A few snow-related thoughts

Just a few snow-related thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head:

There's been a lot of discussion lately by school district administrators and others about alternatives to making up "snow days," from excusing the days entirely to cyber-schooling to calculating hours instead of days, all in the interest of preventing school from extending too far into June.  As a taxpaying citizen, I hereby call BS on the whole enterprise. I believe in public education, and I believe it's my duty to support it financially. I also believe it's the duty of teachers and administrators to educate our children and prepare them for the future, even if that entails making up every school day that was lost to bad weather. Their priority is supposed to be education, not whether they'll miss out on non refundable vacation trips or their summer will be too short.

Recently on WGAL-TV, Hempfield School District Superintendent Dr. Brenda Becker said, in effect, that it's pointless to try to teach students in June, because they're not engaged. Is that the real reason, or is it because teachers just don't want to teach in June, for the reasons listed above? Why blame students? Plus, who is at fault if they're not engaged? And if the push for year-round school ever comes around again, that comment just might come back to haunt the good doctor.

Teachers are compensated handsomely, and deservedly so, and must therefore fulfill their obligations to students and taxpayers instead of trying to sidestep them. I hear a lot of talk about alternatives, but little or nothing about staying the course and completing the days.

The banner headline on Friday's Intell/New Era was "Another Nor'easter?" The article stated that local meteorologist Eric Horst said that, based on computer models, there's a one in four chance of another major storm for the middle of this week. One in four? That's only a 25% chance. Is that newsworthy, especially considering the forecast was for almost a week in advance? So, there's a 75% chance we won't get a major storm, but the local paper runs a headline ostensibly portraying the opposite. Talk about sensationalism.  Disingenuous at best, irresponsible at worst. I can give better odds than one in four, however. I can predict, with 50% accuracy whether we'll get another nor'easter this week, simply by saying this: Either we will or we won't.

Local artist Bob Hammer to display his work

Local artist Bob Hammer will be displaying his work at the Hammer Art Studio Booth at the PA Garden Show of York. The show will be held next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the York Expo Center-Memorial Hall, 334 Carlisle Avenue, York, PA.

Go HERE for more information.

What I saw recently

 A dog making a deposit at River Park on Sunday afternoon.  And no, the deposit did not get picked up.

 An outside cat at Second and Walnut

 A cardboard box that serves as an outside cat shelter at Second and Walnut.  The porch also contains cat dishes for feeding.  A recent commenter complained about being cited by the borough for feeding outside cats.  I wonder if this homeowner was, also.  I hope our codes are enforced uniformly and not arbitrarily.

A heron flying past some lazy seagulls to show how it's done.

At Second and Mill.

This used to be the Riverview Tavern.

Winter was hard (and still is)

This music captures the brooding melancholy that has been this winter (and it's not over yet).
Go HERE if the video does not appear on your device.

Drone by the river

On Saturday afternoon, a group of men arrived at Columbia River Park to test-fly a drone and use it to film a kayaker (one of the group) in the Susquehanna.  The endeavor lasted about an hour and drew a small crowd.  The drone operators were somewhat tight-lipped about their enterprise, except to say they didn't need FAA approval as long as they kept the drone below 400 feet.  (That information was in answer to a question from one of the onlookers.)

The kayaker paddles out, in preparation for the filming.

 An operator checks the drone before take-off.  The camera can be seen here, hanging from the bottom of the drone.

 Monitor - it sees what the drone camera sees.

 The drone and two remotes

Some video clips are shown below.  (My camera mike picked up a lot of wind noise, and the drone motors were a bit loud, so you may want to turn down your computer volume before playing the clips.)

Drone take-off #1

Drone take-off #2

Drone pursuing and filming kayaker from above

Drone landing

A comment from an aggrieved citizen

On February 19, 2014, I received a "Courtesy Notice" from Columbia Borough Code Compliance Department.  This was taped to my front door.  The handwritten part was difficult to decipher, but appears to say, "Feeding of cats see sect. 403 D 9 keeping of pets Col Boro ordinance".  The printed section, animal waste/outdoor feeding of animals, was check-marked.  Also on the form it states that I must comply by February 20, 2014.

My work with the feral cat spay/neuter program began in the summer of 2012.  With the help of the Lancaster County Cat Rescue organization, I successfully trapped 4 cats and drove them to the Humane League of Lancaster County.  This was done on my day off from work, using my own time, vehicle, gas, and money to accomplish the task.  I was able to spay 3 females and neuter one male.  They all were given rabies shots and the male was treated for fleas.  I signed a paper stating that I was their caregiver and detailing the importance of caring for the cats after the surgery.  Lancaster County Cat Rescue also prefers that the colony continue to be cared for which includes feeding.  I was able to immediately find a home for the youngest one of the four cats, leaving me with only three.  Within a year another one was killed, I found her body in a gutter about a block from my home.  I do not know if she was hit by a car or if someone deliberately killed her.  That left me with 2 cats.  

Over the next year, I found two kittens and surrendered both to the Humane League.  They were too young for shots and too young to be neutered/spayed, so no doubt were euthanized.  In November of 2013, I captured and surrendered a female cat to the SPCA of Lancaster at a cost to me of 45.00 dollars.  This time I had purchased my own live trap (from Tractor Supply) in order to continue this program.  All of the cat surrenders are documented, so there is a record of the transactions.  

I had written to Mayor Lutz about the efforts and the feral cat problem within this Borough.  I even went as far as to offer my assistance with beginning a local program.  Columbia could recruit the help of local veterinarians in an effort to keep all the money in Columbia.  Careful documentation could be used to track the progress of such a program.  I remain willing to help spearhead a program for the borough. 

My personal feelings about being issued a notice to stop feeding the cats are as follows:

My husband and I were both born in Columbia, giving us a right to be here.  We both have paid property taxes here for many years.  Even though our mortgage is paid, we continue to "rent" our property from Columbia Borough through property taxes.  Now Columbia wants to be my landlord, telling me that I cannot put a dish of cat food out on my own property.  

I walked on Walnut Street yesterday afternoon and I counted 9 separate piles of dog feces.  On any given day there are that many piles at the River Park.  Is there an ordinance about this, yes…is anyone enforcing that…apparently not.  The deadly Parvo Virus was found on Perry Street in recent months, so one would think that citing those leaving dog feces behind would be imperative.  But the time and effort is better spent on citing someone feeding 2 cats.

What I Saw - February 20, 2014

 If you don't clear your sidewalk . . . 

 you might get a notice on your door.

 Snow in the boat - for ballast

 Looking for artifacts

Rooftop chat