Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.


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People ask me why

When some people hear that I work on truck safety issues they ask me why.  I have several reasons, most of which you’re heard here before.

I talk to people, write about issues, call, visit and email my government representatives, attend meetings and travel because all of that gives me something to do with my anger and my grief.  Even after six years the pain is just below the surface and still surprises me by its intensity.

I also do it to honor my Dad who was always there for all of us.  I do it because unlike government he wouldn’t spend years studying and talking about safety, he’d just fix stuff.  One of the last things he did the week before he was killed by a tired trucker that December was to add handrails to unsafe places in his church.  Because he saw a safety hazard and he knew he could fix it.  So he did.

Just last night, on my way to bed I heard on the nightly news about a pregnant couple, driving to visit his parents with her parents in the car, who stopped on the freeway this past snowy Saturday afternoon because there was an accident up ahead.  A semi hit them from behind.  The pregnant mother is dead, the baby born without a heartbeat is on life support.  Another family is spun deeply into mourning.

And that’s why I do it.


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The 2nd annual Great Valentine Caper

As most of you know we have an aunt who is in her late 90’s.  She lives alone in an apartment and has become afraid to venture too far away on these cold winter days.  With her eyesight failing, and her hearing long gone she’s feeling more and more isolated and lonely.

Last year I asked all her relatives to send her Valentines…and they did!  She received over 20 cards during the days surrounding Valentines Day.  The cards came from across the country and were a complete surprise to her. The cards and the short messages written inside gave her endless pleasure long after the day was gone and most of us had forgotten all about the caper.  You can read the original blog entry here…and about the results here.

So this year I think we should do it again…and maybe our experience will inspire you.  Look around, see who might be lonely, a little sad, feeling a little left out.  It doesn’t have to be someone elderly, but look there first.  Sometimes we get so involved in our busy lives that we forget the elders that were always there when we needed them.  As we move on, we need to take care we don’t leave them behind.

But anyone who needs a lift would be delighted to receive a few (or more than a few) cards from people that care about them and snail mail is a lovely way to show you care.  For the price of a card and a stamp you can make someone’s day.  Who wouldn’t like to do that?

Think about it.  Isn’t there someone in your life who would smile at opening the mailbox and finding something besides bills and junk mail?  What have you got to lose?  Organize a Valentine’s Caper of your own, or just send a single card.

Take a moment to tell someone you love them in a tangible, good old fashioned way.  Not only will it make someone smile, it will make your day too.

And I, for one, can’t wait to hear all about your ventures!


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Katie and the transformer

For several weeks we’ve had issues with electricity here.  Lights flicker, fade, then grow bright again.  It’s almost like we’re trying to read by candlelight.  The problem is intermittent…and of course on the many visits by Detroit Edison nothing was wrong.

Meanwhile Katie has gotten freaky on some of her trips outside to do her business.  Her Dad says she’ll ask to go out and prance to the path he’s dug for her in the snow.  She’ll run down to the end just like normal, then get wide-eyed and pull hard back to the house without getting her job done.  We were getting worried and considering whether or not she should visit the vet.

Then this week an Edison crew came out to check the transformer that sits on our property about 20 yards away from the end of Katie’s path.  Husband says that when they opened it up and began discussing what might be wrong it started to hiss and pop.  Seems we had a bad connection that created intermittent brownouts.

And while it was popping and hissing it was emitting a high pitched sound.  One we couldn’t hear but we think Katie could.  Because since the transformer has been fixed Katie is back on schedule, doing her jobs with no problem.  She is so happy now and so pleased with herself when she accomplishes her objective.  We’re pretty happy too because we’ve solved two problems at once.

Perhaps we should contract her out to Detroit Edison to help them figure out which transformers need work.  She’s our very own electrifying sheltie-girl.


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Did you say "snow?"

So how does 9.5 inches of snow change a person’s normal routine?  Pretty much in all ways you can imagine.

That’s how much snow they say we got around here, less than the predicted 10-15 inches…and we’ve cleaned up faster than they figured we would.  But still I am behind in my normal emails and blogging.

I spent Tuesday night at a hotel located within a mile of the office.  I couldn’t see my car that night, parked out behind the building, and I had no landmarks or other way to measure the accumulating snow.  But I could hear the wind howling all night so I wasn’t too surprised Wednesday morning to find my car encased in it’s own little snowdrift.

Too bad I didn’t have a camera.  But suffice it to say that I wasn’t going to be able to get in the car and drive to work.  And I didn’t have a shovel with me.  Silly me.  So I used my ice scraper and my feet to pull most of the snow away from the front of the car.   The mile drive was pretty slippery and I’m glad I didn’t have to drive further.

