Mo' Rain..

Another batch of rain started about midnight and is mostly done, for now. Overnight events seem to be he timing on these systems. 0.6" with first round, guessing about the same last night. More coming as what's out in WVa slides our way. Sun..?? Tuesday?

5.3 quake not far from Anchorage earlier today likely stirred some nerves in the 49th state. No tsunami, didn't check on damage reports. Iceland still shaky, California central Sierras with a few, one in Nebraska?? Huh?? None around Puerto Rico. Usual boundary shakes around the world with no biggies.

Sun continues to roil, but no CME blasts aimed at Earth. Moon, again, made for cool cloud lighting overnight, more of the same coming.

TrumpVirus death numbers down a bit yesterday; Va ties Cali for daily death total at 185. Again, not good news for the Old Dominion, especially with the lame vaccination programs currently oozing along.

Here's a shot of what happens when lots of ground water meets cold air..

Stay safe and dry out there..Today On Earth!!

Rain Lull..Not With TrumpVirus Deaths

Are we entering the Super bowl surge? Cali, Texico and Virginia lead the death list for yesterday..nice job Old Dominion, make us proud. 2,266 dead Americans yesterday, 510,000 total dead, over 78K new cases, so even as vaccinations seem to rise and J&J enters the vaccine club, Americans are still spreading the virus and dropping like flies. Maybe not quite the time to open the country to full party mode..the only normal remains, put a mask on your face, stop the virus flying round the place.

The annual collection of whining, clueless, plan-less rubes is meeting, cpac (crazy people attack committee) opens with Dread Cruz, who obviously thinks he's a stand-up comic..pathetic is not funny, traitorous is not funny, he is not funny, just sad. While, as the senator from Taxus should be home helping out, a million folks there still boiling water, and likely being overcharged by the power company to do so..if they actually have power, and he's ranting to a gang of idiots. Got no shame, spew the blame, got no plan..you republican. Recent pretender in chief makes an appearance later in the weekend, new lies or more of the same..he's not real creative or clever so likely just a rehash of his election conspiracy lies and poor me, treated so bad, send me more money; same con, same as it ever was.

Earth spins on, our wet night over, sun even trying to peek through the clouds. More rain expected tonight, tomorrow and into the start of March on Monday. Cool still but southern air is on the move, temps expected to rise as Saturday rolls on, even warmer Sunday. Tuesday morning seems our next shot at freezing temps. There was snow in the Shenandoah Valley yesterday but it's all rain for Va from here on out.

Several small shakes in Taxus, not far from Rio Grande, normal? (it is a rift zone) or fracking/salt water injection quakes? Iceland with more 5+ and 4+ shakes near the capital and its volcano..not good news there. Aussie/Pacific boundary with usual array of subduction moves but 5.6 near Fiji is only one other than Icelandic shimmy above 5 on the planet today.

My new Revo shades coming in handy as the sun actually breaks through. A bit lucky to get them, fedex driver too lazy to walk 50' around the house to bring to the door, left them laying off to the side in my driveway, wonder if he/she even got out of the truck or just tossed them out. I barely saw them laying there..by then in the rain.

Sun is mostly spot free but still, it's a star and rather wild; solar wind remains speedy and dense and zapping Earth daily, more auroras up north but our magnetic field protecting the bulk of the planet from the worst of the daily dousing. Full Snow moon did light the clouds up even as the rain fell, another glowing evening of moonlight. Clouds are still winning the battle with the sun but the brightness does come and go, like the birds..who by now have already emptied two tube feeders. But, a lazy, rain averse dog needs a'walking, as do I, Today On Earth.

You know the rules: Stay safe, be smart, mask on, stay apart..TOE!

Sun Is Gone.. No Rain Yet..It's Coming

The sun made an appearance for awhile this morning but the clouds have taken care of that. The big High, now in the NE, still holds off the rain but it's going to move on and several waves of storminess will dominate our weather for the next few days. Not quite to freezing this morning, 33, the temps will remain above freezing for this rain sequence, a nice and welcome change after bouts of frozen stuff. The south is getting the soaking as I type..we await the arrival..maybe a nap?

The planet is a bit shaky today; Iceland continues to shimmy, Mediterranean boundary zones still slipping, African rift, the usual Ring O Shakes & Fire action, OK, Cali, NV, PR. Nothing nearing mag. 6, so no major issues.

The sun is still a bit riled up, solar wind still zapping Earth, kicking auroras in the northlands. The Full Snow Moon is at 3:17am tomorrow so tonight is really the Full moon..I'll see if I notice any back lighting through the rain..or not..it will be raining!! Sky views not likely to return until Tuesday around here.

Another 2,400+ TrumpVirus deaths yesterday; California and Texas still leading the late surge. Sadly, VA is doing it's part with over 100 deaths again. 508,000+ dead to date, with numbers still far above what we though was the peak last summer.

Stay safe and dry, mask on, hunker on, by and by, Today On Earth.

Sunny But Cooler, Ring O Fire & More

Europe, shrouded in African dust, is joining the usual, Ring O Fire volcano scene. Mt Etna is spazzing in Sicily; blasting wildly, resting, blasting wildly, repeat; lava oozing miles with fountains hundreds of feet high, ash clouds tens of thousands of feet into sky, raining down on distant towns. And, the 5.7 quake on Iceland was a warning; Krysuvik appears to be stirring to life, the first time since 1340. That could make for an interesting spring for both Iceland and Europe...maybe Earth; Icelandic eruptions are notorious for changing Earth's weather..in a bad way..year round winter..stay tuned.

Indonesia and Kamchatka still rule the list, both archipelagos(in know, Kamchatka is a peninsula) still with mountains blasting rather wildly away, stay away orders in place for locals. Sabancaya in Peru and Fuego & Pacaya in Guatemala continue going big, lots of explosive blasts every day, every day!! Hawai'i's Kilauea lava continues to roil, not wild yet, just seething. White Island just off New Zealand's north coast is steaming, a slight, recent uptick.

New, to me anyway, is Laguna del Maule (Lake of Tricks??)on the Chile'/Argentina border, with lots of shakes (hundreds) and some gas emissions.

5.3 is the biggest quake on the planet in the last 24 hours; only three others even hit 5. Usual suspects for that list.

TrumpVirus deaths are back up, 3,210 yesterday with Cali reporting over 1K and Texas adding 325 to the daily total, surprised Texicans aren't blaming those deaths on the new green deal..which, again, doesn't exist. VA death and case numbers have spiked of late, even as our doctor gov. talks about easing restrictions; mud continuing to spatter on his face with the handling of things..but, that's better than the black face from college days! Vaccine reports sound promising but reality seems to lag far behind.

The sun has hit a new 3 day record for shining here, let's hear a big, WOOOOOO! But, that's it. Tomorrow clouds return ahead of several days, and perhaps inches, of rain. A wet weekend ahead..at least, it's not snow or ice. Temps are down today from the low 70's yesterday, a more typical mid-50's level. With the sun, not too bad. Even yesterday there was still snow/ice hiding in northern shadows, today only former piles remain.

My wayward dog is still out playing but time to get a move on and track him down!! Stay safe, be smart, mask on, stay apart and hope you have a vaccine coming soon, Today On Earth.

Southern Winds..Warmth..Dust!!

The clockwise flow around the massive High to our south has us sitting in even warmer southern air today; a dry front will move that air off shore and bring back a little cooler weather for tomorrow. I hit 66 yesterday, will we hit 70 today?

