Still Cooking; NW Rare!!

When they put an instant read thermometer into the NW yesterday it showed that the region was rare, time to take it off the grill. Just over the border into British Columbia, they were into the medium rare range with temps more like Death Valley and deaths, well, like in Death Valley. With a nice breeze here yesterday it was almost pleasant..almost. Already 82 here with heat index of 86 but inside the tirehouse, with only one mini-split running and only on dry it's a chilly 67, a nice shock when coming in from outside.

The monster Bermuda High has retrograded back over the SE and is holding off the storminess in the midwest until (forecast says) Friday; we will see. Couple of disturbances out in the Atlantic that may become storms, tis the season. NE was hotter than mid-Atlantic, wild planet is set on bake!!

Speaking of disturbances, Costa Rica's Rincon de la Vieja blasted off yesterday, ash/tephra hurled waaaay into the atmosphere. More details tomorrow when week's volcano list is updated.

A little above average for quake numbers today but none even at magnitude 5 so other than a little reminder to those dwelling along plate boundaries (or in freaking fracking zones) no real quake issues today...it's the heat!!

TrumpVirus deaths back over 300 yesterday and it's even higher because no report from where buildings collapse and reality is denied and where the governor has knee pads built into his pants, just in case donny the douche shows up for a lie-fest: Florida. With millions refusing vaccines, hundreds will continue to die daily; buy donny's lie, good chance, you gonna die!!

Sun is spotty, blast may graze Earth tomorrow, auroras over Antarctica, woooooo!! 'Bout time to venture out, water the garden and wander the forest, Today On Earth.

Dog wanted to keep moving!!

What a handsome fellow!!

If It's This Hot In June...

I can hardly wait for July & August...and September...and October... While we are not in the mid-100 teens like Portland & Seattle we will likely get into the mid-90's here today, throw in the swampy humidity and it's going to feel like well over 100...and it's only June. Heat is supposed to still be building in June but it's 2021 and GLOBAL WARMING is here, now, not coming; fixing things in 2030 or 40 will be waaaaay to late.

Sadly, I fear our current pandemic (likely human caused, too, thanks to chinese slime) will be a minor blip compared to the droughts, heat waves and famines to come; U.G.L.Y....and we have no alibi...greed! As things get worse this summer, and they are likely to, maybe some realization will begin to sink in, but I doubt it, idiot republicans just can't let go of their oily cash cow, reality not something they are willing to admit.

The virus still infecting the GOP spoke over the weekend, donny the lyin' douche, and it was the same old pathetic lies and he couldn't even remember is own lines, lots of mumbling, couldn't remember, in Ohio, that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon; could remember Neil's name, said he walked on a plant, begged crowd to help with name..they didn't seem to know either, or what he was talking about. Mini strokes?? Punk'n Head seems to be even dumber than before and I didn't think that was possible.

TrumpVirus deaths and cases still down but, once again, no report from some major denier states where I know there are cases and non-vaxxers are still dying.

Only 3 quakes at or slightly above 5 today and none of those causing issues. 4.1 off Puerto Rico along actual boundary, more off SW coast as well. Little shake in the Bay area today, just a reminder that the San Andreas runs through town and will shift again.

Couple of sunspots as new solar cycle gradually builds but no CME blasts heading Earth's way. Got a view of the west horizon? Watch the Mars is dropping, Venus is rising (albeit slowly) show; closest 7/12/21. You'll likely need binocs to spot Mars if not pretty dark; Venus will look like stalled plane.

Yesterday, Tropical Storm Danny formed, came ashore, moved inland and is, today,  gradually dissipating, currently a rain event in Alabama. Another potential system lurks well out in the Atlantic.

Big dog is home, panting, now napping on the cool floor. The new mitsubishi system, with only one mini-split actually on, is kicking butt, the tirehouse is cool and dry, Today On Earth.

A Take On July...

As usual, here's my monthly column for the local paper, the CV. Earth, still doing what it does and with a heat advisory in the NE, even hotter than yesterday's record breakers in the NW and a "surprise" tropical storm of the GA/SC coast what earth is doing is WARMING, rapidly.

Weather channel story: did sea level rise add to/cause Miami building collapse? DUH!! Salt water encroachment into a building built on a sand bar!! Concrete doesn't like salt water and gravity never takes a break and it's Florida, not exactly a place known for doing things the right way...but, greed, they good with that.

July 21-On & Off Earth

While the Summer Solstice was the longest day of the year, July begins with only 3 minutes less daylight and still a serious need for shade and/or sunscreen. By the time August arrives there will be 39 less minutes of daylight but still, deep into summer, not something anyone is really noticing.

Nor will anyone notice, or likely realize, that during our hottest month we are also the farthest from the sun. Earth reaches that point, aphelion, on the evening of the 5th over 94 1/2 million miles from our star; our tilt however, guaranteeing hot weather for months to come. Farther from the sun means Earth travels a little slower in its orbit making summer the longest season of the year.

Short nights, heat, humidity and mosquitoes don’t make for ideal star gazing but you can, not long after sunset, catch the bright Evening Star, Venus, not far above the horizon in the west. Mars will be very close and very dim next to Venus on the 12th. The Full Buck moon (bucks in full velvet these days) is the 23rd. Jupiter and Saturn are the brighter stars in the pre-dawn sky and the sun begins July in Gemini, moving into Cancer on the 22nd.

If you recall from your world history lessons, July was re-named to honor Roman emperor Julius Caesar by the Roman senate. They changed the name from Quintilis, the fifth month on the Roman calendar, an honor, we now also remember, not all were pleased with, ie. Brutus.

Our democracy, always a work in progress, loosely based but looking to improve on the Roman system of laws and civic involvement celebrates its 245 birthday on July 4th. If our democracy is to continue and thrive, in a world increasingly dictatorial, it is going to take all of us, getting together, even as we disagree exactly how, to deal with the changes that will continue to tumble our way.

For Virginia gardeners, the goal for July 4th celebrations is for home grown tomatoes on the menu. I will, again, fall short of that goal; plant late, harvest late. Cucumbers and zucchini are nice, but they are not home grown tomatoes. My tomatoes, if the deer and squirrels do not intervene(hair trimmings from the floor of Sherry’s Snip & Style, sifted liberally on the plants seems to be working), will be ripe not long after the 4th.

Don’t like tomatoes, that’s OK, everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes. The nice thing about the freedoms we enjoy in the USA is we get to make our own choices, have our own personal opinions, hold dear to our own personal beliefs. Teaching science, I tried to stick to the facts, that had been tested and retested and are the best that we know, where we are, in time.

When asked, and I was, usually during the unit discussing the evolutionary changes, written in the rock, of the long history of Earth, I replied that my beliefs were very personal, and that I didn’t feel it was my place to share them in a science classroom. Mentioning that perhaps, if everyone kept their own, unique, personal beliefs, personal, the world might just be a more peaceful place, seemed to give everyone a moment of quiet reflection before we got back to dinosaurs.

