey is holding steady to open this weekend. That means Hell Week is still a go. Dress rehearsals tonight, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then performances Thursday-Friday-Saturday night, topped with a matinee Sunday afternoon. I'm gonna be one tired old man! I'm unsure how I would do it all if I was still working. I used to do it all the time, but now I look back with amazement that I could pull it off.

I'll guess I'll know how serious it is if they start to cancel high school football games. Those events are pretty sacred.

MEANWHILE...

The Michigan Wolverines had their first close game, beating Maryland 34-27. So either Michigan is not as good as I hoped, or Maryland is a lot better than people think. Either way, this season does not look like the runaway I was hoping for.

I thought the Detroit Lions might be turning around, but they lost another heartbreaker, with Minnesota coming from behind to beat them. They're good enough to compete but not good enough (or lucky enough) to win.

My expectations for the Detroit Tigers have constantly adjusted through the season. Going from ...this year they'll make the playoffs...to...this year they'll finish over .500...to...this year they won't finish last...to..this year they won't lose 100 games! Still crossing my fingers on that last one!

ALSO...

How can I like politics so much but hate ads so much? I mean all of them, even many from my side. Anyone who votes based on ads needs to retake Civics.  

I don't enjoy politics as much as I used to. People voting for Trump makes no sense to me. It never has. I can't wrap my head around it. He's a grifter/con man, a narcissist who's not very bright, and a racist. Republican vs. Democrats, conservative vs. liberal - these are battles I understand. But authoritarian vs. democracy? It's too scary to be fun anymore.

Anyhoo, my desk setup is still not ergonomically sound, and I don't want to wreck my knees and feet for the upcoming play. I'm old in Harvey, but I'm not decrepit,

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Not the September I Remember

 

September is the most depressing month of the year.

At least as it relates to weather.

Growing up in Michigan, September was always the month when the weather started to change. There was a clear end to Summer and the start of cooler Fall weather. Leaves would change color. You would often have to wear a jacket. The mowing season was over, and the snow shoveling season had yet to begin.

One time, in visiting Michigan in late September, we went on a trip to Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. We wanted to go to Mackinaw Island, but it had started snowing, and the ferry service was temporarily halted.

So, even after all these years in Georgia, I still expect it to start to get cool and Fall-like in September, and I'm always disappointed.

Every day in  September, I wake up and think the Fall weather will begin. Yet, every day, my heart is broken.  

It remains hotter than hell. Yesterday, while I was out, the weather had me close to heat exhaustion. It was 90 with a feels like of 103. Yes, I know Southern California is going through a similar heat wave, with triple-digit highs. But what we have that LA does not is the humidity that hovers near 100%.

Our leaves are not changing color. Maybe in October or November. There is no cooler weather. When I walk in the predawn mornings, the temperature may be lower (the 70s), but the humidity is still off the charts. There is no jacket weather - you can barely tolerate wearing pants. And my lawn is still growing at a monstrous rate. We have thunderstorms most afternoons. And for the most part, the rains do not leave you more comfortable.  

Of course, with global warming, things may have changed in Michigan. Their Septembers may no longer be as glorious as I remember.

As I write this, at 9:17, the temperature is 78 with a feels like of 85. The humidity is 93%. The projected high is 92, which probably means another triple-digit feels like. Over the next fifteen days, the lowest high is projected for Friday, at 82.

As I write this, at 9:22, the temperature of Bridgeport, Michigan (where I grew up) is 59, with a whopping 59 feels like. The humidity is 90%. The projected high is 78. Over the next fifteen days, the lowest high is projected for Tuesday, at 72.

These differences are not incredible, but they do make a change between comfortable and uncomfortable.

You would think I would be used to this by now after over four decades in Georgia, but no, I am not. Every morning I get up thinking that Fall will begin. Every morning my soul is crushed by the continuation of relentless heat.

So, no, I won't get used to it.

Ah, September. You're not what I remember.

Wednesday Morning Pollen Fever

Even after a heavy rain, the top of my car is still dotted with a yellow fever.  