The southern flow across the Atlantic has Europe shrouded in a dust cloud from the Sahara; the rain in Spain, on mountain or plain, mud it may contain, though easy to explain, they'll likely complain... 

My large dog has just returned from his morning wander, still with mud on his nose from yesterday's digging, today he's added some dust/ash from sniffing...I don't want to know where, neighbors grill ashes..?? Quickly to nap mode he moves.

Iceland, a volcanic island built from the combination of a hot spot and the Mid Atlantic Ridge is dealing with earthquakes today. A magnitude 4.5 foreshock seconds ahead of the 5.6 main event, with ongoing aftershocks in the mid-fours, likely has the island a little edgy today. Is it magma moving ahead of an eruption, slippage along a nearby transform fault or just movement along a major divergent plate boundary? No written reports but it was very close to Reykjavik where most of the island's population resides, so lot of blonde heads wondering, waiting for what's next.

Elsewhere, a fairly normal looking quake day with a slight uptick of shakes along the Euro/African boundary and around Yellowstone here in the US. With the 5.6 on Iceland the world's biggest shake today, some local nerves frayed but no major alarms anywhere. A dusty, dirty sky all over Europe much more worrisome.

The moon waxes on, two days from full, making for a very bright sky almost all night. The dark hours, now fading fast, down to 12 hours 50 minutes of dark today. We hit 12 light & 12 dark on St. Patty's day.

While TrumpVirus numbers are down, another 2,328 Americans died yesterday from the plague any, even average, leader would have helped contain, just a little leadership, just wear a mask and the world would be so much better off. California closes on on 50,000 dead, still knocking 'em dead out west. Texas and Florida still 2nd and 3rd in dead/day, both states with idiot republican governors deep in denial about masks and shutdowns but seemingly ok with hundreds dying per day as long as donny the douche approves. Cali's dem governor mostly ignored by the "let's party on" mentality in LA. Vaccinations proceed, slowly, but at least demand remains high so with more doses coming, we should begin to get ahead of this lasting insidious debris donny created and then left for Joe to deal with - by the summer??

At least, without the rabid, racist, misogynist Rush to rally the rabble, reality deniers have one less liar to listen to, his death a major bonus for the entire world. Couldn't have happened to a better guy, his venom a major source for donny's evil, moronic ideas (donny having no real ideas of his own), adding greatly to the TrumpVirus debacle. Rot and/or burn in Hell, Rush.

Time to get out and enjoy the springlike day, hope you stay safe and do likewise, Today On Earth.

Sunny & Warm..Whoa!!!

After yesterday's cold, icy rain, a major change; the sun is back and it's getting warm. We have seen no warm in VA since Jan. 2nd. There is a breeze in the aftermath of the front's passage but we should be well into the 50's today, maybe even 60. Tomorrow should be even warmer as the High pressure dome, south of us, continues its eastward slide. Still the snow/ice persists, refrozen into glacier like form; it does face a challenge today!! Longish forecast has no snow or ice in the near future, the steepening sun angle reducing the chances of that daily.

A 5.8 quake in Indonesia and 5.1 quakes bookending New Zealand are about it today. A 5+ off Mexico was just over 24 hours ago, gone now from the daily listing. Usual stuff in western US, PR and Alaska, no issues with any.

There are a couple of small sunspots, the new cycle slow but underway nonetheless, has our star streaming a good dose of solar wind Earth's way firing up nightly, almost constant auroras in the northlands. Tonight's warm air and a bright gibbous moon will make for fine twilight walking this evening, I plan on being out!!

TrumpVirus numbers continue the downward trends in both cases and deaths but we hit half a million dead yesterday. That's 500,000 people dead, all on you donny and your idiot followers. "It's a hoax, can't tell me to wear no mask, my guns will protect me, I ain't getting no vaccine, maybe the space lasers will kill it!!" Once ya get conned, it's hard to admit ya got conned, cuz then you'd have to admit you were an idiot for buying what donny was selling..racist hatred. Woooo, let's make 'merica white again, hook up with your cousin, keep it in the family, just like Rudy!! At least donny gets his whores..I mean, wives over seas.

Poor donny, "his" supreme court said release your tax returns yesterday. New York looking to do to donny what they did to that other crook/killer, Al Capone, Lock Him Up!! His jump suit will match his face..although maybe he'll have trouble getting his makeup in jail..then just his natural, death gray, skin tone. He'll match the 1/2 million he's killed.

Vaccine rollouts continue to lag from recent weather events but Joe has them mostly back on pace. Texas, and their oil based, greed based economy still can't supply water to its residents, lying politicians there still slinging the blame and denial, their voice, the fox, blaming a green new deal that doesn't even exist; keep the lies flowing and the blame going, drifting paddle and plan free, down your septic river, Da Nile!

Parts of southside VA are still without power after the ice storm almost two weeks ago. Few houses, connected with above ground lines through pine forests being, reality now proving, a not so good way to get power distributed. The stupidity of cutting down those trees, replanting with solar panels, building centralized battery storage escaping local leaders and power companies. The focus remains keeping control of the power grid not actually providing electric power, as every home should be doing for itself.

Soooo, stay away from Texas(and Dinwiddie & Nottoway Co's. Va), stay away from everyone, wear a mask but get out and enjoy, Today On Earth.

Washington's Birthday!! A Look Ahead To March

Today should be the federal holiday marking George Washington's Birthday!! Alas, the rewrite of history continues, the hard facts of reality long hidden slowly brought to light but the reality remains, Without George Washington, there would likely be no United States of America!! Deal with it, whiners!

No big quake action, shaking the garlic in Gilroy, CA a bit. A cold rain here that is forecast to be short lived, done and move on by afternoon before warmer days arrive.

And, my monthly column...

March 2021- On & Off Earth

During my time teaching Earth & Space science, I was occasionally asked, during our astronomy unit, “what’s your favorite planet?” My quick response was always the same: Earth. That was not one of the responses students were hoping for but I persisted and still do. We share our solar system with 7 other amazing planets as well as thousands of other very cool space objects but we have, far and away, the best of them all.

Wonderfully habitable as Earth is, it remains an active, dangerous, unpredictable place to live your life for all inhabitants. Last month, I downplayed the lack of cold, snow and ice during recent winters; be careful what you wish for. Earth seems to be continuing the trend toward extreme weather events.

Last year reset records for world temperatures, hurricane numbers and wildfire size and intensity, all amidst a viral pandemic. The recent return and extended stay of the Polar Vortex and our bouts of snow and the dreaded freezing rain should remind us of the Earth basics: there will be change and we need to be ready to adapt. March’s potential for rapid change, from winter to spring (with hints of summer) and back, makes adaptation a daily consideration.

March begins with outside walks still dominated with the muted, sepia tones of winter, the flat light of cloudy days allowing long views through the woods of our rolling Piedmont terrain. By month’s end, the pale greens of young leaves and the colors of early blossoms will shorten but liven those views. 

While I’ve enjoyed the return of snow and how it adds beauty and contrast to those winter views, the slipping on the refreeze and slopping through the melt is not quite as much fun as I remember. Snow is much more fun on skis than on foot. I’m looking forward to less messy trails and the warmth and green that March will occasionally and eventually bring.

As this rather chilly and quite wintery February winds down, the lengthening daylight reminds us the long winter darkness is coming to an end. The full shock of that extra light doesn’t happen until a little later this year; Daylight Savings Time beginning as late as it can, the second Sunday in March being the 14th this year. 