It is so nice to be able to celebrate the 4th after the last year but safety, in its many forms should always be the first part of your plans…including sunscreen! Next month: a big anniversary involving the rock underneath our feet.

Things Are A Little Stuck..

Heat in the NW, storms in the midwest, muggy here; sounds like yesterday. Yesterday, if you could find some shade, and clouds helped off and on, there was a breeze that made the higher temps and humidity much more pleasant, not a bad day for late June. Storm chances are still pretty low here today and don't go up again until later in the coming week, but the cool and dry of last week not forecast anytime soon.

Only 4 quakes at or above 5 and all are ruffles on the seafloor, should be little harm from any quakes today. Still lots of small quakes off the SW coast of Puerto Rico...

It's Sunday..so half of the top 20 states for TrumpVirus deaths with no report. Cases and deaths are still down but still not down to zero...and that ain't coming here or anywhere, any time soon. Ole Prez Punk'n Head was out spewing his list of lies yesterday..on the same day his former boot licking attorney general called his lies bullshit...not a shocker to the 250+ million that already knew that....but if 50 million people say a stupid thing, it is still a stupid thing.

Our nearby star is a little spotty but the spots, while roiling gigantic masses of highly energize plasma, are not blasting any extra into space, in our direction, yet.

BigBrownDog is still in recline mode after a big day yesterday, 'bout time to get him up and out, which means I need to get out, too..Today On Earth!!

US Weather: Muggy, Stormy, Hell!!

3 different climate zones in the USofA; we are under a High pressure dome pulling warm, muggy air off the Atlantic; the High is holding off a nasty, stormy front stretching from lower plains to the Great Lakes with tornado issues a real potential today and the northwest; massive heat is blowing up all time high temp records in the land of cool & fog where they have no AC. A big low off Africa is looking ripe for hurricane development, summer is here. Scary part, it's just started and the real heat and storms are yet to come.

Then there's Miami, with over 100 people still unaccounted for after a huge apartment building pancaked its way into a massive pile of rubble. The peninsula state of partisan divide and reality denial lost another 67 unvaccinated mo-rons yesterday, TDS* no more! Build on sand...gravity will win!!

451 more dead Americans, mostly in states with low vaccine rates!! 😱 TrumpVirus still raging, better but still raging...glad I'm vaccinated!!

Turkey likely experiencing some issues today related to poor construction and living along a plate boundary after a little 5.4 shaking. Few others at or above 5 today but those are seafloor subduction or rifting issue and bothered no one. A 2.6 rumble outside Baltimore today, I'm sure left locals wondering, "what was that": that was an earthquake! Another almost 2 dozen quakes around Puerto Rico today; I still think pending a new volcano...and there will be one one day...will any alive today see it?? West Texass frackers still injecting salt water, still causing shakes, still denying any connection between the two.

New sunspot just popped or spun into view, potential for blasting Earth with energy...jury still out on that one but seeming likely. Waning gibbous moon brightening the night sky even through the haze and clouds. Those big globs of condensation will block any planet or star viewing around here for several days, here anyway.

Erosion and deposition is mostly slow...until it's not and you have rubble where there were none..Today On Earth.

*TDS-TrumpDickSucker

as in

They'll do anything to please

Get down on their knees

And, suck trump's dick

Suck trump's dick

Suck, suck, suck, suck

Suck trump's dick!!

Feelin' Jazzy!!!

Got the much needed reminder..push..and it's done; New Orleans Jazz Fest - Rocktober!! Now to figure out where I'm staying 2 weeks from tonight at Red Wing Roots fest...???

Another nice day

But

Humidity coming our way

High & Low? just off the coast

Raising heat & humidity toast

With an easterly flow

Storms could make a show

In NW they are cooking

New records, they'll be booking

Major potential out in Atlantic

Days away, now no reason to panic

Puerto Rico with lots of shakes

West Texass more fracking breaks

Rest of world not much shaking

Here, gold finches still raking

Out the seed

Easy for the squirrels to feed

Time to make the tree rats run

Get a big dog out in the sun

Gonna end this little poem

Time to move on, go roam

Today On Earth!! 

Another Day Of Cool, Still A Lot of Fools..

It dipped to 53 here this morning with the big High pressure dome parked over us but all must shift east; back side flow will get warm, muggy to follow, Summer. So, get out today, VA! The high pressure over the northwest did not come from Canada, perhaps hell? Cuz records continue to fall and more will fall as they move not just well over 100 but over 110.

It was 115 down in the Grand Canyon yesterday and news reports seem shocked one person died hiking down into that ditch(I bet others were much closer than they thought to death, you just can't drink enough water in that dry heat). What idiots!! Sit on the rim, in the shade and enjoy the view but hike into that inferno, stupid.

Only 17 volcanoes on the week's list, no Popo, no Kilauea, no Iceland, no St. Vincent (that actually is calming) so I know the list is short. At least the reality of Fuego and Pacaya blasting away in Guatemala are there along with Peru's Sabancaya and Ecuador's Sangay, always fired up. Philippine's Taal is belching gas, shaking and bubbling up acid in its namesake lake (no boating allowed...whaaaaat). Rest of the list is the usual crew, Indonesia with 4; Kamchatka, 3; Japan 2 and of course, Mt. Etna is still going wild on Sicily, wild!!

Few 5+ shakes, around the Ring mostly, today, none really seem likely to have caused issues. Indonesia, Marianna isles, usual shakes (but less than 5 off Puerto Rico/Hispaniola, west Texass, OK all with pretty normal shakes but off the NW coast of Australia, that's a little weird!! Mostly seafloor shakes so no harm done to the human residents above.

Another, at least, 398 unvaccinated Americans died yesterday from the TrumpVirus, I'm sure another 100+ from the NRA Virus, GunsRUs!! Charming country we got here, still drifting paddle free down Da Nile. Who knows how many died from bad and poor life choices: gluttons, smokers, alcoholics, the heavily drugged, succumbing to the American lifestyle, sloth and apathy, all aimlessly adrift on Da Nile, but all, no more.

Moon rising in the east as sun was setting in the NW yesterday, a lovely sight from the pickle ball courts but the fact you could see both...not quite a Full moon. That lineup occurs today at 2:40; the Strawberry Moon. Venus, Castor, Pollux alignment above the setting sun tonight. Cool, dry, clear skies here should make for lovely viewing, Today On Earth.

Maybe hoist a mini-beer and celebrate!!

Time For A Cool Change...59

After a high yesterday of only 77 and 0.7" of rain, Canadian High pressure is in charge and it is cool; June 23rd and cool. That, actually is similar to 2019 numbers but of the last 5 years, those two are the outliers, usually at or above 90...and it was 95 Monday. Heat will be back this weekend but the next couple of days will be sweeeeeet; not much of a test for my new cooling system, it's dry and chilly in here, I'm wearing fleece.

