Comments MarchDancer has made

  • The Big Snow

    We visited Glacier during an unpredicted and very destructive blizzard about 20-25 years ago. Only the two largest lodges, one at each end, built originally as destination resorts by the huge monopoly railroads were open for guests. These hotels are always spartan and luxurious at the same time, a dichotomy that must be seen and felt to be understood. Soon, no more blizzards other than those composed of sunspots; no roadways closed because of the depth of the snow; soon no more glaciers to keep the name of Glacier National Park with any meaning.

    I propose: Lack of Blizzards National Park

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On Contest in need of Grist readers and their funny posted 2 years, 6 months ago 18 Responses

  • I Hate Lists!

    But I guess honesty requires me to admit that I read Sarah's list of Andrew's favored items in list form...well, I read it more than once!On Nine things you should know about musician Andrew Bird posted 2 years, 6 months ago 1 Response

  • Fewer Honey Bees, Lots Fewer!

    We have a small backyard orchard, and this past three springs we've noticed a definite drop in our honey bee population. Of course, that drop in our honey bees also means fewer fruits on our trees and fewer flowers in our showcase garden.

    We read in an online forum about replacement bees, called both Mason Bees and Orchard Bees. We found the patterns and the directions for making their hives on the web. The little wooden hives are truly no problem to construct (even for this (un)handy homemaker.

    Since they're also called Orchard Bees, even though that's the name we found them listed under, I'm assuming they must also be useful to orchardists.

    Our local Master Gardener center told us the bees in our area have a virus and that the hope is the virus will disappear in a few years - leaving the bees that survive immune to this particular bug. That made sense to us, but your other commenters and the article itself now make me wonder if that's a scientific conclusion or a hopeful guess. I did notice a few more honey bees last spring than I did the year before, but we're still planning on leaving our mason bee hives in place for this spring and springs to follow. Why eliminate a good thing?

    I don't know any more now it seems than I did when we first started noticing the bee depletion three years ago - except that I am now able to build a hive for mason bees.On CSI: My Apiary posted 2 years, 8 months ago 9 Responses

  • Bullshit II

    I almost didn't send this - seems like a repeat to me, but then again sometimes two noticing the same ad brought to us as scientific wonder is truly many more than that. Wake up! We do see you! Arabs are not terrorists merely because they are of Iranian, Iraqi, Saudi, Eqyptian, Palestian, and of course even Israeli Arabians and Kurds or other religious groups. They are not! This is a racist tract despite it's tenet as nice produced and drilled American oil. Bull Shit II!On From Bacon to Bouncin' posted 2 years, 9 months ago 4 Responses

  • What's Real?

    Obvious, isn't it? Which ones happened, Sarah and and which ones didn't, Sarah? Now, if you'd just slide me a personal little hint I can truly impress your other admirers next week. Bush would do it!On From Condoms to Crow posted 2 years, 9 months ago 1 Response

  • Wal-Mart Overdoes It??

    Okay, this guy isn't our typical leader of issues environmental. Agreed. I don't care who speaks out for greening up our world. He says how many customers he believes he can reach with the new light bulbs and how much money can be saved overall. Wait a minute! How much energy is saved is more the answer to that figure, isn't it? So even though I don't care who's speaking out, I sure would like for the sentences to end as they began: x+x=2x in any language, all the time. No playing around with mis-matches.

    But as I started to say, I don't care who's speaking out for the greening of our poor benighted world. Each and every person, corporate spokesman, world leader, and yes, even big Hollywood names - they all bring in thousands of individual citizens in every country who will do some small part in recycling or using natural products and fewer chemicals only because they saw a face they recognized or heard a name they knew.

    Each of those individuals in the above paragraph will also bring in 10 more, just as in retail lore. They'll be so personally proud of what they're doing, and so anxious to tell their friends and neighbors all about it and how they learned about it all that each of those will spread the news to their...to their...to their!

    It may be starting bigger than expected with bigger names, but I personally will take whatever I can get!

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On All these green initiatives, oy posted 2 years, 9 months ago 9 Responses

  • Junk Mail - Save A Tree, Please

    I've called in to the number for the U.S. that supposedly gets you off of every piece of junk mail, credit card offers, checks to be used against your credit card number, etc. As promised, a few days after my phone call a packet arrived. I filled out every piece of info wanted. Two times, two packets: one for me, one for my husband.

    Wouldn't you say I did all I was expected to do for a lifetime of less wasted forest growth? I guess not. Three days ago, I kid you not, we received in our rural mailbox 9 (nine!) Christmas catalogs. The ones that were not repeats of catalogs we were already receiving and already had a Christmas copy were from companies we had never heard of.