I went out before the rains yesterday and was instantly hit by my sinuses contracting, quickly developing a massive pollen headache.

Blackshear also stank terribly, as if King Kong had left a massive surprise in the middle of the city park. I don't think it was due to the pollen. It most likely was related to the in-town egg plant. I can't say for sure.

Hey, Tom! Why don't you get your car washed?

Why? It will be coated in pollen again in a matter of hours.

The changing weather also means I will need to mow soon. My only consolation is that mowing is much easier now that I have an electric mower. The charge on it only lasts about an hour, but that's ok. That's about as long as I last.

We are looking forward to Benjamin's Spring Break. He will have a friend from Sweden visiting with him and will spend some of the time with us. At the end of next week, we also visit my sister and my brother-in-law, Mike, during their stay at The Village in Florida. It's supposed to be the largest retirement complex in the US. OR so I've heard.

When Alison has her Spring Break in April, I will enjoy it with her for the first time, as I will not be involved in a tax season.

Someone asked me if I had been bored since I retired. I answered, "No! I was bored the thirty-plus years I was doing accounting, but I'm not bored now!"

Q: What are you doing now that you're retired?

A: What I WANT to do.

Even in my blog, I feel like I've spent an inordinate amount of explanation trying to justify how I use my time. It's a definite American affliction. And I'm going to try to stop doing it.

I will try to stop doing it. Although I will share some of what I'm doing (like - woohoo! - I'm going to the dentist today!), I'm going to do my best not to do it defensively.

Until the next time I feel like blogging,

T. M. Strait

 

Bloomin' Allergies

The calendar doesn't say so, but it is effectively Spring here in the Southland.

In the daytime, we're reaching into the 80s, and things are starting to bloom.

Including our allergies.

Our azalea bush is starting to bloom. I didn't want an azalea bush, but it came with the house. It wouldn't help us to get rid of it. Azaleas are very popular here - our neighborhood is inundated with them.

For me, it's pretty mild. I did take an allergy pill yesterday. I may take that or a sinus pill today. I feel a sinus headache starting to build up.

It is much worse for Alison and Benjamin. They both already take an allergy pill every day. Additionally, Benjamin takes a daily pill for asthma and has an inhaler. He'll be coming down from Georgia College in Milledgeville for Spring Break next week. 

So, yay, warmer weather, y'all. The return of all those charming flying insects, especially gnats, who swarm me like they are in love with me. Please, do not tell me all your home remedy ideas. My solution? STAY INSIDE as much as possible.

It's not the North is any great treat, at least in the summer. In Michigan, the mosquitoes are much more aggressive and present. The bees are more hostile. On the other hand, Michigan does not have gators, multiple species of venomous snakes, or spiders the size of VW Beetles,

Our cars are turning dingy yellow from all the pollen. The line-up to car washes are like traffic jams to escape hurricanes or Kyiv.  

So, I do not greet Spring with the same enthusiasm I greet Fall (even if it takes until late November to get here).

At some point, the pollen phase will be over, and we will be in the feels like 112 phase.

Anybody has any suggestions where the temp highs are mid-fifties to mid-sixties pretty much year-round, please let me know. Alison and I would definitely check into it!

 

Waterfall Wednesday Wanderings

 

Here comes the rain again.

Falling off my roof like a waterfall.

Wildfires.  Hurricanes. Floods.  Drought.  Record high temperatures.

My little corner of the world, Southeast Georgia, is getting off pretty easy compared to many other spots around the globe.

We've had hot days, but nothing that seems too out of range for this area.  We've had enough rain that we haven't had to worry about the Okefenokee Swamp running ablaze.

I won't go on about climate change/global warming on this post.  Either you accept reality, or you don't.  It's happening, regardless of whether you believe in it or not.

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Reading:  The Great Halifax Explosion by John U Bacon.  It tells of a munitions laden ship blowing up in the Halifax harbor, creating the most massive explosion mankind had experienced (only topped by the atomic bomb).  I wasn't sure if it might get too technical, over describing ships and stuff (like Tom Clancy did with 10-page descriptions of submarines), but it's character and story-driven, rather than overly technical. This occurred during WWI.  Yes, I'm reading more about history, and I love it.

