Sunny Memorial Day, Land O Midnight Sun: Shaking!!

A magnitude 6.1 quake shook things up in the Land of the Midnight sun, north of Anchorage, south of Denali. Likely not much damage done, not many people or buildings up there but a quake like that is always a good reminder; you live on a very dangerous plate boundary. Just off the southern end of New Zealand with a 5.0 quake today, Cyprus with a little reminder quake and the other quakes today are where there are quakes most every day, you know, Kansas, Indonesia, OK, Peru, Texass, Chile', Idaho, Puerto Rico...

Our 3 days of rain and cool has moved offshore and High pressure is in charge this Memorial Day. Temps started in the 40's but will climb into the 70's today and 80's for the rest of the week. Storm chances close to nil here until days into June. The southern plains remain under attack from the storms of spring(freaking frackers), trailers always a bad idea but in Tornado Alley; bad family/life planning.

Only 131 TrumpVirus deaths (reported) yesterday, 7,400+ new cases, trends continue downward. Travel and parties and America wide open, with the honor system in place(not vaccinated wear a mask) sounds great, seems great but the TDS* lying to them selves about most everything aren't vaccinated and have never worn masks so sadly I foresee a spike, if only the unvaxed die, I'm good with that; Darwin got it right with Natural Selection.

Solar CME will mostly miss Earth, the mostly part will stir some auroras in the southern high latitudes (too much sun up north). Moon light in the middle of night was a little bit of a shocker, waking my big dog. A thin waning gibbous orb was sitting below Saturn in the pre-dawn sky today, will be below Jupiter tomorrow morning..for early risers. Bright Venus rules on low in the west-ish after sunset, much dimmer Mars, still above, Mercury is really low and really dim, you'd need special skills to find it, the little planet's big month is over.

And finally, today is Memorial Day, set aside to remember those fallen defending our country in our many wars. Part of that remembrance should certainly include the 600,000 (maybe a million???) Americans killed by a virus originated/created in China but so poorly mismanaged by our then poser president. He declared war on the virus then denied it even existed; his mess still a rampaging infection in our country. Too many guns, owned by too many angry, racist dumbasses that think anarchy is a great idea is not a good base for democracy. Mass shootings almost a daily norm in the "Land of the Free". Republican party's only plan, suppress voting to maintain minority rule..and stockpile guns and ammo. Idiots looking for enemies in their neighborhood while Russia and China work their insidious evil, fueling our internal fires, not pretty, Today On Earth.

*TDS - TrumpDickSucker

Still Chillin'!

May is going out as April-like, 49 here this morning with light rain overnight; likely stuck in the 50's all day; May 30. Forecast calls for sun's return and warmer tomorrow, back into the 80's as June rolls in Tuesday. The bonus with the cool down; rain, almost an inch and a half of much, much needed rain. Our drought averted, for now.

Freezes in the upper mid-west make our 50's seem warm. 24 in International Falls, Minn. Extremes will continue to roil averages and normals, worldwide. Global Warming is not coming, it's here!! Migrations are ongoing, all of us adapting...or... not willing to, death awaits.

Another low shake day, only a couple into the low magnitude 5's worldwide, some minor local issues (although they don't seem minor when the building you are in is shaking). One on China's Tibetan plateau the only on land 5+ shake.

Monster solar blast seems mostly headed away from Earth, but watchers staying aware of a possible glancing blow to our upper atmosphere. If tomorrow is clear, waning gibbous moon might be easiest to see in morning sky.

TrumpVirus deaths & cases has not been updated in a couple of days, still trending down and deaths ALL seem to be with the unvaccinated. Re-check, it has been updated, 338 dead yesterday, 11K new cases, officially 594,000 total (although in reality likely many more) over the last 15+ months. States beginning to run lotteries, for big cash, for people to get shots (and the demographic of lottery player is much of the same as the anti-vaxers). The country has pretty much opened up to non-mask any thing this weekend, my guess, another minor surge in a couple of weeks. This virus is far from going away. The "leader" that allowed the epidemic to surge across the country, still lies, about everything, his racist sycophants happily drooling their allegiance. A stroke for donny the douche our best hope, donny the drooler, that's what we need.

A long enough break in the rain that the slate out front has dried out, still cool out, 53, enjoy the brief respite from heat to come, Today On Earth.

Beneath the leaves, in the dark

Cool & damp, above, dry is stark

But, as soon as there is rain

Little newts can't restrain

Quickly into the world above

Orange rascals looking for love!

Woooooo! Rain! Now We're Chillin'..

WOOOOOOOO! A storm actually hit here yesterday as the two(three??) week High finally moved on and change arrived. 0.7" yesterday with a late afternoon cloudburst and another 0.45" overnight; 69 at midnight and down to 55 now, we are officially chillin'. No rain right now but looks like we could get a bit more, myself and all the other inhabitants of my forest have breathed a big sigh of relief; the crunch is gone, lush green is back.

One piece of slate outside my front door has a little depression; it's the last spot there is water after the rest of the slate is dry. Guess who was sitting in that mini-puddle last night? The old bug muncher himself..

He came out of his moss home, nestled under, in a pot with one of my small boxwoods for a little post rain soaking. Smart frog!!

Quakes: not much going on, offshore Japan and Indonesia are the only ones above 5. Still some shaking going on in the California Sierras (where they need the rain waaaaaay more than we do). No quakes in Alaska?? Whoa!!

Big ripple on and blast off of the sun yesterday; but not headed toward Earth. Moon wanes on, low in the summer sky and not up until late. Been too busy with party prep to go check on Venus and Mercury. Last night was there closest encounter in this Mercurial year; clouds & rain here. And, Venus is waaaaaaay brighter than the littlest planet. Venus will be the Evening star for the rest of the year, Mercury will be gone soon but back for another dance with Venus in less than 3 months.

Site I look at for TrumpVirus deaths has not been updated for 2 days now, downward trends continue with vaccination numbers still rising, albeit slowly with still lots of conspiracy/religious/TDS dumbasses making their excuses and denials. Many states now fully open, mask free, leaving it up to individual businesses(and the un vaxed to mask up...yea, right); I see a surge coming but only among the unvaccinated; natural selection at work.

Whoa...just saw a Summer Tanager get a beak full of suet, what a gorgeous bird..my camera's battery is not charged..figures. Downy and Red Bellied woodpeckers now trading places on the same suet; need a little fat today, it's cool..and damp..finally, Today On Earth!!

Come On Rain!!

It's cloudy and much cooler today as moisture tries to work its way into our parched world; bring on the rain!! A cool, damp Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to send off the month of May and both the cool and damp we be welcomed (especially the damp). Not really looking like a drought busting rain but any beyond the random drops of late would be wonderful.

Another low shake day on the big, busted up planet. A little unusual that most of US quakes today are in California; 4.2 up in the Sierra the biggest.

Cali continues to lead in TrumpVirus deaths if you toss out Maryland's reporting of 544 yesterday. US still with almost 700 deaths/day for a weekly average...again, I think ALL deaths these days are in those unvaccinated. So, what's the hold up? Still got TDS* denial issues, foxitis!!

It was so nice to see faces yesterday, all vaccinated, all adults, all right!! Fun gathering and much needed release and relaxation for teachers that have been through hell for the last year, although ones that did in person said it was a joy, small classes, Wednesday off. For online and mixed, not so fun. But, yesterday was sure fun!!!

Lost in war, lost to TrumpVirus (the new Civil War), remember them all this weekend! It's not about shopping and cookouts, it's remembering those that have been lost. And sadly, lost because those elected to lead have made poor decisions, often greed and politics based; poor boys and girls fighting rich, white men's wars. And, then the last year of donny the lying douche... a whole 'nother cess pool of history to wade through, Today On Earth.

