Warning: ini_get_all() has been disabled for security reasons in /smarthosting/content/d/dodsonbeau/.website15332/wp-includes/load.php on line 1020

Warning: ini_get_all() has been disabled for security reasons in /smarthosting/content/d/dodsonbeau/.website15332/wp-includes/load.php on line 1020
Beau's Journey » 2008 » November

Archive: November, 2008

November 31, 2008: Tyler’s 10th Birthday Party

  BRRRRR – a cold-wet-raw day!  About as we expected.  It has been raining since late morning – a few snowflakes mixed in at times.  Cold rain – temps are around 35-40 degrees.  NICE AND COLD!

  We celebrated Tyler’s birthday down at the Paducah Riverfront.  They have an ice skating rink, now.  This is the first year that they have done this.  It sounds like they have been extremely busy.  The guy said they had several thousand people over the last couple of days.  Pretty impressive.

  Tyler is 10 years old this year! 


Tyler and his buddy.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!!

 


Danielle out on the ice skating rink

 


Tyler the birthday boy

 

 


Dione (does she look cold)  hmmm

 


Dylan out on the skating rink

 

 


Danielle

 


Dione decides she is going to give it a try

 


Uh huh

 


So, Ashton and Joey step in to help her out

 


Ashton and Dione (hanging on for dear life)

 

 


Tyler celebrating his 10th birthday

 

 


Birthday Boy

 

 


I think Tyler is having  good time 🙂

 

 


Ashton

 


Birthday Party

 


Mother decides to give skating a try – her first time

 


I like the kid coming up from behind and racing past her!!!!

 

 


Mariah and her friend

 


Ashton and Dione

 

 


Mother – stuck on the other side of the rink

 


The three Amigo’s and mother to the left

 


Joey – Ashton – and Dione

 

 

 

 

 


Mother

 

 


Dione and mother – lol 🙂

 

Tony and Deena skated, as well.  My camera battery went dead, though.  Lucky them!!!

 

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Tommy and Dione’s house yesterday.  GREAT food!!!! 

 


Tyler playing video games

 


Family

 


Danielle

 


Tony playing video games with Mariah and Dylan

 

 

 

November 29, 2008: Snow chances in the coming days…

  Well, our snow system is shaping up just about as forecast.  It looks like we will get some light snow and flurries on Sunday night and Monday morning.  I am not expecting any major accumulation for Paducah or Metropolis.  It still appears that a little snow is possible across areas to our north.  Looks like 1-4" for portions of Central Illinois into Indiana.  Lucky them!

  Our next chance of snow will be Wednesday night and Thursday.  Too soon to put numbers on that system.   Will should receive rain before it changes over to snow. 

  We had our family Thanksgiving today at Dione’s.  I think everyone had a good time.  I did take a few photos – will have to grab them off the camera later.

  Very busy week ahead!  Finals – big subject of the week.  They are SUPPOSED to start on my house – we shall see.  Four test grades will come in on Wednesday – 2 quarter tests and 2 quizzes.  Need to make decent grades on those.  That leaves my finals.  I am reallllllly hoping to wrap this up by next weekend.  Then we will get a break.  Snow chase?  ")  Maybe.  Need a big storm system first.


Check out the snow this evening in Missouri.  🙂  If that were only a few hundred miles further south and east. 

 

November 29, 2008: Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning

Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come.

By this weekend, seismologists hope to install three measurement devices to gather data about future temblors in the area. That information could show whether the rumbles come from heat-related geological changes or from an undiscovered fault — which could mean a risk of substantial earthquakes in the future.

"The potential for generating a high-magnitude earthquake is real," said Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Five earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 2.7 have hit central Arkansas this month. Quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 to 3 are typically the smallest felt by people.

While hundreds of earthquakes occur each year, including several in Arkansas, the location of the recent ones give Al-Shukri pause. Arkansas quakes generally occur in the state’s northeast corner, part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where three temblors with magnitudes of around 8 struck during the winter of 1812 and smaller ones continue today.

But central Arkansas does not have any seismic history, Al-Shukri said.

"It is abnormal. It is significant," he said. "We need to carefully watch this activity."

