Meads Family Habitat

2012-01-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

Ah, Aurora!

I would love to see the Northern Lights.

A storm from the broiling sun turned the chilly northernmost skies of Earth into an ever-changing and awe-provoking art show of northern lights on Tuesday night.

Even experienced stargazers were stunned by the intensity of the aurora borealis that swept across the night sky in northern Scandinavia after the biggest solar flare in six years.

"It has been absolutely incredible," British astronomer John Mason cried from the deck of the MS Midnatsol, a cruise ship plying the fjord-fringed coast of northern Norway.

"I saw my first aurora 40 years ago, and this is one of the best," Mason told The Associated Press, his voice nearly drowning in the cheers of awe-struck fellow passengers.

U.S. space weather experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday evening that so far they had heard of no problems from the storm that triggered the auroras, which made it as far south as Wales, where the weather often doesn't cooperate with good viewing.

The picture below was an earlier display of the Southern Lights as captured by the International Space Station.

2012-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

Photo Voice Managua

Carl Agsten and Lesley Clay are Presbyterian missionaries working in Nicaragua. These folks visited our Glenville church in the fall and explained the PhotoVoice Managua Project. With donated digital cameras and basic instruction in composition, exposure, and storytelling, Nigaraguan young people use photography to claim their voices.

Their PhotoVoice exhibit is currently showing at Taylor Books on Capitol Street. Judy, friend Judy, and I attended the exhibit while we waited for Dan to arrive for dinner.

This exhibit provides an opportunity for us to have a glimpse of the Nicaraguan youth's world.

It is so easy to forget about the poverty that exists in the world. These photographs show what the kids contend with on a daily basis.

Here is a teacher who is a hero by giving her students hope and pride. The classroom wall celebrates the national heroes.

This picture was taken near the dump outside of La Chureca. By the time trash arrives at La Chureca, many of the items of value have been salvaged.

This is just part of the 4 square miles of trash in this other-worldly image. The photo is thought provoking, with vultures on the horizon, and green hills and blue sky in the distance.

After the exhibit , we met Dan next door for dinner at Pies and Pints, a gourmet pizza restaurant .

What a contrast! Trash Dump and Pies and Pints! We are so blessed in our lives. We have a responsibility to others and hope that we can make a difference as we travel through this world.

2012-01-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

James Bartley

On Sunday, Claire Butler, who is a member of the state Presbytery, preached the sermon at our church. The message related to the story of Jonah. In the Bible, Jonah was swallowed by a big fish - nothing was said about a whale being involved. During Claire's sermon, she told the story of James Barkley. This was the first time I have heard of this lad. Let me relate the story to you.

James Bartley is the central figure in a major event of the late-19th century and early-20th century according to which he was swallowed whole by a sperm whale.

The story as reported is that during a whaling expedition off the Falkland Islands, Bartley's boat was attacked by the whale and he landed inside the whale's mouth. He survived the ordeal and was carved out of the stomach by his peers when they, not knowing he was inside, caught and began skinning the whale because of the hot weather which would have rotted the whale meat. It was said that he was in the whale for 15 hours and it was also said that his skin had been bleached by the gastric juices, and that he was blind the rest of his life. He was however supposed to have returned to work within three weeks. He died around 11 years later and his tombstone in Ireland says "James Bartley- a modern day Jonah"

The ship usually mentioned is The Star of the East; Also, The Star of the East was a whaling ship sailing around that time.

The French scientist, de Parville, published a report of the alleged incident in the Paris Journal des Débats in 1914. More recently the facts have been carefully investigated by historian Edward Davis.

2012-01-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

Love My iPhone!

I bought the newest iPhone (white) at the first of the year. As usual, it is wonderful. My wife is now blessed to be in the iPhone Club also. (Yes, she took over the controls of our old iPhone - I be so kind to that lady!) Chuckle.

A plethora of apps are available for smartphones. I love the app, Find My iPhone. Judy is amused when I misplace one of our phones or iPad and I select this app in order to find my lost "friends."

This was reported yesterday in The Seattle Times.

A 14-year-old Seattle boy used an iPhone app to help police track down a burglary suspect and recovery thousands of dollars in stolen electronic equipment, including his mother's missing cellphone.

The newspaper says an officer "quarterbacked" the operation from Max Malkin's kitchen. As the teen tracked the suspect on the GPS-driven "Find My iPhone" app on his laptop, the officer communicated with police on the street until they spotted a potential suspect at a McDonald's.

Police followed the suspect, who was carrying a hefty duffel bag, to a bus tunnel, while Malkin followed his journey on his laptop.

At that point, a police report says, the officer asked Max to call his mother's stolen iPhone. When it rang, the suspect pulled the phone from his pocket and police closed in.

"When the phone rang," Malkin's father, Heraold, told The Times, "the guy kind of knew the jig was up."

The whole operation lasted only about 15 minutes, The Times says.

Officers arrested the 20-year-old suspect early Saturday and recovered $4,000 worth of stolen electronics, the newspaper reports.

2012-01-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

A mother and child point at a small painting by art student Andrzej Sobiepan at the café of the National Museum in Wroclaw, Poland.

Would You Want This In Your Family Room?

Art student Andrzej Sobiepan didn't want to wait decades for his work to appear in museums. So he took matters in his own hands, covertly hanging one of his paintings in a major Polish gallery.

By Wednesday, the young artist was getting plenty of attention after a nationwide TV channel reported on his stunt at the National Museum in the southwestern city of Wroclaw. He told reporters he hoped galleries would give more exhibition space to young artists as a result.

"I decided that I will not wait 30 or 40 years for my works to appear at a place like this," Sobiepan told TVN24. "I want to benefit from them in the here and now."

Sobiepan, a Wroclaw Fine Arts Academy student whose last name means "his own master," said he was inspired by the elusive British graffiti artist known only as Banksy. His own painting is small, white and green, and partly uses swine leather to show a drooping acacia leaf.

On Dec. 10, Sobiepan put it up in a room with contemporary Polish art when a guard at the museum was looking the other way. Museum officials didn't notice the new painting for three days.

Museum director Mariusz Hermansdorfer told TVN24 on Wednesday that the action revealed some security breaches, but that he also considered it a "witty artistic happening."

"It has shown that the young generation of artists, unlike their predecessors, wants to see their works in museums," Hermansdorfer said.

The museum has kept the painting on display — in its cafe. It will be offered for sale at Poland's biggest charity auction on Sunday.

2012-01-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

Albino Hummingbird

Thanks to friend Diana who shipped these photos taken by Mark Shank. Fifteen year old photographer Mark Shank was fortunate enough to capture several images of a rare albino ruby-throated hummingbird while in a park in Staunton, Virginia

2012-01-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

Man, thy be small!

This past week came the news of the world's smallest vertebrate.

The world's smallest known vertebrate is a frog the size of a housefly, a new study says.

At an average of 7.7 millimeters long, the newfound Paedophryne amauensis is a hair smaller than the previous record holder, the Southeast Asian fish species Paedocypris progenetica, whose females measure about 7.9 millimeters.

During recent field surveys in southern Papua New Guinea, scientists found P. amauensis and another new species of tiny frog, Paedophryne swiftorum, which measures about 8.6 millimeters.

"I think it's amazing that they're continuing to find smaller and smaller frogs," said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert with Conservation International, who was not involved in the study.

It's obvious "they're adapting to fill a niche that nothing else is filling," he said.

Indeed, the frogs likely evolved their tiny sizes to eat tiny invertebrates, such as mites, that are ignored by bigger predators, said study co-author Christopher Austin, a biologist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Tiny Frogs Hard to Catch

Discovered in 2010 but announced on Wednesday, all the species of the Paedophyrne genus are tiny and seem to live solely amid leaf litter on New Guinea's rain forest floor.

Scientists locate the teensy animals by listening for their calls and trying to zero in on the sources of the sounds—no mean feat, since the high pitch of the calls make their sources especially hard for human hearing to locate.

Austin and graduate student Eric Rittmeyer tried four times to find the frogs before exasperatedly grabbing a big handful of leaf litter and putting it in a plastic bag.

The scientists then combed through the contents until "eventually we saw this tiny thing hop off one of the leaves," Austin said.

The frogs are so small it's hard to see their earth-colored skin patterns with the naked eye, so Austin took pictures and then zoomed in, using a digital camera like a microscope.

But photographing the amphibians was just as challenging as finding them. When Austin brought the camera to his eye, the subject would often already be gone.

2012-01-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

I Love This Critter!

Take a minute and glaze into this feline's eyes. You will be captured by the experience.

This kitten has one brown eye and one blue eye and is a mixture of Persian and Siamese. This beast lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

2012-01-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

First Snow

Yesterday was Friday the 13th when we experienced the first snow of 2012. We retired folks still keep up on whether the county schools are in session. (I know- it is an old habit.) It is a beautiful thing at this time in our lives that we have the option of staying in bed, pulling the warm covers up, and experiencing the snow.

The birds and squirrels were certainly enjoying the black sunflower seeds and suet.

