Been getting things together to leave town for a few days; Friday morning we'll be leaving for south central Utah, and not coming back until sometime Monday. Hopefully I'll have a few interesting pictures for those who are interested. Right now I'm fighting with a bit of a head cold, hopefully I can shake it by the time we go. I may get a chance to post something before we go, but who knows?
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Monday is our anniversary; 35 years of marriage. Where does the time go? The years haven't been that good to me, but my wife, Sandy, is still just as beautiful as that day she walked down the aisle to me. With any luck, we'll have many more years to come.
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My playlist is all moldie-oldies today, I don't know how many will be recognized.
"Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie
"Sunny" by Bobby Hebb
"Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat
"Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke
"Come on Down to My Boat" by Every Mother's Son
"Sunday Will Never Be the Same" by Spanky & Our Gang
"Legend of a Mind" by The Moody Blues
"Lil' Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane
"Happy Together" by The Turtles
That last one is just for you, Meleah
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I hate it when stuff like this happens
Wall Arch, one of the most accessible major arches in the Devils Garden area of Arches National Park, collapsed sometime Monday night.
"Not being a geologist, I can't get very technical but it just went kaboom," Chief Ranger Denny Ziemann said. "The middle of the arch just collapsed under its own weight. It just happens."
Wall Arch, located along the popular Devils Garden Trail, was 71 feet tall and 33 1/2 feet wide, ranking it 12th in size among the known arches inside the park. Lewis T. McKinney first reported and named Wall Arch in 1948.
No one reported observing the arch collapse and there were no visitor injuries,
Wall Arch is shown before and after it collapsed in Arches National Park. (Courtesy Arches National Park)
the National Park Service said.
That area has been a favorite of mine since the late sixties.
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Had an enoyable evening last night; a sort-of house warming party for some of my relatives. Much good food was in evidence.
For those who like interesting vehicles, scope out my brother-in-law's little item; he and his wife collect Pepsi stuff as a hobby, and this is one of their latest beauties.
There was a bit of rain, but not enough to really get anything wet. We were treated to this however:
You can't see it all, but it stretched completely across the sky; usually you just see half rainbows, but this one covered a full 180º.
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Anyone know all of these? Trying to decide my mood from the playlist I assembled this morning. Seems a bit down, doesn't it?
"Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire
"Red, Red Wine" by Neil Diamond
"Dark Night" by The Blasters
"Ain't No God in Mexico" by Waylon Jennings
"Independence Day" by Martina McBride
"She's Not There" by The Zombies
"Welcome to My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper
"Sole Survivor" by Asia
"Melancholy Man" by The Moody Blues
"Send in the Clowns" by Judy Collins
Here's one from The Blasters; it was part of the soundtrack of From Dusk Til Dawn. It's one of those tunes that is great when you're cruising down the highway at night with the top down.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Busy weekend
It was good to get out over the weekend, even though it was a bit tiring.
Saturday we spent time at the art festival in Park City. My wife found a couple of items she liked, and it killed a few hours walking around. The festival is on the main street, and several blocks long, going north and south. It is also on a hill, making it a bit of a walk going one way. Since the city is at about 7000 to 7100 feet in elevation, it is easy to get out of breath on the uphill.
The first picture is from above the festival, the second picture is taken from down in the midst of it, looking down one side of the street.
Click pictures to enlarge.
Lunch was fish and chips and some local brew at the Wasatch Brew Pub.
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Sunday we had a get-together with some of my relatives at a local park; an aunt and a bunch of cousins and their kids and grandkids, my brother and his wife. Most of the time was spent on chowing down and catching up on stuff. The park has changed a bit; I spent time in it when I was a kid, and my mom and her siblings spent time there when they were children. This gives you a bit of an idea of the place. The temperature was up around 100ºF, so we stayed in the shade a lot.
The husband of one of my cousins brought a car he has been restoring.
It may not be "green" or politically correct, but what the hell, it's good to see an old boat like that on the road now and then.
