Visiting Pittsburgh

Since I already posted the photo of the pigeon (why don't we ever see baby pigeons?), I thought I'd add a little from the rest of the trip to Pittsburgh.



We got into the city a little early, so we drove by Heinz Field, home of the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers! Yes, the six-time Superbowl champions. :) We made the trip to see Trevor's ear specialist. He has to go there a couple times a year, sometimes more, because he has horrible problems with his ears. He's had over a dozen surgeries on them. Our next trip there will be in mid-July, if anyone wants to swap a pin, charm or postcard from Pittsburgh for ones from your area, just let me know. I'll be happy to pick it up for you.

There is a green dinosaur in the lobby at Allegheny General Hospital, so we always stop by to say hello. After all the times we've gone there, he seems like an old friend.




Then we went to the waterfront to walk around and have lunch. Trevor's never been to a Hard Rock Cafe, so we decided to go there to eat. Randy and I have been to ones in three States as well as in Canada. I love their pins, so I added several new ones to my collection on my Hard Rock Cafe denim jacket and discovered they also sell bracelet charms! Another of my addictions, I must confess, so I added it to my Hard Rock Cafe bracelet. :)



From there, we went home through Monroeville and had to stop at the mall. Yes, there happens to be a Hot Topic there! Imagine that. :-) I got a pair of pretty purple pants. As everyone who reads here regularly knows, that is my absolute favorite store and I buy most of my clothes and jewelry from there. Too bad they weren't around when I was a teenager. I would have been in Heaven! Now I have to relive my youth there. My daughter loves it when I go there because that means there are new clothes for her to borrow. All her friends say I'm the coolest mom because of my clothes. Not so sure about that, but I do like vivid colors. :)

Camera Critters 50

This week's entry from Pennsylvania is a feathered friend. We were in Pittsburgh to take Trevor to see his ear specialist. After the appointment, we went down to the waterfront to walk around and have lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. We saw this little critter and he was kind enough to pose.

If you want to take part in this fun meme, stop over at Camera Critters central and find out all the details.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's the day when we need to wear our green and drink a glass or two of green beer (or kool aid!) Hope everyone has a good one! :)

Camera Critters 49

Just realized I hadn't added my camera critters' entry for the day. Since we were out hiking, thought I'd add Aphrodite on the trail. She came home covered in mud and completely exhausted!



For more animal photos, check out Camera Critters.

First hike of the season

We went on our first hike today of the season. Hubby got me a Eddie Bauer pack with a bladder. It's a small pack, not a full sized one. I can't carry that much weight. Also had a small fanny pack with our first aid and hard candy in it. I decided that carrying the bladder half-full would be enough for me when he and both our teenagers have packs with bladders, too. Less weight and I could have gone a little further.


We went on a four-mile hike and it took us about two hours and that included stopping for lunch and taking our time. We went out to an old abandoned stone quarry and took our dog. She had a blast just running all over. We had the whole trail to ourselves. Not another person in sight. We did see wild turkey and deer though.

It was a good learning experience on what we need to add to our packs. When I wasn't able to go out last year for any real hikes, I forgot what all was really necessary. I've already added a small pair of gloves and a bandanna to my pack and will add a few more things before our next trip.

Worldless Wednesday

Getting ready for a flood

We have a river running through our town and it floods at 16 feet. I walked down around 2 p.m. at it was a little over 14 feet then. Hopefully, it'll go down and we won't have any problem. If my house floods, our entire town is gone. The river has flooded several times in the past. We had horrid thunderstorms last night. With all the snow melting, it was just too much.

The doc wants me to walk every day, so he got his wish today.

International Women's Day

I'm a little late in posting it, but I think it's such an important topic, it deserves to be noted.

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IWD 100 years

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910
n 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses' campaign.


1913-1914
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.

1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.

1918 - 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

GoogleAnnually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

Camera Critters 47

Our town's annual chainsaw carving rendezvous was two weeks ago. The carvers make these incredibly detailed pieces of art out of a log and a chainsaw. Thought I'd share a couple of my favorite pieces.