Watching:  Just finished The Umbrella Academy with Alison.  I loved it!  Relevant but not as amped as Watchmen, superhero action but not as campy as some of the DC and Marvel stuff.  I'm a huge Ellen Page fan, and it was good to see so much of the story focused on her character.  

We are in the second season of The Carol Burnett Show.  It is incredibly funny, although some things are outdated - the political humor was often more conservative than I remembered. The attitude towards LGBTQ reflected a little bit too much snark.  Tim Conway is a guest star at this point, but not a regular, but whenever he or Johnathan Winters is on, it really kicks it up a notch.  I'm also impressed with some of the older greats that appear - Mickey Rooney, Martha Raye, Don Rickles - I had forgotten what a great sense of comedy, a vaudevillian spirit, that permeates their performances.

I've started the second season of The Boys.  This is adult superhero drama done right.  It presents a chilling world where major corporations use superheroes to achieve their own corporate ends.  It also has one of the oldest tropes in superhero stories - what if the good guy with ultimate power turned evil?  I love Superman, but it's only a matter of time before each writer who handles him decides how clever it is to show what Superman is like if he was evil.  Been there, done that, move on!

Writing:  Blog.  History of the Trap Part 2.  Should be marketing/querying The Extra Credit Club, but I fear rejection too much to deal with it.  Yes, I have a fully complete book, and I am just sitting on it.  If anyone (18 or older) would like to beta read it for me, I would much appreciate it.

Wanderingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Southeast Georgia Winter Tuesday Tidbits

This morning, it was 29 degrees, and the feels like was 23!

There was a tiny bit of frost on my car.

It was a little chilly, or as my Southeast Georgia friends would call it, a MEGASTORM!

It won't stay that cold for very long.  It rarely does.  There is no snow.  When it drops this low, it's a dry cold.  When it warms back up to the 60s?  That's when we will have precipitation.

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Personal Health Week Two:  weight continuing to slowly creep down, same with blood pressure, and finally, glucose levels have joined the decline party!  Still have miles to go, and I have to accept that the changes I'm making are permanent.

Saw myself in a mirror at church and realized, with horror, that the part that I am most eligible to play is Alfred Hitchcock. Oy.

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Streaming?  Season Four of Van Helsing.  One of those I started and now, by God, I am going to see it through.  Not the worst series in the world.  Just good enough to keep me intrigued enough to see what is going to happen next.  At least the vampires in it are not glowing boy toys.

Reading?  The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. This is a trial/legal drama, one that was made into a movie a few years back with Matthew McConaughy.  This may be how he got to be a sponsor of Lincoln cars and do all the those Lincoln commercials.  Trust me, the book makes a lot more sense than those bizarre commercials.

Movies?  Saw Dolittle at the theatres.  Look, it's a children's/family movie, so you can't expect perfection.  It was entertaining, with some impressive celebrity voiceovers.  Robert Downey Jr.'s accent, however - it would have been better just to claim that Dolittle was an American living in England.  Growing up, the Doctor Dolittle books were my favorite children's literature.

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The trail to convict and remove the greatest modern evil this nation has ever faced starts today, or as Midnight Mitch McConnell calls it, the Big Nothing.  He'll do everything thing he can to shunt it aside, make it run at one in the morning, short circuit it, bury it, and proceed to Trump's grand exoneration speech.

And my Trumpeteer friends will be going, "See?  We told you there was nothing there!

Sigh.  The whole world has become the OJ trial, with each of us seeing only what we want to.  Trump's entire team is filled with TV lawyers and performers designed to obscure and deny the truth.

If nothing else, we'll get to find out if the term moderate Republican means anything anymore.  I don't know what disgusts me more,  The rabid true believers like Lindsey Graham, or the woosies who feign objection and then just faint and fall in line.

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Benjamin is back at college once again.  Alison is at work.  I'm working more, although I am stubbornly taking today off.  How much more I can do that, I don't know.  But I need to begin serious editing of The Extra Credit Club.

