Buggin' you - where buggin' is lovin'

I always do what my mother tells me.

The Eagles have landed! Oh my! In a mega thunderstorm on Sunday, the tree with the Barton Cove Eagles' nest blew over! The camera is still functioning though, it just has a new view.

Here is the statement from the web cam people:

"July 28, 2008 - Update
On Sunday July 27th just before 2:00 PM, the tree that held the Barton Cove Eagle nest blew over during a passing storm. We have contacted the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife office. We will post any new information when it is available."

The previous update suggests that the juvenile eagle dude was old enough to leave the nest from time to time, so hopefully, he's found a way to get by with help from mommy and daddy. Everybody root for the little guy!

"July 15, 2008 - Update
During the first week of July, the juvenile took its first real flight. The juvenile will remain around the nest area for the next four or five weeks. During this time the parents will still provide food. The juvenile will develop its hunting skills during this period and through out the remainder of the summer. As the juvenile’s hunting skills improve, and becomes more successful hunting, the parents will provide less and less food. In about six to nine weeks after the juvenile develops some hunting skills, it will leave the nesting area and will set out on its own."

Posted by Juana at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, the last storm alert that I posted only partially came to reality. We had a little smidge of snow and some sleet but nothing too serious. Anywhere an hour north or an hour west of me likely saw lots more snow, but the weather dudes for our area didn't catch that we here in Turners Falls, MA wouldn't be pummeled until the last minute.

But now ... the hyperbole for the upcoming Nor'easter is quite exciting! Check it out! There's a Winter Weather Advisory and a Flood Watch!

My favorite snippet from a weather dude's blog: "This is when it will simply explode."

I've also never seen a 50% chance of snowflakes forecast for my birthday before. Eeeek!

I took a few pictures today during a brief stroll to 1) seek evidence of life or spring or even humanity and 2) document the level of the river pre-flood, you know, for evidence :-)

They're now posted on flickr!

Posted by Juana at 2:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Statement as of 4:37 PM EDT on April 10, 2007

... Winter Storm Watch in effect from late Wednesday night through
Thursday afternoon...

The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a Winter Storm
Watch... which is in effect from late Wednesday night through
Thursday afternoon.

The eventual wintry weather outcome will depend on how fast a coastal
low develops Thursday morning.

For now... a period of moderate to heavy snow and sleet is forecast
Thursday over the northwest third of Massachusetts into south central
New Hampshire.

Travel should be slowed... especially over higher terrain.

The heaviest snow and sleet is forecast to occur between 7 am and 3
PM.

The region whioch has the highest chance to receive more than 6 inches
of snow and sleet within an 8 hour period extends from Franklin and
Hampshire counties of northwest Massachusetts through the northern
portions op Worcester... Middlesex and Essex counties in north central
and far northeast Massachusetts... then northward into the Monadnocks
of south central New Hampshire.

A Winter Storm Watch for a potentially heavy late season snow also covers
southern Vermont up into central New Hampshire.

The snow is likely to fall at the rate of an inch an hour for two or
3 hours during the morning and become a wet slushy and difficult to
remove snow during the afternoon... especially as it becomes mixed
with sleet or rain.

If amounts exceed 6 inches... scattered power outages could develop
during the afternoon or evening... especially in southern New Hampshire.

Valley regions should see notably less snowfall due to melting with
slightly above freezing temperatures. Even so... slushy plowable
amounts are expected everywhere along and north of Route 2 in
northern Massachusetts into the Nashua... Manchester Keene region by
noon.

Confidence for 6 inches of snow and sleet in an 8 hour period is only
about 30 percent from the Springfield area to just south of Worcester
to Framingham... Woburn Danvers and Gloucester where a change to sleet
or rain should occur sooner... .possibly within 3 hours of onset of
the snow.

The starting time of the snow is still somewhat uncertain. If it
begins before dawn... rush hour travel will be affected as temperatures
quickly fall to freezing within one hour of the snow starting. If
the snow starts a little later than currently expected... lets say
after 9am... then there will be more pavement melting and not quite as
much impact on travel.

Precipitation should end as areas of light accumulating snowfall
during Thursday night.

A Winter Storm Watch is issued for the potential of accumulating
snow of 6 or more inches in a 12 hour period or 8 or more inches
in a 24 hour period. Anyone traveling in the next 24 to 36 hours
should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to modify travel
plans should winter weather develop.

Posted by Juana at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eeeeek! I love a good weather panic, but I think I love the idea of spring more. You bastards on the west coast posting pictures of spring ... you know who you are ...