Had a red fox dash into and out of the yard earlier today, that was a little strange. The squirrels scattered quickly, Reynard never really broke stride, kinda veered and travelled onward. Stirred up a deer and later a turkey launched, loudly, from a treetop perch on last evening's walk; no bears sighting of late. Summer Tanager with a very quick appearance at feeder but gone before I could get binocs out. The Goldfinches are busy raking seed down to the squirrels while a large brown dog naps following his early morning wander and early return. No workers here, kinda nice!!

A 5.8 quake in Peru, in bold red on the list, is today's biggest shake; 5.4 in Chile' second on the list. Puerto Rico area and west Texass fracking quakes rule the US scene.

The Moon is just past perigee, 6 hours ago and Full tomorrow afternoon so another "Super" moon with the oceans sloshing big tidal ranges; look out coastal flooding!! Venus will form a line with Gemini's Castor and Pollux tonight in the west after sunset; the stars seeming quite dim near the brilliant Evening Star. You'll need a good view of the west, clear skies and binocs will help!

More TrumpVirus deaths yesterday in US than on the same day a year ago, and we thought things were bad then..and had no vaccine; ignorance and stupidity, often combined, still waaaaay too prevalent in this country...the rest of the world is just too over crowded and poor (can't feed, clothe, school your babies - DON'T HAVE THEM) to deal with the mess China created and donnie the douche fueled, begging always for help but not seeing their problem staring them in the face - too many people!!

Forecasts for a worse heat wave than they are just getting a mini break from out west and now the northwest..and it's only June; July and August the real issues. Already well ahead of fire pace even from last year's record destroyer season...yea, it's poor forest management, donny, ya douche.

Reality, and that's all earth cares about, it's Global Warming driving massive climate changes caused by our greed and deep, deep, deep dependance on burning hydrocarbons. And, we know exxon will continue to deny and drill on, frack on, burn on, piling up the cash until countries grow a backbone and force a change. Sorry kids, you are screwed!

To deal with problems, this guy move faster than humans do!!

Rain: Good! Timing: Bad!

It is nice to see rain falling..but, for the fact that the installation of my new mini-split heating/cooling system is ongoing with outside work...now, not underway...maybe under cover. I certainly need the rain and there is nothing to be done but enjoy that part of it. This is part of a Cold front that ripped up Chicago with tornadoes and will usher in much cooler air for a couple of days after yesterday's scorcher. Hit 95 here yesterday, well over 100 with heat index; a nasty day. With rain and front passage we will be unlikely to get out of the 70's today and be in the 50's tomorrow morning; little need for a cooling system but sure nice to have it.

Another rather calm day on the big shaky planet, 3 quakes at or above 5 and the only one on land is just north of the Mexico Guatemala border. At 5.0 should be no issue there. The reason for the sea floor shake off Florida now in the news, military setting off a huge blast to test ship's ability to deal with explosions..nice to know our protectors are still...??? doing their job. Seems working toward peace would be a better thing but not much money in that!!

US military is working hard to get out of W's Afghanistan nightmare, but, of course, no lesson learned from Vietnam; if you aren't going to do it Russian style and move your citizens into a country, it's hard to really affect change. Islamic idiot taliban already reclaiming the country, ready to kill those that helped US and remove all rights of women. Welcome to the 13th century, still allah seems to offer little help when trouble arises!

The sad irony, 1,700 Afghan civilians killed in first 3 months of this year, and that is tragic but...we kill that many fellow Americans every 2 weeks. When guns are easy, you solve your issues with guns not words. NRA firearm safety training doesn't not seem to be working. Not much chance at peace when our biggest export is war.

Sun is quiet but that will, of course, change. The Full, Strawberry moon is Thursday. As it rises in the east at sunset (the only time a Full moon can rise) Venus will be hanging with the Gemini twins, Castor & Pollux, forming a line in the west above the set sun. Might actually be clear here...naaaaaw.

TrumpVirus deaths and cases continue to trend lower but with 15K new cases a day we are a long way from done. Good news, in blues states with high vaccination rates, deaths and cases are way down, in red states of denial, cases and deaths are on the rise, wish I was sorry, but I'm not. Natural Selection rules, always, Every Day On Earth.

Summertime!!

And, the living's easy...well, if you're retired or a teacher or kid..and are vaccinated. But, it feels like summer, serious muggies here with storms to the south (Claudette, again a tropical storm) and big ole Cold front up north. We are still dry and in need of rain; not western US bad but still dry. 13 deaths from Claudette ripping thru Alabama(not known for sturdy construction) and more tornadoes thru Chicago yesterday. Hopes and forecast for some rain, but not wild storms through here tomorrow and then back to cool behind that front.

Big 6.3 quake near Kermadec Isles, with a 6.0 aftershock but no tsunami warning. Only 2 others at or above 5, calm mostly reigns...unless you are in Oklahoma or west Texass, freaking fracking.

Sun pretty quiet..on our side. Moon was nice last night even with haze.

Less the 100 TrumpVirus deaths...reported for yesterday. With lots of dumbasses not vaccinated, we are a long way from done here and the badly over populated countries got 'em still dropping like flies...although I bet their populations are still rising.

Short and sweet today, hopefully I'm one day away from a new cooling and heating system; change, sure needed here, Today On Earth. 

Solstice & Dad's Day!!

Our planet's northern end reaches its greatest tilt toward our nearby star at 11:32 this evening and summer begins; tilted away, the southern end heads into winter. Summer heat and winter cold is already well ahead of today's official seasonal shift on much of the planet. Australia with some of its coldest temps ever and heat and drought cooking the western US; Europe swelters, too; Global Warming is here, it has been for years and way worse is coming...way ahead of our planning schedule...not that we really have one!!

Today is also Father's Day, set aside to honor fathers but really just another American marketing ploy. Fathers (and Mothers) that have planned their parenthood are honored everyday by having pleasant, respectful kids(amidst the chaos that is life). While good parents are still in the majority, millions who claim fatherhood and motherhood are closer to 'ho's and sperm donors, their offspring a burden and often a menace to us all. The rash of teenage gun violence and the storming of the capital are both directly related to bad parenting, thugs all, morally bankrupt parents passing on the attitude of do and take whatever you want from whomever you want; respect only earned when you have a gun, not clever enough of mind to produce the ideas, or words to settle differences peacefully. Still easier to buy a gun than think through an issue.

Earth still cares not, the third storm in the Atlantic basin currently ravaging the south as the northern plains brace again for severe storms; the west still baking and burning. Here, we are sandwiched between the two storm system, hot and muggy but likely remaining dry.

Only 4 quakes into the low magnitude 5's today, only 32 on the list and over a third are around Puerto Rico. The 5.4 quakes in southern Mexico and northern Japan likely the only problem causers today.

One sunspot on the side of the sun facing Earth, but it's pretty quiet. The other side of the sun, soon spinning our way, seems a little more fired up; CME's already seen blasting into space. Moon waxes on, clouds, again, blocking any viewing of Venus here last night.

