Snowfall from Winter Storm of Feb. 5, 2010

Front yard from office
Originally uploaded by hikerdee

Same view phtographed after Feb 5 snowstorm. There was a lot more wet snow and then it drifted with the help of higher speed winds.

The backyard from kitchen window
Our daughter's tree droops under the weight of the snow.
Thanks to husband and a neighbor our driveway is clear to the street which is plowed by the township.
Five weeks and 3 days until Spring

Step by Step: A Pedestrian Memoir by Lawrence Block


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Three stars from me means I enjoyed the book, but I don't know to whom I would recommend it,which is how it might earn its fourth star. My friends and family don't have much interest in my own tales of training and race day stories.

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Hiking Big Bend National Park, 2nd by Laurence Parent


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Yes, it gets 5 stars because I will recommend it to others and I'm likely to use it again for hikes on future vacations. This book has been on the recommended reading list in most other books for Big Bend National Park.

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Newest pharmacy staff member

This is the newest addition to the staff of the corporate pharmacy where my husband works. This robot replaces the Baker Cell Counting system. 120 drugs are stored in it until a scanned prescription has been checked by a human. The human uses the computer system to cue the robot to count, place in a vial and label. Up to three labeled vials, at a time, are ready for the human staff to check, scan, place in the bag ready to sell it to the customer.




What the robot does not do is ease the stressful aspects of pharmacy work these days. Some things this robot cannot do:
explain why the doctor's office staff has not yet phoned or transmitted your prescription information;
explain why your co-pay is so high;
explain why your insurance company will no longer pay for a drug it paid for last month;
explain why it can't answer the drive-up window while human staff is occupied on the telephone or with in-store customers;
and explain why the federal government won't make those things any better.

Enjoying Big Bend National Park: A Friendly Guide to Adventures for Everyone by Gary Clark


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book does what is says it will do, guide you to friendly adventures for everyone. It will be especially useful for families who want to introduce their children to the park while they are planning the trip. Middle-readers may be able to read this for themselves, with the help of parents for the place names.
This book provides a chapter for activities for those physically fit and for those with disabilities.
This book has a good index for those who look for specific information; but, I recommend it be read in its entirety.
Eleven books are mentioned in its recommended reading for those who want more information than this short book provides.

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Yosemite and the Range of Light by Ansel Adams


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
28 pages of text and many photographs to enjoy year after year.
"The function of this book is to present visual evidence of memories and mysteries at a personal level of experience."

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The Housing Boom and Bust by Thomas Sowell


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
"Many in politics have acted as if predatory lenders are what caused the housing crisis-a view especially common among those who themselves had a major role in bringing the crisis."

"While some Congressional Democrats have proposed a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures or allowing judges to change the terms of mortgage contracts, Senate Republicans have proposed 'providing government-backed, 4% fixed mortgages to any credit-worthy borrower.' What these proposals from politicians of both parties all have in common is an utter absense of any serious consideration of the repercussions in multiple directions of arbitrary government fiats."

These are just two of the many statements made by Sowell that made me swear in frustration with the rhetoric and choices made by politicians of both parties in the last 20-30 years. How can I recommend a book by saying, "It is a good book, but it will just piss you off anger you.

The thing that scares me is that politicians can replace the phrase "affordable housing" with "affordable healthcare" in any of their rhetoric and still not doubt their proposed policies may cause more harm than good.

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