*****************************************************
The presidential campaigns are interesting. The Golden Boy warns everyone that the Old Coot will be running a racist campaign, then gets miffed when he is accused of waving the race card. Then he gets upset at being accused of running a "celebrity" campaign. Hell, all I've been seeing the past few months is how is claiming to be able to solve all the worlds problems, being treated like a finalist on American Idol, and people practically fainting in his presence. I wouldn't be surprised if they were throwing panties at him, too. It seems like he's good at attacking other people, but then yells foul when anyone attacks him. I've got news for you, Barry; in politics the fighting is two-sided. If you are going to piss and moan about people talking bad about you, maybe you should find another line of work. There's always going to be someone who dislikes you and has bad things to say.
Both of the candidates seem to be waffling for votes; I'm not sure now what they would be like; both of them say one thing, but their records show another. Just goes to prove that you can never completely trust a politician.
*****************************************************
Anybody familiar with more than half of these top ten in the shuffle?
"País Tropical" by Sergio Mendes
"Got Me Under Pressure" by ZZ Top
"Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks
"She's My Girl" by The Turtles
"Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones
"Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles
"Nickel Romeo" by The Bangles
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by Eric Burdon and The Animals
"If You Don't Like Hank Williams" by Kris Kristofferson
"The Great Gate at Kiev" by Moussourgsky
"If You Don't Like Hank Williams"
I dig Bobby Dylan and I dig Johnny Cash
And I think Waylon Jennings is a table thumpin' smash
And hearin' Joni Mitchell feels as good as smokin' grass
And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass
Chorus:
'Cause I think what they've done is well worth doin'
And they're doin' it the best way that they can
You're the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand
I said, I dig Roger Miller, Merle Haggard; George Jones
Shotgun Willie Nelson and them rockin' Rollin' Stones
And Jerry Lee's still gotta be the coolest in the class
And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass.
Chorus:
'Cause I think what they've done is well worth doin'
And they're doin' it the best way that they can
You're the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand
Saturday we spent time at the art festival in Park City. My wife found a couple of items she liked, and it killed a few hours walking around. The festival is on the main street, and several blocks long, going north and south. It is also on a hill, making it a bit of a walk going one way. Since the city is at about 7000 to 7100 feet in elevation, it is easy to get out of breath on the uphill.
The first picture is from above the festival, the second picture is taken from down in the midst of it, looking down one side of the street.
Click pictures to enlarge.
Lunch was fish and chips and some local brew at the Wasatch Brew Pub.
*****************************************************
Sunday we had a get-together with some of my relatives at a local park; an aunt and a bunch of cousins and their kids and grandkids, my brother and his wife. Most of the time was spent on chowing down and catching up on stuff. The park has changed a bit; I spent time in it when I was a kid, and my mom and her siblings spent time there when they were children. This gives you a bit of an idea of the place. The temperature was up around 100ºF, so we stayed in the shade a lot.
The husband of one of my cousins brought a car he has been restoring.
It may not be "green" or politically correct, but what the hell, it's good to see an old boat like that on the road now and then.
*****************************************************
The presidential campaigns are interesting. The Golden Boy warns everyone that the Old Coot will be running a racist campaign, then gets miffed when he is accused of waving the race card. Then he gets upset at being accused of running a "celebrity" campaign. Hell, all I've been seeing the past few months is how is claiming to be able to solve all the worlds problems, being treated like a finalist on American Idol, and people practically fainting in his presence. I wouldn't be surprised if they were throwing panties at him, too. It seems like he's good at attacking other people, but then yells foul when anyone attacks him. I've got news for you, Barry; in politics the fighting is two-sided. If you are going to piss and moan about people talking bad about you, maybe you should find another line of work. There's always going to be someone who dislikes you and has bad things to say.
Both of the candidates seem to be waffling for votes; I'm not sure now what they would be like; both of them say one thing, but their records show another. Just goes to prove that you can never completely trust a politician.
*****************************************************
Anybody familiar with more than half of these top ten in the shuffle?