The area does not have any permanent seismograph, so researchers asked the University of Memphis in Tennessee if they could use its portable equipment. The nearest seismographs aren’t close enough to provide the detailed readings scientists need to determine what could be causing the tremors or properly locate their origin, said Scott Ausbrooks, the geohazard supervisor for the Arkansas Geological Survey.

"I don’t know if you’ve looked at a map of where these events are located, but they’ve got a scatter on them," he said. "We’re thinking this is probably the inherited error built in when you try to locate events of this small a magnitude from that far away."

Ausbrooks said officials would install the three seismographs around Magnet Cove, a Hot Spring County community near where a magnitude-2.7 earthquake hit on Nov. 1. Residents told police dispatchers they heard what sounded like an explosion.

One possible culprit could be a hydrothermal quake, caused by extremely hot fluid pushing into rocks under the surface. The hot fluid percolates into the cracks of the rocks and causes movement, Al-Shukri said.

That theory matches the geologic history of the area. Central Arkansas is home to Hot Springs, a city that grew up around its namesake spas. The springs have 143-degree waters rushing to the surface continuously.

If that’s the case, the earthquakes likely wouldn’t pose a drastic danger to the area, Al-Shukri said. At their strongest, such quakes reach only a magnitude of 5, the U.S. Geological Survey’s threshold for "moderate."

However, if the earthquakes are caused by a previously unknown fault, that could mean a much more powerful temblor in the future. A recently discovered fault in eastern Arkansas near Marianna caused an earthquake with a magnitude of between 7.2 and 7.5 in the past 5,000 years, Al-Shukri said. That could cause widespread, heavy damage.

"Now, it’s not active, but in geologist time, that’s yesterday," he said.

Ausbrooks wouldn’t speculate on what could be causing the earthquakes, saying he wanted to see what data the seismographs capture. However, he acknowledged an unknown fault could be running through the area.

"There are numerous faults across the state, both known and unknown," Ausbrooks said. "This area has got a lot of faults associated with it from the mountain building of the Ouachitas, but they’re considered inactive."

November 28, 2008: Billion dollar investment in Metropolis?

  Well, this is certainly good news for the City of Metropolis.

Support 1st step in proposed port plan: State Rep. Phelps says developer stands ready to invest study money

Nov 26, 2008 (The Paducah Sun – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — METROPOLIS, Ill. — — Metropolis’ show of support paves the way for studying the development of a massive riverport and transportation hub along the bank of the Ohio River.

A memorandum of understanding the Metropolis City Council unanimously approved Monday night shows Vieste, an infrastructure developer, and its investors that they can expect cooperation, which is an important first step, said state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg.

"I assume the ball is in their court now," Phelps said.

Phelps said Chicago attorney Sanford M. "Sandy" Stein, on behalf of Vieste, had requested a show of support from the Metropolis city government to encourage the company that it should make its initial investment in feasibility, marketing, environmental and engineering studies.

Stein suggested the company is poised to invest $1.5 million in studies with city’s cooperation, Phelps said.

As Stein projected, Vieste proposes the creation of a products and materials distribution center using river, rail, highway and airport transportation on 200 acres along the city’s riverfront west of the railway bridge during an initial phase that could be five years in the making. Infrastructure investment would be $60 million and total investment could be $300 to $400 million, Stein said.

The project could produce 800 to 1,000 jobs.

The long-term, 10-year prospects could bring as much as $1 billion in total investment over a total of 800 acres and could create more than 2,000 jobs, Phelps said Stein told him.

"I want to be sure that everybody knows that this is a long process," Phelps said. "It’s in its infant stages now, and there’s a lot that has to happen to bring this about, but this is the stuff you dream about.

"It could be a blessing for all of southern Illinois and the region," Phelps said. "There could be a lot of spin-off industry that would benefit the area even more.

Phelps said he has no long-term familiarity with Vieste, but he said he is confident in the proposal Stein delivered.

"I’ve known Sandy Stein for some time and know he is an honorable man," Phelps said. "I know that to even be considered for this is a home run. And if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed."

Vieste, on its Web site, posts a list of major ongoing projects for the company with offices in Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, and more recently, Memphis.