Oh, and there might be a trial or something on TV.

Or, thanks to Midnight Mitch, I might need to gear up for a late night.

Advent Falls Monday Musings

Now we are at Advent.

Advent time of year!

The first Sunday of Advent was yesterday.  Advent covers four Sundays.  Above is one version of the four candle display used in our church to represent each Sunday. An additional candle is lighted each Sunday until all four are lit on the last Sunday of Advent.

It is a season of reflection and preparation for the arrival of Jesus and Christmas.

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This year, the day after Advent, Fall finally Falls!  The projected high today is a very pleasant 56, well within the range of temps that make me feel like it is Fall.  It will not last.  Low to mid-70s will return by the weekend.  That might not sound too high to you, nut it is enough to make the gnats dance again, and enough to make going outside unpleasant.  But we may finally be headed to where Fall-like days outnumber the late Summer-like days.

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My expectations were too high.  Once again, OSU crushes Michigan.  There were moments where it looked like it might be competitive, but they did not last, and eventually turned into just another old-fashioned beat down.

The Bulldogs have done very well this season, and only have to win the SEC championship against LSU to ensure their place in the college championships.  A simple task, I am sure.

I sm pulling for Wisconsin to upset Ohio State.  I'd rather the Big Ten not have a representative in the college championship than it be OSU.

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What am I watching?  A lot of stuff.  Castle Rock (shades of Misery and Salem's Lot!), The Dublin Murders (since we spent a ten-day vacation in Ireland we know think of it as our second home), The Purge, Servant (an Apple + series by M. Night Shamallayn), and, of course, the best current program available, the show with best editorial coloring in the business, For All Mankind.

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What am I reading?  Testaments by Margaret Atwood, the follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale.  End the mystery about what a Pence administration would be like and read it today!

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We had Benjamin with us from Tuesday night until Sunday afternoon.  It was a great visit, and it won't be long before he is back home for Christmas bock - only about two weeks!

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

The Fall That Will Not Fall

To me, Septemeber is one of the most depressing months of the year.  Well, speaking weatherwise.

I keep thinking the cooldown is just right around the corner.  Spoiled by my formative years growing up in Michigan, over forty years in the South Lands, the last twenty in Southeast Georgia,  have not got me used to the South's resistance to Fall.

We will run across a rare day where the temperatures are not soaring into the nineties, and I think, this is it!  It's finally breaking!  Before I know it, I can bring out my jacket and enjoy the crisp fall weather!

No.  It just drags on and on and on and on, scorching heat without end.  The gnat party will not cease.  Your skin will continue to crackle and melt.  Heatstroke remains an evert present possibility.

The projected low over the next fifteen days include one day where we reach the remarkable low of...88.  Big whoop.

And it could stagger on this way for the next three months.  Even in winter, you can still have days over 90.

The ideal fall weather is 58 degrees and overcast.  That is the most beautiful time of the year.  But of course, down here, that might be an OCCASIONAL day in the winter, but it is undoubtedly not Fall weather.

I miss it.  I do.  I don't miss the harsh winters of Michigan, with temps in the teens or lower.  But I do love the fall.  It is my favorite season.

And I miss it.

Windy Wednesday Wanderings

Well, it's not really too windy yet.  But it may get windier as the day progresses.  Some of the extreme outer bands of Hurricane Dorian may brush us, as the now category 2 storm churns slowly past us in the Atlantic Ocean.

It may not be too bad here, except to rile up our storm sensitive dog, Cocoa Bear.  The older Cocoa Bear gets, the more she reacts to even the slightest change in barometric pressure.  She does okay when we're home, but not so well when we're not.  She bites at doorknobs, and if she can get in our bedroom, she will get in our closet and strew all of Alsion's clothes that she can reach.

As glancing as the blow we may receive, it contrasts sharply with the utter devastation that the Bahamas received.  It entered the Bahamas at Category 5, and then just stayed there for HOURS.  Pictures this morning are showing destruction on an unprecedented level.  Thank God they are not dependent on our racist President for support, and they don't have to listen to his inane smack talk.