We had a minimal snow fall - the real problem was wind and extremely cold temperatures. The counties bordering Gilmer were closed yesterday. Temperatures barely rose above the low 20's. Wind chills were in the single digits. The roads were extremely icy.

Judy made chili yesterday. It was a great complement to this cold weather.

2012-01-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

Amazing trees

I was contemplating the trees in our yard and how eager I am to see the photosynthetic process return.

I was visiting the website www.thatsweird.net. and they presented some interesting trees of the world.

It was Buddha who said:
"A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food, warmth and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to those who wield an axe to cut it down."

And Joyce Kilmer immortalized the grace and beauty of trees in poetry:
"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree."

Here we present some of the most amazing and unusual trees from around the world. They include the Basket Tree, Giant Sequoias of California, Circus Tree, Chapel-Oak, Banyan Tree, and Baobab Trees - including a tree with a toilet built inside it.

Chapel Oak

The Chapel Oak of Allouville-Bellefosse is the most famous tree in France – actually, it’s more than just a tree: it’s a building and a religious monument all in one.

In 1669, l’Abbe du Detroit and du Cerceau decided to build a chapel in (at that time) a 500 years old or so oak (Quercus robur) tree made hollow by a lightning bolt. The priests built a small altar to the Virgin Mary. Later on, a second chapel and a staircase were added.

Now, parts of the tree are dead, the crown keeps becoming smaller and smaller every year, and parts of the tree’s bark, which fell off due to old age, are covered by protective oak shingles. Poles and cables support the aging tree, which in fact, may not live much longer. As a symbol, however, it seems that the Chapel-Oak of Allouville-Bellefosse may live on forever.

Banyan Tree

A banyan (also banian) is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). The seeds of banyans are dispersed by fruit eating birds birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may envelop part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig."

Baobab Tree

Baobabs store water inside the swollen trunk (up to 120,000 litres / 32,000 US gallons) to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region.^[All occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season.

Circus Tree

As a hobby, bean farmer Axel Erlandson shaped trees – he pruned, bent, and grafted trees into fantastic shapes and called them "Circus Trees". For example, to make this "Basket Tree" arborsculpture, Erlandson planted six sycamore trees in a circle and then grafted them together to form the diamond patterns.

Basket Tree

Erlandson was very secretive and refused to reveal his methods on how to grow the Circus Trees (he even carried out his graftings behind screens to protect against spies!) and carried the secrets to his grave.

The trees were later bought by millionaire Michael Bonfante, who transplanted them to his amusement park Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy in 1985.

Giant Sequoias

Giant sequoias are the world's largest trees in terms of total volume. They grow to an average height of 50–85 meters (160–279 ft) and 6–8 meters (20–26 ft) in diameter. Record trees have been measured to be 94.8 meters (311 ft) in height and over 17 meters (56 ft) in diameter. The oldest known giant sequoia based on ring count is 3,500 years old.

OK- Even a POTTY Tree!

2012-01-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Framing

I am in the process of framing family pictures. Thanks to Sarah - I have these 2 pictures of Flora and Lucy that I am including in the family collection. These photographs were taken this past Christmas and I thought I needed to share them with you all.

2012-01-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Bouncy House

Santa Claus brought the boys a gift that gives them a workout.

Once we switch on the fan, the house quickly inflates.

This fun area has basketball hoops..
... and a slide.

Grandma and I are amazed at the energy the lads expend in the house. It is great fun.

2012-01-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

Kindermusik

While we were with our grandsons, we had the pleasure of taking Nate to Kindermusik. Miss Karla is always such a joy! Each of the kids chose an action they would like to perform and Nate decided that swimming like a fish would be neat!

As in past sessions that we have attended, we love to see the kids react to music and movement.

At the conclusion of the session, the children get their hands stamped. Nate was proud of his, and immediately showed it to grandma and grandpa.

2012-01-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Grandson Sitting

OK, you all have wondered where the Meads family was last week. We started 2012 by helping take care of our two grandsons - Nate above and Sam below. Jeff and Sarah flew to Miami to attend the 2012 Orange Bowl. The victory of WVU 70 to Clemson 33 was an amazing event. (Always amazing when we are on the winning side.)

These portraits of the kids were taken by a professional photographer. I retook the pictures from my iPhone so the quality could be better.

2011-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:00

2012

Once again another blogging year has been completed. We started the blog in 2005 and hope we have many more years of sharing our adventure with you. Happy New Year!

2011-12-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Here is another avian casualty involving a collision with our living room window. Remember early this summer we had a Ruby-crowned kinglet that flew into the window? It was the first time seeing the Ruby-crowned. Yesterday I discovered this Golden-crowned in the path by the window.

Adults are olive-gray on the upper parts with white underparts, with thin bills and short tails. They have white wing bars, a black stripe through the eyes and a yellow crown surrounded by black. The adult male has an orange patch in the middle of the yellow crown.

Their breeding habitat is coniferous forests. They nest in a well-concealed hanging cup suspended from a conifer branch.

These birds migrate to the United States. Some birds are permanent residents in coastal regions and in the southern parts of their range. Northern birds remain further north in winter than the Ruby-crowned kinglet.

They forage actively in trees or shrubs, mainly eating insects, insect eggs and spiders.

2011-12-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

Final Look Christmas 2011

Well, the holidays are about over. I am sharing a few pictures from the kids Facebook pages. I am certain as you look at these that you can be assured we have been blessed!

2011-12-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

Robots in Afghanistan

Yesterday we posted Gene's photos of making that great Afghan bread. For you science folks, I thought I would inform you that robotic helicopters are now being used in Afghanistan.

The robotic K-Max helicopter shown above is flying re-supply missions in Afghanistan, opening up the era of unmanned logistics.

John Roach writes that robotic helicopters are capable of ferrying 3.5 tons of cargo in a single load are at work supplying NATO troops in Afghanistan.

The helicopter is a Lockheed Martin/Kaman Aerospace K-Max designed for battlefield cargo resupply. Confirmation of its use in Afghanistan means we're now in the age of unmanned logistics.

The technology will put fewer soldiers at risk flying over enemy lines on re-supply missions. That doesn't mean, however, that the military will put the helicopters directly in harm's way.

"Most of the missions will be conducted at night and at higher altitudes," Marine Capt. Caleb Joiner, mission commander, said in a news release. "This will allow us to keep out of small arms range."

2011-12-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Gene and Afghan Bread!

Our Facebook friend is Gene Botting who has a residence on Fallen Timber not far from Diana. Gene is currently working in Sherberghan, Afghanistan. He is a Customs Specialist who teaches at the Afghan Advanced Border Management Academy in Sherberghan. Gene keeps track of us and knows I love to bake various types of bread. A few days ago Gene indicated that there is no better bread in the world than Afghan Bread. This sparked my interest. He was so kind to produce a Powerpoint of the bread making process. I was delighted and will share it with you with his permission. He stated, "This is our bakery across the street and behind the classroom where I teach."

MAKING BREAD IN SHEBREGHAN

THE KNEADERS

DOUGH

Note the Passing Trays in the window.

THE WOODEN STAMP IS APPLIED TO THE CENTER TO PREVENT OVER-RISING IN THE OVEN

WITH THE KNEADING ROOM VISIBLE BEHIND THE WINDOW

THE WOOD FIRED MASONRY AND STONE OVEN

LOADING THE LEATHER SLAP GLOVE WITH FRESH DOUGH

THE SLAP GLOVE LOADED AND READY TO APPLY THE DOUGH TO THE OVEN

SLAPPING THE DOUGH TO THE SIDES OF THE OVEN

THE DOUGH APPLIED TO THE OVEN AND BAKING

SPRINKLING WATER INTO OVEN TO PREVENT BURNING OF THE CRUST

DONE IN 5 MINUTES! RETRIEVING THE LOAVES WITH LONG HOOKS

THE FINISHED PRODUCT IS CHEWY AND HOLLOW AROUND THE RIM AND ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS

A BASKET OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT READY FOR DELIVERY TO OUR DINING FACILITY

I certainly thank Gene for the fine documentary. I love that he has the opportunity to experience different cultures. He is in a dangerous part of the world and Judy and I wish him the best and safe Christmas season.

It may be some time that I am able to construct the wood-fired stone and masonry oven in the backyard.

2011-12-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

Opening of Gifts

I remember when we were kids our tradition was to open our presents just after the Christmas eve dinner. Diana said that when she and Trevor were growing up during World War II that toys were not under the tree. Everything was rationed in England and money and supplies were sparse. She did remember a handmade chicken toy that was made by the Italian troops who had been captured and were camped nearby. This is the pecking chicken toy that we often see in Appalachia. The chickens peck corn grains and it is powered by a swinging weight.The one below shows the basic principle of this toy.

Nate, what is it - a John Deer tractor?

Grandma Great gave all the kids their own piggy bank. She also supplied their first coins to be placed in the piggy's back.

I agree that we probably do more than the kids need or can process at this time.

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jeff gave the Flora and Lucy a karaoke machine. Flora really has a sweet voice.