Bryan Messmore, the county administrator in Dearborn County, Ind., said on Tuesday that his dealings with Vieste have been positive. Development planners in Dearborn County went to Vieste when they were ready to hash out an economic development plan to acquire Honda automobile plant-related industries.

The people in the county did not embrace some of the development ideas the planners came up with, Messmore said. So no investor was found.

But, he added, Vieste put together a model for land development that could serve as a blueprint for the future if enough people would support it.

However, to date, the county hasn’t spent a dime on it, Messmore said.

 

November 28, 2008: FRIDAY!

  Well, it is black Friday.  I guess that is what they call it.  The day that all of the shops have huge sales.  I will not be buying anything today.  lol  I hate the crowds.

  Spent most of today putting together the different parts for my tower up on the farm.  Junior brought me the base plate – then we went and tried to find a 27" anchor bolt, which we never found.  So, we had to order that.

  Went up to the farm.  Everything looks the same as the last time I was up there.  lol  Nothing is going to change until we get some workers up there.  Which, by the way, is supposed to happen NEXT week.  Let’s cross our fingers and toes and hope that that is the case. 

  Nothing else to report.  Light rain and snow is expected Saturday into Monday.  Not expecting anything major.  At least some snowflakes in the air, though.

 

 

November 27, 2008: A philosopher once said…

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous- yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar- effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else. The small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks.

The same goes for your life. I you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the rocks first- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of  beers."

 

November 27, 2008: HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING DAY!

November 26, 2008: Wednesday – rain or snow chances Sunday? Or not?

  Nice morning – sun is shining and temperatures are not extreme.  Not bad for November.  High temperature today should be around 55 degrees!   Looks like a nice Thanksgiving travel day.  I am sure there will be a lot of people out and about.

  Keeping an eye on a storm system that COULD impact the region on Sunday.  Long way off, though.  Models are showing some chance for rain/snow across our region.  Too far off to make a call, though.  Something to watch.  This is the system that was supposed to move through here on Friday.  It has slowed down a bit.

  Meeting with Don this morning down in Mayfield.  Then back to Paducah to see my dad.  Then homework!  I have to start cramming for the finals.  🙂

  These 500mb maps are very impressive – these are for Sunday.  Basically these maps are showing a nice trough across this region.  A storm system would develop across the Ohio Valley – spreading rain and snow across our counties.  Still – this is four days out.  Models don’t do well past day 2 or 3.  Worth watching, though.

  The GFS is the OUTLIER model – that means that chances of this actually developing are rather low. 

 

 

 

November 25, 2008: Moving along – countdown to building!

  Well, our chances for rain seem to be diminishing for Friday and Saturday.  Looks like that storm system will stay far enough south that we may be removed from the chance of rain. 

  I met with Southern Illinois Electric today about burying the electric lines up on the farm.  Looks like they will start and finish by the end of December.  That would work out just fine.  They should start on the framing up of the house somewhere around the middle of December.  I hope so at least.

  The footer guys are supposed to start next week.  Let’s hope that stays on track.  I really need them to start and finish as soon as possible.  I am excited!

  Otherwise, we had lunch with a friend today and then went bowling.  🙂

  Thanksgiving is only 2 days away!!!!

  I have finished my last two quarterly tests and quizzes for this semester.  Now all I have left is finals.  I will be glad when this semester is over!  Then I have a few classes left before I am finished with school.  YAY

November 24, 2008: I need snow.

  It is raining.  I need snow.  I am going to do a snow dance.  I need some snow – soon!

  We will have a chance for snow next week (the first week of December).  Looks like a 40% for now.   No promisessssssss – but 🙂 – I do believe it is a good bet.  We shall see.  I shall wish!

 

November 23, 2008: OMG – I see someone else was at the same movie

  A couple of days ago I wrote about the "Twilight" experience.  Well, while surfing tonight I found this article!!!!  This sums it up…

 

I WAS TRAPPED IN A MOVIE THEATER WITH TEENAGE TWILIGHT FANS

By Graeme McMillan, 2:00 PM on Sun Nov 23 2008, 8,088 views

It was, without a doubt, the strangest movie preview I’ve been to. Sure, there were lines of fans for Clone Wars, and The Dark Knight has people already proclaiming it to be the greatest movie ever made before the lights had gone down, but Twilight‘s lines were full of teenage girls dressed for prom bitching about having to give up their cellphones before they went into the theater because it meant that they couldn’t text each other about how awesome the movie was. And that was nothing compared with what lay in store once I went inside.