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We were thrilled to have Benjamin back for the weekend.  He is doing so well in school, participating in his classes, joining groups,  making lots of friends. 

I would love to tell you we did something dramatic while he was here, but we did not.  We just enjoyed each other's company, and talked a lot, caught up on the TV show Battlebots, and went to church.  I am proud to say that not only has Benjamin joined the Episcopal Church near campus, he has also joined their choir!

Yes, everything at college is going very well for Benjamin.  Well, except for one thing.  And I don't feel like going into that here yet, so...

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VAPING is a horrible thing, and some don't feel like they have to restrict whom they vape around.  I guess they feel it's not as bad as smoking, and that people who don't like can just put up with it.  Even if they do it around people with asthma.

Alison and I have both heard more and more stories about how truly dangerous vaping is.  It's nicotine and other chemicals going into the bodies of our young people and even results in second-hand vaping effects.  Respiratory diseases and even lung cancer have been linked to vaping.

It is a major crisis among the young.  Vaping companies have targeted youth to promote their product, including flavored products (e.g., bubblegum and fruit loops).  They encourage them to tell parents and others that what they have are flash drives or USB devices, which their smoking devices are designed to look like.

Some parents are oblivious to this nonsense.  I guess some think "Well, at least they're not smoking."  Uhh, yes they are.  And there are as dangerous as cigarettes and even more insidious.

Young people are not comprehending the problem.  What can you do when you even majors in Exercise Science are doing it?  If they don't respect their body, who will?

Man!  Sorry!  I don't know where that tangent came from!

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

Today I must concentrate on learning my lines for the play I'm in.  It's early, but I've got to do what I can.  I'm already falling behind some of the more ambitious cast members.  I have a reputation for learning my lines quickly, but it is undeserved, particularly as I age.

Three factors in line memorization -

1) I've always had the script in my hands until the director took it away.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

2) I'm older.  Line memorization comes more slowly to me now.  I have to spend more than three times the amount of memorization time to get the same results I could twenty years ago.

3) I'm not a painter.  By that I mean I do not paint my lines, using the script as a template and saying sort of what's in the script but not precisely the words of the script.  I  learn my lines word for word, exactly as written.  Then later, if I have to adapt to what other people are saying around me, I can change as needed.  But I really like to give the line as written - it shows more respect to the playwright.

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That's all I can think of right now.

When does college football start?

Wanderingly yours,

T. M. Strait

Waiting for the Dorian Gray

Yeah.  I tried a version of this joke on a few people and was met with a thud of nonrecognition.  One person did remember that there was a character by that name in the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

It's from a story by Oscar Wilde, published in 1890, about a man who has a portrait of himself that ages while he stays young.  It's a classic.  Trust me.

Sometimes I tell I am Alison's version of a Dorian Gray picture - she stays young while I age for her.

Meanwhile, as I write this, Dorian is a Category 5, doing a sit 'n' spin over Bermuda.  There's not much in the media about the damage Bermuda is getting.  I fear the news may not be good when Dorian finally moves on.

There has been a lot of change and uncertainty concerning its path.  It looks like it's going to follow the coastline as if it were a really angry cruise ship.

Could it affect Pierce County, where I live?  There probably will be some rain and wind.  How strong it will be may depend on close it passes.  Right now, it is likely to pass our area of the Georgia coast at a Category 3.

Have we bought a generator?  Sadly, no.  You would think we would have learned our lesson from the time our power was out about a week last year.  No, it seems like we didn't.

We do have a Hurricane box, with water and flashlights that we have made sure are fully charged.


So we wait.  Our thoughts and prayers are not just for ourselves, but for everyone in its path.


UPDATE Tuesday MORNING:  It's still spinning just above Bermuda.  There is a lot of damage, and we may not know the extent until later today.  The Hurricane's path appears to be taking further into the ocean, causing fewer problems for the continental United States, particularly Florida and Georgia.  Area schools have been canceled for the next two days, out of precaution.  You never know, and it's best to err on the side of caution.

It's Raining! It's Pouring! The Old Man is Worried!

