Tom's Public Service @ a Bridge

Back in June when we went to Pennsylvania for a day trip, we walked through the town of New Hope and walked up to a bridge. Tom decided he'd do a public service message by pointing out the sign about "weight restrictions." Unfortunately, it seemed to go unheeded (see picture #2) and we think these two people were ticketed and fined for trying to cross!

Remembering Buzz's Birthday

Today, July 29 would have been my (Rob) puppy Buzz Wyatt's 6th birthday. Buzz came to me as a birthday gift from a friend- and Buzz changed my life for the better. At first challenging to learn how to raise a pup, I learned unconditional love as he helped nurse Buzz back to health, as Buzz contracted pneumonia the first week they were together. Buzz had hospital overnight stays and I had him breathing steam, taking medications, etc. until he regained health, only to be taken away 4 months later by a speeding, reckless driver in Feb 2005. Buzz has come back many times and made his appearance known, to me, Dolly and Franklin. We have his ashes in the house, and feel him around. Today, being his 6th birthday- I wanted to pay tribute to him and post some favorite photos, because that love never changes!

We Were Hit With Storm Damage!

Sunday afternoon between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. a strong cold front moved south from Pennsylvania into Maryland where the afternoon humid, high temperature was around 101F (Heat Index of 108F). The hot, unstable air-mass set the stage for severe thunderstorms with microbursts and wind gusts near 70 mph. One of those 70 mph wind gusts tore all of the shingles, tarpaper and nails out of the roof of our new (14 month old) dormer and back of the roof (which is 18 months new). The storm caused our new dormer to leak, too. We didn't discover it, though until around 7pm when we were coming back from walking the dogs (since the post-storm temperature had dropped to 76F). Here are photos of the event, starting with 1) the Beautiful sky during sunset, hours after the storm had passed.
2) Pictures of the roof damage and the roof being repaired today (Tom and I had to take the day off to get it organized and help the contractor
3) Severe tree damage in the neighborhood.
4) We suffered a Power Outage from 3:30pm until around midnight. Luckily the power returned (cable/internet was out all day).
5) We contacted two of our neighbors that live on other streets where the power hasn't returned, and we had Elvina over for breakfast (she said she was craving coffee and a bagel, poor thing!), and Susan and her dog Zack over for dinner. They were both told their power would be back on by 5:30 p.m. If it doesn't come on, they may both come back to spend the night in air conditioning. This was a tough storm.
6) Our friends Tom and Rebecca sent us a photo of lightning associated with the same cold front once it reached South Carolina (where they live)

133F in the Vehicle!

If you didn't believe all my warnings about the intense and deadly heat that can accumulated in a vehicle in a short period of time, I put a digital thermometer in the truck for a couple of minutes yesterday. It zipped up to 133F... a very deadly temperature. SO, never, ever leave pets or children in the car in the summertime, even with windows rolled down, it will heat up to extreme temperatures like this.

You, Pets and this High Heat - Be Aware

With this dangerous heat, its easy for people and pets to get sick quickly from dehydration, heat stroke, and heat exhaustion.
What causes heat exhaustion and heatstroke?
Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occur when your body can't keep itself cool. As the air temperature rises, your body stays cool when your sweat evaporates. On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased moisture in the air. When sweating isn't enough to cool your body, your body temperature rises, and you may become ill.
HEAT SICKNESS - Our Weimaraner Dolly was only out for 30 minutes at a time at Daycare yesterday (in a shaded run and with water) and she came home with heat sickness. She ate dinner then threw it all up. After I rubbed her down with a washcloth and icecubes, and gave her a bath in cool water, she was fine. ... then she was hungry. That was only 30 MINUTES!!