You could easily tell those who were there to review the movie from the fans. For one thing, we were about twenty years older (at least) than everyone else, and for another, we stayed quiet throughout the entire screening. Which was more than could be said about the fans, who had apparently just been released from various vows of silence before they came into the theater. There was just so much screaming. And not for the things you’d expect there to be screaming about. For example, the prizes in the trivia contest. Yes, there was a trivia contest before the showing (And as the answers were screamed out, two guys in the row behind me, uninterested boyfriends who’d been dragged there by their excited other halves, complained, "Hey! This is ruining the movie for us!"), and the announcement of the prizes went something like this:

"We have Edward key chains!" [Screams] "And this t-shirt has the Cullen family crest!" [Louder screams]

What would happen was that a question would be asked, and then everyone would gasp and/or scream, and hands would fly into the air, hoping to be the person chosen to answer. It was like a remarkably excitable class in school, where girls laid into each other if they got the answer wrong: "Why didn’t you know that? You’re so lame," as one fan said to her friend after she’d been unable to spell the name of Jacob’s tribe properly (She was missing a "u," I think).

The trivia contest wasn’t the only pre-show entertainment; there was also a costume contest to choose a prom queen and prom king – or, because there was only one boy who was in costume (and you could tell that the poor, pre-pubescent kid had been dressed by some fan-crazy mother), something else: "We’re gonna have two winners, a prom queen and… another prom queen, I guess," as the announcement went out (Don’t worry, the boy got the pity vote, and won). The level of specificity in some of the costumes – the ones where fans hadn’t just worn a dress and claimed to be extras in the prom scene, that is – was kind of stunning: "I’m Bella with the scar and the bracelet from the third book!" one girl excitedly squealed into the microphone. Of course you are, dear.

Eventually, the movie started. With more screaming, and then, surprisingly counter-screaming. This what would happen: The credits would start up. There would be screaming, and then someone would shout "Shut up! No screaming during the movie!" Then the name of the movie would come onscreen, with more screaming, and then more shouting: "I want to be able to hear what they’re saying!" It went on for the entire film; Edward comes onscreen – screaming, shouting. Edward and Bella have a moment – screaming, shouting. By the time that Edward and Bella kissed, there was so much screaming and shouting that I wouldn’t have been surprised if a fight had broken out, West Side Story-style, with teenage girls jumping over seats in a co-ordinated dance movement, clicking their fingers and seeming like bad news.

Weirdly enough, though, the Twilight fans that filled the preview screening gave me hope for the future of fandom. I’m not just talking about their insane devotion to what seems an entirely undeserving franchise – although we’ve fall been there; remind me to tell you about my love for DC Comics’ appalling Millennium sometime – but the fact that such devotion came with a full awareness of which parts of the movie deserved to be laughed at, and which parts were worth making a lot of noise about. We’ve made fun of the fan frenzy for Twilight, and – well, it kind of deserves it, but it’s also kind of awesome that there’s such enthusiasm for something like this, you know? I just can’t wait for when there’s a similar amount of enthusiasm for something good.

 

 

November 23, 2008: Up on the farm…

  Ran up to the farm today.  My friend Bobby wanted to see where we were going to be building the house.  Looking at all the cut corn made me wonder just how many corn stalks there are in those fields.  It must be in the hundreds of thousands!!


Bobby pointing to the cloud bank rolling in.  Looks like rain later tonight.

 


Lot of empty fields now.

 


Empty corn fields

 

 

November 23, 2008: Large meteor streaks across Canada

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (AP) – Scientists say they’re searching for remnants of a meteor that brilliantly lit up the sky before seemingly falling to earth in western Canada.

University of Calgary planetary scientist Alan Hildebrand called it one of the largest meteors visible in the country in the last decade.

Widely broadcast video images showed what appeared to be a speeding fireball Thursday night over Saskatoon that became larger and brighter before disappearing as it neared the ground.

Hildebrand said Friday that he received about 300 email reports from witnesses.