I have seen a mighty river.

No, that's just the road next to my house.  For clarification, the picture above is not my side road.  It's a representative of the flood conditions that are becoming more common in our country, and across the world.

Part of this is due to population increasing near flood zones.  Part of this is MORE areas can be considered flood zones, as climate change increases and global weather patterns change.

Even though sometimes there is an inch or two of sheen across a road near us, we are not in immediate threat of flooding.  We have a lake/pond about two blocks away that could rise a bit but has a pretty effective drainage system (making it someone else's problem).

So, since the risk is minimal to me, why should I care about others?  Not my problem.

Yeah.  Is that how you like to live your life?  Only care about a crisis unless immediately hits you and your loved ones?  No, I don't think most of us are built that way.

It is a shame that climate change/global warming has been caught up as a partisan issue.  It is not.  It is the gravest crisis civilization faces. 

Earlier, maybe a decade and a half ago, we did seem to be moving towards a consensus.  In 2006, there was even a series of public service announcements that included a Republican and a Democrat appearing together to endorse doing something about climate change.  One of the PSAs had Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi appearing together.

Then right-wing extremists decided to make it a wedge issue, cozying up to the fossil fuel industry, and deploying an army of Christian Reich pastors, that as the evidence of climate change increased, the path toward joint efforts decreased.

In 2019 the window to stop this nightmare is almost closed.  We can no longer avoid the transformation that is going to occur, we can only mitigate it.  And we only have about a decade left to even do that.

We currently have an administration that is not trying to stop global warming.  They are doing nothing to slow it.  They are indeed, intentionally or not, doing everything they can to speed it up.  Our racist President is one of those ignorant people who think the fact that it snows in winter means that climate change is not real.

No, what tells us it is real is the increasing global temperature average across the planet.  June 2019 was the hottest June on record.  What tells us it is real are the already rising sea levels.  What tells us it is real is the mass extinction of many species.  What tells us it is real is the dramatic increase in extreme weather events.  What tells us it is real is the destabilization of agriculture in many places.  What tells us it is real is the fact that the one area of government that, even under right-wing pressure, is the military, making plans based on the acceleration of global warming. What tells us it is real is an overwhelming scientific consensus that it is real.

I could go on and on, but if you're determined to ostrich the issue, head buried in the sand, you either stopped reading, or you are assiduously ignoring it.  Change is too hard.  Change is just an excuse for liberals to push us around.

Yeah.  Keep telling yourself that as floods creep towards your road, or as the sea level rise consumes your beach house, or as animals disappear from the face of the Earth, as food prices rise, as climate refugees have to relocate by the millions because parts of the planet have become uninhabitable, as other more forward-thinking nations become the new energy leaders and America slides to second or even third-world status.

On the other side, though, you'll have gotten to snot off some of those fancy damn liberals.

Hope that helps keep you cool.

The Heat is On!

How hot is it?

It's so hot that it's too hard to go outside and figure out a joke to compare it to.

The gnats are swarming me even when I try to walk at 6:30 in the morning.

The real temperature is at or approaching 100.  The feels like temp is somewhere near the frying egg stage.

For me, this is what it's like to go outside for more than five minutes:

Thank you, Oprah.  I don't know about everybody.  But I sure do.

Some people actually thrive in this heat.  I don't.  Those who do thrive blame my "Yankee"  roots.

One:  I was born a Midwesterner, a Great Lakes residence, a Michigander - NOT A YANKEE. 

Two:  I've lived in Georgia since 1978 - longer than some of you Georgia birthers have been alive!

Three:  whatever my roots, my physiology is not conducive to hot weather.  I don't sweat much - I tend to go straight to heat stroke.


Many Southerners stay inside in frigid weather, particularly if there is even a hint of snow.  I'm that way with hot weather.  If it's over 95 and sunny, I'd rather stay in my air-conditioned house, read books and watch TV, eat and drink from the rations I have - time to break into the emergency kit!

The problem is that days over 90 (if not 95) are becoming the norm rather than the exception.  Nine to ten months a year are becoming unlivable.

