Absolutely beautiful here in the Fraser valley the next few days. It’s a gentle warmth this time of year. Love it.

I’ve posted the Bee & The Onion multiple times. I’ve been self-abasing about supporting Trump. You must have me mistaken for someone else. Humour? Best you can muster is SNL. They have their moments, but they’ve largely lost their way. (Dana Carvey’s Biden is great). Same with the Onion. I don’t change my mind easily. So no, my political affiliations don’t oscillate. That is “rigid” but so what? I’m grounded. You speak as though I don’t know that about myself. 20 years ago, I was hardcore neo-con. Now, probably 3/4 paleo-conservative. But I recognize we don’t exist in extreme isolation/localism, so there are shades of the neo-conservative from 20 years ago. (But you can take both Cheneys). I didn’t make a full pendulum swing like Tucker Carlson to radical isolationism when I changed that value. It’s who can fit under the tent that I’ve change positions on. That’s due to the support I’ve seen Trump and Poilievre here in Canada garner from a wide range of people. I recognize now what I didn’t then 20-some years ago: you need a big tent to win. Politics isn’t professing swooning, undivided loyalty. It’s chess, a series of strategies. That means I lock arms with RFK and Gabbard on many issues, strongly differ on others. I’ve posted here about moderate Democrats dropping the party due to the Dems diving headlong into the trans cult, the DEI garbage, crime & illegal immigration, and how they’re no longer the party of the working class. These are the issues you ardently defend or flippantly brush off. But that is why a substantial portion of those slightly left-of-centre have left the party—including a sizeable portion of blacks and Latinos. For all your ravings about all Trump supporters being cultic, Trump lives in your head rent-free to an extent you fail to see that Trump has quietly occupied the centre. You can’t acknowledge that. Whatever the outcome of the election, Vance is poised to be the future of the Republicans. And he will with precision occupy the centre. Many “never Trumpers” will be shocked to learn how centrist the Republicans are and how radical the Democrats are when Trump is gone and he’s not living in their heads anymore. Polls will reflect that in a couple years if Trump loses this election. Actually, perhaps the awakening has begun with Gordon Sondland realizing what garbage the Dems are under Biden/Harris. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13922095/amp/msnbc-host-ari-melber-stunned-impeachment-witness-gordon-sondland-endorse-trump.html

Fantastic analysis. Multiple topics on the candidates covered, including the future of the parties. It wasn’t Trump-centric conversation.

Fall starts October 15th. Pretty reasonable warm season by 21st century standards. I would even call it an ideal summer. Good variety and had minimal wildfire smoke west of the cascades. Also a quite pleasant transition into fall.

Weather records have been kept by the NWS office at Grand Rapids, Michigan since 1892 but between 1892 and 1898 there is data that is missing. But starting in 1898 there is good data. This week I will look at the annual mean average temperature for each decade from 1900 to 2019. I also looked at the seasonal snow fall for the same decades. I will start with 1900 to 1909 the mean annual temperature for the 10-year period was 47.7. The mean snow fall was 43.7”. The decade from 1910 to 1919 the mean was 48.0 for a increase of +0.3. That decade the average snow fall at GR was 52.2 for a increase of 4.9”. The 1920’s seen an average 10 year mean of 48.3 for another increase of 0.3°. For snowfall the 10 year average mean 51.8” for a decrease of 0.4” In the dust bow years of the 1930’s the mean at Grand Rapids shot up to 49.8° that was an increase of +1.5° for snow fall the average in the 1930” at Grand Rapids was 56.0” for an increase of +4.2” During the 1940’s the mean temperature at Grand Rapids was 47.8° that was a drop of 2.0° from the 1930’s as for snow fall the mean for that decade was 54.6” that was a decrease of 1.4”. The 1950’s the mean temperature was 47.9 and that was just 0.1° warmer than the 1940’s BUT something changed in the 1950’s for the mean snow fall at Grand Rapids and the mean that decade increased to 77.6” and so far has held up from the lower amounts from between 1900 to 1950. In the 1960’s the mean annual temperature was 47.3 that was a drop of 0.6 form the 1950” and the annual snow fall was now up to 80”. In the 1970’s the average annual mean was 47.0° that was a decline of 0.3° from the 1960’s and became the coolest decade at Grand Rapids. The average snow fall at Grand Rapids was 78.5” In the 1980’s rapid warming started with a mean of 47.8 and that was 0.8° warner then the 70’s. The mean average snow fall fell to 60.5” The 1980’s was not a good decade for some winter lovers. In the 1990’s the warming continue with a mean of 48.2 that was a increase of +0.4 over the 1980’s as for snow fall that increased to 75.0° The start of the 21st century seen a mean of 48.7° or an increase of +0.5° to go along with the warmer temperatures that 10 years had a mean snow fall of 86.6” and thus the snowiest decade so far at Grand Rapids. And now for 10 years the mean from 2100 to 2019 was 49.7 and that is a whopping +1.0 warmer than the 2000’s and the average snow fall total dropped to 73.8” So while the period of 1930 to 1939 has been the warmest decade so far the last 40 years have seen a steady increase of temperatures here at Grand Rapids and the next 30 averages will go up even more. Below is a recap of the (12) 10 years means at Grand Rapids. 1900’s mean temperature 47.7 mean snow fall 43.7” 1910’s mean temperature 48.0 mean snow fall 53.7” 1920’s mean temperature 48.3 mean snow fall 51.8” 1930’s mean temperature 49.9 mean snow fall 56.0 1940’s mean temperature 47.8 mean snow fall 54.6 1950’s mean temperature 47.9 mean snow fall 77.6 1960’s mean temperature 47.3 mean snow fall 80.1 1970’s mean temperature 47.0 mean snow fall 78.5 1980’s mean temperature 47.8 mean snow fall 60.5 1990’s mean temperature 48.2 mean snow fall 75.0 2000’s mean temperature 48.7 mean snow fall 86.6 2010’s mean temperature 49.7 mean snow fall 73.8. 2010 to 2023 the mean temperature 49.9 the mean snowfall 72.8. 2020 to 2023 mean temperature 50.1 mean snowfall 70.3 As you can see this past 13 years have been one of the warmest of record here at Grand Rapids and it has been rising for the last 40 years. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 73/50 there was no rainfall the sun was out 57% of the possible time. October is starting off on the warm and dry side. For today the average H/L is 66/46 the record high of 85 was set in 1900,1922 and 1946 the coldest high of 45 was set in 1935 the record low of 29 was set in 1965 and 2004 the warmest low of 65 was set in 2013. The most rainfall of 1.72” fell in 2013. Last year the H/L was 73/60 and 1.12” of rain fell. At the current time it is clear here in MBY and 41.