****************************

Statement as of 4:26 PM EDT on April 04, 2007

... Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 6 am EDT
Thursday...

Snow... occasionally heavy and occasionally mixed with freezing rain
and sleet will continue this evening and into the overnight hours.
The snow will end by daybreak Thursday. Before all is said and
done... 3 to 6 inches of heavy wet snow and sleet is expected to
accumulate... with the higher amounts of the range occurring at
elevations above 1000 feet.

The addition of 3 to 6 inches of snow tonight in an 8 hour period
could cause isolated power outages and downed tree branches... and
certainly will make for very slippery travel during the night.

Snow will be ending by daybreak Thursday and temperatures will warm
above freezing Thursday afternoon.

A Winter Weather Advisory is issued when snow and/or ice is
forecast to develop in the affected areas... but accumulations are
expected to be light. Any snow or ice would make driving and
walking difficult but not impossible on untreated roadways and
sidewalks. When temperatures are below freezing... motorists need
to be especially careful on bridges and overpasses where slippery
spots can easily develop.

Posted by Juana at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After setting my alarm for 6 AM, I shoveled my car out from a mountain of snow having been plowed in by the plower dudes. The rule is that they completely plow the municipal parking lot after big storms from 7 AM - 9 AM, and if you're not out, they'll tow you out. And, you can't park your car on the street until 6 AM or so, so there's no getting around the early AM wake up call to workout. And what a workout!

But, there were a few bonuses -- a pleasant conversation with my landlady, who is one of those freaks who gets up that early (to work, of all things), and some lovely light on the buildings in the neighborhood. Who knew the light was nice at this hour? Enjoy!

The view out my back window

The second wake up call of the day was to visit Marlo around noon or so. Marlo is still beyond CUTE and a total SPAZ. How will I resist taking pictures everytime we meet? How?

Marlo eats snow and gets snow on his nose

Mr. Marlo Big Nose

Posted by Juana at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You know it's snowing if Fox News tells you so. We had our first big snow over the last day. Here's documentation of snow adventures. I'd say we got maybe a foot of snow or so.

Fox News live on the scene:

All bundled up and ready to go.

Later on I dug the car partially out enough to drive it a foot. Weee!

Hello? (Hello Hello) Is there anybody in there?

By the river

The Bridge and the Falls

The Fish Ladder is closed

Posted by Juana at 2:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Friday's forecast is for a high of 7° F and a low of -3° F. It comes with a *special* weather statement. Ack!!! Thankfully Bo has invited me over for cocktails so I can keep warm.

Statement as of 4:02 AM EST on January 24, 2007

... Dangerously cold wind chills are expected across southern New
England late Thursday night and Friday morning...

A bitter cold airmass... the coldest of the season... will pour into
southern New England Thursday night and Friday on gusty northwest
winds.

Wind chills will drop to 15 to 25 below zero late Thursday night and
Friday morning across the interior... and 10 to 15 below zero along
the South Coast. Actual air temperatures will not get out of the
single numbers on Friday across the higher elevations... with
temperatures struggling into the lower teens in
Hartford... Providence and Boston.

Wind chill advisories will likely be needed for a large portion of
southern New England late Thursday night into Friday.

If you plan on being outdoors on Friday... plan for bitter cold
conditions and dress appropriately.

Posted by Juana at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My landlord helped me install AC in my front room today, and just in time! The heat wave is here! Temps in the 90s, and tomorrow and Tuesday are supposed to have high humidity on top of that. So part of my interest in getting AC was for the kitty-poos. Yes, they are spoiled. You got a problem with that? Another part was as incentive for kitty sitters which I suspect will work out nicely. A side benefit -- I'd get to enjoy it too. The cats however, are stupid, and have proceded to nap in the back bedroom which is currently the hottest room in the apartment. Hulk not understand. They say they are desert animals, but sheesh.

Another thing Hulk does not understand... Lucy's recent interest in cat naps by the loo.

See flickr for commentary on a potential explanation.

Soon I might have adventures so I'll have pics other than my cats. :-)

Posted by Juana at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Current status: 96% humidity.

I'm sure the percentage of water inhaled has been higher than that too from time to time. I intellectually knew it gets humid out here, but hadn't quite mentally adjusted to the tropicalness of it all until it really happened in full force this summer. Thankfully, I kinda liked Hawaii and Roatan, so I'm doing just fine. Though the kitties seem to have moments of the wet heat buggin them, and when I pet them they seem kind of wet.