It snowed all afternoon Wednesday, and I worried about the drive home.  But the main roads had tracks in them and we all drove slow so it wasn’t too bad.  Thursday morning I left home extra early and found that once I got out to the main road the drive was fine.  So I ended up at work extra early.

All this driving, getting up early, leaving in the dark, coming home after dark takes its tole.  Wednesday I fell asleep on the sofa after my commute and slept all night.  I haven’t actually seen the snow here at home, haven’t been here in daylight yet.

Katie tells me it’s very deep.  Her Dad had to dig out several paths for her to do her jobs.  She wants to know when we get to go on another adventure.  I told her maybe tomorrow.

Or maybe I’ll just take a nap.


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Stop heavier trucks

I don’t have much time, as I need to start my commute to work early…but I got an email last night from the Truck Safety Coalition asking for help opposing a bill.  I’ll just cut and paste it here.  If you can, contact your Senators to voice your opposition to Senate bill S-112 which would allow exemptions for trucks up to 100,000 pounds (normal trucks are limited to 80,000 pounds) on Maine and Vermont highways.

If you wonder why worrying about highways in Maine and Vermont effects YOU…well…if they get permission to drive there, they’ll work on the adjoining state, and then the next one, and then the next.  So we’re trying to stop larger trucks NOW.

They’ve had a year of a “trial” period in these two states and they are trying to make that permanent.  We’d like to see the trial end now.  Below is what I received:

UPDATE: ACTION STILL NEEDED TO PREVENT EXEMPTIONS

January 31, 2011

UPDATE: Thank you for your efforts to keep a continuation of the Maine and Vermont one-year exemption to the federal truck weight limit out of the 2011 Appropriations Continuing Resolution.  This victory is great news, but we must continue our efforts.  Senator Collins just introduced a bill that would give Maine and Vermont permanent exemptions, S. 112.  We also expect a major push for permanent exemptions when the Continuing Resolution expires on March 4th.

TAKE ACTION NOW:  Please call or email your Senators and ask them to oppose S. 112 and any attempts to give Maine & Vermont permanent exemptions to federal truck weight limits.  If these states are given exemptions, special trucking interests in neighboring states will then seek exemptions and soon there will be 100,000 lb. trucks throughout the country.

To contact your Senators, go to www.senate.gov and

in the top right corner, click on your state.

TALKING POINTS:

  • Daphne Izer, Parents Against Tired Truckers Co-Chair, recently submitted an op-ed to the Bangor Daily News which was printed on Jan. 27.  http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/01/27/opinion/heavier-trucks-hazard-to-maine-roads-people/ Daphne makes several compelling arguments – please use them for talking points.  Also, at the end of the op-ed, there is a place to submit comments.  Supportive responses would be greatly appreciated.
  • The chances of a large truck crash resulting in death and serious injuries increase with each extra ton of weight over the 80,000 lbs. GVW limit in federal law.  Heavier trucks take longer to stop and roll over more frequently.
  • Overly heavy trucks, particularly 100,000 lbs. trucks, dramatically underpay their fair share of taxes and user fees for the repair of U.S. roads and bridges.  States and Congress are already struggling to find funds to address the backlog of road and bridge needs across the country.
  • Supporters of the exemption claim that a permanent exemption is necessary because the federal weight limit of 80,000 lbs. places Maine and Vermont at a “regional disadvantage.”  However, by securing exemptions for Maine and Vermont, the trucking industry is laying the groundwork for other states to request similar exemptions.
  • The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) reported that 36% of Maine’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and 29% of its major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.  Similarly, 39% of Vermont’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and 40% of its major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.

Heavier Trucks Mean Bigger Safety Problems

For More Information, contact the Truck Safety Coalition, 703-294-6404

Daphne’s son, his girlfriend and two other friends were killed many years ago when a truck driver ran over the top of them as they were sitting on the side of the freeway after having car trouble.  One teenager survived.  Daphne has spent her life since then making our roads safer.  She lives in Maine.  You can see her story on video at the Truck Safety Coalition website:  http://www.trucksafety.org

I know this is rambling, but I have to go.  It’s snowing out and I have a long commute.  I’m probably staying in a hotel down near work tonight, so I won’t have access to anything.  Everyone…stay safe during this storm.  Stay off the roads if you can.  Hugs to you all.


