planets living on the edge

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the nasty effects of living near a group of massive stars: radiation and winds from the massive stars (white spot in center) are blasting planet-making material away from stars like our sun. The planetary material can be seen as comet-like tails behind three stars near the center of the picture. The tails are pointing away from the massive stellar furnaces that are blowing them outward.

The picture is the best example yet of multiple sun-like stars being stripped of their planet-making dust by massive stars.

The sun-like stars are about two to three million years old, an age when planets are thought to be growing out of surrounding disks of dust and gas. Astronomers say the dust being blown from the stars is from their outer disks. This means that any Earth-like planets forming around the sun-like stars would be safe, while outer planets like Uranus might be nothing more than dust in the wind.

This image shows a portion of the W5 star-forming region, located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is a composite of infrared data from Spitzer's infrared array camera and multiband imaging photometer. Light with a wavelength of 3.5 microns is blue, while light from the dust of 24 microns is orange-red.

Information for this post provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

Some stars have it tough when it comes to raising planets. A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows one unlucky bunch of stars, born into a dangerous neighborhood. The stars themselves are safe, but the material surrounding them -- the dusty bits of what might have been future planets -- can be seen blowing off into space.

The hazard in this particular nook of space is a group of behemoth stars. Radiation and winds from the massive stars are wiping smaller, sun-like stars clean of their planet-making material.

Many stars and planets do grow up and survive the harsh environments of massive stars. Some astronomers say our middle-aged sun, though now sitting in a tranquil patch of space, once resided in a raucous, massive star-forming cloud. Over time, stars in these turbulent regions disperse and spread out, spending their later years in relative solitude.

The new Spitzer observations illustrate just how nasty these massive star-forming regions can be. It shows a portion of an active star-forming nebula called W5, located about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. Radiation and winds from a hub of four stars, each about 20 times as massive as our sun, are stripping the planet-forming material right off of three young, sun-like stars about one light-year away.

The sun-like stars are about two to three million years old -- the age when stars are thought to begin forming planets out of disks of gas and dust that swirl around them. The dust from these disks is visible in the Spitzer image as comet-like tails pointing away from the destructive massive stars.

For more information about Spitzer, visit http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer and http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer. More information about extrasolar planets and NASA's planet-finding program is at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov.
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Song 525: Shining Star
Artist: Earth, Wind and Fire
Album: That's The Way Of The World
Year: 1975
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Yeah, hey
When you wish upon a star
Dreams will take you very far, yeah
When you wish upon a dream
Life aint always what it seems, oh yeah
Once you see your light so clear
In the sky so very dear

Youre a shinig star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be
That you can truly be

Shining star come into view
Shine is watchful light on you, yeah
Gives you strength to carry on
Make your body big and strong
Future roads for you to pass
Love to watch your mug past

The shining star, lucky you
The sinful redeeming shall be true
On an adventure of the sun, yeah
Yeah its all awake and just begun
Yeah, thought I had to stir the mood
Thats it now I got my own oh yeah

So if you find yourself in need
Why dont you listen to his words of heat
Be a child free of sin
Be some place, yes I can
Words of wisdom: yes I can

Youre a shinig star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be
Youre a shinig star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be

Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be
Shining star for you to see, what your life can truly be

the cup

Today's photo assignment... hot cups. The capacitor on one of my studio lights blew Friday so today's shoot was improvised. I turned our workroom into a studio for the hot cup shoot and then journeyed across campus to the café for the on-location shots.
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Song 524: Saturday Night Special
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Album: Second Helping
Year: 1975
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itouch

The girls were home from college for the weekend. This afternoon [b]iomedical daughter and [f]ine arts daughter took turns playing guitar hero and dance dance revolution on the iTouch. Run out of battery power. No problem. Plug it into the wall receptacle and keep playing. It's great when the girls are home even for a day or two. I miss them being around full-time. Molli enjoys having them around too. When they're home, Molli spending almost all her time hanging with them. She's not very good at DDR but she does have some cool moves.
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Song 523: Sara Smile
Artist: Hall and Oates
Album: Daryl Hall and John Oates
Year: 1975
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Baby hair with a woman's eyes
I can feel you're watching in the night
All alone with me and we're waiting for the sunlight
When I feel cold, you warm me
And when I feel I can't go on, you come and hold me
It's you... And me forever

Sara Smile
Won't you smile a while for me
Sara

If you feel like leaving you know you can go
But why don't you stay until tomorrow?
If you want to be free, you know, all you got to do is say so
And when you feel cold, I'll warm you
And when you feel you can't go on, I'll come and hold you
It's you... And me forever

Sara Smile
Won't you smile a while for me

lost lake

Lost Lake near Russellville, Alabama

A few fossils from today's dig. The background for this photo is a sea floor plate from Lost Lake. From left to right: the first two are Archimedes, then a crinoid stem, two horn corals, and a cluster of three blastoids.

