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 30th, 2008
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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 29th, 2008
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Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning
By JON GAMBRELL – 1 day ago
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 29th, 2008
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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 29th, 2008
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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 28th, 2008
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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 27th, 2008
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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 26th, 2008
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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 25th, 2008
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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 24th, 2008
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