Long Island Nor'easters

Hi All,

Just a little post about Long Island Nor'easters now that the crummy weather is over and done with for the time being....

From Newsday.com comes this list of hurricanes and nor'easters on Long Island through the decades.
Click on this link from Wikipedia to learn all about Nor'easter's....

But one question needs to be answerered first!  What makes a nor'easter?  Click here to find out the various meterological reasons - courtesy of Accuweather.! 

Learn about the top 20 northeast weather events over the last 25 years by clicking on this link from Wunderground.com. An interesting site to be sure...click on the link to 'New York city Weather Archive: A Glance Back, Day by Day' - the topic of which is Nor'easters'. 

Enjoy the post!

Regards,
Stu

Snow Shoveling Tips For the Winter

Hi All,

Now that it is January on Long Island, we can expect the snow and the ice to start to make an appearance.  Ugh.  Yuk. And, 'how many days until Spring?'

But we still have to get passed the Winter to get to Spring...but how can we stay safe in the winter weather?  Read on for some tips on shoveling, driving and generally making the best of it during the upcoming winter.

Farmingdale Patch has an article on Snow Safety Tips For Nassau County Residents.  About.com chimed in as well with an article titled, Snow Shoveling Tips. And rm ApartmentTherapy.com comes an article titled The Best Snow Shoveling tips and Tricks From Around the Web.

And what about all that winter driving we do on our way to work or school or food shopping or wherever the weekend trips take you to?  Read on for winter driving safety articles!!!

The first article comes from the AAA and is titled Winter Driving Tips.  Be especially aware of the section  of 'tips for driving in the snow'.

The insurance colossus Travelers also got into the game this year with an article titled Winter Driving Safety Tips. Sound familiar? :)

And now we're breaking out the big guns - OSHA got into the act with an article titled Safe Winter Driving.  

The NHTSA generated a pdf document a few years entitled Checklist and Tips For Safe Winter Driving.  Click here for this well written gem of an article.

Enjoy the articles and links - hopefully you won't need to rely on the information in them...but if you do, you have them at your fingertips.

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

Let it snow... and that's what's going to happen this weekend.  Click on this link - courtesy of the Farmingdale Patch - to see the snow timeline for this weekends' snowfall.

But before that let's make sure we're all safe.  With food, blankets, snacks, batteries for radios/dvd players and the like.  Make sure you're smartphone is charged and your car's gas tank is filled. 

Without further ado, click on these links to help you prepare for the upcoming snowfall this weekend.

Blizzard Safety Tips - Prevent Injury While Shoveling

Blizzard Survival Guide -AccuWeather 

WeatherWizKids - Winter Storm Safety

7 Ways to Stay Safe in a Blizzard

Winter Weather Checklists

Blizzard Checklist - How To Prepare Your Home For the Impending Storm

PSEG Storm Center - Outages

Wunderground.com - Warnings For Southern Nassau County  

Best Foods to Stockpile For an Emergency - RealSimple.com

Best Hot Chocolate Recipes - Food Network 

Hot Chocolate Recipes - AllRecipes.com 

Enjoy the links - and the snow!

Regards,
Stu

Everything Snow Related

Hi All,

Because of the anticipated major (possibly historic) snow storm that is expected later today and tomorrow, today's blog post is ALL ABOUT THE SNOW!

Click on this link for Mayor DiBlasio's recent statement about the impending blizzard.

What is the difference between a snowstorm and a blizzard?  Click on this link to find out!

How to be safe in a blizzard? Click on this link for advice on how to drive safely in a blizzard - if you have to drive that is. And click on this link for even more blizzard driving tips. 

Click on this link for a more general set of 'things to do' when preparing for a blizzard. 

Under the stock up section: And...this link discusses what to stock up with when you are the supermarket and preparing for a blizzard.

What to do during a blizzard - especially with kids and children.  And this link for more things to do with kids when you are stuck inside during a blizzard.

Once the snow has stopped and you are outside....click on this link for how to make a snowman.  And this link on how to make snow angels.  And this link on how to make an igloo.

Finally, click on this link for some awesome images of mounds and piles of snow, snow, snow!!!  After about Tuesday night you'll be sick and tired of these images....

Enjoy the blizzard and drive safely.

Regards,
Stu

The Thanksgiving Post

Hi All,

Its official - anything you do for two or more years in a row qualifies as a tradition!  Hence the Thanksgiving Post.

