Autumn & Jerry » Environment

It’s a Cruel Summer

Autumn — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:50:33 +0000

I think this is the hottest June of my life. It is not unusual to have scorcher days in July & August, but this is becoming the new norm. Everyday holds a heat index of 100-plus-degrees, and the summer has really just begun! Already, a good family friend of mine who works outdoors has been hospitalized with heat exhaustion. I worry about all the guys I know who make their living in the sun, my dad included. I think we’re in for a long, hot summer…gotta remember to hydrate & be sun smart. Oh, and to get our AC repaired ASAP. Can’t believe it conked today…the worst possible time of the year! Apparently we are waiting in a long line of desperate, sweaty homeowners. Fingers crossed that we get a phone call & some good news in the morning!

Running outside has become impossible, even when getting up & out by 6am. The air is soup, the sun only cooks it. This week brought a return to the campus gym and the trusty treadmill. Not the most interesting way to run, but it feels so good to be moving my body again! : – )

Heartbreaking

Autumn — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:45:04 +0000

I cringe every time I see a picture, a news clip, or this live video stream of the BP oil spill. I simply cannot believe that BP and the other companies involved did not have a solid plan for this type of disaster. If these corporations were unable to come up with something definite in order to prevent a spill back in the “what if” stage of this entire venture, then they never should have considered drilling at this level. You can’t pretend that things never go wrong. Especially when an entire planet is involved. My planet. Your planet. Our only planet.

Today began another attempt to curb the spill, and I am anxiously awaiting the results of this one. I can only hope the results will be positive and successful for once. I am floored, flabbergasted, sad, worried. I don’t really think there are words for this situation. I wonder what the long term effects will be? Scary.

Nesting

Autumn — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:10:19 +0000

This little birdie has made our front porch her home while she starts a family. It’s impossible to get a picture of the baby birds since they go into hiding with the slightest bit of movement or noise, but you can see the mama bird guarding her nest here. She’s been watching our every move for quite some time now, and we enjoyed checking on this little family every day. Guess those babies got big enough to fly in the past couple of days, because now our flower basket is empty. Birdies are the only things that have ever grown in it, so I hope they’ll come back. We’ll leave the light on for ya! ; – )

Beautiful Spring

Autumn — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:38:15 +0000

This is why I didn’t get anything accomplished last weekend when it came to being productive with schoolwork. As you can clearly see, the sun was out and the flowers were in full bloom. It was warm but not hot. The sky was clear & blue. The Cherry Blossom Festival was in full swing. It was a perfect weekend to play outside! And that’s just what I did.

P.S. Welcome, April! Hope you bring lots more beautiful springtime weather & adventure. <3

More Quakes

Autumn — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:32:09 +0000

This time, much farther from home. Italy has suffered a major quake that claimed lives and left much destruction. May our thoughts be with them today, and for the many days ahead that will involve search, recovery, mourning, and rebuilding.

Whaaa? Earthquakes in Georgia?

Autumn — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:40:52 +0000

According to the local news, within 10 minutes of each other not 1 but 2 earthquakes struck Central Georgia yesterday afternoon. I didn’t even know earthquakes were possible in this region! Apparently, both have been confirmed by the United States Geological Survey and magnitudes registered a 3.1 & 2.2, respectively. Some people reported cracks to the foundation of their home…wowzers. I am not sure I am comfortable with the course weather is taking these days. It seems there are no longer boundaries nor givens. Not to mention the local forecast including chance of flurries in this week (in April!), or the ice bridge that collapsed in the Artic recently…all very interesting, but in an extremely unsettling way.

Keep it together, Mother Earth. One of these days the resistant/ignorant people will wake up to reality and join the forces that are trying to help undo all the bad we’ve done.

Spring is Coming…

Autumn — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:01:16 +0000

Or, as she put it so well that I just can’t bear not to share it here, too:

“Time for fresh starts, flowers, warm days, cool nights and even thunderstorms. Mother nature is brewing up quite the romance cocktail…”

Yes, indeed.

This photo was taken in our backyard – these lovely little things popped up right after the snow melted a couple of weeks ago, and are still going strong. A sweet little sign of the growth & color that is to come, and the warmth that brings things back to life. All that said, and it’s been a very cold & rainy weekend. I miss the sunshine! We were teased with it for a few days this week, and then I literally made an overnight transition from a flowing skirt & tank top to a sweater & boots. Even still, I enjoyed one last wood-burning fire at my parent’s house this afternoon with a cup of coffee in hand & good friends visiting from Florida (with their adorable baby girl!!!). It was a good weekend, rain or shine.

It was a dark & stormy night…

Autumn — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:13:25 +0000

and I spent it at work! I suppose the 5th floor of a large hospital is a much safer place to be than in my own house, but there is something quite disconcerting about being responsible for yourself plus several injured & ill people during inclement weather. We started the shift by moving all the patient’s beds away from the windows and closing all the blinds due to the tornado warning announcement. And then my shift just took off from there…a busy night, but not a bad one. And, thankfully we were safe & sound as far as the weather goes – some outbursts of wind & rain, but nothing compared to what transpired just north of us. Scary, and much too close to home…or work!

Check out this article, and don’t miss the photos & video footage of funnel clouds someone submitted. Craziness. And, yes – there is something seriously wrong about a 70 degree day that gives way to severe storms and a 28 degree night just one short span of hours later…I am not sure how anyone with a brain can doubt global warming. I mean no one wants it to exist, but it can’t be denied or written off as myth. February tornadoes? They are least common in the winter, and there have been several counts in the past month or so. Eek…not a pretty scenario at all.

So, on a much sunnier note, I think you should check these guys out! They are one cute & talented couple!

Photo courtesy of Dave Marshall via 13WMAZ.

Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Autumn — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:55:38 +0000

Ever since the groundhog saw his shadow, it’s been feeling very wintry! Check out that temp – and it feels like 12 degrees! I believe it, having just come in from work & the gym. Brrrrr…it’s time to crawl under the beloved electric blanket and catch a nap to warm me up.

Hooray for 3 days off from work!

It’s Cold & We’re Crazy

Autumn — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:41:18 +0000

Yes, last night brought record-low temperatures for our region, but today we shall be venturing out of town to meet some friends for a photo stroll. An outdoor photo stroll. Yes, we are crazy. But maybe, just maybe, we’ll take some ultra-amazing photographs. Or maybe our fingers will be too numb to find the right buttons on our cameras. Wish us luck either way