Progress?

Officially, the hummingbirds have made it to southern Missouri, but we haven't seen one around here. It's just too damn cold. The daytime temperatures haven't been so bad lately; I've even been opening a window every now and then. But nighttime temperatures have been hovering right about the freezing mark for several days now. We have a nice day or two and then back to being so cold we have to keep both fireplaces roaring. And the forecast isn't very encouraging either; it's supposed to get near 60 tomorrow, near 70 the next day and then back to the freezer after that. Our poor trees and other plants are confused as hell. Sure, we always have some weather weirdness around here but this is ridiculous.

It's really got me thinking about global warming which is, of course, a bit of a misnomer. See, if a man made global warming really is taking place its effect won't necessarily be a hotter Earth. It'll be a generally fucked up atmosphere resulting in all kinds of negative effects. I guess that's why the newer term "climate change" is gaining more ground, although to me it doesn't really go far enough. I think we need to adopt a more precise, if longer and awkward, name. "Global warming" sounds like it could be a worldwide summer where everyone picnics and sunbathes at the same time. "Climate change" could just be one of the semi-regular cooling or warming periods our planet has experienced since its birth. To be fair it's got to be more than two words, maybe four or five or more, to be accurate.

How 'bout "human made armageddon"? Hmm, maybe not; it's a little too Abrahamic for my taste. What about "Earth children spawn their own destruction"? Or, even better, "stupid humans, in an effort to attain unattainable limitless power and wealth create the ultimate irony: their own self-made destruction"? Yeah, I like that; it's a lot closer to the heart of the issue than "global warming" or "climate change". But I imagine it'll never catch on with the wider public or the media. It's too honest, too graphic, too real. And too long for many people who seem to have the attention span of ....well, I'm trying to think of a good analogy. But I can't seem to think of anything that equates to the average television junkie.

I read somewhere that there's a particular brain wave pattern that occurs in the heads of those glued to the television that indicates very little thought taking place. Now, don't get me wrong, I watch my share of Bones, Futurama and Squidbillies, but damn, some people do nothing but watch tv. And I wonder if that isn't part of the greater problem of our possibly-soon-to-collapse society. Perhaps some of us have stopped thinking critically altogether in favor of eye candy-induced zombiehood. I can't help but wonder: if the industrial revolution had never happened, and we had never gained so much free time, and tv was never invented, would we be in this mess today? I know that's a stretch and an oversimplification, but I think my question is still valid. So what's the answer?

I don't know, as usual. All I do know is that I'm cold. And I'm sick of being cold. The growth of our pear trees has already been stopped in its tracks because of the weather; luckily the cherry trees haven't budded yet. The bugs have woken up, dug out and gotten just cold enough to move into the house. The pond frogs keep trying to stick it out at night but I can't help wondering if they're suffering rather than simply giving up and digging back into the mud. But I guess it isn't all bad. Most of the plants are still persevering and I did see a bumble bee yesterday. Our lettuce and radishes are sprouting nicely and the hummingbirds have been reported in areas north of us. So I guess spring is coming; it's just having to take a long, hard, cold road. I guess I need to get back to working some magic to help it along!