One of life's surprises.

OK, I just had to post this. The gentleman below is one of our neighbors! He and his wife are the absolute nicest people one could hope to meet. I knew he had extensive knowledge regarding geology but had NO idea he had this kind of background! His wife directed me to the website where I got this information. I sure hope I am as active as he is when I am 80+ years old!

FRED ROOTS, PhD
Polar Issues Expert & Science Advisor Emeritus

Fred Roots is Science Advisor Emeritus to Environment Canada. He graduated in geological engineering at the University of British Columbia, and received his PhD in geology from Princeton University. He was senior geologist in the first international scientific study of Antarctica, the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1949-52: co-leader of Operation Franklin, the major study that established the petroleum potential of the Canadian arctic Islands in 1955; and leader of Operation Stikine 1956 and 1958, the first integrated geological study of the Canadian northern Cordillera. In 1958 he organized the Polar Continental Shelf Project and served as its coordinator until 1971. From 1968 he became involved in discussions of the environmental responsibilities of the Canadian government, which led to the organization of the Department of the Environment. In 1971 he was appointed Advisor, Environmental and Northern Programmes, Department of the Energy Mines and Resources, and in 1973 he became Science Advisor to the Department of the Environment, and served in that capacity until becoming Science Advisor Emeritus in 1989.

Fred has been active in a number of international and non-governmental scientific and environmental activities and researchers. He was a member of the Polar Research Board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences 1970-83 and subsequently on several of its technical committees. From 1979 to 1983 he was President of the International Commission on Snow and ice, served on the Science Advisory Board of the Geophysical Institute University of Alaska 1976-88 (Chairman 1980-84). He was a founder of the International Arctic Science Committee and served as its first President (1991-94) and since 1983 has been chairman of the Northern Sciences Network of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. He is author of over 250 scientific papers and published reports on Polar, environmental and global change subjects. Dr. Roots has a mountain range in Antarctic named after him. His many awards include the Gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin - The Result of Scott Walker's Milwaukee County Privatization

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin - The Result of Scott Walker's Milwaukee County Privatization

Click on the link above. This is happening where I used to live, actually where I spent 90% of my life. Sure makes me glad, once again, to be living where I am living!

Home alarm advice.

I got this in an e-mail and thought it interesting enough to pass along. Seems to make sense.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it.
It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain....
It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around.
After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.
And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.


Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem. Please pass this on even IF you've read it before.

A joke, for a change of pace.

"The woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day.

One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, "You know what? "

"You have been with me all through the bad times. "

"When I got fired, you were there to support me."

"When my business failed, you were there."

"When I got shot, you were by my side."

"When we lost the house, you stayed right here."

"When my health started failing, you were still by my side. You know what?"

"What dear?" She gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.

"I think you're bad luck."

Am I missing out???

I am in a web surfing kinda mood tonight. Don't know why, it just happens. But not like that other thing that 'just happens'.

Anyway, it got me to thinking...I am finding folks that travel the world, move from one country to another like it's moving across town. I'm finding people, women mostly, with the most humorous writing style, sort of like stand up comedy. I want to write like that. It seems part of the style is making fun of the husband - I can do that. Misadventures of children? I have a dog and a cat that I can probably work with. I just found one woman who lives in a beach cottage by the sea in Australia and shops at IKEA. Hey, I live at the Pacific Ocean and there are THREE IKEAs, maybe four, within striking distance. See, how difficult can it be???

OK, gotta go think of some funny husband stories and see what the kids are up to.

High end.

This house is for sale out in our area, kind of the higher end of the market. In case anyone is interested in relocating to East Sooke, British Columbia.

Here are sunsets from OUR house, Dec 1 & 2. The mountains across the water are the Olympics in Washington state. The weather has been VERY nice lately. I've heard that November tends to be the rainy/stormy month, but that does not really explain last December when we received 14+ inches of snow in the two weeks leading up to Christmas. Then we had LOTS of rain and roads were flooded, so I suppose that shoots that rainy November theory all to hell.

December 1.

December 2.