*TDS - TrumpDickSucker

Party Time!!

After a year break, the LCHS end O year faculty party is back..this blog will be short...sweet, you decide.

After a cooking day (party prep, no cooking yet) in the mid-90's one more with low 90 heat and then the bottom drops out and it's a cool Memorial Day weekend. In the southern plains, storms with hail and tornado rule!! Still not a drop of rain here; hopes for a wet Friday & Saturday!

Very quiet quake day, 5.1 biggest on the planet. One in Africa, Congo, Goma, where built, poorly I'm sure, and overpopulated a city of 2 million ON A VOLCANO. Cracks with fire shooting out in the city. Wise!! Rest of list is mostly usual Ring O Fire crowd with Kilauea, Iceland and Etna thrown in. 2 in the Aleutians fired up will likely detour air traffic (which pollutes more planes or volcanoes? A hint, volcanoes create!)

Oklahoma finally decide to report TrumpVirus deaths..almost 400 yesterday?? Still w/o that misinformation about 600 Americans (all unvaccinated) dying per day.

Stay safe and party on (all party goers must be vaccinated - no TrumpDickSuckers here), Today On Earth.

Mr No Shoulders out on a tour, love to see them black snakes!

Heat Here, Eclipse There; 3 Years Retired!!

For Pacific Ringsters, today's Full Flower Super Moon also had an eclipse element, just barely. Moon slid through the top of Earth's round shadow for about 15 minutes, turning copper red and moving on. Haze here last night made for and eerie moonlit night. Super part of that likely sent high tides into coastal streets world wide.

Today is getting warm, but will quickly move to HOT; mid 90's coming at us, low 90's tomorrow for my end of the school year celebration; today marking officially 3 years retired - WOOOOOOOO! I like it!!!

Cooler temps and hopefully some much needed rain for Friday!!

Another day with only 2 quakes in the magnitude 5's. Shattuck, Oklahoma (I've been there...but glad I'm not)with a 4.1 quake today; that'll rattle things pretty good. Keep on fracking Okies and dumping salt water back into Earth, it'll keep on shaking. Most quakes in usual spots, few outliers just to remind residents they live near a plate boundary; got mountains, gonna have quakes.

Little solar zapping of Earth today, no big concerns. Goma's volcano in bit of a lull but may just be reloading. We'll see what USGS has to say tomorrow.

Few of the "we don't report daily" states with a fresh crop of TrumpVirus dead. Heard interesting fact: ALL recent viral deaths are in unvaccinated people, ALL! But, that means fewer TrumpDickSuckers out there and, sadly, I'm OK with that. 591,000 official death tally from this mess; it likely is much higher, lot of liars out there. Hope you're not a statistic any time soon, getting hot, get the shot, Today On Earth.

A Basic Day On Earth...

Just another day on the big planet, enjoy! Unless you are on the east coast of India, cyclone coming. And, don't you go to Goma..normally cuz it's an overcrowded slum of a city in the Congo; throw in a lava oozing volcano and..don't you go to Goma! Our drought is becoming a pain and there is still massive rain and flooding on the plain. More to come. Heat, storms, late spring in America.

At least, there are no earthquake at or above magnitude 5 today!! No space rocks doing a near flyby and although Earth is being bathed in the solar wind, it's not bad today; minor aurora action way south.

Pacific rim will see a quick lunar eclipse tomorrow morning, early, as the Full Flower moon slides through the Earth's shadow. The moon is very near perigee, giving Earth and our oceans a serious tug; Super moon means super high tides, coastal flooding worldwide!!

TrumpVirus cases and deaths continue to trend down(still too high), vaccine numbers slowly creep up; normality getting closer but idiot deniers of reality still number in the millions...not likely to change any time soon. Belarus dictator took a page out of Putin's playbook, forced down a plane, snatched a dissident! Palestinian supporters in US attacking Jews; if you can't be rational, be violent. When ya parents didn't plan ya and ya got no hope, hate is your easy fall back; blame anyone but yourself...lots and lots of that, Today On Earth.

African Volcano, Congrats Phil, June: On & Off Earth

Nyiragongo, at the southern end of Africa's Great Rift Valley has fired up, again. Death, destruction, the usual with the overcrowded world that is the Congo.

Congratulations to the old guy, Phil Mickelson on his win at the PGA yesterday. Phil is a really good guy, works hard and still kicking young guns butts at 50. I hope he get the US Open win next!!

Here's my take on June for the local paper:

June 2021 - On & Off Earth

It was truly a delight to attend the LCHS graduation last week and watch my last group of ninth graders, all grown up, receive their diplomas, in person, and share that milestone with their classmates and families. Well done Louisa, well done class of 2021; quite the achievement given the wild ride we have all endured this last year.

Not heeding my own sunscreen warnings, I was reminded later on graduation day that we are very near the greatest sun angle and longest day of the year. Earth’s northern end reaches that daylight extreme, and greatest sunward tilt on the Summer Solstice, late on the 20th.

Hurricane Season officially begins June 1st but with Ana already formed in the Atlantic that may need reworking. This is the seventh straight year with a named storm before June. With a warming planet creating 30 storms in the Atlantic last year, (and already major storms in the Pacific and Indian oceans) make sure your emergency plans are brushed off and updated. There will be hurricanes; where, when? Well, that’s the fun, we just don’t know.

We do know that the sun will rise (about 5:50 in Louisa) on the 10th with a big bite out of it. The New Moon will be passing directly between the Earth and Sun creating an annular solar eclipse. The eclipse will already be underway when we turn to face the sun that morning. You will need a good view of the northeastern horizon, mostly clear skies and your eclipse glasses from 2017; EYE PROTECTION WILL BE NEEDED FOR THIS ENTIRE EVENT!!

This New Moon will be near apogee, its far point in its monthly orbit, and too far from Earth to block the sun completely. Parts of Canada and Greenland will see the complete annular “ring” of sunlight around the moon. We will see a thin arc of sun at sunrise with more and more sun revealed over the next 45 minutes. EYE PROTECTION!! Safe solar filters will be needed to protect cameras and phones, too.

While not as cool as a total solar eclipse, seeing the sun rise as a thin crescent will be a lasting memory. The next total solar eclipse visible across the USA is April 8, 2024. I already have plans to be in Austin, Texas for that amazing 4+ minutes of daytime darkness.

Finally, as someone who enjoys living and walking in the woods daily, it was both troubling and sad to read in last week’s Central Virginian that the person assessing property values for homes impacted by the county’s growing industrial solar developments determined that “woods is not a marketable thing”. My guess: that assessor lives in a city.

I think anyone that hunts, fishes, hikes, bikes, walks, camps, enjoys shade or breaths oxygen would disagree with his assessment. Getting out into the woods last year was one of the few ways Americans had to escape their homes, safely. RV sales soared, camp grounds and National Parks were busy; there is great “marketable” value in woods. They are, also, the life giving lungs of this planet, cooling our world, trading our excess carbon for oxygen and driving the water cycle.

I have mentioned previously, history’s trash bin is littered with civilizations that cut down all their trees. Worldwide, dozens of acres have been felled in the time it took you to read this column. Solar panels need to be a big part of our future but their value does not measure up to that of a tree. Not Today, not any day, On Earth!!

Still Stuck, Still Shaky, Earth!

No jet stream nearby so nothing is moving; High pressure still parked here, Low driving big rains in Texas and Mississippi valley, as our heat builds. Sadly, a microcosm of Earth, the options are drifting toward drought or flood and Earth remains unconcerned. 

The lone sunspot went wild yesterday, flares blasting CME energy into space; most not directly at Earth but still zapping our planet's radio energy. Eclipse watchers west await the moon's short slide into Earth's shadow on Wednesday morning.