TrumpVirus deaths way down but no report of deaths from half the top 20 states... What we do know, only the unvaccinated are dying. Seems an easy call to make but if you're on your knees, lined up to please donny, sucking at the fox teat, don't get it..die..we'll seeeeeya but not miss ya. Ok, boomer...seeeeeya!!

It is sooooo nice to be vaccinated, to get out, see people, hug, shake hands, live life again. But, knowing that almost half the people you see are too stupid to protect themselves and/or too self centered to care about others, but all too fast to blame others for what are self created problems, still creates a little unease. Just glad I'm vaccinated, Today On Earth.

Juneteenth, 2021

Today, 156 years ago, in the racist republic of Texass, 2+ years after slaves elsewhere across the south were freed, word finally made it to Galveston; now all slaves were free. Not that the official emancipation has come anywhere close to stopping racism here or around the world but officially, slavery was no longer legal anywhere in the USA. Of course, Texass is still working hard to oppress all but the fat and white, limiting voting in cities and maintaining white power, white control. Too bad they can't even supply electric power to citizens to stay warm in winter or cool in summer; ahhhh, monopolistic capitalism!! But, as long as the rich stay rich and pay no taxes, who cares. Let's sell 'em all guns and let them sort it out for themselves.

Earth spins on, caring not. (oh, and google still sucks, soooooo not user friendly).

Finally, a name given, Tropical Storm Claudette, after landfall was made, flooding back on the agenda in the deep south where Global Warming continues to hammer them as they deny it even exists...and damn sure not my fault, joebob go fire up the pickup, let's go burn up some gas!!

Here, clouds and humidity are back after 3 fine, fine days. Will it rain here? Looking like it but, my guess, storms will roam about, likely dodging here. Rain chances back in the forecast for next several days.

Sun remains very quiet, mostly spot free. Moon waxes on, bigger and brighter nightly, if you can see it through clouds.

A magnitude 5.8 quake near Fiji today is the only one worldwide to shake at mag. 5. I wish there was an explanation for an experimental explosion/quake,  at 3.9, off the coast of Florida...blowing up voting machines? destroying TrumpVirus vaccines? In the land where reverse latino racism and northern white agism combine to oppress all others, who knows what they were blowing up but that's a big shake for an explosion??? Still shaky around Puerto Rico, in Idaho and along Cali's San Andreas but no real shocker quakes anywhere on big broken planet.

TrumpVirus deaths seem to take a big jump yesterday...oohh, Florida(107) and Ohio(44) finally reported. States where vaccine rates are high, deaths are low; low vaccinations states, high death rates. That seems likely to continue, natural selection doing its thing; the TrumpVirus, the ultimate voter suppression tool. Love to see MTG(Minority Trailer Green) and Bob, what an idiot, Goode hold their next, and last, press conference in side by side hospital beds, on ventilators(it's all a hoooooax, fire Fauci...)!!

Time to venture out into the muggy gloom, dog needs to go, Today on Earth.

And, remember...With good parenting, there is no need for police...and no racism, nor need for guns, ponder that as Father's Day draws near...Today On Earth.

Cool Start But Change, Ubiquitous!!

53 here this morning but the temp is rapidly climbing as the center of the Canadian High that's in control begins to slip east and we get the southern air side of the system. Much of the rest of the country continues to bake, 100+ temps common, no rain in sight and major fires burning in 8 states; welcome to the new Earth!

The Low that will likely become Claudette later today is moving out of Campeche and into the main Gulf and rain, wind and storm surge will begin lashing the coast later today. Might get here for some rain by Monday, might stay south, might have storm here tomorrow and Sunday..only time will tell.

Another very calm day on the big broken planet, only one quake even at 5.3, in the Aleutians but Indiana with a 3.8 quake that is likely all the buzz in Bloomingdale today.

Still no TrumpVirus death report from Ohio or Florida(likely illegal to report in Florida with their douche governor) and deaths and cases still low but our worldwide viral evolution study is proceeding well; new variants popping and killing everywhere - likely coming to your neighborhood soon!! Vaccines seem to work against all comers so to the unvaccinated I say..seeeeeeeya!

Our nearby star has one spot but it is not raging so there's no particle stream blasting Earth..well, above the normal. The 1/4 moon was lovely last night, will continue to show more of its lit side, moon-lighting the evening sky on it's march to Full. We are at peak daylight hours, the solstice at 11:32 Sunday night; maximum northern tilt.

Enjoy the last day of cool east coast, we're about to join the hot club, Today On Earth.

A smart dog enjoys a fan...

Cool Here, Hot There, 1/4 Moon Everywhere!!

The Moon will reach first quarter, 90 degrees to Earth and sun and will be lovely this evening having cleared Leo and sliding into Virgo, bright Spica below and left. Another cool evening here on the east coast to enjoy that view. Rest of the country is on fire or it just feels like it; massive heat wave cooking the Plains and the West; don't think there is much change for them although some of that heat will drift this way over the weekend.

Low in the Bay of Campeche has still not spun up to storm status but that seems very likely, very soon and after coming ashore somewhere on the US Gulf coast will likely bring us rain, still needed, on Monday...forecasts always change...we'll see.

Very quiet quake day, only 18 outside of US and biggest shake is only mag. 5.

21 volcanoes on the list (and that's with none in Guatemala and no Etna or S. American blasters and, I know that is not right). Indonesia still rules list, Philippines has two with Taal sickening locals with gas emissions, shaky, a blast coming..soon..?? Iceland's lava machine has kicked it up again, increasing activity rather than slowing. St. Vincent still in a lull but not ready for tourists or tours, still gassy. Costa Rica's Turrialba back on the list. Russia, Japan also with usual suspects. Stay clear of them all!!

TrumpVirus deaths; 369 yesterday with no reports from Fla and Ohio..so we know it's higher.

Time to get out and track down a dog then another lunch, friend yesterday, family today. If you're on the east coast, get out and enjoy, out west, hang on and welcome to Global Warming, Today on Earth.

Rather see him in the woods but at least he wasn't in my garden..

Lovely Here, Hell Out West

First, just have to say, go sharks, keep eating Floridians, two bite attacks yesterday; if only we can get the governor to go for a swim...although, he's so slimy he'd just float on top.

Down to 61 here overnight, with low humidity, that is mighty fine for mid-June. Out west, different story: 107 in Salt Lake yesterday, their prayers obviously falling on deaf (no) ears. It's cooking most everywhere out there, throw in the fires already raging and not exactly a vacation paradise. Just stepped outside...OMG is it nice out there. This will be short...

Quakes, Earth's got 'em but no biggies; China 5.4 is only 5+ on land it's China, so who really cares...they'd just lie about it anyway..no quake here..virus..we ain't started no virus..we just want to peacefully surveil the world, make sure no one steps out of line. Quake in S.F. Dakota today...that ain't right...must be getting into the fracking scene up there, too. Puerto Rico shakiness continues.

