30 April 2007

Thoughts

As I finished typing the previous post, I looked at the picture on my profile and considered my clothing. I'm wearing a Vermont Originals hand-knit wool hat, a 100% wool sweater that was made somewhere in Asia, a 100% cotton "turtleneck" shirt that was made somewhere in Latin America or Asia, and jeans that were made in the United States of America or México (depending on what year I bought them).

Despite the fact that they were not designer clothes, I paid a fair amount of money for the clothing in the picture. Further, most of the clothing was produced in "Third World" countries. In my opinion, purchasing clothing produced in places with less stringent labor laws is not living sustainably. I feel that the same is true with environmental regulations.

The point is that I might say I'd love to live sustainably, but I have little idea what it would be like to actually live that way.

What I'd love to be doing...

Tony Wrench's site about his continuing effort to live sustainably in Wales.

http://thatroundhouse.info/

Two low-impact communities adjacent to Tony also have websites:

http://www.brithdirmawr.co.uk/

http://www.brithdirmawr.co.uk/ysbrydol.htm

Weather update

Through 30 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 100
Days with complete snow cover: 67
Total snowfall: 59 inches (150 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)
Latest date with complete snow cover: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snow cover: 19 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snowfall: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest hard frost: 20 April A.D. 2007
Latest light frost: 25 April A.D. 2007

23 April 2007

Green Grand Prix



The 3rd annual Green Grand Prix:

http://www.glenspeed.com/2007greengrandprix.html

Race organizer Robert Gillespie is a professional artist and local treasure. His credits include the racing murals in Watkins Glen, New York and many wonderful paintings. I encourage you to visit his website:

http://www.glenspeed.com/index.html

Weather Update

Wow! What a difference a week makes. This time last week we were held in the icy grasp of winter. Today, I write from the blazing heat of summer! Last Monday we received nearly a foot of snow. The high temperature that day was 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit). Today, the forecast high temperature is 28° Celsius (82° Fahrenheit).

I think that last week's storm was the last snow we'll see this year. It's makes me a little sad, because winter is my favorite season. Now it's on to summer (or so it seems). Winter hung around so long this year (for the third year in a row) that it's almost as if we've missed out on Spring. The crocuses (or croci) are done blooming, but the daffodils are in full swing. They were severely beaten by the weather, but they're still beautiful!

On another note, I picked up 20 Abies concolor (Concolor Fir) seedlings this past Saturday. They are gorgeous trees that are native to the mountains of the western United States and northwestern México. Remarkably well adapted, they grow as well if not better than Picea pungens (Blue Spruce). I bought the firs to create a "noisebreak" next to the road. They may reach large sizes, so I laid the trees out on a 4 meter (13.1233 feet) spacing.

I saw my first Concolor Fir at the Chautauqua Institution. (See the picture below)

More information on Concolor Firs may be found
here, here, here, and here.



Through 23 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 100
Days with complete snow cover: 67
Total snowfall: 59 inches (150 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)
Latest date with complete snow cover: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snow cover: 19 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snowfall: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest hard frost: 20 April A.D. 2007
Latest light frost: 20 April A.D. 2007

17 April 2007

After the storm...





I awoke this morning to a temperature of 31° Fahrenheit (-0.5° Celsius). Despite the fact that it was still below freezing, much of the snow had compacted. Consequently, when I went to measure the snow depth it was less than yesterday afternoon! At that time we had 10 inches (25.4 centimeters). It snowed furiously for another 3 hours, so I imagine that we had at least 11 inches (28 centimeters) by evening. Not a bad storm for these parts...

Through 17 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 98
Days with complete snow cover: 67
Total snowfall: 59 inches (150 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)
Latest date with complete snow cover: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snowfall: 17 April A.D. 2007

16 April 2007

During the storm...

As was mentioned at Cold Climate Gardening, a significant amount of snow was forecast to fall over our region today...











...this time, the weathermen weren't kidding.

Before the storm...



This picture was taken last week. With all of our cold, cloudy days, this is as close as the Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant's came to opening. They were still gorgeous!

The Holiday



I'm a sucker for romantic comedies, and last Saturday I saw a pretty good one.

