Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.


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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.


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Misty eyed

Last night a blogger friend had to let a wonderful, sweet, lovable sheltie-girl named Misty go free.  Though we all knew Misty was having some health issues, she’d rallied lately…and we hoped with all our hearts that she’d see another spring.  But it wasn’t to be.

I didn’t go online this morning like I usually do, to visit  blogs while I eat my breakfast; maybe I knew that things might not be going well in Misty’s world…or maybe I was just extra busy.  So it was at work that I began to wonder how Misty was doing, checked Sara’s blog and immediately began to cry.

I never got to meet Misty in person, but she will always have a small part of my heart.  I’m glad she got to go on that great vacation with her brother Oreo (the sheltie-maniac) and her folks this past summer, to spend time along the ocean, sniff the beautiful hydrangeas, take a boat ride.

I’ll always remember the tricks she did, especially the circus elephant, and the way she ran with Oreo through the agility courses Sara set up in the back yard.  I remember someone telling Sara that Misty was a distraction to Oreo when he was in training, and that she should be put inside.  Well maybe she was a distraction but I’m glad now that she got to run and jump as much as she wanted to.

And all this thinking about the beautiful blue merle Misty-girl makes me think about how the world has changed with social networking; how most of us would never have met Misty and her family, would never have laughed out loud at video clips of her trying to do figure eights between her Mom’s legs, or sigh with her in contentment when she found a sunny spot in the yard.  Most of us would never have delighted in her attempts to figure out the latest game or trick, or smiled at her patience when her crazy brother Oreo jumped over her and then back again trying to win a treat if we hadn’t had been lucky enough to be able to read Sara’s blog.

And when the news isn’t so happy, when it makes your heart break and the tears run down your cheeks at work, you might be tempted, for an instant, to withdraw from this blogger world…because you just  become so attached, and being attached leaves you open to feeling such sadness.  But as another blog friend Ellen has said…if you work or live or play in the dog world you’re going to get your heart broken…the more dogs you know, the more dogs you’re going to miss someday.  She’s right.  But she’s also right when she reminds us that it’s all worth it.

So…Misty-girl.  I’m going to miss you.  So much.   I can’t even begin to imagine how your Mom and Dad are feeling tonight.  And poor little Oreo must be so confused.  But even though I’m getting all misty-eyed again,   I have to say that you were worth it.  I’d get to know you all over again if I could.  Even knowing that we’d all have to say goodbye too soon.

Be happy Misty.  Go find Munchkin.  None of us will ever forget you.  And thanks to your Mom for sharing you with us.  Sweet girl.


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Purple memories

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the death of a young woman, killed when a tire flew off of a truck and smashed through the windshield of her car.  She was driving on the beltway near Washington DC, on her way to a doctor’s appointment because she was pregnant with her first child.  She and her unborn child were killed instantly.

Channing’s mother Tracy has become a friend of mine; she’s someone I never would have met if it weren’t for our common tragedy.  A couple of days ago Tracy emailed to remind us all of the anniversary coming up and to ask us to wear purple, Channings favorite color, in her honor today.

All day long Channing has been on my mind.  And as the TV and radio celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s inaugural it occurred to me that two years ago was President Obama’s inaugural.  And that Channing was driving in Washington DC on that historic day.  That she died on that historic day.  Somehow that made the loss worse, though I don’t know why.  To die on a day of such excitement and expectation seems so wrong.  Of course it all seems so wrong.

All day long today I noticed other people wearing purple.  People who didn’t know Channing’s story, people that don’t even know my story.  And each time I caught a glimpse of purple I thought of her, and the waste of potential that is her loss.

Tonight I’ll be emailing Channing’s mom, offering her my condolences, and knowing it isn’t enough.  Knowing that nothing will ever  be enough.

Here’s to Channing’s family today.  May they be comforted that we haven’t forgotten her, and that her spirit lives with us all.


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An evening with 7th graders

Sometimes I am just so privileged.  Tonight I got to spend a couple of hours in the company of amazing musicians, some of whom are barely teenagers.

The community band I play with did a joint concert with 150 of the county’s finest youngsters, all in 7th grade.  Both of our groups had been snowed out for scheduled Christmas concerts, so we quickly pulled together some holiday generic music and …as they say…made sure the show went on.

The two 7th grade bands played before us.  And as I sat in the audience it was as if I was transported back to a time when I was 12 or 13, playing in a concert band, looking out at the bright lights trying to find my parents in the audience.  Tonight as I watched the kids playing it was as if I could see into the past and pick out my best friend playing trumpet, the guy always goofing off in the trombone section, the oboe player a year older than me.

It struck me that these kids looked just like we looked more than 40 years ago.  Tonight, sitting there in the dark listening to the music, I thought about how very little school bands and kids have changed.  Hairstyles may be different, but in their black and white outfits these kids looked just like we did in the late 60’s.

Tonight there were  150 kids up there playing their hearts out just like we did years ago.  And here we were in the audience getting ready to play our own hearts out; in wrinkled clothes we’d worn all day at work, our glasses smudged, our faces showing a bit of wear, but still, playing our hearts out.

And I wonder what those 7th graders thought as they listened to us.  Do they know how soon they too will be middle aged musicians playing in a community band?  Could they guess that they will turn around and suddenly they’ll be watching 7th graders performing and remembering it all as if it were yesterday?  Probably not.  We didn’t.

On my drive home under a full moon I thought about the continuity of life.  How there will always be 7th graders playing for their parents.  Long after I can’t make a sound with my clarinet there will be kids picking up an instrument  for the first time.  And long after I’m gone there will still be auditoriums packed with people, standing room only like we had tonight, letting those kids know how truly special they are.

Music makes the magic continue.  And there’s a real comfort in that.