"País Tropical" by Sergio Mendes
"Got Me Under Pressure" by ZZ Top
"Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks
"She's My Girl" by The Turtles
"Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones
"Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles
"Nickel Romeo" by The Bangles
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by Eric Burdon and The Animals
"If You Don't Like Hank Williams" by Kris Kristofferson
"The Great Gate at Kiev" by Moussourgsky
"If You Don't Like Hank Williams"
I dig Bobby Dylan and I dig Johnny Cash
And I think Waylon Jennings is a table thumpin' smash
And hearin' Joni Mitchell feels as good as smokin' grass
And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass
Chorus:
'Cause I think what they've done is well worth doin'
And they're doin' it the best way that they can
You're the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand
I said, I dig Roger Miller, Merle Haggard; George Jones
Shotgun Willie Nelson and them rockin' Rollin' Stones
And Jerry Lee's still gotta be the coolest in the class
And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass.
Chorus:
'Cause I think what they've done is well worth doin'
And they're doin' it the best way that they can
You're the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand
Sunday, July 27, 2008
You've got to be kidding...
How did I miss this?
Check out the article and the picture; it's a hoot. Seems like a waste of time and resources to me.
Somebody better call Al Gore...
*********************************************
Wish I could say I've been doing a lot of interesting stuff, but I'm afraid not. I've been spending a bit of time doing work in the yard, but it seems like I run out of energy fairly fast; getting 4 to 5 hours sleep a night over the period of several weeks seems to accumulate. The fact that my feet swell a couple of sizes any time I am on them more than an hour is not helping. Hopefully I can bust out of this slump soon, it makes it hard to blog when you feel tired and sleepy but can't really sleep.
**********************************************
The robins have been quite thick the past few years; the last two they have just about wiped out my grapes and blood plums before I can get a decent harvest. I don't mind sharing a bit, but these guys really chow down on the fruit. Caught a couple of shots of this guy sitting on my neighbor's fence yesterday while weeding around my tomatoes.
These will start turning dark soon; they are a black sweet seedless, that makes great raisins. The sugar content is so high that it actually forms a light crust on the outside of the raisins.
A couple of Roma tomatoes; I usually have several varieties (Roma, heirloom, pear, cherry, regular tomatoes). They are no longer there, as they met their end on a couple of BLT's that we had yesterday.
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My wife appreciates all of the good wishes for her birthday.
**********************************************
Any favorites in this bunch?
"The Girl from Ipanema" by Eliane Elias
"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
"Yakety Axe" by Chet Atkins/Mark Knopfler
"It's a Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler
"Tom Dooley" by Eddy Arnold
"Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
"You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra
"El Nicoya" by Santana
"Your Wildest Dreams" by The Moody Blues
"La Grange" by ZZ Top
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine scientists are taking a novel approach to studying global warming -- strapping plastic tanks to the backs of cows to collect their burps.
Researchers say the slow digestive system of cows makes them a producer of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that gets far less public attention than carbon dioxide in efforts to fight global warming.
Scientists around the world are studying the amount of methane in cow burps and Argentine researchers say they have come up with a unique way.
Attaching a red plastic tank to a cow's back and connecting it through a tube to the animal's stomach, scientists say they can trap bovine burps and analyze them.
Check out the article and the picture; it's a hoot. Seems like a waste of time and resources to me.
Somebody better call Al Gore...
*********************************************
Wish I could say I've been doing a lot of interesting stuff, but I'm afraid not. I've been spending a bit of time doing work in the yard, but it seems like I run out of energy fairly fast; getting 4 to 5 hours sleep a night over the period of several weeks seems to accumulate. The fact that my feet swell a couple of sizes any time I am on them more than an hour is not helping. Hopefully I can bust out of this slump soon, it makes it hard to blog when you feel tired and sleepy but can't really sleep.
**********************************************
The robins have been quite thick the past few years; the last two they have just about wiped out my grapes and blood plums before I can get a decent harvest. I don't mind sharing a bit, but these guys really chow down on the fruit. Caught a couple of shots of this guy sitting on my neighbor's fence yesterday while weeding around my tomatoes.
These will start turning dark soon; they are a black sweet seedless, that makes great raisins. The sugar content is so high that it actually forms a light crust on the outside of the raisins.
A couple of Roma tomatoes; I usually have several varieties (Roma, heirloom, pear, cherry, regular tomatoes). They are no longer there, as they met their end on a couple of BLT's that we had yesterday.
**********************************************
My wife appreciates all of the good wishes for her birthday.
**********************************************
Any favorites in this bunch?
