Cold? What cold?

The computer says it is 2 degrees in Bath. Well, here on our cozy island, as you can see, it is a balmy 10 degrees outside. But, hating the cold as I do, I have brought the inside temperature up a bit. The combination of woodstove and sunlight have made it somewhat tolerable indoors.
In fact, since Grandma had the trees taken down, we have gotten a real boost from el sol, and have saved lots of carbon and plenty of dough, too. Good job, you lawbreaker!
All well and good, but things will improve considerably next week for your thin-skinned bloggah.

Philosophy

I have been delving into the tome on the right, and have found it most instructive. Of course, the cover had to be face-down while the boys were here, lest I again be called out on Grandparents' Day at daycare. I find that this sort of philosophical inquiry sharpens the critical sense, and is perhaps more efficacious in heading off dementia than crossword puzzles or other tools of the trade. The author is a professor in the California system (Irvine, I think -- what a great place for research in his field).
Meanwhile, hard as I look, I cannot seem to find a good example in our family. I guess that should be cause for joy, but of course it is always good to have a subject nearby for study.
I would be surprised if a copy of this treatise does not find its way into the birthday stocking of our Pen & Pencil philosopher at Loganstein. In fact, it is already packed. (Is the love of surprising others an ash houle trait? Read and find out.)

More playing

We have Jonas and Owen for a few days while Mommy and Daddy attend Obama's second inauguration. As dusk fell yesterday, they toppled Grandma's snowman, and had a grand time playing on the snowbanks. We love to see how much they enjoy the outdoors...that is, when Angry Birds is (are?) not available. Yesterday morning we went to the Brunswick P&R to watch Jonas play hoops. Not bad, and to the left you can see a shot of Dr. J sizing up a shot op.
I love basketball. It is a game of myriad possibilities, and many of the world's very best athletes play it. For a coach there are many challenges and a never-failing rousing of the blood. But the REALLY GREAT thing about basketball is that it is played indoors.

Playing in the snow

Do kids do this anymore? You don't see many kids outside, even with fresh snow. However, snow play is surely not dead. In our yard we had a kid playing in the snow yesterday. She made a snowman, complete with scarf and mittens. The way things look, it will be there for quite a while, maybe until we return from the South.
Yesterday I also observed a three-year old who loved playing in the snow, especially with a snow shovel, flinging the stuff in all directions. So there is hope for youth, some of it, anyway.

Holy mackerel, indeed

Have a look at this card trick which comes via bitesfromedwin.blogspot.com . That's all for today.

Sic Transit Insula Koofis

Although three eagle-eyed sleuths combed the waters for hours, no trace of the former Koofis Island could be found today. Possibly it departed on the barge that appears in the distance in the photo to the left. This disappearance is an unfortunate development, as a major condominium project had been planned for the island, with views downriver and a reasonable condo fee for the first year. Another possibility is that the island was seized and towed away by the firm that periodically is charged with moving the black rocks at Todd's Point in Reid State Park. Our governor has been notified, and we will shortly be checking to see if we have any connections in the U.S. Senate to pursue the disappearance of this piece of property, which was formerly the subject of a foiled power grab by a developer from California's Bay Area.

Big barge, murky morn

The huge barge that brought the deckhouse for the new "stealth" destroyer headed downriver for Mississippi this morning into a gloomy incoming tide. Positioning the deckhouse on the ship was a job so remarkable that it required three cranes and a newspaper story. Construction continues, and of course so does employment at BIW, a good thing for our area.
Who knows what would happen if the navy contracts ended or even slowed significantly? Although they give it lip service, BIW doesn't really seem interested in branching out to new kinds of construction. When we first came to Arrowsic, they were building some container ships, but then China did that much more cheaply. Maybe with China's emergence things will change back.