Everything you need to know about Thanksgiving is in this post. Okay...well, not everything.  Just a lot of great, timely links to make your Thanksgiving more festive, less stressful, taste better and more fun for you and for your family and friends.

Thanksgiving weather for the Long Island area...and from News12 - the forecast is....more wet, snowy weather for Thanksgiving.  See link for more.

For a brief history of Thanksgiving, click on this link from The History Channel.  For another view of Thanksgiving, click on this link from National Geographic Kids - kid friendly and still interesting.

For a menu of what is served at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, click on this link from the Food Network.  And, from AllRecipes.com come these recipes for cooking a turkey. Bon Appetit has an interesting article on Thanksgiving Stuffing and Dressing Recipes.

Jericho Cider Mill is a great place to get apple cider - its a family favorite and goes great with turkey, stuff, gravy, etc... on Thanksgiving. Link above is from Yelp.

Need some information on how to carve the bird? Click on this link from Good Morning America for ways to carve the turkey. Yum. I'm hungry already. 

Okay...now that you've served the meal...its time for some football. Click here to get a listing of the football games that are being played on Thanksgiving 2014. Link is from NFL.com.

And don't forget to drive carefully after the Thanksgiving meal...

Happy Thanksgiving.

Stu

Preparing Your House For Winter

Hi All,

Just a quickie post this morning for homeowners.  As you might have quessed, Winter is coming. It was cold last night - it hit about 40*F and the heat was most definitely on in my house....

Now that the cold is here to stay around for the next couple of months, can the snow, sleet and rain be far behind?  Probably not - and as a homeowner, it makes sense to prepare for the bad weather. 

Click on the links below and you'll be ahead of the game when you 'winterize your house'. 

19 Easy Home Winterization Projects - Popular Mechanics - slideshow with links
11 Ways to Winterize Your Home on a Budget - Bob Vila - slideshow of winterizing
35 Ways to Winterize Your Home - How Stuff Works/Home - with links to projects
10 Cheap Tips to Winterize Your Home - Business Insider - bubble wrap idea is a hoot - and clever
50 Ways to Winterize Your Home - Productivity501 - nice simple list of projects
Winterize Your Home: 10 Tips - WebMD - list with a paragraph length summary
Winterizing Your Home - HomeBuying-About.com - #4 - gutters and spouts!

And now for the library plug...click on this link which goes to the card catalog.  Subject of link is 'Dwellings - Maintenance and Repair - Amateurs' Manuals' and I sorted the titles from newest to oldest. Note also that many of these titles will be in the 'Home Sweet Home' section in the library - which is located next to the Children's Room.

Enjoy the links - and now you can enjoy a warm, comfortable home during the winter.

Regards,
Stu

Winterizing Your Home

Hi All,

It might seem like very, very early Fall, but soon the seasons are going to change - and with it the cold weather will be rearing its chilly head. 

Forthwith, 5 really excellent websites on how to winterize your home.   You'll learn all about how to prepare your home for the onset of winter with advice for the interior, exterior, roofing, water issues and other parts of your house.

Winter Preparation Checklist - Bob Vila
4 Winter Prep Essentials You Shouldn't Miss - MSN Real Estate
Prepare Your Home For Winter - CDC
10 Ways to Winterize Your Home - Now - MSN Real Estate
How to Prepare Your Home For Winter - How Stuff Works


Good luck!
Stu

Hi All,

More than likely it is going to snow again this Sunday and Monday.  Ugh.  Enough already.  But, as the saying goes, 'people talk about the weather, but rarely can people do anything about it'. 

That said, one of the better things that you can do when it snows (besides for shoveling the driveway - click here for a link that explains how to safely shovel) is to put salt on the sidewalk and brick.  Click on this next link - from Popular Mechanics - entitled '16 Cardinal Rules for Snow Shoveling'.  Finally, click on this link that will help you learn how to shovel snow without injuring your back!

Once you shovel the snow you can put down the salt...but there is more to it than that.  Click on this article from Consumer Reports (entitled 'Best Ice Melts For Your Driveway, Walkways, and Steps') which explains the various types of ice melts for your house!

And if you can't get to  Lowe's or a Home Depot or an Ace Hardware to buy the ice melt, you can  make your own ice melt.  Click on this link to find an article entitled, 'Home Remedies For Melting Icy Sidewalks and Driveways' - link is from Eyewitness News in Minneapolis.

