Northern Lights

When I lived in Glendive, Montana we could see what we called the Northern Lights and they moved back and forth like a light show. This picture was taken in Alaska but what we saw was similar, though perhaps fainter. I just read that scientists think they have discovered the energy source. New data from NASA's Themis mission (satellites lauched this winter) found the energy comes from a stream of charged particles from the sun flowing like a current through twisted bundles of magnetic fields connecting eath's upper atmosphere to the sun.

They said there was a two hour light show in March over Alaska and Canada and the geomagnetic storm raced 400 miles in a minute across the sky (equal to a 5.5 earthquake).

I was surprised to read they had expected the existence of these wound-up bundles of magnetic fields but this is the first time it was ever mapped--and get this--mapped some 40,000 miles above the Earth.

It is an amazing world we live in and so much we still don't know about it.

Nice Weekend!

I am surely glad Mitch had a cookie decorating party and Maria invited me, too. I ate both of the ones I did and see how large they are. I haven't done this for a few years with being gone so much the last several Christmases with disasters. They tasted so good! I made some this year also to take down to San Diego for the little ones to frost.

We would put them in tupper ware in the freezer and there was always a complaint that someone had left the lid off, but it didn't matter. They were all gone before Christmas anyway. We still use the recipe I started using in college when I made cookies for my nephews.

Saturday, Maria took me to the Reno Temple and that was an enjoyable morning and then lunch with Matt and his friend Russ at Chevy Mex--they have the best salsa and chips--did you know you can buy them for your own party? Matt and Russ were stoked with all the snow at Tahoe right now and more on the way. In fact it snowed quite a bit in Reno while we were there--but not here yet.

Then we met Kristi and Mike and saw their cute little Kate walking all around. They showed us their house that is being built in the south Reno area. Very nice area and lovely house. So glad they will be close!