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Sunshine, snow and Katie's excellent adventure

When the sun shines snow doesn’t seem so bad.  And today we had sunshine!  So Katie and I went out for an adventure.  On the drive I noticed how beautiful the sky was.  It felt so good to see the sun.

We drove up to a little park in a town I used to work in.  We had the park all to ourselves.

Mostly it was a packed trail where some people had walked their dogs, and others had cross country skied.

Katie had lots of places to investigate, so we weren’t exactly moving at an aerobic pace.

It was a beautiful day in the woods…

…and in the fields…where I found a little tiny bird’s nest.  Katie got mad at me because I went off the path and she had to wade in snow up to her chest.  The next time I found something I wanted to photograph she told me she’d just wait up on the path, thank you very much Mom.

We got to chase a squirrel, both of us running at top speed across the snow.

The squirrel got away, but Katie wasn’t giving up.

When we got to a “T” in the path quite a ways away from the car I wanted to turn back.  But Katie wasn’t having any of that.  She didn’t want to waste a good walk going back over the trail she’s just covered.  So we went further around the big loop instead.  Cause Katie’s in charge don’t you know

We headed home along a steep ridge.  At one point Katie thought we should go down a steep hill.  Which she did.  Then she sat and watched a lady walk along the path on the other side of a creek.  After the lady went by Katie looked over her shoulder at me and all I had to do was motion her back and she ran right back up the hill.  Such a good girl.

We also did a bit of recall…just to see if she remembers.

Of course she does.

We had just the best time, she didn’t want to go back to the car, but I was cold and damp and hungry.  So she graciously allowed me to put her back into her crate.

We’re pretty sure we’ll go back to that park again this winter.  They’re predicting 10 to 15 inches of snow day after tomorrow.  Can’t wait to see how she feels about snow when it’s deeper than she is tall!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We sure did!  Katie sends kisses.


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Snowshoes and Katie-girl

Inspired by PJ over at Books in Northport I dug my old snowshoes out of the basement this morning.  With a few more inches of fresh snow overnight I thought it would be fun to  goof off with Katie in the yard.

She’s never seen snowshoes before, so I was curious how she’d feel about them.  I went out first, got them on and plodded to the back of the yard.  Then husband “released the dog” and she raced out to see me.

At first she was curious about what was on my feet.

But pretty soon she was into the game of frisbee.

Though she also liked following me around, walking in my wide trail and pouncing on the back of the snowshoes.

And especially fun was digging and routing through the snow looking for..

…well, I don’t really know what she was looking for..but obviously it was very interesting!

There are lots of places to explore in the yard…

…but eventually snow began to ball up on her legs and underside…and it was time to go in.

But we’ll be out again soon, right baby?

Cause this was really FUN!


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Hope

This was going to be a Wordless Wednesday…but I had to get my food blog up…

So I present these photos as a sign that spring can not be that far away… even though some of you are getting buried (yet again) by winter’s wrath.

The first is a sign in front of our local nursery…and the second is inside my local grocery store.

Time to smile.  There is hope.


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Food photography

I’ve been trying, really trying, to photograph food.  You’d think it would be easier than photographing a moving object….say a sheltie or something.  But in reality I’m finding it much more difficult.  Here are the best photos I’ve taken so far…but I have a long way to go!

My first idea was to use ice cream.  Why?  Because I love ice cream, and I had this interesting plate…and it should go beautifully…right?

Well.  Not so much.  Ice cream melts, I didn’t have the right lighting…and though I liked the reflection of the ice in the plate it just didn’t work.  So I moved on.

Then I made some soup.  Soup doesn’t melt…should go beautifully…right?

Well…I didn’t have the right light…the chunkier parts of the soup sank, so I added some red bell pepper for color..but still…I moved on.

In my fridge was a beautiful head of cabbage.  I thought the colors in the leaves were wonderful.  Cabbage is food…right?

But is this food photography?

I wandered into the grocery store…and fell in love with more vegetables.

Have you noticed how they arrange produce in store lately?  It’s just so beautiful, like artwork.

Have you ever seen orange beets?

Or noticed water droplets on the purple cabbage?

But is this food photography?

What about the farmer’s market…

…do you see the purple green beans?

And don’t you miss the fruit of summer?

But really…back to food photography.

Finally I made a cake just to see if I could photograph it.  Sometime I’ll show you the whole cake baking event.  It took me most of the day.

But for now…because this is getting more than long enough…here’s the cake.

I’m still struggling with the lighting..but I suppose this is more what food photography is supposed to be about…because this one makes me want to stop writing and go have a piece.  A big piece.

Yum.