Aches, Pains and the Weather

Things are beginning to freeze.

Achs, pains and births, how does the weather effect you? Way back in May of 1997 I injured my back in a vehicle mishap that has put me on a 38 year roller coaster ride for a pain in the
back, neck or whatever. I have learned that the weather has an effect on my aches and pains, especially when the Barometric Pressure rises or falls suddenly. Personally I feel the rising of pressure tends to cause things to ache a little more than the drop associated with a low pressure.

A child I know had some Arthritic flare-ups back in their high school years that influenced them to do a Pain related Chart influenced by Barometric Pressure for a Science class. If I remember correctly that assignment was an "A" . Can you say "good job?"

I do not want anyone out there to think I'm posting "I don't feel good" messages like you see on face book, really people, "Get over yourself." Mary Agnes gets my moans and groans from time to time, but thats where I leave it. I'm in year 72 and marching along to the same Old Drummer, just a little different beat from time to time.

The below article posted by Damon Lee caught my eye two fold. One, I had worked in Meteorology while in the Marine Corps, and two, Barometric Pressure does have an effect on my personal well being as it does for my daughter. The below listed site adds credence to Mr. Lane's post.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/170w.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1700408004080

Damon Lane is a Chief Meteorologist in Oklahoma City, OK and since Sam, Zed and family reside there also, the article really caught my eye. If your interested in Weather, the birthing of babies or Barometric Pressure and it's effect on us physically, this may be of interest to you. If not. so be it.

By Damon Lane

BIO

A rise in births this week..because of the weather?

High pressure leads to wild weather lore.

UPDATED 6:27 PM CST Jan 05, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY —Weather folklore at it's finest. When the pressure changes...we see a rise in births.

If you pay attention to what the barometric pressure is doing every day then this entire week is one that you're following closely. Not only can the pressure predict how achy our bones will feel but it can also spark childbirths.

From the National Center of Medicine on days when there was a large change in pressure whether it was an increase or decrease, the number of deliveries was significantly higher.

And this Wednesday from Oklahoma to Montana there will a surge in high pressure. A high pressure with a pressure of 1057mb. This is huge..and not something we see a whole lot. Average pressure is 1013mb.

The weather won't be any different because of it but if you're sensitive to pressure then you will feel it...and if you're 36-40 weeks pregnant..then you may be busy this week. And yes...my wife and I are paying close attention to this too :) If I'm not at work for a few days...you'll know why.

Chickens and the Cold

The weather has taken a turn and winter appears to be upon us with a bit of a Vortex coming down from Canada. We awoke to 27 deg. this morning at 0430 and upon letting the dog out I was not prepared for the likes it.

No more outside water for the chickens. Normally there is five gallons hanging outside for them, it would become nothing but a block of ice over the next few days with the present forecast. The red heat light is hanging in the coop to keep the water from freezing. Must keep a close eye on my girls and Casper these next few days.

Thanks to Kathryn they had a treat of Celery diced up this morning. Tomorrow it will be a Cauliflower head. Gifts from kids and neighbors continue to fill the menu throughout the year. Thanks everyone.

The attached Web Sit from "Off The GridNews" has some great resources for your fine feathered friends in this cold weather.

"What, no worms? Tell me again why he didn't move further south when he retired."

Portland, Maine

Portland Harbor 01/06/15

Our daughter Sarah has spent the beginning of the week (01/06/15) in Portland Maine for her job. She sent me a text saying she had walked just two blocks and had a brain freeze.

I'm thinking I made my first trip to Maine in the early fifties. My parents were separated and divorced when I was very young. I would throughout my youthful life spend time much like a Ping Pong ball bouncing back and forth between my mother and step-father and father and step-mother. New Jersey and Connecticut and the not yet built I-95 corridor would be my stomping grounds. My father was re-married to a woman who grew up in Maine. They would settle in Connecticut and I would spend summer vacations and holidays in the Nutmeg state. On occasion I was known to just leave NJ and head to CT by train, bus and thumb. A bit of Tom Sawyer, or was it Huck Finn that was in me as a youth. Ah, the wanderlust of youth and a bit of a Rebellion at times.

