Good Morning and welcome to Thursday!

There have been a lot of cool snow creations this winter. We've seen snowpeople in the shapes of Flyers fans and football players. We've seen sculptures that would rival some in art museums. We've seen children building tunnels. We've seen some light up. We've seen many fall down.
Well, a family in New Jersey decided to create a snow Venus de Milo.
It was pretty well done, although not as good as others around the region.
Of course, since we can't do anything anymore without offending somebody, there was a complaint to the police.
The family was forced to dress the sculpture.
Next snow (hopefully not for another 10 years, but that's another story), we should all build naked snow people. Let's give everybody a run.

Good Morning and wasn't it nice to not have to shovel this morning!

So, the biggest offshoot of all this snow is school closings.
You know, it's nice a couple of times a winter (once?), to get that extra snow day. It gives students a chance to regroup and just have some fun in the snow.
When we are stretching into a week off, well, it's way too much.
A Facebook from Lansdale says if there is another snow day tomorrow, she's taking her children and dropping them off on the doorstep of the superintendent.
Now, that might be going too far, but anybody who's been home with school-age children during this epic week, well, you can understand the sentiment.
There are only so many snowmen to be built. There are only so many times you can say 'Read a book' or 'Clean your room!' There are only so many indoor games of tag anybody can take.
It's time to get back to school!
If tonight's snowstorm turns out worse than expected (they are currently calling for about an inch), I forsee a band of parents shoveling a path to school.

Good Morning and welcome back to 'The Day After Tomorrow!'

Here are some huge high fives for those who made it to work, home from work and kept the roads plowed during this epic blizzard.
This morning, after digging out the car, the roads proved to be passable. Much more than around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when cars were getting stuck all over the place and life became very scary.

Now, what exactly do we do with all that snow.
The piles were gigantic before that second round hit yesterday. Heck, there was too much out there Tuesday night. Of course, it's all going to go somewhere, like our basements.
You know, even those who profess to 'love snow' have to be hating things right about now. That is, unless you are a student and are getting an extra-long break.
So, I announced last night, I guess we all hate snow right now.
'I love it,' said Liam.
You love it. How can you love this?
'It looks nice,' was the retort.
Sure, it looks great if you get off from school and don't have to shovel. Then, it looks like the seventh level of Armageddon.

Good Morning and thanks again to the Cold Miser for giving us winter!

The sound started from the kitchen around 6:30 last night. The first snowflakes weren't falling, but, when the music starts playing, we know what's next.
Coming through the sounds of was the crinkle of a bag, then the sound of a measuring cup clipping the side of a metal bowl.
Pretty soon, the singing got louder and the you could hear a spoon mixing flour, baking powder, baking soda and other secret things together.

The 'ding' of the oven when the temperature was just right meant we were only minutes away from the only good thing about winter: Cookies fresh from the oven.
No matter what's going on in the world. No matter how much snow was going to be dumped on us. It didn't even matter that we had to drive to work in the mess the next morning.
No, the baking was starting. The treats were on the way.
The last time, the master baker did her thing, then took half and walked to work so those in the office could feel a bit of the warmth.
Thanks, Kathleen, you make it all better.

Good Morning and welcome to a flu-riddled Tuesday!

There are plenty of treats this time of year. You have cookies (we luck out with plenty of them in our house), cakes, pies and anything else with sugar.
It gives everybody a chance to indulge their sweet tooth.
There is another kind of treat, though, and it comes from, of all places, the television.
After a long day of shoveling and getting pelted by snowballs Sunday, it figured to be a good time to unwind in front of the 'idiot box' before going to bed.
I figured it would be another night of flipping around cable and stumbling upon nothing before just turning it off and going to bed.
Then, the opening music for 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' started (not the scary Jim Carrey version, the original cartoon). Now, it might not be the best holiday show of the season, but it was great Sunday because it was unexpected.
Sometimes, it's the little things that make the world better.

Good Morning and welcome to the last Friday of Fall!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's some kind of weather event coming.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's going to be a mess.
Sure, sure, sure, the roads won't be cleared enough.
Sure, sure, sure, the children will be happy to see it falling.
OK. Now, let's regroup a bit.
It's December.
It's cold.
It's close to Christmas.
Hey, it's snow.
Remember back when snow wasn't such a big deal. It's only been the last few years where snow has become an EVENT.
We haven't had much the last couple of winters, so it all gets blown out of proportion these days.
I've gone back and forth over the last few years.
Hated snow when I had to drive 35 miles to get to work. Loved snow when it came on an off day.
Hated snow when it was mostly ice. Loved snow when you could make a kick-ass snowman on the front lawn.
This one? We'll see. All I know is I got this comment yesterday:
'Dad, can I ask you something.'
Sure, Brendan.
'Is it going to snow.'
That's what the weatherman says.
'Is it going to be 100 inches.'
You never know.
'Cool.'

