Author: James Amos

  • Calm After Winter Storm Finn

    Calm After Winter Storm Finn

    Winter Storm Finn was a very blustery thing. Sena got a video of our backyard, though, which presents the calm after the storm. The heavy snow makes all the trees bow, as if in homage to nature, whatever its form. That said, we’re hoping Winter Storm Gerri tones it down a little.

  • Winter Storm Finn Defines A Sisyphean Ordeal

    Winter Storm Finn Defines A Sisyphean Ordeal

    Okay, we got about 14 inches of snow from Winter Storm Finn, but that doesn’t begin to convey the human meaning of it. I’m going to call digging out from all that snow a Sisyphean labor. You don’t hear that term much, but it means a chore that never seems to end while you’re doing…

  • Winter Storm Finn and the One-Eyed Snowball Juggler!

    Winter Storm Finn and the One-Eyed Snowball Juggler!

    Holy horizontal, heavy, wet, driving snow. At least you could make great snowballs for juggling! I got up around 4 in the morning to shovel. Sena came out a little later and we took shifts a couple of times. I still had to run back out again in the mid-afternoon to clear away what’s probably…

  • Snow Removal in Iowa City

    Snow Removal in Iowa City

    Iowa City has web pages for the rules on snow removal by the city plows and by residents. You can see the pdf of the map for residential street priorities for snow removal. Shoveling snow or using a heavy snow blower can be hazardous to your health. There is guidance from the National Safety Council…

  • Winter Storm Watch in Iowa

    Winter Storm Watch in Iowa

    The National Weather Service has a Winter Storm Watch out for several counties in Iowa, starting Monday evening, January 8, 2024 through Wednesday evening. There’s a possibility of 8-13 inches of snow and blustery winds.

  • The Intergalactic Angle on Your Point of View

    The Intergalactic Angle on Your Point of View

    I finally watched the movie “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” the other night. It was released in 2005 and based on Douglas Adams’ book of the same title. In fact, he co-wrote the screenplay. A lot of it was not in the book. I thought a couple of scenes were noteworthy and pretty funny.…

  • CDC Weekly Snapshot Shows Respiratory Virus Activity High

    CDC Weekly Snapshot Shows Respiratory Virus Activity High

    As of January 5, 2024, CDC is reporting that respiratory illness is increasing across the country. The levels are generally high in almost all regions. “Activity Levels Update:

  • How to Cope with Pea Pods

    How to Cope with Pea Pods

    The other day, we got to talking about sugar snap pea pods. The last several times we’ve had pea pods, I’ve had to deal with them the same way I always deal with foods, like coconut, that have the texture of processed wood—I spit them out. Well, I don’t actually spit them out. I carefully…

  • Martin Luther King Jr Day 2024!

    Martin Luther King Jr Day 2024!

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day is officially the third Monday of January every year. It’s January 15, 2024 this year. It’s really a community affair, which hopefully expands more broadly out to all people. There are a number of events planned. In the spirit of emphasizing the community projects, here’s the high points: The…

  • Thoughts on “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

    Thoughts on “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

    Sena and I got to talking about a Twilight Zone show we saw over the holidays. It was a 1964 episode, not the regular program but short film that won a Cannes Film Festival award in the early 1960s, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” The quick summary is that a Southern plantation owner is…