DON'T WALK THE DOGS ON HOT PAVEMENT IN THE DAYTIME - Asphalt tends to be 20 degrees HOTTER than the air temperature (once the temps get over 85F), so avoid walking dogs on asphalt. Think about walking on 105F pavement in bare feet. OUCH! When temps hit 90F, the asphalt can be around 120-122F in direct sunshine. ***WITH THE HIGH HEAT INDICIES, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG OUTSIDE FOR MORE THAN 15-30 MINUTES***
What is heat exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot. It can be caused by physical exercise or hot weather. You may experience:
•Heavy sweating •Feeling weak and/or confused •Dizziness
•Nausea •Headache •Fast heartbeat •Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration
What should I do if I think I have heat exhaustion?
If you think you have heat exhaustion, get out of the heat quickly. Rest in a building that has air-conditioning. If you can't get inside, find a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Do NOT drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks (such as soda). These can make heat exhaustion worse. Take a cool shower or bath, or apply cool water to your skin. Take off any tight or unnecessary clothing.
If you do not feel better within 30 minutes, you should contact your doctor. If heat exhaustion is not treated, it can progress to heatstroke
What should I do if I think someone has heatstroke?
If you think someone might have heatstroke, call emergency medical personnel immediately. While you are waiting for medical assistance, take the person into an air-conditioned building or a cool, shady place. Remove the person's unnecessary clothing to help cool him or her down. Try to fan air over the person while wetting the skin with water. You can also apply ice packs to the the person's armpits, groin, neck and back. These areas contain a lot of blood vessels close the surface of the skin. Cooling them with ice packs can help the person cool down.

More airports create pet "restroom" areas

Areas for pets are long overdue in airports around the U.S. people who maneuver with guide dogs have had a terrible time trying to accommodate their dogs. Sighted people who are transporting their dogs with them by air also have to really search for dog relief stations. This is way overdue.
(PHOTO: Buddy the Weimaraner - part of our friends Cathy and Cindy's family in PA)
More airports create areas for pets to take care of business
USA TODAY: Dogs need to go, too. So airports are adding doggie restrooms.
Airports say "pet relief areas" enhance customer service. But they're also being nudged by a federal rule that orders airlines to work with airports to install facilities for travelers who have service dogs.
Among airports with new dog bathrooms: Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington Dulles, Washington National, Chicago O'Hare and Phoenix.
The facilities are typically outside, within walking distance of the terminal. The federal rule requires they be kept clean, free of odor, contain a gravel or sand surface and have adequate drainage. Some airports have added synthetic grass, fire hydrants and benches.
"Many of our members travel," says Melanie Brunson, executive director of the American Council of the Blind, which pushed for the rule. "Increasingly, you don't get much time between flights. You don't have a whole lot of time to take care of your dog's needs."
FULL STORY: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-07-20-airportpets20_ST_N.htm?csp=DailyBriefing

BEST SHOW ON TV: Last Chance Highway - Animal Planet

We have a new favorite TV show, and it's only on for 8 weeks. It's on Animal Planetm and it's called Last Chance Highway. It's an eight-part series that focuses on the monumental mission of a dedicated handful of animal rescuers. The stakes are high for Shelly Bookwalter and Kyle Peterson and for the soon-to-be-euthanized dogs they are fighting to save.
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/last-chance-highway-abandoned-puppies.html
KEEP KLEENEX HANDY.

Laptops vs. Desktops

I'm going to get a lot of crap for posting this blog, but hey, it's how I feel.
I just learned that I have to do away with my PC at the office (AND AT HOME) and use a laptop. UGH. I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate laptops. Did I say I hate them?
-My office MADE ME use them about 4 years ago. The first brand new MAC laptop had a harddrive failure and I lost everything. The replacement had a harddrive failure 3 weeks into using it - I again lost everything. The THIRD replacement had a harddrive failure (and NO, I never removed them from the office, beat them tossed them against the wall or abused them). The store that provided them said "just a bad batch." That was enough to permanently OFF me from Macs and Laptops. I've been using a GREAT PC by DELL since then, in both the office and at home. They work wonderfully, and NO hard-drive crashes.
- NOW I learned that the gov't WANTS me to use a laptop. UGH. HATE IT!! I don't want to lug this thing to and from the office. I don't want to have to worry about leaving it in my vehicle to run an errand to avoid having it melt or freeze (OH, I also had the misfortune of having a laptop stolen from my truck many years ago..forgot about laptop #4). I want my PC. I want my DELL. I hate Apple. I hate MacIntosh. They're NOT INTUITIVE. They're cumbersome and awkward. Now I have to relearn everything and use something I can't stand. Plus, I'm sure after a month the damned harddrive will CRASH. At least I have everything on a memory stick now. SIGH.