"The Girl from Ipanema" by Eliane Elias
"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
"Yakety Axe" by Chet Atkins/Mark Knopfler
"It's a Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler
"Tom Dooley" by Eddy Arnold
"Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
"You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra
"El Nicoya" by Santana
"Your Wildest Dreams" by The Moody Blues
"La Grange" by ZZ Top
Monday, July 14, 2008
A special day for a special person
Today is my wife's birthday. How I was lucky enough to find and marry her, I have no idea, but it is the smartest thing I ever did, and the best thing that ever happened to me.
I won't mention her age, because ...well, because it is not a very smart thing for a guy to do. Why so many women (and some guys) worry about such things, I have no idea. Personally, I think my wife looks younger than many women who are younger than her, but for some reason mentioning a woman's age is on par with telling some women what their "butt looks like in those pants". Men who break those rules are flirting with disaster.
We went out to a nice dinner Saturday night, and will be going out tonight also. Unfortunately, she had to go to work today, but hopefully she will be able to come home early.
Happy birthday, Sandy.
***********************************************************
Today's playlist sort of goes with the occasion; any favorites in the top ten here?
"She's a Lady" by Tom Jones
"My Girl" by Smokey Robinson
"Allies" by Heart
"Whenever You're Away from Me" by Electric Light Orchestra/Olivia Newton-John
"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams
"For My Lady" by The Moody Blues
"I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield
"This Guy's in Love With You" by Herb Alpert
"I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
"Forever in Blue Jeans" by Neil Diamond
I won't mention her age, because ...well, because it is not a very smart thing for a guy to do. Why so many women (and some guys) worry about such things, I have no idea. Personally, I think my wife looks younger than many women who are younger than her, but for some reason mentioning a woman's age is on par with telling some women what their "butt looks like in those pants". Men who break those rules are flirting with disaster.
We went out to a nice dinner Saturday night, and will be going out tonight also. Unfortunately, she had to go to work today, but hopefully she will be able to come home early.
Happy birthday, Sandy.
***********************************************************
Today's playlist sort of goes with the occasion; any favorites in the top ten here?
"She's a Lady" by Tom Jones
"My Girl" by Smokey Robinson
"Allies" by Heart
"Whenever You're Away from Me" by Electric Light Orchestra/Olivia Newton-John
"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams
"For My Lady" by The Moody Blues
"I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield
"This Guy's in Love With You" by Herb Alpert
"I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
"Forever in Blue Jeans" by Neil Diamond
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Summer is starting to warm up to normal temperatures
Spent most of yesterday out at my mom's place helping her with some chores. The weather was windy, and in the high nineties. Blah! The foliage out in her area is starting to dry out; hope they don't have any brush/grass fires out there, but it seems like they have some almost every year.
I had an audience for some of the time I was out there; her neighbors' goats decided to watch me by the fence. I'm not certain of the breed, but the buck with them has four horns.
I was hoping to get some bird pictures, but the only avians I saw were a couple of ravens and a turkey vulture. Usually there are quite a few eagles (both bald and golden) and hawks, but they weren't out gliding around like usual.
I've noticed that the finch population in my yard has almost disappeared; usually they are all over the place. This year about all I have are robins and mourning doves. Even the starlings and magpies aren't as numerous as usual.
I probably won't get a chance to do much in the way of blogging tomorrow; we're going to a barbecue with my in-laws. Hope it doesn't get too hot, but they're predicting up around 99 or 100 tomorrow. Since I won't be home much tomorrow, I'd luck to wish all of you a good July 4th, and don't forget what it is all about.
UPDATE: Got looking at the pictures a little closer (I didn't look that closely at the animals while I was out there). The animal I described as a buck goat would appear to be a ram; which means he is probably a Jacob's sheep, some of which appear to be mixed in with the flock of goats.
*******************************************
Any favorites in this bunch?
"Don't Come Around Here No More" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
"Quicksand" by The Youngbloods
"I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues
"A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful
"Cruisin' With the Duece" by Quarterflash
"Magical Mystery Tour" by The Beatles
"El Paso" by Marty Robbins
"Promises in the Dark" by Pat Benatar
"To Beat the Devil" by Kris Kristofferson
I had an audience for some of the time I was out there; her neighbors' goats decided to watch me by the fence. I'm not certain of the breed, but the buck with them has four horns.
