Two walks in two seasons

There's already plenty that's been said about the spectacular weather on this, the first day of spring. What seems so far away is last week's walk in the cold and rain and wind and snow.
On Saturday, March 13, Mike, Lynn, Tess, Sandra, and yours truly joined perhaps 100 folks for the 10th annual St. Patrick's Day Run/Walk to raise money for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education and, specifically, for Tess to attend the Barton camp this summer. We raised $800.

Indoor pictures only because my hands were too cold to operate the camera outside.

Did I mention that we walked in the cold and rain and wind and snow?
There were serious runners in skimpy outfits, serious walkers dressed in wet-weather gear, and the rest of us, grateful for the free ponchos that the organizers provided.
We started off with a walk to the top of a hill and back, followed by a mile or so of sloping decline that meant just one thing - we'd be coming back uphill at the end. We talked and dodged puddles, keeping a good pace because others were doing the same. Folks in warm trucks traveled with us to see if anyone needed help.
The shoulder along the highway was narrow, requiring that we walk single-file much of the way.
The hill that brought us back to the Center isn't much when you're in a car, but after an hour in the cold and rain and wind and snow, well, it is much. If I was walking for myself, I would have stopped and found a ride, but I wasn't so, so I kept going.
We were rewarded with a nice buffet lunch and a chance to talk some more with the people who'd befriended us along the way. Tess saw some folks she knew from last summer.
As we left, we looked around, we were warmed by the thoughts of the girls swimming and singing and laughing in the summer time.
Jumping ahead to this week, the temperature has nearly doubled and the sun is bright. Sandra, Marley, and yours truly took a walk through some local woods.

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'

But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/this-land.shtml

There are just a few clumps of snow hidden in the shade. The river is still running strong, but the mud on the shore shows how much the level has dropped. The pussy willows are budding.
Marley was slow today, good-natured as always, but walking where he'd normally run. We chose trails that had fewer hills, but we still had to contend with a couple of inclines. A stream crosses the path at one point. Marley went to the edge and waded in for a drink. He misjudged the depth and went in chest-deep. I was getting ready to lift him out when he muscled his way back to the firmament.
Tired and wet, but seemingly happy, he kept pace with us the rest of the way, stopping only briefly to chat with Misty, the two-year-old Lab who'd come down from the neighbors' house to visit.
Whatever keeps us going, I guess, keeps us going.

The game of life, as it's really played

How many game pieces are you missing from your life?

Still no cures for cancer or diabetes, but ...

Some generations of Americans will be known as the Greatest Generation or the soldiers who won The War to End All Wars. We've conquered polio, put men on the moon, given sight to the blind, liberated peoples from slavery, starvation, and disease.
This generation faces new challenges and is not afraid. So, while 200,000 people die in Haiti and millions live unprotected against the elements, while the nation is fighting in two wars and trying to prevent more, while hunger and fear keep our children awake at night, the folks at Kimberly-Clark rise to the challenges. They do what all courageous people do:
They took a poll.

Screenshot to spare you the Flash-laden Roll Poll site

America, you want your toilet paper to roll from the top. As reward for your civic responsiveness, Kimberly-Clark will give you coupons on Cottonelle bathroom tissue.

And what's with the puppies?

---

BTW, it's obvious that these folks have no idea how much cats prefer paper that's rolled over the top:

The courage of our imperfections

This morning's article about G.K. Chesterton's visit to Holy Cross reminded me of my one of my mother's favorite quotes:

"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."

Counting on ourselves

From the start, the census clause, Article 1, Section 2, of the United States Constitution has given us trouble. Its goal seems simple - provide a mechanism for determining the population of the states so that the seats in the House of Representatives are properly allocated.

via Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 2

In order to form this more perfect union, the founders had to agree to count each non-free person as 3/5ths of a person for the purposes of determining the populations of the states. That loathsome provision was subsequently modified by the 14th Amendment, giving each American man the right to vote and all Americans to be counted as a full person. (It took another 50 years before women were allowed to vote.)
In the early 20th century, the Supreme Court allowed the government to collect additional information about households and citizens. (See Census in the Constitution - 2010 Census for more information.) It wasn't, however, until the Great Society when local officials started to realize that the census meant money. If we have more people, we get more money from the federal government (forgetting for the moment that the money that the federal government distributes is our money).
So now we have the blatant whoring by just about every elected official, community organizer, and advocacy group, telling us that we need to complete our census forms because we'll get money for it.

via Massachusetts Census 2010: Why Participate?

