Knights of Columbus, that's COLD!

My apologies to Ron Burgundy for ripping off his schtick from 'Anchorman' but WOW, was it cold this morning. Tyler was asking about going skiing, but as I hauled the trash out to the curb this am, the porch thermometer read -24 F. YIKES! Sorry buddy -- inside games today. It was cold like that yesterday, too, and no signs of relief until Friday. This is a forecast even Brick Tamland could nail.

So, I think this week is showing us a little bit of the other edge of the sword with encouraging Ally & Ty to be so outdoor focused. They are not cool with being stuck inside. Considering that they spent Saturday building snowmen, it seems hard to believe, but three days later I'm clearly seeing early warning signs of cabin fever. There was absolute bedlam at the delivery of "pull ups" diapers earlier today, and thrills at the prospect of getting to go grocery shopping. Just happy to get out of the house, I guess. The weekend looks much warmer -- we should be able to get out to the mountains again on Saturday.

Speaking of the cold weather, it's been a pretty odd couple of weeks in the news from the global warming front. We've been trying to explain environmental stewardship to the kids, and why we changed some lightbulbs and need to be diligent about recycling, etc. And while I fully understand that they are only three, and probably can't comprehend the full extent of what I am saying, I think they are getting the basic concept. Which, as it turns out, is more than can be said for the hero of the cause whom we've now learned uses something like 25x the amount of energy of the average American. How can Gore justify this? I've never been a big fan, but I was willing to follow for the greater good. He needs to start walking the walk... Ally and Ty may not comprehend the whole thing, but they could tell you very easily that he needs a timeout for not listening.

On top of that, there are a bunch of new reports coming out like this one which suggest that the problem may not be all about our lifestyle, but simply nature. That's a vast oversimplification on my part, but it is an interesting article.

My mom always suggested 'all things in moderation', and I suspect that is pretty good advice in this debate. I'd like to think that we are not doomed to a life of oceanfront property in northern VT, but I'm also quite sure that those who suggest this is all bogus science have another agenda in mind. I'm guessing the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and regardless of what you believe, who can argue with seeking cleaner, cheaper and more economical fuels? Global warming or not, isn't a less polluted world a good thing for all of us? We're trying our best to get 'greener'... I think it's a noble pursuit either way.

In the interest of keeping this thread fun, here are a couple of articles discussing the lighter side of global warming. Probably not suitable in helping the kids understand the concept, but some good fun nonetheless...

Global warming and the world's oldest profession...

And some activities are still safe for the environment...

Enjoy!