I was hoping to get some bird pictures, but the only avians I saw were a couple of ravens and a turkey vulture. Usually there are quite a few eagles (both bald and golden) and hawks, but they weren't out gliding around like usual.
I've noticed that the finch population in my yard has almost disappeared; usually they are all over the place. This year about all I have are robins and mourning doves. Even the starlings and magpies aren't as numerous as usual.
I probably won't get a chance to do much in the way of blogging tomorrow; we're going to a barbecue with my in-laws. Hope it doesn't get too hot, but they're predicting up around 99 or 100 tomorrow. Since I won't be home much tomorrow, I'd luck to wish all of you a good July 4th, and don't forget what it is all about.
UPDATE: Got looking at the pictures a little closer (I didn't look that closely at the animals while I was out there). The animal I described as a buck goat would appear to be a ram; which means he is probably a Jacob's sheep, some of which appear to be mixed in with the flock of goats.
*******************************************
Any favorites in this bunch?
"Don't Come Around Here No More" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
"Quicksand" by The Youngbloods
"I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues
"A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful
"Cruisin' With the Duece" by Quarterflash
"Magical Mystery Tour" by The Beatles
"El Paso" by Marty Robbins
"Promises in the Dark" by Pat Benatar
"To Beat the Devil" by Kris Kristofferson
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
This is too funny
Don't you just love how companies can use whatever is the latest buzzword to sell stuff to idiots?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Hi, remember me?
I have been somewhat remiss in my postings. Seems like every time I thought about typing stuff, either something came up, or I was not feeling up to snuff. If I could get more than 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night, that would probably help. I'm going to try to post a little more often and more coherently in the future.
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I was sort of surprised at the Heller decision from the SCOTUS; I thought there would be less dissenting votes. After reading the decision all the way through, I can understand what happened. From reading the dissenting opinions, the 4 judges did not really read the cases such as Miller, as their ignorance showed. And when Stevens refers to the First Amendment as a collective right? Sounds more like they had their minds set on dissenting before it even started, and were just trying to justify it.
***********************************************
The presidential campaigns are getting muddy already; I think those on the left are a bit confused. I keep hearing that Obama is for Hope and Change, anyone who doesn't like him is a racist, we need to redistribute the wealth, and Bush sucks. Let me see if I can clarify things for you:
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It's been cooler than usual around here this summer (global warming, I assume), the plants that prefer cooler weather have been happy, but it hasn't been so cool as to stunt the others. My tomatoes are up over three feet in height, and are starting to put out; I picked a couple of cherry tomatoes just last week.
These tomatoes are a bit larger than a golf ball; they should be ready before too long.
A sweet yellow pepper, almost tennis ball sized.
These are a favorite of my wife: strawberries. She has been picking these almost daily from the small patch we have; they are just about done for the year.
The Egyptian onion is unfamiliar to a lot of people. It is like a large scallion, only slightly tougher, and with a more pungent flavor, making it good for cooking. At the top of the stalk you find a cluster of bulbs as shown in this photo. After you pull up the onion, you break off the top bulbs, and plant them back into the ground where they each grow up into an onion, thus perpetuating the onion patch. I've been mulching heavy to cut down on weeding and watering, it is a good way to use grass clippings, leaves, coffee grounds, etc.
***********************************************
Not too much in the way of CW in my playlist today; mainly rock, blues, and jazz, as shown in the top ten of the shuffle below:
"Edge of a Broken Heart" by Vixen
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by The Animals
"Monk's Mood" by Thelonious Monk
"Let Me Be" by The Turtles
"Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" by The Mamas & the Papas
"Boogie Chillen" by John Lee Hooker
"The Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin
"I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield
"I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper
Any favorites here, comments, anecdotes?
**********************************************
I was sort of surprised at the Heller decision from the SCOTUS; I thought there would be less dissenting votes. After reading the decision all the way through, I can understand what happened. From reading the dissenting opinions, the 4 judges did not really read the cases such as Miller, as their ignorance showed. And when Stevens refers to the First Amendment as a collective right? Sounds more like they had their minds set on dissenting before it even started, and were just trying to justify it.