There are not many places one can go in the State of Maine without first going through Portland. Back in the day there was a saying that in order to get to Maine, one had to clear customs first in New Hampshire. Little did I know at the time of my first trip through the Pine Tree state that my own family would vacation often in Maine. Never would I dream of living in Connecticut for 20 years and raising our three children there. I also could never have imagined graduating from college in New Hampshire as I cleared customs. Looking back it's quite intriguing where life takes us and the roads we travel. It brings to mind Yogi Berra's quote, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it."

So here we have my daughter Sarah in Maine 60 plus years later, who sent me a text just yesterday, (01/06), saying how much she liked Portland, save the bitter cold of course. And our daughter Kathryn and her husband Jeffrey first settled in Bangor, ME in 1989 after they were married. Kathryn was in the Air Force at the time and Jeff was beginning his career in the Fire and Security Monitoring industry. At this posting Jeffrey is home for the moment.

Oh, so where am I going with this you might ask. Well, back to that ten year old in 1953, it was off to far north Maine and the town of Shirley Mills.

Downtown Shirley Mills, population 233.

My step-mother had relatives in Shirley and we would visit there after a stop in Dover Foxcroft. I also had an Uncle Earl, and his family was from Gardiner, Maine. His wife, my Aunt Natalie came from the same lineage as my step-mother, they were sisters.

Gardiner, ME - 1920's

My wife, daughter Kathryn, born in NJ, daughter Sarah, born in Havre deGrace, MD and son in the womb Matthew, soon to be born in Manchester, CT would move from Maryland to Connecticut in 1969. We would spend 20 years in Connecticut and vacation often in Maine while living there. Our favorite little piece of Heaven was Northport (Bayside), just south of Belfast on Penobscot Bay.

We would spend those 20 years living on the same street where my step-sister Donna and half brother Richard would have their homes. Our children would grow up living next door to their cousins Mark and Sue. Many wonderful memories.

Our summer vacation spot at Bayside,ME. Thanks for many great memories Pete and Nancy.

With the bitter cold weather this week it certainly is nice to reflect back to summers past and warmer days. It's time for a bit of tea so I shall take a break.

Déjà vu All over again “Yogi”

The Barbary War

This attached link shall take you to a New York times article from 2009. The article will be in reference to the Barbary Wars of the early 1800s. I only reflect back to this era as it is where we, “The United States of America,” were officially first at war with the “Muslim World.” The rest of the world endured it's terrorization from the Muslim world millenniums before.

Thomas Jefferson would undertake this problem after his inauguration in 1801. Jefferson was very aware when becoming President of the issues at hand, since serving as Secretary of State in 1790 he had reported to Congress on this topic. There were 245 Piracy incidents reported in 2014, little of this becomes news today as the focus in reporting covers ISSIS, ISIL and Al Queda.

For 225 years we have encountered the Pirates on the waters of the world. Global Piracy declined in 2014 but SE Asia piracy increased by 21 incidents. At last check SE Asia is primarily a Muslim World. Should our sitting Congress not look to reinstating the deep cuts endured by our Navy? Is it not for our Naval Prowess that our shores have stayed unbreached?

Modern day pirates.

The “Five Deadliest Terrorist Groups” as reported in “The National Interest” are ISIL, Boko Haram, Quds Force, The Haqqani Network and Kataib Hezbollah. Are these monikers not attached to radical Muslim elements?

In all that I read, and I do read a lot, I have yet to see mentioned, Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Mormons, Catholics, Jews and other non-Muslim religions as being at the forefront of these terrorist organizations. Am I missing something here?

Of course no mention of conflict against a radical Muslim element is uttered from the sitting government in the big white house in Washington, DC. We only hear the words Radical Terrorist.

Obama vs. Cameron: British PM takes hard line on ‘Islamist’ extremists, Obama avoids I-word

I try not to be political in my writings but I must admit after this past week's events in Europe, I just needed to add my two cents worth. It is time for our Executive Branch to call it what it is "Radical Muslim Terrorism." Without this becoming a Doctoral Thesis, I only want to add once again that this has been going on since the 7th Century. I guess Constitutional Lawyers don’t have to take History.

Muslim expansion 622 - 750

I recently heard it said that Arabs and Muslims are all the same. No, they are not the same. Less than a quarter of the worlds 6.1 Billion Muslim population reside in the Middle East and North Africa. There are Jew and Christian Arabs, and Iran and Turkey are not Arab states. I’m positive that will get one or two people thinking.

At least Al Sharpton is out west mouthing on the Liberal Hollywood, Obama Financial Bank this week. “Give em Hell Al.”

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.