Everything seems kind of wet. The pages in books, freshly dried sheets, the wood floors, a spoon. I keep the windows open, and with a nice fan breeze going, it feels like camping without, you know, the camping part of it. Anything removed from the fridge immediately grows condensation. If you think about it too much, you'll become slightly air-o-phobic -- feels like you're breathing in the Connecticut River, and you suspect there's a tributary in your lungs that hasn't been exhaled properly. Solution: don't think.

Rainfall is constant throughout the year here, so it's going to stay green all summer. So while I begged the trees to grow green in April FASTER (why take so long to recover from winter already!?!), late summer months do not yield the typical brown lawns or expensive water bills of the west. Yesterday morning, thunder cracked the sky so loud, I actually woke up (though not for long :-). Today we had an inch and a half of rain, though it's the kind of rain most Cascadians aren't as familiar with. Warm rain. Rather comforting. As long as you don't think too long on the tornado that touched down fourteen miles away in Wendell yesterday. Again: enough with the thinking. Tomorrow's adventure may include getting an air conditioner ... it appears to be a compelling incentive for kitty sitters in these parts ...

This has been your Western Mass weather report, brought to you by Compare & Contrast -- because the East ain't like the West. And by Half Sprite -- because lord knows what would happen to you if you drank a whole one.

Note the condensation madness:

And another Compare & Contrast factoid: I bought new tires on Monday, and instead of receiving free beef from the likes of Les Schwab in the west, I was handed a pink carnation at Tire Warehouse in Greenfield, a small New England tire chain. Caught off guard, I giggled and asked without thinking what I was supposed to do with it. "Well, you could put it in between your teeth and dance ..."

Posted by Juana at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Most of the flooding that you're reading about in the headlines is more east of where I am (along the coast of Massachusetts and New Hampshire), though I was fully prepared for weather drama! This snippet from the Weather Service takes the wind out of the drama sails though.

"For the Connecticut River at Montague...
the Flood Warning has been cancelled.
The 11 am Monday stage was 26.1 feet.
Flood stage is 28.0 feet.
Flooding has ended and the river will gradually recede."

This is one of my favorite links for tracking river levels around here. If you recall, October was quite soggy too!

I decided to go for a walk, in case the national weather service was all wrong, to see if I saw evidence of sogginess. My conclusion: the October water levels were higher. I did get some happy photos though before my camera batteries gave up on me. And, I met a new friend!

Muskrat love? I think this is a muskrat. Discuss.

Picnic Duck?

The Great Falls (Turners Falls)

Vines on the Gill-Turners Bridge

I'm crushing your Dandelion Head.

Dogwood and Church Brick

Posted by Juana at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I finished my teaching application that is due today, and the high today is going to be in the 70s. Life is good. :-P

Posted by Juana at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

To finish up the story of J visiting Western Mass, here's our last outdoor adventure that we had on Monday. We went to Barton's Cove across the river from Turners Falls, in Gill, to see if by chance we could spot the eagle's nest. And, I think we did! Not very well, but I think it's there in them there trees. It was sunny, but beyond cold with the wind, so our nature visit was short lived out there. J took some silly movies with her camera both here and at the St. Patrick's Day parade, which at some point I'll try to figure out how to post them here (Hmmm ... maybe after my teaching application is due). In the mean time, check out flickr for the rest of the last of winter (I hope!!). It's been in the 40's for high temps since Monday, so I'm praying we're in the clear!

Check out the eagles nest blob! Don't forget the eagle cam!

Check me out!

J took this lovely shot of the ice in the Connecticut. Just two weeks or so ago, I could see stick figures walking around on this ice from the Turners Falls side of the river. Goofy ice fishing peoples. However, the ice is too mushy to walk on now. Ha! Take that winter!

Posted by Juana at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had some time in between my Wave Books internship in East Hampton and a poetry reading on campus to finally take photos of the UMASS campus. Sorry it took awhile Mz. Z! It snowed a smidge this afternoon, so the campus doesn't look too bad. It was twilight, so not all the photos are in focus, but they're still festive. UMASS Amherst actually isn't the most picturesque campus. Smith, Amherst, and Mt. Holyoke campuses nearby are super charming. I'll try to get some photos of them too. A few of the buildings at UMASS fall into the University of Oregon Prince Lucien Hall category of beauty -- as in the architect liked it, and that's about it. The W.E.B. Dubois Library is looking its best when reflected in the campus pond. For more photos of UMASS go to flickr!

There is a cute little chapel.

Posted by Juana at 2:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greetings!

In my quest to cover more ground photographically, I took my camera to a favorite spot in Montague, MA today. I captured The Lady Killigrew, The Book Mill, and other associated buildings near the Saw Mill River. Since it was snowing, it was especially scenic. More photos at flickr.