By then, days are close to equal periods of light and dark; sunrise and set both occurring at 7:18 on St. Patrick’s Day. Earth’s atmosphere bends the light of sunrise and sunset a bit, pushing the “equal night” of the Equinox up a few days. Spring officially begins at 5:37am EDT on the 20th as our tilted planet’s solar orbit brings the sun back across the equator and over the northern hemisphere, where it will beam down more directly for the next six months. Time for sunscreen!!

After October’s two Full moons, all the Full moons of 2021 occur late each month; March’s Full Worm moon on the 28th. Except for slowly sinking and dimming Mars, all the other planets are behind the sun and barely visible just before dawn. The sun begins March well into Aquarius and moves into Pisces on the 13th.

Since late January, on my midday wander on my favorite planet, I’ve been seeing the harbinger of spring, a flock of robins, out worming in the field behind my woods. I hope you are able to get out, safely, for a wander and find your sign of spring in the warmer, better lit days ahead.

A Chilly Start..But, More Sun!

18 degrees to start today but the sun is beaming and temps are slowly rising; serious High pressure in place. Change arrives tomorrow with rain, possibly mixed with the standard winter mess early, all rain later, more snow well to the north. The Polar Vortex is fading and southern air will make a push into the area by mid-week. 60 will feel like 80!!

Today's shake number, magnitude 5.1: Mongolia, Peru (5.0), Vanuatu and off the coast of Oregon. No tsunami coming but it should be (unlikely in the land of Da Nile) a warning that while California is a little overdue for a big shake, the Pacific NW, with their own little plate (Juan de Fuca) being subducted is waaaaaaaaay overdue for a big shake up. But, if the biggest quake is 5.1, a pretty slow day.

Sun still blasting away, scientist not sure if the latest CME will zap the Earth in a couple of days. I did notice the moon last night but it was way too cold and way too slippery to be out last night star/planet gazing. We'll see what cloud arrival timing does to viewing tonight but the storm is forecast to move quickly through and off shore.

TrumpVirus numbers continue to slow, slightly, but we near 500,000 dead; 50,000 soon in the "golden" state. Storms & cold this week slowed both vaccination distribution and vaccinations. Both are still a mess but there has only been anyone actually with a plan for both for a month now; donny's con machine doing what they did for 4 years, nothing..but, tell lies and make promises they had no intentions of keeping. "We'll share our healthcare plan..in a couple of weeks, it's so great, amazing" but non existent!!

Texas...following the same "plan" as the Punk'n Head administration, deny and blame while millions are still without water and power is still problematic. Nice job, Greg, way to go back home to Mexico, Ted. And, in usual republican fashion, demand that the feds come in and fix the mess the greed heads created. Same as it ever was..deny and blame, have no shame, still no plan: republican!!

So..stay safe out there, sleeves up, masks on..Today On Earth!

Woooooo..Sunshine!!

High pressure has pushed the last storm far off the Maritimes and the Polar Vortex is slowly receding, the sun is shining brightly here, woooooo!! Melting is still slow but the temperature is slightly above freezing and the skating rink that was our world is slowly loosening up. Another cold overnight with more sun Sunday before another slight mess Monday. Forecasts of 70 have been downgraded to 60's for the week ahead, which will feel like a heat wave. From the branches and bouncing bird feeders outside, I'd say the wind has picked up with the High/Low interface acting a little frisky. Wind chill alert!!

Shake numbers are back to more normal levels; no magnitude 6 quakes and only one off Puerto Rico! Alaska is a little shaky, OK, too; Japan continues with aftershocks but Tonga & Loyalty Isles have settled a bit. Pressures will re-load!!

Auroras were cranking in the far north last night (isn't it always night up there?? For another 4 weeks anyway..), the First Quarter moon was beaming brightly last night but I did not linger and look for Mars or check constellations. It's more likely that will happen tonight.

While TrumpVirus numbers, cases and deaths, are trending downward, another 2,626 Americans died yesterday with 78,000+ more folks realizing they are infected. Today or certainly tomorrow the not so great USA will hit 1/2 million deaths; nice job of doing nothing but continuing to run your con, donny!

In not so great news, the doc that predicted, to much ridicule, all of the rises/peaks (there have been no real falls) of the virus to this point is forecasting, that if we continue to lag, trying to get 2 doses into arms first rather than just one shot in as many arms as possible, that the British variant will create an even worse surge this spring. I hope he's wrong but he hasn't been, so far. Storms mostly everywhere have slowed distribution and administration this week, the virus has not taken the week off. Our inaction and unwillingness to mask up (thanks again for nothing, donny) has allowed our experiment in viral evolution to carry on; carrying more bodies off!! Natural selection and Earth do not care, they just do what they do!!

So, do what you do, stay safe, be smart, mask up and stay apart, Today On Earth!!

Touching Down On Mars!!

NASA successfully landed a new, SUV sized rover on Mars yesterday...gotta go with a WOOOOOO!!

It landed in what was once a river delta deposit, sedimentary rock, deposited as sediment 3.5 billion years ago as water emptied into a lake or sea, that will be drilled, analyzed, viewed from a drone and hopefully, samples will be returned to Earth by a later mission for better study. Did life evolve on Mars? Is there still life on Mars? Is there intelligent life on Earth? This mission's success would say yes to that last question but the last 4 years and current affairs in Texas would still leave that last question in doubt.

5+ million without clean water in Texico, still hundreds of thousands without power (bet they got both at exxon headquarters)..wonder who Gov. Abbott will blame today? 114 died there from the TrumpVirus yesterday(almost 42K so far in Loon Star land), storm death toll at about 3 dozen and likely to rise even as Polar Vortex eases a bit; still snow and cold there. Way to have your state ready Abbott!!

Here, despite forecasts for much worse, we dodged another ice storm bullet yesterday; we got ice just not horrid and no power loss..at the tirehouse, anyway. Brief hints of the sun and a temperature rocketing up to 36 brings hope of some melting today. Cold, dry air will settle in tonight making for chilly mornings on the weekend but the sun should be shining, moon light beaming in the evening. Today, at 1:47pm, the moon will form a perfect right angle with the Earth and sun: First Quarter Moon; it should be bright tonight till about midnight when the moon sets, then just stars!!

A 4.2 quake rocked the Oklahoma/Kansas border not too long ago, freaking fracking in another state of denial, "we need them oil jobs, who cares if a few buildings fall down". Some subduction quakes way out in the Aleutians and about 1/2 of the quakes outside the US today are at or above magnitude 5; both convergent and divergent boundaries seeing action..gotta be something happening at divergent to cause action at convergent, new sea floor lava providing the push!! Aussie plate leads the way in the push and squeeze department.

The solar wind is kicking it today, agitating our atmosphere up around the poles and releasing that energy as the lovely aurora borealis, the northern latitudes set for another show!! Here the sun is still working on the clouds, the storm moving east and north on up the coast, another New England hammering, but about to get bright here..real bright with all this white ice around!! Melt on ya big star!!

It's Friday, hope you stay safe, but can get out and enjoy a little exploration time out on the big planet, Today On Earth.

Wooooo, we hit 37 and it's still rising!!

An Icy Mess..But, Some Good News!!

In very good news, Rush the Limpjaw is dead at 70, his fat, misogynist, racist ass looking 90. His buddy, donny the douche, presenting him a medal..like Hitler giving a medal to Mussolini, all fitting into the human waste of skin category, with Rush, a lot of skin, stretched to near full tick status.. Rush, go straight to hell, although that would likely be too nice for you; better the cold nothing of forever!!

Next passenger for the death train to nowhere, donny, we can only hope for a massive heart attack, laying 5, his first two drives OB, but claiming 1 on the 1st tee...don't want him to get even one more hole in!! Fingers crossed!!

