PPCG Workshop: Ronna Sarvas Weltman

Go check out news from the first day of our workshop with Ronna Sarvas Weltman on the Pittsburgh Polymer Clay Guild blog. Visit there again tomorrow to see members' work from the class.

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And, just because it's pretty, here's the redbud tree in my front yard in full bloom! I love the redbud. It hides inconspicuously all year, but then, for two weeks in the spring, you catch a splash of that distinctive orchid-pink color everywhere, in yards and wild woods alike! There are wind-sown babies from this tree throughout the yard. Unfortunately, they like to sprout in the most undesirable spots. I managed to replant one successfully in the backyard, but another is too large to dig up and almost too large for where it is, right next to the road. Another is growing in a tiny crack between the retaining wall and the driveway. I will have to cut it down but can probably salvage another still-tiny tree growing in my flower garden.

This is the view from a few doors up the street from my house (the peaked roof of my front porch is visible at the left edge of the photo.

And in other fun news, I bowled a 148, 122, and 133 on Friday and got the prize for highest average score of the ladies in the group.

Earthquake

The videos from Japan were terribly scary. All the cars, trees, boards and debris that were floating in the water...how many people were in those vehicles or structures and didn't have time to get out of the path of destruction? I saw one car going over the wall of water with its rear wiper going...some poor person was in that car. I can't imagine the fear of being in that situation. Rescuers picked up a man this evening floating on the roof of his house 9 miles out in the ocean among a bunch of debris.
Go look at these satellite images that show the damage. You can slide a bar across the pictures to show the exact same area before and after. A sample of one of them is below:

Look at the photo below...a box of square pastels? No...cargo containers! Each one is 40 feet long and weighs about 6,000 lbs. or more empty. The power of nature is awesome, and I don't mean that in a good way.

And now the nuclear reactor problems, as if the nature stuff wasn't bad enough. It's going to take a long time to rebuild. I can't do anything physically to help but I can donate so that's what I do, whenever there's a natural disaster somewhere.

Cool Video: Birds Flocking ("Starlings on Otmoor")

I am always fascinated when I happen upon a flock of birds flowing and swooping in one giant swirling wave. Last night it occurred to me that there are probably videos on YouTube that I could watch. And boy, were there! Apparently, Starlings frequently exhibit this behavior (called murmuration) in massive groups. Check out this amazing video. (The big action on this video starts at the 2:00 minute mark if you're in a hurry). I would love to witness this in person some day!

Another video shows that the birds may do this as a protective measure from predators, like a "fish ball" in the ocean. But I like to think that birds are just having fun using the wind as the tracks on their own avian roller coaster.

New bead: SeaChrysalis

Electricity!

I awoke to a 50-degree house this morning and discovered that the power was out due to the ginormous snowstorm that hit the east coast last night.

The power was not totally out, however. Lights came on at half-brightness and the TV would stay on for a short while then cut out, but the blower on the furnace wouldn't work at all. As the day went on, the house got colder and colder.

When the sun came out I took advantage of the warmth to shovel the driveway. There was about 17"...over the top of my snowboots to just under my knees.  See more pictures on my flickr page.

The temp inside was down to 44 degrees this evening when the power finally came back on around 7pm. I was already under the covers (+ 4 extra blankets) reading by half-light wearing sweatpants and socks, a long-sleeved t-shirt, sweatshirt and hoodie with a blanket over my shoulders. I also had the water dripping from two faucets to prevent freezing.

Thank you for getting my power back on, Duquesne Light linesmen!