Another shaky day around the world, especially Ring O Fire & Shakes but mid-magnitude 5 are today's biggest. No mention on news or on-line of China's shakes and damage yesterday, with a billion and a half people, what's a few villages collapsing, seems the chinese response.

TrumpVirus death info site is back updated, still almost 600/day in the former American column, but cases down under 20,000/day. Other reality denials continue to drive the republican party, no legal election, no insurrection, no need for vaccination, last year's nightmare doesn't exist is their new(well, now 5ish years old) fox based surreal world, still scary!! Wise people continue to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, some locales helped with new incentive plans, get a _______ if you get a shot! Not dying seems incentive enough to me, Today On Earth!

Mama doe bringing her latest fawn by for an introduction...grass is greener in Texas than Va!!

Ghina Is Rockin'!! Ana Is Named!

A 6.1 quake followed, not too far away, by a 7.3 quake shook things up on the Tibetan plateau today(yesterday, technically) leaving a mess in two different regions of China. Only 3 deaths reported but they lie about things like that so who really knows. 7.3 is a pretty good shaking and in a poorly built, overpopulated place with aftershocks continuing, my guess would be issues will continue for days. One thing is pretty certain, their population will still go up.

That overshadows a fairly shaky day around the big planet; 6.5 quake at the NE junction of Aussie/Pacific plate, Nicaragua, Indonesia, Aleutians all with big sea floor shifts. Carlsberg and S. Mid Atlantic ridges also got the magma oozing shifting blues..no harm done there! No tsunami reports from any of those seafloor shimmies.

Dry air allowed the temp to drop to 56 early this morning but we're already moving quickly through the 70's and could easily hit 90 today and no rain chances here. Well out in the Atlantic, Tropical (or subtropical) storm Ana's formation and naming is now the seventh year in a row with a named storm ahead of the official start of the season. The disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico has not reached named status but continues the hammering of the Loon Star state with rain. They got flooding, we got drought, with no change coming anytime soon:( Anywhere!

Sunspot that had calmed fired back up today, more cosmic energy coming our way. Moon waxes on setting stage for western eclipse of the Full Flower moon Wednesday; Hawai'i a nice spot to view it! Venus & Mercury still low the west after sunset, Mars above. Jupiter & Saturn the morning stars.

No TrumpVirus deaths update again..still cases, still deaths but they are slowing. Chaotic death and destruction and insanity in Israel has been put on hold; US behind the scene pressures apparently doing the trick. Joe knows how to get things done, last guy knew nothing, about anything..but being a lawyer backed bully and tweeting blow hard. Progress and rebuilding continues with actual US leadership from an actual US leader.

Time to get out, get manure, play some cards, maybe watch a little golf - Go Phil..and Brooks!! Dog naps on but I bet he'll get up and go, Today On Earth.

A little Aspen bark for lunch..Ahhhh, Colorado!!

The Old Back Door Cold Front..

With the jet stream way up in Canada, US weather is kinda stuck. The monster High pressure dome had slid a little east but over night it slid back west as a cold front; a little cooler, a little drier today but still blocking the Low over New Mexico. That Low continues to spin and sling moisture from the Gulf up the Mississippi valley creating all kinds of flooding issues from Texass north. Almost a tropical storm, Anna is likely to spin up today and another system is showing some signs of circulation in the western Gulf; Hurricane season is stirring (Indian and Pacific already with big storms). Out west, potential for snow:)

Rather shaky day - 50 quakes on the world map but magnitude 5.7 is the strongest and most are sea floor and along the Aussie/Pacific plate boundary; no surprise there!!

Solar wind is zapping the Earth today, thank your upper atmosphere and magnetosphere for doing the job of protecting us from that energy. That will likely stir auroras in the southern hemisphere, too much light at the high latitudes on the northern end of the planet..little tilt thing going on and closing in on the extreme of that tilt. Moon beams a little brighter and bigger every night, wax on!!

TrumpVirus numbers have not been updated since Wednesday's list. Crazy denial of reality continues as a republican staple, newly installed house #3 bragged about donny the douche's amazing economy but seemed to completely forget about the pandemic collapse, blaming current ongoing problems on Joe. Others still claim the insurrection/coup of Jan. 6th was merely a walking tour of the building by upstanding citizens..although many of those "citizens" are now behind bars..as many members of congress should be. New York has opened a criminal investigation into donny's entire family; what took so long!

At the tirehouse, a large dog naps on, squirrels romp, hummers slurp and wrens serenade the world with song; life in the forest. Time for a walk into that forest, Today On Earth.

The Rosy Maple Moth has now moved on, last bit of life(??)on the window here.

Why I Love Graduation!!

I am still smiling from attending my last graduation yesterday (well, maybe not, neighbors kids...I'll see..); my little 9th graders all grown up and ready to head into the world. And, what a world they are stepping into, drought here, flood there, volcanoes blasting and a pandemic everywhere...well, just around the Ring O Fire on the volcanoes, mostly.

Poor kids, the last year and a 1/3 of high school and no hanging with friends, few sporting events..couldn't go, school... couldn't go, but finally got to see the whole class, invite family, take the big walk and then realize I wasn't lying when I said I'd be there. Really well done LCHS, leading the way again; a model for all other schools to follow. It was so much fun to see them all(well, most, there is one I fear will do horrid things, following his slime ass dad; I believe he's a sociopath..just me), try and remember them all, especially with masks, and find out where they are headed on there next step into life; always my favorite day as a ninth grade teacher.

And, my large forehead will recover from the excess radiation, my body (back, head) hopefully will, too after Tuesday's crawl into the rafters to find/fix a short; I did neither:(

Our parked High pressure dome and New Mexico's cut-off Low, with the jet stream far to the north continue to stall and dominate US weather. A system coming ashore and bringing snow to the NW will perhaps bring some change. Until then, we remain hot & dry and Texass & Louisiana remain seriously flooded, they are at sea level and poorly planned, 😱SHOCKER!!

A Low in the Atlantic could become a first tropical storm of the year, again, ahead of the official start of the season (like Earth cares about our season designations). An iceberg that just broke loose from Antarctica is way bigger than Rhode Island (isn't most everything..) and since it was already floating will not raise sea level but will drift about, slowly melting for years (but, there really is no ship traffic in the Southern Ocean that will be affected).

2 dozen volcanoes on the week's list, most on the western Ring O Fire; Indonesia, as usual, leads with 7. The Aleutians, Kamchatka, Japan, Philippines also have blasting mountains. Guatemala has 2 on the list, although it's hard to believe Fuego has suddenly gone silent. Sabancaya & Sangay continue blasting away in Peru & Ecuador, Stromboli is going wild in the Mediterranean, lava floes making it to the sea. Hawai'i's lava lake roils on, and Piton de la Fournaise is still spewing liquid basalt. La Soufriere is not on the list; St. Vincent calming down?? Iceland's issues continue as they try and divert the lava (they've done it before) away from roads and fiberoptic lines; good luck with that.

5.5 is today's biggest quake, so no concerns with quakes on our broken world, today..

Sun is semi-calm today, although beaming steeply & brightly here. Moon now gibbous headed for an edge slide through Earth's shadow early next Wednesday (not visible here...).

Another, 675 Americans dead from the TrumpVirus yesterday but case numbers are down and vaccinations, while slowing, are still getting into arms. Just a little leadership and common sense was all that was needed.

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

30 Years Ago Today!!

It was 30 years ago today

That I came back Virginia way

Thinking I would stay a while

Change up my teaching style

To Earth Science from the ski

And, so today I be

A last graduation attendee

See my last class take their walk

Visit, share wishes, chat & talk

Then we'll all be on our way

Headed to a hopeful, better day

30 years, one last look

Then close up the teaching book

Well, at LCHS, anyway..