Lots of fingers crossed all across VA and adjacent states, that power remains on... so far, so good. Sleet and freezing rain coating our world with the heaviness that is water; it's a mess out there; nasty!! In a time of hunkering, today is the type section for the grand hunker!!

While US TrumpVirus numbers continue the downward trend in both cases and deaths, still another 2,471 Americans died from donny's denial and inaction yesterday; another 70,000+ infections. Vaccination continue, albeit at a slower pace than if Joe had inherited ANY kind of plan or infrastructure, any..but, there was none, zip, nada, zero. 

Got no shame

Just lots of blame

Got no idea or plan

You must be..republican

In a very recent example..Texican governor (well, he's pretending to be)Abbott blamed wind and solar for the massive power failures all across the Loon Star state. In typical "let's burn more hydrocarbons" fashion, he blamed green energy when his state produces most of it's power from, shocker 😱, oil and gas. Seems like the governor should be the one to blame; isn't he supposed to be the leader, in charge?? Like their kin in corporate America, when caught red handed, republicans will be happy to pay you off ($125K standard rate per rape) but will never accept or admit any blame. "We couldn't shore up the grid, had all those welfare payments..hey exxon, how 'bout a tax break".

In plate boundary news, 23 volcanoes on the list this week; Guatemala's Pacaya & Fuego still getting wild and crazy, blasting, spewing, oozing and shaking the locals..8-12 blasts per HOUR!! Much like Etna, all four craters/vents blasting big in Italy. 5 mountains getting busy on both Indonesia and up Kamchatka way, no surprises there. Philippines has two regulars stirring to life, Kilauea continues to ooze basaltic magma, Soufriere St. Vincent's lava dome continues to grow, they're still warning folks not to venture into the crater..DUH!! A new Soloman island to be works closer to the surface in the south Pacific, all in all a pretty standard week on a very lively planet.

Fairly standard shake list, two quakes at mag. 6.1 in the Tonga region, Puerto Rico still shaky, none in California (unless you count the 456 families shaken yesterday by the loss of a loved one to the TrumpVirus) and one along the Rio Grande in south Texico, who ya gonna blame for that Abbott. Another 6.1 and 5.3 just added down Tonga way.

NASA has its fingers crossed today when after 7 months of space travel (thru temps similar to N.F. Dakota) a new, improved rover will touch down on Mars, roving and sampling in a search for current or fossil life. With a 7 minute communication lag time between the two planets, there'll be lots of nervousness at mission control as the auto pilot sets 'er down; hope for the best!! The mission even has a drone; pretty cool and amazing that 114 years after a first flight on Earth, we are about to have a first flight on Mars!!

'Bout time to venture out, refill a neighbors stove, let a not too thrilled with the rain/sleet dog consider a poop & pee and see what's up on the icy planet. Stay safe, hope your power keeps flowing, and happy hunkering. No reason to drive anywhere, Today On Earth!!

A Little Sun, The Moon & More Snow..Etc

AND GOOGLE STILL SUCKS...just the worst..I type, it deletes...Verizon service, SUCKS..Amerigas..a text telling me NOTHING!! Corporate America, they don't care if their service sucks, they don't have to!!

The sun finally was visible yesterday through the clouds, then no clouds, then we turned away from said star and the crescent moon, Mars and the lovely stars of winter appeared; more sun this morning but that just began to fade ahead of the next mess. Will it be snow, sleet, the dreaded freezing rain? Most likely all of the above with colder temps at the surface and lots more moisture than last week's storm. We'll know by midday Friday what happened. I need a town/store run that I should have done yesterday..I'm guessing that will be a nightmarish trip, maskless douches likely also about. So many idiots, but I was one for not going yesterday..AAHHHHH!!

At least, gradually, new TrumpVirus cases and deaths are declining nationwide (worldwide???); still California (especially LA area) big numbers and FL, GA & TX, lands chock full of reality deniers got 'em dropping like flies.

The middle of the US still languishes in the deep, snowy freeze that is the Polar Vortex, days with temps below freezing, below zero in the northern plains. Here the aftermath of the last ice storm, tens of thousands without power still in southside Va.; the fragility of running power through lines above ground from centralized distribution centers. Still we cling to century old, polluting, unreliable technologies, corporate monopolies caring not about change, just the status quo and bottom line.

Ain't no need to make no change

Hurt economy if we rearrange

To the rich, the money must flow

So, new ideas, away they go

About our greed, we got no shame

Not our fault, we accept no blame

Keep our guns, our only plan

That's our platform, republican

Earthquakes, again, above average numbers and lots in the mag. 5 range; one at 5.5 in Greece likely knocked some old buildings down. Aussie/Pacific boundary zone from Indonesia to Tonga still with a combination of aftershocks and new subduction remains stirred up. Aleutians also with a few shakes. Earth..doing what it does.

There are several spacecraft (3) closing in on Mars, some to land and prowl another to orbit, probe. With Mars getting close last Fall, this was the biannual window to send craft to the Red Planet. Ham radio operators here on Earth have improved technology to the point of monitoring those space craft; pretty cool. The sun remains quiet, but plenty bright to warm my house, alas, that window is closing for a couple of days; high clouds continue to waft in, foreshadowing tomorrow storm event.

Stay safe out there, not much of the country that has avoided the winter wildness; even a storm related tornado ripped through the south. Prepare to hunker, Today On Earth.

Mardi Gras Is A Real Holiday!!

Fat Tuesday!! For anyone living life bound to archaic superstitions, today is the day to fatten up ahead of lenten fasting, 40 days until the semi-pagan easter celebration. Party On. Being a Holladay, just another day on the 365 day celebration calendar..and a two-fer Tuesday!!

Last year's celebration in New Orleans kicked off the TrumpVirus spread in Louisiana (and likely helped spread it elsewhere). Our "leaders", already aware of the virulence and highly contagious nature of the virus, did what they did all year (and many are still doing)deny and lie, killing, so far, almost half a million Americans; the TrumpVirus, his legacy..well, there's the insurrection fully supported by the "law & order" prez. Prosecutions await..spineless republican senators unable to do their job, fulfill their oaths to the constitution; others are willing to go after the traitorous garbage that is donny the douche.

While the middle of the US remains stuck in the deep freeze, we are forecast to be in the 50's by day's end as a Warm Front brings us a puff of southern air. That warm air will be very short lived as the eastern edge of the Polar Vortex slides into VA tonight setting the stage for another round of ice Thursday. Another round of moisture will ride up over that cold air bringing the entire mixed bag of winter precipitation. We are in the bull's eye this time for a major icing.😱

The corner boundary zone of the Aussie/Pacific plates continues to shift and shimmy. A 6.2 quake and the obligatory aftershocks have fish and the few residents in the region on edge again. Tsunami reports sent but no warnings or wave issues reported. Fairly normal looking map elsewhere around the Pacific rim; Kamchatka, Indonesia with today's biggest shakes.

I would have thought the 1.3" of rain overnight would have melted more snow but much still lingers on the leaf litter of the forest. My paths and trails snow free but quite soggy, Hershey Dog Creek running free!!

Space Weather reports a comet cruising between Earth and Mars appears to be from elsewhere..not the Kuiper Belt or even Oort clouds, perhaps from outside our solar system based on its strange, highly hyperbolic "orbital" path; doesn't seem to actually be gravity bound and orbiting the sun. No worries for Earth, a pretty sight through a telescope and hopefully not sparking alien invader ideas/hoaxes from internet trolls locked in basements worldwide. Simple reality so often leading to insanity and stupidity these days..