What are we? Thirteen and we have to get paid to pick up our laundry from the floor?
Dunno about you, but completing the census form is pretty much just a civic duty, like voting. You do it because it's one of the (very small) tasks that are a part of being a participant in civil society.
It's the right thing to do and we shouldn't have to be bribed to do it.

The slow walk out of winter

(via OnTheCommon.com - The slow walk out of winter)

When we reached the top of the first rise on the camp road and saw the unfriendly mix of ice and snow with melting water and soft ground underneath, we opted for the prudent choice. We parked the car and walked the rest of the way.
This wasn't a hard winter for us. We had cold stretches, but only a few times did it dip below zero. We had snow, but the mid-Atlantic states had much more. No, it was a fairly easy winter with not much more left to it.
The ice had started to pull away from the shore. If you looked closely, though, particularly around the dock, you could still see that the ice is still nearly a foot thick.
We're in the cold part of the lake. The northwest winds push the ice into the cove. Elsewhere, the sun and rain have thinned the cover. Queenie, our very own plywood royalty, went for a swim some time on the evening of March 18 (Queen Lake Iceout). When we were at the lake on the 16th, she was still standing tall in the afternoon sun.
Our neighbors reported that there had been a lot of snow on the open ground as recently as the past weekend, but the rain took it away.
Because much of the road is sheltered by evergreens, the warm sunshine doesn't have a big effect on the snow cover. It's the fog and rain that'll do the melting. The forecast suggests that we might have some of that kind of weather early next week. It wasn't a bad winter, but we're ready for spring.

From the paper to the book to the wall to you

Some years ago, Adam, Jenny, and Lily lived next door to Hilary Price of Rhymes with Orange fame. For my birthday, A, J, and L obtained a signed, framed edition of one of Hilary's niftiest drawings:

Screenshot via Amazon.com: Pithy Seedy Pulpy Juicy: Eleven Rhymes with Orange Books in One (9781550227567): Hilary B. Price: Books

The framed picture is over our couch:

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

[Editor's note: There were 19 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday, March 8

4:15 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Chapel St.
11:23 p.m. Bike lying in bushes, Shrewsbury St./Parker Rd.

Tuesday, March 9

6:54 a.m. Caller with questions about cyber bullying
8:11 a.m. 911 report of suspicious motor vehicle, Nelson St.; OK, surveyors
9:31 a.m. Dead animal on Holden St.
9:37 a.m. Sound of explosion and loss of power, Reservoir St.
11:38 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout at post office, Princeton St.
12:40 p.m. Aggressive dog loose on Endover Rd., bit caller and her dog
1:37 p.m. Oil leak at Mayo School, Bullard St.; students evacuated, let back in after ventilation
2:54 p.m. Youths smoking in front of business, blocking entrance, bothering patients, Main St. Youths dispersed
3:54 p.m. Keys found, Walnut St.
4:04 p.m. Report of individuals running into vehicle at bus stop

Wednesday, March 10

10:50 a.m. Trapped skunk, Wachusett St.
3:48 p.m. Suspicious person, Sandy Glen Dr.
6:15 p.m. Suspicious phone call from Main St. address

Thursday, March 11

6:54 a.m. Loose dog possibly limping on Brattle St.
8:27 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Bullard St.
8:18 pm. Deer in road, Reservoir St.
9:46 p.m. Suspicious pedestrian on Main St.

Friday, March 12

10:59 a.m. Deceased deer near causeway, Reservoir St.
12:42 a.m. Suspicious person, Main St.
1:53 pm. Patron tried paying at restaurant with home-printed $5 bill
2:10 p.m. Suspicious man pulled into driveway and asked if he could fix caller’s driveway
4:31 p.m. Kids pulling on field house doors
5:32 p.m. Lost wedding ring in Big Y or parking lot

Saturday, March 13

3:07 a.m. Checking Wachusett St. area for individuals involved in altercation in Worcester, impersonating police officer
2:10 a.m. Tree branch fell on home, Holt Rd.; advised to contact private company

Sunday, March 14

8:00 a.m. Repossession of vehicle
8:49 a.m. Mason Rd. washed out
10:25 a.m. Overflowing drainage covers, Salisbury St.
10:42 a.m. Overflowing drainage covers, Colonial Dr.
11:40 a.m. Flooded basement, Holden St.
11:57 a.m. Ink cartridges and money stolen, Salisbury St.
9:09 p.m. Party changing tire, Main St.
11:48 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Main St; ran out of gas

Paxton

Monday, March 8

2:34 p.m. Police assist woman locked out of her home, South St.

