Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice marks the time in the year when the Sun is farthest away from the northern hemisphere, which causes the longest night and shortest day of the year. This links to a map that shows the current position of the Sun and indicates which parts of the Earth are in day and which are in night.

This also means that everyday will have just seconds more of daylight and the slow creep toward spring will begin in earnest.

Congratulations!

Congratulations Barack Hussein Obama on your election! It will be an exciting eight years and I wish you every success. Thank you.

Vote!

Please vote! It is so important that everyone vote -- no matter who you decide to vote for -- PLEASE VOTE!

ALCAN Highway (Alaska-Canadian Highway)

Constructed during World War II the highway connects the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada, the pioneer road completed in 1942 was approximately 1,680 miles from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction. My father worked on this highway and talked about it often during his lifetime and I always enjoyed his stories. I have been going through many of his old photographs from his time in Alaska and I'm going to write a few entries and include some of the photographs. I think it is sad that they killed the bear but think it is interesting that anyone would be so foolhardy!

Colin Powell

It is entirely possible that Colin Powell is going to endorse Barack Obama; apparently he will make his decision after the final debate tonight. I sure hope he decides to do this. I have so much respect of Colin Powell even when he was a member of the Bush administration.

"$3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois"

My friends John McCain is an idiot! Please read the statement from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago:
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement_aboutdebate.pdf

OMG!

I just keep hoping that Palin is some bad joke -- I know that it isn't possible but why? The only thing that Palin shares with Hilary is a vagina so who in their right mind would think that Hilary supporters would migrate to the Republicans just because of a woman VP?

I know I'll be voting for the Democrats!

I am who I am!

Perhaps I am not meant to be anyone's wife. I can love truly, madly, deeply. I really can and do! Loving Roy taught me that above all else. Unfortunately I am so fiercely independent. I can actually be quite happy on my own.

In memory of a very nice man

I just learned of the death of Arthur (Art) F. Kussman, he was 97. I met Art when my father moved to an assisted living facility in Helena, MT -- Art had just moved to this facility with his wife. Art's wife needed more care than he was able to provide for her at home so they both moved to an assisted living facility.

Somehow during this "move-in" period my father and Art met and they became friends -- given that Helena, MT is a relatively small town I was surprised that they didn't already know each other but they didn't. This friendship was the best thing for my father. Art was very patient and seemed to realize instinctively that my father had some serious memory issues (everyone assured me not Alzheimer’s disease but definitely short term memory loss). These memory problems never bothered Art or maybe it just gave him the opportunity to continually retell stories and never bore my father.

It was also wonderful because my father loved being outdoors, something Art also enjoyed so they would take walks and drives around the Helena area (sometimes to the consternation of the nurses and staff especially when they would disappear for prolonged periods of time).

Art was a lifelong Republican and we just finally decided that there were discussion we couldn't have -- he wasn't going to change his mind and neither was I.

I'll miss Art, I only saw him a couple of times last summer and I didn't get back to MT in time to see him but I will remember him and think about him often.

Clinton/Obama -- Obama/Clinton

I'm tired! This campaign is wearing me out and the money that is being wasted! The Democrats need to get this over and focus on winning the election -- PLEASE!

Bobby is the best boy!

I really do enjoy my little dog -- he was suppose to be a toy Yorkshire Terrier, but that is not the case! On his last vet visit on April 1st he weighed 13.66866 pounds and that is all muscle. Considering his rough start he is doing very well and I love him a lot!

I love it!

Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actor!

Governor Brian Schweitzer and Coal

I am really not happy about Governor Schweitzer being such a proponent of Montana pursuing the development of the ultra-clean coal technology in the areas of our major coal deposits in central and eastern Montana. The technology to convert coal into synthetic petroleum products or natural gas has existed for almost a century, and modern versions of this technology offers great promise for reducing American dependence on foreign oil and developing Montana’s natural resources in a responsible manner.

The plant closest to Montana is in Beulah, North Dakota, at the Dakota Gasification Plant the largest gasifier in America. This plant produces synthetic natural gas from lignite coal. CO2 from this process is piped several hundred miles to oil fields at Weyburn, Saskatchewan, where it is sequestered in the process of enhanced oil recovery.

There have to be better ways to plan for our energy future -- the price tag for the new plant will be 4 (four) billion dollars, that is a lot of money!

I am a Rat!

This is the year of the Rat and I am a Rat! Went to Chinatown to celebrate, ate wonderful Dim Sum -- my favorite. Watched the parades, jumped out of the way a madly flung fireworks. So much enthusiasm!