One of my best finds of the day was this huge block of coral.

My wife and I were invited to join the Birmingham Paleontological Society for a day of fossil collecting along the banks of Lost Lake. Although the temperature was around 35 to 38 degrees, we had a fantastic time. We found many very nice fossils dating around 325 million years old. There were about 25 dig participants, ranging in age from about 10 to 70 and we all found an abundance of fossils. We visited two locations. The second location was my favorite. Blastoids are among my favorite fossils and the second location had a number of blastoids. All the fossils along the banks of Lost Lake are invertebrate marine fossils.
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Song 522: Sailing
Artist: Rod Stewart
Album: Atlantic Crossing
Year: 1975
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I am sailing, I am sailing,
Home again cross the sea.
I am sailing, stormy waters,
To be near you, to be free.

I am flying, I am flying,
Like a bird cross the sky.
I am flying, passing high clouds,
To be with you, to be free.

Can you hear me, can you hear me
Thro the dark night, far away,
I am dying, forever trying,
To be with you, who can say.

Can you hear me, can you hear me,
Thro the dark night far away.
I am dying, forever trying,
To be with you, who can say.

We are sailing, we are sailing,
Home again cross the sea.
We are sailing stormy waters,
To be near you, to be free.

Oh lord, to be near you, to be free.
Oh lord, to be near you, to be free,
Oh lord.

post-racial

Long, long time ago, I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base at 2:00 in the morning, reporting for basic training. I stepped off the bus with my suitcase in hand. I joined the ranks of dozens of other young men, stepping off buses with suitcases in hand. You could tell from the way we were dressed and the various colors of our skin that we were from varying cultures and backgrounds. The TI [training instructor] screamed at us that morning. He yelled at us nose to nose as loud as he could. He got our attention. When he said stand at attention, we stood at attention. When he asked us a question, we answered, loudly, always followed by "yes sir" or "no sir". I learned a great deal about insight and understanding that morning. Our TI told us a lot of things that morning, but the words that have stuck with me for 35+ years are these. "Starting this morning, right here, right now, you are not black, you are not white, you are not red, you are not brown, you are green. I am green. You are green. We are all green. You will learn to depend on the man standing next to you. He will learn to depend on you." That was a defining moment in my life. Words are powerful. They make a difference. Those words that morning made me think, and they still make me think.

I grew up in a part of the country that was not very integrated. I lived in a bubble. I went to elementary school in the late fifties and early sixties. Every other kid I saw in that school looked just like me. I remember the first day of desegregation. I was in high school. I rode a bus across county to school. I caught the bus at the end of my driveway at 6:00 in the morning. I got to school at 8:15. I remember the words. All the mean words that were said before that first day of desegregation. I don't mind telling you that I was frightened. I didn't know what to expect. But you know what? That day [and all the remaining days in high school] went smoothly. The new kids who boarded that bus and attended the same classes as I did were just like me too. The only difference that I saw was the color of their skin.

I've learned a lot over the past half century. Inequality is wrong. Indifference is wrong. I am hopeful that President Obama will be the catalyst that finally bonds our nation together. What matters is that we care about one another. That we help one another. Protect one another. Respect one another. Encourage one another. For years I have heard the words America and Black America, as if we are two countries. We are one. I am hopeful that President Obama will be the catalyst that blends our country together. It has been said that America is a melting pot. I believe that we are more like a salad bowl. America is the bowl that holds us all together, but we are all individuals. And that's good. Variety is the spice of life. A salad of all lettuce, or all tomatoes, or all carrots is not nearly as good as a blend of all those parts. I am of Cherokee, Irish and German ancestry. But I am an American. Our different cultural aspects are what sets us apart, makes us unique, makes us interesting. We may have African heritage. Or Mexican. Or Asian. Or European. Or Native American. And because we have different cultural aspects, we have our cultural traditions and beliefs and ties to the world.

