Another Addition to the Kelly Clan!

Grandpa Peterson got us a kitty for Christmas! His name is "Asher" and he's extremely friendly and very curious. He's a little afraid of me still because I am quite loud at times, but I know it won't be long until we are great friends.

Zambonis!

In the early 1940s, Frank Zamboni had an idea. Now, more than 50 years later, his name is synonymous with the machine he invented. In fact, ice resurfacers like the one he developed for his own rink in Southern California have had a tremendous impact on skating and ice sports throughout the world.

Frank Zamboni's belief in ongoing product improvement and innovation lives on today in the company he founded.

Iceland opened in 1940 as one of the largest rinks in the country, with 20,000 sq. ft. of iced surface -- that's enough room for 800 skaters. The original rink was an open-air facility. But the brothers soon learned that, with the intense Southern California sun and dry desert winds, the quality of their ice sheet was less than adequate, so they covered it with a domed roof. The challenge now was to maintain this much-improved indoor surface.

At the time, resurfacing the ice meant pulling a scraper behind a tractor, shaving the surface. Three or four workers would scoop away the shavings, spray water over the surface, squeegee it clean and allow the water to freeze -- a process that took more than an hour. For Frank, it was a puzzle to be solved: how could he make a good sheet of ice in a short period of time? It wasn't long before he began engineering a machine that would make the task of ice-resurfacing fast and efficient. And the concept of the Zamboni ice resurfacer was born...

Here are some interesting evolution of Zamboni pictures today.




THE ZAMBONI


The ZAMBONI is a highly specialized machine that cleans the ice between periods. In its travel across the ice, it scrapes the loose shavings off and lays down a layer of hot water. The water must be hot to melt the upper ice surfaces and weld a smooth sheet. It takes just minutes to freeze.

SHAVING
A blade (A) scrapes the surface of the ice.

COLLECTING
After a horizontal screw (B) gathers the shavings, a vertical screw (C) propels them into the snow tank.(D)

WASHING
Water is fed from a wash-water tank (E) to a squeegee-like conditioner (F), which smoothes the ice. Dirty water is vacuumed, filtered and returned to the tank.

RENEWING
Clean, hot water is spread on the ice by a towel (G) behind the conditioner.

Adopt a Polar Bear

Of all of the wildlife species in the Artic, the polar bear is perhaps the most fitting icon for this ecoregion. Its amazing adaptations to life in the harsh Arctic environment and dependence on sea ice make them so impressive, and yet so vulnerable. An indicator of the health of the ecosystem can be measured by the biodiversity that lives there. There are strong signs of stress on the Artic marine system which are all factors in putting this species at risk.
Already areas once covered by sea ice are melting at an unprecedented rate. Polar bears need sea ice to access their ringed seals, their main source of food, and to move from hunting grounds to their summer resting areas. As the time on the ice becomes shorter, bears can not store up enough energy for summer and autumn when there is little available food.


There are an estimated 22,000 polar bears living in 20 discreet populations worldwide. Illegal hunting or over-harvesting does not affect all polar bear populations, but can be a major threat to smaller populations and in areas without established regulation or enforcement. Although actual harvest levels are unknown in some areas, an estimated 250-300 polar bears were illegally taken on Russia's Chukotka Peninsula in 2002, twice the level experienced in previous years. This increase is likely a result in changes in climate, causing early ice retreat and stranding large number of bears on land. A recent population study indicated that, even at a harvest level of 180 bears per year, there would likely be a 50 percent reduction in this population size in less than 20 years.

WWF is using its global reach and scientific expertise in the field to examine the effects of climate change and advocate for solutions that will help preserve the polar bears, and wild Arctic places for future generations. Listing the polar bear as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act will provide additional tools and a level of protection for this icon of the north.
Click on the TITLE "Adopt a Polar Bear" to link to WWF

Help save these beautiful, majestic creatures of the North.

Cold Season

My Mom and I have a cold right now,..and my Daddy feels like he might be coming down with one too. So I asked my Mom to look up some traditional cold remedies on the internet, and here's what we found!





Chicken soup.
Research published in the journal Chest revealed that this traditional cure-all is the most effective remedy to help you recover from a cold. Heat is the key, so any soup will work to a degree, as it promotes airway secretions and has a calming action on inflamed throats. But chicken soup's combination of fats, spices, and water seems to work best when it comes to breaking up mucus.

No treatment of colds would be complete without Garlic. This pungent herb was highly esteemed by the ancient Egyptians, who ensured that the slaves building the Great Pyramids at Cheops were given a daily supply. The Romans also acknowledged garlic's strengthening powers and fed it to their soldiers before battle. Garlic has anti-bacterial properties that help the immune system to fight infection, it is an excellent boost to the immune system. The reason for this is garlic contains several helpful compounds, including allicin, one of the plant kingdom's most potent antibiotics. Garlic combines well with echinacea and together make a strong fighting force against infections.

Sage is a traditional remedy of long standing for soothing sore throats as it has antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties. For an inflamed throat and hoarseness use a hot sage infusion or gargle with a sage, apple cider vinegar and honey mix. In feverish conditions, sage is very cooling. Take as a tea or tincture.

Peppermint is a valuable expectorant* in the treatment of bronchitis, colds and flu. It reduces fevers by inducing sweating and cooling the body. It is also a painkiller for headaches and some migraines. It is a soothing decongestant and makes an effective inhalation for clearing blocked sinuses.

Other herbs which will assist in combating and relieving colds are:

Lemon Balm: Lemon Balm tea promotes sweating. This is good for feverish colds as it helps to eliminate the toxins from the body.

Blackberry: More commonly know as Bramble. The fruit is rich in vitamin C. The leaves can be used to make a cleansing tea, or make a poultice from fresh, lightly boiled leaves.

Borage: A versatile herb, borage promotes sweating and has expectorant* properties, both of which are beneficial for feverish, chesty colds.

Catnip: Catnip or Catmint, promotes perspiration and a hot infusion is good for feverish colds and flu's. Catnip is also a muscle relaxant and mild sedative so will help to induce sleep.

Cinnamon: Will stop vomiting and relieve feelings of nausea. Take as a tea. Cinnamon oil also had anti-bacterial properties.

Fenugreek: Has expectorant qualities. It is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and soothing. It can ease coughs and sore throats.

Feet Don't Fail Me Now!

Just after I finally learned how to walk, I found out I can dance! This is my favorite song right now. It's called "1234" by Feist. You may have heard it on the iphone commercials.

(This is a video, you must click the "play" button to watch)
Don't forget to turn up your speakers!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Kelly!

Kitty!

This is our new kitty "Bubbles". We named him after Mom's favorite character on a TV show. I can't hold him yet because he's scared of people, but he's becoming more use to us every day.

Ha Ha Ha!

Turning Back the Clocks

The United States government passed an energy bill on August 8/2005. It was part of an initiative to reduce energy consumption. The bill declared that daylight saving time in the United States should be extended by four weeks starting in 2007.
In Canada, daylight saving legislation is the responsibility of the provincial and territorial governments.
Twelve of the thirteen provincial and territorial governments updated the appropriate legislation in order to keep Canadian clocks in sync with US clocks.

The government of Saskatchewan neglected to update its time legislation... presumably because most of Saskatchewan does not observe daylight saving. It would appear that the small areas of Saskatchewan that do observe daylight saving have adopted the extension even though the Saskatchewan time Act still has explicit references to the old daylight saving dates.

Bottom line is that all areas of Canada that observe daylight saving have adopted the new dates.

Daylight saving for 2007 started on March 11 and will end on November 4.

I'm walking! These legs actually are good for something!

Press PLAY to watch me walk.