***********************************************
The presidential campaigns are getting muddy already; I think those on the left are a bit confused. I keep hearing that Obama is for Hope and Change, anyone who doesn't like him is a racist, we need to redistribute the wealth, and Bush sucks. Let me see if I can clarify things for you:
- Hope and Change are concepts; they are not plans, and the accomplish nothing by themselves.
- I don't like a lot of people, and they tend to be all different colors. Just because he has a better tan than I do doesn't mean a damn thing to me.
- Government redistribution of wealth is not a plan, it's a recipe for disaster. Few things run a country into the ground faster than socialism.
- NEWS FLASH: Bush is not running for election; what the hell does he have to do with either one of the idiots running for office?
***********************************************
It's been cooler than usual around here this summer (global warming, I assume), the plants that prefer cooler weather have been happy, but it hasn't been so cool as to stunt the others. My tomatoes are up over three feet in height, and are starting to put out; I picked a couple of cherry tomatoes just last week.
These tomatoes are a bit larger than a golf ball; they should be ready before too long.
A sweet yellow pepper, almost tennis ball sized.
These are a favorite of my wife: strawberries. She has been picking these almost daily from the small patch we have; they are just about done for the year.
The Egyptian onion is unfamiliar to a lot of people. It is like a large scallion, only slightly tougher, and with a more pungent flavor, making it good for cooking. At the top of the stalk you find a cluster of bulbs as shown in this photo. After you pull up the onion, you break off the top bulbs, and plant them back into the ground where they each grow up into an onion, thus perpetuating the onion patch. I've been mulching heavy to cut down on weeding and watering, it is a good way to use grass clippings, leaves, coffee grounds, etc.
***********************************************
Not too much in the way of CW in my playlist today; mainly rock, blues, and jazz, as shown in the top ten of the shuffle below:
"Edge of a Broken Heart" by Vixen
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by The Animals
"Monk's Mood" by Thelonious Monk
"Let Me Be" by The Turtles
"Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" by The Mamas & the Papas
"Boogie Chillen" by John Lee Hooker
"The Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin
"I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield
"I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper
Any favorites here, comments, anecdotes?
Monday, June 16, 2008
There's a pair to draw to...
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Al Gore will step off the sidelines and make his first campaign stop with Democrat Barack Obama tonight.
Gore, who made the announcement in an e-mail to supporters, will appear with Obama at a rally in Detroit that is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. local time.
``A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan, to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama,'' Gore wrote in a fundraising letter. ``From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States.''
That sounds like a good place for a conservative and/or a libertarian to avoid. Or anyone who is allergic to bullshit. The way those two are worshiped by the left wing, there will probably be more panties thrown at the stage than at a Tom Jones concert. If McCain wants to make a decent fight of it, he needs to find a couple of political idols to do the rah-rah cheerleading stuff for him. I'm missing Pat Paulsen more all the time.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Yep, I'm still here
It's been a couple of weeks since I scribbled here; I imagine some people were wondering where I was.
The past couple of weeks have been strange weather around here; chilly and raining during the day, cold at night. It is not typical June weather for this area, believe me. Of course, the weeds have flourished during this time, trying to take over everything. It seems like a lot of my spare time has been out trying to discourage them. Along with weeds, the weather is prone to a lot of pressure changes. To those out there with arthritis, rheumatism, and bad backs, you know what that means. A lot of the time I haven't been outside I've been fighting with my bad disks. For about thirty years now, I've had some slipped disks, which means that during that time, I have been in pain, 24/7. On a good day, I feel like I've been whacked across the kidneys with a two-by-four. On a bad day, said two-by-far is studded with sixteen penny nails. Air pressure changes means bad days, and when you couple that with yard work, the results are less than pleasant. This gets very distracting when you try to sleep. Waking up at 300 in the morning with a trapezium muscle having a severe spasm is not conducive to rest, so I'm about half asleep these days. My heart seems to be adjusting to things also; I've been getting tired fast if I work bent over, and the edema in my lower legs seems to be harder to fight. Just thought I'd let people know where I was. But enough whining about my problems.