"It would be something like a billion-watt light bulb," said Hildebrand, who also co-ordinates meteor sightings with the Canadian Space Agency.

Tammy Evans was wakened by her 10-year-old daughter who ran into the bedroom.

"She said there was a flash of light, the house shook twice and it sounded like dinosaurs were walking," Evans said.

Hildebrand suspects it broke up into pieces and he plans to investigate around Macklin, Saskatchewan near the Alberta border.

Rick Huziak, an amateur astronomer in Saskatoon, helped operate a camera on top of the University of Saskatchewan physics building that captured video of the meteor.

"It was quite spectacular. The ground lights up all over the place," he said.

Martin Beech, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina, said meteorites are valuable to learning about the history of the solar system.

"Picking up a meteorite is almost equivalent to doing a space exploration mission between Mars and Jupiter," he said.

Video:

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=226813

 

November 23, 2008: Brrrrr

  Temperatures this morning are in the 20s!  Brrrrr.  Rain and possible thundershowers will push into the area by later tonight and into Monday morning.  Nothing too heavy – looks like 0.20-0.40" of rain is expected.

  It still looks like a cold rain is on top for next Thursday night into Friday night.  Still a bit early to determine where the snow line might be.  It does appear that portions of Missouri and Illinois – further north – will get some snow.

  Heading up to the farm later today.  Taking my friend Bobby to show him where we are going to be building the house.

 

 

November 22, 2008: Twilight

  Sooooooo, we went to the movies last night.  Deena had told me earlier in the week that they were going to go out Friday night and see a movie with the kids.  I was thinking we could go see "Bolt", but they told me the kids wanted to see Twilight.  I had no clue what this movie was about, who was in this movie, or that it wasn’t "just" a movie, but a movement.  lol

  Apparently, this movie/book has a HUGE following among several groups of people.  One of those groups would be teeney bop girls – as we were surrounded by these girls at the movie – the second group must be middle aged women.  Perhaps the mothers of all of these teen girls?  I don’t know.  All I know is that the movie theatre in Paducah had a ton of middle aged women with "Twilight" shirts on.  They were screaming – ooooing  – and awwwwing throughout the movie.

  I assume this is what it was like when the "Beetles" came out on stage?  Elvis perhaps?

  I felt like I was sitting in the middle of a 90210 episode.  Girls where chatty about how to break up with their boyfriends through text messaging on cell phones – their latest boyfriend at school – how cute the vampires were going to be in the movie.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that Deena had invited us to a classsssssic teen movie.

  To make matters worse – we arrived early.  Before Deena and Tony.  Before Tyler and Danielle.  There were only a few seats left.  Deena wanted us to save them five.  That wasn’t going to happen.  We ended up sitting all the way on the top row – surrounded by about 10 teen girls.  Deena and them arrived later and didn’t get to sit anywhere near us.  (note to self – next time wait outside for everyone else)

  When the movie started the majority of the movie theater erupted into screams and cheering.  That continued on and off throughout the movie.  I honestly don’t ever remember being in a movie quite like Twilight.  Then there were the "kissing and snuggle" scenes between the main vampire and his "human" girlfriend.  I thought some of the girls in the theater were going to pass out.  lol    PLEAAAAASEEEEEEE. 

  Deena mentioned something about "being part of history".  lol  Apparently this "Twilight" movement is quite large.  Dione and Mariah missed out – they decided at the last minute to rent a movie.  I guess they will just have to read about the "historic" moment on my blog.

  I will say this 🙂  – we did have a good time and I have to admit it was an "interesting" experience. 

  Perhaps next weekend we can go see "Bolt".

 

November 22, 2008: NOAA’S Winter Outlook

  Here is what the "official" NOAA/NWS winter forecast is calling for.  I can say that November has been cold and will continue to be cold.  December looks cold to me.  January and February will be the question mark. 

 

NOAA’s U.S. Winter Outlook Calls for Variability

In announcing the 2008-2009 U.S. Winter Outlook for meteorological winter from December through February, forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center are calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures for much of the central part of the nation, and a continuation of drier-than-normal conditions across the Southeast.