I pray that this time in our history as a nation [a nation of turbulent past] is a post-racial time. Let us see past our differences and focus on our character and qualities. I work for a company that is truly international and it is such a great experience to see people from all different cultures and backgrounds working together, solving problems, setting goals, looking forward to a bright future.

clean fresh snow

For about an hour this morning clean, fresh snow fell on our city. That's just about all we can hope for. A little flurry of snow and then it melts away. By noon all the snow was gone. But that little bit of snow gave me cause to reflect on the events of the day. I grabbed my camera and walked in the snow for a while.. thinking about how fresh it made everything feel. The air smelled fresh. The fluffy, bright, white snow covered all the brown, fallen leaves and all the cracks in the walkways... all the imperfections of the earth... all the holes and bumps along the way... it added an element of beauty to the shrubs and red berries... to the rocks beside the waterfall.

That's what America has right now. We have a clean, fresh snow covering our land. He's our new President. We need to pray for President Obama and the huge task he has ahead of him. I believe President Bush had the best interest of our country at heart. He made some mistakes along the way, but he wasn't by himself. It takes more than one man to chart the course of a country. It's time now for a change. It's time to give our fresh, new leader an opportunity to pull us together... to lead our nation as we rekindle the fires of brotherhood, oneness and community... to forge ahead and help America gain the respect of the world. I can already feel a change washing over our nation. Another great president once said "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." It's time we pulled those words out of retirement and put them to task.
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Song 521: Robots For Ronnie
Artist: Crack the Sky
Album: Crack the Sky
Year: 1975
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broken bulb

Broken bulb by [f]ine arts daughter

Broken bulb by argon [one]

Three bulbs blew in one light fixture today. Three successfully replaced bulbs and then it happened. I dropped one of the blown bulbs. It hit the corner of the coffee table and broke into dozens of little shards of glass. Before I could clean it up, [f]ine arts daughter said... Wait, save the biggest pieces. How often do you get an opportunity to take pictures of a broken light bulb? So she and I both took pictures of the bulb and some old, old blue bottles from my wife's collection.
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Song 520: Rhiannon
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Album: Fleetwood Mac
Year: 1975
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Rhiannon rings like a bell throu the night
And wouldnt you love to love her
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover

All your life youve never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win

She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless

All your life youve never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win
Will you ever win

Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon

wittle babie

Molli is such a great dog. She loves to be cuddled like a little baby. She also loves socks. Earlier today she carried one of [f]ine art daughter's socks into the den and gently laid it on the carpet. I took the sock back and when I got to the bedroom there were five more socks neatly laid out in a row on the floor. She doesn't chew the socks. She just carries them around and organizes them. The same with shoes. Okay... I have lost a shoelace or two but I think we have her pretty much trained not to chew on shoelaces now. And she loves taking a bath. Even more than that, she loves taking a shower. I think she feels pretty when gets all dry and brushed.
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Song 519: Monday Morning
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Album: Fleetwood Mac
Year: 1975
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Monday morning you look so fine
Friday I got travelin on my mind
First you love me, then you fade away
I cant go on believin this way
I got nothing but love for you
So tell me what you really wanna do
First you love me then you get on down the line
But I dont mind.
I dontt mind
Ill be there if you want me to
No one else that could ever do
Got to get some peace in my mind.

Monday morning you look so fine
Friday I got travelin on my mind
First you love me then you say its wrong
I cant go on believing for long
But you know its true
You only want me when I get over you
First you love me then you get on down the line
But I dont mind
I dont mind
Ill be there if you want me to
No one else that could ever do
Got to get some peace in my mind

the falls on ice

As I left for work this morning the thermometer on our back porch read 0 degrees F. Just before I took the above pictures in the courtyard at work, the weather widget on my Mac read 12 degrees F. What a nice, cold day this has been. I rather enjoyed it. [B]iomedical daughter had dinner plans this evening, but [t]ae kwon mom, [f]ine art daughter and I enjoyed a frosty evening out. I am looking forward to spring though.
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Song 518: Merry Go Round
Artist: James Gang
Album: Newborn
Year: 1975
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phone surgery