Avoid all that and look for a safe way to celebrate Mardi Gras, Today On Earth!!

Or you can simply follow a dog's sage advice: Feeling down, go out and chase some squirrels, "all your troubles disappear when you're chasing squirrels"!!

Prez Day Is Not Real Holiday!!

The February holiday to celebrate is WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY.. and that is next Monday, the 22nd! I still don't think presidents day has been formalized as a holiday, nor should it be; soooooo many of our elected "leaders" were both not really elected but for the ancient electoral college and then sucked at the job. Take for instance, every republican since Eisenhower...crooks, posers, idiots and the most recent that was all of that and more. None should be considered in any celebration of US history.

I realize George Washington had slaves...slavery was ubiquitous on Earth in his life time (there are likely far more people held captive, as slaves, today than in those days. A function of the massive number of humans on Earth and the incredibly bad parenting to get to those massive numbers - kids unplanned and too numerous to care about..or flat out born to be sold by their slime parents - way more now and I'm not including the millions(billions) indentured peasants working for less than living wages worldwide), but were it not for George Washington there would be no United States. This continent could well look like central America with mostly Spanish or French spoken or English with a British accent. George may not have been perfect from our current point of view but he was a leader and a statesman, two things we see very little of today and certainly not from the Oval Office. No shopping for me on this presidents day!!

Earth, likewise, does not care about presidents day and has adjusted the atmosphere to make it almost impossible for many Americans to even consider getting out and shopping today(I'm sure plenty of dumbasses will try, creating problems for overworked first responders). Thousands (millions?) without power will even shut down online shopping as well...but, give it a shot, russian hackers are ready for your info!!

The Polar Vortex has dipped deep into the heart of Texas, single digits and snow and ice in Austin, even snow down to Houston. Maybe that will stop the mask-less idiot Texicans from spreading the TrumpVirus for a day or two. International Falls, Minn., a notorious cold spot, was at -38 today, that's chilly!! Gonna need more than you maga cap to stay warm today..and tomorrow..and..

Here in VA, thousands still without power in the Richmond area, pine trees along above ground power lines never a smart move. Still Dominion clings to their power monopoly, bragging about the great job they are doing, until you have no power, and pushing back hard at any attempts to make new or existing homes independent of their lines. We, at least, remain above freezing, day 2 for that and it appears that I reside just west of the heavy ice mess; no power loss here..as of now..and I can see the sun's position through the clouds..WOOOOOOOOO!!!

Earth remains rather shaky, too. Still lots of aftershocks, readjusting fault zones after the big slips of the last few days; Japan & Loyalty Isles still at it but the entire Ring O Fire & Shakes with the usual subduction activity. A few outliers as well but nothing major.

The sun remains spot free and the solar wind has slowed and thinned, likely shutting down aurora activity for a few days. Out there, through the cloud shroud, moons & planets still rotate and revolve and distant stars still beam, unseen but unconcerned about Earthly eyes or cares.

Bird feeder are about empty, the two female cardinals that banging into the tirehouse windows earlier have regrouped and moved on. My dog continues his romp session at his girlfriend's house so he missed out on a feathered treat and I just received a UPS delivery of old family photos!! My hopes for a vaccine grow, no details at this time... until then I remain hunkered down and as safe as Earth allows, hope you are cozy and warm, safe from the storms and TrumpVirus, Today On Earth.

Above Freezing..WOOOOOOO! Oh yea, Happy Valentine's Day!!

We're still stuck in the clouds and gloom but the temp has moved above freezing again; I can hear the dripping but the snow is still quite crunchy. More rain is forecast tonight but with temps above freezing; melting and perhaps some minor flooding ahead. Another system Tuesday and again Thursday; as usual, temps will be marginal but likely above freezing for all of those events.

Below freezing? The Plains, still in the deep freeze while their fat hero cheats at golf in Florida and keeps up his lies and blames others. Suffer on N.F. Dakota!!

Speaking of suffering, the USA with another 3,373 dead from the TrumpVirus. Parents, many that won't wear a mask, whine about schools not being open; teachers, wisely, refuse to go back in a country that is still wildly unsafe. Vaccinations still move at a glacial pace in most states, Virginia certainly, and of course, lots of TDS* say they'll never get the vaccine; alas, it's not just them. I still have had no hope with sign up.

Aftershocks continue off Japan and near the Loyalty Islands; mag. 5+ quakes in the usual spots, Indonesia, off Guatemala, Chile' and Japan's volcanic islands. A 4.4 quake near Banff, Canada...hmmm. Earth carries on as very active planet.

Even though spot free, the sun continues to bombard Earth with the solar wind, auroras dazzle onward in far northern skies. The moon, I'm quite sure, waxes on, a slowly thickening crescent sliding from Aquarius into Pisces, near Mars & Pleiades/Subaru on Thursday, to First Quarter Friday.

Shocking to no one, the spineless, TDS* branch of the republican party voted, in complete denial of the obvious reality, that donny the douche had nothing to do with the insurrection on Jan. 6; balls and spines long gone, bowing to the racist reality of the true republican party; very sad. I remain embarrassed and a bit ashamed (youthful ignorance) that I didn't vote for Jimmy Carter a second time; Reagan quickly setting the stage that would later host the Bushes and Punk'n Head. Blame and Deny, the GOP slogan.

You know we ain't got no shame

You know we accept no blame

You know, still, we got no plan

Racist, spineless, clueless.. republican! 

Still Joe Biden works on, starting basically from scratch, to clean up the mess, the TrumpVirus and so much more, that he was handed. This viral nightmare could have long been over, controlled, near normality returned with truth telling a year ago, a mask mandate, a fat orange face covered with a mask..but, no; and here we are still, the donny nightmare continues..so stay safe, be smart, mask on, stay apart...Today On Earth!!

*TrumpDick Suckers

Bring On The Ice Storm!!

Be careful what you wish for...I have been writing about the lack of cold and snow over the last couple of winters..that has changed. With lots of snow on the ground, going no where, the glazing has begun. Freezing mist, then light rain, now with sleet mixing in, a fun Saturday is underway. Still got power, so that is good news. The mid-west, especially the upper Plains, remains locked into a very deep freeze; almost -30 in N.F. Dakota and Minn. Earth is kicking ass and could care less about any names..

A magnitude 7.1 quake just offshore Japan has the tsunami center on alert but no warnings issued. A 6.0 quake off PNG and a bunch of 5+ quakes all around the Ring O Shakes; most likely causing little damage. Some shaking in the S. Cali desert, too. OK, PR & AK, usual stuff.

Solar wind is kicking up a bit from the nearby star, auroras up north tonight. Moon, still a very thin crescent for any with clear skies. Here it's brown or white, maybe the sky is pale grey!!

The action outside here at the tirehouse is the bird frenzy; dozens flitting and fussing for the seed and suet, happy to keep the feeders full. The evergreens are hanging on, first a heavy snow, now the ice coating, tough being a tree today!! Whole bird flock just blasted off, slowly they return..it wasn't a dog freaking them, he is snoring away. But, about time for a adventure into the white slippery world, tromping time, Today On Earth!!

Oh yea, a new one day death total for the less than great USA: 5463 dead from TrumpVirus yesterday. That is with Ohio reporting over 2,500 deaths in one day..WTF?? Are they using the postal service to deliver their reports?