With the absence of La Niña and El Niño in the equatorial Pacific Ocean this season (climate patterns that give forecasters clues about potential weather events months in advance), predicting weather patterns on seasonal timescales becomes increasingly challenging. Instead, other climate patterns over the Arctic and North Atlantic regions may play a significant role in influencing U.S. winter weather.

“These patterns are only predictable a week or two in advance and could persist for weeks at a time,” said Michael Halpert, deputy director, Climate Prediction Center. “Therefore, we expect variability, or substantial changes in temperature and precipitation across much of the country.”

Regional Outlooks

  • Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic: Equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and precipitation.
  • Southeast: Increased chance of above normal temperatures in the central and western parts, along with below-normal precipitation.
  • Central Region: Increased chance of warmer-than-normal temperatures, with above-normal precipitation anticipated in parts of the central Plains.
  • Western Region: Equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures, and an enhanced likelihood of below-normal precipitation across parts of the Southwest.
  • Alaska: Milder-than-normal temperatures except along the southern coast. Equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal precipitation.
  • Hawaii: Above-normal temperatures for eastern Hawaii and below-normal temperatures for western Hawaii. There are equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal precipitation throughout the state.

The U.S. Winter Outlook does not include a snowfall forecast. Snow forecasts are heavily dependent upon winter storms and are generally not predictable more than several days in advance.

Prepare for winter weather through NOAA Watch. The site gives you the latest weather patterns, forecasts and warnings issued by NOAA’s National Weather Service. Also, tune in to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards to get your up-to-the-minute local forecast and warnings.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.


Temperature Outlook

 


Precipitation Forecast

 

 

 

November 22, 2008: COLD WEATHER CONTINUES

  Blast after blast of cold air has poured into the eastern half of the United States over the last few weeks.  This is a pattern that I have not seen in years.  The Paducah area was down into the teens this morning.  The airport registered a low temperature of 18 degrees.  Benton, Kentucky fell to 17 degrees.  These temperatures were 15-20 degrees below normal.

  It appears that more cold air will continue to pour out of Canada in the coming weeks.  There will be brief warm spells but mainly cold.  Showers and thunderstorms will be possible on Sunday night and Monday morning.  It still appears that there will be a chance of rain on Friday into next weekend.  This could be snow just to the north of our region.  If the storm were to track further south then we could see snow even into our region.  All depends on the track of the low.  Looks like rain, at this point.

  More storm systems on tap for the first week of December.  Hopefully we can squeeze a few flakes out of one of those systems.

 


Temperatures this morning – a cold nation!

 


Low Temperatures This Morning

 


Temperature Departures

 

The 6-10 day forecast from the National Weather Service – cold to continue

 

 

November 21, 2008: Brrrrrrrrr

  23 degrees in Paducah today!  That is a cold morning – for November.  I will take it, though.  There were even a few snowflakes around yesterday evening. 

  It looks like there will be a chance of some cold precipitation next Friday into Saturday.  Still too early to know if this will be rain or snow.  Keeping an eye on it, though.  This comes after a chance of rain this Sunday Night and Monday.

  The dow was up today!  For once.  More than 500 points before the close.  I guess the markets liked Obama’s treasury pick.

 

 

November 20, 2008: Down…down…..down……….down

CRASH ’08 PART 11

DOW SHEDS ANOTHER 400+ POINTS

GLOBAL STOCK MELTDOWN 

TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE LOSES 765+ POINTS

 

 

 

November 20, 2008: Will it snow soon?

  There were snow flurries across West KY and South IL this afternoon and evening.  Portions of Kentucky received more than an inch of snow – further east of our area.

  So, the next question becomes when will it snow?

  It doesn’t appear that significant snow will occur over the next few days.  There is a chance of snow, though, after Thanksgiving.  A series of storm systems should push across the country.  There appears to be a significant amount of cold air to work with.  We need a  storm track that is south of us, in order for this area to get snow.

  Models are not to be trusted past day 3 or 4, so that means the day 10-16 model trends can’t be depended upon for a forecast of snow.  I can say that there have been indications that several winter storms will impact the country from next Friday into the first week of December.  Perhaps one of these will bring our region snow!  I will be keeping a close eye on the potential.

  So, all in all this pattern does favor a winter storm.  There will be several chances after Thanksgiving into the first week or so of December.