And bonus -- I ate a yummy #2 sammich at the Lady, ran into Bo and Bo's owner there, and bought 2 books at The Book Mill (their motto being -- "Books you don't need in a place you can't find" and no, I didn't technically need the books, but they're mine now!). I didn't think it would keep snowing, but it did ... so since I slipped and slided a bit on my way home (didn't run into anything!), the rest of my evening will be spent chillin in my apartment. Current temperature is 21.4 degrees F. I'd say we have at least 3 inches, maybe 4. As you can see, Lucy is in charge, AGAIN. I think she's leaning towards watching a DVD.

Posted by Juana at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Had a lovely afternoon here in Turners. I stole Bo and we walked by the River. Everyone who could escape their commitments was out walking around with their kids or doggies. It was spring fever madness I tell you! More at flickr.
The gulls were getting fed.

Grampa pushed as hard as he could.

Basketball!

But somebody got left out.

Winged migration

Do you think this one passed inspection?

Peace

Posted by Juana at 1:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We didn't get pummeled with snow like most of the east coast, but we have gotten a bit, maybe 4-5 inches? I'm about to go out and check it out. But, it is 21 degrees outside at 3:15 p.m. EEEK! Bo is coming over so we can go for a walk in the snow. SNOW! I will take pictures. I think it's my Willamette Valley Girl upbringing that always makes me hyper when it snows. I might have to call Tiffy later on. The internets say they got up to 22 inches in NYC!!

My favorite weather link shows that as of 9 a.m. Greenfield had 3 inches, which is the closest town reporting on exact snow amounts. Word here is that: "Further northwest from far northwest Massachusetts including western sections of Franklin and Hampshire County into western and northern Cheshire County of southwest New Hampshire... this will be manageable snow event with light to moderate snow."

True. I was ready for drama though.

Posted by Juana at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I tried to go for walksies today because it was 51 degrees (!!) outside, but when I got out there the wind was super nasty and blowing all of the dirt and gravel from snow plowing into my eyes. Most every bit of snow is melted, though we might get some on Monday. I've been told my first winter here has been "easy." It's not over yet, so we'll see. We did have snow last weekend, and Monday when I took Bo for our last doggy sitting walksies together at dusk, I was thinking how amazing it had been that I hadn't pulled a Gracie yet, and fallen on my butt on the icey sidewalks. Jinx! Of course, I then promptly fell. Sigh. I think that was the first (and so far only) day that the weather really annoyed me. I had to park my car 2 blocks away because of this village's random parking policies associated with snow plowing, I got stuck in a traffic jam for no reason on 91 (jams hardly happen here!), and I had to drive slower on the back roads to not slide off of them, making me late to all of my appointments, and my left foot was hurting because my snow boots really don't have enough arch support (fixed! I bought new boots).

Things are slow here ... no more Bo to play with (she's on a road trip to New York City to work on her book deal ... no really!), The Lady Killigrew is closed until mid next week, for the life of me I can't make decisions about whether or not I should do an additional internship at Wave Books (their site seems to be down at the moment - maybe they need ops help?), and if I'm lucky I'm maybe only half way done with my paper on Sherman Alexie's book of poems The Summer of Black Widows. I've been not letting myself do fun things, in order to get this paper done, but I'm not sure that strategy is really working. I'm just mostly crabby instead. Richie understands!!

Let's see ... since I didn't go for walksies today ... what's on my camera to share ...

Lucy's ready for classes to start again on January 30th! Go Lucy!

Posted by Juana at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Howdy!

The latest updates on Massachusetts Life:

--Last Friday, J and I went to Emily Dickinson's grave in Amherst, which is very near her old house which is now a museum (I hope to go there soon), and we read her poetry there and generally thought about death and eternity and stuff in the snow. Then we went to Lady Killigrew and had hot tea and a good pee and I bought a used reference book on poetry. Gotta stop reading poetry that rhymes. Here's pictures! (I'm still getting used to FlickR .. hopefully you'll find all the EM photos.)

--J and I went to Boston last Saturday. We drove to a suburban subway stop and headed into town, had a traditional Irish breakfast for lunch at an official Irish pub, roamed the streets, checked out famouse people dead in historic graveyards, saw massive amounts of cool paintings at the Boston Museum of Fine Art, and then had yummy Chinese food in Boston's Chinatown. There's tons left to see and do in Boston and we only had 1 day, but it was a fine introduction. Here's pictures!

