Life in the Mountains

Well, it's another bluebird day in Paradise! We are mostly dug out from yesterdays Snowstorm. Christmas day left us with another 18" of snow here in Bellevue. I finally finished digging out about 7:30 last night.

Today is my wife's birthday. Happy Birthday, Barbara!

The rugged central core of Idaho is a risky place to live. At least, that's the claim from a new report about the chances of being struck down by Mother Nature.
According to the study, Blaine County residents stand a better-than-average chance of being killed by natural hazards like severe winter weather than do inhabitants living in certain other Idaho counties and locations across the country. The study says that residents of Camas County are even worse off, with their chance of kicking the bucket because of natural hazards rising to the highest category included in the dour report.
Published under the innocuous title of "Spatial patterns of natural hazards mortality in the United States" in the International Journal of Health Geographics, the study may make you rethink your outdoor recreation plans, if severe weather threatens. Written by University of South Carolina Geography Professor Dr. Susan Cutter and Ph.D. graduate student Kevin Borden, it assesses which regions of the country experience a higher rate of mortality at the hands of natural hazards like hurricanes, flooding, winter storms, earthquakes and wildfires.
The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The report's findings include a mixture of surprising and not-so-surprising conclusions.
"The regions most prone to deaths from natural hazards are the South and intermountain West," the study authors write.
"Significant clusters of high mortality are in the lower Mississippi Valley, upper Great Plains and mountain West," they state.
The incidence of natural hazards was broken down by 10 regions in the lower 48 states. In region 10, which covers Idaho, Oregon and Washington, severe weather—which the authors tabbed as mortality-causing events with multiple weather factors—made up nearly a third of the deaths. Next up is severe winter weather, the study indicates.

Cutter and Borden do seem to toy with the idea that personal choices may be a factor that controls the safety of those living in more natural-hazard-prone regions of the country like central Idaho.
"An important question is whether people in areas of high mortality know what to do (or what not to do) when a hazard event occurs," they say.

Winter Beauty

It looks like we will have snow for Christmas! We got about 8" last week, and another 10" yesterday and the day before. Everything is still and quiet out right now, and the snow is beginning to fall again.

Our four dogs like the snow, but the cat doesn't! Imagine that!

I am on vacation this week, so will have plenty of time to shovel. Hope our kids can make it here for the holidays. Sometimes, they close the roads for a while, due to blowing and drifting snow. Friday was the last day of school until New Years, but school was closed because of the snow. Our son Will loved it! The snow we are getting almost, but not quite, makes me wish I was a skiier.

We are getting things ready for the big day tomorrow. Santa shouldn't have any trouble getting to our house this year!

These deer were in Ketchum earlier this year, back when we thought we might have winter in November. All the first snow had melted before we got our last 2 storms. It will most likely be with us for the rest of the winter now, though. I expect it will all be gone in the valleys by the end of April.

The Parable of the Monkeys-unknown author

It happened that there were three monkeys in a cage. Suspended at the top if the cage was a bunch of bananas. There was a ladder from the floor of the cage up to the bananas. One of the monkeys, who was both clever and agile and also liked bananas, decided to head up the ladder to grab a banana.
Imagine his surprise (not to mention that of the other two monkeys) when suddenly a fire hose washed down the cage, blasting all three monkeys over to one side. Cold and shivering, the three monkeys regrouped and thought about what had happened.
Monkeys don’t have a real long memory and, after awhile, a second monkey thought again about the bananas and headed up the ladder. Same thing—a fire hose washed all three monkeys over to the side of the cage. They picked themselves up, shook themselves off and hoped the sun would come out to warm them up.
After another couple of hours, the third monkey couldn’t resist and he went for it. Sure enough, same result—fire hose and cold, wet, miserable monkeys.
Finally, all three monkeys became convinced that going for the bananas was a bad idea, and went on with the rest of their lives.
Then the zookeeper drafted one of the monkeys for another exhibit and replaced him with a new monkey. The new monkey arrived, looked up at the bananas, looked over at the ladder and couldn’t figure out why the other monkeys hadn’t gone for the bananas. He headed for the ladder and got about 1 rung up when the remaining "experienced" monkeys tackled him, dragged him to the floor and pummeled him into submission. He quickly concluded that climbing the ladder wasn’t a good idea.
A week later, the zookeeper replaced the second monkey. Monkeys are somewhat single-minded. The new monkey spied the bananas, headed for the ladder, and the remaining two monkeys tackled him and pummeled him into submission.
Finally the third monkey was replaced and, you guessed it, the same thing happened. So life went on among the monkeys and after some time the first of the "new" monkeys was replaced with yet another monkey. Sure enough, the new guy saw the bananas, went for the ladder and his two peers then tackled him and beat him into submission.
Why was that? None of these monkeys knew anything about the fire hose. None of them had ever gotten wet for having climbed the ladder in the quest for bananas. Yet the monkeys had been fully culturalized to know that it was a bad idea. And you could likely go on individually replacing monkeys one at a time forever and expect the same result.
The Parable of the Monkeys can be readily applied to just about every organizational community structure in the human sphere. We can laugh at the silly monkeys, but humans are the only creatures on Earth capable of amassing and arming themselves to fight and die by the tens and hundreds of thousands because another human claims yet another human is building firehoses to keep all the bananas for himself.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set .
They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

U. S. Immigration law proposal

Everyone in the world deserves to be able to take care of their family.
but............
If they wish to do it in this country, immigrants should have to abide by the following proposed immigration laws:

THE FOLLOWING IMMIGRATION LAWS ARE PROPOSED
1. There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools
.
2. All ballots will be in this nation’s language.

