Well, what is new concerning the weather?! On Monday we were advised on another blizzard coming in on Wednesday, Jan. 18. On Thursday, there were 2 hour late starts coming across the television screen for schools in our area. Not much later, these changed to NO SCHOOL. I do not know how much snow we got, but did see that a place in Nebraska got 11 inches and Sioux City got 3+ inches. It was a heavy snow and made traveling a mess. On Friday, most schools were 2 hours late start.
In the MMCRU School Board meeting report that was Jan. 16, the schools were concerned about the days and early/late outs that have occurred due to the weather. During COVID, we could stay home and still be counted as attending, but it isn’t happening now. Its too bad the Governor doesn’t concentrate on this present problem instead of what is going on with other issues. Most of the schools in our area have been missing hours/days because of the weather—and a good share of them are north of us where the weather hit the hardest.
I think of how Luci Ferrin’s twins she adopted from El Salvador felt when they saw snow for the first time. I had an incident on Friday when I took some garbage out to the garbage can. I was sure little Butterball (kitten) was no where near as I didn’t want it getting outside. Too late! As the outside door was about to shut—the kitten was outside! At first it just stood in it and then decided to move on. I didn’t think I would be able to catch it but finally I had no choice but to grab its tail and got it back inside. Having never seen snow, I was surprised it even wanted to get in it. The other two housecats want nothing to do with outside.
There were no Meals on Wheels on Monday but the storm hadn’t hit on Wednesday, so delivering wasn’t the worst. On Friday, was another story! Faith Lutheran doesn’t deliver again until sometime in March.
I have had trouble with the computer again. It finally is letting me do my articles on Saturday and into Sunday morning. The other days, there was a rectangle with a bunch of jumble on it and then a smaller rectangle that said, “Monitor is going to sleep”. I am not computer friendly and could care less if the monitor was tired—I needed to get my work done. I think Bethany must have found the problem and at last (later than usual) I could do my work.
It was announced in church last Sunday that Mark Schilmoeller has had a foot amputated due to infection. I can only imagine how traumatic this would be for the two I know of that have had amputations.
I see in the paper where the MMCRU High School had a Winter formal on Saturday, January 21 from 7:30 to 11 p.m. There wasn’t any theme but the students could wear formal clothing: dress, dress pants, and a nice shirt. There was a dance DJ’ed by Mr. Marra. The cost was $5. How many times can you go to such an affair as this for $5 with drinks and food included?! Profits from this dance went to different activities that the Student Council puts on. I hope there was a good attendance.
Walt Disney Co. is set to turn 100 years old this year and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Cal., is celebrating with new shows and a Mickey-theme attraction across its two theme parks: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Both parks will also be decked out with new décor.
Festivities officially begin on Jan. 27. Many of Disney’s popular characters have their own rides, so Mickey Mouse finally got one of his own. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open on Jan. 27 as a dark ride.
The only way to avoid a long wait for Runaway Railway is to arrive at the park early—at least an hour before the park’s scheduled opening time. The rest of the renovated Mickey’s Toontown land will reopen on March 8.
The short-lived Magic Happens parade is returning on Feb. 24 after a break due to the pandemic. The parade will feature characters from newer movies, including “Frozen 2” and “Moana.” You should look for spots at least an hour before if you want an unobstructed viewing spot in front of the crowd. Photographers should prioritize Main Street, U.S.A. or the park’s central hub in front of the castle for better backgrounds.
There will be a nighttime show called Wondrous Journeys on Jan. 27 with a new song and projections around the park. “Big Hero 6”, star will be in the show taking flight through the skies around Sleeping Beauty Castle. If you want to see fireworks, you’ll have to go on the weekend or a peak night during the spring or summer.
Maximizing your time and money at Disney begins long before you arrive at the park. You’ll have to figure out when you’re going to visit and what kind of ticket to buy. Park Hopper tickets allow you to access two parks in a single day, and they’re more expensive per day than the alternate one-park-per day ticket. If you only have one to visit both parks, then Park Hopper is the only way to visit both. It’ll cost you at least $169 for one day with two park adult admission. If you have at least two days, it’s sometimes cheaper to get a one park per day ticket, which starts at $143 per day for two days of adult admission.
Ticket prices fluctuate depending on the dates you plan to go. When you buy your ticket, you’ll need to reserve the dates you plan to visit the park. It’s also a good time to think about whether you want to purchase line-skipping privileges, such as Disney’s Genie+ or Lighting Lane.
Are you confused already?! Maybe it would be cheaper in the long run to work with a fee-free travel agent. There is an initial learning curve and sometimes an additional charge, but once you understand how to use the tools, it can be a big time saver. It is no secret that a visit to Disneyland isn’t as simple as buying a ticket and just showing up! (I can only imagine what a time it would be if you had younger kids along and had to show up early for these rides or else stand to watch a parade and not be able to see anything unless you showed up earlier!)
Has a climate change got anything to do with polar bears leaving their areas and coming into towns? Last week, a polar bear attacked and killed a mother and her 1-year old son in Wales, a tiny, remote Alaska whaling village whose bear patrol had lapsed. It was the first fatal polar bear attack in Alaska in 30 years. Polar bears can weigh more than 1,700 pounds.
Because climate change reduces the amount of Arctic ice, these bears are forced to spend more time on land, which has seen more encounters between people and bears on the rise. Some areas have been patrolling with snowmobiles or four-wheelers, and chasing them away with spotlights or a revved engine or even hazing them with beanbag shotguns. These patrols have seemed to work but in the area where the woman and son were killed, the patrol had lapsed.
Northern Russia has put walrus carcasses far from village to lure the bears away. In Churchill, in northeastern Manitoba, a decades old bear alert program has turned the animals into a tourist attraction. Wildlife agents and police patrol by helicopter and by ground to protect Halloween trick-or-treaters. At that time, problem bears are captured and kept in an air-conditioned bear jail until the ice freezes up and they can be transported out to where they can find natural prey such as seals.
In the early 1990’s, scores of polar bears were gathering on a community in the U.S. School year was approaching and something had to be done. The town put together patrols to try to keep the polar bears out, going on shifts. The goal was to keep an eye out for bears, respond to reported sightings, and shoo them away as gently as possible.
Wales is home to about 150 people where the fatal accident happened. They began a polar bear patrol in 2014 with the help of the World Wildlife Fund, which has supported the creation of several such programs in far northern communities across the globe. However, the local program became inactive due to a confluence of factors—COVID-19 pandemic, lack of bears and recent death of its leader. Maybe it could not have been prevented as it occurred early in the afternoon—not typically a risky time for bear encounters and came amid a near whiteout, with extremely poor visibility. (We can be glad we only have dogs and cats that are sometimes on our property.)
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost loved ones to death and have had their lives changed, have health problems some of which are terminal, are trying to make ends meet even though they have a job, and are still trying to shorten the distance between family/friends by building a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings.
I will close with this information from Dear Abby: “Happy New Year to my Asian readers who celebrate the Lunar New Year: The year of the Rabbit begins today. In Chinese culture, the rabbit is known to be the luckiest of all 12 animals in the zodiac. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are calm and peaceful. They avoid fighting and arguing, are artistic and have good taste. However, they may be insecure and sensitive and dislike criticism, which causes them to be averse to change. I wish a happy, healthy new year to all who are celebrating this holiday.” Love, Abby.