Good Morning and welcome to another sticky August day!

What to do in the heat?
Sure, you can stay inside and relax with the air conditioning, but something feels just wrong about that scenerio.
In the dead of winter, with cold air (not so much snow for us the last few years) blowing outside, it's an easy decision. You stay in the heat and watch dead leaves blow around the yard.
The summer, though, brings a completely different view. The sun is shining and it looks like a perfect day to head outdoors.
Then, you open the door and ... BAM. That wall of heat hits you like a ton of bricks.
That's when the brain starts to click around (or burn out in my case). Go outside and enjoy the summer or stay inside and keep cool?
What to do? What to do?
In the end, I suggest, it's better to get out in the air. Turn off the air conditioner and sit under a tree.
Let the children get all sweaty (maybe, just maybe, a little tired) and it all seems OK.
That is, until the ice melts.

Good Morning and welcome to the Yukon!

Think about it, how can we get through the whole winter virtually unscathed, then hit March, and be buried under snow and ice?
It seems to happen every year. Maybe the powers that be should move winter back a few weeks. Then again, maybe we should be paying more attention to Punxsutawney Phil. After all, Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog told us there was going to be six more weeks of winter.
How about if we just use animals to predict the future? This could work on so many levels:
Economy: Let's use a parrot to fix the economy. Show the parrot a list of businesses with their hands out and let the bird give them its own version of a bailout.
Election: Take two presidential candidates and one golden lab. Whichever person the dog runs to is the 'Leader of the Free World' The other just stays in the Senate.
Dinner: Build a maze with two exits. Put a bowl of spaghetti at one exit and a sandwich on the other. Toss in a mouse and let it find dinner.
Friends: If your cat doesn't like your friends are they really friends?
Homework: Really let the dog eat the homework. This is favored by school children everywhere.
Movies: Take a finch to the video store. The movie it lands on can't be all that bad. Unless, of course, the finch is a Julia Roberts fan.
Lottery numbers: It takes a chicken, some corn and a ticket. Mix it all together and you have the winning numbers.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning and welcome to a late winter wonderland!

Wouldn't it have been nice if this snow happened in say, December, when we all want snow. Now that we are into March and the Phillies are playing games, it's time for sun and warm. Take this snow and shovel it.
Speaking of taking something and shoveling it, we wake up today to news the government is going to pump $30 billion more into AIG. Now, this is after the company had 'borrowed' $38 billion just a few months ago. Of course, they 'borrowed' it in a sense that it will never get paid back. Those running the company into the ground will get fat umbrellas (just look around) and we will be stuck holding the bill with higher taxes.
Just imagine how much good that $68 billion could do outside of AIG. We could feed and treat millions of sick children. We could fix our roads. We could fix our people.
Instead, we keep throwing money into these Wall Street companies and they keep squandering it.
But, hey, the snow looks nice and at least we aren't these guys:


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning and welcome to the real winter!

OK, so we finally got some measurable snow. The rain that's falling, though, will cut down on the ability to enjoy it. Now, many may dispute the Global Warming argument, but you can't tell me there hasn't been a change in climate.
It's not like it used to be, as the old man said.
Back in the day (talking way back in the disco '70s) snow storms were real. When the snow fell, it closed schools. The driveways were covered (well, until Dad got out there) and there was plenty of time for sledding.
Those days, the unexpected free day from school, meant the whole day was spent outside in the cold. It didn't matter if it was 10 below it was snow. Build a giant snowman. Build a snow fort. Roll around in the snow. Throw snowballs at Dad as he shoveled the driveway.
The last few years, though, the snow as been light and, like today, when it does snow it's quickly followed by rain. Sure, all those first and fourth graders (and at least one pre-K student I know of) will be out playing in the snow today, but it will be different. It will be wet. There's ice on top. They may not last an hour.
Hey, but at least it looks pretty.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning and there's that four-letter word in the forecast for the weekend!

