Open Thread – Cook Inlet
A beautiful late summer day with shades of light and dark on Cook Inlet from the Chugach Range behind Anchorage. The tide line is at the right with a view of a sliver of mudflats.
[Photo by HappyPlace]
December 18, 2024
Thursday, August 3, 2023
The Quitter Returns! -Monday, March 21, 2022
Putting the goober in gubernatorial -Friday, January 28, 2022
A beautiful late summer day with shades of light and dark on Cook Inlet from the Chugach Range behind Anchorage. The tide line is at the right with a view of a sliver of mudflats.
[Photo by HappyPlace]
The immorality of the GOP is on full display as they insist that the poor pay more in taxes while they protect the richest citizen’s tax loop-holes and look away as GE pays none:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/opinion/the-new-resentment-of-the-poor.html?_r=1&hp#&wtoeid=growl1_r1_v2
Subject line: good thing you aren’t a firefighter
(DH Happy sends me good morning email since he’s a night owl and I’m an early bird. Isn’t that sweet?)
You might know that I am proud to be a librarian in a public school in the poorest county in Florida. This is why I daydream about retiring North.
http://tinyurl.com/3htupdu
(snip)”This is Part XXVI of MY STUPID STATE where I document what happens when a state full of Democrats elect a veto-proof, right-wing legislature along with a teabag, CRIMINAL governor to lead us. (Once again, yes–an actual bona-fide criminal who literally stole from seniors, who subsequently elected him.) This is my documentation of my beloved but idiotic state of Florida’s slow descent into chaos.”(snip)
SemDem is the author, not thatcrowwoman, but I get it.
I Really get it.
and I bet you do, also, too.
L’shalom,
thatcrowwoman
TCW: Another Floridian, also working in the school system. Scott is actually Voldemort (the resemblance is uncanny), so what else can we expect. I was absolutely floored by his election. I don’t think there is a demographic he hasn’t angered except for the teaterers. Love your posts and you have made me feel better because you are here too.
for Zyxomma-
nagoonberry time
http://juneauempire.com/stories/082802/nei_food.shtml
really does depend on the summer how early/late they ripen so you’ll just have to plan a decnt length trip 🙂
Never heard of nagoonberry,
but I’ve never met a berry I didn’t like.
I’mma stowaway with Zyxomma! 🙂
Here’s some pics:
http://www.alaskawildflowers.us/Kingdom/Plantae/Magnoliophyta/Magnoliopsida/Rosaceae/Rubus_arcticus/index.html
We have so many kinds of wonderful berries, all across and up and down the state.
Cortez, we may see the bombshell this weekend. She is coming to iowa. Also Christie O’Donnell will also be here. Whew. Double trouble.
Ah. The Lyin’ the Witch in Mike’s Wardrobe!
hahahahahacaw Caw CAW!!!!
Something fishy about this…
Joe Larsen, a Houston attorney, is questioning why Rick Perry has instructed his IT staff to purge ALL emails from ALL staff members after 7 days.
“Perry’s office has said it prints and saves documents subject to open-records laws and government document retention schedules. Larsen said he believes vital records are lost by the automatic purge policy and notes that state law requires records be saved in an electronic, searchable form. ”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/30/1011983/-Rick-Perry-automatically-deletes-all-staffer-emails-after-seven-days-?via=blog_1
Sooo…what deviousness is Perry hiding???
Definitely fishy! I sure hope they have chosen “save on server” (not knowing what that means)! There are ways of retrieving emails that have been ‘deleted’ as long as the files have not been overwritten, too.
I have a cute video of some baby moose playing in a sprinkler that reminded me of AKM’s moose twins (from last year?)
Anyway enjoy:
http://www.wimp.com/babymoose
Ooops… broken link…
http://www.wimp.com/babymoose
“Co. puts Alaska’s Pebble mine project up for sale”
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/30/general-materials-ak-pebble-mine_8650999.html
“ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A mining company with a 50 percent interest in a huge copper and gold deposit in Alaska where hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on exploration is trying to find a buyer for the contentious project near the world’s best remaining wild sockeye salmon streams.
“Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. CEO Ron Thiessen said the Vancouver-based company is considered a junior mining company. What the Pebble Mine project needs is a mega-mining company to step in and help move the project forward, he said. “We are interested in what is best for the project,” Thiessen told The Associated Press.” snip…
Just had to share what I heard from the guest host on Hardball just now. Seems that reporters asked the largest Jewish contributors who they were going to support in 2012 (I hope these were just Republican-oriented donors).