It is during this time of gift opening that I often think it is similar to a shark feeding frenzy!

It was a great day. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celebration!

2011-12-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011

On Saturday, December 17, our family celebrated the holiday at Sarah's and Jeff's house. Judy and I arrived on Friday as did John, Rachael, Flora, and Lucy. Grandma Great, Aunt Judy and Bill, and friend, Diana, came on Saturday afternoon.

Sarah had the house decorated in fine style.

It is always a blessing to have Grandma Great join us in the celebration.

Diana was cute playing "hoop ball" with the boys. As Diana and the boys were involved in sports activities....

... others were busy in meal preparation.

Bill and Sarah were discussing the fine art of gourmet meal preparation. (NOT!)

Sarah and Judy basted the ham with a yummy glaze.

Before the meal, we all gave blessings for the food and our family.

Soon after the meal, the kids were ready to open presents.

I have to mention that Sister Judy bought a new puppet for her gift. Yep, it runs in the Meads family - a tradition to purchase your own present!

Tomorrow- Opening of the presents.

2011-12-22T03:32:00.000-08:00

OK, Jim, Where Ya Been?

I know our blog followers thought something has happened to us for not posting this past week. Here is the scoop. Judy and I traveled to Sarah and Jeff's on Friday (December 16). Saturday was our Meads Christmas with our families and friend, Diana. It was a great occasion. I will blog our Christmas starting tomorrow. We stayed in Bridgeport Sunday night. We had appointments on Monday. Coming home Monday evening I found my body not running on all 6 cylinders. Something was not right in my personal biosphere.

These beautiful microbes pictured above were the culprits. On Tuesday I had all the symptoms of food poisoning. (Yes, I mean ALL!) I walked through the valley of death on Tuesday. Yesterday this arthritic climbed out the other side of the valley and told the man in the black robe holding the scythe that I would not be going with him. (Guess he hated that since he had a quota to fill!)

Tomorrow I shall blog our Meads family Christmas.

2011-12-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

THE RESULTS

The recipe that I used is from the WVU Extension Office. (Jenny Bardwell; Curriculum Coordinator, Health Sciences and Technology Academy; Susan R. Brown, Salt-Rising Bread Enthusiast; Patricia L. Kisner, Extension Agent, Monongalia County)

Salt-Rising Bread

1 medium Irish potato, sliced and placed in a jar or bowl. (No idea why Irish- seems as if a Gilmer County spud would be fine.)

Add:
1 T. cornmeal
1/4 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water

I placed the mixture above into the proofing chamber (top plastic box). The water bath was just over 90 degrees. The aquarium heater would not produce temperatures around 100 degrees.

The starter was covered and I let it rise until morning. The mixture was foamy and “smellie” the next morning. Yes, HOG SLOP has been achieved!

I poured off the liquid and threw away the potatoes. The next step involved mixing 2 cups of very warm water with 1/2 cup shortening. Then 1 teaspoon salt (next time I am increasing salt quantity), 4 teaspoons sugar, and 5 cups of flour were added.

The rising mixture was added to make a stiff batter. I placed it back into the incubation chamber and let it rise until double in bulk. Then 6 cups of flour was mixed in to make a soft dough. Let rise 10 minutes. I warmed the oven to 175 degrees and then turned it off and placed the dough into the oven to allow the dough to rise.

The dough was then kneaded for 3 minutes and placed into two medium in greased pans.

The mixture was let to rise in the oven until the loaves came to top of the pan.

Baked at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, then at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes.

The salt rising bread makes wonderful toast! How can a bacteria that produces this yummy bread also cause gas gangrene in another environment?

2011-12-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

Salt Rising Bread

For years Dan and I have searched for true salt rising bread. Kroger sells it, but we scoff at even labeling the product "salt rising" bread. I love to bake many varieties of bread; however, salt rising bread has eluded me for years and all my attempts were failures.

I called Frank Smarr who owned Frank's Bakery in Weston - it has been closed for years. I loved their salt rising bread. Frank told me how to make it -- "combine corn meal, baking soda, salt, and water. Let it work until it smells like pig slope!" No luck. My mixture never got to the pig slop stage.

Let me give you some background on this bread.

How it got its name: Some attribute the name, salt-rising bread, to the fact that it rises because of salt-tolerant bacteria present in the starter (although not all recipes use salt). Another theory is that in the days of our fore-mothers, before gas and electricity, the women would warm rock salt on their wood stoves or in a fireplace, and then place the hot rock salt in a stone crock. They would then set their jar of rising in the crock surrounded by the warm rock salt and leave it overnight. The rock salt stayed warm all night in the crock, thus keeping the rising at an even and warm temperature, so that by morning, the baker’s rising would have foamed and risen, ready now to make into loaves of salt-rising bread!

Salt rising bread is leavened by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens rather than a yeast as used in most other standard breads. OK- Hold on to your seats- here is the low down on this bacteria. After you read this, you will wonder WHY ?

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium, is ever present in nature, and can be found as a normal component of decaying vegetation, marine sediment, the intestinal tract of humans and other vertebrates, insects, and soil.

C. perfringens is the third most common cause of food poisoning in the United States though it can sometimes be ingested and cause no harm. The action of C. perfringens on dead bodies is known to mortuary workers as tissue gas and can be halted only by embalming!

Enough of the gastronomic background!

The reason that I have not succeeded in producing this bread is that it is VERY temperature sensitive. If the solution is not kept at a CONSTANT temperature of 98 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit, then the bacteria will not grow and produce the results needed. Clostridia are able to ferment a wide variety of organic compounds. They produce end products such as butyric acid, acetic acid, butanol and acetone, and large amounts of gas (CO₂ and H₂) during fermentation of sugars. A variety of foul smelling compounds are formed during the fermentation of amino acids and fatty acids. If your starter does not smell like PIG SLOP, you will have to discard it.

Most breads use yeast as the rising agent. The fermentation process with yeasts produced vast volumes of carbon dioxide gas. Salt rising fermentation produces mostly hydrogen gas which is 22 times lighter than carbon dioxide gas.

After an internet research, I discovered a cheap and dependable way of maintaining the starter at a constant temperature. Using two nesting plastic boxes, water and an aquarium heater were placed in the bottom. The top was used as the actual fermentation chamber. The top was covered with a plastic lid and also a towel for insulation.

Tomorrow - THE RESULTS

2011-12-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

Folding Reed Organs

I have been cleaning the basement and took some time to examine our two antique folding pump organs. These organs are contained in what seems like a suitcase; however, it unfolds and the box transforms into a reed pump organ. The photo above shows an organ being used during an open air Christmas service in Italy during WW2, December 25, 1943. These organs were important in the spiritual life of not only our troops, but in missionary services, evangelists, and schools.

The one below was made by the Beckwith Company. The Universal Beckwith Folding Organ below was sold by Sears and Roebucks in the early 1900's for $27.50.

We also have a Wurlitzer folding reed organ. Both organs have been reconditioned and produce beautiful music.

2011-12-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

Marthas and Marys at The Rusty Musket

Marthas and Marys, the Gilmer ecumenical women's group, latest project was to encourage Glenville State College students during their final exams this week.

All 456 students living in the residence halls opened their mail boxes to find an envelope with a candy cane and a card with a prayer of encouragement.

A Student’s Prayer

Thank you, Father, for catching me when I stumble.

Please give me strength to persevere, to focus even when it seems beyond my power.

Help me to be patient with teachers, with my peers, and with myself.

Help me to be kind and helpful to others.

Help me to be productive, to do my work instead of slacking.

Help me to stay calm in times of stress

And please help me to listen for your voice.

Amen

The women of Marthas and Marys, an ecumenical group from Gilmer County churches, are praying for your successful completion of your college semester. May you continue growing intellectually and spiritually. God Bless!

In addition to the the encouraging mailbox notes, Marthas and Marys cooked over 150 dozen homemade cookies to give to the GSC students. Yesterday, the first day of final exams, Judy, Linda Bailey, and Betty Mimms established their cookie station in the GSC student union, The Rusty Musket. They started distribution of the cookies at 10 A.M. to late in the afternoon. At the end of the day, the surplus cookies were taken to the residence halls so additional students might enjoy a homemade treat.

Gilmer County Marthas and Marys is an ecumenical group of church women working together.

The name Marthas and Marys comes from the Bible in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus admonishes us to willing work for him as well as be with him in worship.

Ten churches are currently represented in Marthas and Marys. The first meeting was in May, 2010. We meet in different churches the last Tuesday of each month, except December when we do not meet. Working through Gilmer County churches since our first meeting in May, 2010, we have accomplished these community projects.

