To all you lovely ladies who have brought sons and or daughters into the world... bless you for your service and love to your children. May you be properly spoiled today!...

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We awoke this morning to tornado watches, thunderstorm watches, and eventually thunderstorm warnings. If you are looking at the radar map above anytime close to this entry, you'll see a great line of severe storms raking across Georgia and South Carolina...

...we monitored The Weather Channel this morning for regular updates, and I turned up the volume on my laptop for Weatherbug updates as they chirped on. But, as is usual for our area of the South Carolina Lowcountry, nicknamed "God's Country", the severe storms split to the north and south of our particular area just as the storms were bearing down on us. The result: we got a wonderful rain this morning, thoroughly soaking the yards and making the grass (and weeds, unfortunately) turn into a new shade of brilliant green.

On the other hand, my crystal fairie roses were just starting to bloom in brilliant clusters of quarter-size white blossoms and this rain should help bring them to full open today.

Since it rained this morning, I don't have to wash the cars or do any outside work today... and the puppy is squeezed in tight beside her mommy (my Bride) for the duration of Mother's Day...

It's a Saturday. So, what does a couple that's been married for eleven and a half years do on a plain ol' Saturday?

The couple goes on a date.

That's right, friends... my bride and I went on a movie date today. We work far too hard, and when we want to go on a movie date we want to go for the escapism... and today we watched Iron Man and really enjoyed the movie. Good, followable story in a super-hero genre, incredible special effects, and lots of good-beats-evil stuff. That was a fast two-plus hours... no surprise that this movie took in so much money so fast that a sequel was immediately ordered.

Not gonna say anything about the movie while so many have not seen it yet... but, I will say that if you go to see Iron Man WAIT UNTIL THE CREDITS ARE OVER... there is one more seen at the end of the movie, after the end of the credits.

Well, after returning from the movie I treat my bride to some burgers cooked on the grill... and the puppy had a great time running circles around the yard.

Now, our evening is being spent watching some TV...

Another new page has been posted on our Adventures site... our visit deep inside the Tennessee mountains to The Lost Sea!

Many of the pictures had to be augmented as there is so little light in some areas of the caverns down there. So, some of the pictures may seem a little artificial in color... but that's so we can all see the details of those magnificent formations way below the surface...

That's right! I read the article in the UK Telegraph... the ocean currents and flows are contributing to a reduction in global temperatures, in addition to the scientific fact that this past winter was the coldest in decades, which means that man-made global warming has ended! So, since Algore has been proven incompetent as well as completely wrong, we can return to just living as we always have... unless, or course, you change religions and join the Church of Man-Made Global Cooling (which is currently looking for a High Priest, by the way).

So, since man-made global warming is over I returned to doing yard work. This morning I trimmed around all the trees, picked up the fallen tree limbs, and mowed the entire front yard before lunch. Well, come on... I was waiting for man-made global warming temperatures to cause it all to wither and die or catch fire so I wouldn't have to do anything. But, now that the front yard is finished I will spend the evenings this week doing the same in the back yard. Hopefully by the time I complete this work the front yard will again be in need of mowing and cleaning... same as I have actually done every spring and summer anyway for the past eleven years in our home.

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So, we're catching up on some recorded scifi shows as we bring the evening to an end...

Well, the past week has been fairly uneventful, save for one special event... Bride and I got to sponsor two lovely young ladies for Confirmation in our Church. It was a beautiful service, and the sisters we sponsored were two of a few dozen youngsters who were Confirmed by our Monsignor...

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My Beautiful Young Bride was selected as Teacher of the Year at her school. That was the best news I've had all year!...

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And then my wonderful mood was crunched by a Clinton.

...so I caught part of Hillary Clinton's interview with Bill O'Reilley this week, and she really ticked me off (not that liberals don't do that on a regular basis, but this was moreso than usual). When discussing the current high price of gasoline, she made a comment that we Americans have not changed our driving habits and that "We've got to change the way we behave, the way we drive. We have not paid attention for more than 35 years as to what's been happening to us..." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353759,00.html, transcript from the O'Reilley Factor interview.