That's right, the weather forecasters are falling all over themselves to make sure we know the dreaded four-letter word that can be said on television (again, and again, and again).
S-N-O-W may come down Friday. Then it may come down again Sunday. Then it may come down again Tuesday. Then, well, it is winter after all. One of these days it will snow.
This is, of course, all contingent on the storm track. If it moves north, we get nothing. If it moves South, we get nothing. If it stays exactly where it is, we get, well, probably nothing.
It doesn't stop everybody from running out to the stores to stock up on bread and milk, though. Now, can anybody explain why we need to stock up on staples once the snow starts falling.
Oh, that's right, we need to eat a lot of toast after shoveling. Toast and jam. MMMM. Sounds good right now.
Speaking of winter, here's the best thing to do in the snow:


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning and welcome to the next day in the long, drawn out winter!

Seriously, does anybody really like winter. Sure, it looks nice when the snow falls the first time. There are opportunities to build snowmen, have snowball fights and go sledding.
After about an hour, it's back inside to warm the toes. While children get hyped up when the snow starts coming down, what do they do the rest of the time.
The last few years, the snow has been light and the cold has been, well, cold. So, that means a lot of time spent in the house, in the car or in the mall.
Three big problems there when it comes to children.
1. After spending one day in the house, they want to spread out. The walls aren't going to keep them from going crazy. They jump into the walls. Jump off the couch and are only calm when watching television or sleeping.
2. In the car, the space is even more cramped. They touch, make faces, make noises and do whatever else they can to annoy each other. And that's the good times. Factor in winter coats and more traffic and there's a recipe for disaster.
3. When you get to the mall (or any store really), it's like a giant playground. They slide down the aisles. Knock off the clothes (as I've recently found out, most adults do this as well) and cause a headache. Then they want a new toy or a candy bar or something, anything. Just buy something.
So, the bottom line is we can have winter for about a month. Let's keep using our cars, spray cans and anything else so winter can be limited to mid-December until mid-January.
Then bring out the sun. The flowers. The beach chairs.
What? It's not even winter yet? That doesn't start until Dec. 21?
We're doomed.
Well, at least we can watch this to pass the time:


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning and welcome to summer in November!

That's right, it's supposed to be 70 degrees out there today. Enjoy it now, because that Pennsylvania winter will no doubt hit us over the head soon.
Speaking of winter and knocking you over the head, the announcement by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter of major budget cuts seems a little odd. Sure, bit cities like Philadelphia are feeling the economic crunch. All those companies laying off all those workers means less tax money coming in to the cities. There's no doubt they have to control spending, but the plowing of roads after snowstorms is the wrong path.
Now, here in Pennsylvania, we have about the worst road clearing in the country. Just try, without a snowmobile of course, to drive down Baltimore Pike after a snowstorm. You'd be better off walking.
Not plowing the roads just brings everything to a stop. People can't get to work, school, the stores (for milk and bread of course) or anywhere. Of course, it's great for television and their over-obsession with weather, but the rest of us have to get around.
So, unless Nutter has a connection to Mother Nature and knows the Heat Miser will be controlling the winter in the Northeast this year (in a trade for just one snow day in the South), the Mayor is going to have bigger problems.
Then again, maybe it won't matter. We are in a world of perpetual sunshine now.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

GOOD MORNING, DELAWARE COUNTY!
Well, we survived the first 'snowfall' of the winter.
Sure, the roads were a mess Thursday evening, but, once everybody got home, at least there was some fun to be had.
Not as much fun as this guy, but there were still snowballs to be found.
I saw a couple of snowmen on my drive into the office this morning. One that was really well done was wearing a carrot nose and a hat with a flame on the top. It's a good thing he didn't melt overnight.
I think I've figured out the best thing about snow is seeing the little ones making snowballs (watch who you are throwing them at), rolling around and generally having fun.
I saw three Thursday afternoon who were having an absolute ball just being outside with snow falling. I'm sure they could have stayed out there all night. Too bad those mean parents expect them to come in to do something like eat dinner or whatever.
I also found out there's nothing like chocolate chip cookies during a snow day. Not only does the delicious smell fill up the house, but it makes the tummy feel warm as well.
You can have your hot chocolate, give me a cookie and I'm fine.
By the way, if you have any cool photos from the snow, send them along to HERE.
Also, send us along any links or anything else you find interesting.
One thing I'd like to know is how we are doing here at the Web site. I know there are a lot of problems. Most of the them will be cleared up in the coming months.
Still, is there anything you would like to see we don't have right now? Are we doing OK? Leave a response or send an e-mail
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.