Is it really spring?

Well sort of. It's the way spring is in Maine. My favorite weather man likes to say that March is still a winter  month in Maine. Thursday and Friday the weather was great. Warm and sunny. High 50s. Yesterday and today, still sunny, but only 30s and 40s. Tomorrow? Snow and wintery mix. Yeah. Great. Spring Equinox is today.

Of course we always get a couple of storms in March and April. I think they are worse than the ones in January. There is more moisture in the air, and the snow is very heavy. 12 inches of very heavy snow is not fun to deal with.

Tomorrow our storm is only supposed to give my area a couple of inches of snow. I'll still get up to see if school is canceled. I doubt it will be, but sometimes they surprise me.

I hope everyone got a chance to see the supermoon last night. It was beautiful. The closest perigee moon since 1993. This is what it looked like in Maine last night. This isn't my video, it's from the local NBC station. Blah. I can't get the video to link. Check it out here. Super full moon

To my Japanese reader(s). Japan still rests in my thoughts and prayers. People across the world pray and hope for your country. I hope that you are somewhere safe and warm and that you have everything you need.


On the moving front. Wordpress frustrates me. I am still trying to figure it out. I'm trying to find a way to import everything directly from here to there.

Spring

Spring is springing in my little part of the Great White North. Birds are singing, the sun is shining longer, the sugar maple sap is running and there are ice breakers on the rivers. Yup, you heard me, ice breakers on the rivers. We get cold. Cold enough that our rivers freeze. Not just a little skin of ice. Huge chunks of ice that can run 2 feet thick. This time of year when it gets nice, it's currently 50F here at 6 pm, the rivers start melting. Huge chunks of ice break off and float downriver. That isn't the problem. If the ice pieces flow all nice down the river there is no problem. But, how often do things go perfectly like that?

No, things usually don't go right. The chunks float down and pile up. They catch on each other, they catch on the bridges, they catch on the islands. Then we have ice jams. Ice jams are bad. Ice jams cause floods. All the water builds up behind them and when they let go all hell breaks loose. Last year there was an ice jam that lasted several weeks. It would move downriver some, and then get stuck again. That is a really long time for any ice jam to last. Usually they only last a matter of hours to maybe a couple of days. At least that's what the ones here do.

So every year the Coast Guard sends ice breakers up the rivers. If they start breaking up the ice before it starts flowing towards the sea, then hopefully the jams won't happen. They send 3 up my local river. One of the big ones, and then 2 smaller ones once that big one can't go any further. Every year I mean to go down to the river when the breakers are there and take The Boy to see them. We know when they are coming, it's on the news so that the ice fishing shacks get cleared off. So far, in 8 winters we haven't made it. But, that's a sure sign of spring in the Great White North.

Please keep praying for those in Japan. The news we are hearing 1/2 way around the world is terrifying. I can't even think of how scary it is for the Japanese. To my Japanese reader(s), please stay safe.

On a side note. I have started a new blog on WordPress. I am going to be migrating this one there soon, at least as soon as I can figure it out. Look for the notice in the next week or two.

In the meantime, enjoy spring.

Japan

Because I relentlessly stalk my stats I know that I have hits from Japan. To the people in Japan, you are in my thoughts and prayers. To my reader(s) from Japan, I hope that you are somewhere safe and that you, your friends and family came through in safety.

For all the rest of us who want to know what we can do to help here is a list of several places we can donate.

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Services Yes, this is my church, so I'm putting it there first. But it's a good link because we already have resources in the area and can quickly mobilize to help. We don't just help Mormons, we help all people around the world.
• International Red Cross This site is to donate to all their services in general. This is the American Red Cross donation site.
• Text for help. If you use any of the cell carriers you can text REDCROSS to 9099 for a $10 donation.
• This article has several sites to visit to help.

This site has been set up to help people in Japan to find their loved ones and get back with them. If you have friends who are American citizens traveling in or around Japan and you haven't yet heard from them call the US State Department at 1-888-407-4747.  For American military personnel go here. I have since heard that all US military personnel are safe and are deploying to help in any way they can.

As I find more places to donate or give aid through I will post them.