Speaking of out of line..Putin..meeting with Joe today..what do you say to a killer, kleptocrat..knock it off...he don't care..might as well tell a TDS that donny's a liar...they don't care.

TrumpVirus deaths (reported) at 389 for yesterday and while some states have hit 70% vaccination rate others, full of TDS lag far behind and will, I'm betting, see case and death rates begin to rise as the country opens and variants spread. Sad to wish ill on fellow Americans but if you support the former Punk'n Head prez, believe his lies and wish to overthrow the elected government and help spread a pandemic that should be contained, I hope the TrumpVirus takes you out..it kinda already has.

The thickening crescent moon has been quite lovely of late; Venus is still too low to see from here in the forest..but's it there. Mars way dim but also there as are Jupiter and Saturn pre-dawn (certainly not for me to see...), Mercury still too close to the sun in morning sky but it's always moving, fast.

Time to get out for a walk, a lunch get together and work to be done...by me..I know..Crazy..Today On Earth.

No pics but on afternoon walk yesterday we disturbed a mom and 3 fawns..3!! Big dog didn't know what or who to chase!!

Front Thru, Humidity Down!!

Very much a breath of fresh air to step outside today. With a Cold front passing through overnight the humid funk of recent days is gone, may still get warm today but only 80's and with low humidity that is mighty fine!! The deep south and west is not so lucky; record smashing heat and dry, dry, dry conditions have both fire and power usage warnings driving their world. Wish I could say it's gonna get better...but, probably not for a couple of hundred years, we have created a mess.

Part of an email I just sent to Bobby Whitescarver, his blog: moreontheground.com a fine read!

I heard Isaac Asimov speak at JMU back in the late 70’s and went in thinking a sci-fi talk and turned out his whole lecture was about population issues and that all the problems we were facing then were, at their root, population driven and it would only get worse if we didn’t deal with it. We obviously haven’t dealt with it and with here we are.

And, the warming driving the climate change that the wise know is already here is also what is driving the massive migrations from the middle east and Africa into Europe and from MesoAmerica to our southern border, and most are coming with 6 or 8 kids and can’t see where their problem is. One photo from anywhere in the 3rd world shows the problem, too many people.

From day one, at the start of each new school year, I talked about the 3 basic rules for Earth: Adapt, Migrate or Die! They stayed on the board all year and I often answered questions just by pointing to them, some got it. Can, will, we adapt quickly enough, slow migrations enough to prevent the current pandemic from being a small, minor blip, a foreshadowing of much worse pandemics ahead.

Lot of quakes, well, 50ish, but nothing above 5 since about 24 hours ago; still lots around Puerto Rico (sorry, google obviously can't figure out how to match fonts).

TrumpVirus deaths waaaay down (but, again some hard core liar states with no report) but with variants up and vaccinations down I fear that will change.

Until then, stay safe and for those on the cool side of things, enjoy, Today On Earth!!

Sunshine..Too Much CO2, Too Many People!!

 Sunshine is back..for now, slight storm chance later today. Lows about to turn into tropical or semi-tropical storms just off the Carolina coast and in Bay of Campeche. Record breaking heat is baking the west and SW..it's the desert, should be no surprise.

Biggish quakes in southern Philippines and just off Dominican Republic and Somalia; damage local or on seafloor but not waves created. Lots of aftershocks in So.Cal. Earth shakes on!

Few TrumpVirus death or cases REPORTED... with variants and re-opening and lots of maskless, unvaccinated liars around the spread will continue...but, hey, wanna die, don't get the vaccine; we'll seeeeeya but not miss ya!!

Reading a friends blog and comments about our atmosphere reaching CO2 levels not seen in 4 million years..lots of good thoughts, ideas, solutions but I think all miss the point and that remains that there are too many people..Thanks again, Bobby. 

The real underlying issues driving all the others, that apparently cannot be spoken about, is the number of humans on Earth. When you and I were born there were less than 3 billion people on the planet, now we near 8 billion. Too many people living too close together, competing for too few resources are at the heart of all the human issues we face today and all 8 billion would like to live like we do; Earth will not support that.

The current young generations are ready for, craving big change but greed is still driving the bus. They can make it happen quickly, social media could spark a worldwide, wait a while to have kids and only have none, one or two, great kids. Cancerous, unbridled growth that is currently driving world economies cannot go on for ever and solar panels for 10 billion…well, that’s not doable either.
All farmers know if the roots don’t have what they need, the plant doesn’t make it and the root of ALL human issues is overpopulation and we keep snipping at the outer branches hoping the tree will get better. And, as a geologist, I know the Earth does not care and does not need saving; it will spin on with some type of life aboard for a few billion more years. We humans know the problems, we have and are still creating them. We also can fix them, lots of good ideas shared here, all with potential to help, thanks again, Bobby! Hope to seeeeeya soon!

Time for me to run some squirrel out of the yard...Today On Earth!

Doesn't Look Like High Pressure...

A blue, cloud free sky is what High pressure should look like...but not here, not today. It's cloudy and with all the recent rain, still muggy; seems there is a chance of storms later today. Rain chances go down and temps go up in the coming week, but not too terribly high...it's Earth, there will be change.

Looks like a lot of quakes but only 5 at or above magnitude 5 so no big issues, well, maybe right on the coast of Guatemala; others are ocean quakes. Cali with more reminders: you live on a plate boundary!

The sun is pretty quiet, sky remains unseen around here, bet it was pretty if you could see it last night.

Only 170 TrumpVirus deaths reported yesterday but almost half the list with no reported deaths and I doubt that is the case. Official tally reached 600,000 dead in US from donny's debacle; most reports place the actual number much higher, some well over 600K, some as high as a million. Lots of liars and deniers out there so we'll never really know for sure (kinda like the: started in a chinese virus lab..and that cesspool of human depravation and slave labor is certainly an epicenter for lies and denial).

News talking about Prez Joe speaking to Putin about state sponsored, supported, encouraged criminal activity; that's a joke, Putin is a criminal, a thief, a thug, a KGB killer and short of someone taking him out, that ain't going to change. Someone should start a go fund me account...

Issue sliding under the radar around Va., and likely elsewhere, cutting down carbon absorbing forests to put up industrial solar plantations, all to enrich the already rich power companies and allow them to maintain their very tenuous grid of wires that we all suck our power from. And, CO2 levels just passed levels not seen on Earth for 4 million years; trouble, big trouble is soooo much closer than we are willing to admit, and this planet still does not care what we do..or don't do, Today On Earth.

On The Cool Side..

The front has cleared the Old Dominion and it is cool, still only 66; we'll take it for June!! Big rains all around with flash flooding but other than one storm most missed here; the creek level barely changed. Elsewhere, much hotter; a storm trying to spin up in Bay of Campeche!

More and more aftershocks just north of the border along the San Andreas in California. Caribbean plate still getting squeezed and slipping along NE and SE edges; quaking! But, no real big problems, just some shakes that should serve as reminders to those living nearby.