They said they did not feel comfortable with the Mormon candidates, but would be throwing their support to the Jewish candidate – – – wait for it – – – Michelle Bachamann. I know i sound like Chris Matthews (not one of my favorite pundits) but I cannot help but say “HA!” with a mixture of surprise and laughter.
Goodness gracious little ole me. Michelle Bachmann is regarded as a “Jewish” candidate??? Hmm, she does like to talk about supporting Israel (like dear little Sarah P) and she does sometimes refer to the time she spent working on a kibbutz in Israel in her youth, but honestly, does any one really, truly, and honestly believe she is a “Jewish” candidate.
I think, she like Sarah, only thinks of Israel in terms of the End Times prophecies. Her “Christian” views are decidedly Old Testament fire and brimstone, and she rarely exhibits any tolerance as the Christ she says she follows seems to favor. So, tell me, where are they getting this “Jewish” profile of her?
Is it just her patter on Israel and her sense of divine retribution or perhaps her zealotry appeals to a particular faction of Jewish donors? What gives? I sure wish the reporters would delve deeper into this and explain who is saying it and why.
I’ve always thought devout Jews (and even those not so devout) considered charity and caring for others one of the highest human endeavors. There is nothing I know about Michelle Bachmann that would support her ability to be tolerant, supportive, and kind to those who do not agree with her narrow world view. Please feel free to educate me if I am wrong on this.
It’s the name, combined with time spent on a kibbutz, that has misled these misguided souls. Lots of American Jews have German-derived names (e.g. Lieberman). Misinformation is not the sole province of evangelical Xtian RWNJs.
So she’s a JINO.
Only her name is “Jewish.”
but she’s still meshugenah!
Look right here in the Urban Dictionary:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meshugenah
🙂
Not to be rude or impatient, but when will we get to see the “Sarah Palin bombshells” that we heard about last week?
Isn’t Cook Inlet the very same body of water some korporation wants to use to dump coal-mine waste into? Maybe you Alaskan souls should start referring to said body of water in the past tense,just in case. I dearly hope I am wrong for almost all of Alaska and the free worlds sakes. I just have a hard time remembering when korporate Amerika and rethuglicans have not ignored the will of the people for korporate profits. I don’t see enough Democratic spine to stop them.
Jimzmum and Fishingmamma, we can do little but offer hugs, blessings, sympathy, and empathy. I wish all of you health and peace.
The Repubs want to change the way our 22% contribution to the UN budget is used:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-30/republicans-to-unveil-bill-to-force-major-changes-at-the-un.html
“Ros-Lehtinen’s aim in shifting the UN budget to a voluntary system is to encourage competition for funds and therefore elicit more effective performance from UN agencies, said a House aide familiar with the legislation. He wasn’t authorized to speak on the record.
“The bill’s timing runs counter to the emergence of the administration’s “Obama Doctrine” of working with others to address international issues, particularly those that don’t pose an immediate security threat to the U.S., said Jeffrey Laurenti, a UN analyst at the Century Foundation, a New York-based economic, political and social research foundation.”
The sky looks very otherworldly. So does most of Alaska, for that matter!
Thank you, AKM, Linda, Shannyn, Snos, and all the other good people who maintain this site for the community here. The compassion, understanding and sharing between, and among, the wise souls here who offer their thoughts and emotional support to their friends is a true blessing in a difficult world.
Today, especially, I appreciate the goodness from thatcrowwoman and ks sunflower. I send hugs back to fishingmamma and jimzmum as you struggle to get through these troubled and sad times with your loved ones.
I learned this weekend that a dear friend is dying – has about a year or less left. This is a man with a wonderful soul and a great heart. I am really struggling with this. How can a person look at a death sentance and still get out of bed in the morning?
Sorry if this a downer – looking for words of wisdom today. My faith is failing me today. All I can do is cry.
Thanks
{{{{{fishingmamma}}}}}
Cry it out, dear one, cry it out.
Something therapeutic there is about a torrent of tears.
It’s ok. You can do this.
You are strong and brave and dearly loved.
We get out of bed in the morning because we Can.
We realize that our time here on this earth is precious,
and limited,
and ours to spend as we see fit
in whatever our circumstances.
So spend that time with those you love
in places you love
making beautiful memories,
sharing hopes and fears and dreams.
In the end, we’re all stardust.
L’Shalom,
thatcrowwoman
– this is why we love your thatcrowwoman. You bring us to ourselves through prose, poetry, links to song and scenes. You teach us to remember the gifts we have, the gifts we give, and the gifts that we often fail to realize surround us all the time. When I see your name posted, I am always eager to read what you have brought to the table to share because I know I will better for it.
