How to Talk Like a Corgi
Posted by kiwibug Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:11:00 GMT
Join Herbie as he teaches you to talk like a Corgi in six easy steps!
Moms Just Know Things
Posted by fabricpile Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:37:00 GMT
Henry: Mom, do we have any pizza?
Mom: I just now started some dough to make pizza.
Henry: (Hugging me) I’m so lucky to have a mom like you who can read my mind!
Mom (to self): You just keep thinking like that, Henry.
Cosmic Ray Vision
Posted by joek Sat, 17 Feb 2007 04:14:00 GMT
Kira, Mark, Henry & Emma had never met Underdog! I remember coming home from kindergarten to eat a grilled cheese sandwich and watch Underdog, Sweet Polly Purebred, and … a suicide bomber?
Shovel Time
Posted by fabricpile Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:56:00 GMT
We woke up this morning to blue sky, sunshine and a gorgeous alien landscape. The snow all blew around so much that it’s hard to tell, but the official word from the J&C is that 17 inches fell yesterday. We can’t tell where the land ends and the lake begins:
We’re not going anywhere today. We’ll have to dig our way out of the driveway and wait for the snow plows to show up. I’m sure we’re not high on Warren County’s list.
The wind and snow created a beautiful sculpture around the canoe.
The upside of the sub-zero temperatures is . . .
Cold vodka! Our wimpy freezer just doesn’t hack it.
Bring it on!
Posted by fabricpile Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:52:00 GMT
We’re all anxiously awaiting the promised blizzard conditions headed our way. We’ve stocked up on food & water, and hauled enough firewood into the garage to keep us warm if we lose power like we did last time. The kids even have new sleds ready to use on the neighbor’s hill. We are hoping that all our preparations don’t jinx the promised 12-16 inches of white stuff.
Then again, I neglected to take the snow blower in for a tune-up. That ought to guarantee at least six foot snow drifts.
And Terre Haute should have some great ski conditions!
Update from the National Weather Service:
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 1042 AM EST TUE FEB 13 2007
...WARREN COUNTY HAS CLOSED ALL ROADS TO TRAVEL. STRANDED MOTORISTS AND ABANDONED VEHICLES ARE IMPEDING EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND SNOW PLOWS.
Looks like we’re officially snowed in. At least we still have power and an internet connection.
Otterbein Fire
Posted by fabricpile Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:24:00 GMT
Yesterday afternoon, one of the nicest of the remaining old buildings in Otterbein was destroyed by fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Denny’s Pharmacy, directly across Main Street from the Otterbein Public Library, was a town landmark. Life-long residents like my board president, Wilma Mills, have fond memories of childhood trips to the soda fountain at Denny’s. We loved the variety of candy which was available there.
Upstairs, there was a large hall which had once hosted everything from basketball games to dances. I always wanted to ask the owner to let me go up and see the second floor. That opportunity is now gone. You can see the sun setting through the smoldering building in the picture. By evening, tall flames were still visible, but the exterior was just a shell.
The extremely cold temperatures caused a lot of problems for firefighters. The news isn’t reporting as many, but we counted twelve different departments on site. Tanker trucks were racing back and forth from neighboring towns to bring water to temporary reservoirs set up on Main Street. The teams were working hard to save Mark Shoemaker’s building next door. They seemed to be allowing parts of Denny’s fire to burn freely. The mostly rural, volunteer fire departments did a remarkable job in really awful conditions.
Around 9 pm, I went back to check on the library. The town looked like a movie set. These pictures make it appear that the place is deserted, but there were still well over a dozen firetrucks and emergency vehicles close at hand.
They brought in a huge backhoe and knocked down the exterior walls of the building. The south wall fell dramatically in one two-story piece—which shattered as it hit First Street.
The fire was still burning when I returned to the library around noon today. I decided last night to close for the day. Our air-intake for the building is on the far side from the fire, but the prevailing wind was enough to make the interior uncomfortably smelly. The town has no phone service and our internet is out, anyway.
I’m just very grateful that the prairie wind wasn’t raging yesterday or the library may have been at risk. This area doesn’t need to lose another library to fire.
More photos are available on The J&C’s website.
Dear Representative Micon,
Posted by joek Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:29:00 GMT
I am opposed to raising Indiana’s minimum wage.
I’m sure we both agree that, all other things being equal, having more higher paying jobs is good. Nevertheless, I believe that any efforts to control the minimum wage are seriously misguided. The unintended consequences of government-controlled wages are bad for Indiana and ultimately bad for anyone who currently manages to derive benefit from a mere $5.15 an hour.
I understand that the minimum wage is an easily measured standard and an easy political win. The side effects are delayed and harder to measure. One way to reflect on them is to ask why we don’t just set the minimum wage at $15, $25, or even $50 an hour! What makes a minimum wage of $50 an hour sound ridiculous?
Do you believe that raising the minimum wage helps the less capable, disadvantaged, or otherwise handicapped? I believe that it hurts them by completely eliminating legitimate low-wage transactions from the Indiana economy. Those who, for whatever reasons, cannot do $7.50 an hour worth of work will be forced to choose: (1) lose their jobs, (2) work for criminals breaking the law by paying illegally low wages, or (3) suffer the shame of accepting unearned wages. I see no other alternatives for these people—am I missing any?
I have a fifteen year old daughter who is anxious to start working and earning her own income. Raising the wage will make her opportunities for work more scarce. Will she suffer from this? Since she is smart, resourceful and determined, she’ll probably gladly end up with a higher-paying position and benefit from these new government controls—leaving one fewer higher-paying job.
All citizens of Indiana must be free to make their own judgments about the value of work. It is wrong for the government to take away this freedom.
Sincerely,
Joe Krutulis