~Stocked the Community Resources Pantry several times as well as the Diaper Closet

~Held an information forum with representatives from Community Resources Inc., Family Resource Network, Hope Inc., and Hospice so we could learn about our community’s needs and the local means of help

~Provided school supplies for needy elementary school children in September and in January

~Provided supplies for Gilmer County Hope Inc. – an organization helping women and children

~Assisted Gilmer County Association of Retired School Employees in preparing Blizzard Box for senior citizens who receive Meals on Wheels

~Participated in filling Christmas gift boxes for children through Samaritan’s Purse

~Planned and presented the Gilmer County Community Christmas Program

~Facilitate county Red Cross Blood Drives every other month

~ Planned and implemented Gilmer County World Day of Prayer

~Planned and implemented a special ceremony to Honor a Gilmer County Woman of Service

~Planned and implemented a gardening program called More to Munch in which thirty families received a variety of vegetable and flower seeds plus tomato and pepper plants for making their own gardens to supplement their food supplies

~Followed up on gardeners with phone calls and visits to see if they have questions

~Gathered canning jars for the More to Munch gardening effort and implemented a canning workshop to teach gardeners how to preserve garden produce

~Collected materials for Gilmer County Schools Energy Express summer program

~Collected laundry and cleaning supplies and toilet paper for Family Resource Network

~Prepared emergency supply tote bags for women who are victims of domestic violence

~Provided pens and pencils for all 427 Gilmer County High School students and gathered personal care items to be given to the students

~Wrote a note of encouragement to Glenville State College students who are taking their final exams and put them in mailboxes of the 456 students residing on campus

~Distributing homemade cookies to Glenville State students and staff in the student center during final exam week.

Judy Meads - Moderator

Teresa Wayman - Vice-Moderator

Caroline Cusick - Secretary

Linda Bailey and Mescal Kuhl –

Co-Treasurers

Maxine Smith - Past Moderator

2011-12-10T05:35:00.000-08:00

Gilmer County Community Christmas Program

Last evening there was a wonderful Christmas celebration at the GSC Fine Arts Building. The program was coordinated by Marthas and Marys - a Gilmer County ecumenical group of church women working together. In their Mission Statement, Marthas and Marys "pledge their faith in action to community service, to justice and peace, and to fostering a loving, caring community."

The theme of this year's program was "O Come Let Us Adore Him".

Judy is the moderator of Marthas and Marys and was the announcer for this event.

The audience participated in group singing of Christmas favorites such as "Jingle Bells", "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas", and "Up on the Housetop".

Many churches and individuals presented their talents.

Blair Fisher sang "Joseph's Lullaby".

As Blair sang, Keith, Nichole, and Garrett Moyers looked on dressed as the Holy Family.

Brittany McGuire and Ryan Spangenberg presented a wonderful rendition of "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

A special treat was the reading of "Hill Above Jerusalem" which was written by our good friend Fran Schmetzer. What was really unique about this presentation was it was read by Preacher Phil Wilson, Pastor Jamie Wilson, and Hunter Wilson - three generations of men from Sand Fork Baptist Church.

The following photos show a marvelous part of each year's program. Tammy Hough and Robin Roberts are the directors of the Dunami Worship Dance groups.

How fun it is to watch these young folks dancing with joy in their hearts.

Pastor Bryan Groves of the Sand Fork Church of God told a special Christmas story.

"House of Gold" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" were bluegrass songs presented by a group which included Tony Drennen, Marcie Drennen, Roger Lydick, Aaron Miller, Justin Carter, Nila Poole, and John Poole.

The Camden Flats Baptist Church Singers included Doug Moss (who did an exceptional job on drums), Cindy Moss, Leigh Kinder, Neal Benson, Jimmy Stout, Dwight Goff, and Carla Nolan.

The celebration concluded their group singing with the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Unity Singers. They sang "He's Still the King of Kings" and "Glory Be to God in the Highest".

Candles were distributed and all sang "Silent Night".

It was another great experience that prepares one for Christmas.

2011-12-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

Landau

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. from Logan County, received national attention for winning the sixth season of the NBC reality show America's Got Talent. I must admit that I, along with a plethora of friends, voted many times for this fellow. He is a great talent . Landau has, as part of his TV win, won a million dollars and a gig in Los Vegas.

Landau had several sold out concerts at the Clay Center. Jeff's mom, Shirley, shipped this photo by text. She and Sarah attended the Landau Murphy concert on Wednesday night in Morgantown at the Fine Arts Center. Landau's wife is the first lady on the left, Sarah second from the left, and Shirley is the third. Sarah's friend, Jen, is in the prime posing spot beside Landau.

2011-12-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Home For the Holidays

After the parade, Judy and I had supper downtown with Sharon. We then went to the GSC Fine Arts Building for a special Christmas presentation, Home for the Holidays. The GSC Chamber Singers were fabulous.

Several members sang solos. Here is Katlin Collins singing "Sleigh Ride".

The group also had prepared several Christmas skits. The skit below was called "The Hidden Clause". Brittany McGuire was Mrs. Ester Bunny, Seth Stemple was the Mailman, and Mrs. Claus was played by Dessirae Crim.

Jason Barr played "Go Tell It On The Mountain".

There was a moment when folks were asked to share some Christmas memories. Judy shared her 60 year old Coke Santa with the crowd. This is a very special Santa to Judy and was given to her by her Dad. The strange thing about this is that the Santa really looks like her Dad.

There were two skits that were presented by Babbot (Nic Yale) and Cobello (Seth Elmore).

We all sang many Christmas carols. It was a great night.

Teresa Dody was the director and pianist for this performance. Teresa is talking with Janet James. You will notice that Teresa is holding her lovely "daughter", Lilly.

It was a busy, but wonderful Saturday!

2011-12-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Parade

Folks started lining Main Street a little before 5:00 PM. The blue lights signaled the start of the Christmas Parade.

Several local organizations built floats for this occasion.

Our neighbor, Allie, was a parade princess.

Allie's Dad, Lee, got into the festivities with his big ole mud bogging Jeep!

It is always a joy to watch the kids during this magical time.

Here is the Folk Festival banner carried by Sadie's two great grandchildren.

The twirlers were so cute marching down the street.

Finally the guest of honor arrived from the North Pole.

Santa stepped down from his sleigh and headed to the gazebo in the park. The kids immediately lined up to see this famous guy.

Thanks to Denise and Lee for this picture of Allie with Mr. Claus.

Tomorrow - Christmas program at GSC.

2011-12-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

2011 Christmas Parade

Around 4:30 on Saturday, Judy and I headed downtown to the Firemen's Christmas Parade. The women of Marthas and Marys - a Gilmer County ecumenical women's group, was serving hot chocolate. The new park is a great additional to our town. Serving chocolate were Jeane Fisher, Judy, Linda Bailey, and Fran Schmetzer.

Sharon is sampling the hot refreshment. She came to watch her grand kids in the parade.

Besides hot chocolate, other organizations also offered cookies and snacks.

Mrs. Campbell and daughter, Janice, awaited the start of the parade.

Another lady who was busy preparing for a special guest from the North Pole was Mrs. Santa.

Tomorrow- the parade!

2011-12-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

Last Farmers' Market of 2011

Saturday was a busy day. We went to the Christmas Farmers' Market in the morning, traveled downtown to the Firemen's Christmas Parade at 5:00. and followed up with the GSC Christmas Choir at 7:00. A good day!

At the Farmers' Market, the serious expression on the face of friend, Paul, was the result of Judy giving him another task for the ecumenical group, Marthas and Marys.

What a kind gentleman to help!

Teresa was selling coffee and tea.

There was certainly a festive atmosphere at the market. Mary Lee is always there as the official greeter!

The Christmas tree sales seemed brisk. My thoughts were on how Christmas memories have changed from the past. I remember the smell of the evergreens in the house. Now with technology changes, the grand kids will remember the smell of the plastic trees.

As true with each market, it was a great gathering of friends. Dan, Margie, and Anita were sharing in conversation and hot chocolate.

The weather was cool, but the sun was shining brightly. You will notice all are bundled up to keep warm - even man's best friend!

The Glenville Baptist Church provided hot soup and sandwiches.

I love this Charley Brown tree. I wonder if anyone took this critter home?

The market had crafts, honey, and a good supply of fruits and vegetables.

Here is John, who is running as a Gilmer County Democratic candidate to the US Senate. He is partaking of the good Baptist offerings.

It was a great end for the 2011 Glenville Farmers' Market.

2011-12-02T02:42:00.000-08:00

A Big Cricket!

Alan Boyle writes

Is this the world's biggest bug? As with all superlatives, it depends on your definition. But the sight of a New Zealand giant weta chomping down on a carrot surely has to give you the creeps, even if it's rivaled by other giant creepy crawlies.

Known as a giant weta or wetapunga to the Maori, and as Deinacrida heteracantha to scientists — is found only in protected areas such as New Zealand's Little Barrier Island. That's where Mark Moffett, an entomologist and explorer at the Smithsonian Institution, found the specimen after two nights of searching.

"The giant weta is the largest insect in the world, and this is the biggest one ever found," Britain's Daily Mail quoted Moffett as saying. "She weighs the equivalent to three mice. ... She enjoyed the carrot so much she seemed to ignore the fact she was resting on our hands and carried on munching away. She would have finished the carrot very quickly, but this is an extremely endangered species, and we didn't want to risk indigestion."

