Many saw the cold weather as positive proof that human-caused global warming is a hoax.

Today the temperature here in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is +2 degrees Celsius.  That is about 15 degrees higher than the long-term “normal” high.  Meanwhile on Canada’s left coast, organizers of the Winter Olympics are worried as some of the downhill venues continue to lose their snow due to rain and warm temperatures.

Some see this warm weather as positive proof that human-caused global warming is real.

Meanwhile, as I’ve stated before, I believe that weather happens and climate happens, and although they are related, they are not the same thing.  Both sides of the climate change lose credibility in my eyes when they use a specific weather event as proof for or against climate change.

I came across a recent opinion piece from Ireland that I think makes some good points on weather and climate, common sense and science.  Read the article “Cold ’snap’ does not undo climate trends” by John Gibbons here.

(source: Environment Canada)

It made me think of John Prine’s “Hello in There”, a song about ageing and loneliness …

…

Me and Loretta, we don’t talk much more,
She sits and stares through the back door screen.
And all the news just repeats itself
Like some forgotten dream that we’ve both seen.
Someday I’ll go and call up Rudy,
We worked together at the factory.
But what could I say if asks “What’s new?”
“Nothing, what’s with you? Nothing much to do.”

Chorus:
Ya’ know that old trees just grow stronger,
And old rivers grow wilder ev’ry day.
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello.”

…

The finished product was, in my opinion, very cool (in a backwoodsy way).

Unfortunately it didn’t have four wheel drive so it wasn’t the most practical truck for the Shell Lake roads.

In the stream of Christianity that I’m part of, we don’t have an official process of recognizing saints, since we generally understand the scriptures as saying that all all believers are numbered among the saints (some of us being less saintly than others), but if we did, I would nominate Saint Florence.

The standard CFL blackout policy is as follows:
The blackout pattern for CFL games is 56 km radius from the stadium for cable television and 120 kms for conventional (CBC). There is one exception to this rule. The Province of Saskatchewan is subject to full provincial blackouts.

I guess I understand the exception for Saskatchewan, after all they aren’t the Regina Roughriders. However it is an annoyance for those of us living almost 400 km away.

Actually attending a game in person is a rare treat for me, the last time being in 2005 when some men from Gateway Covenant Church had a road trip.

With the B.C. Lions game last night ending in a tie, the Riders could pull into 1st place with a win against the Eskimos tonight. I was all set to watch the game online on tsn.ca, putting up with the poor video quality, so (finally getting to the point of this post) I was happy to read that the game has sold out, and the blackout has been lifted. Since CBC is televising this game, guess where I’ll be at 8:00 tonight.

UPDATE: Well what a roller-coaster that was.  The Riders now have sole possession of 1st  place in the CFL.

Maybe this is quibbling, but if the planes nearly collided, shouldn’t it be called a near-collision? Likewise shouldn’t a “near-miss” refer to a collision that nearly missed?

Although my tastes do lean toward the red wines made from pure juice, I still enjoy the challenge of making a fruit wine, despite the highly variable results. One of the wines that I am most proud of was a raspberry wine that I made several years ago.

Well last year my friend Will, who with his wife Genevieve recently started up a U-Pick operation, asked if I’d be interested in making a couple of batches of wine on a shared basis, i.e. he provides the fruit, I make the wine, and we split the product. I started his Raspberry 2006 late last summer, and bottled it late this spring. I also have a batch of a fruit I’d never heard of, a Japanese edible honeysuckle that he calls Hascap, aging in the carboy. The Raspberry 2006 must have passed inspection, because he’s asked me to make a couple more batches from this year’s fruit.

Now here’s the twist. Will has also floated the idea that he’d eventually like to get a licence to sell homemade wine from his U-Pick, but not having the time or interest for making wine, he’s interested in some form of partnership with me as his winemaker. I enjoy winemaking as a hobby, but the thought of making wine for sale has never crossed my mind. Besides having a full time job, I have a busy family, not to speak of a blog, so I’m going to have to think long and hard about this. Probably the biggest question for me is whether winemaking would be less enjoyable if it were no longer just a hobby. Another is the fact that although I’ve probably done more reading on the craft than most hobby winemakers do, I don’t have any formal training, and I don’t consider myself an expert.

Meanwhile, for this year I’ll enjoy making a couple of batches of raspberry (red and golden) wine on a shared basis with Will, and there’s lots of time to consider taking it to another level.

Tonight is cloudy/raining, but if we get a clear night this weekend, it might call for some star-watching, preferably away from the city light pollution.  This article by NASA states that the peak will be around 4:00 a.m Monday morning.  I think I’ll probably miss the peak.

More photos in >>this gallery<<