Today On Earth

30 Years....whoa...

Heat Kills The Virus???

Weren't we told last year, by our "leader", tweeter, (LOFL) that heat would kill the virus! Maybe this year..at least deaths and cases are down(as it seems, is reporting in places more interested in restricting voting than restricting viral spread) and continues to trend that way. And, after a long, cool spell in May, the heat is coming. Today we may hold in the 70's but 80+ tomorrow and then quickly on to the 90's.

And, the east gets drier and drier while Texass is deep, deep, deep under water; with more on the way. Seems like a good time for Loon Star electric to shut down the grid for maintenance and then raise rates!!

Tornadoes, monster hail, wildfires, drought and heat, with spotty flooding from ice damming..oh yea, and a typhoon slamming India; sounds like spring on the big planet.

And, I certainly feel good about going about mask free knowing those not vaccinated will be sure to keep the rest of us safe by still wearing their mask. Now that is funny!! The ones that have never worn a mask are the ones not getting vaccinated and still believing all they hear on the fox lie network and still conned, still believing the fat, orange headed waste of skin(and that's a lot of skin) that has done so much to damage this country and world, spreading the TrumpVirus infection; and on it rages. "Make 'Merica White Again".

Yet, far as I can tell, Earth cares not a bit, spins on as it zooms about the nearby star. 8 days away from casting its shadow on the moon (west coast only, if they can see through the smoke) daily dealing with solar high energy zapping, an atmosphere unconcerned about more or less CO2, higher or lower temps, life or no life, just a chunk of rock flying through space, but a pretty nice, well eroded, well tuned rock to support life...well tuned by life for life.

43 quakes on the list right now, nothing shakier than magnitude 5.4 any where on the broken, plate covered  globe. Same story, heat inside wants out, looking for a zone of weakness to exploit. Lot of little shakes releases pressure to reduce big shakes..still there will be big shakes. When, figure that one out, you'll make a lot of money:)

My large brown dog has returned after a short wander to see his girlfriend, now reclining in the yard(much to the displeasure of the local tree rat population. Crows are yapping nearby and a bluebird is trying to get down into my stove pipe (now protected from bluebird entrance by wire); they have a house in the yard, I don't get the stove pipe interest.. High pressure holds on in the east, slipping ever so slightly off shore to allow hot, steamy southern air to send the summer is near reminder our way; AC's about to get busy.

A squirrel just dared to enter the dog zone...that was not going to work..what a good boy.

Time to take a stroll, and continue gearing up for a faculty tire house party, Today On Earth!

Pre-party planning

High Pressure For The Block!!

The large, cool, High pressure dome that has been parked over us for several days has decided to stay awhile longer. It will shift a little farther east but just enough to sling some hot air our way by midweek and block any rain from getting here. That means the already wet middle of the country will get even wetter..and wetter and we will drift closer to an actual drought.

Half a world away, hurricane/typhoon/cyclone season is already underway as a storm bears down on India.  A year ago, Tropical Storm Arthur was headed up the east coast. Not yet this year..but, it's only a matter of time. Methinks the wild planet has no plans to calm anytime soon.

Not a big shake day, again. The northern mountains of Iran with a series of mid 5 shakes today; likely Indo-Eurasian boundary shifting and not Israeli bombing..I hope anyway. Little 3.3 shake just north of Montreal, just a reminder that the St. Lawrence is there (like most rivers) because there are some old faults; broken rock easier to erode than unbroken.

Folks with good camera skill and much patience are getting pics showing Mercury's comet like vapor trail even with out selecting for sodium ions. The innermost, speedy planet gets as far out from the sun as seen from Earth today. By June it will be dipping low in Earth's sky, about to pass 'tween us and the sun so get a peek while you can. Your eyes will not see the "comet" trail, just non-blinking star above much brighter Venus. In the far north, back to back weak CME's will tweak our upper atmosphere and fire up auroras over the next couple of nights. The moon waxes on, now a thick crescent, maybe in Leo tonight.

TrumpVirus deaths showing the usual Sunday low, none in TX, OH, MI?? IDTS!! Still signs are headed in the right direction. I just hope the early, hopeful, lifting of restrictions and mask mandates doesn't lead to a new spike, time alone will reveal that answer.

Enjoy one last cool day here in Va. cuz the warmth later today is just foreshadowing of heat to come, Today On Earth.

A cute, good snake..

Not cute, deadly (and dead)snake

Middle East Insanity..On & On & On..

A coolish, cloudy day here; hope for some rain today or tomorrow. Heat appears on the near horizon, by week's end. No rain before that heat arrives will begin drifting us toward the drought nastiness widespread across the west. Water: fresh, drinkable water will continue to grow as the issue worldwide as this century progresses. The reality is here now in much of the world, not enough water for the poorly planned breeding that continues.

While ancient superstitions (same god, different hat)are the base of the conflict in the Middle East the situation there now really goes back to WATER. Israel is sucking the region dry to continue to grow and the Palestinians are cut off from that water access but continue to breed freely then whine about the sad way their kids live..and die.

Migrations out of the middle east and Africa and meso-America are all driven by over breeding and no decent water to grow crops or drink. The Aral Sea is now a desert, the water that fed it diverted upstream to mostly water cotton, just like in the desert southwest where old, deep groundwater is being sucked dry (mostly hidden behind corporate privacy/distortion claims)to produce more cotton to clothe more people with newer, cooler clothes, that will soon be passed on for more, newer clothes. Instead of the "fabric of our lives" the slogan should be the "fabric of our demise".

Mix in the reality of our warming world and rapidly melting mountain glaciers (Himalaya's)that water the most grossly overpopulated region of the planet, east Asia, and the looming crisis barrels toward us as the news rants about the recent uptick of bombing in the unending thousands of years of stupidity and warfare middle east and gas shortages, and of course, hoarding, caused by poor corporate planning (and denial & greed) in the US. The world warms, ice melts and we worry about petty trivial crap...same as it ever was.

Quiet day of quakes around the world, 5.7 offshore of Japan today's largest. The sun is still a star but not doing anything to potentially zap our world. I did spot Venus in the glow of sunset, but it was too bright to see Mercury or Mars then. Mars was just left of the moon last night, both at the feet of the twins of Gemini, once is was dark enough to see the planet and stars, and lovely. The moon will have moved to up near the heads of the twins tonight; clouds here will likely be an issue.

TrumpVirus death update: 559 fewer Americans around today, another 4,200+ dead this week. Mask mandates are being lifted, vaccinated, don't need to wear a mask in public. The problem: the same dumbasses that won't get vaccinated won't wear a mask and are living in a separate world of lies and denials. So, what seems like a good thing and moving us closer to "normal" is likely to prolong the spread.

Heard this sad tale last night: a restaurant employee, that is completely full of himself, has all the answers, married to a bimbo slut cut from the same cloth, won't get vaccinated...yet, is stoned much of the time and will snort a line of coke up his snout given any opportunity..go figure. It ain't over til it's over, Today On Earth.

The Ides Of May - Beware?

One hundred years ago, today, Earth was zapped with a monster CME(coronal mass ejection) from our nearby star and it fried the young phone and telegraph systems then in place. Overloading lines and setting buildings on fire; auroras seen at the equator. Labelled a 100 year event, you know where that leaves us now! Recent research into such events has lead scientist to realize it was more of a 40-60 year event; we are well over due. The current solar cycle is still slow to grow in strength but we have no idea when that might change and all hell might break loose..or not!

Problems would happen on the ground with electric grids but they apparently have been upgraded to deal with this issue(although I bet Texass hasn't) better since Quebec blackout in 1989. Real issue would be zapping of satellites that control GPS -communications, TV signals and atomic time would all potentially go away..folks might have to learn to read a watch!!

