Living In the World, Not on It

September 12, 2013 August 2013 came and went without a single Atlantic hurricane. That's unusual, but by no means unprecedented. On average, August has two hurricanes, and the first major hurricane has generally formed by September 4th.  The short version of my conversation with Dr. Gerry Bell, NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster, on the significance of having no August hurricanes is: "We have been fortunate to date, but don’t be fooled. There will be more hurricanes this season. Remain prepared.” As if to prove his point, later that same day, what had been Tropical Storm Humberto intensified into a hurricane. Infrared image of clouds, including Hurricane Humberto, over the Atlantic observed by the GOES-13 satellite on September 11 at 1:45 p.m. Eastern time. The clouds are overlaid on a composite image of the Earth made from multiple NASA satellite images. Image by Dan Pisut, NOAA Environmental Visualization Lab. Bell said that he and his of...

I want to disappear Far from the folks I know I want to get an answer To why I was even born No one here can tell me What's been haunting me all my life Well, this rat race has left me limping 'Cause I balanced on the edge of the knife Why am I here? Oh, what should I do? Well, is this the point I'm trying to prove? If there's a God in my head Then there's a devil too How can I tell the difference When they both claim to be true? Maybe God is God Maybe the Devil is me Well, I just throw my chains on And tell myself that I'm free Chains, are they really there? Is this just in my head? Well, I'll just stay in bed Life sure has its meaning Over years I have postured the sun Thieves and preachers robbed me For many hat that I've hung Now with my heart wide open I listen to the wind just for a word Sure, I know it's futile But that's all I have in this world To look down from the hill and howl at the moon All the tears I cried never...

Luis came home last night and got all bent out of shape that I'd spent all day in bed. He was really ticked off about it. Of course, what does he understand about any of what I am going through? He understands nothing - zilch. He does try from time to time, but truly it is a wasted effort: not because of lack of imagination, but lack of knowledge. He has never missed a day of work in his life. I think he has taken a total of eight sick days with CLS, where he has worked since age 19. He rarely if ever takes vacation, even though he fought hard for CLS to give three weeks (instead of the paltry one) - and let's be honest, here. I was the one who pushed like mad for that. A company is only as good as it's employees, and unhappy employees are not good ones. But I am losing my focus. Luis has never taken any kind of disability - not temporary or permanent (don't be fooled by the term "permanent" as pertains to working. Temporary disability is for six months,...

And two of them are the worst-tempered, egotistical, wretched people in the show. Such a pity. I realise that this is not Hell's Kitchen and they need not work well others and play nice in the sandbox as managers, but still - who wants a woman who is stuck in high school and thinks that beating other women up is the way to handle people and a woman who rides all others as lesser beings and can't be civil to her fellow contestants to win? The answer is no, no one does. Forget the other prizes involved, I don't feel they deserve or can handle the cash prize involved any more than they can handle people. I digress. This is it: we are down to the last five contestants. It is now 4 September (this aired last Thursday; the new episode will air tomorrow night). The new "regular" television season will begin very soon. It is time to wrap this "off-season" chow and move on. We are all ready to see who will (well,  has ) become the new MasterChef. The re...

Happy Mabon! Farmer's Calendar Long before supermarkets and big-box storers, the small town general store was the lifeblood of the community, supplying the townspeople and those living in the surrounding rural area with just about everything that they didn't grow or make themselves. The store usually had only one room with a counter, a butcher's table, and shelves from floor to ceiling that were packed with a variety of goods. Customers could buy staples such as coffee, spices, and baking supplies, as well as locally grown fruits and vegetables that were often brought in by farmers who bartered for needed items. The dry goods section kept patrons well stocked with essentials, including bolts of cloth, sewing materials, shoes, clothing, guns and ammunition, lamps and lamp oils, cooking utensils, and farming supplies. Wooden barrels filled with apples and dill pickles tempted patrons, and jars of penny candy delighted children. Often, the store housed the post offi...