Living In A Perfect World

]]> http://www.morningtower.net/2010/02/26/a-perfect-world/feed/ 0 http://www.morningtower.net/2010/02/23/a-good-quote/ http://www.morningtower.net/2010/02/23/a-good-quote/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:04:23 +0000 Valarie http://www.morningtower.net/2010/02/23/a-good-quote/

“The truly humble soul must sincerely desire to be despised, derided, persecuted and falsely accused. How else can he better imitate Jesus Christ? Oh! how wise he will one day be acknowledged who on earth was happy to be regarded as unworthy of the approval and even the good opinion of others!”
~St. Teresa of Avila~

I have been working on my genealogy today, and that has been fairly rewarding.  In particular I have been trying to learn more about the Estes branch of my family.  We are descended from David Shipton Estes (1776 – 1861).  I have some very old photographs from my great-aunt Bobbie’s “Adams Album”, that are simply labeled “Estes Family Members”, but nobody knows who they are.  So I am hoping to find names for the faces.  I will post them here, because who knows?  Stranger things have happened!  They are scanned from the original tintypes.  If anyone researching Adams, Estes/Eastes or even Freeman families sees these and recognizes them, please let me know who they are!!

Stu Ostro, Senior Meteorologist at the Weather Channel has written some great articles about El Nino.  The following excerpt is from “Oh no, it’s El Nino!” which he published on September 14, 2006:

WHAT EL NINO IS

-A climate phenomenon that influences weather patterns. It specifically refers to above-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean (such as those highlighted in the recent map above).

-The opposite of El Nino (below-average SSTs in that portion of the Pacific) is known as La Nina. When SSTs are near average, that is called the “neutral phase.”

-El Nino and La Nina are related to both SST changes and the natural ebb and flow of trade winds across the tropical Pacific. The associated fluctuation in atmospheric pressure is known as the Southern Oscillation. The whole oceanic/atmospheric process is known as ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation).

WHAT EL NINO IS NOT

-A storm. A flood. A drought. A hurricane. A weather event or pattern. (At times when its influence is particularly strong, such as when a very active southern jet stream and storm track are present during winter, that is sometimes referred to as an “El Nino pattern,” El Nino being a descriptor of the related, predominant weather pattern. However El Nino itself is not a weather pattern per se.)

-Abnormal or bizarre. Both El Nino and La Nina are a natural part of our world, and have likely been so for many thousands of years.

-The sole cause of individual weather events or the sole influence upon seasonal weather patterns. (The water/land/atmosphere/sun climate “system” is very complex.)

-Something that necessarily increases the amount of weather and climate calamities. There are certain locations that do typically experience specific kinds of impacts such as drought or flooding, but plenty of extremes and disasters of all kinds occur around the world when El Nino is not present. El Nino just tends to shift them around.

WHAT EL NINO DOES

-El Nino has a direct effect upon the atmosphere over the tropical Pacific.

-It has an indirect influence upon weather patterns in other parts of the world, including in and near the United States. The strongest influence in North America is during the “cold season,” i.e. from late autumn through winter and into early spring.

-The degree of this influence at any given time and place depends in part on El Nino’s intensity, which can vary, and on other weather and climate factors.

Meanwhile, in other news:  it’s supposed to snow again tonight, but only an inch or so.  We used to get so excited about the possibility of an inch or so of snow.  Now, not so much.  I am so looking forward to warm weather!

The sounds we hear inside the house are disturbing.  Popping. Crackling. Crunching.  But stepping out onto the porch is downright terrifying.  Our yard looks like a war zone, and it sounds like one, too.  Every time a big branch or tree goes down, it snaps and sounds like gunfire.  The dogs are so frightened they won’t come out of the basement.  I don’t blame them.  I just saw a small branch, a stick, really, fall to the ground. After bouncing back and forth off of a few branches, it broke free from the tree and hurled itself to the ground with dizzying speed.  Had there been any living creature where it landed, it would have impaled them.

Our driveway is an obstacle course, but still navigable.  I have some doubts about it staying that way all night.  We have friends who are prepared to bring a chain saw over and dig us out, but not just yet.  It’s too dangerous for any real clean-up to begin.

Across the street, a smallish branch fell onto one of the power lines, causing some pretty serious sparks and smoke for almost an hour.  It seems to have gone out now.  We still have power, and internet, which amazes me.  I am grateful for that.  Especially since USA Network is starting an NCIS marathon at 6:00 tonight.  Hate to miss out on that!!

Anyway, am posting some pictures.  Since Gaylon got me that wonderful new Canon EOS Rebel Xsi camera for Christmas, I absolutely must document everything that happens around here!  And, while I’m thinking about it:  special thanks to Kyle P. for changing the settings on my site so that I could upload larger files!  The pictures from my new camera are really clear and the files are much larger than my old camera.  My site was set to only allow uploads of 2 mg or less.  Kyle set it so I can upload pretty much any size file now. Yay!

I remember as a child fantasizing about snow like this.  As a teenager and young adult I always hoped for snow like this, because it meant the ski slopes would be amazing!  But now, I really can’t find a good reason for it.  It’s cold, it keeps us homebound, and when it finally does melt, it is really muddy!

Snow On Our Back Deck

I’ve made a lot of cracks about Global Warming, and how I think it’s ridiculous.  At this point, I think I might actually clock anyone who tries to tell me that it’s real.

Oh, and one more thing: they are calling for more snow next week, when I go pick Gaylon up in Charlotte at the airport.  I am really praying that it doesn’t happen.

It is such a delicate little thing, and really lovely.  I took some pictures, and wanted to share.  I’d never seen anything like it before.  Lishi told me it was a “Snowdrop”, which I think is the perfect name, since it’s snowing today!  How wonderful of God to create little flowers, just for the snow. I’m impressed!  (I am posting a couple of pics of the snow, too.)

A potentially crippling winter storm is expected along I-40 from New Mexico to North Carolina through the weekend.  ~weather.com~  1/27/2010

Yeah.  Just what I wanted to hear.  Our Christmas party was canceled due to a blizzard that left over eight inches of snow on our back deck until the rain finally washed it away about a week ago.  Now they are predicting another storm, which will probably force me to cancel my “Catholic Homeschool Moms Night”.

Frustrating.  Very, very frustrating.