Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Fallout in Japan

The tragedy in Japan, a devastating earthquake and tsunami, is proving to have a catastrophic human toll.  Even in a compulsively natural disaster prepared populace like Japan, it's still reported that the number of casualties could exceed 10,000.  You can donate to the American Red Cross here.

Natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunami's are always going to occur, and as tragic as the staggering loss of life is, it pales in comparison to the potential man made disaster of nuclear fallout from self destructing power plants.  There are currently 6 nuclear reactors in Japan that are concerning to Japanese and global authorities.  Contradicting reports have stated there has been radioactive fallout, that there is impending nuclear fallout, and that everything is fine. 

As of Monday morning, it has been reported that 200,000 people have been evacuated from the areas surrounding the nuclear power plants until they can be safely brought under control.  Let's hope that any damage to the affected people is minimal and the situation does not worsen. 

Photo credit: Jared Rodriguez via Flickr

Regardless of what the truth is surrounding the amount of radioactive exposure, this should be a wake-up call for American policy makers and the general populace.  Yes, we should not be politicizing a tragedy, and no we shouldn't immediately take every nuclear power plant in the US offline.  But it is time to seriously reconsider nuclear power as an option in the future.  

Every other alternative energy source has drawbacks and an environmental impact: wind, solar, geothermal, etc all have some pros and cons.  But none of these other energy sources have the inherent potential devastating capabilities of a nuclear power plant disaster.  Even without considering the disposal of nuclear waste that occurs when the power plant is operating correctly, there is just too much risk in nuclear power.  Let's stop considering this as energy option. 

As safe as nuclear power has been advertised to be, there will always be earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, floods, and acts of terrorism that can undermine the efforts of even the best and well intentioned power plants.   Please encourage your elected representatives that you don't want to see any more nuclear power plants built in the US. 

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Fun With Racquetballs

Puppy loves to chew on her toys, and yeah that's a given for most puppies.  She loves to de-stuff, eviscerate, and then consume the soft toys, but also really enjoys the hard rubber toys that bounce.  We had given her a tennis ball to play with, but after playing with it for a bit, she just sat there with the tennis ball in her mouth and chewed and chewed and chewed on it.  My sisters large black labs often did the same thing with tennis balls and apparently have developed some long term dental problems because of their habit.

It turns out that long term chewing on tennis balls (as opposed to just having them in their mouth for fetch) can wear down the enamel on dogs teeth, so a racquetball is a better option.  Since puppy loves, loves to chew and also enjoys a bouncing bounding toy, we decided to see if she'd like a racquetball instead.  Did she ever.

We bought a tube of racquetballs (about $6 for three of them which makes them among the cheapest dog toys) and it was puppy love from there.

Animal Shot Near Hillsboro, N.D., Confirmed As Gray Wolf

This article came from the Grand Forks Herald.

It's a little spooky to think that there are wolves so close, but I really don't think they'd venture into a highly populated area like Grand Forks and make a snack out of our pooches.  Here's a map of where Hillsboro is:

Photo Credit - Hillsboro Website

Animal Shot Near Hillsboro, N.D., Confirmed As Gray Wolf

A large canine taken by a coyote hunter early in January east of Hillsboro, N.D., in Traill County has been confirmed as a gray wolf.

The hunter apparently shot the gray wolf, a protected species rarely seen in North Dakota, thinking it was a coyote.

More Snow Today, More on the Way, And The Thermodynamics of Dog Poop in Winter

Just when I thought spring might be putting on its pants and shoes and thinking about strolling over to knock on the door, Old Man Winter decided that he needed to give us a coating of light snow. We got an inch or so last night and should get another inch or two today.  It's light fluffy snow that doesn't amount to a whole lot and sure looks purty coming down.

There's a threat of more snow on Tuesday when a big storm should stay south of us (sorry Iowa, it looks like you're in for it) and the end of next week when a possible significant snowfall will come our way.  March is usually pretty stormy here in North Dakota as weather patterns and the jet stream start shifting and slightly warmer air (which holds more moisture) can bring larger storms.  I'm jumping the gun in wishing for spring already.  It'll be at least another month before everything melts, and the conversation changes to flooding issues, and at least another two months before I can get anything planted in the garden.

Yesterday before the snow arrived and obscured all the backyard treasures that the dogs left for us, Alycia (it was her turn to scoop) scooped up all prizes she could find.  We try to stay on top of outdoor poop management, and usually scoop every week, and definitely the day before a storm is due.  Our yard isn't big enough to ignore the poop and if not properly managed, when things melt in spring it turns into an ugly, sticky slurry of poop nastiness that can't be scooped away.  