High pressure remains the dominant player in the eastern US and that dense cool wedge is slowing any weather movement and keeping us very pleasant...but very dry, a sneakily growing problem. Rain chances remain spotty for the week ahead.

Quite a few quakes on the list today but 5.5 is strongest and mostly seafloor rippling around the Ring O Shakes & Fire.

732 more friends, family and neighbors are no longer with us from the TrumpVirus, just yesterday. 585,000 dead so far, donny, nice job(recent new estimates push the total dead to perhaps a million or more with underreporting and ass covering). My hope, they all voted for donny the douche and refused the vaccine; reality more likely that they got the virus from a family member that followed and believed donny's policy of lies: they were conned!!

Thickening crescent moon will be hangin' with Mars (very close) and Gemini tonight! Very near Gemini's Pollux tomorrow night then onto Cancer and the Beehive cluster Monday evening. Mercury has 2 more days of rising before dropping quickly as it races to pass between Earth and the Sun in early June.

Get out and enjoy, the reality of summer's approach and the heat it will bring will be back by this time next week is sneaking up on us, but not Today On Earth.

Hear rumors there is a horse race this afternoon, favorite running after testing positive for steroids after recent win...I could not care less..after the horse that went wire to wire for the win a couple of years ago in the derby was disqualified for being in front...I'm done with that rich, white debacle...even though I do have amazing memories of being at today's race track to see Secretariat win leg 2 of the Triple Crown.

A Fine Friday!!

With High pressure parked over the eastern US, the cool nights and warm, dry days continue. More of the same to continue until late in the weekend. Get out and enjoy.

Quakes offshore of Sumatra & Japan at magnitudes 6.6 & 6.1 rocked the world shake meters today; no tsunami warnings issued, so no harm done?? Just a little more Pacific plate subduction reduction; Earth in action.

Another 780 Americans are out of action, for good, as of yesterday; TrumpVirus got 'em, likely from friends or relatives:( New guidelines say, if vaccinated get on about mask free..maybe, maybe not in all situations! Hope continues to grow even with republican anchor still dragging us all down, battle on against hate, fear, lies and stupidity...yea, believe former prez with fat punk'n head, you are stupid and seriously conned!!

Our sun is still a little spotty, little CME action coming our way but you've got to be far enough north to see them that it's probably light all the time..or in Antarctica. I didn't drive for the Mercury Moon show last night, photos on space weather look nice. Little bigger moon and same planet show on tap for tonight: Saturn & Jupiter pre-dawn, Mars, Mercury & Venus chillin' with the waxing crescent; check it out!!

My big, sleeping in dog has returned some time to ramble, party to plan & prep, work to do..we'll see, Today On Earth

Shemekia Copeland's latest CD, Uncivil War, Wow!! Fiona Apple's Fetch The Boltcutters is also very worthy!!

All Sun, Still Cool, Volcanoes Blasting!!

Guatemala's bad trio, Fuego, Pacaya & Santa Maria are all back on the list and deservedly so! 5-12 explosions per hour, lava flow expanding, blasts and flows, respectively. Still it's poor family planning, overbreeding, and lying traffickers driving them to our southern border, maybe they should call the pope for help! LOFL

Piton de la Fournaise oozes on, Iceland, too; both with seemingly no signs of a limit to the basalt they are shooting out. Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Kamchatka all rocking on western side of Ring, Kilauea still at it and Ecuador & Chile' listed again. Only US Aleutians and St. Vincent showing signs of slowing.

Mag. 6.0 off Panama is today's biggest quake, Aussie/Pacific boundary/subduction zone next shakiest. No major quake issues, just some reminders here and there..broken, active planet, pay attention.

Big High pressure dome over eastern US keeps us cool but sunny, a nice day brewing. No big rain chances coming..a growing concern??

Missed Venus and moon last night, may try and catch the show tonight with our satellite near Mercury. Will near Mars in a couple of days. Auroras in Canada over their very short night.

Wanna be a republican today?

Well, here's the only way

Gotta back the Big Ole Lie

Gotta want non-whites to die

Gotta get down on your knees

Fat, orange liar, for to please

Want no abortions, but need a gun

Support hate & fear, no way on fun

Pretend no, no, no is a plan

Ready to lie, you a republican!!

TrumpVirus death count back up to 848 with no report from Ohio (probably busy re-writing voting rules), so it ain't over til it's over...and it is far from over. Stay safe, Today On Earth!!

Cool & Cloudy...Back, Back, Back To April

The radar seems to be showing rain but there is none falling here; south of here, likely a different story. Cloudy and cool seems to have settled in, and for a few more days ahead. Better than hot & humid, cuz we know that's coming and that the change will probably be abrupt. Get out and enjoy the coolness of Spring.

Couple of sunspots on our nearby star, one rather rambunctious and is bathing (blasting) Earth in the solar wind and will be sparking auroras north of here; doesn't seem likely we'll see any pretty sky colors this far south.

A very thin, waxing crescent moon will be near Venus in the afterglow of sunset tonight; Mercury well above the two, Mars farther above that. The moon will move on to Mercury tomorrow night; clear skies and a very good view of the western horizon is needed but with that combo the scene will be lovely tonight.

Big ole quake just rocked the seafloor of the Indian Ocean at magnitude 6.7; no tsunami warning given but the Indian ocean is not well equipped for warnings. Quake was along the mid-ocean ridge producing new ocean floor in that region and far enough away from Mauritius Isles to not(??) be connected with recent volcanic activity on Reunion..but, it's Earth and we don't completely know just what affects what! If there is a tsunami, it should be closing in on that tiny archipelago about..now. Philippines, PNG, Peru and just off El Salvador all with quakes well up into the mag. 5's today; a little shaky out there. US quaking about average, in the usual spots.

TrumpVirus death count back up yesterday, 693 fellow Americans no longer with us; 32,000+ more now infected. Saw a report on Australia yesterday and their response to the virus; less than 1,000 dead TOTAL, entire country. Va. alone with more than 12x that!! Leadership with a plan based on the science(it was harsh but..), compliance and buy in by the population and financial help for most all..and they are OPEN, no masks, no distancing, OPEN; schools, businesses, concerts, parties, restaurants and bars all open. But, they sure won't let anybody from the USA in, and who could blame them!!

Brazil & India continue to knock 'em dead by the thousands but at least with some leadership now, this country is working back toward what will be a different normal than before; still a'ways to go. Lot of self-centered, got my own stupid reasons and I will remain ignorant and bull-headed and unvaccinated, people out there; try and avoid them, easy to spot: fat, white, angry and unmasked. Floating down Da Nile with out a paddle!!

They will be the first and loudest to whine when told their kids can't go to school and they can't come in, fly, participate in life without vaccination, TDS idiots with a new term now applied, they've got foxitis - the actual defense being used in court by 1/6/21 capital attacking traitors. Lawyers...the real reason for most of the issues in the USA!!

Oh yea, hope ya got gas...I'm kinda low:( Putin's cyber punk criminals shutting down major gas pipeline has usual, selfish US hoarders, topping off their tanks, long lines, price gouging and now, no gas in many spots. Reaction always the American way, proaction would require planning and planning is a no-no for the republican party and certainly the oil and power industries(dems not exactly stars at it but Joe is changing that). Gas, the new toilet paper.

So, I'll hunker on, wander the forest (no deer, bear, snake encounters yesterday..), safe at home. Hope you can pull that off, too; Today On Earth.

Almost Run Over By A Wild Deer..