  🙂  We could use some snow for the hoildays!

 

November 19, 2008: BRUTAL

CRASH ’08 PART 10

DOW SHEDS ANOTHER 400+ POINTS

 

The NIK is down over 500 points before midnight our time.  The DOW was down over 400 today.  The slidddddde continues at a rapid pace.  Who would have thought the DOW would fall into the 7000s?  Not many.  The question is where doesn it stop – DOW 7500?  6500?  Lower.

  If the big 3 go under then all bets are off.  Unemployment rates are already forecast to go above 10%.  Very rough months ahead for the United States and other countries.  Many businesses will simply not be able to keep their doors open.

  Even for people who don’t own stocks it is having a major impact.  Businesses are laying off tens of thousands of people, businesses are not wanting to hire new people, sales are down across the board at most stores, cars are not being sold, real estate agents can’t sell homes.  The trickle down impact is now being felt by millions of people.

 

 

November 19, 2008: Decorating for Christmas

  Well, with all of the bad news on television – depressing actually – we decided we needed to spruce up the place and get in the holiday spirit.  🙂  So, we went down to storage and pulled out one of our Christmas trees!  We found a container of decorations and brought it back up to the house in Lone Oak.  Daisy was more than happy to help with all of the decorating.  She carried off a few bulbs, some hooks, and got caught up in the ribbon a few times. 

 


Daisy watching Joey try to fix the ribbon

 


What can I do to help?

 

 


Daisy 🙂

 


Julie Kohn bought me this snow last year – I put some
in a bowl – added water and WAALAA – SNOW!!!  Last
time I did this we had heavy snow the next day.  😉

 

 

 

 

 

 


Daisy helping to decorate the tree

 


Carrying off the decorations

 

 

 

 


Someone is getting tired

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 19, 2008: Winter Weather Workshop

  The NWS Office in Paducah held a winter weather workshop today at Kentucky Lake.  There were about 80 people in attendance.  A great crowd!  They discussed hurricane Ike and its wind impact on this region, the forecast for the winter, nocturnal tornadoes, flash flooding and public awareness, workshop surveys from earlier this year and last, and more.


Beverly Pool from the NWS introducing Rick Shanklin

 


Rick Shanklin discussing nocturnal tornadoes

 


Katheryn Martin from Evansville, Indiana discussing a program she helped start called CJ’s Bus – in memory of her
son that was killed in one of the recent tornadoes that hit Indiana.

 


Christine Wielgos – discussing customer service workshop

 


Pat Spoden discussing Ike’s winds and the damage across our region

 

 


Large crowd at Patti’s – Kentucky Lake

 


Rick Shanklin introducing Mike York to discuss the upcoming winter weather and the big ice storm last year

 


Mike York discussing the upcoming winter weather forecast

 


Mary Lamb discusses hydrology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 18, 2008: Southern Illinois Electric

  I met with Southern Illinois Electric this morning at the farm.  They placed flags for where they are going to run the lines to both houses.  We are waiting on an estimate on what it would cost to bury the wires in the field.  Should know something in a day or two.  Hope so.  Then I need to send them a check and they will run the wires.  ONE STEP CLOSER!

  We also had a tree trimmer out there trimming up one of the trees on the west side of the property.  I need my west view.  🙂  Should have a perfect view of storms as they move into the area. 

  Cold morning in Paducah.  The airport had a lot 27 degrees.  Temperatures held in the 30s throughout the day.  Cold!  It appears a very active weather pattern might develop for Thanksgiving week and weekend.  Right now it looks like we will be on the warm side of the first storm – perhaps the cold side of the second and third storm.  Will it snow?  Time will tell! 

  For Thanksgiving – looks wet.

 


9 AM Temperatures – A cold morning across the Midwest.

 


4 PM Temperatures – COLD!

November 17, 2008: Pilgrim’s Pride layoffs – 355 more people

  Well, Pilgrim’s Pride, which has been in trouble for the last few months, has announced more lay-offs.  This round will include Deena’s job.  🙁  Their last day is the day after Thanksgiving.  Way to go Pilgrim’s Pride.

