MOVIN' ON UP - TO THE NORTH

I receive the AARP Bulletin (something I swore I would never do - but I thought I could get some good discounts for traveling). The April 2007 Bulletin had an interesting article about the expanding "50-degree comfort zone" in our country.

The area of the United States averaging 50 degrees has been slowly creeping northward.

The chart above is of the central region of the United States over a 25 year-period of time for the month of April. The green line indicates a trend of a rising temperature. All six months in the cooler half of the year - October, November, December, January, February, March, and April - show an increase in the average temperature over the 25-year period. The charts can be constructed by visiting NOAA's home page and selecting "climate" in the site box on the left side of the home page or in the lower portion of the home page.

The AARP article notes that in 1979 the 50-degree zone covered the lower southern states and stopped at the southern border of Illinois and Indiana and the west half of Kentucky. In 2006, the boundary line crept up to include one half of the State of Illinois and one third of the State of Indiana and the entire State of Kentucky.

For snowbirds who are rethinking their yearly trek to Florida, this is good news, but for the region itself, even a rise of three or four degrees in temperature can bring dramatic changes in the environment. The change in temperature not only affects regions such as our central region but also impacts the Earth as a whole. The following pictures were taken in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve's White Thunder Ridge. Muir Glacier has retreated out of the field of view, Riggs Glacier has thinned and retreated significantly, and dense new vegetation has appeared. Muir Glacier was more than 2,000 feet thick in 1941. 2004 USGS photo by B. F. Molnia; 1941 photo by W. O. Field.

Muir Glacier on August 13, 1941

Muir Glacier on August 31, 2004

While many still stubbornly cling to their position that global warming is a myth, the scientific data reflecting regional and global change such as that provided by NOAA and other environmental agencies speaks for itself.

The Beauty of a Bleeding Heart

My backyard is small and a little torn up right now, but I have one corner that has come alive after the bitter cold February and the unexpected freezing temperatures of April.

I love gardening; however, I am not a planner as far as my yard and garden. I start with an idea in my mind of what I want, and I end up many times with something different. About two years ago, I bought a small Bleeding Heart. I always read the little plastic stakes included in the pot, and this time was no different. The information on the stake said it would get about 2 feet across and about 18" to 24" high. Obviously some plants don't believe in abiding by that little stake's description.

My Bleeding Heart is now about 3 feet across and about 2 1/2 feet tall. Every morning when I leave home for work, I look at it and my other plants and flowers and marvel at their beauty. I loved my first Bleeding Heart so much that I planted more in the front of my home.

Although the April freeze was really hard on it, my Bleeding Heart survived, a little worse for the wear. Its flowers aren't quite as bright as usual, but it is still putting on a spectacular show for me every day. In about three weeks it will be done blooming, and it will slowly fade away until next year.

UNLESS - THE LORAX BY DR. SEUSS

And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with the one word......"UNLESS."

Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess.

That was long, long ago.
But each day since that day
I've sat here and worried
and worried away.
Through the years, while my buildings
have fallen apart,
I've worried about it

with all my heart.

"But now," says the Once-ler,
"Now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better,
It's not.

"SO.....
Catch!" calls the Once-ler.
He lets something fall.
"It's a Truffula Seed.

It's the last one of all!

You're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.
And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.
Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.
Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax
and all of his friends may come back."