This next link gives you an alternative way to make homemade ice melt - courtesy of Topix...a news related website.  This next website is called '9 Eco-Friendly Ways to De-Ice Your Driveway'.  Finally, you can click on this link from eHow to find yet another way to 'Make Ice Melt At Home'.

Click on this link to see a video on how to  shovel your driveway using a Silver Bear Snow Scoop.  I am not advertising this product - I'm just showing it to readers for educational purposes...

And if you are tired after you shovel, click on this link that explains the number of calories burned by shoveling snow...hint: it's a lot!


So there you have it.  A few ways that might help you make shoveling a bit easier and faster for you.

Here's hoping that it doesn't snow that much this weekend.  Spring, spring...where are you?
 
Regards,
Stu

Cold Weather Blues

Hi All,

Cold weather seems like it is the norm lately here in Farmingdale - and on Long Island. Click on this link for cold weather facts from the National Safety Council.  They discuss things like dressing warm, frostbite, hypothermia and more.

Another link that might be of interest to cold weather fans is this one from 'The Weather Channel'.  Entitled 'Deep Freeze Recap: Coldest Temperatures of the Century for Some' the article talks about how records have fallen in many cities around the country during this last cold weather snap.

Click on this link to learn how to stay warm without a heater...brought to you by Wikihow. 

From ApartmentTherapy.com comes this entry with the title, '14 Ways to Keep Warm Without Turning on the Temperature or Turning the Heat Up'.

And remember folks, bring those pets indoors during these bone chillingly cold nights.  With temperatures around 10* and wind-chill factors near -10* you need to bring your cat or dog inside ASAP.   Click on this link to learn how to keep your pet warm after you bring him in from the cold. 

Remember to keep your car maintained so that you don't have a dead battery in the morning.  Click here for some advice on how to winterize your car - fyi, its a video.  Click here for another article on winterizing your car...this one is entitled '9 Ways to Winterize Your Car.'


Finally, click on this link from Google Images for lots of pictures of icy cold tundra like conditions.  Hey, some folks like this weather - others not so much...

Enjoy the links and stay warm.

Regards,
Stu

Eight-Thousander - The Mountain Post - and Mountaineering

Hi All,

We have a tall order for today's post....I recently found that there are very, very few mountains that are over 8,000 meters. Finding this out got me thinking that this might be an interesting topic for this reference blog! As a matter of fact, there are only 14 of them on the planet.  Click on this link to see the names of the 14 mountains. 

Interestingly enough,  there are very, very few people who have climbed each of these 8,000 meter peaks.  Click here for a list of them as well - courtesy of Wikipedia.

For more information on one of the worlds most famous moutaineers, click on this link to learn more about Reinhold Messner - an Italian who people have called the greatest mountain climber in history. 

For some of the most amazing mountaineering pictures, click on this link - from Bing Images. Imagine how these pictures would look on your computer desktop!

Finally, we have lots of  books on mountain climbing at the library.  Witness some of the more interesting titles like, 'No Way down: Life and Death on K2', 'Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations - One School at a Time', 'Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest' and 'A Mountain Too Far: a Father's Search for Meaning in the Climbing Death of His Son'.

And while this isn't the same thing as mountain climbing, readers can click on this link - which will take you to the Nassau Hiking and Outdoor Club.  It might start you on the long climb to mountain climbing - and perhaps to an even greater appreciation of nature!

Enjoy the mountain climbing links!

Regards,
Stu

Great Weather Sites

Hi All,

If you look out the window right now you'll see beautiful blue skies with nary a cloud to be seen.  Absolutely gorgeous - and with low humidity.

And with that introduction, how could I not do a blog entry about weather.  Its a simple blog entry, but a really helpful one. I'm forecasting that this will be a very popular entry...:)

Here is a list of the top 7 weather websites for users.

1. Wunderground - maps, conditions, forecasts, weather fronts, photos, weather events and more
2. Weather.com - The Weather Channel.  Forecasts, maps, news, breaking events.
3. NOAA.gov  - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.  Active weather alerts and much more.
4. Climate.gov - educational site with data and services, a section on Understanding Climate, videos, images and much more.
5. AccuWeather.com - Local and itnernational weather forecasts, radar, current conditionss
6. WeatherBug.com - local and national weather conditions and forecasts
7. Lifehacker - link to the 'Five Best Weather Websites'  - Weatherspark, Weather.gov.NOAA

Enjoy the sites.
Stu

Severe Weather Around the United States

Hi All,

Just wanted to share an interesting weather website called the 'U.S. Severe Weather Map' from the Weatherunderground.  Click here for the link. Users can use the tabs right above the map to choose various regions of the United States to locate severe weather.