 

November 16, 2008: Old barn burned on the farm

  Well, the only remaining barn on our old farm was burned last week.  It was in bad shape and the person who owns that part of the farm burned it to the ground.  I knew he was going to try and tear it down.  I was just up there a few days ago and it was still standing.  Dione called last night and said it was down.  Looks like it is more than down!

  It was a beautiful day to be out and about.  Temperatures were a bit chilly and the winds were blowing strong up on the hill.  I would guess that the gusts were over 20 mph at times.   I love the winds up there – straight off the fields – not much to block their way.  Can’t wait to get my anemometer up and running.  Can’t wait to get all my weather instruments up and running.

  Spent part of today working on the new weather center.  Changing out the television sets on the wall – getting some different ones – a little bit bigger, but not too much.  Still going to have three on the wall – one for ABC – CBS – NBC.  That way during severe weather outbreaks I can monitor each local channel.  Had a bit of a time finding television sets that still have antenna inputs.  I want to make sure I can use digital channels in case the satellite goes down…which it will! 

  I would imagine the most difficult part of the weather center will be the wires.  Jason and Tony are going to help me with that.  Less wires the better!

 


What is left of the barn

 

 

 

Check out this forecast – western New York 🙂  Lake effect snows!

Tonight: Snow, mainly before 2am. Low around 29. West wind around 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Monday: Snow showers, mainly after 2pm. High near 34. West wind between 11 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Monday Night: Snow, mainly before 9pm. Low around 23. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tuesday: Snow likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. North wind between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. North wind between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 21. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 32. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

November 16, 2008: Looks like it snowed in Canada

  Well, it appears that there is snow on the ground in Waterloo.  Looking at the webcam I posted last night.  🙂  At least someone is getting snow!

 

  Meanwhile – NASAS BUSTED AGAIN for posting bogus global warming numbers.  Surprise – not.

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/11/brrrr-nasa-reports-bogus-global-warming.html

  Just how many times are they going to "accidentally " post bogus numbers?   One wonders.

 

 

November 15, 2008: The big three

  The government may vote this week to try and save companies that are being run into the ground by people who have no business running them.  Will they get the money?  Will it be enough?  Will it save them?

  I said almost a year ago that we would be living in a totally different world a year from now…and here we are.  Just wait, the worst part of this crisis is ahead of the nation and world.  Things will likely get much worse before they get better.   Unemployment numbers could reach 8-10%.  Let’s just hope they don’t go much higher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Good luck fixing this President-Elect Obama. 

 

November 15, 2008: Waterloo needs more web cams

  So, it is supposed to snow up in Waterloo and Toronto over the next few days.  A quick search for web cams show dozens in the Toronto area, but what the heck is going on in Waterloo and Kitcherner.  There is only one cam that I can find!  This is the link for that cam…

  I can’t tell if it is foggy tonight up there or snowing!  Here is a screen grab.  I need to get my friend David to get a web cam for his backyard!  I can’t believe there are not more cams in that city.  It isn’t like it is a small town.


Looks like a foggy evening?

November 15, 2008: Brrrr – rainy morning

  We woke up this morning to light rain.  Early morning at that.  6:45 AM to be exact.  We headed down to the arrowhead show at Kentucky Lake.  There were a lot of people there.  Lot of arrowheads and artifacts, as well.  We did buy some glass cases to keep some of our arrowheads in. 

  Jason is helping me with my CAM site – I used to have www.paducahweather.net – this had all of my web cams for weather and weather instrument streaming data.  Now that I am moving over to Massac County I have saved www.metropolisweather.com  🙂  So, I will put my web cam on there – on top of the hill.  I will also stream my weather data.  It might be another six-eight months before we have it all up and running.  I for one will be thrilled to get things running smoothly again.  I miss my weather center!

  It was chilly this morning.  Raining and chilly.  Wind are stiff out of the north – gusting to over 20 mph at times.  A nice fall morning!  Below are some morning/afternoon weather maps that I grabbed.  You can see all of the cold air pouring into the region.


Temperature at noon – cold air is moving into our region from the north.

 


Wind chills across the region.  Brrrrrrrr

 


The 850 mb map shows cold air pouring in, once again, to the central and eastern United States.

Images from www.wright-weather.com

 


Socked in with clouds.