Tuesday, March 9

11:06 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Pleasant St.
11:12 a.m. Suspicious white van selling meat door to door, Ridgewood Rd.
4:58 p.m. Suspicious male left vehicle and now on foot in neighborhood, Suomi St.

Wednesday, March 10

11:20 p.m. Two people walking down Rte. 122 wearing dark clothing, Pleasant St.

Thursday, March 11

10:04 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in front of home, Highland St.

Friday, March 12

2:38 a.m. Motor vehicle stop, summons issued, driver transported to station for ride arrangements, Lawrence St.

Saturday, March 13

5:32 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in driveway, Laurel St.
8:33 p.m. Caller heard single gun shot behind her house, Crowningshield Dr. Believes it might be a transformer

Sunday, March 14

1:34 a.m. Caller reports transformer explosions and fire, Pleasant/Crystal Sts.
3:58 a.m. Person at station waiting to be picked up by family member
10:22 a.m. Two black Labradors loose, West/Suomi Sts.

Princeton

Monday, March 8

7:26 a.m. Report of cat on top of utility pole for three days. Animal control officer and light department notified, Coal Kiln Rd.

Tuesday, March 9

12:05 p.m. Two males ice fishing on Snow Pond, Bullard Rd.; have permission
5:33 p.m. Two children throwing ice balls at passing vehicles, almost causing an accident; police speak to kids and guardians
7:20 p.m. Police assist motorist with directions to Petersham, E. Princeton Rd.

Wednesday, March 10

2:16 p.m. Bumper and registration plate found at intersection, Thompson/Gates Rds.
7:41 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in lot, Main St.

Thursday, March 11

6:25 a.m. Police officer removes tree branch from E. Princeton Rd.
5:51 p.m. Police assist person locked out of his vehicle, Hubbardston Rd.

Friday, March 12

11:00 a.m. Officer removes boulder from Gleason Rd.
11:28 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Beaman Rd.

Saturday, March 13

11:59 a.m. Suspicious person walking on private property, Redemption Rock Trl. Police transport individual to station
7:08 p.m. Police remove tree limbs from Worcester Rd.

Sunday, March 14

7:10 a.m. Report that Beaman Road is flooded
7:35 a.m. Flooding on Calamint Hill Rd. N
7:53 a.m. Caller reports flooding on Ball Hill Rd. Police request barrels be put out
8:10 a.m. Flooding at Hubbardston/Wheeler Rds.
8:28 a.m. Police assist fire dept. at call on Allen Hill Rd for cellar pumping
8:47 a.m. Beaman Road is flooded over; highway also asked to check on Coal Kiln Rd.
9:05 a.m. Police assist with traffic while highway department attends to bridge, Rte. 140
9:25 a.m. Police remove sticks and brush caused by flowing water, Mirick Rd.
4:15 p.m. Police remove branch from Brooks Station Rd.
5:07 p.m. Water flowing over Hobbs Rd.
5:09 p.m. Water flooding Westminster Rd. across Mountain Road and washing out driveway

Rutland

Monday, March 8

3:40 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Pleasantdale Rd.
7:20 p.m. Deer parts in yard, Jamie Ann Dr.

Tuesday, March 9

10:03 a.m. Person at station to be fingerprinted for employment, Main St.
12:17 p.m. Request for assistance with motor vehicle lockout, Main St.
2:33 p.m. Complaint about road closure without notice, Maple Ave./Prescott St.
3:10 p.m. Officer en route to E. Brookfield District Court

Wednesday, March 10

9:10 a.m. Lockout of van with motor running, Wachusett St.
12:22 p.m. Person asking whether plate has been turned in, Main St.
12:56 p.m. Two loose dogs in yard, Hickory Dr.
1:15 p.m. Alert that mock drills will be conducted in state park
1:15 p.m. Caller having problems with cats in her yard, Sunnyside Ave.
1:27 p.m. Two females at station filing complaint about road rage incident, Turkey Hill Trl. area

Thursday, March 11

4:40 a.m. Suspicious youths walking on Maple Ave.
7:05 a.m. Caller reports suspicious behavior of young man near bus stop, E. County Rd.
10:33 a.m. Officer wanted to retrieve town sign on private property, Turkey Hill Rd.
11:33 a.m. Officer asked to escort person to pick up his vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
1:42 p.m. Request for animal control to deal with skunk, Lewis St.

