Blowin' in the Wind

"First it rained, then it blew, then it frizz, then it snew." - Old New England proverb.

Actually, we got off pretty light.  The rain washed some of our old snow away, and then the wind blew most of the new snow away, then it just blew for awhile, and now the temp is heading towards zero.  I don't think it could accurately be called a blizzard because we never had less than a quarter mile visibility, but neighboring Otsego County got hit hard.  When their visibility got down to 50 feet last night they declared a state of emergency and closed all their roads till morning.  They typically get more snow than we do, but it generally melts earlier in the spring.  We never lost our electricity, but lots of other people in Michigan did.  When your power goes out in the summer, it's an inconvenience but, in the winter, it can be life threatening.  We didn't go to Petoskey today, not because of the weather, but because my wife wasn't feeling good.  I made a run into Cheboygan this afternoon, and the paved roads were in fine shape, but I suspect the gravel roads are ice covered like our own driveway.

I don't think they are leveling the rain forest just to sell the trees, although that's part of it.  The thing is all those people have to live and work somewhere, and they keep cranking out babies like there's no tomorrow. Some time ago, I read in National Geographic that birth control is actually illegal in Brazil, but some women have found a way around that.  Apparently their government medical plan makes it more profitable to do a C-section than a normal delivery, and some women have taken to bribing their doctors to tie off their tubes while they're in there.