And, suddenly, Florida announces 280 people are no longer with us, all unvaccinated, hopefully all TDS*! Way to open up, keep the spread and variants coming gov. ronnie, love to see you and your buddy donnie catch a new strain and kick it!! That kicked USA TrumpVirus deaths to 730 for yesterday...but, we know Ohio has been holding back and no report from AZ (still looking for bamboo ballots- Mo-rons).

Moon, a lovely waxing crescent, will be below Gemini's Pollux and halfway between Venus and Mars tonight in the west after sunset, lovely if visible (no clouds).

Issues continue with the tree rats tearing up stuff, war underway; squirrels truly a menace. But, a baby moose, that's cute and a lotta leg, Today On Earth!

The Doughnut Hole Closes:)

After days in the doughnut hole, rain all around but none here, the odds caught up with us and finally, mercifully, we got some rain. Over 1 1/2" so far, so heavy rain but no insane deluge like many near by; reports of 3, 4, even 7+" nearby with obvious flooding issues. Looking like 24 more hours of the mess before a cold front pushes the stuck Low off the coast and we settle into a coolish, dry weekend! On this soggy Friday, the front has become stationary, looks like right on top of us.

Storms in the far north rage on, the desert SW remains 😱 a desert. Lake Mead at the lowest level since filled back in the 30's, I'm guessing Lake Powell is sporting quite the bathtub ring itself yet I'm also guessing Vegas is still wasting power and got fountains fountaining, the oasis that isn't an oasis just the double pit; money & arm.

4 quakes above 5 today, all around the Pacific Ring O Shakes..except in the US freaking fracking zones and Hawai'i even though Kilauea did not make the active list this week, still lava swirling and that will shake things up.

TrumpVirus deaths in US still over 400/day and that's with no reports from two epicenters Flow-rider and O High O; republican governors perhaps outlawed reporting...now a $5,000 fine for a business to ask if someone is vaccinated in dung heap of denial, the GunShine state where governor's head is so far up donnie's butt that he can probably see out of the twisted, lying mouth. The state that is a peninsula but it will be much better for the rest of the country and world when the sea level rise that's coming puts it back under the sea (I'm sure most deny Global Warming but Miami is looking to spend billions on a 6' sea wall; it won't be enough:).

With clear skies this evening (unlikely here) the tiny crescent moon will be just below Venus in the west after sunset. If you haven't check out eclipse shots, lovely stuff.

And, then there is timing and serendipity...we had just passed by this spot, 1 minute?, 2 minutes?,we had not gone far, when we heard a very loud crash. Another win for pine bark beetles and gravity..

Clouds, But No Rain..No Eclipse Seen Here:(

In typical Va. fashion, if there's something cool to see in the sky, there will be clouds passing by. And, while those water filled clouds dropped buckets of rain nearby(3+ inches in RVA and just south) the storms missed here, just wetting the ground, adding to the muggy misery. More rain chances today; I'll believe it when I see it and all I see now is haze...and a pack of squirrels.

Lots of pics of the eclipse on spaceweather.com if you want to check it out; I'm sure the news will have shots, they gotta show something..and this was pretty cool. The now, waxing crescent moon, invisibly thin today, will still be tiny but just below Venus tomorrow after sunset, between Venus & Mars Saturday and, continuing to thicken, above Mars Sunday evening; wax on!!

20 volcanoes on the week's list, mostly the usual suspects: Popo, Fuego and Santa Maria belching and blasting away in MesoAmerica and Reventador in Ecuador and Nevados de Chillan in Chile' are back on list although mostly always erupting away. Etna has calmed after a wild couple of weeks; locals, I'm sure remain wary and are keeping their distance. Indonesia with a pretty normal 5 blasting away, usual 2 at it off Japan, Kamchatka with 3 and the Aleutians with 2, Gareloi new to me. Kilauea is not on the list nor does there seem to be action in the Congo..although a big quake occurred there just hours ago, last big quake released a lava river into Goma. Action on Iceland remains pretty steady, but still lots of lava with little ash so no issues for air travel.

China, Indonesia and Congo with only quakes at 5 today, all low 5's.

TrumpVirus still killing well over 400/day (and that's with no report from Fla or Ohio..) and with vaccination rates slowing and stupid ideas growing (the shot makes you magnetic claimed a ranting Ohio woman trying but failing to get either a key or bobby pin to stick to her neck, she so obviously NOT magnetic..or clever) the spread will continue. Killing the unvaccinated is ok by me and that's who dying these days, the human gene pool needs some cleaning. Another tidbit of idiot news, only about 1/2 of NFL players are vaccinated! One not getting the shot, doing his own research the report claimed, a member of the Washington Foreskins, couldn't put together a coherent sentence so... his research...I have my doubts but no longer that it takes brains to play in the NFL. Reliance on Marky the Suckerberg's facebook but a refusal to believe science will certainly not make 'merica great again. Little to no taxes coming from 'merica's richest billionaires spotlights the real problem:

In 'merica

The rich nor poor taxes pay

The rich just dodge and play

The poor have more kids anyway

In the middle we work and pay

But most grow fatter every day

Parked on their ass in the USA:)

Will a cold front push through? Will the stuck Low get here? Will it actually rain at my house? One thing we do know: There will be weather today!!

I know a dog that knows where all the good dipping pools are, Today On Earth.

Did I Mention...It's Still Muggy!!

The swamp-like feel of Va. in the summertime is still upon us, clinging; close, as we like to say and it ain't soon going away. Storms remain in the mountainous terrain to my west, drawing closer each day; best chances seem tomorrow and Friday with serious deluges in the forecast.

Severe storm watch boxes in NoDak and eastern Montana last night, where the jet stream reigns. Fire season is well underway out west, drought conditions grow worse by the day, still we pump CO2 into the atmosphere, cruising the Egyptian rivah through the heart of 'Merica: Da Nile!!

Only 2 quakes, both off Japan at magnitude 5 today, still a little shaky along the plate boundary NE of Puerto Rico, Cali aftershocks seem no more.

The New Moon will be visible tomorrow morning as is slides directly between Earth and the Sun. It's at apogee though and too far from us to block our star completely, an annular eclipse, the full ring effect seen only up in Canada and Greenland. Find your eclipse shades, EYE PROTECTION IS NEEDED FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT and get up early, eclipse already underway at sunrise.

Venus remains (for the rest of 2021) as the evening star but still low in the west after sunset. It was nice to see the Goddess of Love shining down upon friend's surprise nuptials Saturday evening!!

Several hundred American are still dying every day from the TrumpVirus and with the country mostly open, business as usual, but with barely half vaccinated and the dumbasses that aren't certainly not wearing a mask, I'm guessing that number will remain in the low hundreds/day for most of the summer, if not well into the fall. The insipid virus that is donny the lying douche still raging in the twisted, racist, overworked, fatty hearts of his clan of mo-ron "believers". America trying to hold on to democracy amidst a sea(polluted puddle) of fascists.