Well, if I had a chance to ask the Smartest Woman in the World a question or two, I'd ask:

1. Mrs. Clinton, I drive 300 miles a week to work, 60-mile round trip daily, because that is where my company transferred me to work from my prior office location. I drive a car that gets better mileage than any vehicle you are driven in (since I sincerely doubt you drive yourself). I go to work and then I go home, nothing else. Exactly what behavior am I expected to change? I know! Perhaps I need to get up three hours earlier and ride a bicycle 30 miles to work... after I drive our SUV to the store to buy a bicycle. But then, if everyone stopped driving Congress suddenly would not be taking from the American people as much in taxes from gasoline sales and then you all in Congress would raise our taxes to make up the difference. We can't win...
2. Mrs. Clinton, Senator Kerry a few years back said he was in favor of increasing the taxes on a gallon of gas by 50 cents. Since he made that statement, gasoline has actually gone up five times that amount. Don't you think he would be ecstatic over that increase since it was higher than the tiny amount he advocated?
3. Mrs. Clinton, you said, "you know, in the last seven years, the typical American family has lost $1,000 in income. Their energy costs have gone up $2,000. The average tax cut that they got out of whatever he was doing was $600. People are net losers under the Bush economy. They were net winners under the Clinton economy." (Same link as above.) Actually, Mrs. Clinton, thanks to you and your secret attempt to usurp the nation healthcare in '93 my personal health insurance costs tripled and my coverage plummeted. And, aside from gasoline my energy costs have not gone up $2000 (I cannot count gasoline because that is a necessary cost to remain employed). The tax cut I received was far more than $600, because the tax cuts dropped us a tax bracket and my wife and I will be moving into a higher tax bracket because of the expiration of the present temporary tax cuts. So, I will be doing the same job next year that I am doing this very day, and I will have to pay the government more in taxes for that. And, because my wife and I work hard in the private sector, something you have know knowledge about, we are making more now than we ever have in our lives... a track record that will end starting next year when our net income goes down because of a greedy Congress.

The interview with Bill O'Reilley was far more comprehensive than this; I simply pulled her comments that directly impacted me personally. I certainly recommend you go to the Fox News website linked above to read the whole interview and/or watch the video. Next week Senator McCain will be on the Factor and I will fairly address his comments that would impact me personally as well.

We just don't have enough weekends like this... meals with the families, just time with the folks... it was a busy weekend, but it was a great weekend.

Family is what it's all about...

Well, it was another workweek... nothing of significance, so we'll just say that Bride and I both had a week of Mondays.

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Well, we are definitely disappointed with High Priest Algore and the Church of Global Warming this week. We have absolutely been on track with our local daily temperatures, reaching only the 150-year average for each date this past week (always remembering that there had to be higher temperatures higher than the average in order to arrive at the average). My drives home each day in the convertable with the top down have been the highlights of the work days...

Then this morning I see on The Weather Channel this morning that there is snow in the upper midwest...SNOW! I did confirm on the calendar that we are indeed in April, firmly in the spring season for the upper hemisphere. There is almost half the country with wind CHILLS this morning, with feels-like temps down in the 30s as far south as the southwestern Texas border with Mexico...

Um, isn't man-made global warming supposed to make us HOT??? C'mon, Algore... this morning we're sitting in our living room with the doors open and the cool springtime temps gently caressing us as we have our morning coffee!

And now, this afternoon, we're forecast for, and the state radar does seem to concur, afternoon rain and thunderstorms. How can we have normal April showers with man-made global warming?

Now posted on the Adventures page... our return to the Parthenon in Nashville!

Sunday morning... it's 61 outside the house right now, the puppy is playing with the kitty, Bride and I have our coffee and watching Bobby Flay on Food Network.

