Pics Of The Snow

Two weeks ago when we had our big snow my desktop was having some issues. Now it's happy again and I have been able to process my photographs from that morning. As I came out the back door the back yard was still quite dark and had a mysterious feel to it, but as I walked into the front yard (which faces the northeast) the sun was rising. What a beautiful morning it was.

No bike riding today!

Our gutters have never hosted icicles before.
(they're new gutters)

The sun coming up in our front yard.
I love this picture.

Our cedar tree branches got pretty heavy.

I had to surgically excise the willow leaves from the ice on my car.

The next two pictures show that I was not the first to walk down the sidewalk in front of our house.

A newly planted baby bush nearly covered.

Fluffy looking bushes.

Our holly bushes look quite comfortable with snow on them.

Red maple tree leaf buds with an icy cap.

Camelia flowers hiding under the leaves.

These Nandina bushes look quite happy with snow as well.

And now for my sister in hot, humid Australia where it's summer right now, a video that will make her glad she's sweating instead of scraping:

Going Green For St. Patrick's Day

Usually "going green" on March 17th means wearing green clothes and eating green food. It means the folks in Chicago dye the Chicago River green and all the beer is green. But that's not what this post is about. I'm sure you can tell where I'm going with this and the direction is not Irish, it's environmental. A true environmentalist doesn't eat meat or meat products. Here are a few facts:

A U.N. report states that the animals we raise for food creates more greenhouse gases than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships and planes... in the world!

The same report says that “expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation, especially in Latin America where the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring.”

A University of Chicago study explains that switching to a vegan diet is more effective in countering climate change than switching from a standard American car to a Prius.

The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook states that “refusing meat” is “the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.”

Nearly half of all the water used in the U.S. is squandered on animal agriculture. A meat-based diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water a day, while a vegan diet requires only 300 gallons.

Animals raised for food produce 89,000 pounds of waste per second—that’s approximately 130 times as much excrement as the entire human population.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, factory farms pollute our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined.

Food for a vegan can be produced on only 1/6 acre of land, while it takes 3 1/4 acres of land to produce food for a meat-eater.

More than one-third of all the fossil fuels produced in the U.S. are used to raise animals for food.

Cows, chickens, pigs, and other farmed animals are fed more than 70 percent of the grains grown in the U.S.

Around 1.4 billion people could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle alone

Chris Weber, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, states that “[y]ou can have a much bigger impact by shifting just one day a week from meat and dairy to anything else than going local every day of the year.” Imagine how much of an impact you’d have if you were to stop eating meat or dairy products altogether.

The U.N. report concluded that the meat industry is “one of the … most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”

All Earthlings deserve compassion and respect.

PLEASE GO GREEN
For the earth, for the animals, for our survival.

Still Life

Chappu has two modes: deep sleeping and playing. Rarely does she just sort of loll around on the couch, eyes half open, daydreaming about catching birds. Contrary to the cat stereotype, she plays more than she sleeps. Often everyone else is asleep and there she sits with a toy mouse in the middle of the kitchen floor, looking up at my face and meowing for me to throw it (she plays fetch like a dog.) So when I came home and found her awake and just sitting on these towels I was quite surprised.

Chappu, lolling on a stack of towels. It may appear that she only has one front paw, but I promise there's another one under all the soft fur.

This side has a beautiful tail.

I'm in love with that tail.

One day I'll find those pictures of her carrying the mousie around by the tail and post them for your viewing pleasure.

The New Office

As I mentioned in a previous post my office has gone to electronic medical records. In the long run it will be a good thing, but transitions (especially since we're still using paper charts in addition to the electronic records - double work) are always challenging. Using the EMR software is beginning to feel comfortable.

I have also just transferred to my permanent "secondary" office in Fort Mill. For many years I worked for a doctor in the Rock Hill office only, even though he also worked in the Ballantyne office (he had a different nurse there.) Being seven minutes away from my office suited me just fine, but a decision was made to have us follow the doctors to whichever location they were working. This meant that I was required to drive up to the Ballantyne office (which is about 30 minutes away) for six months while the Fort Mill office (15 minutes away) was being built. Rock Hill is still my primary office, meaning we spend more time there than at our secondary office.

The new Fort Mill office.
(actually this is the back side where I enter... I didn't think to take a picture of the front entrance, which is prettier with pillars and a circular drive- duh)

Our new office is one of five medical practices inside this building. In addition to our practice there is an urgent care center, a cardiology practice, family medicine, and a pediatric office. I'm glad to know that if he works me too hard I can always go to the urgent care center for treatment. :-)

The front area. I think it looks like a hospital foyer.