The carrot-crunching cricket went viral today, and now questions are starting to emerge about the "biggest bug" label. The information accompanying the picture lists the insect's weight at 2.5 ounces (71 grams) and its length at 7 inches (17.8 centimeters).

Questions about biggest bug - does one determine that on weight, length, wingspan, or other criteria?

2011-12-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

Marino Brothers

Last month Judy and I ate at Murial's Restaurant in Fairmont. It is a fine Italian eatery. My sister and her husband, Bill, ate with us. We celebrated our great WVU PET scan results.

Brother-in-law Bill ordered Italian sausage and peppers. They were good, but he said that he had excellent ones at a Shriner's Dinner in Parkersburg. He was told that the sausage came from Marino Brothers in Clarksburg.

I was now on a quest! After Goggling Marino Brothers, I found the location on West Virginia Avenue in Clarksburg. On Monday, we decided to try this establishment for lunch. Marino Brothers serve sandwiches, pizza, and a lunch buffet - in addition they sell meats and cheeses. We arrived to find the small block building tucked away in a residential area of the city.

We entered and Judy immediately was drawn to their selection of Italian food items.

My eye immediately focused on the many varieties of cheeses and meats!

There were selections of pepperoni and ground Italian sausage, plus...

...,lo and behold, before me was Calabrese Hot Dry Cured Sausage.

Calabrese originates from the Calabria region of Italy. It is a cheese-making area, so the dominant meat is pork (there are certain economies that based upon simultaneously raising pigs and making cheese). Calabrese is a salami; that is, a stuffed sausage which is dry-cured. Calabrese is indeed made from pork, which is flavored with white wine and various spices such as chili.

Obtaining genuine Italian Calabrese from Calabria is difficult, but not impossible, in the United States and Canada. However, thanks to the Italian immigrant community, extremely high-quality Calabrese is produced domestically, and is highly available. This particular Calabrese was produced in Canada.

The domestic variety need not be a poor copy, a mere shadow of the genuine article; firms such as Citterio provide dry-cured gourmet meats which rival the best imported offerings. Citterio USA is a Pennsylvania-based supplier of dry-cured gourmet meats; the company has 19th Century, old-country origins, which is evident in the quality of their wares.

This salami is bright red in color, and comes as a chub with a length of perhaps six inches. Since it is a dry-cured meat it is firm and dense, heavy in the hand and unsqueezable. Slicing it is demanding; a sharp knife glides through the chub smoothly but with some resistance. The casing does not appear to be tough, but rather, soft and supple, resisting the knife no more than the rest of the sausage. Slicing reveals a mottled, bright-red interior, well marbled with abundant oiliness.

The aroma is spicy and inviting. The texture in the mouth is firm; the sausage requires significant (but not objectionable) effort to chew. Flavor is full, meaty; spices are peppery with paprika in predominance. Finish is hotter than the flavor; the taste of sweet oil and paprika fills the mouth while the tang of heat warms the throat. The Calabrese is filling; a few slices should suffice for a snack or -- with some flavorful, aged cheese -- a fine European-style breakfast.

We purchased a pound and I am really enjoying it!

The eating area at Marino Brothers is small. This is one of the restaurant that my brother-in-law Bill would say, "This is where the locals eat!"

We ordered a Big John Italian Sausage Sandwich. It was so big that we shared the beast.

We left with the Calabrese sausage, stuffed cherry peppers, and...

a link of the famous Italian sausage!

It was a fun lunch and we WILL return!

2011-11-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Season Is Here!

The Thanksgiving decorations are packed away and the porch is now decorated for Christmas.

Hold on! The Christmas holiday will be here in a microsecond!

2011-11-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

Helpers

Last week I removed the Fall decorations from the front porch. I took the artificial leaves in the living room in order that I could pack them until next year. I looked up and guess who was "helping" with this task?

2011-11-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

Flooding

This stream in our backyard was flowing nicely on Tuesday, November 22, 2011. The rain continued throughout the night.

On Tuesday night and on Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for our county. The ball field on Van Horn always is the first to fill with waters from the Little Kanawha River.

Our friends in Brooklyn were trapped for a short period. We were fortunate that the rains stopped Wednesday morning. Flood stage for the Little Kanawha River at Glenville is 23 feet. At 27 feet the waters start collecting under the stoplight. At 30 feet the water enters the Go-Mart. In 1985, the flood stage was 36 feet and was devastating to the businesses and homes.

Glenville dodged another bullet this time.

2011-11-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

Canaan Log 5

If you recall last year, we took a family photo and we all had donned plaid red PJs. Before bed on Saturday we took another photo. I was the only one wearing the red plaid pj bottoms. Someone has to keep tradition alive!

It was raining and foggy when we awoke on Sunday. We checked out of the Cedar Creek house at 10:00 A.M., had lunch in Elkins at Bob Evans Restaurant, and arrived home in early afternoon.

It was another great gathering of our family! Thank you all for checking in on our family's blog.

2011-11-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

Canaan Log 4

The spring above is located just outside of Davis. It is a popular watering hole for residents and tourists. Brother-in-law Bill said that he was told that the spring is actually just a pipe that is tapped into the water tank located at the top of the hill. Guess this rumor is untrue. The locals say this is a true spring that runs throughout the year. They say that the water is never tested, but supplies drinking water to a plethora of folks.

On Saturday morning, Bill and Jeff went to Elkins to play a round of golf. Judy and I took a trip into Davis. (That is when we took the picture of the spring and the Canaan Golf course below..)

Around 3 in the afternoon, we had our Turkey dinner. After a prayer, expressing our appreciation for all of our blessings, .....

...it was time to carve the bird.

Sarah prepared a new recipe. It was a compote that complemented the turkey. The compote as made of dried fruits cooked in red sweet wine. Twas wonderful and the recipe is, indeed, a keeper.

We always have an abundance of wonderful food. Sour cream mashed potatoes, green beans, ham, rolls, and sweet potato casserole were added to the turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and fruit compote.

I have to mention the desserts. We had a variety of pumpkin rolls, pecan pies, and apple pies. We did throw away the cremated pumpkin pies!

To complete the evening, the kids had a talent show and we sang hymns and other songs. Was a great day!
Tomorrow - The Canaan Experience ends.

2011-11-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

Canaan Log 3
Happy Thanksgiving to our Blog Family

The spaghetti dinner on Friday evening was yummy. The time had arrived for Lucy's party. Before the birthday party started, Judy had to prepare the turkey. No, she was not giving the turkey a proctological exam, but removing the quills from the tail.

Miss Lucy is now five years old. I know there are 11 candles! With sister and the cousins looking on, Lucy blew out the burning stakes and was then time to....

..open the presents.

I believe Lucy had some help from the cousins.

After we all had our fill of birthday cake and even some of Dale Hawkin's coconut tart that Sarah and Jeff brought to share.

Tomorrow - Turkey Day for us in Canaan!

2011-11-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

Canaan Log 2

By supper time, all the other family campers had arrived. Dinner was an Italian meal of spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. PROBLEM- sister Judy baked two pumpkin pies and forgot them. Yes, they were toast, well charred pumpkin with crust! Those had to be discarded.

Bill helped in serving the portions of pasta.

It is always exciting to see the kids eat spaghetti and meatballs. The adults can be messy. but...

... only one person earned the title of the King of Mess.

I present King Nate!

After supper, it was time to celebrate Lucy's 5th birthday.

Tomorrow- the party.

2011-11-22T02:00:00.000-08:00

Canaan Log 1

Last Thursday we headed to Timberline Resort in Canaan Valley. This is the third year that all of our family has gathered at Cedar Creek 35 in the Winterset area of Timberline. We use this weekend to celebrate our family Thanksgiving. We had snow upon our arrival.

Judy and I arrived at the house first. Bill, sister Judy, and Grandma Great showed up about an hour later. Sarah and Nate were the last to settle into the house. Nate was wearing his Indian accoutrements that he had made in nursery school.

The snow was short lived. Rachael, John, and the girls were to come on Friday. Jeff and Sam were also coming the next day after Sammy was out of school.

Typical of the valley, the deer were plentiful. These shots were taken as we drove through Canaan Valley State Park.

The buck was trying to impress the does.

Construction has started on the new rooms at the lodge. There are 3 old lodging units that currently have not been demolished. The steel is up for the two four story sections that are located beside the current lodge. This lodging update has been sorely needed for years.

A yummy meal of meatloaf with all fixings was prepared. We visited in the evening and went to bed early to prepare for the next day's activity.

2011-11-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Portraits

Judy and I traveled to Spencer several weeks ago to meet Mom, sister Judy, and brother-in-law Bill for a photo session at the St. Johns Methodist Church. I thought I would share a few shots with you folks.

2011-11-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

Look - Snappy is ORANGE!

The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. I am posting this neat article about a crocodile named Snappy.

At first glance, it looks like "Snappy" has tanned up.

But the cranky chameleon has no one to blame but himself for changing color - after apparently biting off more than he could chew.

Owner Tracey Sandstrom, who runs Roaming Reptiles, said Snappy made a meal out of the filter in his water tank.

"I think it caused the pH levels in his water to soar which has led to the change in color."