Fishingmama, may peace be with you and your friend. I know I am not alone when I say I wish I could make it all better, could erase the pain and suffering of both you and your friend. How lucky he is to have touched your life so that you would grieve at his suffering and passing. Not everyone makes such a difference in another’s life. How lucky you are to be able to feel such love and compassion even it it has a painful burn in your heart and soul at the moment. That you have known and recognized his worth is a precious gift for both of you.
Your sharing of this also enriches us. It gives us pause and serves as a reminder to live our lives with open hearts and minds so we can appreciate those around us and hopefully have others see and remember us as you do him. I know I will go through this day with a deeper sense of gratitude and awareness thanks to you, to him, and thatcrowwoman, Even as your heart feels it is breaking, it is building love within and around you. Peace to you and your friend.
I am so sorry, fishingmamma. May you find peace.
TCW, I needed your words, too.
The wonderful Miss Suzie finally accepted the fact that she can not live in her home anymore, and will be moving to the Assisted Living Home that we chose together a few months ago. It is hard watching Dementia overwhelm this once-brilliant educator, who can now not remember more than a minute.
Life’s journey ends in different ways. Mother and I have talked about it, and I will do as she wishes. But, we had so hoped she could stay in her home to greet the next great adventure. Ah well.
Jimzmum, I had to travel a similar road with my parents only a few years ago. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to you as you struggle with the great truths and raw emotion ahead. She is lucky to have you in her life and at some level she will always know that – even when her eyes no longer hold the spark of recognition, her heart will know of your presence and your love.
The deepest shock of dementia – both cruel and kind simultaneously – is when the loved one has a rare moment of lucidity. It comes unbidden and both breaks and blesses you with its clarity. There seems to remain somewhere in all the confusion and darkness a spark of the former self that recognizes the love that is being shown. I have seen those moments firsthand, and sometimes a moment such as that comes just before our loved one passes from us and all you can do is feel the shocking wonder of it, but it happens despite our lack of understanding of how or why. It is an unexpected and somewhat uncomfortable git, but a gift nonetheless because it reminds us love endures.
Thank you for your statement, ‘Life’s journey ends in different ways.’ It’s simplicity holds much complexity and comfort.
Thank you all. Warmed my heart. I am blessed.
oh fishingmama.
there are other pieces too
TCW is right
we get out of bed because we can
we do it because it’s what we have
we have the living of each day to do
I don’t like the part which requires saying goodbye
to people I love
I don’t like it all
I am very selfish and don’t like them leaving me
I want to make them stay
I want their days to equal my days
I don’t get that choice
I don’t like that
I can’t heal them
I can’t make them whole nor young again
I can walk and laugh and sing with them
I can sit with them when they can no longer stand
I can feed them when their hands have grown tired
and soothe them when their blood runs cool and toward the end
I can live the days we have with them
cry and replenish yourself.
((((live the days you have with your friend.))))
My sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer when her three children were very young. Although she never stopped fighting, she knew she only had a couple of years to be with them. I often wondered how she got up in the morning and faced another day, knowing it was one day closer to the end. We never discussed it, but I think it was her determination to cherish every moment with her children that gave her the strength. Sadly, her youngest two barely remember her, as they were only 5 and 6 when she died, but she made every moment of her time with them count as best as she could. They may not remember her, but they do know they were loved right up until her very last breath.
Perhaps that is what gets your friend through the days…making the most of each precious one. When we know our time is limited, we do the things we would have otherwise put off, enjoy the things we otherwise would have felt guilty about enjoying, and say the things we otherwise would have left unsaid. We leave the dirty dishes in the sink and watch the sunset. We leave the bills for another time and read with our children or grandchildren. We ignore the dust on the coffee table and hold our loved ones close.
We learn what’s really important and forget about all the other stuff…and perhaps that is the greatest lesson we can learn from those close to us whose time is limited. That is their last, and most important, gift to us.
And remember this…your life is richer for having shared this earth with him and nothing can take that away.
Thank you all for your beautiful words of support.
Yesterday, one of the pups provided a link to Bachman suggesting that the recent earthquake and hurricane on the east coast are messages from God warning Washington.
Either she’s a complete whack job (probable) or she thought she was being funny as she laughed when she said it. I’m glad she finds the death of a few dozen people, and the loss of billions of dollars of property so humorous. I hope someone saves the soundbite in the unlikely event that she somehow prevails in the GOP primary.
I couldn’t find the link tonight. Thanks to whomever posted it yesterday.
Very serene. It’s why we live here.