"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Saturday 26 March 2016

Weirder and weirder

Is there anyone out there who still doesn't believe in global warming / climate change?

https://www.enca.com/south-africa/vredendal-sets-hottest-global-temperature-october
Then, this weekend it is predicted that, like my home town, Grimsby, South Africa will get it's first snowfall of winter!  Three months early.  Have we ever had snow in March before????  I doubt it!

https://www.facebook.com/snowreportsa
24 March 10.54a.m.
Plus - we are currently experiencing our worst drought in over 100 years.

Add to the above all the blogs I follow who have commented that their most recent winter was abnormal and I rest my case...




"Later that night I held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?

it answered:

everywhere    
everywhere... 

...everywhere"

      ~   Warsan Shire





Happy Easter everyone.  If you're travelling, please drive safely, if you're at home, enjoy.

16 comments:

  1. The Mohave desert has had record heat the last few summers. Rainfall is either nonexistent or 5 inches all at once flooding everything. Lots of power outages due to high winds. The weather is unpredictable all over the earth. Be Safe.....

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    1. mohaverat - I fear t'is to late for Mother Earth... Or at least as far as humans on this beautiful planet is concerned.

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  2. Dani - we have had an abnormal winter too. but we also had an abnormal winter 3 yrs ago. some people claim it is due to el nino and el nina. i don't know. i just try to deal with the weather as it happens.

    i am not sure about global warming/global cooling or climate change. i am not a scientist, nor do i play one on tv, so i just try to live day by day but the future is always on and in my mind. i try to plan as best i can. and i try to love and be thankful for everything on the planet.

    i just read an article that the japanese were not supposed to whale fish this year - but they did - they caught 330 whales and 120 of them were pregnant females. apparently the fetuses are a delicacy.

    as you know, we try to eat seasonally. so during fishing season we eat a ton of trout, clams, lobster, crab, eel, mackeral and striped bass. but when fishing season is over - we eat our own home-grown beets, carrots, potatoes and onions.

    this world that we are living in right now is down-right scary. and so is the weather, the weather patterns, and the changing weather.

    the only thing i know to do is to go out every day and dance. in the sun, in the fog, in the snow, in the rain, in the sleet, in the hail...and under the moon.

    i wish to fix the earth. i don't know how to exactly. but i know that the earth is bigger and stronger than all of us combined...and maybe she has the flu or a cold. but i believe she can heal herself without any help from us. i just do my dances out of some form of vanity thinking i am helping the earth.

    the earth needs no help and she will put a stop to anything that she can't handle. that is my belief.

    that poem that you quoted broke my heart. because "everywhere" is hurting. but we can pray. we can all pray. and we can help the earth, our Mother, heal herself. i believe that with all of my heart.

    i am sending you and yours much love, as always! your friend,
    kymber

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    Replies
    1. Ah, kymber, my friend - if everyone you know could live as aware as you do, that would go a long way towards helping this planet.

      Yes, Earth, and Mother Nature, can certainly fix this planet. They don't need us humans bumbling our way through life, messing up everything we touch. I think that is exactly what they are trying to show us - but, do we care enough to realize, care, or even try and make a difference...? You do, but how many others do?

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  3. Apparently we only have a few more months of El Nino, so things should get back to normal, whatever that is. Yesterday the wind came up like a hurricane and blew over something, so our town was in the dark for most of Saturday night. The night sky and the absolute silence were wonderful. When it started raining, the feral kittens in my backyard snuck into the house and curled up on a chair.

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    Replies
    1. pqsa - Aww, how cute. Feral kittens becoming domesticated. You obviously treat them well... :)

      The wind was hectic - especially on Sunday afternoon, wasn't it!? The strongest we've known here, that's for sure.

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  4. I'm so sorry that the weather continues to challenge you. As you know, drought has been very severe in California--which happens to be where most of the vegetables we Americans eat are grown. A friend who is a commercial vegetable farmer here in Virginia told me about a meeting he went to recently with growers and representatives of a major grocery store chain. The grocery store folks are very worried about the situation and are assuming it's not a temporary thing. No doubt we're all going to go through some significant changes.

    We're coming out of a very mild winter here and into a hot and dry spring. Hopefully it is not the precursor to a scorching dry summer.

    Wishing you and yours a very happy Easter.

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    1. Bill - Thank you - I hope you and Cherie also had a Happy Easter.

      I fear that commercial farmers are going to have to learn new ways of growing food - perhaps in great sheds, and hydroponically? I fancy dabbling with a bit of alpaca poo (as nutrient) and hydroponics this coming spring. That will certainly reduce water consumption / demand, especially for plants like lettuce (which continually bolt, and tomatoes. Maybe I'll even try even a pumpkin?

      Let's see what happens...

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  5. Dani, what worries me most is that political leaders in the largest countries of the world still continue to deny climate change or accept it but do nothing and that Trump is on the cards is just plain scary.

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    Replies
    1. Kirsty - I was telling another blogging friend the other day that I SERIOUSLY fear for America if either Clinton or Trump are the next president. Neither are good news, especially as far as making allowance for climate change / global are concerned.

      You're right, the elected leaders HAVE to lead the way, but they are so scared of not getting enough votes that they continue willy-nilly on the sidelines of the most important decision that any of them will ever face. So, it's up to us, their electorate, to (forcefully) guide them, I reckon.

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  6. torrential rain here again. storms coming tomorrow. more rain. more flooding? I hope for you that the snow does not come

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    1. Sol - Snow came! We've never had snow in March before...! Not as far as I know.

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  7. Same here. Last December the most rain ever to fall in one day since records began and our town, and much of the county, devastated by a "100 year flood" . . . only we had one of those in 2009, so another is just a kick in the teeth.

    Hardly any snow this winter, maybe frost 2 or 3 times, it's not right :-{

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    1. Jayne - You're not the only one. MDR is also writing about having absolutely no snow this winter. And in previous years they have been snowbound before.

      How is Storm Katie treating you...?

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  8. Dani--I cannot fathom that there are still doubters out there, but there are. I come across these folks all the time and I'm FLOORED by their ....ignorance (?). Of course, these are the same ones that scoff at organic food and just about everything else. It's all just an elaborate hoax, ya know. Yea. Kepp telling yourself that. I see it in my garden daily. No snow anymore in November or Deccember--when we used to get tons. No, now it waits until April to snow and snow and snow. Ridiculous.
    Anyways-keep shouting it from the rooftops!
    Have a good weekend

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    Replies
    1. Sue - I'm reading abut the lack of winter on too many northern hemisphere blogs. Yeah, anyone who still denies climate change/ global warming isn't happening has their head in the sand - much like our President, but he's another story all together...

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.