Pat me on the back! Add phone surgeon to my list of skills. Okay... several weeks ago I leaned against a table in my poster workroom and I heard a crack. The glass covering the display had a small crack in it. I figured it wasn't bad... I could live with it. Weeks passed and over time dust worked it's way under the glass through the crack. It got so covered in dust that I couldn't read the display. I just flipped the phone open when I needed to read anything. Well... one day this week I reached into my pocket to retrieve my phone and instead I pulled my finger out with a little sliver of glass attached to it. Ouch! I decided then that it was time to perform a little bit of surgery. I got some tweezers and pulled the remainder of the glass from the display. Then I stretched a piece of clear packing tape over the display, smoothed it down, trimmed it a little and there you have it. It's not perfect. It's not a new phone. And it's not $150 or more out of pocket to get a new one. I can live with this until it's time to replace the whole thing.
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Song 517: Man On The Silver Mountain
Artist: Richie Blackmore's Rainbow
Album: Richie Blackmore's Rainbow
Year: 1975
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Im a wheel, Im a wheel
I can roll, I can feel
And you cant stop me turning
cause Im the sun, Im the sun
I can move, I can run
But youll never stop me burning

Come down with fire
Lift my spirit higher
Someones screaming my name
Come and make me holy again
Im the man on the silver mountain
Im the man on the silver mountain

Im the day, Im the day
I can show you the way
And look Im right beside you
Im the night, Im the night
Im the dark and the light
With eyes that see inside you

Just look at me and listen
Im the man, the man, give you my hand
Come down with fire
Lift my spirit higher
Im the man on the silver mountain
Im the man on the silver mountain
Im the night the light
The black and the white
The man on the silver mountain

train theory

Spring semester starts this week. I had to drive over to campus to take care of a couple of details before [f]ine arts daughter and [b]iomedical daughter move back into the dorm. There were so many cars on campus that I decided to park south of the railroad tracks and walk onto campus. A train was passing by and I got to stand about ten feet away from it as it rushed on its way. While I'm standing there waiting on it to pass, the thought occurred to me... this train is like my two daughters. I'm standing here watching as they pass by. That's the picture above... the train passing by. I'm watching. I can read the writing on the cars. I see how far it's gone and how much is left to cross in front of me.

As I stand watching this train I focus straight ahead. The train is moving by so fast I can barely see it. It's a blur. Once your children finish high school and head off to college [whether they go close to home or far away] their lives are a blur passing by. I used to know most of their friends, all their activities. They were home for dinner and conversation. But now... now... their lives are their own. [T]ae kwon mom and I are invited in often, but it's not the same. I see the train passing by, but it's a blur.

And then the train is passed and I'm standing on the tracks watching it disappear into the distance. And as I stand there on the tracks I wonder where my daughters are headed. Where will they live, who will they marry, what will they do with their lives? Where ever their trains lead, they know that their mother and I will be there for them, waiting for the train to stop for a brief moment once in a while.
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Song 516: My Little Town
Artist: Paul Simon
Album: Still Crazy After All These Years
Year: 1975
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In my little town
I grew up believing
God keeps His eye on us all
And He used to lean upon me
As I pledged allegiance to the wall
Lord I recall
My little town

Coming home after school
Flying my bike past the gates
Of the factories
My mom doing the laundry
Hanging our shirts
In the dirty breeze

And after it rains
There's a rainbow
And all of the colors are black
It's not that the colors aren't there
It's just imagination they lack
Everything's the same
Back in my little town

Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town

In my little town
I never meant nothin'
I was just my fathers son
Saving my money
Dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger
On the trigger of a gun
Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town

digital camera

Check out this video from Dressing4Successing, a group of college students in town, and friends of [b]iomedical daughter. After you view the video, visit YouTube and rate it.
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Song 515: Low Rider
Artist: War
Album: Why Can't We Be Friends
Year: 1975
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All my friends know the low rider
The low rider is a little higher
Low rider drives a little slower
Low rider is a real goer
Low rider knows every street yeah!
Low rider is the one to meet yeah!
Low rider don't use no gas now
Low rider don't drive to fast
Take a little trip
Take a little trip
Take a little trip and see
Take a little trip
Take a little trip
Take a little trip with me

blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy... because the time is near

We were captivated by the dramatic presentation of the Book of Revelation at our church tonight. Marquis Laughlin recited the last book of the Bible from memory. It was totally incredible. His voice was so commanding and the presentation was accompanied with music and dramatic sound and lighting effects. Revelation is the most complex and most difficult book for me to understand... or comprehend. It's full of symbolism and prophecy for the future of man and God. There are three themes woven into the fabric of Revelation: God is in control; Jesus will return; and salvation is for all who will receive it.