Friday, March 12

6:09 a.m. Caller wants to speak with officer about person sleeping under his barn that he advised is trespassing, Maple Ave.
3:45 p.m. Two dogs bothering children getting off the bus, Central Tree Rd.
6:32 p.m. Missing black cat, Birchwood Rd.

Saturday, March 13

11:31 a.m. Caller says he will file complaint about police harassment, Turkey Hill Rd.
3:05 p.m. Large chocolate Labrador jumped in front of vehicle, E. County Rd.
3:27 p.m. Officer on way to Pommogussett Rd. to keep the peace
4:17 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
5:40 p.m. Dalmatian found at home, Charnock Hill Rd.
11:18 p.m. Suspicious vehicle “lurking” in Maple Ave. area

Sunday, March 14

3:11 a.m. Suspicious vehicle at entrance to state park, Crawford Rd.
5:43 a.m. High water alarm at pump station, Miles Rd.
7:51 a.m. Emerald Rd. washed out
12:30 p.m. Clogged drain, Welch Ave.
4:42 p.m. Notify woman her credit card has been located, Julie Ann Cir.
6:57 p.m. Tree limb in roadway, Emerald Rd. Car tried to get around it and got stuck
10:01 p.m. Report that Miles Rd. is under water

Sterling

Monday, March 8

6:08 a.m. Caller reports rabid coyote walking around back yard, Rugg Rd.
10:30 a.m. Stray dog in yard, Redemption Rock Trl.
11:02 a.m. Sickly-looking dog in Redstone Hill Rd. area
4:13 p.m. Police return loose dog to yard, Squareshire Rd.
7:44 p.m. Contact railroad regarding flashing lights staying on for 20 min. at crossing, Gates Rd.

Tuesday, March 9

10:22 a.m. Three males around vacant house, Redstone Hill Rd.
4:24 p.m. Caller reports seeing youths rolling and smoking marijuana in front of his house, Princeton Rd.

Wednesday, March 10

3:11 p.m. Assist with carseat installation, Leominster Rd.

Thursday, March 11

7:43 a.m. Disturbance at senior center, man creating a problem,
Park St.
9:05 a.m. Male wearing hoooded sweatshirt walking back and forth, Meetinghouse Hill/Laurelwood Rds.
9:21 a.m. Report of lost Akita, Greenland Rd. Dog later returned home

Friday, March 12

11:00 a.m. Several loose dogs in area, Chace Hill Rd.
1:54 p.m. Report of black animal that streaked through yard, possibly fisher, bear or wild turkey, Redemption Rock Trl.

Saturday, March 13

7:24 p.m. 911 call, Lakeshore Dr.; children playing with phone

Sunday, March 14

6:53 a.m. Vehicle off the road, possibly due to water, Lesley Ln.

Supreme Webification

Today the Supreme Court (aka SCOTUS) announced changes to their web site:

• They have a new URL. It used to be www.supremecourtus.gov. The new one is supremecourt.gov. 
• They are also taking charge of their own web work, reclaiming it from the Government Printing Office.

Let's see how the Supremes are doing:

via Supreme Court of the United States

1. You're likely to notice the blank spot in the center of the page. The site has a widget that loads a series of images. The widget is slow and, inexplicably, leaves a blank panel while it's loading the next nice picture.
2. The Javascript fly-out menu for links drops below the bottom of the browser window. You have to scroll down to see the remaining menu items.

More challenging is the PDF press release. It seems that they created a document in some fashion, printed it, and scanned it back to PDF. As a result, the link to the new URL is garbled and useless.

via http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SCt-website-release-3-18-10.pdf
The link points to, and I quote, www.su~remecourt.~.
And, finally, they still have fixed this - Citizens United v. Federal Election Comm'n, but I'm not expecting anything on that any time soon.

A: dam

Q: What do you say when you see freshly-chewed trees near the shore of the small pond near your house?

Fortunately, the rushing water from this week's storm is too strong and seems to have sent the beavers to quieter waters for a while.