Halloween progress

Well, here it is, the end of July and I seem to be no closer to the end of my current cross stitch project (Haunted House Welcome) than I was when I first blogged about this on July 5 (not that you’d know how far along I was then since I didn’t post a picture). Anyway, here we are at the end of July and I had to move the piece out of the frame I use for stitching so I can do the bottom part of the piece. (See the thread toward the bottom of...

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Update to Weather Alerts post

Shortly after I published my blog post yesterday about the discontinuation of weather alerts from the National Weather Service for budget reasons, I was watching a show on The Weather Channel. During that show, I learned that the budget sequestration is also affecting the Hurricane Hunters that fly into these storms and provide crucial data to the National Hurricane Center. According to Col. Craig LaFave, commander of the 403rd Reserve Wing which includes the hurricane hunters squadron, the unit can handle up to two hurricanes for a short...

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Weather alerts fall victim to budget cuts

Anyone living in parts of the country subject to hazardous weather will have to rely on other means to stay abreast of developing weather conditions beginning Aug. 1. Since 2008, the National Weather Service (NWS) has disseminated weather alerts through e-mail or text messages using a free self-subscription service called GovDelivery, which has contracts with several government agencies to provide information to the public. Due to budget constraints, the NWS terminated its contract with GovDelivery last November, but the service continued to...

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The Lone Ranger Rides again

No, it’s not the Lone Ranger we Baby Boomers grew up with, but nonetheless, the movie is a rollicking good adventure if you’re looking for a summer escape plaguing so much of the country this summer. I agree when I saw the trailers with Johnny Depp as Tonto (and not dressed as Jay Silverheels played him), I was skeptical. But some minimal research, (okay, I asked one of my friends who’s knowledgeable in Indian culture) revealed that Depp’s makeup was fairly realistic. Armie Hammer turns in a good performance as the Lone Ranger, although,...

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Recapture the Christmas spirit in July

Many of my friends know I’m a not-so-secret Christmas nut (my Facebook page features a steady stream of Christmas photos, for example). So as this weekend in July rolls around, my excitement level begins to build, because the first vestiges of Christmas begin to appear — the Hallmark Christmas ornaments. That’s right. This weekend, Hallmark stores will premiere much of the 2014 Christmas ornaments; the remainder will arrive in October. For collectors of this iconic, almost-Norman Rockwell like reminders of Christmases past, it the first...

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Playing for the love of sport, not money

These athletes won’t receive a lot of attention, other than maybe a mention or two in local media markets. That’s okay. While they might wish their sports captured more attention like professional sporting events or even the Olympics, they’re just satisfied that they can still compete. This week, in Tampa, Fla. and Rochester, Minn., two groups of athletes will compete for all the glory, honor and satisfaction of knowing they remain at the top of their game, the best of the best. They’ll do so competing with one difference from most athletes...

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The Grinch that stole the Fourth of July

All right, the title is a little misleading, but CBS sure appeared to be a Grinch when it came to the Boston Fireworks Spectacular with the Boston Pops Orchestra this past Fourth of July. We had settled in to watch our traditional viewing that evening — first, a Capitol Fourth followed by the Boston fireworks — when I asked my wife what time each was airing. She found the Capitol Fourth and the event sponsored by Macy’s, but no Boston fireworks. I jumped on Google and soon found the reason — CBS had declined to renew a contract to air the...

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Halloween on the Fourth of July

Halloween on the Fourth of July At least I’m getting closer to the right holiday, although I’ll never reach it completely. Cross-stitchers who work on seasonal projects are usually way ahead of the general population, like freelance writers, who generally are writing articles for print magazines three or four months ahead of the calendar. So, this year, instead of working on a Christmas project on the Fourth of July, I worked on a Halloween project. See what I mean? I moved two months closer to the actual holiday we were celebrating yesterday. Working...

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Have a safe Fourth of July

Have a safe Fourth of July Consider today’s blog as a form of public service announcement. I’ve gathered below a number of links to sites with tips on how to have a safe Fourth of July, especially when dealing with fireworks. Here they are in no particular order: http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/eye-health-news/july-fireworks-display-safety.cfm http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/fireworks.html http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/fireworks.html http://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks/ http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/121339/012.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/family/minutes/tips/fireworks/ ...

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