Revelation 1: 8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
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Song 514: Tale of the Dragon's Defeat
Artist: Wavorly
Album: Conquering the Fear of Flight
Year: 007
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A letter with no address
Burning a hole with words
Writ’ in frantic distress
Storming my way through night
Gaze set on the light
Worry gripping my chest
Oh, God, no not my love!
She’s no match for his tricks
The games he plays
Stay with me as I ride

Your words may have swayed her before
But I’ll fight to help her ignore
Every word that you say
That masks your intent to betray

In this letter I hold from true beauty untold
Sealed and coated with fear
Love, he’s here for my soul, come You’re my only Hope
I will save you, my dear
Oh, Father, my task I may dread
But as ransom, take me instead
Take heart now, my Son
Fear not for the dragon will not overcome

Your words may have swayed her before
But I died so she could have more
The Life that she now finds in Me
Is the tale of the dragon’s defeat

trail curiosities

This looks like a flower but it is not. It's a lichen, which is only about two inches in diameter, and it has very fine hair-like projections all over it.

I just barely touched this pod with the tip of a stick and it burst open, revealing hundreds of half-inch-long fibers.

Birch bark has always been a curiosity to me. We have a river birch cluster in our backyard. I remember both my daughters using some of the shed bark from those trees to make miniature canoes and tee pees for Native American displays at school.
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Song 513: Listen To Want The Man Said
Artist: Paul McCartney
Album: Venus and Mars
Year: 1975
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Any time, any day
You can hear the people say,
But he wont mind, well, I dont know
But I say love is kind
Soldier boy kisses girl
Leaves behind a tragic world
But he wont mind, hes in love
And he says love is fine

Oh -- yes, indeed we know
That people will find a way to go
No matter what the man said
And love is fine for all we know
For all we know, our love will grow
-- thats what the man said
So wont you listen to what the man said

He said . . . . .

Oh -- yes, indeed we know
That people will find a way to go . . .

Oh -- yes, indeed we know
That people will find a way to go . . .
Etc. etc.

The wonder of it all baby . . . . .
The wonder of it all baby . . . . .
The wonder of it all baby . . . . .

visitor from the south

Molli by Sebastian

A great friend and fellow blogger, Sebastian [The Crow's Nest] came by for a visit this past weekend. It was a rather messy weekend so we didn't do our usual digital field trip. Instead we talked a lot, played on the wii and watched movies [Eagle Eye and Dan In Real Life]. I always enjoy it when Sebe comes in for a visit. Last time he and his mom were here we went to Barnes and Noble. That's where we found Molli. She's been part of our family for a month and a half now. She moves so fast and has so much energy, I'm amazed Sebe was able to capture the above image so nicely.
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Song 512: Letting Go
Artist: Paul McCartney
Album: Venus and Mars
Year: 1975
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Ah, She Tastes Like Wine
Such A Human Being So Divine
Oh She Feels Like Sun
Mother Nature Look At What You're Done

Oh I Feel Like Letting Go
Oh I Feel Like Letting Go.

Ah, She Looks Like Snow
I Want To Put Her In A Broadway Show
Ah She'll Dance And Dine
Like A Lucifer She'll Always Shine

Oh I Feel Like Letting Go
Oh I Feel Like Letting Go.

Oh I Feel Like Letting Go.

Ah, She Sings It So
I Want To Put Her On The Radio
One Day And There You Are
Ladies And Gentleman -
A Brand New Star.

Oh I Feel Like Letting Go
Oh I Feel Like Letting Go.

i love dirt!

I found this little book the other day and just had to buy it. It's called i love dirt! 52 activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature by Jennifer Ward. The book is divided into spring, summer, fall and winter activities that you and your child, or you and your students, or you and your grandkids... can do together outdoors. To give you an idea of what the book is like, here's just one of the activiites:

43: Snow Me Some Fun

Snow days are the perfect time to bundle up and get outdoors for some fresh air and chilly, silly fun. Layer and bundle your kids and then propose these activities.

Build an obstacle course in the snow. Use the snow to build low walls, create tunnels, form arches, create pathways, and sculpt low landmarks or poles. Once your icy architecture is in place, have a race, encouraging your kids to jump, slide, glide, run, or hop to the bet of their abilities over, under, around and through the obstacles created in the snow. Use a stopwatch to gauge the time it takes each child to maneuver around the course.