She was stunned when her prized pet turned bright orange.

"Snappy's pretty territorial and he attacked the filter one day and a few weeks after that, I noticed he was orange," she said.

The 2.5m croc stays warm at night in his heated indoor tank before moving outside through his "croc flap" to bask in sunshine by day.

"It doesn't seem to have affected him at all. He's still got a healthy appetite, is normally aggro and doing everything he always does," Ms Sandstrom said.

Darwin croc expert Grahame Webb examined the Herald Sun photos and confirmed Snappy was a picture of health.

Professor Webb said he had seen crocs with stained skin and teeth before, usually caused by tannins in their water.

"Our guess is that it is something in the water such as iron or tannins from leaves or some red algae that oxidizes when it dries," Professor Webb said.

"It seemed significant to us that the tongue was not colored, or the inside of the angle of the jaw, which are more likely not to dry, whereas the skin would dry when they bask."

Professor Webb some some foods could possibly also cause an animal to go a reddish color.

"That happens evidently if they have high concentrations of beta carotene, but it would be unusual to use such foods. Snappy certainly seems OK."

2011-11-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

Dress

The dress above is over 100 years old. Sister Judy gave us two dresses that have been in the family for many years. We decided to display this one on a dress form in the living room by the piano. This dress was worn by my great grandmother who was a chiropractor. Just thought I would share this garment with my blog buddies.

2011-11-14T08:58:00.001-08:00

Aye-aye

I was sitting here thinking of all the pets we have had throughout our lives. I wonder what my weirdest pet would be if I had a chance to select a beast? The first critter that came to mind was the Aye-aye.

The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a strepsirrhine native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unique method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the grubs out.

Daubentonia is the only genus in the family Daubentoniidae and infraorder Chiromyiformes. The Aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus (although it is currently an endangered species); a second species (Daubentonia robusta) was exterminated over the last few centuries.

What a strange animal - looks like a combination of ET and a bat!

2011-11-12T04:37:00.001-08:00

A Sad Goodbye

The Western Black Rhino of Africa was declared officially extinct Thursday (11/10/11) by a leading conservation group.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that two other subspecies of rhinoceros were close to meeting the same fate.

The Northern White Rhino of central Africa is now "possibly extinct" in the wild and the Javan Rhino "probably extinct" in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last animal there in 2010.

A small but declining population survives on the Indonesian island of Java.

IUCN said Thursday that a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction, according to its updated Red List of endangered species.

2011-11-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

Last of Fall

Boy, the last few days have been glorious with temperatures in the 70's with sun and blue skies. Judy and I went to Spencer on Tuesday to meet my sister. We had scheduled a carpet cleaning for Grandma Great Meads. Her carpets have not been cleaned thoroughly since Mom built the house in the fall of 1996.The Stanley Steamer folks arrived around 9 and had finished by 11. Grandma Great stayed Tuesday night with sister Judy so that the carpet could dry. We traveled back to Glenville that evening. Yesterday we traveled over the winding road to Spencer so we could help reestablishing the furniture. The house carpet looks great.

Today I took these pictures because the reds this fall have been so vibrant. This Japanese maple was glowing in the sun and was speaking to be photographed.

Acer palmatum, called Japanese Maple or Smooth Japanese Maple is a species of woody plant native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Cina, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their attractive leaf shapes and colors. They are highly sought after and are relatively costly trees given their size.

It will not be long before these crimson leaves will be history. I am not complaining - just realizing how important cycles are in our world and our lives.

2011-11-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Visitors

The weather has been wonderful with highs in the 60's. These young deer were feeding in the front yard. I have given up trying to scare them away. They are so comfortable in our yard. After a few minutes I checked out the backyard and who should be chewing her cud - Mommy Deer!

As I took this photo, I noticed the two young deer had joined Momma in the back yard. The two young ungulates were basking in the sun. The young critters did not get up even when I walked on the back porch and took their picture.

We are blessed to have a yard that is welcoming to all the beasts. Turkey, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, possums, and song birds are all present. All we need is more reptiles. We have few snakes, turtles, or lizards - darn. Feel free to drop off any stray snakes at our house!

2011-11-07T02:00:00.001-08:00

Now they Tell Us

Remember several months ago there was an asteroid that came close to the earth? Well, it was not in the news until the event had passed. Now I am scared about 2005YU55! The astronomers assure us that tomorrow the asteroid will be closer than the moon, but have no fear - the scientists promise it will not hit the earth.

Here's the update:

A huge asteroid about the size of an aircraft carrier will zoom past our planet tomorrow, coming between Earth and the orbit of the moon when it flies by.

The space rock, called asteroid 2005YU55, poses no threat to Earth but will be observed by excited astronomers around the world. It's about 1,300 feet (400 meters) wide, round and blacker than coal, NASA scientists said.

At its closest point, the asteroid will pass earth at a range of about 201,700 miles (324,600 kilometers) on Tuesday at 6:28 p.m. ET. The average distance between the moon and Earth is about 238,854 miles (384,399 kilometers).

"This is particularly exciting, since it is the first time since 1976 that an object of this size has passed this closely to the Earth," Scott Fisher, a program director of the National Science Foundation's Division of Astronomical Sciences, said during an NSF webchat organized Thursday by ScienceNow. "It gives us a great (and rare!) chance to study a near-Earth object like this. In fact, we have several telescopes set up and ready to observe this event already."

Those telescopes include the giant Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico and several NASA Deep Space Network instruments.

No chance of hitting Earth

Yeomans, Fisher and other astronomers have stressed that the public should not be concerned about asteroid 2005 YU55 impacting Earth or causing any kind of gravitational effects on our planet during the flyby. The space rock is much too small to influence life on Earth from its position in space and its chances of actually hitting the planet are nil.

"There is no reason to worry about YU55 getting caught up in the gravity of the earth," Fisher said. "Through our observations of the object, we know that there is no chance of it impacting either the earth or the moon for at least the next 100 years."

I am relaxed in the scientific assurances. HOWEVER -according to Jay Melosh, a Purdue University asteroid impact expert, if an object of similar size collides with Earth it would result in a 4,000-megaton blast, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and, if it struck in the deep ocean, 70-foot-high tsunami waves 60 miles from where the splashdown will happen.

Have a great cosmic day! Worry not!

2011-11-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat Night

Bridgeport had their Trick or Trick night scheduled for Monday from 6 to 7:30 PM. The rain held off so the monsters and ghouls did not have to collect their treasures in the rain. The Angry Birds were ready.

Grandma and I stayed at the house to distribute the goodies. Sarah and Jeff took the boys on a Halloween walk around the neighborhood.

I took photos of the kids as they came up the walk. Here are some views of the Trick or Treaters.

Grandma did a fine job greeting the kids. It was super fun.

Neighbor Crissy and her little one stopped by. Chrissy is a great cook!!

Once the boys returned, it is a Dodson tradition to pour the treats on the floor and inspect their bounty. Nate holds a Reese cup decorated for Halloween. This is the first time Nate has had peanut butter. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should wait until your child is 3 years old. before giving them peanut butter (allergies). This was the moment of peanut explosion in his taste buds. Man, did he like it!

We left Bridgeport on Tuesday after we had haircuts from our friend, Regina. It is so great to be home after six days on the road. Wow- our bed was wonderful!!

2011-11-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Traveling West

On Monday morning we had breakfast with Rach at Betty's Restaurant and then we headed back to West Virginia. The snow was melting. The snowmen in front of The Clarion were slowly returning back to their liquid state.

We stopped by the Visitor Center at Antietam National Battlefield to see if our friend, Clayton Barker, was in the building. Clayton was not working Monday so we will try again. It has been quite awhile since we toured the Battlefield. Maybe this will be on our Bucket List for the spring.

We did stop by a little bakery in Flintstone, MD - The Alpine Pantry and Bakery. Then, true to our usual routine, we had lunch at Penn Alps in Grantsville, MD.

We arrived at Sarah and Jeff's for another night at their family hostel. This was the evening for trick or treat. Grandma Meads was in charge of placing the eyebrows on the Angry Birds.

Tomorrow - Trick or Treat in Bridgeport. By the way - DO NOT FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK TONIGHT. Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 A.M. on Sunday.

2011-11-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

Flora's Ninth Birthday

On Sunday the birthday party was on! Flora dressed as a demon spirit. Lucy was a purple forest spirit.

Grandma Meads was ready to help with the favors that were distributed to the kids.

Nana Jane and Grandpa Jim were also busy getting things prepared.

The Halloween spirits began to arrive around 1 PM.

How scary was this ghoulish gal? Pretty scary!

Thio dressed up as Mushroom Mario.

Nana Jane's Halloween birthday cake was a party hit.

The kids had a good time and I am certain they received their daily allocation of sugar!

2011-11-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Snow!

The first snow of the season was certainly early this year. It was snowing in Bridgeport when we crawled out of bed Saturday morning. Should we travel this day to Shepherdstown? We called our friend, David Gillespie, who lives in Frostburg, to see how the snow storm was developing along I-68. David said they had about 9 inches of snow on top the cars but he thought by afternoon that the roads would be clear. The highway department in that neck of the woods has the experience of snow removal and they do a great job.

