Snowzilla Blizzard Photos in Maryland

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The Blizzard of 2016, dubbed Snowzilla, as seen from my front door Saturday afternoon.

Blizzard 4

LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD FROM THE FRONT DOOR. SOMEONE TRIED TO SHOVEL A PATH EARLIER, BUT DRIFTING SNOW HAS MOSTLY FILLED IT IN.

Blizzard 2016 A

SNOW DRIFTS AT THE SIDE OF CARS.

Blizzard 3

SNOW BUMPER-HIGH, EVEN ON AN SUV. SOME SMALLER CARS HAVE SNOW DRIFTED UP OVER THE HOOD. THERE’S A SIDEWALK BEHIND THAT LINE OF CARS, BURIED SOMEWHERE UNDER THE SNOW. IN THE LEFT CORNER, WIND CREATED A POINTY CAP ON TOP OF A FLAT TRASH CAN.

Blizzard 5

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN FROM A KNEELING POSITION, THE CAMERA ABOUT 3 FEET HIGH. IT’S THE PILE OF SNOW TO THE RIGHT OF THE ENTRANCE. SOME OF IT IS SNOW SHOVELED FROM IN FRONT OF THE DOOR, WITH DRIFTING ON TOP.

Photos in Gaithersburg, MD, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2:30 p.m. All photos by Bernard John Hayden. Permission granted to reproduce, with credit to the photographer and/or blog.

— John

Well, That’s Settled

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There’s something about cat pictures. And videos. Everybody loves ’em. How can you not?

sledpress's avatarSixteen Tons

If there was every any doubt about who is in charge in this house, Mr. Ferguson’s arrival at the breakfast table resolves the matter.

I am sure this is hopelessly insanitary. But he is just too damn cute to throw off the table more than once every five minutes.

Just so you know we tried, he does have his own saucer of milk on the floor. He just prefers our breakfast.

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Snowzilla Survival Plan

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The Capital Weather Gang reports as follows:

“Snowzilla is just beginning to hit its stride. Conditions deteriorate into the night as heavier snow moves in.”

I’m always skeptical about blizzards and hurricanes until they live up to expectations. So often they breeze past without much trouble. Maybe not this time.

In 2050, will people still be talking about Snowzilla and calling it “The Blizzard of the Century?” Or will climate change bring us ever more amazing blizzards, piled higher and deeper?

Yes, we expect to be snowbound until Monday, maybe longer. No problem. I have a plan.

Sleep, eat, read. Repeat. Have a nice weekend.

— John

Blizzard of 2016, Snowzilla, From Virginia to New York, At Least

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The Blizzard of 2016 is beginning to bury the entire Washington, D.C.-Baltimore urban area and surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs under a predicted 16 inches to two feet of snow.

One of the best sources for continuing updates on the storm is The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang. The Gang has nicknamed the potentially record-breaking snowstorm “Snowzilla.”

Snow began falling in my part of Maryland, just north of Washington, about 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. It will continue snowing all night, reaching a depth of up to 20 inches by dawn Saturday. Then the storm will continue all day Saturday, into Saturday night, possibly reaching depths of two feet to 30 inches. All this according to many weather forecasters. Continue reading →

The Donald’s Hair. Is It A Wig Or Is It Real?

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Wish I knew who to credit for this photo. It’s worth a thousand words.

Bernie Sanders Is The Grandfather Figure Americans Will Vote For

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Bernie Sanders

Meet Grandfather. His mind is sharp as a tack!

The question of the week: Is Bernie Sanders electable in a General Election???

The implied assumption is that a Democratic-Socialist from Vermont could not survive in real-world politics, with “real world” defined as the part of America outside New England. See an interesting discussion over at Clarissa’s Blog.

It is true that Bernie would have a hill to climb to persuade 51 percent of American voters to support him. But wait! Every presidential candidate must climb that hill. Would it be more, or less, difficult for Donald Trump to achieve 51 percent support in the General Election? How about Ted Cruz?

In Sanders vs. Trump OR Sanders vs. Cruz, both the Democratic and Republican nominees would be unconventional candidates. Maybe even strange candidates. In a normal election year, none of the three would stand a snowball’s chance of winning a major-party nomination.

The scenario is, we have a strange, unprecedented election in front of us. Totally unpredictable. But we can take a look at a number of obvious political factors. Continue reading →

God Has A Tiger By The Tail, Reading List

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Here are three recent books, any one of which might give you nightmares. They’re a follow-up on my first post of 2016, “God Has A Tiger By The Tail.”

  • “Flash Points: The Emerging Crisis in Europe,” by George Friedman, published 2015.
  • “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath,” by Ted Koppel, published 2015.
  • “This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs. The Climate,” by Naomi Klein, which was included in the New York Times Book Review list of 100 Notable Books of 2014.

The subtitles above are self-explanatory. The authors need no introduction. Continue reading →

Bernie Sanders Gaining In Iowa

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“I have been in Iowa for nine months now, and everywhere I go I see signs that Bernie is going to win. I see Bernie buttons on cashiers in checkout lines, and anytime I have Bernie gear on people compliment it.

When I cover various political events, a lot of the crowd is usually undecided or checking out the candidate. Not at Bernie events, where the crowds are excited and committed to the Bern.”

Reported by a clearly biased observer in Iowa. His view tends to support news reported in the MSM. From a post by Scott Galindez. Read his full post here.

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Is The Tiny House Movement A Big Lie?   — You can read all about it over at the Tree Hugger Blog. Click on the big red link above.

My Washing Machine

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Well. This post explains nearly everything about our consumer economy. Plus nearly everything about the aggravation of daily life. It explains why buying more appliances doesn’t necessarily make daily life more simple. Appliances are just as likely to complicate life as to simplify it. The post would probably explain road rage, if it were possible to have road rage when operating or repairing a stackable washer and dryer. I’m usually tempted to throw it out rather than try to fix it. Thank you to Almost Iowa.

Almost Iowa's avatarAlmost Iowa

Machovka-Washing-machine-3Our washer quit again.

The little guy has his happy days and his sad days but too many of his days are spent sulking and refusing to work.

I wish I understood his moods better.

For much of this, I blame my wife (a common enough reflex for me) because she likes to fiddle with the settings.

After she has dialed the temperature to cold and the cycle to delicates, I come along with a dozen grease stained jeans and a pile of sweatshirts that smell more like my dog than my dog does – and when I push the START button, the washer gags and shrieks – then in a huff worthy of a petulant teenager, it quits and refuses to start again.

Normally when this happens, I simply unplug it.

In the world of appliances therapy, pulling the plug is the equivalent of electroshock.  It erasers the memory and reboots the attitude of wayward gadgets- but like any treatment, it has its…

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