Here are some variations of chilly, silly snow games:

• Build a ramp or small hill with snow and explore what materials slide more easily than others. Do plastic items slide more easily than those made of fabric? What type of surface moves more easily on snow? Will some natural objects slip and slide on the snow? Experiment.

• Play freeze tag.

• Have a contest to see who can jump the farthest in the snow.

• Have a contest to see who can make the most snowballs in three minutes.

• Have a contest to see who can make the biggest snowball.

Q Why does snow stick together?

A Not all snow sticks together. If it's too cold - below 28 degrees with the ground also below freezing - the snow may be too powdery and probably won't stick. But water is cohesive, meaning water sticks to water [and other surfaces]. If the temperature is near freezing with the ground temperature above freezing, snow may be warm enough to build with because it will be wet and it will stick.

If you need to buy this book, here's the information
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Title: i love dirt!
Author: Jennifer Ward
Year: 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59030-535-5
Publisher: Trumpeter, Boston, MA
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Song 511: I'll Give You Money
Artist: Peter Frampton
Album: Frampton
Year: 1975
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molli's first visit to the park

Today was such a nice day, [t]ae kwon mom and I decided to take molli for a stroll through the park, and she did so good. This was her first time to visit the park. This was actually her first time to go anywhere away from home, other than to the vet and the pet store. She's been part of our family five weeks today. I think she's doing great. She learns well. Obeys nicely... most of the time. Walks proudly. She's gentle and listens well. We have a bit of work to do as far as training, but she's teachable. It will be interesting to see how far she has progressed a year from now.

After we returned home, [b]iomedical daughter, [t]ae twon mom, and I went to see Bedtime Stories... a very enjoyable movie.
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Song 510: I Don't Want To Talk About It
Artist: Rod Stewart
Album: Atlantic Crossing
Year: 1975
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I can tell by your eyes that you've prob'bly been cryin' forever,
and the stars in the sky don't mean nothin' to you, they're a mirror.
I don't want to talk about it, how you broke my heart.
If I stay here just a little bit longer,
If I stay here, won't you listen to my heart, whoa, heart?

If I stand all alone, will the shadow hide the color of my heart;
blue for the tears, black for the night's fears.
The star in the sky don't mean nothin' to you, they're a mirror.
I don't want to talk about it, how you broke my heart.
If I stay here just a little bit longer,
if I stay here, won't you listen to my heart, whoa, heart?
I don't want to talk about it, how you broke this ol' heart.

If I stay here just a little bit longer,
if I stay here, won't you listen to my heart, whoa, heart?
My heart, whoa, heart.

have you done these things

I hope you have a great 2009. 2008 had some anxious moments and some great ones. I received the list below from someone recently and I thought it would be fun to pass it on to you. Look at the list. Perhaps copy it to a word processor page or to the comment box for this post. Answer yes to the things you have done in your lifetime and no to ones you have not. Add an explanation if you'd like. Then send your list on to someone else as an email, as a post on your own blog, or as a comment to my blog. Go ahead. This could be fun. OK. Here we go... here's the list and my answers.