--On Sunday, J and I went to Shelburne Falls and saw a super cute little town with an amazing falls on the Deerfield River. We shopped a bit, checked out the falls and the many potholes in the river, then had a yummy breakfast for brunch at the Bridge Street Cafe that everyone should go to. Then we went to North Adams to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as Mass MOCA. A very cool setting, and cool art too! J and I both liked the paintings on display from an art studio in Berlin ("Live After Death: New Leizpig Paintings from the Rubell Family Collection), and the Becoming Animal exhibit was a trip. Here's pictures! (I'm still getting used to FlickR .. hopefully you'll find all the Shelburne Falls photos.)

--This weekend there's another installment of Live Lit on Friday at Amherst Books, a Turners Falls Art and Icicles gallery/art weekend thingy, and a poetry reading (and other arty stuff) in a laundromat. It's the laundromat below me, and I get to read for 5 minutes along as will bunches of other folks, including my landlord and a fellow MFA-er at UMASS. I will report back on what it's like, should be fun.

--Oh, and it will probably snow at some point in the next 3-4 days. Wee!

Coming soon:

Cat Meditation (looking for recommendations on how to get videos from my camera small enough to post on the internets.)

Posted by Juana at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Juana at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I trecked to the nearest LL Bean store in West Lebanon, New Hampshire today. It was a beautiful sunny day - perfect for a Sunday drive. I scored a bunch of winter clothes loot, and then ordered some more online when I got home, since I then had a better idea of my sizes and there was a better selection on the internets. I got boots! a big down coat! gloves! warm socks! flannel-lined jeans! long underwear! a fleece jacket! Never fear - the warm Juan is here!

On my way back I stopped briefly in Brattleboro, Vermont to check out a bookstore there and grab some dinner. Most of the stores were closed up though and it was getting dark, so I need to go back sometime soon. (I had some decent enough Thai food there, but I miss Pen Thai in Bothell and Typhoon!) Brattleboro is only about a half hour away. The little states out here are so cute. I was in 3 states today!

Posted by Juana at 9:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It hasn't stopped raining for the last 24 hours. I heard the gutters talk in my sleep, and my dreams got weird enough at the end that I had to make sure water wasn't lapping into my apartment. So, I got up to check at 1 p.m. :-) Nope, the street I live on is still fine. But a quick check of NOAA shows some rivers close to me (but not too close) might be getting wills of their own -- Millers River, Ware River. It's about soggy freedom!

Highlights from the Montague police log, brought to you by The Montague Reporter:

"10/7 6:31 a.m. Caller reports large moose at the Thomas Memorial Golf Course. The moose left on its own."

The rest of the police log can be summarized with -- lots of people drive that shouldn't.

Posted by Juana at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A brief update ... this graph from NOAA shows that the Connecticut River at the point closest to me that is measured, does not appear to be projected to go above flood stage, unlike last weekend.

Lucy says hello! Tio Poopy keeps beating her up, poor girl.

This evening I will be going to Live Lit, at Amherst Books, to see my poetry compadres read their wares. According to the MFA programming page, "Since 1985, students have sponsored Live Lit, a reading series in which poets and fiction writers in the program have an opportunity to hear each other's work. Housed at Amherst Books in downtown Amherst, Live Lit offers camaraderie, literature, and beers for a buck."

There appears to be great emphasis in all of the announcements on the beers for a buck idea. Hmmm, wonder why... Hopefully, Jenny and Richie are ok with the pricing.

Posted by Juana at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Howdy! I don't know what kind of headlines the rains in the East are getting in the West media, but, lest you be concerned, current status where I am, is there is a flood watch, but it is not flooding here as of yet (in the graphic, Greenfield is the closest town to me.) That means we all have to keep our eyes peeled for too much water, and then watch it. There have been occasional moments of rain, but the rain has not been as steady as it was last Saturday, when about 9 inches came down in 24 hours. If weather drama happens, I'll be sure to post it! I get my digital camera tomorrow. Wee!

On the school front, I gave my presentation today on Li-Young Lee's poetry book Rose, and led class discussion, and it went pretty well, so no signs of flunking out yet. :-P

And here's your leaf update.

Posted by Juana at 1:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

These pictures are pretty close to where I live now (within 5 miles or so). I need to get busy and order a digital camera so I can show ya'll the leaves and the flooding round here. I saw something that looked like a refridgerator sized ivory soap fall down Turners Falls, and then break up into little bits. The power canal as of 4 p.m. looked like 2 more feet and she'd be overflowing. Some folks were evacuated in Greenfield, as a precaution, and I'm wondering if my normal commute to school will be washed out -- Rts. 47/63/116.

Oh, and leaf status: --Brought to you by, the stinky candle people!

Posted by Juana at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)