My Big Brown Dog jumped a deer, that's been hanging around of late, on our midday walk yesterday and in its haste, the deer didn't see me until maybe 50' or less from a direct collision. But then, his eyes got big (I'm sure mine were, too) and he/she did a quick correction and bolted about 25' by me and off into the clear cut jungle next "door". Breyer likes a short chase but is not a deer dog; he prefers his wild treats to be feathered...although I have seen him go hard and long after a fox. It's wild out there!! My big dog is currently having a wild puppy dream, twitching and huffing, what a good dog!!

Sunny and a little breezy and still in the cool zone here in the Old Dominion. Spring is OK in spring, often bypassed straight to summer so we'll enjoy the cool while we can. Another chance of storms all across the deep south today. California, and the west in general, remain in serious drought conditions, serious drought, gonna be another long, hot, fiery summer in the west.

Pretty average day of quakes, Chickasha, OK had windows rattled twice today and a 5.1 quake in the mountains well west of Mexico City likely did little damage...so...it didn't settle the lake sediment the largest city in the Americas is built on and add to their problem of "our city is sinking" and why isn't the pope, that has encouraged our over breeding, helping!! Little secret: he don't care, long as you send him your money and keep praying, he's gottcha!!

A small comet flew into the sun yesterday, bye bye! Little solar blast will stir Earth's upper atmosphere and trigger auroras few days from now (solar wind is not as fast as sunlight). The Moon is New today at 3pm, might be visible as a tiny crescent tomorrow low in the SW after sunset near Venus. Should be easier to spot the next night near Mercury. Clear skies and a good look at the western horizon will be needed.

TrumpVirus deaths remain low(367), although it continues to slowly (rapidly??) kill the republican party. Lie or else, their new requirement!! No report still from Ohio, so I know that death number is low, cuz I know somebody and likely quite a few somebodies died in that land of reality deniers. Let the anti vaxers stay home...but, we all know they will be out there, their fat white faces spewing hate and lies..least their faces aren't orange!!

A little work was actually done at the tirehouse yesterday, maybe more today; WOOOOO.  And, in other WOOOOO news; Red Wing Roots music festival is a go for 2021!! Very much a WOOOOOO!! I'm also working on an end of the year faculty party, another WOOOOOOOOO!! Times they are gradually a'changing, Today On Earth.

How about another dog pic? The sweet Charlie boy in a field of Texas wildflowers!!

And, Back To The Cool May..

66 at midnight, 63 at 7am and now at 11:30 it's down to 57..with clouds and a breeze; the Cold Front is thru. No sign of rain here but the sky sure looks that way..but, it's not going to happen, maybe even for the week. Perhaps warmer by next weekend. SE Va. tidewater area only sign of rain, another chance of wild storms across the deep south..ahhh, spring.

A 5.3 quake north of New Zealand today is biggest shake around the planet, Tonga and Kuril islands with a little shifting going on. In the US, Texass, OK and Nevada are today's winner (or losers.. if you live near where those quake occurred..middle of NO where).

30 years ago today, our Grand Canyon raft adventure had us drifting into Lake Mead, all but done with our journey through the big ditch. In a little over a week, I'd be back in Va, to start a new life chapter, from which I am now pleasantly retired. Whoa...30 years!!

Sun is getting spotty, stirring up and a cool shot and note on spaceweather.com; Mercury has a comet-like tail. It's so close to the sun that our star blasts atoms out of Mercury's very, very, very thin atmosphere and into space producing a tail. Mercury is well situated in the west at sunset now for talented and well equipped folks to get a photo of the (sodium) tail; very cool!!

TrumpVirus deaths for yesterday are very low, a good sign or just lame reporting by states that I know are open and killing folks. The trend is downward as vaccinations continue, more and more sites just open, stop on in and get stuck! TrumpDickSucking morons continue to say no to vax, tough to admit when you were conned...bible thumpers/anti vaxers...not even going there...waaaay too crazy!!

I've seen female Rose Breasted Grosbeak today, Red Bellied woodpecker on the suet now, but no daddy Grosbeak since first spotted. Like that my black snake is back and copperhead body is now gone; a treat for something. Chickadees and goldfinches still dominate feeders..squirrels, always a menace. Time to bundle up and track down a big dog, stay safe, be smart, mask on, shot in, stay apart, Today On Earth.

Thank Your Mom, Remember Your Mom!!

Without your mom, you ain't here; let that be the base of your thoughts today!! Daughters, sons, dads, do the right thing today, honor your mom. Don't forget Mother Earth either, none of us are here without this fine planet.

The planet is a little shaky today, no big quakes, lot of small ones around the US. West Texass fracking quakes, over a dozen around/between Hispaniola & Puerto Rico, Kansas, Alaska (just across into the Yukon), and even Tennessee. 5.1 on east edge of Scotia plate still biggest on entire planet today.

Clouds here, cool temps linger with the bulk of the rain in the upper Mississippi & Ohio valleys. It may graze us here later today and tomorrow. A slightly below average temperature week ahead; take it while we can, on a rapidly warming planet we know the summer heat is coming.

New sunspot is coming into view, no big blasts imminent. Lovely sunset with cirrus clouds last night but blocked any chance of Venus or Mercury viewing.

TrumpVirus has now completely infected what was the republican party and their only plan is to redistrict and to make it difficult for democrats to vote; quite the winning long term strategy. Especially when your orange talking head "leader"/tweeter (well, ex-tweeter) is almost 75 and could stroke out at any moment (fingers crossed on that one/!!). His namesake actual virus (he ignored it, denied it, it's his legacy now) has deaths and case numbers slowly declining but so are vaccination rates and TDS* refusal to get the vaccine is not going to help..and they don't care if they spread the virus..they'll deny on their death bed it's even real - good riddance but how many of the rest of us will they take with them; too many!

Spread the hate, spread the fear

On your knees for donny, it's clear

If you believe the big lie

Reality you will deny

Still just blame, still no plan

You're damn sure a republican

But, your focus today, your mom, to safely visit, to fondly remember, to appreciate fully. It's Mother Day, Today On Earth!!

*TDS- TrumpDickSucker...still millions out there, beware!!

You Must Be Cuckoo!!

Just stepped out to check on the amount for rain from yesterday's deluge (lol), a whooping 0.02", and heard the first cuckoo of the year. The yellow billed, worm eating, nest infiltrators with their distinct, cucucucucucuu cry are back. Always nice to hear them, just tough to spot them, usually stay up high in the trees but their unique flight, dipping and rising, is easy to spot crossing a clearing; they like hanging around the house.

Did not see dad yesterday but did watch mom rose breasted grosbeak on the suet for awhile yesterday, she of drab white and brown stripes; the grosbeak is the give away. Just gold finches and squirrels out right now.

Couple of quakes at mag. 6.0 & 6.1 on today's list (the 6.0 is now gone..24+ hours ago). Eastern edge of Caribbean plate remains shaky, Kansas, Nevada, Cali & off Oregon, too. Usual Pacific rim shakes with a little shimmy in the Galapagos isles thrown in but no real quake concerns.

New monster sunspot's latest blast zapped short wave radio transmission for awhile yesterday and it's not even really pointed at Earth..yet. Stay tuned, it's the biggest spot of the new cycle. Venus and Mercury are out there, very low in the west just past sunset but you need a great view and clear skies..maybe binocs. 8:30ish a good time to look.

Sun and clouds with a cool breeze here today as another front comes thru. Storms were around yesterday, the ground turned white from hail just south of here in Fluvanna but we got mostly zip. Moisture from this system will remain to our north for today and Mother's Day.