I rented "The Holiday" after seeing a preview on the "Casino Royale" DVD. Being especially fond of romantic comedies filmed in the United Kingdom, I couldn't pass on this one. ...and I'm glad I didn't, because it came through in a big way. It was funny, cute, and heartwarming.

So, to all you suckers for romantic comedies, rent "The Holiday;" you won't be disappointed.

13 April 2007

Don Imus

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,265701,00.html

Don Imus, one of the most popular radio talk show hosts in the United States, was fired Thursday evening for comments made about the Rutger's University women's basketball team. Specifically, Imus called the players a bunch of "nappy-headed-hos." (The basketball team is comprised of many inner-city black women)

I have never liked Don Imus. I think that his show was terrible and that he is an arrogant jerk. Nonetheless, I am angered by his firing. Imus was fired because a number of politicians and minorities expressed outrage at his "racist and insenstive" remarks.

What ever happened to the idea that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?"

I first experienced political correctness fanaticism as a high school student in Vermont. As a politically conservative student in an extremely liberal school, I was often chastised by my teachers and fellow students. For example, I was labeled a racist for my opposition to the policy of affirmative action. It was that experience in high school that showed me who the real intolerant people were: those that refused to tolerate alternative view points. Back then, I assumed that such people were limited to liberal places like college towns and major cities. However, in the past seven years, political correctness fanaticism has spread to all parts of the country.

The Don Imus firing illustrates how freedom of speech is being obliterated based on the notion that it is unacceptable to offend others. I acknowledge that Imus' employers have the right to fire him, but I fear that the number of politicians calling for his firing are evidence that we are losing our freedoms of thought and speech. I have no doubt that, one day, it will be illegal to make "offensive remarks." When that day comes, I'll have some mighty big choices to make.

Un poco más de nieva...

Unexpectedly, we got a light dusting of snow last night. It was nothing major, but there was certainly enough to record snow cover...

Through 13 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 95
Days with complete snow cover: 64
Total snowfall: 48 inches (122 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)
Latest date with complete snow cover: 8 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snowfall: 13 April A.D. 2007

Note: The "latest date with complete snow cover" is inclusive of complete snow cover that melts later in the same day.

10 April 2007

Weather Update

Through 10 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 94
Days with complete snow cover: 64
Total snowfall: 48 inches (122 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)

05 April 2007

Pictures, Snow, and More!

I finally got the pictures into electronic form!

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl':









Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant':



This is one of the aberrants:




In other news, we got a little bit of snow yesterday evening. It's the first frozen precipitation since early-to-mid March. That is odd for this time of year, because we usually alternate between rain and snow until April. Nonetheless, we had a heavy dusting this morning when I looked out the window.

Through 5 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 89
Days with complete snow cover: 64
Total snowfall: 47 inches (120 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)

...okay that's enough information for one posting. My mind is still racing with thoughts, but I'll save them for another time.

03 April 2007

Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant'

The first of the Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant' flowers opened yesterday (2 April). There are a couple of odd flowers: one is pale with pointed petals, the other is simply pale. Nonetheless, I am extremely pleased with the little guys. They are smaller than I had anticipated, but they are an incredibly brilliant purple. I highly recommend them!

02 April 2007

Upcoming Post

I did take pictures of my flowers this weekend! I hope to have them posted by tomorrow afternoon!

A Day in Trout County

Yesterday (1 April) was the opening day of New York's stream trout fishing season. Some family members and I went to a couple of small streams in a neighboring county.

The first place was purported to be a naturally reproducing Brook Trout stream. We didn't catch any Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), but my father- and sister-in-law caught a few chubs. The difficulty of the fishing (it was very brushy along the banks) led us to move to another creek in the northern part of the county.

The second creek we visited was almost perfect. It traversed a large plain in a one of the area's major river valleys. The creek contained both wild Brown Trout (Salmo trutta var. fario) and our native Brook Trout. We didn't fish here for long because the weather was poor. Nonetheless, my father- and sister-in-law each caught a beautiful Brown Trout. I wasn't able to get a photograph, but the picture below gives you an idea of how beautiful they were. Still, even this picture does not do the fish justice. In addition to bright red spotting, they had bright red edging on their pectoral, pelvic, and caudal fins. Their ventral fins had bright white edging lined with red.