Didn't Happen Here

When something doesn't happen it can be very nice indeed! That is a stock snow image, not one outside my house. Unfortunately it did happen to a lot of people all over the Eastern seaboard. Somehow I seem to be living in a warm bubble. Lots of wind, sometime there's been white stuff in it but we had no accumulation at all. That is definitely not a complaint.

I read, and perhaps not everyone else did, so I'll repeat it, that this very cold and snowy winter in the northern US and northern Europe is actually a global warming effect. That sounds counter-intuitive. But only a few people have the education and tools to take a truly big picture view of what's happening. This cold winter is an effect of the high altitude winds and what happens as they make a kind of wave effect flowing over the giant mountains in central Asia having gathered more moisture than would have formerly been the case. But now, due to the warming of the Arctic during the summer that moisture has kind of been waiting to come dumping down as blizzards throughout the usually more temperate part of the northern hemisphere.

As you can tell this is a murky layman's way of explaining something infinitely more complex. I am sorry for people stranded on highways and in airports and others at home without electricity and the many other problems these blizzards cause. Just now I am counting my lucky stars and am well aware that the winter has only begun. That picture could become a reality outside my window too.

In the Dark

I came home about 3:30 this afternoon in the bright spring sunlight -- strong breeze making my hair fly all kinds of weird ways -- as I entered the building, I took off my sunglassses. It didn't help. Apparently the electricity had just gone off throughout the building ... actually the personnel in the lobby were trying to find out what floors were affected. All, apparently. So I decided to wallk up the seven flights. There are emergency lights in the stairwells which were on. Others were walking up and down. Building workers with flashlights were in and out of hallways ascertaining all was dark. I met a neigbhor who works at home who was f-wording about what a sudden outage would do to his computer program.

I walked slowly but it was not difficult. In the dark hallway I could see slivers of natural light beneath doors, including my own. Before leaving the lighted stair, I sorted my keys so the two I would need were in my hand, then I walked with caution but general certainty. I found my door and felt for the upper keyhole. Not difficult. Fitted in the key and turned then did the same for the other keyhole. Marginally lighter in my apartment from natural light although I've been complaining bitterly about the new building that blocks so much of my light. I had a some groceries but chose not to put the few items that needed refrigeration into the fridge because I didn't want to let out the cold in case the elecricity might be off for some time.

What could I do without electricity? I could not check my email or write a couple of letters that I planned to write. My phone depends on electricity so I could not make the calls I was planning to make. I could not work on my quilting project because the sewing machine is electric. I changed clothes and was thinking what I would read, and whether I should go out to a Starbucks and read there ... And then there was light! A small interruption in my routine! I had to reset the clocks and then get on with my day.

The bobble in routine made me notice how much I depend on electricity. I thought of the many people in the US who had lengthy power ourtages because of bliizzards this last winter. Many of them depended on electricity for heat. THEY had hardships -- especially since the blizzard made it difficult to leave their homes. How dependent we are on things beyond our personal control! The global warming warnings are probably going to prove underestimates. More and more we pampered Americans will be inconvenienced by these difficulties as the weather does strange thing. [Today's little problem probably had to do with the recent electrical work done in the building.]

Earth Day

It's Earth Day. This partial map of the world -- it was too big to scan all at once -- neverheless, inadvertently shows a global warming fact: the Artic Circle is shown as blue ocean, not white ice -- as we normally imagine it to be. Already the ice is meltng, for several years now travelers with a lot of money have been going to the Arctic Circle on Soviet ice breakers and even, those who are really hearty, going for a swim. [briefly!] True! I first read about it about five years ago.

