13 Thursday Thaw
1. We left the white sandy beaches of Florida for a solid floor of ice and empty birdfeeders in Floyd.
2. Because Virginia falls somewhere in between being a southern and a northern state and our winter weather can’t decide whether to rain or snow, we are prone to have ice storms.
3. I can tell by the condition of the ice cream in my freezer that our power wasn’t out for as long as the rest of Floyd County. The number of tree branches in my yard that came down because they couldn’t withstand the weight of the ice tells me that the storm was a pretty bad one.
4. Joe and I watched the Grammy’s in the RV park clubhouse in front of a roaring fire. Here’s what one reporter said about the Dixie Chick’s sweeping win: It appeared that 2007’s Grammy voters were in a mood to send a political message in support of freedom of expression as the Dixie Chicks swept the Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year awards for their album Taking the Long Way and the song “Not Ready to Make Nice.”
5. Not only has Former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth” been nominated for an Academy Award, Gore has been nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work educating people about global warming.
6. Sometimes speaking truth to power is rewarded in the end. I hope the weak-willed Democrats who voted to give Bush a blank check to invade Iraq are paying attention.
7. I don’t know who came up with the myth that storks deliver babies, but after being in Cedar Key and seeing storks and pelicans up close, I think it makes more sense that pelicans should deliver babies since they have a pouch to carry them in.
8. The only reading I managed to get done while on vacation was from restaurant place mats, tourist guides, and interpretive trail signs.
9. Everyone on the Love-link – our family group email that started when my brother Dan was sick – is playing THIS, “Superman Returns” a frustrating and fun game. Apparently, my eight year old nephew, Patrick, is out-scoring everyone with record breaking highs.
10. This is what I said about my relationship with Patrick in a past blog post: We both enjoy the goofy, the gooey, and the giddy.
11. I love those opportune typos, or “Floydian Slips” as we call them in Floyd. I just re-read an email that I wrote to Alex’s husband Paul in which I call the Glade Church that Alex belonged to “Glad Church.” I think that fits since the church is based in celebrating the arts and feminism.
12. Mrs. Pickle, the purveyor of passion paraphernalia for women who I blogged about last month will be doing stand-up comedy at the Café Del Sol’s Spoken Word Open Mic this Saturday. She wants to be a “super hero to women all over the world,” she told me recently in an email.
13. If you’re no good at the Superman game, try THIS one, compliments of Sherry.
Thursday headquarters is here. My other 13’s are here. View more 13 Thursday’s here. Enjoy the warmer weather!
February 22nd, 2007 9:22 am
I watched a little bit of the Grammys too. I found it interesting that the Chix won so much. Their manners aside, is their talent this year that fabulous? I honestly hadn’t heard any of their new music, so I can’t make an informed decision yet.
February 22nd, 2007 9:29 am
I very much do like their new CD but I think there was an element with the voting of wanting to support them and make a statement against all the censorship and hate they sadly received.
February 22nd, 2007 9:35 am
Ice storms are the worst. You can drive through snow, but ice is dangerous. Sounds like you had a good vacation though! 🙂
My 13 is up.
February 22nd, 2007 9:39 am
Thursday Thirteen has come to an end.
I have enjoyed my visits here and consider us friends.
Thank you for sharing your thirteens with me.
The comments you left me filled me with glee.
It is hard to believe it is really true.
I am trying very hard to not be blue.
Happy TT’ing!
*^_^
(=’:’=)
(“)_ (“)Š
Raggedy
February 22nd, 2007 9:44 am
Great list! I didn’t realize Al Gore was up for a Nobel nomination. Thank you for sharing that! 🙂 I enjoyed reading this list. Thank you and thanks for stopping by my blog.
I hope you have a lovely Thursday! Take care.
February 22nd, 2007 10:05 am
i think it’s wrong for an award to be presented for political reasons instead of the best talent- a far cry from what they were originally intended for. i am a chix fan…at least of their early music that was a breath of fresh air from all the “pop” uncountry music out there. but this last album wasn’t good at all….it was both revenge-based, over-produced, and not really original, in my book. definitaly not worthy of all those awards. that’s why i never watch them. and the democrats were all for the war in iraq, too, even under the clinton administration:
1.”If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
2.”Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.”
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
3.”[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.”
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.
and many, many more here:http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/wmdquotes.asp
but they tend to do what clinton did in bosnia- throw a couple of bombs in and then leave…not much follw through. i have a friend who loves all things “gooey” and always asks for “extra goo” on her sundaes, pies, and such.
February 22nd, 2007 10:24 am
It makes me so sad when I seen branches down like that :(.
Sometimes I think I love trees more than people.
February 22nd, 2007 10:26 am
How did I miss the ice storm? Another reason my folks don’t need to move back to Roanoke…. I can imagine how slick all those hilly roads were. Shudder. Hope nothing (branches) hit your house. Here we had 45 minutes of little bead like snow/ice pellets and then nothing.
February 22nd, 2007 11:05 am
I was glad to see that the Chicks won. And, I did not know Gore was up for a prize. COOL!
And, yes Truth prevails. Just gotta have faith.