Readers might want to visit the website Weather Underground for more weather forecasts, articles, maps, and more.  Click here for the site.

Enjoy the site.
Stu

Brr...Cold Weather Records From Around the USA

Hi All,

Well, as you probably know, there has been a massive heat wave going on for the last 2 days all along the whole eastern 2/3 of the United States. Wow - that is hot, hot, hot...click here for a view of this massive weather pattern from Weather.com

Now you probably think I'm going to write about the heat wave and all the temperature records that have fallen...nope. I want to go a different route and talk about cold temperatures and those records.

For example, click on this link to New York Annual Temperatures and Extremes - a chart from a site called CoolWeather.com

Click on this link for an article from the Long Island Press from late January of this year - specifically it is from January 22nd and talks about a very, very cold weather pattern heading our way...I'm just starting to feel a bit cooler...

Now, click on this link to find out how to great ice cubes for summer drinks in your refrigerator - article is from a site called 'The Kitchen'. Click on this link for an explanation of how to make clear ice cubes for your favorites drinks.

Okay...now I'm starting to feel a bit cooler.

Click here for a link to find out how to clean your air conditioner so that it operates efficiently and effectively - site is the DIY Network; a well-known site for do-it-yourself maintenance and repair tips. Cool stuff.

Got an air filter in your air conditioner? Click here to find out how to clean it easily and quickly.

Okay! Now I'm feeling a bit chilly as I'm writing this entry. All this talk of things cool is definitely cooling me down!

Click here for some amazing photos of icebergs - photos came from Google Images; a favorite website of mine to find photos and images...you should try it! It is easy and free! Why do I say amazing photos of icebergs? Because of their myriad colors that go from white to red to blue to magenta and more....you've got to check it out.

Finally, click on this link for another link to Google Images - only this time I did a search for 'snow covered houses'. The pictures are idyllic and harken back to a simple, winter/snow filled period. I bet that after you see these photos and pictures you won't be able to wait until the winter and Christmas comes around. Click here for the link.

So there you have it - a few links that might help to cool you down during this swelteringly hot weather.

Enjoy the cool links :)
Stu

Weather Changes and Forecasting

Hi All,

I seem to write a lot about the weather in this blog. I wonder if it is because weather plays such a large part in our lives that I write so much about it...hmmmm. I guess that is something to think about during a rainy day....

Anyway, the next few days are going to be very warm in this area of the country. Click here for a 5 day forecast for Long Island and, in particular, Farmingdale.

But the real reason I wanted to write todays' blog entry was to discuss (or at least mention) some of the traditional (and unofficial) methods that people forecast weather.

For example, click on this link for Traditional Weather Signs from a website called Gardening Matters. The author talks about various animals and how there various activities and behaviors indicate weather trends...interesting.

Another website that talks about this can be found here - the name of the site is Traditional Weather Lore Sayings of Britain. There is a whole section of weather lore and various animals - birds, pigs, cats and dogs and what there various behaviors mean with respect to the weather.

To see how far weather forecasting has come from its beginnings, click on this link from Wikipedia that discusses weather forecasting.

Finally, to learn a bit more about weather forecasting today, click on this link from the National Weather Service website - aka Weather.gov.

Notice the tabs at the top of the page...you can find links to Graphical Forecasts, National Maps, Radar, Water, Air Quality, Satellite, Climate and Warnings. Click on any of the links above to go to that part of the Weather.gov site.

So you see...weather is more than just the local weather guy on either CBS or NBC or ABC television.

Finally, this might be a popular blog entry - if so, I'll revisit the topic in the future with another related post - and possibly more detail with the NOAA.gov website...

Enjoy - and stay cool for the rest of the week.

Regards,
stu

World Records

Hi All,

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to set records. And when I found out I wasn't going to be the biggest, fastest, smartest, youngest, oldest, etc in any particular category (kind of like most people) I was very interested in the Guinness Book of World Records.

As a matter of fact the name of the book is now 'Guinness World Records' not 'Guinness Book of World Records'. Go figure - things change. For a goofy record, click here to see who balanced the most books on his head at any one time.

Click here to find a particular record in a category - basically this is a search box so you can type in term and find a record associated with it. For example, you can search for 'animals', 'books', 'baseball', 'coins', 'richest', 'smallest', etc... you get the idea.

Click here for the official site of GBWR (my acronym for it in this blog entry so I don't have to keep writing it out...). Many of us remember the thick paperback GBWR from our childhood and our teen years...of course we have the very same title in the library. Click here for the link to the card catalog to see if we have the book on the shelf.

I'm getting the feeling that the owners of GBWR are trying to 'brand' the product. Especially with the Guinness World Records Museum and the link to Licensing.

For an external link that is not associated with the GBWR, click here to see the Wikipedia entry for the GBWR. You'll notice that there is a fairly long outline that includes the History, Evolution, Museum, TV Series and the Gamer's Edition of the GBWR.

Hope this is an interesting entry - oh and in honor of one of the coldest, snowiest winters on record in the NYC/Long Island area, click here for the largest snow sculpture/structure ever made. It'll make you appreciate the fact that much of this years' snow has melted.

Regards,

Stu

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Snow - and Lots of It

Hi All,

Welcome to our first post-blizzard blog entry. I wish I could have come up with this entry 2 days ago - it certainly would have helped back then. Today is sort of 'after the fact', but todays blog entry topic is 'Snow and shoveling tips'. Like I said my timing might not be perfect but I can assure you that we will get more snow - maybe not this year, but more than likely we'll get snow next year...anyway...

It sounds silly, but here is a site that has some simple tips on shoveling snow. Well the tips can't hurt at least - although a sore back from shoeveling certainly can. Click on this link for a response to the author of the first article I linked to. These are some serious snow shovelers!!!

Once again eHow has an article on 'How to Shovel Snow - the Lazy Man's Way'. I don't care what people call me as long as I don't have a backache after I shovel. Interesting article and the 6 steps are easy to follow and certainly a short enough list for readers to remember!

As if readers don't already know this...shoveling snow is hard work. Proof of that is this article - which discusses the fact that shoveling can accelerate heart attacks. Click here for the Long Island Press article regarding shoveling and heart attacks.

Finally, click here for some Youtube videos on the proper shoveling techniques so you don't hurt your back or your shoulders or arms. Click here for another snow shoveling video...

Hope this helps - if not for the blizzard of 2010 then for the next heavy snowfall we have on Long Island.

Regards,
Stu

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Rainy Days - What To Do?

Hi All,

I've skimmed over the last few weeks worth of blog posts and a somewhat regular theme seems to have emerged - perhaps I did it unconsciously, or not. I'm really not sure, but I do seem to post a lot about the weather. As soon as I realized this, I thought of yet another weather-related post.

Lots of Farmingdale residents have children...and the weather (here it is again!) isn't so splendid in the Fall. As a matter of fact, it can be downright nasty what with all the rain, wind, clouds and stuff during this time of year. Now, add to this fact that folks might have children - and they probably aren't playing outside during this type of nasty, cold, rainy weather.

So...what to do with children during the inclement weather? Indeed, we'll come to your rescue and find something to at least keep the little ones a bit amused during this time of year!

Click here to find some rainy day activities for your 6-10 year old. This site has divided up the games into memory games, word games, science games and card games (go figure) and guessing games and more...cute and easy to navigate website.

Click here for a site called 'Kids Can Have Fun During Rainy Days - which is more of a summary of what you can do with your kids during this weather.

Brought to you live, from Helium.com is the next entry: Indoor Rainy-Day Activities For Children. I need to explain a bit about this site. The above link is really a link to a list of pages that discuss what to do with children during the bad weather.

Clicking on an individual link will get you to the actual article itself. In other words, there is a built in extra layer that users - this means you - have to click through to actually get to the material you are interested in. Makes sense? I hope so.

So...for example, I clicked on the first entry by Trudy Brown. Note that you have to click on the title of the article that you are interested in once you get to this page. Click here to follow the link from Helium.com

Finally, click here for a site from AmazingMoms.com and an article called BoredomBusters. Notice that at the end of this article they have more games for children to play during the foul weather.

Okay...here is another site that is very, very helpful. It is called Babycenter.com and I typed in a search in the box at the top right side of the webpage. I used the phrase 'rainy day activities' and the results can be seen by clicking on this link. I suspect that you will now have lots of things to do with your children when inclement weather prevents them from playing outside.

I hope these sites are entertaining and keep your children busy during the nasty weather.

Stu

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