OK, technically, Anubis isn't an animal, he's a God, but he does have the head of a jackal, so I thought it would work. :)



For more information or to check out some of the awesome photos, stop by Camera Critters to learn more about it.

Don't forget the Time Change

Sat. night March 7 (TONIGHT) set your clocks ahead one hour when you go to bed or....you'll be late for the BMAC meeting at 1 pm Sunday March 8.

USA/Canada Start Daylight Saving Time on March 8, 2009

Many clocks will turn one hour ahead when daylight saving time (DST) arrives in most parts of the United States and Canada on Sunday, March 8, 2009. This is the earliest starting date for the current daylight saving schedule, which begins on the second Sunday of March and lasts until the first Sunday of November.


The clocks will move forward from 2am to 3am at local time in many parts of North America when the daylight saving schedule starts. Daylight saving time allows for more light during the evening hours and less in the morning.

Earliest Start and End Dates
The earliest daylight saving date is always March 8 with the current daylight saving arrangements in the United States and Canada. This is because governments in both countries organized for the daylight saving schedule to start on the second Sunday of March each year.

The earliest second Sunday of the month always falls on eighth day of the month, according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in many western countries. The same rule applies to the earliest second Monday of the month, second Tuesday of the month, second Wednesday of the month and so forth.

The daylight saving end date in the USA and Canada also occurs at its earliest in 2009 – on November 1 – as the current schedule lasts for 34 weeks and ends on the first Sunday of November.

USA and Canada’s Daylight Saving Schedule
Daylight saving time in many parts of the United States lines up with section 110 of the United States’ Energy Policy Act of 2005, which states that daylight saving time would begin on the second Sunday of March and it would end on first Sunday of November. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 does not alter the rights of the states and territories that choose not to observe daylight saving time.

Time zones and daylight saving time in Canada is determined by provincial legislation and exceptions may exist in some municipalities. Timeanddate.com’s Daylight Saving Time Dates for 2009 has more detailed information about the daylight saving end date for the United States and Canada, as well as other parts of the world.

What People Do for DST
For many people, moving the clock an extra hour forward may mean one “less” hour of sleep prior to the changeover. Some people believe that health problems are associated with daylight saving time. For others, daylight saving time means the beginning of lighter afternoons combined with longer hours of daylight as the warmer months approach in North America. The Daylight saving start date may also serve as a reminder for people who need to change the batteries in their alarm clocks, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
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Happy Birthday, Gage!

Today is my little cousin Gage's first birthday! He's officially a big boy now. :) His party is tomorrow and hopefully, I'll be able to get there. Picked him out an adorable Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy (shhh don't tell him) :)



This is Gage and me at Thanksgiving. I'm rarely seen without my sunglasses. Light is a very bad thing for migraines. :(

Skywatch Friday

A local school received a grant to work on wind power. It's a great way to earn energy credits and lower their electricity bills, but I chose this photo because of the pretty sky in the background.

I'm still having the awful migraines, so these new meds aren't doing the trick either. Looks like I'll be going to Michigan for their in patient treatment. It's a week-long program. Just waiting for the insurance to decide it's necessary since you know, a pencil-pusher knows sooo much more than a REAL doctor about medicine. :(

For more info on this fun meme, stop over at Skywatch Friday and learn all the details.

Three years ago today

My precious cousin Michael was killed while driving to school. He was only 17 and had his entire life ahead of him. He hit an icy spot and that was it. I'll never forget the screams and looks when each member of the family was told what had happened. The visitation and funeral were torture. We couldn't have an open casket, so didn't even get that last chance to see his face and say good bye. I'm not sure if that was easier or not. There were hundreds of kids there from the three towns he had lived in. He had friends in every group, he didn't care what a person looked like, whether or not they had money or any of those superficial things. He was one of a kind.

I created a video to showcase his short life and you can find it at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dSVIBXe2HA

Until we meet again, Michael, I'll love you forever and a day.

Cleveland Clinic

Just getting ready to leave for the Cleveland Clinic. My appointment is tomorrow morning. Not sure what all the neurologist will do. Hopefully, he'll change the meds to something I can tolerate.

Catch everyone when we get back!