We cleaned up the house yesterday morning and prepared for MOCF (My Only Childhood Friend) to come over for her birthday dinner. My Bride found four magnificent ribeye cuts at the grocery store, and we bought a new tablecloth and napkins plus a small flower display for the dining room table for the four of us (MOCF's hubby finally came to dinner, too!). The weather was perfect, so in proper Southern tradition when came time for me to fire up the grill we all went outside to watch the show. The flames were leaping as the steaks cooked, the Jack Daniels marinate and Jack Daniels spices just making the whole patio smell incredible!...

It's always a treat to watch dinner guests eat themselves silly, between my steaks and Bride's appetizers and side dishes and dessert, plus a few bottles of wine... It was a good Saturday.

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And now, my regular Man-Made Global Warming review:

Yes, we went to Biltmore on Thursday and returned on Friday. We took the convertable, which with the top down allowed us to travel without using the car's air conditioner, which prevented additional contribution to man-made global warming. However, we did use two week's worth of gasoline in my car for this trip, which did contribute to man-made global warming, and I was prepared to write my check to Father Algore of the High Church of Global Warming, except that the temperatures leaving home were twenty degrees below the 150-year average and when we reached Biltmore the temperature was 8 degrees below their 150-year average, so I tore up that check.

Friday morning we awoke to return to the Biltmore estate to tour the gardens with all the lilies and tulips in bloom, and actually found a fine layer of pollen on my car, both of which were proof positive that there was no man-made global warming because otherwise the plants at the estate would already be keeled over dead from the heat and there would be no pollen on my car, so I requested a  refund of prior carbon credits purchased from the High Church of Global Warming for the man-made global warming that did not occur.

We returned home Friday to perfect temperatures (just one degree above the 150-year average locally) and sunny skies, so I sent a penny to the High Church of Global Warming because I had a weak moment. But then the evening temperatures fell and when I realized it would cost me 42 cents to send the High Church of Global Warming a penny out of compassion, I instead kept the penny because Father Algore is so rich he probably doesn't know what a penny is.

The local high temperature for April 19 is 75 degrees, according to www.accuweather.com, or 76 degrees, according to The Weather Channel, and the official local high yesterday was 79 (accuweather) or 77 (weather.com). So, yesterday we were experiencing man-made global warming heat of 2 to 4 degrees higher than the 150-year average depending on who one accepts as the official and correct record-keeper. But, since the record temperature for April 19 is 90 degrees, and we were nowhere near that temperature yesterday, I will assume that because I grilled four steaks yesterday (twice what I usually grill) that I caused the temperature increase above the 150-year average and thus caused man-made global warming tempertures on Saturday.

However, I do not feel compelled to buy any carbon credits from Father Algore because, frankly, all four of us ate the carbon residue that was on the steaks from being cooked on the grill. Also, yesterday we were forecast to have afternoon thunderstorms, which did not happen, which supports man-made global warming. However, last night after we went to bed we had rain while we were asleep, rain which was quiet enough to not wake me, and this morning we had brilliant green grass to greet me when I took the puppy out for her morning business and get the paper. This deep green grass was contrary to man-made global warming, as due to man-made global warming I'm not supposed to have healthy green grass. So, man-made global warming was canceled out.

This morning we have the house opened up to enjoy the comfy cool temps of spring, which are in complete contradiction to the High Church of Global Warming doctrine. Then, while watching The Weather Channel, the temperature graphs show half the country with temps above the local averages and the other half below the local averages. So with all those varying temperatures, the country overall is running at about... average.

I have canceled my subscription to the High Church of Global Warming newsletter.

My Bride and I went to Biltmore yesterday for an overnight trip to take in the tulips and lilies blooming in the gardens, have Afternoon Tea at the Inn, and of course sample the new vintages at the Winery. We took the convertable so as to also enjoy a short drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway with only the sky above us.

The weather was perfect, just what we needed... a quick little getaway to recharge our batteries and still have a whole weekend to ourselves.