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Power Failure
My husband's parents from Ohio were visiting us last week. Just as we were driving home from a restaurant on Friday night, a dramatic thunder and lightening storm began. It set off some new wildfires in Montana, and also caused a power failure.
Our house and surrounding countryside were dark when we arrived home, except when briefly illuminated by the flashes of lightning. It was pouring rain, and of course the garage door wouldn't go up. My husband hustled in to the garage through the house and manually opened it, so all the rest of us could stay safe and dry!
We visited a while by candlelight, and finally just went to bed. Happily, about 1:00 a.m. our
power was restored. I really wasn't up for having the contents of another full freezer defrost and melt in just one month!
Our house and surrounding countryside were dark when we arrived home, except when briefly illuminated by the flashes of lightning. It was pouring rain, and of course the garage door wouldn't go up. My husband hustled in to the garage through the house and manually opened it, so all the rest of us could stay safe and dry!
We visited a while by candlelight, and finally just went to bed. Happily, about 1:00 a.m. our
power was restored. I really wasn't up for having the contents of another full freezer defrost and melt in just one month!
Fire State of Emergency
Last week I wrote about Montana being hot and smoky. This week, some not-so-fabulous news was that Governor Bullock had to declare a fire state of emergency for Montana. The smoke affected the air quality enough that my son's soccer team was forced to hold some of their practices this week indoors.
Our skies have been filled with smoke apparently coming from fires in Washington, Idaho and Montana. At times our mountains have seemed to disappear - at best, they have been barely visible this week.
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A documentary about Jessica is coming soon. More information about it, and a movie trailer is available for viewing here.
~ ~ Common sense backed up by statistics
If you don't already believe that laws limiting access to firearms have their merits, perhaps this blog post by Nicholas Bakalar from The New York Times (and the study he sited, published in The Journal of American Public Health) may convince you.
This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!
Just a reminder of the reason for this series:
There is a lot of really helpful, captivating and entertaining information available on the Internet. It can take a lot of time however, to sift through and find the articles that interest you.
If you read this blog, I suspect we have similar passions. If I find something to be fascinating or useful, I thin you might as well.
In this series, I share the links to some of the “fabulous finds” I have discovered on the Internet throughout the week. I hope you enjoy and benefit from these links.
This Week's Fabulous Finds:
~ ~ Wildfire smoke update website
The Montana DEQ provides daily reports of information about air quality and fires in Montana on their webpage. This can be a helpful guide for determining the level of activity that it is safe to perform.
Curious about somewhere besides Montana? Try googling "Air Quality Reports" for the local information where you live.
We may not be as significant as we like to think!
Curious about somewhere besides Montana? Try googling "Air Quality Reports" for the local information where you live.
~ ~ Our planet really isn't all that big
Hopefully you were lucky enough to observe some of the annual Perseid meteor shower this week. If the thought of meteors raining down on us from space doesn't make you contemplate our existence within the Universe, this video just might.We may not be as significant as we like to think!
~ ~ Overcoming Obstacles
I first learned about a remarkable woman named Jessica Cox when I saw a photo on Facebook of her and a little girl without arms, with the caption, “You don't need arms to give a hug ... or receive one.”
Jessica is an amazing role model - not just for that child, but for all of us. If she has "eliminated the words I can't from her vocabulary, it makes me think most of us shouldn't say them either!
Watch this video, and I think you will agree.
I first learned about a remarkable woman named Jessica Cox when I saw a photo on Facebook of her and a little girl without arms, with the caption, “You don't need arms to give a hug ... or receive one.”
Jessica is an amazing role model - not just for that child, but for all of us. If she has "eliminated the words I can't from her vocabulary, it makes me think most of us shouldn't say them either!
Watch this video, and I think you will agree.
A documentary about Jessica is coming soon. More information about it, and a movie trailer is available for viewing here.
~ ~ Common sense backed up by statistics
If you don't already believe that laws limiting access to firearms have their merits, perhaps this blog post by Nicholas Bakalar from The New York Times (and the study he sited, published in The Journal of American Public Health) may convince you.
~ ~ The perfect solution for a chocolate craving!
I haven't made these intensely chocolate cookies yet, but I pinned the recipe for Quadruple Chocolate Soft Fudgy Pudding cookies to my "Cookies, Brownies and Bars!" Pinterest board this week.
This cookie recipe from Averie Cooks look seriously delicious - but beware. I fear I may have ingested some calories by just scrolling through the drool-worthy photos!
I WILL be making these soon. But first I had to make a few pans of my favorite brownie recipe, that I promised to bake for the High School Varsity Team Soccer Camp this weekend.
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Which of these links to my fabulous finds is your favorite?
This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!
I hope the fires are under control soon and your air quality clears up. I can't even imagine the devastation. When they say how many acres have burned on the news it is so hard to wrap my head around!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carlee. The wildfires really are bad this year.
DeleteWe have terrible wildfires burning here too - but I think you are getting more smoke from them than we are, since the wind is blowing your way. Will definitely check out all these links this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI heard that a lot of our smoke is coming from the fires in Eastern Washington. My heart breaks for all the friends and family of the firefighters that lost their lives.
DeleteFires are an annual horror and tragedy over here. I hope yours can be brought under control quickly.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a country where gun control has always been present, I do think it has merits. Lots of them.
Have a great weekend.
Thanks - and yes, I think we could learn from your country about gun control.
DeleteThe video about the Universe was amazing. I showed it to my husband and mom and we all enjoyed it. I had seen the one of the woman without arms so is an amazing inspiration for sure. I hope they get the wildfires out soon. I've been watching it on the news and wondering about you, Lana, and Carol. I forgot to ask you on the college post. Can you tell us what your daughter is studying?
ReplyDeleteI thought the videos were pretty impressive as well Rena!
DeleteIt has been very hazy around here and although the fires are burning hundreds of miles from west Texas, I wonder if they could be smoking up our skies. It has been terribly hot here, though, too. Could just be our heat. I love this series and always learn something new.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoy this series Leslie! Sorry to be so late responding - I was taking a little blogcation! Your haze very well could be smoke from fires - my understanding is that it can travel quite a distance. Hope you are getting some cooler weather.
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