Too Hot to Enjoy the Outdoors /Tom's Grandma

We went from one of the coldest winters in decades, and the snowiest winter on record (since records started being kept in 1889) to the hottest summer ever recorded in the mid-Atlantic.
Just like that old great country song by Mark Chestnut called "Too Cold at Home," its too darn hot to do anything outside!
HERE ARE THE LYRICS: Well, it sure feels good to come in here
And just pull up a seat. A frosty mug of a cool one, Helps to beat the heat. These old dog days of summer Lord, I'll be glad when they're gone. It's too hot to fish, too hot for golf and too cold at home.
A TRIBUTE TO TOM'S GRANDMA - This weekend would have been Tom's grandmother Grace's 100th birthday. She passed 4 years ago, however, but remains strongly around Tom today. Grandma has been tossing Tom pennies and other change since she passed. Today we drove to eastern Virginia with our dogs, Dolly and Franklin and went to her gravesite to pay tribute to her. She's in a nice, peaceful place.
As usual, Rob received some messages at the cemetary. I got my tell-tale headache indicating there were some spirits or ghosts present. Now, cemetaries aren't "haunted," until living people come there with feelings of love and other emotions to "power up the spirits." If there were earth-bound ghosts there, negative energy would power them up, but love powers spirits who have crossed into the light. Grandma gave me several messages and one was her telling me how she would go out in the backyard kitchen (separate from the house) and bring ice cream to Tom when he stayed there as a kid. Tom confirmed that one for me. There were other images, some of which we're still trying to understand.
Grandma Grace was really funny. I only knew here about 6 months before she passed and 5 of those she spent in a nursing home. She had a good wit about her, and was loved by many people in the town. She did a lot of sewing for people, and Tom tells me she was a good cook, too, always canning and preserving something. She's very loved and missed.
I sensed some other spirits that were able to "power up" when we were there- one leaning against a tree, another sitting on his gravestone. I didn't get their messages though (we didn't stick around a long time as it was too hot!).

Always "Stumpin'" Doin'

We had a cedar tree taken down in our backyard this weekend, bccause it was growing into the powerlines, and BGE (power company) was going to come and hack it down (and likely leave all of it for us to cart to the landfill. So, we hired someone who did it all. We're going to replace it with smaller trees when the blistering heat lets up (likely October!)

Today's Maryland Earthquake

There was a small Earthquake northwest of Washington, DC today. There was no damage reported, as it was 3.7 on the richter scale. It occurred at 5:04 a.m. EDT, and it was centered about 40 miles northwest of Bowie, Md. in Gaithersburg, Md. (that's about 20 miles north of Washington, DC.)at 39.167°N, 77.252°W.
I didn't feel it (I was at home with the dogs while Tom was enroute to work in his car) but our dachshund Franklin let out a yelp when it occurred! I remember looking at the clock and saw that it was around 5:04 a.m. Animals always sense earthquakes.
The quake originated about 3 miles deep. It just shook things from Virginia to New Jersey. Above is the map of where the quake was felt (Intensity Map created by the U.S. Geological Survey who monitors earthquakes). the star represents the point of origin (we're east of Washington, DC). The last time we had a small quake in this area was May 2008.

Superhero Movies in the Works!

GREEN LANTERN MOVIE - SUMMARY: Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who becomes a ring-wearing intergalactic superhero in this massive sci-fi epic from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale). Though Reynolds has prior experience in the superhero realm from his role as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, playing Green Lantern involved some major challenges, like getting hurled through the air on a wire at up to 60 feet per second to create the illusion of flight. “The first time you do it, you’re seriously considering an adult diaper,” Reynolds says. Still, he couldn’t resist the chance to play the beloved DC Comics hero, whose power ring can conjure virtually anything he can dream up.
**ROB'S TAKE ON IT - I'll watch anything with Ryan Reynolds...he's hot!**
GHOST RIDER 2 - Nicolas Cage also confirms his own return for the comic book sequel
Nicolas Cage will return for a Ghost Rider sequel helmed by Neveldine/Taylor, the actor confirmed tonight on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
ROB'S TAKE ON IT - Tom and I loved the first Ghost Rider, and look forward to #2!
THOR - FeaturesChris Hemsworth as Thor and Anthony Hopkins as Odin in Marvel Studios' Thor, coming to 3D and 2D theaters on May 6, 2011.
ROB'S TAKE ON IT - Never a fan of Thor, but have always loved Norse mythology. May be interesting.