The roads were, indeed, clear. Many tree limbs were down due to the weight of the wet snow on branches that still held leaves. We arrived in Shepherdstown and checked into the Clarion around 5 PM.

Judy and I had a good meal with Rachael, John, Lucy, and Flora as well as with John's parents, Jim and Jane Meeker, who were visiting from Arizona. Nanna Jane baked Flora's birthday cake -- a witch's castle, since Flora is a Halloween baby.
The stained glass windows were made of candy orange slices heated in the oven and then rolled flat. The castle crenelations were the old candy of our childhoods, banana-flavored circus peanuts. The cake was even prettier than this picture shows.
Good job Nanna Jane!

Tomorrow - Flora's Birthday Party.

2011-11-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

This Past Weekend

Boy, what a crazy time it has been these past several days! We stayed Thursday night with Sarah and Jeff. Sister Judy and brother-in-law Bill also stayed Thursday night at the Dodson resort.

The next day I had an appointment with Dr. Craig at the Cancer Center and sister Judy had a PET scan and followup also at the Cancer Center. Thursday evening Sarah was into cake pop production. Judy decided to help with the process.

The cake pops were certainly made in the style of a professional baker.

On Friday, Judy and Bill headed to the Cancer Center early. We left for the Cancer Center and arrived around noon. Once again we have been blessed. My Dr. Craig report was fine and Judy's PET scan was clear. We all celebrated by meeting at Muriale's Italian restaurant in Fairmont. The food here is always excellent.

Judy and Bill headed home to Spencer after the gourmet experience while we checked in once again at the Dodson household. Sarah and Jeff were preparing the boys for a neighborhood Halloween party. The boys were dressed as Angry Birds (of the computer game fame) and the parents were the birds nemesis, the Pigs!

Sarah made the bird outfits. Only problem was that they molted as they moved. By the end of the trick or treat night, they were almost Naked Birds.

On Saturday we traveled to Shepherdstown to celebrate Flora's 9th birthday. She is our Halloween grand kid. Tomorrow - a surprise when we awoke!

2011-10-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

See ya in November

Yep, we will not be adding any blog posts until the first of November in order that we can share with you Miss Flora's birthday bash. She was born on Halloween. You folks enjoy the holiday!

2011-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

On Monday I was doing some last of the year yard cleanup when I noticed this little bird lying on the porch. He had obviously was killed when he hit the window glass.

The petite Kinglets are among the smallest of our native birds. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Golden-crowned Kinglet are the only two species that occur in North America, and they are common in all but the coldest regions of North America.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet breeds from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland, south California and New Mexico, and to the Great Lakes region and northern New England in the east. Spends winters south from southern British Columbia and California across the southern tier of states to southern New England. Preferred habitats include coniferous and deciduous forests. This guy was most likely migrating through the area.

ale Ruby-crowned Kinglets have bright red crests (that can vary in color to orange), which can be raised when the bird is excited but which are more often completely hidden. Females look like males but lack the red crest.

2011-10-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Eastern Star

Sister Judy and brother-in-law Bill stopped by on Saturday. They were on the way to an Eastern Star meeting in Elkins. You will notice that the Eastern Star folks seem to always dress up in their prom finery.

Judy provides entertainment at the meetings by taking an assortment of puppets. She had this day a new squirrel puppet that she purchased in the Ohio Amish country at Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio.

2011-10-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

Farmers Market

Yep, the growing season is quickly coming to an end. Next week is the last Saturday for the market in Glenville.

Debbie was setup working on her felting art and selling her famous jams and jellies.

She was crafting a fely pig for a lady in Elkins.

Terry had her homemade goodies. This lady is a fine baker!

Pat and Dan Johnson were with Mary Lee McPherson. One of the greatest things about this market venture is seeing friends.

Gosh, the temperature was in the 40's and before long we will be singing Christmas carols!

2011-10-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

A Fine Evening

Last Thursday we had a great meal with old friends. Rick Sypolt, Alice Sypolt and Willa Grafton are in the back row. Judy, Jim, Seva Hickman, Joe Hickman, and Ed Grafton are in the front row. The Graftons live in Braxton County. Ed was long time chairman of the GSC Forestry Department. Willa was one of my students who excelled in all classes she took. Rick and Alice are long time friends and live in Glenville. Rick is still teaching in the GSC Forestry Department and is the second oldest tenured person at GSC. Joe Hickman is retired from the college (GSC and New River) and live in Summersville. The Hickmans have been exceptional friends and we share a plethora of life stories. Seva worked in the Food Service at GSC and have known her since I was a kid living in Grantsville.

We met at PJ Berry's in Sutton. It was a wonderful evening!

2011-10-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Fall

As I mentioned yesterday the beautiful colors of fall are quickly dwindling. Our porch is decorated with the trappings of the season.

You have to love the knucklehead pumpkin!

Fruits and berries are plentiful at this time. Our pyracantha is producing those wonderful orange berries. The dense thorny structure of pyracantha makes them particularly valued in situations where an impenetrable barrier is required. The aesthetic characteristics of pyracantha plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a considerable alternative to artificial fences and walls. They are also a good shrub for a wildlife garden, providing dense cover for roosting and nesting birds, summer flowers for bees and an abundance of berries as a food source. Pyracantha berries are not poisonous as commonly thought; although they are very bitter, they are edible when cooked and are sometimes made into jelly.

Enjoy nature's bounties while they last.

2011-10-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, Hail!

Last Thursday afternoon we had a neat rain storm. The storm brought heavy rain plus quarter sized hail.

Thought I would share with you all this frozen delight.

The wind and rain forced many leaves from their perch. Ah, winter can not be far away.

2011-10-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

CYCLOPS

In this world of Photoshop and online scams, it pays to have a hearty dose of skepticism at reports of something strange — including an albino fetal shark with one eye smack in the middle of its nose like a Cyclops.

But the Cyclops shark, sliced from the belly of a pregnant mama dusky shark caught by a commercial fisherman in the Gulf of California earlier this summer, is by all reports the real thing. Shark researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that its single eye is made of functional optical tissue, they said last week. It's unlikely, however, that the malformed creature would have survived outside the womb.

"This is extremely rare," shark expert Felipe Galvan Magana of Mexico's Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias del Mar told the Pisces Fleet Sportfishing blog in July. "As far as I know, less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded.

2011-10-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Friends

As I arrived on Main Street, people were milling around waiting for the start of the parade. The vendors were busy selling food to the Black Walnuteers!

The Gideons were out on every corner distributing free copies of the New Testament. The fellow below was parading through the crowd with his 'Jesus or Hell" sign.

The parade started at noon and it was only 11:15 when the picture below was taken. The rental chairs were starting to fill up. I decided not to wait for the parade, but walk back to Mom's house.

As I turned the corner, I saw two special friends on the stage playing old time music.

Lester McCumbers and Kim Johnson are always a pleasure to talk with and to experience their many tunes that have been carried down through the ages. Lester has won many awards and is a recipient of the Vandalia Award.

Last views of the Festival in tomorrow's post.

2011-10-16T03:58:00.001-07:00

The Armory

We took Grandma Great to the Spencer National Guard Armory to view the crafts. Outside the building, folks had setup a flea market and the crafts displays were located inside. We were not impressed with the quality of the crafts.

Brother-in-law Bill was busy at the Eastern Star table selling knives and home baked yummies.

Judy found us an easy target and we left with a black walnut pie, a pecan pie, and a raisin pie.

The pies were all homemade by the Spencer Eastern Star. They made around 300 pies. All but 10 were sold by the end of the Festival.

The Spencer armory will be closing in September when the Spencer units move into a larger consolidated facility near Ripley. Rumor is that the National Guard has sold the building to the city of Spencer for one dollar.

I love people watching and the Black Walnut Festival did not disappoint.

2011-10-16T03:16:00.000-07:00

Black Walnut Festival 2011

We traveled to Spencer on Friday to celebrate the Festival with the Meads and Greenleaf families. On Saturday morning, sister Judy was getting ready to ride on the Grand Parade Marshall's float. The folks honored on this float were all the retired Roane County teachers.

By 10 A.M. the floats were undergoing final preparations for the Grand Parade at noon.

I decided that the traffic was so terrific that I would walk to town. The boulevard was packed with folks who had parked their vehicles 24 hours earlier in order they would have a prime location to view the parade activities. Folks bring their lawn chairs, grills, and coolers. Reminds me of a Black Walnut tailgate!

The walk to Main Street was a little chore for this arthritic. I tried hitch hiking these critter, but to no avail.

When I arrived on Main Street, I saw some old friends. Tomorrow you will learn their identity.

2011-10-11T03:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the celebration of Columbus Day (which really be tomorrow - thanks to the government's decision of celebrating the day on a Monday!) A few points from our friends at MSNBC.

So much of what we say about Columbus is either wholly untrue or greatly exaggerated.

Here are a few of the top offenders.