    The laws have been passed. The companies have been legally notified. Yet we still receive a plethora of nice looking, slick covered, beautifully photographed catalogs. How very discouraging!

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On One dime a month is all it takes posted 2 years, 11 months ago 4 Responses

  • Carbon Neutral

    Carbon Neutral. Meaning what, exactly? Will I find a definition in the Oxford Dictionary? I've seen articles discussing all around this new "word-that-is-really-two-words", as if I'm supposed by the ultimate deciders to have learned the meaning through the process of osmosis by seeing it written so often. Well, I haven't. A definitive reply would be most appreciated. If these word(s) has a usable meaning, which surely do make the grammatical choice(s) more difficult, I promise to slide it into my next appropriate post. Wherever they might fit.

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On You'll never guess posted 3 years ago 5 Responses

  • Caption

    (From my above comment, why not?)

    Please Senator Daddy, I don't wanna go. No!

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On Leave your caption ideas in comments posted 3 years ago 18 Responses

  • Why the Families?

    I've never understood it. The title and the glory? They all belong to the Legislator or the Judge or the President. The winning? The pol speaks while the family stands back like a good family should. But in a loss? Why can't that no-good loser stand up alone, with possibly a spouse (unless it's Mark  Foley of course), and leave the sons and daughters out of it?

    I'll never forget the Nixon daughters as he resigned. Did they ask to share in that? I doubt it! Just as I sincerely doubt that any of Rick's kids asked him to please, daddy, let me stand up there with you while I'm so sad.

    They're all so selfish!

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On Leave your caption ideas in comments posted 3 years ago 18 Responses

  • Hooray It's Mauna Loa! Not.

    Ah, and I was all set to apologize to all of my acquaintances who need to convince me that there is not a global warming occurrence. Maybe I'll just satisfy myself and dress as Bush in a suit of cabbage all wilted with a bright sun over my head and my hand wiping my brow. A carried sign somewhere of, "Too hot for us!" We really are doing this - grandkids want to be strawberries 'cause they like them best of my garden.

    Borrow away, improve at will. After all, it's just for fun. Isn't it?

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On 'Mauna Loa is a volcano' -- CO2 rise is measured on top of a volcano! posted 3 years, 1 month ago 8 Responses

  • Global Warming - Not Happening?

    I dislike being political in these forums, but there is a large segment of one party that is attempting to deny the exitence of global warming. After all, it heated up in the Middle Ages, too! All of the intelligent people who can remind the disclaimers that was a very localized warming trend will not be listened to. They don't wish to be dissuaded.

    And while Nuremburg and Nazism (thank you for the apology leading to a discussion) are not an apt description, I do believe that there will be a recconing when the Truth is finally accepted as "The Way It Is". Mostly? I think they'll be remembered as stupid and blind to the facts.

    That should be enough of a deterrent for anyone who values his legacy. The light will dawn very quickly when that threat is recognized and we'll see some very fancy back-pedaling.

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On On climate denialists and Nuremberg posted 3 years, 1 month ago 4 Responses

  • Lieberman's "New" Friends

    Why the surprise and the words "New Friends"? He's lied all along about being a Democrat, just look at his voting record. Then take another look at his refusal, announced far in advance of his defeat at the hands of his "fellow" Democrats in the primary election, to refuse to honor the dictates of his party's choice. "I'll run as an Independent". And now you're astonished that he has "New Friends" in the Republican Party. For heaven's sake! He's a Republican! Of course they want him, and if the Democrats allow him into their caucas, they're just being stupidly hopeful. He's already chosen his party, and it sure isn't the Democratic one. What I can't figure out is why either party, the Democratic Party or the Republicans want him! A proven liar who will change his votes to match the way the wind blows. Looks like CT just doesn't get it at all, either.

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On There goes the neighborhood posted 3 years, 1 month ago 1 Response

  • Now It's The Popular Thing To Do

    AH-HA! Remember back to as far as middle school (Jr. Hi in earlier days) when who and what was popular was the right thing to do?

    In High School the popular things created cliques of everything from "who cares?" to those who read Camus and claimed to understand him completely. In between was the Popular Group, the ones who shunned all and everything and made idiotic decisions based on group-think.

    What we're seeing now is that those of the former Popular Group have been left far behind and so have been forced take a huge leap to join a New Popular Group. Who cares about the science? It's all about what others think of you.

    Nothing says silly more than those who have been left behind and, in order to regain popularity, make a leap to join the majority while making excuses for their former stands.

    In Peace, Harmony and Unity may we find ways to work together to meet our common goal - the health of our earthly Home.

    On Easterbrook accepts global warming posted 3 years, 6 months ago 8 Responses