Should I move?  Some might think so.  "STOP WHINING!  You don't like it here?  MOOOVE!!!"

Well, what can I say?  I kvetch, therefore I am.  Besides, this is where my family is.  And my job.  And my theatre groups.  And my parish.  I like the people (other than the majority's politics).  I just don't like the weather.  And I can fix that most days by just staying inside.

And frankly, there are getting fewer and fewer places to get away to, especially in the summer.  Michigan is not a summer nirvana - it gets hot and humid in July and August (and many places have no air conditioning), with mosquitoes that are large, mean and aggressive.

A couple years ago, we went to Vancouver and Portland for our summer vacation, thinking to find a cooler place.  Unfortunately, they were having record heat while we were there.  This summer, we will go to Toronto and Niagra Falls thinking to catch a break - that probably won't work either.

I've seen news stories about how parts of Arctic Alaska hit the mid-80s a couple weeks ago.

Escape may now be futile.

No single weather event or heat wave is directly tied to global warming.  But the rise in average temperatures across the planet is.  We're in big trouble, and I am losing faith that we're going to address it.

But never fear, my friends.  Cooler days are coming!  I should be able to comfortably go outside sometime in November.

Or maybe January.  Hard to say.

Wistful Wednesday Wanderings

Ellie sez:  My bed is bigger than that house.

Another day without a topic.  Yesterday, I was laid low with a lot of foot pain and fever.  Today my foot pain is more modest, and the fever is gone (right now).  So, hey-ho, it's off to work I go, at least for a little while.

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We are rappelling towards Benjamin's Graduation, now only about three months away.  I still can't believe his prom is in mid-March.  Isn't that supposed to be a week or two before school ends?  Isn't it basically a signal to Seniors that school is basically over?

In a few weeks, we'll be going to an event at Georgia Collge State University.  And it won't be to decide where to go but to visit the college Benjamin will be attending!

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I am a streamaholic, and I have acquired DC Universe, at least for the next year.  Now I can read comic books on my television and computer.  I am currently watching a Superman Serial from 1948.  They're ten to fifteen-minute segments that were shown in movie theatres a week at a time.  Each episode ended on a cliffhanger that would entice you to come to the theatre the next week to see what happened next.

The state of CGI and special effects were certainly different.  When Superman flies, they substitute the actor out for an animated figure.  It's taken decades to make super-heroes look right on the screen, but I'm glad they were trying.

Me wanting to watch this stuff probably has Bill Maher very disappointed in me.  That is if he knew me from shinola, which he doesn't.  No celebrity does.  Well, except for maybe Kenndy Brice.  Newt Gingrich said hello to me once, but I'm trying to block that out.

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Other quick notes:

The weather is too warm, but it should cool off by Sunday.  Blueberry farmers may be having trouble because there have not been enough cold days.  Thanks, global warming.  Hey, Georgia!  Ever think there may be a reason the number one blueberry growing state is Michigan?

Speaking of global warming, it's real.  Y'all do realize that, don't you?  Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and her Green New Deal may be doing more to preserve the planet than anyone else, especially in our universe of politicians.

I like cookies.  Important to note for future reference.

The news is always about some new way soda is evil for you.  I'm trying to cut back.  Really I am. Still, there is nothing quite like the taste of a delicious carbonated beverage.  Once in a while, you see news that indicates coffee is actually good for you.  Soda?  Eh, not so much.

Hell, I'll probably see something that connects fake gout with soda,  Just my luck.

Wanderingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Welcome to the New Era!

Yep.  This is me.  Trying to write blog posts in the afternoon/evenings rather than morning.

So, after careful consideration, I've decided to write on the topic of...

Yeah, I'm drawing a blank.

This is going to take some getting used to.

But don't panic.  I will get my groove back. 

Somehow.

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I'm having one of my longest breaks since I started my work career at 23.  Well, at least where I wasn't unemployed and desperately looking for the next thing.  I've only worked in the office like less than five hours in over two weeks.  I don't intend to go back until about January 8th.  It's almost like I'm a teacher or student or something.