Time to get a very patient dog out for a stroll, he is not a fan of the heat, and we got that...Today On Earth.

I think this box turtle (yea, I know, really a tortoise) was laying her eggs but I didn't want to interrupt.

Did I Mention..It's Muggy

We're not breaking heat records here but we do have a serious case of the muggies; only 71 overnight and with dew point at 70...MUGGY. North of here, they continue to smash record as the heat wave oozes across the land. No relieve for a couple more days, storms stayed well west of here but the ones that popped dumped big rain in a short time...local flooding.

Disturbance off the Yucatan has a slight chance of spinning into a tropical system, the Gulf and Caribbean waters are hot, already well into the 80's.

Latest CO2 data shows no slow down as we burn and flood our atmosphere with the heat holding gas; 0.0419%...which doesn't sound like much but it's higher than at least the last 4.5 million years and it was 7 degrees warmer than with sea levels much higher; our rapidly approaching future.

Most of the quakes on today's list are aftershocks in SoCal and NE of Puerto Rico along the actual plate boundary. Otherwise only 20 world wide with 4 reaching magnitude 5 and only the sea floor shaken.

News and stories are building about the upcoming partial solar eclipse about 43 hours from now; it will be already underway when the sun rises Thursday morning for the east coast (well... down to GA). EYE PROTECTION NEEDED!

Otherwise, the news media is craving something, anything, to report on (24/7) but with President Biden actually in charge and trying to get things done, without tweeting about projects or himself they have to dig deep (the good news about TrumpVirus numbers being down doesn't sell). Deep and disturbing it was but it was about donny the douche..blurry photo made it look like he had no zipper..in front; report: he had his pants on backwards. Only news because as stupid as he is, we knew it was a possibility! Better photo, he actually had put them on correctly and just poor tailoring and fit doesn't sell. Zero reporting on what he said at the denier gathering..same old sad, pathetic lies to a collection of delusional racist idiots; no news there either.

Looking to hire some people that will actually work at my house (I don't seem to...much, anyway) to improve heating/cooling system, meet and chat today, on Earth. Woooo!

Happy wading dog!!!

A Muggy Rinse & Repeat Week

The Low, cut off from the flow of the jet stream, still spins just to our west but is slowly, agonizingly slowly, coming our way. That will make this a week of the muggies, rain chances low for any one spot but high for somewhere in Va, every day; afternoon the usual time frame, let the heat and instability build. North of the Low, heat records tumble across the region that had frost a week ago, the wild planet doing its thing.

Aftershocks continue along the San Andreas just north of the Mexican border in California. Elsewhere, the usual quake spots are slipping and sliding but with only 3 in the mid-magintude 5's worldwide and all along the Aussie/Pacific seafloor, it's another safe shake day on a very broken planet.

More and more maps and info and warnings are popping up about the sunrise, partial solar eclipse Thursday. EYE PROTECTION IS NEEDED!! A wedge of the northeast US, Canada and Greenland are in the zone but the moon is too far from Earth to block the sun completely so no totality anywhere; still it will be cool to view (BEHIND ECLIPSE GLASSES) the sun with a slice missing and watch the moon slowly uncover our star. Plan now, east coast beach combers with the best view.

And, I've just wasted an hour dealing with Barnes & Noble and still don't have the book I've paid for downloaded or a good way to fix that..more corporate America, thanks for nothing...but your cash.

Lots of states with no report on the ongoing, but slowing, TrumpVirus pandemic (almost 1/2 of yesterday's total from Cali). Worldwide issues and hot spots persist, especially those without leadership or plans and/or deep, deep into denial of their problems...always overpopulation, poorly planned parenting at the core.

Stay safe, Today On Earth...never know when someone might be watching..

Muggy, With Wedding Bells!!

Went to friend's place last evening, they host wonderful, music filled, yummy food affairs and turned out they had a surprise, after 15 years together, they got married!! Best friend had filled out official paperwork to make it legal, herded us together and our rather rambunctious group behaved and was amazed and delighted. Then it wasn't a party but a reception!! Amazing!! Bride's daughter and her friend since birth, really, born to moms that were friends, one day apart, were there with so many other friends, wow, what an evening!

Outside, it's still coolish but that is changing quickly, headed toward 90 again today with little or no chance for rain. A warm week ahead here with storm chances toward week's end. Rain continues in the south, Utah's weekend prayer fest has shown no sign of bringing rain, it's the desert, get real.

5.3 quake just north of the California/Mexico border with dozens and dozens of smallish aftershocks. Little damage done, it's out in the desert, middle of no where; yet another San Andreas reminder. Indonesia into the Philippines with similar magnitude quakes today, likely little concern there. Another 5.3 quake along the Iran/Iraq border, hopefully not with a military cause!

Couple of sunspots but nothing blasting CME's at Earth. Can you spot the thin waning crescent in the photo..near the center at the top, very tiny..

TrumpVirus deaths and cases continue to be lower but several hundred Americans still dying every day (probably about 100/day from a gun, too, but we don't much care about that either). Prez Joe continues to try and get some things done to move country forward...zero help from the party of denial, deeply white, deeply selfish, deeply delusional, still no shame, nothing but blame, got no plan, republican! WVa's Joe Manchin, pretending to be a democrat in a now deeply TDS* state, waffles, stalls, blathers on about bipartisanship...doing what they all do, try and hang onto their cushy job. Enter the congress, leave your balls at the door, Today On Earth.

*TDS-TrumpDickSucker - on your knees, donny the douche to please!!

Whaaaat?? And, Pray For Utah!!

As lakes and reservoirs continue to shrink in the western US...climate change...global warming...duh...the governor of Utah has decreed (likely visited in a dream) a weekend of prayer to end his state's drought (I'm sure he thinks California deserves their drought). Will there be a visit from the angel I-Moron? Oh yea, it's Moron-I, either way conveys the message and con they are running out there. Perhaps he should consider that his "tribe" of overpopulating misogynists, raping the desert for god and greed, play a role in the ongoing drought. But, mormon and rational never mix, soooooo, good luck with that.

Here on the recently dampened East coast, the heat is building but the rain has gone for the time being. Big storms dumped 2+" of rain on the Tidewater so our mini-drought is on hold, for now. More T'storms forecast for midweek. The Gulf coast and up the Mississippi continue to receive far more rain than they would care for, Earth unconcerned about any of it, spinning on.

Chile', Indonesia, Scotia plate; only quakes at or above 5 today around the fractured planet. Nebraska??? 3.1 there, must be getting in on the freaking fracking scene. Some aftershocks off Oregon after yesterday's big slip but no issues. Rest of the Ring O Fire & Shakes with the usual shift and shimmy subduction action.

REMINDER: Partial/Annular Solar eclipse at sunrise Thursday morning, EYE PROTECTION or SOLAR FILTERS FOR PIX is needed. NE, Canada and Greenland the viewing spots, just barely here in Va but visible!! That means the moon is a thin waning crescent only visible for a couple more days in the pre-dawn before sliding in front of the sun.