Senate semi-wrapped up 2nd impeachment stuff yesterday, donny's lawyers with a combination of lies, "fighting" montage and incompetence, knowing the spineless, gonad free republican crew would never risk their chance for reelection by doing the right thing. Sad times continue as Joe works hard to clean up another republican mess. I'd bet Joe Biden has already worked, actual constructive work, more in the last 3 weeks than donny the fat lying pig did in four years, or maybe his entire life. Still racist idiots keep their knee pads at the ready, anything to please their fuhrer.

Stay safe, reality cares not what any of us believe..Today On Earth!!

Rain To Snow...A Very White Friday!!

I can't imagine having to depend/rely/use google and verizon for work or school from home (like many do in Louisa or other rural locations) because the service of both just SUCKS!!!! Experiencing slowness...in getting you our pop up ads..SUCKS....and I realize this blog is free on google and it's just barely worth it..already had to retype...cuz google SUCKS!!!

Like many things in America...equality (for any but white men), work ethic and the last 4 years with a liar moron tweeting his way thru the presidency..working hard to create a civil war..and still his spineless sycophants in the congress manage to get to their knees to suck away...history...if there are humans in 50 years to record history..will not look kindly on the idiots supporting donny the destroyer..or history will be controlled by the state (Ghina) and they will be glorified as setting the stage for the new, fascist, total surveillance world ghina is striving for (and has mostly achieved) RIGHT NOW- 1984 in progress.

As usual, Earth cares not and also didn't care whether the rain glazed everything before changing to snow and dumping down 5" of the heavy white stuff here yesterday and into the wee hours. Ice storm forecast for Saturday and Tuesday..but, forecasts have been far from accurate; they still were saying 1-3" last night even as the snow continued to fall.. Today is a winter wonderland!! Dog don't like rain but he seems to love snow, been gone since 7 this morning!

Speaking of continuing, aftershocks near the Loyalty Isles, down into the lower 5, upper 4 range today but the subduction zone is still adjusting after the big slippage two days ago; will take awhile to realign all that released rockness as pressures begin to rebuild, the Pacific plate still feeling the crunch.

The Cumberland Gap region of Va/Tn with a couple of little shakes/adjustments today. 4.4 quake north of Martinique, wonder if that is a little magma movement or just usual boundary slippage. Above average quake number today but driven by the Loyalty aftershocks..

No space weather news today. By the time we see any sky far above Earth around here (Sunday..?) the moon will be a waxing crescent sliding up toward Mars.

Another 3,878 Americans died from the TrumpVirus yesterday, 475K total dead in USA; 12 states with over 100 deaths again, Cali still infecting and killing the most but Texas just joining the exclusive 40K dead club..and still in denial it's even happening.. Another (at least) 6 dead Texans yesterday in a hundred plus car & TRUCK pile up during an ice storm; adding to the nightmare, a fedex truck plowing at high speed into the already massive pile. Hauling ass in an ice storm, the American way!! They hadn't even dug through all the wreckage late last night, likely more bodies will emerge. Rain & snow did stop the mail here yesterday, even when only an inch or so on the roads..more of donny's debris - new postmaster cutting corners and hours and the TrumpVirus infecting workers...America is soooooo not great after 4 years of this treasonous traitor.

Time to get out, load up neighbors stove (and mine), track down a dog and explore the winter wonderland..Today On Earth. 

A Nasty Day, Cold Rain, Aftershocks!!

50 aftershocks in the magnitude 5 and even 6 range after yesterday's 7.7 Loyalty Island area quake!! But, tsunamis were local and no warnings for today. The warnings are for wintery mix, a swath of mess from the deep south thru the Old Dominion. Pick a precipitation type and it's likely to be occurring somewhere right now. Oh yea, the entire middle of the country is in a deep freeze. Kentucky with an ice storm, too bad the little bitches Mitch and Rand are not home. Be tough walking on ice if you are spineless.

At the tirehouse, it's 37 and raining. Forecasts..seem to change hourly, lot of snow, lot of rain, no, now it's ice, running more models..All models are wrong, some are useful!! This may change to a little snow tonight before a lull, then another mess Saturday and maybe more ice Tuesday. I plan to remain hunkered down!!

Another 3,255 Americans dead from TrumpVirus..California surging farther into the lead..still 10 states with over 100 dead yesterday. In the midst of all this Trump-induced-Virus mess, the opioid crisis and resultant death count continues to soar, as well. The companies fueling it gradually be held accountable, the individuals likely less so. Gun violence and crime continues around the land of the free, home of the gun. I'm betting the US suicide rate remains high but that is too much depressing news for one day.

And, Earth still could not care less! If we keep adding CO2, the atmosphere will keep trapping heat and the "How does Earth's atmosphere react to extra heat" experiment will keep roiling and boiling along; you kids let us know how it all turns out! And, if one use, throw away plastic is good for the economy, well, the corporate bottom line, then how could it be a problem in the ocean, on beaches, along roadsides or in landfills..more has gotta be better!! Again, sorry kids.

New Moon is this afternoon, a little spring tide action to go with the storm. About a 100' diameter space rock will pass by Earth today, little closer than the moon, but, looks like a miss. Sun remains spot free, so, at least, no issues there. We are not likely to see the nearby star today, maybe tomorrow but could be several days..Sunday maybe.

20 extruding mountains on the week's volcano list; ash, lava, explosions..the usual scene around the Ring O Fire and Kilauea and Etna. 6 on Indonesia, 5 up Kamchatka, 3 on Japanese islands and the Aleutians are stirring again. Popo & Pacaya still blasting away in Mexico & Guatemala. Sightseers warned venturing into the crater on Soufriere St. Vincent could be dangerous...DUH!! Lava dome there still growing! None from S. America on the list..I don't believe that..Sabancaya is ALWAYS erupting!! No Fuego, don't buy that either.

Little rain lull here, birds have just about emptied the two feeders, BigBrownDog, still snoring away, has not ventured out but that is about to change..Today On Earth.

Big Shakes & Tsunamis - Ice, Snow & Deep Cold

Pre-shocks of 6.0 & 6.1 are not a good sign; the magnitude 7.7 quake that followed an hour later was caused by a big rock plate dip and thrust along the Aussie/Pacific boundary near the Loyalty Islands. Aftershocks continue, all disturbing mostly fish but also the sea floor. That sea floor rippling is now sending walls of water all about the Pacific; nearby islands already hit with 10' tsunamis; warnings up in Hawai'i and beyond. It will play on national news along with impeachment updates; news flash there, republicans, still on their knees without testicles or spines.

US TrumpVirus deaths were back above 3,100 again yesterday, about average per day for the 2021, so far. California moved into 1st place on the death list yesterday; over 10% of the state now or has been infected and they will surpass 45,000 deaths today. Many states, open for business, still with 100's dying daily; great job America..."I ain't wearin' no mask, you can't tell me what to do.." "I get all I need to know from the facebook and the fox...they keep me plenty smart, see ya at walmart."

Many of those same reality deniers are currently stuck in our new extreme weather world, the Plains stuck in a deep, deep cold, as another storm, wielding all the wintertime treats - snow, rain, sleet & bonus: freezing rain, rolls across the country, arriving here tonight. Forecasts vary widely and wildly from mostly sleet and freezing rain to deep snow. More waves of winter joy for Saturday night and again Tuesday.

Bigger storms, slower moving, more damage, greater extremes; all forecast as a consequence of GLOBAL WARMING..and here we are. Fools claiming to work toward carbon neutral by 2030 or 40 or 50 (on in USA 2060); well, folks, it's here now and we are already too late, the extremes of heat/drought, storms/floods are here, driving famines and migrations and upheavals worldwide. Hope you're ready to hunker...we got good practice last year. Partying, overeating and shopping as an economic plan beginning to have more and more issues..