01. Start your own blog -- Yes
02. Sleep under the stars -- Yes [many times]
03. Play in a band -- No [but I did manage a band once]
04. Visit Hawaii -- Yes [lived there for 2 years; honeymooned there]
05. Watch a meteor shower -- Yes [all night three years ago under the stars]
06. Give more than you can afford to charity -- Yes
07. Go to Disneyworld -- Yes [several times]
08. Climb a mountain -- Yes
09. Hold a praying mantis -- No
10. Sing a solo -- Yes [as a teenager]
11. Bungee jump -- No
12. Visit Paris -- No [not yet]
13. Watch a lightning storm at sea -- Yes
14. Teach yourself an art technique -- Yes [painting with a toothbrush]
15. Adopt a child -- No
16. Eat sushi -- No
17. Walk to the top of the Statue of Liberty -- No
18. Grow your own vegetables -- Yes
19. See the Mona Lisa in France -- No
20. Sleep on an overnight train -- No [but my wife and daughters have]
21. Have a pillow fight -- Yes
22. Hitch hike -- Yes [long time ago]
23. Look at the rings of Saturn through a telescope -- Yes
24. Build a snow fort -- Yes
25. Hold a lamb -- No
26. Climb to the top of a lighthouse -- Yes [Cape Hatteras NC]
27. Run a Marathon -- No
28. Ride in a gondola in Venice -- No
29. See a total eclipse -- Yes [both solar and lunar]
30. Watch a sunrise or sunset -- Yes [many times]
31. Hit a home run -- No
32. Go on a cruise -- No
33. See Niagara Falls in person -- Yes
34. Visit the birthplace of your ancestors -- Yes
35. Visit an Amish community -- No
36. Teach yourself a new language -- No [attempted to teach myself Cherokee]
37. Have enough money to be truly satisfied -- No
38. See the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person -- No
39. Go rock climbing -- Yes
40. See Michelangelo's David -- No
41. Sing karaoke in public -- No
42. See Old Faithful geyser erupt in person -- No [not yet]
43. Buy a stranger a meal at a restaurant -- Yes [many times]
44. Visit Africa -- No
45. Walk on a beach by moonlight -- Yes
46. Ride in a helicopter -- No [not yet]
47. Have your portrait painted -- No
48. Go deep sea fishing -- No
49. See the Sistine Chapel in person -- No
50. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris -- No
51. Go scuba diving or snorkeling -- Yes [Hanauma Bay, Hawaii]
52. Kiss in the rain -- Yes
53. Play in the mud -- Yes
54. Watch a movie at a drive-in theater -- Yes [many times]
55. Be in a movie -- No [was an extra in an old Hawaii 5-0 episode though]
56. Visit the Great Wall of China -- No
57. Start a business -- Yes [an ad agency several years ago]
58. Take a martial arts class -- No
59. Visit Russia -- No
60. Serve meals at a soup kitchen -- Yes
61. Sell Girl Scout cookies -- Yes
62. Go whale watching -- Yes
63. Get or send flowers for no reason -- Yes
64. Donate blood, platelets or plasma -- No
65. Go sky diving -- No [not yet]
66. Visit a Nazi Concentration Camp -- No
67. Adopt a pet from a rescue shelter -- Yes
68. Pilot an airplane -- No [was co-pilot once in a lear jet]
69. Save a favorite childhood toy -- Yes [a horse puzzle from when I was 5]
70. Visit the Lincoln Memorial -- Yes
71. Eat Caviar -- No
72. Make a quilt -- No
73. Stand in Times Square -- No
74. Tour the Everglades -- Yes
75. Visit the Viet Nam Memorial -- Yes
76. See the Changing of the Guard in London -- No
77. Drive a race car -- No
78. Ride on a speeding motorcycle -- Yes
79. See the Grand Canyon in person -- Yes
80. Publish a book -- Yes [during college]
81. Visit the Vatican -- No
82. Buy a brand new car -- Yes
83. Walk in Jerusalem -- No
84. Have your picture in the newspaper -- Yes
85. Read the entire Bible -- No
86. Visit the White House -- No [viewed it from Pennsylvania Avenue]
87. Kill and prepare an animal for eating -- Yes [long time ago]
88. Hike the Appalachian Trail -- Yes [Not all at once but on many occasions]
89. Save someone's life -- Yes
90. Sit on a jury -- No [called for jury duty but never sat on a jury]
91. Meet someone famous -- Yes [Aerosmith]
92. Join a book club --Yes [bad idea]
93. Own an iPod -- Yes
94. Have a Facebook page -- No [wife and daughters do though]
95. See the Alamo in person -- Yes
96. Swim in the Great Salt Lake -- No [walked along the beach]
97. Cross country snow ski -- No
98. Hold a snake -- Yes
99. See Van Gogh’s Starry Night in person -- Yes
100. Read an entire book in one day -- Yes [many times]

PS: These Argon One readers have posted "the list" on their own blogs. Check them out at The Crow's Nest and Mom of Two's Ramblings.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 509: How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You
Artist: James Taylor
Album: Gorilla
Year: 1975
--------------------------------------------------

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I needed the shelter of someone's arms, there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs, there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby (yes I do)

How sweet it is to be loved by you (feel so fine)
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby (woah, yeah)

How sweet it is to be loved by you (it's just like sugar sometimes)
How sweet it is to be loved by you

(Woah, yeah)

You were better to me than I was to myself
For me, there's you and there ain't nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby (woah, yes)

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you (woah, now)
How sweet it is to be loved by you (it's like jelly, baby, woah now)
How sweet it is to be loved by you (just like honey to the bee babe, yeah now)
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you