The Budweiser Clydesdale Horse Team was one of the featured units in the Gold Rush Days Parade today. They were there, complete with the Dalmatian mascot. What a magnificent assemblage of horseflesh! Click on the image to enlarge.
As I mentioned on the other blog, I didn’t attend today, but Damsel took over 300 hundred photos of all the activity. I enjoyed looking at the photos but I wish I could have seen the Clydesdales. Next year, I should be OK.
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.
The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine’s Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards.
Me? I’m sending you all this pretty electronic valentine!
Bob gave me these pretty heart-shaped ruby earrings for Valentine’s Day. They nicely compliment the larger heart-shaped ruby pendant he gave me for our anniversary last September. It was not really a surprise since we both went to one of the local jewelers and bought them together. Click on the image to enlarge.
There is a parade of sunspots crossing near the solar equator today. I went out this morning and captured the sunspots with my usual setup of the Canon SX-40 through the cheap little solar filter from Rainbow Symphony. Click on the image to enlarge.
AR 1974 is pointed directly at the Earth and could produce flares. AR 1975 and AR 1976 look to be more intense and will be pointed earthward in a day or so. This could mean auroras in the arctic, communications and electrical grid blackouts or enhanced radio communications as in Ham Radio. Or, it could mean nothing at all.
We have seen from the past that the presence of sunspots generally means warmer temperatures on earth while the absence of them for prolonged periods tend to bring cold periods called minima. Some examples are the Maunder Minimum, the Dalton Minimum and the 1900 Minimum. There was an unnamed minimum in the 1960’s that had Time and Newsweek predicting a new ice age. But, we know how the news media wants to bend things around to capitalize on sensationalism to sell copy, I guess. Or maybe to put forth a political agenda. I think we all know how the media operates these days.
Reference: Correlating Sunspots to Global Climate.
Technically, the first day of spring is not for over a month from now, but we have our first daffodil coming up in the bulb planter in the courtyard. I went out to water the flowers today and was surprised to see this lovely miniature yellow daffodil opened up. There are several more coming as well.
We have been enjoying spring-like weather since after some rain came through here a couple of weeks ago. Today’s high temperature was 72° with forecast for up into the 80’s by next weekend. Nights are still cool, but well above freezing. Click on the image to enlarge.
Well, we don’t see this too often since we’re late risers, but this morning Damsel snapped a pre-sunrise photo of the eastern sky over the desert near Morristown, AZ. We were enroute to Phoenix for an early appointment.
These colors were very pretty, but as the sun came up and the road became eastbound, the glare was brutal. We’re glad we don’t have to make the early morning treks as often as we before retirement. Click on the image to enlarge.
About a month ago, I received some hyacinth bulbs we ordered on line. I have four of them growing in bulb vases forcing the roots out and the plant to grow.
This one started opening a week ago and smells wonderful. I have three others coming up and it looks like another two are going to be pink as well. The bulb vendor said various colors so I’m hoping to have some red, blue, yellow and white hyacinth flowers this spring.
There is this interesting story about these flowers originating from Greek mythology on Wikipedia:
In Greek mythology, Hyacinth was a beautiful youth loved by both the god Apollo and the West Wind, Zephyr. Apollo and Hyacinth took turns at throwing the discus. Hyacinth ran to catch it to impress Apollo, but he was struck by the discus as it fell to the ground, and died.
A twist in the tale makes the wind god Zephyrus responsible for the death of Hyacinth. The youth’s beauty caused a feud between Zephyrus and Apollo. Jealous that Hyacinth preferred the radiant archery god Apollo, Zephyrus blew Apollo’s discus off course, so as to injure and kill Hyacinth.
Apollo did not allow Hades to claim Hyacinth. Instead, Apollo made a flower, the hyacinth, from Hyacinth’s spilled blood.
Click on the image to enlarge.