The San Andreas along the US/Mexico border is rather slippy and shaky today. Around Puerto Rico little quakes continue. Indonesia, near Krakatoa, had a 6.1 quake today, no tsunami warning there. Likewise, just offshore El Salvador with a 5.0 quake.

A little solar heating here this morning, clouds have ended that, more wood in the stove. We hit 64 yesterday but will be lucky to get beyond 44 today.

Big dog working in a post-morning romp nap ahead of our walk. Time to get the day movin' on, although I I was up at 3am hoping for cvs vaccine sign up, 7:15 too early also. Eventually..Today On Earth

BTW...google still sucks..verizon service...you call that service..ads for 5g, I have gone from lte back to 3g. 5G...yea, right!!

No Ice Storm Here..Yet!!

Disclaimer: google and verizon advertise how wonderful they are...maybe in a big city..but, for much of the country, those that live in the "country", they both suck - SUCK!!!!!! And, relying on the "cloud" then is a really dangerous thing; any day with real clouds potentially makes your "cloud" access, inaccessible(well, maybe the russians can access it..)!! Google has already deleted some of what I've typed...

The freezing rain that was forecast for the wee hours today did not happen. Looks like it stayed north and south of us. A bigger storm, with way more danger potential, looms for Thursday and beyond; foreshadowing in Tulsa yesterday where ice coated everything..and of course, cars still zoomed about.

But, sun is out here and temps are rising fast, 49 right now! That should take care of any remaining snow lurking in the shadows; and keep the ground super saturated.

2 dozen quakes on and around Puerto Rico today. Not sure what's going on well off the NE coast but it is sure shaky. 10 quakes today around Ring O Shakes at or above magnitude 5, west and southwest edge dominating. Still, no quakes really in the danger zone. West Texas fracking/salt water injection still leading to local quakes, today hitting 4.0; that will rattle some stuff!!

A new sunspot is rotating into Earth view along SW edge of our nearby star; not big yet but instability nearby could spur some rapid growth and much bigger blasts (already eruptions off surface far bigger that Earth, just not in our direction). Auroras peaked last night..maybe a lull for arctic watchers. The moon is New Thursday afternoon so too close to the sun to be spotted for a few days. Winter stars/constellations were spectacular last night, get out for a peek!

Deaths from the TrumpVirus are down again, a lull before the Super Bowl surge?? Still 1,547 Americans died yesterday, the total (at least) up to 465,000. California still leading the late surge, only 72 deaths behind the early leader NY; likely the west coast will move into the death lead today..yea, life is so great out there..no wonder there is a mass exodus from the "golden" state.

Shut out of TrumpVirus vaccine at CVS today, but, gleaned some insight into when registration might open from my pharmacist neighbor...we will see!! At least, there is hope!! Stay safe out there, Today On Earth.

A Super Butt Whuppin'!!

Congrats go out to Tom, the G.O.A.T., Brady and the talented Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their butt kicking of the out coached and way overrated Kansas City football team (why the DeeCee team, albeit a little more racist, lost a logo/name and the lily white TDS* residents of western Missouri, with a team composed predominantly of black athletes, has no controversy about their arrow logo and team name that they certainly did not live up to last night). Last night's win puts to bed any whining about greatest QB's of all time, certainly from the SF Bay area or western PA. 7 Rings for Tom, WOOOOOO! KC had been skating by on last minute heroics all year (maybe last year, too) and last night's domination really showed the superiority of the NFC; other than the Brady lead Patriot teams, the AFC the much weaker division. (No, I don't know the official data...)

The game also proved that big money and corporate America will persevere even during a pandemic; while hundreds of small football aided businesses (bars, restaurants, family parking lots, concessionaires..the list goes on) suffered and/or went under, players, owners, TV and corporate advertisers continued to roll in the dough, channelling who knows how many millions to the former tweeter in chief who made sure they underpaid taxes in every way. 463,000 Americans dead but the money still flowed to the top!!

Numbers of TrumpVirus dead are down, a usual Sunday thing; trends are finally slowing after post-holiday surge (will there be a Super Bowl surge, likely..) and vaccinations are trending upward; still a long way to go, stay safe out there.

The slushy mess from yesterday got a big refreeze last night, and even with sun, things are slow to warm and melt today as High pressure settles in. A series of little storms will slip across the country this week bringing rain/snow/sleet/freezing rain with them; we here in central Va. likely to remain just on the rain side of most of that activity, but a mess ahead with an arctic blast to wrap the week; Happy Frigid Valentine's Day.

I caught a glimpse of a just rising thin waning crescent moon 5:30ish this morning, near Shaula, the stinger of Scorpio, the bright summer stars peeking up ahead of a winter dawn. Orion, Sirius and their winter kin will dominate the sky, if clear, tonight. The sun remains spot free but still stirred, its increase in activity into the new cycle helping slow the cosmic ray dousing our solar system has been getting from the rest of the galaxy..and universe.

Earthquake numbers seem a little high (slow verizon service not telling me how many right now) but fracking quakes in west TX, NE of Puerto Rico and Cali's San Andreas with some other little shakes in the US have boosted numbers but likely caused little, short term harm. Aussie/Philippine/Pacific boundary zones with 5 quakes from low to mid-5's are strongest on the planet today.

My dog was here, now gone...birds continue the glomming of seed at the feeders and now clouds have shut down my solar heating..that was quick. Ain't nothing but change, Today On Earth!

Again, Congrats to the Bucs!!

*TDS - TrumpDickSucker

Snowy Sunday II - It's Super!!

It started as rain at 1am, but by dawn it was a wet gloppy snow and with a couple of inches down, it is still snowing lightly. Forecast, and looking at map, looks like the snow could be gone by mid-afternoon. An unsettled week, rain/sun alternating, all rain on the edge of snow with an arctic surge dipping deep into the plains. We'll see if it gets here.

Sun is semi quiet, it is a star still rocking, but a new sunspot may be lurking around the upper edge. Solar wind remain fairly strong stirring auroras. The moon wanes toward New middle of next week.

Two quakes hit magnitude 6.0 & 6.3 today, SW Pacific, no tsunami warnings. Elsewhere, average looking day of boundary shakes.

TrumpVirus deaths down a bit yesterday in US but still 2,600+ dead. Cali may overtake NY in deaths/state count today. From shots from Tampa, looking like Super Bowl will be a super spreader event for attendees and I'm sure idiots will gather and spread the "hoax" virus. Vaccine rates improve but still lag, no call for me to bear my arm..

Radar is showing back edge of snow moving into western Va. Looking like a stop and clearing is coming, about time for a snowy walk in the wood. Stay safe, be smart, mask up, stay apart & GO BUCS!!

That's it, Today On Earth!!

More Snow..More Death..OK, PR Quakes

Let's just get it out ahead of everything..google sucks..the email is quirky, this blog is quirky(it's already deleted my title once), even as a search engine, it's priority is not good search but big money, all searches tied to companies paying google..and they claim it's free...but you pay with frustration and popups. Combine that with the also crappy verizon "service" here and anything done online or over a phone is always iffy..kinda like the PO that donny the douche screwed..and so much more. Still Joe works on, fixing and cleaning up the messes; we do have and need a government and the services it provides..private industry sure wouldn't get it all done.

Meanwhile...On & Off, Above & Below Earth change continues..