Sun with some small spots but no big blasts headed Earth's way.

Yesterday (I'm late) marked the 32 anniversary of the Chinese slaughter of protestors in Tiananmen Square; but if you were in China and brought it up...you are now in jail...but no person in China born since knows about it and mention of the crack down of students protesting for a voice, democracy, will get you hauled away. The brain washing in country, mostly complete! Nice place China, not enough money on the planet to get me there!!

No update for 2 days on TrumpVirus deaths or cases but news (real news not fake fox/faux news) reported we hit 600,000 dead yesterday(reality likely far more than that), nice job Punk'n Head. He's still whining about stolen elections; but not the one he stole with russian troll help in 2016 and is still banned, officially from facebook for 2 more years. His immediate rebuttal lie should get him banned forever... Mitt and his fellow utes should be praying donny has a stroke...that would help the planet!!!

It's Saturday, another party to attend, vaccination is good!! Normal-ish is good!! Enjoy, Today on Earth.

Oh say can you see

A dog thru the tree?

A Muggy Friday!!

The air mass is hot & humid, mix in yesterday's 0.7" of rain and you get a prelude to summer, the Friday muggies. Chance of storms later, they were hit and miss yesterday; here we got the hit, the garden loved it.

Rain chances after today are low until more unstable air middle of next week.

6.1 shake off Oregon today did not roll up a tsunami but should be a reminder to the NW; you live along plate boundaries although the volcanoes you see every day (well, not every day, lot of clouds out there) should serve as that reminder. Indonesia & Venezuela only other quakes above 5 and just barely, info on quake site just went away, site or crappy service I'm over paying verizon for???? Uncertain.

TrumpVirus deaths in US over 600 yesterday, not good news, still trends are better and we are beginning to share vaccines around world amidst much whining. Poor, overcrowded cesspool nations don't like it, talk to Ghina, they created and spread this mess...or create your own vaccine...just don't come here, you've already ruined your country and we have plenty of our own issues.

Space fairly quiet today, no solar blasts, moon wanes on, dancing with Saturn & Jupiter in the morning sky.

Don't need to lock my shed when I have a guard like this...

Stormy Thursday Brewing!

A Warm front slid through late yesterday, bringing wind and rain to the Old Dominion and a warm muggy air mass, ready to fire up the storms today as the Cold front west of us sweeps through. Low risk, but still a risk for a variety pack of storms today, wind, hail, tornadoes and torrential rain. Hang on, could be getting wild!!

Got a little wild in Indonesia's Molucca Sea earlier today with a 6.1 quake and aftershocks but no waves coming ashore and the fish don't care. Probably more issues from a 5.4 quake in central China but with 1.4 billion people what's a little death and destruction, it's already a hell hole. OK has still got the fracking quake blues and a now century old reminder that "Sooner" was a disparaging term and racism is still rampant there.

Volcano update: 18 on the week's list, Krakatoa stirring, always needs to be watched; Iceland oozes on; Etna blasting wildly away, couple in the Aleutians getting gassy with a little bonus lava, Congo's nightmare has momentarily subsided but they have so many more, all overpopulated related. Not much on the list from western hemisphere and that is, I'm sure, not right...Guatemala calm, I don't think so!

Sun is quiet, there's some good news.

Trump Virus list updated, still donny's disease is killing about 500 'mericans a day, 595,000 official death tally, likely much higher. Surges continue in poorly lead countries around the globe. Countries with actual leaders a year ago, open and all good, but we can't go there...

No bears seen, no fawns chased yesterday, played a little pickle ball, in a pre-storm gale, which did not help the enjoyment, still fun. Lotsa Pasta with friends, seems like old times in the vaccinated world, outside of that, still crazy, Today On Earth.

There's A New Bear In Town..

A medium sized bear did a walk through the yard last night just before midnight, turning on the motion lights. He picked up his pace when I turned on spotlights and even more when Breyer started barking. I got no picture, no shot off with BB gun. That will raise the awareness level on walks today a bit higher!!

Clouds and an increase in humidity here today, the mass of moisture and storms headed our way for tomorrow is crossing the Mississippi now. Given the option, I'd take a bear over a tornado or hail storm; Earth does not allow us to choose those options.

Suddenly there are only 16 earthquakes on the world map...there were 40 when I first checked. With the largest at 4.9, there are no quake issues today. My guess, bunch of small ones in USA were just over 24 hours ago...

No solar blast of Earth, moon at last quarter at 3:24 this morning..should still be in the sky..too hazy to spot here.

No TrumpVirus update for 2 days, numbers still trending and staying low-ish.

Big Brown Dog very lazy today, between chasing a turkey, a large deer, a small fawn and last night's post bear snort and dash, he's a little slow moving, but about to head out. First stop, squirrel removal from the front yard!

Be Bear Aware, Today On Earth!!

Tune In To June!

June, so soon!! Actually, everything seems like it has taken and lasted forever over the last 15 months but change rolls & roils onward. Today kicks off Hurricane Season in the Atlantic basin; with one minor storm so far but none on the horizon. Meteorologists also consider today the start of summer, as do most public and private pools, although the water is likely a bit chilly still. The rest of the world, for millennium, start summer at the Summer Solstice, this year our max north end tilt happens very late on June 20th EDT. Earth does not keep statistics or dates, just spins and orbits onward, in lockstep with the nearby star but influenced by our large-ish natural satellite; just enjoy the ride!!

Sicily's Mt. Etna, seldom quiet, has gone big with its latest blast, shutting down the nearby airport. More volcano updates Thursday. Slightly above average quake day, but still only 4 quakes at or a bit above mag. 5; none in spots to do much damage. No big Alaskan aftershocks.

High pressure rules again in the East, sliding slightly farther east and warming a few degrees above yesterday, low 80's likely today. The continuing mess in the southern plains rains & storms on but will arrive and influence our weather later in the week (it's Tuesday..a Monday holiday can even throw off a retired Holladay) with storm chances; our recent 1 1/2" of rain not really ending our drought.

Well...maybe dry spell is better for here, the western US is having a drought. Fires fueled by too many people using/wasting too much water and stealing water from places that didn't really have enough to steal. You could throw in the too much CO2, driving the current major climatic shift, from car exhaust from too many cars and too much driving in the place that made smog and congestion the standard but really NOT bad forestry management as donny the douche claimed last year as he made sure the federal government he supposedly headed did nothing to help; lie and blame from don the con. A very good chance this fire season in the entire west will be worse than last year's record smasher. More burning, more CO2. And, on the warming of our world rolls..."we'll be carbon neutral by 2040" claim all sorts of delusional, lying corporations in their ads; by then it will be so far past mattering and looking back at those claims will be a not funny, pathetic joke.

TrumpVirus deaths and cases continue the downward slide, I hope that will hold, I fear the unvaccinated TDS deniers will not let that happen.

Day 152 for 2021, get out and enjoy, Today On Earth!