3. All government business will be conducted in our language.

4. Non-residents will NOT have the right to vote no matter how long they are here.

5. Non-citizens will NEVER be able to hold political office.

6 Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, no health care, or other government assistance programs. Any burden will be deported.

7. Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount at least equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage.

8. If foreigners come here and buy land ... options will be restricted. Certain parcels including waterfront property are reserved for citizens naturally born into this country.

9. Foreigners may have no protests; no demonstrations, no waving of a foreign flag, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies. These will lead to deportation.

10. If you do come to this country illegally, you will be actively hunted &, when caught, sent to jail until your deportation can be arranged, all assets will be taken from you.

Harsh, you say?.......


The above laws are the current immigration laws of MEXICO

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Idaho Winter

Glad this wasn't my house!


Warning!!
Idaho is an absolutely horrid place to live, with all the daily bear & rabid moose and wolf attacks, the endless days of subzero cold, the never ending snow, and not to mention the jackalope raids! I don't know how anybody can survive here! So, if you've recently eaten, and value a good meal, I suggest you leave immediately! The following blog is very misleading, believe me, you would never want to visit, let alone, live here!


We woke up this morning to another Bluebird day! My thermometer says it is 32 degrees F. uotside. (It sits where the sun can hit it, so it may be off a bit). 2 days ago, we were isolated from the world. All roads leading into and out of our valley were closed due to blowing and drifting snow. We have about 4 feet of snow on the level here in Bellevue. The Sun Valley Ski area claims 93 inches on the top of Bald Mountain. I don't ski, so I haven't been up there to verify that, but would not be surprised. There is enough snow on the surrounding hills to cover all the sagebrush, and most of the Chokecherry thickets. We finally had to get the snow off our roof. The snow load wasn't too bad, but we were building up a serious ice dam. I may try to go out later and remove the snow from my old shed. I built it from 2 X 4 scraps and plywood. It has held up for 3 winters so far, but this one may put a strain on it.

This from the www. 12/24/2008


"From the Diary of a new member of the BACK TO THE LANDers (kalifornians)

Aug. 12 - FINALLY Moved into our new home in N Idaho from busy S Calif . It is so beautiful here. The hills and river valleys are so picturesque. I have a beautiful old oak
tree in my front yard. Can hardly wait to see the change in the seasons. This
is truly God's Country.
Oct. 14 - Idaho is such a gorgeous place to live, one of the real special
places on Earth. The leaves are turning a multitude of different colors. I
love all of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows, they are so bright. I
want to walk through all of the beautiful hills and spot some white tail
deer. They are so graceful, certainly they must be the most peaceful
creatures on Earth. This must be paradise.
Nov. 11 - Deer season opens this week. I can't imagine why anyone would
want to shoot these elegant animals. They are the very symbol of peace and
tranquility here in Idaho . I hope it snows soon. I love it here!
Dec. 2 - It snowed last night. I woke to the usual wonderful sight:
everything covered in a beautiful blanket of white. The oak tree is
magnificent. It looks like a postcard. We went out and swept the snow
from the steps and driveway. The air is so crisp, clean and refreshing. We
had a snowball fight. I won, and the snowplow came down the street. He must
have gotten too close to the driveway because we had to go out and shovel
the end of the driveway again. What a beautiful place. Nature in harmony.
I love it here!
Dec. 12 - More snow last night. I love it! The plow did his cute little
trick again. What a rascal. A winter wonderland. I love it here!
Dec. 19 - More snow - couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work in
time. I'm exhausted from all of the shoveling. And that snowplow!
Dec. 21 - More of that white s### coming down. I've got blisters on my
hands and a kink in my back. I think that the snowplow driver waits
around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. A@@@@le.
Dec. 25 - White Christmas? More freakin' snow. If I ever get my hands on
the sonofagun who drives that snowplow, I swear I'll cast$$te him. And
why don't they use more salt on these roads to melt this crap??
Dec. 28 - It hasn't stopped snowing since Christmas. I have been inside
since then, except of course when that SOB "Snowplow Harry" comes by.
Can't go anywhere, cars are buried up to the windows. Weather man says to
expect another 10 inches. Do you have any idea how many shovelfuls 10 inches is???
Jan. 1 - Happy New Year? The way it's coming down it won't melt until the
4th of July! The snowplow got stuck down the road and the sh--head
Actually had the balls to come and ask to borrow a shovel! I told him I'd broken
six already this season.
Jan. 4 - Finally got out of the house. We went to the store to get some
food and a darn deer ran out in front of my car and I hit the b@@ard.
It did $3,000 in damage to the car. Those beasts NEED to be killed. The
hunters should be able to hunt ALL YEAR if you ask me.
Jan. 27 - Warmed up a little and rained today. The rain turned the snow
into ice and the weight of it broke the main limb of the oak tree in the
front yard and it went through the roof. I should have cut that old piece
of sh)t into fireplace wood when I had the chance.
May 23 - Took my car to the local garage. Would you believe the whole
underside of the car is rusted away from all of that darn salt they dump
on the road? Car looks like a bashed up, heap of rusted cow s>>t.
May 10 - Sold the car, the house, and moved to Florida . I can't imagine
why anyone in their freakin' right mind would ever want to live in the God forsaken
State of Idaho …"