


"Graduation Day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After 22 years of child-raising, they are unemployed," quipped Erma Bombeck."
Our lives are (increasingly) non-stop drones of meetings, problem-solving, endless e-mails, phone calls, a blur of day-to-day life, just trying to get through the day to the other side, a few moments where we can relax, unwind, and if we're lucky - reflect. This weekend was a big one for our family, my oldest son, Walt, graduated from Penn State. My "little boy" received a degree in Telecommunications, a minor in Business, a joyous, touching, slightly bittersweet moment for all of us. We mark the passage of time with seminal moments in our lives: weddings, divorces, births and deaths - this was one of those poignant moments in my life where I really stopped and looked back at the 22 years Walt has been around, brightening up our lives. I'm admittedly biased (as any father would be), but the kid has a better voice, a much better sense of humor, and he's far more calm, reserved and thoughtful than his old man. How did that happen? Not sure - but I thank God for the good things in life, the truly eye-opening, awe-inspiring moments in your life when you can look back and feel good about how things turned out. The older I get, the less I take for granted. We spend so much of our days cleaning up messes - it's nice to step back and celebrate the good moments. Congratulations to any recent grads in your house. It's an exultant, mildly terrifying time for everyone involved. Stay optimistic - I know it's trite and cliche, but I've seen it happen too many times in my life for it to be a mere coincidence: if you're a naive optimist there's a better chance good things will unfold, maybe not on your timetable, but if you force yourself to be positive, you'll have a little undefinable edge going through life. "Man plans, God laughs," goes the Yiddish proverb. It's true - but sometimes those unexpected zigs and zags that you couldn't predict in advance take you to a much better place than you could have imagined. Enough Dr. Phil drivel. Sorry. But Walt's graduation really got me thinking, reflecting, and repeating an almost continuous prayer of thanks and gratitude.
"The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse."
- Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch

Speaking of gratitude - a very good-looking week is brewing for Minnesota, the result of a temporary holding pattern. After squirting windblown rain into the Upper Midwest the first 2 weeks of May, the jet stream, the main highway for storms, will once again retreat to our south this week, battering Denver, Dallas and Atlanta, but dry weather should be the rule here from Tuesday through most of Saturday, at least 5 dry, sun-splashed, warmer-than-average days in a row. If you need dry weather for yard work, field work, construction, painting...ANYTHING, take advantage of this week. At some point that fickle storm track will jump out of it's southerly groove and start flinging wet, potentially violent storms over Minnesota. It's inevitable, a subtle yet blunt reminder than June is our wettest month of the year, on average, with over 4" of rain. Why do so many brides want to get married in June? If you have a wedding do yourself a big favor and "rent the tent." If you don't rent the tent you're just begging for Mother Nature to paint a big bulls-eye on your wedding party. Wedding, graduation party, prom party? Do yourself a favor and don't gamble with the elements. Rent the tent. Consider it wedding insurance.



Giant plumes of oil, some 10 miles long, have been observed in the Gulf - the story here.
* Tracking the Deepwater Horizon Blowout from space (NASA) here.
* The Gulf of Mexico Spill: An Accident Waiting to Happen. An analysis from Environment 360 here.

Climate Stories

* Challenging the Climate Change Deniers. Scientists are finally entering the debate and defending their work. The story in the Edmonton Journal is here.

* Arctic Explorers Gathering Climate Change Data at the North Pole. The BBC has an in-depth story, examining changes at the top of the world, here.

* A Hole In The Spring Sky. 25 years ago this month researchers discovered an alarming lack of stratospheric ozone above both poles, an "ozone hole." At first the scientists were ostracized, even ridiculed. But the science held up, and by 1996 all the industrialized countries of the world banned harmful chemicals, "CFS's", which were drifting into the upper atmosphere and producing a chain reaction that resulted in ozone depletion. The main difference this time? Money. The impact on energy-related businesses, all the unknowns lurking out there (and a very real possibility that putting a price on carbon may impact the bottom line) has created an atmosphere conducive to doubt, uncertainty and confusion. How sound is the science? Isn't this all one great big conspiracy? A chance for climate scientists to get big government grants? The amount of disinformation out there on the web (and cable TV) is staggering. The truth will come out - in time, as more pieces of the climate puzzle fall into place. Let's hope it happens while there's still time do something about it. An editorial in the New York Times is here.

Paul's Conservation MN Outlook for the Twin Cities and all of Minnesota
Today: Plenty of sun, late PM T-shower possible far northern MN. Winds: E 8-13. High: 74
Monday night: Mostly clear and cool. Low: 51
Tuesday: Mostly sunny and warmer. High: 76
Wednesday: Generous amounts of sun - still dry. High: 79
Thursday: Mix of clouds and sun, warmer than average. High: 77
Friday: Weather winning streak continues, partly sunny and mild. High: 76
Saturday: Probably the nicer day of the weekend. Fading sun, breezy, dry. High: near 80
Sunday: Humid with a good chance of showers and T-storms, some heavy. High: 75
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