It's been a little weird.  Boredom has not been a problem.  I have enough interests and projects where I'm not really the type of person that gets bored.  The oddness comes in not having to go into work. It gives me gitches of guilt knowing others have to go in.

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Tomorrow I'll see if I can get up and write on a fiction project.  Me and the boy are scheduled for haircuts at 10, and then I may take him around to put in applications at some places.  Then I'll come back home and read or write.

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It has been unseasonably warm for the last few days, even by Georgia standards.  I don't like to think about what I'm wearing, but now I have to consult the weather before I dress for the day.  For someone like me.

Contrast this year with last year, when at this time we were facing the imminent arrival of our first snowstorm since 1989.  What a difference a year makes!

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I promise.  I'll do better with blog topics in the future.  Well, I hope I will.

Only time will tell.

Lake Be Gone

It's gone.  The lake is gone.  It really wasn't a very big lake to begin with, more of a glorified pond.  But now it is a series of intermittent puddles, tree stumps, and muddy earth exposed.

There were very heavy rains a couple weeks ago, and a small earthen dam protecting the lake partially broke, and the lake has slowly drained away.

We don't live right night to the lake.  It's within sight of our house, though.  Well, if you stand at the edge of the far right corner of our yard.  That's as close to luxurious lakeside living as we get.  Now, we don't even get that.

I'm not a reporter, just a musing blogger.  So I don't really know when it will be fixed.  Alison says she has read that it needs to be fixed by spring.  No kidding.  If not, it will become one of the world's largest incubators for mosquitoes.  That stuff is stagnant, and it's gonna get real nasty when it warms up.

I've changed my Christmas wish list to asking for mosquito netting.

UPDATE:  Daylight come, and the lake still be gone

Receding Strait Lines

The waters recede.

Our flood, such as it was, is fading away.

The dam on the lake near us was damaged.  The lake looks slightly drained.  What waters escaped went in the opposite direction of where we live.  Even so, I have mostly heard of flooding on roads, not in homes.  That is a good thing.

Benjamin has gone back to school today, after two weather days.  There are still some closed roads, but not enough to deter school from opening.  They have runned out of free days to take - the rest will cause loss of other days previously scheduled off.  What with the changes due to global warming, they may need to rethink their days off policy.  They may need to move to an "act of God"  standard where some days may not need to be made up. Because I think this is going to happen more and more.

I have to rethink my non-accounting work strategy.

My books and eshorts are not selling well.  This is probably due in part to quality, but also due to incompetence in promotion.  I find it difficult to promote myself.  I am not good at it, and most of the strategies I've considered involve risking more money.  So, although I enjoy writing, it may never provide a way out of accounting.  This saddens me a great deal. 

Will I stop writing?  No, of course not.  Enumeration or not, it is a lifelong passion I cannot stop.

What I do with my writing time, a writing time I need to better structure, that may change.

I need to redesignate the time that I write, and the writing projects I work on, and how I market it what I have.

I spend a good chunk of my writing time preparing and writing pieces for this blog, The Strait Line.

But I have to ask - to what end?

I have well over 1,700 blog postings online.  I am adding three to five posts a week.

To what end?

I keep waiting for my blog traffic to increase, but my average traffic remains stubbornly the same - an average of about 3,000 views a month.  Sometimes it's a little more, sometimes it's a little less.

Most views are under 100.  Some are only around 30.  Sharing makes a huge difference, but people rarely share my stuff.  When they do, like my endorsement of Lisa Ring, or when I publish a friend's child's winning poem, I may get several hundred views.  But for the most part, no one likes, no one shares, no one comments.

I post a ridiculous meme, political or otherwise, the likes and comments skyrocket.  If I post a family picture, the numbers go through the roof.  I'm jealous of my own posts.

So, I don't know what to do.  The Strait Line is still a good engine for publicity (theoretically), but it is also a tremendous absorber of writing time.  I have to rethink things.

I'm not sure how it will come out.  Until I figure out how to make some money out of creative processes, I feel like a failure.  I'm not giving up.  But I have to rethink.

The Strait Line may recede.  Or it may not.

Can't tell yet.