Lately I've been reading a lot of articles by semi-optimists [not cock-eyed, cautious] who write about ways to deal with the global warming that, really, no one can deny any longer. One writer in the NY Times Magazine last week bellieves that "Main Street" has become aware, finally. And even better, people who have power to effect changes are waking up too; like the Chinese government encouraging fuel efficent, even alternative fuel, cars -- the Chinese are buying [and building] cars like crazy -- and they're polluting equally crazily ... and they know it's bad. Bad for them as individuals, bad for their image, bad for their standing in the world. American companies like Wal-Mart are learning to improve earnings by encouraging energy preservation, some governments are offering incentives for efficient renewable energy.
These pretty little, dwarf tulips -- I THINK they're tulips -- were at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park yesterday ... what a lovely place that is!

Ice skating and global warming

Why a picture by Pieter Breugel II? Because it reminds me of that probably forgotten children's classic HANS BRINKER AND THE SILVER SKATES. And why that? Because in favorite discovery from surfing the Artful Quilters Web Ring is a blog not by a quilter at all but by Konchog who is an American Buddhist monk living in UlanBaator, Mongolia. It was a link I found and those who read my blog know I loved visiting Mongolia several months ago. Anyway, Konchog wrote recently that a major ice skating event was held on Lake Khovsol which is on the border with Siberia -- it's where I saw the reindear herders. and hte handsome woman shaman. He observed than many of the skaters in the competition were Dutch ... See? That'sthe connection with the picture.

It seems the European skating events are now very iffy, due to global warming the usual outdooor venues, rivers, lakes, no long freeze solidly enough for the competitions. So the Dutch skaters - and many others from Europe -- went to Mongolia to compete. This may be good for world friendship even if it is telling more people that the world climate is in trouble. Konchog says the older Mongolians say the winters aren't as cold there as they used to be. As an American, he thoughtahat's happening this summer [now!] in Australia and New Zealand, and the variety of climates and events across the US. And for people's opinions about many, many matters.

BRRR.. truly winter

It's cold. It's not been over freezing for about ten days. The last three days we've had wind ... that's bad everywhere when it's cold but it's almost diabolical in New York. We've had beautiful blue skies and bright sun. In sheltered spots -- which sometimes maybe an entire block -- it almost seems nice and comfortable. But then turn a corner -- Ouch! BRRRR... the wind slaps you, finds its way down the back of your neck and up the sleeves of your coat. Worst of all it hits you on the forhead and penetrates to the sinuses behind the cheekbones. Nasty. That HURTS!

Of course it won't last -- this is not Minnesota which must be truly awful. And it's not upstate where I lived some twenty years, in the Syracuse area ... which has had six to eight feet of snow in the last few days. I've seen that happen! it's beatiful if you're not stuck in it. The snow crew getsout efficiently clearing roads and homeowners start up their snow blowers and blast their way to the road, feeling bold and righteous and competent. I've had enough of it and am happy to be here in the so far snowless Big Apple, this winter, But I do like weather. It's a part of the challenge of living in the temperate zone.

I love to watch how people in New York dress themselves for the cold. Over on the East Side it's mostly fur coats and hats. On the middle class, PETA supporting West Side it's down. Many who are natives of much more southerly countries or islands, add layers of stoles and scarves over their coats. Many swathe themesleves in scarves like bandits about to rob a bank. they pull hoods up and only squinting eyes peer out. Then the occasional high school kid, usually talking a mile a minute and at mutli-decibels [often with a pepppering of vulgar words] goes strolling down the street with open coat flying like a sail and an inch of two of belly skin [if it's a girl] exposed to the cold. At a certain age the external world barely exists, everything is personal and usually fraught.

I've been wrapping myself in a knee length poly-filled coat with scarf and hat or earmuffs, gloves too, of course. Inside the coat, I'm warm enough. I have also a short black down filled jacket made in China, an inexpensive purchase a year ago at the end of the season. I find that the feathers tend to sneak out. Sometimes a feather works its way out on the outside, more often it's on the inside so that I might find myself with the random feather stuck on my back or my butt after I take the jacket off. So be it ... the season is short. It won't stay this cold long. But we'll be able to say we actually did have some winter ... it's not "merely" global warming we're surviving this week .. we'll complan abou the global warming part in August when it's too hot to sleep with any kind of clothes on.