Dr. Phil's Dreamwidth Journal

May the First -- May Day
May the Fourth -- Star Wars Day (May The Fourth Be With You)
May the Fifth -- Cinco de Mayo (May The Fifth)
May the Sixth -- the Anniversary Of The Year Without Summer
May the Eighth -- V-E Day (7 May in Commonwealth, 9 May in former Soviet Union)

May the Sixth is our very own commemoration. May the Sixth was first celebrated in 2014 (DW) (LJ).

It was Monday 6 May 2013 that a wound specialist with Spectrum Home Nursing took one look at my foot and said, "You're going to the ER." I couldn't even get up off the floor, I'd gotten so sick and weak, and the Allendale Fire Department came, put me on a canvas sheet and pulled me through the house, into the garage and onto the gurney from Life Ambulance. I wouldn't be released to go home until 19 October 2013 -- 5½ months later.

Much like Saturday's expedition (DW) (LJ), we decided to avoid Holland and Tulip time. So this year we went out to porto bello in Grand Haven, which we probably haven't been to in at least ten years, maybe longer. I'd forgotten how complicated the small parking lot was, given what street entrances you could get in or out of. (grin) Like I said, it'd been a long time. But, we had a lovely meal:

Calamari
Tender Calamari rings, flash fried, served with marinara

Dr. Phil:
Henry Weinhard's Bottled Root Beer
Fettuccini Alfredo
Fettuccine smothered in rich Parmeasan cheese and cream
With Pesto

Mrs. Dr. Phil:
Seared Tuna
Ahi Tuna steak, pan seared with pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, served on linguini
Recommended served medium rare
Pascual Toso Malbec
Agentine, clean and fruitful with a rich and long finish including accents of vanilla & oak

Entrees come with:
House salad (upgraded to Caesar) and bread

The calimari were light and delightful. Not sure what they were breaded in, or what oil was used. Our fingers ended up lightly oiled, but it wasn't heavy. And they'd come out hot, so I guess they didn't or couldn't drain them any more. We'd forgotten that they'd bring the salads out in a big tulip bowl and plates as a Caesar salad for two. The bread, however, was forgotten until the end -- we used it clean out the dinner plates (grin)

There was a time when I ordered Fettuccini Alfredo a lot, until I finally decided -- 15 or 20 years ago -- that I just didn't need anything that heavy anymore of butter and cream. But I saw some somewhere recently, might have been something that Momcat had at Perredies in Holland, and thought I'd have it once. And adding the Pesto was a really nice transformation from a straight, heavy Alfredo. Very much enjoyed it. Will wait another ten years before I do it again. (big-fat-grin)


Two years since the start of The Year Without A Summer. Of course, last year I had something of a relapse, but we're trying very hard to keep 2015 from being the third year with any hospitalization. So a toast! (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)


I didn't bring one of the Nikons, and I hadn't tried a self-portrait with Wendy's Canon A550. For being unable to aim and strongly backlit, not too horrible. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)


A silly shot together. Hey, it's a celebration! (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

After dinner, we decided to wander along Lakeshore to M-45. It was around 7pm now and the sun was coming down. Very hazy afternoon, temps around 80°F. Along Grand Haven Beach, the flat water, boats, sun and sand begged to be photographed. Mrs. Dr. Phil decided she needed some sand to walk barefoot in.

This is Gus. Gus REALLY wanted to play in the water. Gus's mistress didn't want to deal with a wet dog. Gus stayed on dry land. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)


Now, of course, I'm wishing I HAD brought a Nikon. The exposure and the little consumer point-and-shoot are working overtime here to show any blue sky. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)


Last three shots with camera held out the window so I wasn't shooting through the windshield. It wasn't completely the camera -- where sky and lake met was very hard to see. The distant person in the middle is Mrs. Dr. Phil dipping her toes in Lake Michigan. Report: sand lovely and warm, water COLD. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)


And Mrs. Dr. Phil returning from her little adventure. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

I suppose we'll have to do something to celebrate Freedom From The Year Without A Summer Day come October -- May the Sixth next year. (grin) Ah, traditions...

Dr. Phil

Posted on Dreamwidth
Crossposted on LiveJournal

Oil Is Black, So Oil Humor Is Black Humor... Right?

From scientist Sarah Goslee's blog:

I’d like to write something about the oil spill: the greed and neglect of safety regulations and common sense that led to the explosion, the lack of contingency planning, the destruction of the ecology of an entire region, the tremendous potential long-term effects, the complete lack of viable and immediate alternative to oil.

But I can’t. So instead, you get kittens. I don’t mean to make light of anything involved in the oil spill, but sometimes black humor is all there is.

The BP Oil Spill Re-Enacted By Cats In 1 Minute (Parts I and II)





I fear that with just a slight change in the audio track, I could make this do for the Kalamazoo River oil spill. (sigh)

Dr. Phil

A Sad, Sad Picture

Imagine this: Thick black crude oil sitting atop the water. Oily ripples lapping at the shores. Trees overhanging the waters with blackened leaves and branches where the wind can push them into the water. Geese and other waterfowl covered in black from beak to webbed feet. The stench of crude oil sweeping inland on the breeze. Government officials talking about how short term benzene exposure "isn't too bad".

Imagine this? Don't have to. It's reality.

Day 100 of the BP oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico? No. Day 4 of the Michigan Oilpocalypse.

Who Knew?

While there actually is oil drilling in West Michigan, it's a pretty small industry. However, it turns out that there are crude oil pipelines all through the Midwest and therein lies the problem.

A 30-inch pipe in the Lakehead pipe system run by Enbridge of Calgary AB, which carries eight million gallons of crude oil a day from Griffith IN to Sarnia ON, ruptured and spilled over 20,000 barrels of crude -- some 840,000 gallons or about 10% of a day's worth of transport -- into the Talmadge Creek in Marshall MI. That oil is already in the Kalamazoo River, past Battle Creek, and heading towards Lake Michigan. Another report states there is oil in the Battle Creek River now, too. Yet another report suggested yesterday that there was oil spotted in Plainwell MI, where US-131 bridges the Kalamazoo River, miles further downstream than Morrow Lake which is where Enbridge plans to make their stand.

Governor Granholm flew over the river system in a helicopter yesterday and wants the EPA people to do the same. She is claiming that what she saw doesn't gibe with the claims from Enbridge. Hmm, sound familiar? Complicating all this has been the heavy rains of the past week or two, and more rain coming today. A number of West Michigan rivers have flooded and some dams have had to release extra water, adding to the flooding.



So far, a report I read said that 14,000 of the 40,000 feet of oil boom have been deployed, and there are vacuum trucks slurping up oil off the surface. And teams rescuing birds and turtles.

Gah.

Not More...

So far this year we've had Lake Michigan threatened with the Asian big head carp coming out of the Mississippi river system where it is connected by locks in the Chicago area. One set of electric wires is all that is keeping the invasive species out some days, but no one in charge wants to close the damned locks and save the hard won Lake Michigan sport fisheries.

Now we can add to the oil spill a report of three horses which have come down with equine encephalitis. So in addition to gushes of crude oil and giant aggressive fish, we have to get all paranoid about dying from mosquito bites.

I guess we've been too lucky avoiding the problems of other areas and now it's our turn. Sigh.

Dr. Phil