February 22nd, 2007 11:23 am
I love these lists of yours. There’s always something that tickles me and something that makes me think. A good balance. I’m glad you didn’t have damage at your house, although downed branches are never good. I’m a California girl, the mere thought of an ice storm makes me shiver.
February 22nd, 2007 11:40 am
I lived in Virgina Beach for two years and loved it there. I really miss it this time of year when they are already heading into spring and we still have snow. Great list and thanks for stopping by today. 🙂
February 22nd, 2007 11:50 am
I hope that Thursday Thirteen doesn’t go away. I contacted Leanne and I’m determined to rescue the thirteen if I can!
February 22nd, 2007 11:58 am
bluemountainamama, I agree that awards should be won on the merit of the work. I also think it’s hard for voters not to be influenced by the other factors. It happens all the time with the Academy Awards. Someone will get an award because they are DUE one. I think voters sometime look at the whole body of work and the climate around the work when they judge it. Maybe the voters were also giving the Chix strokes for making a break-through album, an auto-biographical one that took a turn from their other stuff.
I’m sure that lots of tough talk against Saddam can be quoted from those of both political parties, but the majority of Democrats in Congress voted against the Iraq resolution. Something like a million Iraqi children were said to have died because of the sanctions after the first Gulf war that Clinton kept in place. But Saddam was contained. Inspectors have reported that 98% of his weapons were dismantled during the first round of inspections after the first Gulf war. Even Powell said he was contained and no threat, until his job forced him to change his tune.
Loretta, I don’t think I’ll ever stop 13ing! If I got so busy I couldn’t blog, I would at least post my list on Thursday.
February 22nd, 2007 12:40 pm
Sounds like you got out of Floyd at precisely the right time.
Hope the warm weather is now headed your way with spring in the air.
February 22nd, 2007 1:44 pm
ooh my goodness an inch of ice on your floor inside your house? What a shock from the warm temps of FL 🙁
February 22nd, 2007 3:49 pm
The worst we had over here was one day of snow and 3 frosty nights… 🙂 Great list!
My TT shows 13 pics of me. I hope someone takes over TT, so this won’t be our last!
February 22nd, 2007 4:44 pm
I loved the little game! Thanks for that link.
February 22nd, 2007 6:07 pm
Another fun filled interesting and informative TT Colleen…LOVE IT!
I cannot do Superman at all….But that other one—-the numbers one..I was able to do that but very very s-l-o-w-l-y…..(LOL)!
February 22nd, 2007 7:30 pm
I want to see Gore’s movie, and I am glad he was nominated!
February 22nd, 2007 11:10 pm
12 years of rejecting the UN demand for disarming is plenty of reason to invade. it’s only too sad that the rest of the world doesn’t contribute fairly, and that Democrats and weak Republicans stoop to sedition to steal political power. Bush certainly has a great comprehension of the threats that the democratic world will face in the future, and I’m glad that Bush has decided to stop violent radicals by facing them in Iraq rather than at home. It’s been over 5 years of no attacks on US soil now, thanks in part to Bush’s policies. God bless our troops!
I personally give a big thumbs down to the Dixie Chicks and well, Gore, bless his heart, really needs a project like global warming to keep him busy.
February 22nd, 2007 11:35 pm
Welcome home, and remember: restaurant place mats, tourist guides, and interpretive trail signs all make for great found poetry.
February 23rd, 2007 12:13 am
Looks like Thursday Thirteeen seems like a lot of fun. I should try it sometime. I am so sorry you are suffering in such cold weather…ice storms are awful.
Michele sent me tonight 🙂
February 23rd, 2007 12:44 am
i just wasted ten minutes chasing superman with that camera,
YOU OWE ME
February 23rd, 2007 7:12 am
Hi Colleen Its Hard to imagine all that ice when were still in summer and getting very high temps its just after 11pm and still 27.7c=81.9f
February 23rd, 2007 7:34 am
from florida to floyd. sounds like a book title to me. 🙂 When is spring? I hope it gets here soon!
February 23rd, 2007 10:59 am
Hi Colleen, Thanks for stopping by my blog, your yard looks like mine does, a carpet of branches! Luckily for me today is a half school day & so I will have some free labor getting off the school bus in annother couple of hours to help me pick up all the branches!
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
February 23rd, 2007 11:23 am
Great list. I agree with you about Al.
Now that Thursday Thirteen seems to be at an end, what will you do on Thursdays? Any other MEMES you’re looking at?
February 25th, 2007 3:06 pm
I love the Floydian Slip idea!
I think Al Gore and David Suzuki should team up! (But David has his own double bus! Cool guy!)
Is that your house in the pic?
February 25th, 2007 3:57 pm
Yes, that’s our log home. I’ve posted pictures of it before. Here’s a shot of it in summer http://looseleafnotes.com/notes/2005/06/100_things.html When I decribe my house I like to lower people’s expectations by describing it as homey humble abode, lived in, or rustic. It’s on 3 acres.
February 25th, 2007 10:43 pm
i think i am worse at catch 33
alas
but my mom stil loves me.