TrumpVirus still killing about 800 Americans a day, 580,000 total, to date. Still about 48,000 new cases a day, his lies and fox watchers willingness to believe anything he says (and you can tell if he's lying...are his lips moving..he's lying) continue to spread the ever changing virus - bunch of ugly TDS* faces uncovered in the store yesterday, not caring about anyone but themselves; a whole family of fat, white, ugly TDS (5 ugly kids) was coming in as I was leaving, dumb asses, another shallow dip in the gene pool.. Republicans have gotten together, if you're not willing to lie, you can't be a republican; hypocrisy and willingness to fold on anything you once held dear will be needed, too. Fascist, minority rule and control, their only goal, keep 'merica white, I'm sure jesus in proud!! Current viral progress and vaccination all stymied by a TDS minority still suckling on the fox teat, momma's milk of lies.

Stay as far away as you can, Today On Earth!!

*TDS -trumpdicksucker

It's All Cool..

Indeed, it is cool, 44 this morning but we have warmed to 60; that's ahead of the rain that is coming. Not looking like any 80's ahead for the weekend or coming week, but it is May and most anything can happen.

The Big Brown Dog has slept in with me this morning, not off on his morning adventure, content to nap until I venture out; with an occasional halfhearted squirrel chase. Dogwood blooms are mostly gone, green reins supreme in the forest. More rain will keep it that way.

Quakes along the Aussie/Pacific boundary with Tonga & Fiji the only ones that reached mag. 5. Mid-Atlantic ridge and Scotia plate only other mag 5 quakes. Truckee in NE California with a 4.7 earlier likely rattled a few things up in the Sierras. Kansas with 2; frack on, fools.

New sunspot that has been active so far is just spinning into Earth view, but not really pointed at us..yet. The waning lunar crescent is getting harder and harder to spot in the predawn..I'm not looking:)

818 more dead Americans; TrumpVirus. Those are the facts (no report from Ohio, so it's likely a little low) which it seems you can't say as a republican. Liz Chaney supported donny the douche but won't agree to the BIG LIE, donny lost and he is a loser. Rest of the rabid deniers want her out; lie or you have to go, there is no room for the truth if donny is in the room. At least facebook told him, no way! Lot of fat, white, racist (that's understood), but I hesitate to call them Americans out there sucking at the fox teat. More like russian supporters cuz their boy donny would support putin over the USA any day; very sad, very scary. Following the same trend that brought hitler and his nazis to power 85 years ago..scary stuff.

TrumpVirus cases are down but still almost 50K a day and vaccination rates are slowing but vaccinators are going to where the unwilling are and that's helping. Hard core anti-vaxers, let 'em stay home (but they won't and will whine...personal freedom crap...well, the rest of us have the right to life, too and not be infected by you).

This will be the sixth Mother's Day without my mom around, still miss her but still so glad she had 93 pretty good years to ride on the big planet. Enjoy the time with your Mom, Today On Earth.

Stormy, Nice, Stormy, Nice..

Rage, lull, rage, lull, warm, hot, cool, warm, hot, cool. It's a pattern but not one you can really count on; other than it will change. The storm that knocked out power here did some serious damage not far away, lots of trees down, a building trashed, car flipped (that sure sounds like a tornado). Here, just lots and lots of debris on my trails, lots, hurricane-ish. Last front cooled things down and we'll stay on the cool side of things for several more days, even with alternating stormy, nice days continuing.

6 quakes above 5 today, none much above and the usual, sea floor subduction locales. Puerto Rico with almost a dozen, again. I still think there is something magma-ish going on deep down that may not bode well for the island..but, it is a volcanic island, part of an island arc, so it would be no real surprise.

Speaking of volcanoes..18 spots you don't want to be this week (there are always more than on the list..like, Fuego.. Etna...don't go there). Iceland's venting has kicked it up into fountain mode, one day over 300 meters high and visible from the capital; that will get your attention. Reunion Island and Kilauea also added a little more basalt to Earth's surface this past week. Indonesia, Russia's Kamchatka and Japan with the usual active mountain scenes. White Island off New Zealand remains waaaay off limits to sight seers. Not much eruption on St. Vincent this week but big rains turned all that ash in lahars, mud/land/rock slides you do not want to be anywhere near. A new fissure just opened on Guatemala's Pacaya, flowing off into a new direction, trashing everything in its path. Hurricanes, volcanoes, gangs, over crowded over breeders, no wonder everyone wants out of there; sadly, we don't want their issues, problems here.

Just watching a sparrow with a mouthful of dog hair outside the window, little nest building going on; dog hair seems like good liner material, my plan when petting, rubbing him in the yard...well, and keeping it out of the house.

Another 794 TrumpVirus deaths in US on Cinco de Mayo with almost 50K new cases, both down but both still too high. India and Brazil stepping up as the new infection and death leaders (though both have a ways to go to catch us). Brazil working on indicting their president, an idiot, trump wanna be, following donny's plan (not really a plan..)of denial, blame and apathy toward his people and the virus. He and donny in the same prison cell, fighting over their daily bucket of fish heads..ya gotta have dreams:) India..well, easy to see their problem, any photo/video from there, just waaaaay too many people and their various gods don't seem to be offering much help or protection...ahhhh..

No sunspots but there is chinese space junk about to come back to Earth. The booster rocket that propelled the first part of their space station into orbit is tumbling wildly, gradually descending before burning up and breaking into pieces upon re-entry; when, not sure, where, not sure. Stating the obvious, 70% chance it'll hit ocean and do no harm is like stating the other obvious, Ghina is a grossly over crowded nation where 1984 is already underway and slave labor and religious oppression are the norm; not like they care where their space junk lands. Power and control of all is their only goal.

And, with that, I remind you, stay safe, be smart, mask on, shot in arm and stay apart..Today On Earth.

Cinco De Mayo - An American/Mexican Party

While Cinco de Mayo is kinda the Mexican Fourth of July, it is probably celebrated more in the US than south of the border..but, then we now really know from the lock down shut down that a major driver of the US economy is partying..so really, no surprise. Not that Mexico doesn't have celebrations, perhaps more than we do and not that celebrating is a bad thing..I am a Holladay, remember!! In the US it's just another excuse for corporate America to promote and cash in on anything...and Americans to party, ya can't stay fat and unhealthy underdoing it.

Big day of storms all across the south yesterday, perhaps again today. I lost power for 8 hours after a wild wind/rain/lightning mess rolled through. Sun is back out, the atmosphere reloading the energy, ready for another wild ride. Hang On!!

Quake numbers back up into minor shaky zone but none hit mag. 6. Indonesia over to Tonga with, no surprise, most and biggest. Entire Pacific ring seems to be into mass subduction today.

Minor meteor shower tonight, best viewed pre-dawn but it's not a biggee. Moon, a waning crescent near Jupiter early this morning..well, it's still near Jupiter just both hard to see right now.

TrumpVirus numbers remaining steady at too many: 890 more Americans dead yesterday with 40K new cases. Usual denial hot spots, Texass, Fla., Michigan(the death winner with 131) still knocking 'em dead but open for business...the funeral business remaining strong.

Time to put away a generator, but thank it for it's service and track down a dog. Stay safe out there, but find time for a margarita, it's Cinco de Mayo, Today On Earth.

Kent State - Star Wars - May 4th

51 years ago today, 4 innocent college students were killed and several others shot but survived at Kent State University in Ohio. National Guard had been called in by an idiot governor looking for votes in an upcoming elections. Only one of the 4 were actually at the protest, 3 just passing by on the way to class, nice shooting from the guardsman (obviously they were in the military but must have been special, middle class and white and were not in Vietnam). Special last night reminded me of the heinous acts coming from the top - Nixon -that students and others were protesting in massive numbers nationwide against the war in Vietnam and then into Cambodia. Villages set ablaze in SE Asia and now college students gunned down in America. 2 more would be killed a few days later at Jackson St. in Miss. but they were black and not much focused on by the media. Very troubled times...history keeps repeated and we don't get it..

