NO SNOW

This is what our house usually looks like this time of year. But today, as I look out the window, there is not a drop of snow anywhere. It's cold out and the wood stove is humming downstairs in the kitchen but it looks like the next couple days will return to the recent pattern of warming up again. Freeze and thaw, freeze and thaw.

Last night on the news there were reports that ice fishing in Maine, usually just beginning to get under way, is delayed because lakes and ponds are not yet sufficiently frozen. The snowmobiling industry in northern Maine is silent now as there is virtually no snow in that part of the state either.

In none of the news reports did anyone mention those two controversial words - climate change. In fact its interesting, if I can generalize for a moment, that the preponderance of climate change deniers are those more rural and conservative Tea Party types who live up north and are avid ice fishermen and snowmobilers. You'd think they must be wondering just a bit. Hello!!!!

I finished up my work on the Global Network newsletter last night after two solid days of virtually non-stop research, writing, editing, and selecting photos. (I had done some of it over the past week or so but had to wait to do much of the final editing until folks sent me their articles for the newsletter.) Our layout person has the whole thing now and we hope to have it to the printer by this time next week.

My next project is to close out the GN accounts for 2011 and send the financial report to our boards. All very boring but necessary work.

The action across Maine starts to pick up this month with a union rally today at the state capital in Augusta and a couple weekend meetings of the Bring Our War $$ Home and Occupy movements later this month. I had to pass on the union rally today because I have so much administrative work to get done.

I don't often write about the administrative tasks that I have to do but they are key elements in holding the Global Network together. Without the fundraising, bookkeeping, maintaining and communicating with our various mailing lists none of what I do would be possible. So I am careful not to neglect that part of the work.