Any hint of solar heating today has quickly been clouded out, just got a second cup of coffee and added more wood to a rekindled fire. It is not cold out, 40's so the rain/snow question that VA always asks will be on everyone's lips today. Forecast to begin as snow tonight..change over..but rocket by and on up the coast making for a snowy super bowl Sunday in the northeast; Tom the G.O.A.T delighted to be living and playing in Tampa and not New England. GO BUCS!! It may well have cleared by kickoff here.

Lots of shakes today NE of Puerto Rico, a 4.4 followed ten minutes later by a mag 5.0 quake and then the aftershocks, still just a fish quake. OK, north of OKC hit 4.2 today with several other shakes thrown in to remind the frackers pumping salt water deep into the Earth does work as a lubricant; loosening billion year old faults..but, hey, keep the oil flowing, the CO2 blowing in the wind.

Speaking of CO2 blowing in the wind, crematoriums ready to roast another 998 in CA & TX; for one day. Kansas decides to tally the dead and reports 200..for the day, maybe same statisticians as Indiana is using. 10 states with over 100 dead yesterday, 3,570 for US one day total, we'll move into the 460,000's dead today. Still I see, usually ugly, faces uncovered when I dare venture out..skinny, pale, inbred looking punk yesterday in his big (daddy's?) pickup, face uncovered, ever ready to kneel and please donny the douche, morons!!

I can see a brightish glow of the sun through the clouds, dimming as I type, but that is likely the only thing that will be visible today in the sky for the eastern half of the country until there are snow flakes flying. I recommend  staying hunkered, away from the masses, Today On Earth.

Almost Springlike..

The trailing edge of a front came thru early today, just a trace of rain and now it's toasty outside..well, warmer anyway. Sun is bright, few expanded contrails and already almost 50. Very few earthquakes world wide and reports were that TrumpVirus numbers were beginning to drop from post-holiday surges. Yet, Indiana reported over 1,500 deaths yesterday taking the national count to a new one day high of 5,116!! I wonder if in Hoosier land they have been just letting bodies pile up and finally picked someone (likely underpaid and a minority) to actually tally the bodies. This is the state that elected Mikey Pence governor...voted for donny the douche twice so there are lots of fat TDS* and even more denial there. Who knows!

Vaccine rates are still slow nationwide, VA claiming to have improved, blaming lack of supply but Ralphie has dropped the ball; nice job doc! California still 5/600 per day dead; should surpass NY before weekend is out.

Republicans showed a little backbone yesterday, but only a little. Voted to keep Liz Chaney, certainly never to be called centrist, 3rd in house..but, only by secret ballot. Didn't vote to censor wack job Greene so Democrats stepped up and kicked the qanon idiot off all committees. She's dangerous, threatened other house members; she shouldn't be kicked off committees, she should be jailed for sedition and treason. Dumbasses screaming censorship should remember it's not censorship to say you can't yell "Fire" in a theatre or threaten violence or plan a coup on your twitter account. You didn't read the rules, no one does, but you agreed to them. Not surprising republicans only grow a pair on a secret ballot.

Our solar system passes through another sectional fold in space with a change in polarity that may trigger some auroras up north. Otherwise, sun is still slow to get into next solar cycle, no spots. Moon waning into a crescent and February rolls on!!

Stay safe, be smart, mask on, stay apart..Today On Earth.

Big cold coming late next week...we will see!!

TrumpVirus Deaths, Storms, Volcanoes..Earth

11 US states with over a hundred deaths yesterday, Cali & Tx together over 1,000 themselves; Cali likely to pass NY, the leader since spring, over the next few days killing over 500/day. Way to be smart LA!! Texas, surprised their guns ain't killin' the virus, maybe T. Cruz and the gov can just pray or deny it all away!! Damn sure not their fault!!

451,000 TrumpVirus dead..so far. Slowing slightly but lots of morons still maskless and clueless. Thanks for giving a crap about anyone else, way to make Jesus proud!!

Earth, still unconcerned about puny humans..storms and blasts onward. Another big storm headed this way, High getting the squeeze today, rain here tonight, snow to the north. Sunday's storm or not; forecasts are not even close to agreeing. Another chance Tuesday and apparently an arctic blast coming end of next week..time will tell.

The Sun, also unconcerned about anything on any of the planets circling it, is sending quite the high speed stream of solar wind (actual particles, not just radiation) out into the solar system. That will continue to fire up auroras in the northern lats. Last quarter moon made the wee hours of the morning rather bright. Mercury is no where to be seen, Mars still beams as do the brilliant stars of winter!!

19 volcanoes on the week's list; 7 on Indonesia with Karangetang back, 5 still at it up Kamchatka way. The sulfur mine(soufriere) on St. Vincent has a lava dome still increasing in size. No mention of eruptions in Meso America or Italy although I'd bet they all have activity...they always have activity. Kilauea is still oozing but not really getting wild. Pretty typical for the Ring O Fire.

The same ring is where most of the shaking is today, as usual. 6 quakes at or slightly above mag. 5 today but numbers hover around 30 so nothing to cause major concerns..still, pressures build.. A 5.1 quake in Nepal may well have triggered and avalanche or two, not unusual, but always a concern to anyone or thing nearby.

Big dog is back, day is warming but snow is slow to go. Stay safe out there, Today On Earth.

Orlena Slowly Drifts Away..But, Wow!!

Big & bad, winter storm Orlena slowly drifts into the Maritimes, still resisting the push of the High building in behind it from the Plains. The wind still blows with stark pressure differences but the sun is slowly regaining control, temps warming and snow melt commencing. Only 4 inches of snow here, have not checked the rain gauge for water translation, not sure if it has melted to measure. Soon..

Up on the Blue Ridge, they got about double that snow and crazy wild wind..but, it didn't shut down chair lifts so on we skied, and it was good. Big crowd on Monday, much smaller Tuesday, no crowd at the tire house today:).

Well, big crowd at the bird feeders, the little feathered pigs catching up after a day and a half with empty tubes. Big dog must have had himself a big time at Fox Hollow kennel, he napped hard last night and late today..and he's sneaking in another nap now.

Fairly shaky day on Earth, 5.0 quake in west Africa, Guinea, Tonga region of Pacific with several 5+ shakes and between Easter Island and Chile', along East Pacific rise, a 6.7 quake but with no tsunami warnings issued. Usual USA suspects (remember Puerto Rico is in USA) with small quakes today. Seems to be no major rock movement concerns on big planet over past couple of days.

Good aurora action up in the north country, solar wind always streaming but a little uptick of late. The moon is at perigee today (closest to Earth for month) and Last Quarter (aka: 3/4) tomorrow; easiest to see in the west in morning daylight as it won't be rising until midnight. Will check on Mercury tonight but think that speedster has moved on; only Mars remains..well, Uranus and Neptune but you'll need a telescope:)..

We should reach 450,000 Americans dead from TrumpVirus later today, if we maintain our current daily average (3K+). Vaccine rollouts remain scattered, every state with a different plan and every region of ever state seemingly on different pages. The lingering results of 4 years without leadership; tweets and lies not having worked too well.

And another democrat trying to clean up a republican mess: Clinton with the ReaganBush 1 war & deficits, Obama with W's two wars and collapsed economy and now Biden with an ignored pandemic, an economy in disarray and stark economic and racial divisions between people living in reality and 70 million others in a world of lies, hoaxes and alternative facts..drifting us toward civil war.

Still the grand old party lies and blames, their fox watching followers sipping more of donny's koolaid every day.

So, stay safe, be smart, mask that face and stay apart, Today On Earth.