The start of a long string of crooked, lying republican presidents happy to send poor Americans to war overseas..and dumbasses keep voting for them. Like blowing up rock was going to change things in Afghanistan - 20 years now - thanks W. And, then donny the douche turned the US into a second rate power, respected by none, feared by none, laughing stock of all..and he killed way more than 4 college kids. 577,000 and counting through his lies and negligence..still the TrumpVirus count rises, about 700/day.

On a lighter note, and we need that, May the Fourth Be With You - It's Star Wars day! Of course, like all fun, geeky things somebodies gonna try and make money on it and that would be the "founded by a big ole racist", Disney, that now owns Star Wars. Try not to spend any money there...

We are now well into the warm side of the front and temps are rising. While tornadoes trashed things throughout the south yesterday, the weather channel failed to mention the one that left a trail of destruction across Va's Northern Neck. Good timing saved a woman's life; she was at the store, buying a new stove to replace the one that had just died when a tornado swept through and completely destroyed, demolished her house. It even pulled the septic tank out of the ground. 89 year old relatives in the much damage house next door survived in the tub covered in a mattress. That would not have worked for her, house..gone, really gone, not even the block foundation. 150 yard by one mile destruction path and no injuries, lucky indeed. 1/4" of rain here. Sun and warm today.

My big dog was crazy last night, gimpy today; the bear was around. Borrowed the neighbors trash can, not sure what else he messed with.

Very slow quake day, nothing even near magnitude 5...whoops, just had a mag. 5 quake in Vanuatu but that's it.

Sun quiet for now but big spot about to turn our way, blasting on the other side, away from Earth right now.

Can you spot a dozen Lady Slippers in this pic? Not all are blooming but there are a dozen there.

Stay safe out there, avoid National Guard troops..or any troops and if black, obviously, any cops, too. Or fat, unmasked idiots in Make America White Again hats..avoid them like the plague..Today On Earth.

Sittin' On The Cool Side

We are, after a very warm, lovely Sunday, sitting on the cool side of a Warm front, in the shower zone. Poured about 8 this morning, a lull, peeks of sunshine and now a little more rain. That is likely to be the setup for Monday. As the front move north, it's back into the warm/hot zone for Tuesday with an alternating day shower/clear week ahead. And, here comes some more rain...the birds and squirrels don't care, continue to feed, the Big Brown Dog, he will continue to hold it, he ain't going out in this mess!!

6 of the 32 quakes showing on today's map are in the magnitude 5 range, Mongolia, couple off Sumatra, one, of course, near Tonga and 2 on opposite sides of the Philippine plate. The western hemisphere is pretty quiet today..well, but for the hail and tornadoes, etc.

Last quarter moon is at 3:50 this afternoon, so it should rise about 1am EDT...I'll catch it tomorrow morning, if clear skies allow. Sun is spotless, calm..for a star. Clouds blocked any thought of inner planet check here last night. Minor meteor shower overnight Wed/Thur if you feel like sitting in a lounge chair in a field in the middle of the night; enjoy.

299 TrumpVirus deaths on the list today; but no Georgia, Ohio or Michigan and those states are still knocking them dead so I know the report is off. Less than 30K new cases, too, so I'm thinking exhausted workers took Sunday off. Brazil and India still got 'em dropping like flies, dumbass Indians with open air funeral pyres going 24/7. Waste wood and add to global warming and the normal stench, nice job..still don't see your problem...waaaaaaay too many Indians and even killing 3,000+ per day isn't going to slow the growth...that's the sad, ugly reality.

Time to perhaps sneak in a stroll between showers, get a snoozing dog out, already been a good day for a nap. Hope you make the time, Today On Earth.

And, Back To Warm.. Venus & Mercury!!

Cool and breezy is now returning to warm, nearing hot for a day. Storms across the south and midwest today remind us it's spring and a wild, warming planet. That rain chance gets here tomorrow with a fairly common, May roller coaster weather ride for the coming week.

Only 2 quakes today above magnitude 5, Chile' and across the Pacific off New Zealand with those shakes. Guatemala with some shimmies but 3 active volcanoes around, are quakes really a surprise. Overall numbers pretty average for a broken, mobile planet.

Sun is still working toward a more active lifestyle; the new solar cycle gradually building. New sunspot seems to be fired up and about to turn our way. AND, I spotted Venus and then Mercury last night!! From a fine spot, a hilltop with a clear western view, still in the yellow/orange glow of a clear sunset. Venus low but bright, Mercury much dimmer and straight above, a bit; WOOOO! Inner planet show will improve over next couple of weeks, find a good spot, bring binocs. I completed the inner planet tour spotting Mars as I got out of the car upon arriving for dinner at Obrigado!! Jupiter & Saturn are the two brightest non-twinkling "star" in the pre-dawn sky.

The TrumpVirus has now killed 576,000+ Americans, another 702 kicked off May Day. Stupid politicians and stupid people in India & Brazil make those the current hot death spots on the planet; their mutated strains sure to arrive here soon..another wooooooo but lower case, as deserved. Vaccinations are slowing in the US, stupidity and lame excuses combine to explain the reluctance, plenty of vaccine available.

I didn't catch much of the Sunday news show scene today, catching up on sleep. Quick listen, same lame excuses from republican, but no ideas & no plan. First commercial when I turned on TV..here was my first thought..

Shoot the botox in your face

Signs of life, there'll be no trace

Still it ain't gonna erase

Nor will it replace

That when the truth be told

The reality is... you are old:)

Get out enjoy the warm

Stay clear of the flies that swarm

Today On Earth

It's May, It's Cool..

As the usual squirrel crew romps in the front yard, I notice the forest is not moving. Much different from yesterday, when everything was moving, trees, pollen, dead (and some live) branches, chairs in the yard; debris a'flying from the wild, wild wind. First walk was breezy, second was a little scary with the falling debris danger much more real; I stayed in most of the day, just too crazy out there. Today very little movement, whew.

Big quake off the northeast coast of Japan, magnitude 6.8, very near where the 9.0 quake hit 10 years ago, hammering the coast with a tsunami, leading to a nuclear power plant, shutdown/meltdown. No tsunami today but they are dumping radioactive water into the ocean...but, hey, it's the ocean, it's big, what could it hurt; maybe it will break down all the plastic and sewage we dump in...

Panama, with a 5.1, southern Indian ocean mid-ocean ridge at 5.2, Indonesia, a 5.1 near the site of their tsunami quake 20 years ago and Vanuatu with a 5.3 shimmy. All in all, a pretty calm day on the planet, little damage done anywhere.

858 Americans succumbed to the TrumpVirus yesterday, 58,000+ new cases. Cali and Ohio lead the daily death count, Fla & Texass close behind. Vaccination rates are slowing nationwide, some dumbasses deciding one shot is enough others apparently feeling their youth, fat level, gun or general stupidity and/or meanness will keep them safe and opting not to get any shot. So, for the rest of us, the danger of the pandemic will continue. America, land of the fat, home of the stupid, but we have so many likes on facebook..

The sun remains fairly quiet, for a star. Earth will fly through the debris trail left by Halley's Comet over the next few days, Eta Aquarid meteor shower the result but it won't be much of a show. Better for southern hemisphere than northern.

7 tree rats romp in my front yard, obviously, my dog is not home and where is a hawk when you need one. I hear the hawks screaming; please swoop by and grab a squirrel to feed your babies, help me out here, too many tree rats is not good. Bird feeder activity remains high, gold finches raking the seed out.

Only warmed to 57 so far today after a low of 43, chile today, hot tamale, to use a south of the border sign line(building up to Cinco da Mayo, that American Mexican holiday). Back into the 80's tomorrow, roller coaster temp ride this week but trending warmer. No turkeys seen yesterday, no recent bear activity (seen) and no branches on my head..or Breyer's. It is a pretty nice day, get out and enjoy, safely, Today On Earth.