1. Columbus set out to prove the world was round.

If he did, he was about 2,000 years too late Ancient Greek mathematicians had already proven that the earth was round, not flat.

Pythagoras in the sixth century B.C. was one of the originators of the idea. Aristotle in the fourth century B.C. provided the physical evidence, such as the shadow of the Earth on the moon and the curvature of the Earth known by all sailors approaching land. And by the third century B.C., Eratosthenes determined our planet's shape and circumference using basic geometry. In the second century, Claudius Ptolemy wrote the "Almagest," the mathematical and astronomical treatise on planetary shapes and motions, describing the spherical Earth. This text was well known throughout educated Europe in Columbus' time.

Columbus, a self-taught man, greatly underestimated Earth's circumference. He also thought Europe was wider than it actually was and that Japan was farther from the coast of China than it really was. For these reasons, he figured he could reach Asia by going west, a concept that most of educated Europe at the time thought was daft — not because the earth was flat, but because Columbus' math was so wrong. Columbus, in effect, got lucky by bumping into land that, of course, wasn't Asia.

The Columbus flat-earth myth perhaps originated with Washington Irving's 1828 biography of Columbus; there's no mention of this before that. His crew wasn't nervous about falling off the earth.

2. Columbus discovered America.

Yes, let's ignore the fact that millions of humans already inhabited this land later to be called the Americas, having discovered it millennia before. And let's ignore that whole Leif Ericson voyage to Greenland and modern-day Canada around the year 1000. If Columbus discovered America, he himself didn't know. Until his death he claimed to have landed in Asia, even though most navigators knew he didn't.

What Columbus came across was the archipelago of the Bahamas and then the island later named Hispaniola, now split into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. On his subsequent voyages he went farther south, to Central and South America. He never got close to what is now called the United States.

So why does the United States celebrate the guy who thought he found a nifty new route to Asia and the lands described by Marco Polo? This is because the early United States was fighting with England, not Spain. John Cabot (a.k.a. Giovanni Cabot, another Italian) "discovered" Newfoundland in England's name around 1497 and paved the way for England's colonization of most of North America. So the American colonialists instead turned to Columbus as their hero, not England's Cabot. Hence we have the capital, Washington, D.C. — that's District of Columbia, not District of Cabot.

3. Columbus introduced syphilis to Europe.

This is hotly debated. Syphilis was present in pre-Columbus America. Yet syphilis probably existed for millennia in Europe as well, but simply wasn't well understood. The ancient Greeks describe lesions rather similar to that from syphilis. Perhaps by coincidence, an outbreak of syphilis occurred in Naples in 1494 during a French invasion, just two years after Columbus' return. This sealed the connection.

But aside from descriptions of syphilis-like lesions by Hippocrates, many researchers believe that there was a syphilis outbreak in, of all places, a 13th-century Augustinian friary in the English port of Kingston upon Hull. This coastal city saw a continual influx of sailors from distant lands, and you know what sailors can do. Carbon dating and DNA analysis of bones from the friary support the theory of syphilis being a worldwide disease before Columbus' voyages.

4. Columbus died unknown in poverty.

Columbus wasn't a rich man when he died in Spain at age 54 in 1506. But he wasn't impoverished. He was living comfortably, economically speaking, in an apartment in Valladolid, Crown of Castile, in present-day Spain, albeit in pain from severe arthritis. Columbus had been arrested years prior on accusations of tyranny and brutality toward native peoples of the Americas. But he was released by King Ferdinand after six weeks in prison. He was subsequently denied most of the profits of his discoveries promised to him by Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

After his death, though, his family sued the royal crown, a famous lawsuit known as the Pleitos colombinos, or Columbian lawsuits, lasting nearly 20 years. Columbus' heirs ultimately secured significant amounts of property and other riches from the crown. Also, most European navigators understood by the end of the 15th century, before his death, that Columbus had discovered islands and a large land mass unknown to them.

5. Columbus did nothing significant.

With all this talk of a hapless Columbus accidentally "discovering" the New World, as well as the subsequent genocide of native cultures, it is easy to understand the current backlash against Columbus and the national holiday called Columbus Day, celebrated throughout North and South America. This isn't entirely fair.

While Columbus was wrong about most things, he did help establish knowledge about trade winds, namely the lower-latitude easterlies that blow toward the Caribbean and the higher-latitude westerlies that can blow a ship back to Western Europe. Also, while Columbus wasn't the first European to reach the Western Hemisphere, he was the first European to stay. His voyages directly initiated a permanent presence of Europeans in both North and South America.

News of the success of his first voyage spread like wildfire through Europe, setting the stage for an era of European conquest. One can argue whether the conquest was good or bad for humanity: that is, the spread of Christianity, rise of modernism, exploitation and annihilation of native cultures, and so on. But it is difficult to deny Columbus' direct role in quickly and radically changing the world.

2011-10-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Bird Whisperer

Judy, the bird whisper, did it again yesterday. The young morning dove was feeding in the porch cage, but forgot how to exit the cage. Judy had to extract the beast.

The morning dove is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also the leading gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and for meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure stems from its prolific breeding: in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods a year. Its plaintive woo-OO-oo-oo-oo call gives the bird its name. The wings can make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing. The bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph).^{That is if they can get out of the cage feeder!}

2011-10-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Triple Cheese Bread

I made a couple of loaves of triple cheese bread on Sunday. This recipe is certainly a keeper.

Cheeses used were cottage cheese, cheddar, and grated Parmesan. Think I will add some additional Asiago cheese next time. For the recipe, look on the side of the King Arthur All Purpose Flour bag.

YUMMY!!!

2011-10-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Spider Trees

(Yesterday's blog was a congratulation to Bruce and Debbie on the birth of their new alpaca. It was just a bit premature. Sorry to report that the little one did not make it. Our hearts go out to the folks - knowing that a loss like this is certainly a sad event.)

It looks like something out of an illustrated book...

An unexpected side-effect of the flooding in parts of Pakistan has been that millions of spiders climbed up into the trees to escape the rising flood waters.

Because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water has taken so long to recede, many trees have become cocooned in spiders webs.

People in this part of Sindh have never seen this phenomenon before but they also report that there are now less mosquitoes than they would expect, given the amount of stagnant, standing water that is around. It's clear the mosquitoes are getting caught in the spiders' webs, thus reducing the risk of malaria, which would be one blessing out of this mess.

2011-10-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

A Cria Is Born!

For those not into camels and the like, a cria (pronounced cree-ah) is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuna, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognat in English, crya (pronounced cry-ah), was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically according to the mwa sound they made, which was not unlike that of a human crying baby.

Enough of the lesson and to the point! Congratulations to Bruce and Deb Farmer on their new baby alpaca! The beast was born yesterday at noon! Birth weight was 13 pounds! It is a girl!

Deb was so excited.  She said, "we did wrap her in a towel and I sewed and tied a lamb coat on her because the temp. is to drop tonight. Her color is much like her Mother's and that will be fantastic!"

Congratulations on the arrival of the new critter!

2011-10-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Diana's Mystery

Our friend, Diana, and her husband , Roy, came upon this very heavy stone on a ridge top on their farm many years ago. Diana brought it in to see if I would know what it may be. Is it a meteorite or some other critter?

The stone is approximately 10 ounces and has this nice brown patina. I contacted our friend, Deb, who teaches at Fairmont State University. Professor Deb Hemler is an excellent geologist.

After consulting with Deb, she concluded that this is an iron concretion. Deb said "these concretions are iron deposition from groundwater circulating through sediments. For some reason a "seed" like a crystal or small scat will form the center as concentric rings of iron precipitate out of solution... we find a lot of these here in the Morgantown area and huge ones in the Green Bank area.. they call them Turtlebacks down there."

A week later Diana brought to the house some neat fossils that she and her hubby found during the low water winter stage at the Summersville Dam. These fossils were also produced by deposition of iron on the surface of these bivalves.

If you all have an idea of the genus of this clam or approximate age, please leave a message. Diana and I would appreciate it. Thanks.

2011-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sarah - The Roller Derby Diva

Remember on Friday we were to go to Sarah's Birthday Party, but we could not make it. Here are a few pictures from her Facebook that I will share with you all.

Sarah's friends rented Skate World, a roller skating rink in Bridgeport. They made for her a tutu and shirt that said Roller Derby Diva.

Sam and Nate were eager to glide around the rink. I think Sam was the most protected kid at the event. Helmet, knee pads,and elbow pads were placed on this lad!

How could Jeff not love this charming diva?

Thanks to Sarah for sharing these photos!

2011-10-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Only In West Virginia

This photo was taken from the Facebook page of our friend Brenda West who lives in Charleston.

2011-09-30T03:12:00.000-07:00

Skaters

Sam and Nate are getting ready for the roller skating party in Bridgeport to celebrate their Mom's 38th birthday. Sarah's birthday was on Monday, but her friends decided to celebrate with a party tonight at the roller rink in Bridgeport. I shall report back to you on the events of the evening.

PS- No report. We were under the weather so were not able to go to the birthday event. :(