SNOW!

Yes, it has snowed (again) and everything seems to be closed. No school for any of the surrounding counties.

On the "flip side" the birds are very busy. I just went out to get the news paper and found out how deep the snow really is - over my boot tops! What you see in the photograph is very accurate of the depth between my house and the road. In fact, there was enough snow that the actually plowed the road this time. I may have to fire up the snow blower soon, because shoveling is out of the question.

Suddenly the phone is ringing and the recruiters are connecting with me. I understand that we are in an economic down turn, but this is very interesting. Looks like it is possible I will become a "wage slave" soon. That will be fine, because I am ready to get down to work and contribute to an organization's bottom line in a positive way. Of course, I hope that I will remain in the current location and commute, but some of the calls will require a move.

The Illinois political climate continues to be entertaining if not productive. The governor can't be removed from office soon enough for most of the citizens - generally because of his poor decisions in the past year. It is unbelievable that during the 200th celebration for Lincoln, the governor began to close many of the attractions that will bring visitors to learn about that segment of American history.

As for the federal stimulus program, some of the funding falls in line with the Illinois governor's actions, in my opinion. Certainly some of the money that is proposed will fund programs of general interest (see Smithsonian funding), but are these the ones that will get most long-term benefit to the public. This remains to be seen.