The Rock Hill office, despite being in an old rundown building, will always be home. The Fort Mill office is shiny and new, but it's just not home. I guess over time, like breaking in a new pair of shoes, it too will feel comfortable.

You're Doing What?

I called Shirin on my way home from work today and she said, "I can't really talk right now - I'm wiping a ferret's butt." I guess I'd better get used to those sorts of comments.

Obi's Canopy Bed

Is it raining in the laundry room?

No, but last week when I propped my wet umbrella open to dry I forgot that this area is also Obi's bedroom. It didn't seem to stop him from sliding under it and into his bed as usual.

Sunrise During The Fast

Sunrises are always beautiful. During the week I don't even notice them because I'm so busy getting ready for work. Many mornings in the winter the sun isn't even up as I'm driving in. Only on weekends or on vacation can one take the time to watch the sky as the sun makes her first appearance.

During the Fast I am up early, before sunrise, on weekends. It's tough to set that alarm on Friday and Saturday nights, but once up I have the opportunity to observe what I miss each week day. This morning the colors were spectacular and the weather was comfortable enough for me to stay outside. It's at times like this that I mourn our busy, hectic lives. What a shame to miss such splendid beauty that is given freely each day. Historically I have resolved to take more time each day to "stop and smell the flowers". The resolution is always sincere but cannot survive the press of work week demands.

For today, though, I have stopped to enjoy.

Oh My II

Of course my office isn't closed or even delayed in opening. This is to be my first day working in the new Fort Mill office and probably I-77 is safe for travel. Thing is.... how am I going to get out of my subdivision? At least we have power... I worry about the Athens group with a baby and a plane to catch.

Oh My

It's only been snowing for a couple of hours and it shows no sign of stopping.

These are the bushes outside our front door.

Snowflakes falling, falling, falling.

Will Tita ever make it home?

Family Reunion

Saeed and I just got back home from a wonderful family reunion at Shirin and Gabriel's. As you can see from the photograph below Brendan (Gabriel's brother) and Anahita were there, making it a very special occasion. It's likely you'll see more of Brendan in future visits as he has moved to Athens to get his Ph.D. at U.G.A. Anahita's future presence will be lacking, however, because of a new job near San Francisco which will prevent her visiting us for six months. :-( We're still hoping that she can eventually find her way back to the SE closer to family and old friends.

Spaghetti supper with the gang. Instead of "ground beef" we used wonderful Tofurkey "Italian sausage".

Cyrus is such a good eater. He loves spaghetti.

Mr. Avocado Face eventually let his mom eat too.

One of our favorite games is Therapy. Here you see Gabriel reading one of us a question that maybe we answered truthfully!

Looks like Brendan's trying to figure out if he trusts Saeed's answer.

The next morning Anahita woke up and ran (in the rain) before coming back in to take a shower, thus her wet hair. It looks like Cyrus had a leaky diaper but that's just the result of sitting in a high chair and not quite getting all the water in his mouth.

Anahita played with Cyrus in the kitchen for workout #2.

Best buddies having a love fest.

Even buddies can have pensive moments.

On Saturday we went to the Tansmetropolitan in downtown Athens for lunch. The food was scrumptious. Saeed and I shared a big salad and a Tofu Panini sandwich.

Cyrus, of course, ate his mom's food. Most of us were nearly done eating before Shirin even got a bite! Cyrus really enjoyed the seasoned potatoes, but here he is slurping down zucchini.

On our walk back to the car I saw this dog from a distance and asked Saeed, "Is that dog real?" It sat so still and didn't move till we got right up to it. He was obviously waiting for his owner inside and seemed quite familiar with this routine.

Before the sun went down we went for a lovely walk. In two of the videos below you can hear what the boys were talking about.

In the time it's taken me to put up these pictures and write this post the pouring rain has gone from sleet to snow. We get the weather that Athens gets, just several hours later. I just talked with Shirin and they have about 8 inches of snow, it's still coming down hard, and they have no power due (probably) to branches falling on electrical lines. Anahita was supposed to fly out of Atlanta today but her flight was cancelled and I just heard on the news a man who is stranded at the airport in Atlanta say his flight won't be leaving Atlanta till Tuesday. Tomorrow was supposed to be Anahita's first day at a new job (and Shirin's first day of clinics at the hospital) and she had an appointment to look at a new apartment. Oh well, you can't beat Mother Nature. Hopefully she'll be able to get back home to Cha Cha, Delilah, and Mr. Nichols before too long.

OK, the videos are ready to post: