Well a frog.  At least one.  Back in July I got some pictures of thousands of tadpoles in the pond.  Yesterday, while we were winterizing the pond, Lilli saw a small frog sitting on a lily pad.  We got excited and we got pictures.

To put it in perspective here it is with a ruler:

About 1 and a half inches

This probably would have happened if there hadn’t been Koimegeddon (man induced massive Koi death) which at the time I saw as an unmitigated disaster.

Is it time to get your Nostalgia fix?

Here is a link to a nice old postcard site. It probably has cards from your hometown.

http://www.usgwarchives.org/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

Thanks to my postcard pal Richard B for this link.

Postal rates go up January 22 and the post office is being pretty quiet about it.  Perhaps so that you don’t go out and stock up on forever stamps.  Perhaps because nobody mails anything anymore so people don’t care.  Details on the USPS web site

Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 22, 2012, include:

Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents

Letters additional ounces – unchanged at 20 cents

Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents

Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents.

Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05

This is not going to solve the post offices deficit problem.  Part of their agreement with the Federal Govt is that in exchange for the first class mail monopoly they cannot increase prices more than inflation and they can’t cut service.  Of course this formula won’t work as the volume shrinks because of email and the internet. Governments resistance to new technologies and the changes that they cause tend to exacerbate the problems.  Please let old things die or change.  Unfortunately:

The USPS is the Amtrak of our children’s generation.

From:

Great Jewish Quotes

Noah ben Shea

It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.

Steve Jobs

1954 – 2011

I wrote a story about the miners from Cornwall, England’s contribution to the cuisine of Mexico.  I know it sounds strange but Cornish Pastys are part of the food heritage of Moreles, Mexico.

I posted the story on my Rational Immigration site.  But I though I should share it here if only because it made me think about Elizabeth C and her empanadas.   And it raised the eternal question:  Which came first the Empanada or the Pasty?

English food suffer from a bad naming issue.  Which would you prefer egg pie or souffle?

“Free the Hawaiian Postcards!”
Great food and free postcards together!

Life is Good.

Mama’s Fish House (North Shore, Maui)

More free Postcards

Tijuana Jews from Isaac Artenstein on Vimeo.

Tijuana is not just a place that has crime and drugs and lawlessness. It also has a Jewish Community and peaceful people raising families and living marvelously ordinary lives.

 For many years I have used the tag line:

“The key to happiness is low expectations.”

Proof back to 2006

However there was a crack in the cleverness of the saying that caused the aircraft maintenance amendment in 2009 and now, after lots of thought it is being totally revised.

The new improved tag line:

“The key to happiness is reasonable expectations.”

Throw away your old keys

Thanks as always in all matter of keys and happiness go to Arnie S.

Way cool video of blasting a dam on the White Salmon River in Washington State.

Explosive Breach of Condit Dam from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

It appears that there is a wonderful remediation opportunity here and in the hundreds of other small dams that are going to be taken out in the next few decades.