Real Meatloaf and Psuedo Vegetarianism

I've sounded the rallying cry for my fake meatloaf (aka Neatloaf) recipe before, even using it for my first-ever guest posting on the From Blah to Ta-Daa blog late last year.  It's not only delicious, but freezes well for leftovers, and has become a household favorite for our vegetarian Celiac sufferer in the house (it's also one of my favorites as well). The other day though the unique opportunity arose to make actual real meatloaf, you know with meat.  I hadn't made a meatloaf in probably 8 or 10 years. Would I still remember how?

So...a bit of personal history.  Prior to my blissful cohabitation with Alycia I was what I can only describe as a psuedo-vegetarian, I ate a primarily plant based diet with occasional binges of meat, mostly when dining out.  My meat consumption was only 2-3 times a week and that was usually an In N Out Burger or the exquisite pork ribs at Phils Bar-B-Que in San Diego.

Header Number Two

I had pegged my number of "falling down on some wintry surface" incidents at one per winter season.  I fell once last winter on a slippery sidewalk.  It hurt.  A couple of weeks ago I fell again on an icy sidewalk that was covered with a dusting of snow, thus obscuring the ice underneath.  The puppy was with me on her evening walk at the time and though she wasn't really to blame, she certainly didn't help the situation.  Luckily since she was along I was able to foist blame upon her for the fall.

For some reason I thought it to be an intractable truth that I would only fall once a winter, and I'd already gotten mine out of the way.  I discovered this morning that this was not true. 

Perhaps it was because I thought I had gotten my allegedly annual winter fall over with that I acted this morning with less than an abundance of caution.  As I was taking the recycling bin (a large trash can) out of the back mudroom this morning I took a header down the back steps into Tito's priceless collection of artisan crafted yellow snow.  The cause was a complete lack of attention and due care, the price was a scraped up hand, shin and a rolled ankle (my good ankle unfortunately).  Bummer. 

The moral of the story is that you can't let your guard down around Old Man Winter, especially here in North Dakota where he looms large.  Not for one second.  Just when you think you've got him figured out, BAMMM!!!, he steps up and reminds you that he's still in charge and you should always respect his authority.

Cute Puppy Pics

More cute puppy pics for you, gentle reader.  That's what I deliver, a never ending cavalcade of deaf dog pictures...

Puppy asleep in the green ball, and she enjoys it now when we cover her up with the warming blanket.  If you look closely, you can see a bit of tongue sticking out, the sure sign of an intense nap.

Anytime we sit on the ground, puppy immediately wants to climb up and sit on your lap for some super snuggling time.  And since the puppy puts off so much body heat (and Alycia is always cold) it's match made in snuggling heaven.  Here the two girls enjoy a slice of late afternoon sunbeam together.  Puppy is teetering on the edge of sleepy-time and her eyes are barely open, and shortly after this photo was taken, puppy feel asleep in a poorly balanced ball of puppy goodness on Alycia's lap.

 Two spotted dogs worth of trouble, side by side and hatching their mischievous plans. 

Who Survived The Winter

This is my second winter here in North Dakota and my first real experience with anxiously awaiting to see which trees and shrubs survived the winter.  Last spring/summer I planted 8 bare root apple trees:

• 2 Ashmead's Kernel
• 2 Lodi Apple
• 2 Red Gravenstein
• 2 Honeycrisp

Each varietal is supposed to survive/thrive in North Dakota (Zone 3).  Some I admittedly have more confidence in, like the Honeycrisp, which was created at the nearby University of Minnesota, but the others?  I'm pretty sure they'll be OK, but really I just don't know.

We're in the Red River valley in North Dakota.  Essentially the entire state is USDA Zone 3, but along the Red River on the Eastern edge of the state is a bubble of Zone 4 which follows the Red River the entire length of North Dakota.   Theoretically I should be able to plant a Zone 4 hardy tree and have it survive.

The fruiting shrubs I planted are also supposed to able to survive Zone 3 (Red Lake Currants/Ben Sarek Black Currants as well as handful of blueberry bushes).  It'll still be another couple of months before the snow and cold abate and tree buds begin to swell with the anticipation of spring, so I need to be patient.

I did everything I could to help, mulching heavily in autumn the shrubs and staking and wrapping the apple trees to guard against the wind (a serious issue here) and munching bunnies (also a fairly serious threat in the area).  Hopefully everything comes through unscathed and we're able to see apple and berry blossoms come spring.  Fingers crossed.