************************************************
I'm curious to see how the presidential campaigns will get going; right now both parties seem to be poking each other with sticks to see what makes the other bark the loudest. I don't know yet what kind of campaigns the candidates will run, but I have a feeling that the supporters will be doing some nasty fighting. As the old Johnny Cash song says; they'll be "kickin' and a gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer". I wouldn't be surprised to see tactics done by third parties that will be embarrassing to both candidates. I think what will be important next election is who we send to Congress; they are the ones who make the laws. Personally, I always get a little wary whenever the majority of the house is the same part as a president; it tends to get out of control, no matter which party is running things. Power corrupts after a while, which is why things need shaken up and swept out on occasion. The Republican party learned that the hard way last election, and the Democrats don't seem to have learned from their example at all. I mean really guys, when Congress has a lower approval rating than Bush, you really need to pull your heads out of your butts and look at yourselves.
Personally, I don't like either of them; one is an old guy who claims to be conservative (LOL), the other is for all practical purposes a socialist who claims the ability to do everything but walk on water and cure cancer, all you have to do is let him redistribute the wealth.
Much as I dislike McCain, I have a strong dislike for socialism in it's various forms, so I'm not really happy about the coming election.
I think a lot will depend on their running mates. I have a feeling that the first one that picks a female VP will score quite a few votes from the Hilary supporters who are spitting mad right now.
Just my opinion.
*******************************************
My miniature roses are doing well; this is one of them.
The bloom is only an inch across. I have several of these, all different colors.
*******************************************
Any favorites in this bunch?
"Crazy" by Willie Nelson
"Gotta Get a Hold of Myself" by The Zombies
"Walk, Dont't Run" by The Ventures
"The Story in Your Eyes" by The Moody Blues
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" by The Mamas & the Papas
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles
"Sole Survivor" by Asia
"Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Se a Cabó" by Santana
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by Johnny Rivers
The past couple of weeks have been strange weather around here; chilly and raining during the day, cold at night. It is not typical June weather for this area, believe me. Of course, the weeds have flourished during this time, trying to take over everything. It seems like a lot of my spare time has been out trying to discourage them. Along with weeds, the weather is prone to a lot of pressure changes. To those out there with arthritis, rheumatism, and bad backs, you know what that means. A lot of the time I haven't been outside I've been fighting with my bad disks. For about thirty years now, I've had some slipped disks, which means that during that time, I have been in pain, 24/7. On a good day, I feel like I've been whacked across the kidneys with a two-by-four. On a bad day, said two-by-far is studded with sixteen penny nails. Air pressure changes means bad days, and when you couple that with yard work, the results are less than pleasant. This gets very distracting when you try to sleep. Waking up at 300 in the morning with a trapezium muscle having a severe spasm is not conducive to rest, so I'm about half asleep these days. My heart seems to be adjusting to things also; I've been getting tired fast if I work bent over, and the edema in my lower legs seems to be harder to fight. Just thought I'd let people know where I was. But enough whining about my problems.
************************************************
I'm curious to see how the presidential campaigns will get going; right now both parties seem to be poking each other with sticks to see what makes the other bark the loudest. I don't know yet what kind of campaigns the candidates will run, but I have a feeling that the supporters will be doing some nasty fighting. As the old Johnny Cash song says; they'll be "kickin' and a gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer". I wouldn't be surprised to see tactics done by third parties that will be embarrassing to both candidates. I think what will be important next election is who we send to Congress; they are the ones who make the laws. Personally, I always get a little wary whenever the majority of the house is the same part as a president; it tends to get out of control, no matter which party is running things. Power corrupts after a while, which is why things need shaken up and swept out on occasion. The Republican party learned that the hard way last election, and the Democrats don't seem to have learned from their example at all. I mean really guys, when Congress has a lower approval rating than Bush, you really need to pull your heads out of your butts and look at yourselves.
Personally, I don't like either of them; one is an old guy who claims to be conservative (LOL), the other is for all practical purposes a socialist who claims the ability to do everything but walk on water and cure cancer, all you have to do is let him redistribute the wealth.
Much as I dislike McCain, I have a strong dislike for socialism in it's various forms, so I'm not really happy about the coming election.
I think a lot will depend on their running mates. I have a feeling that the first one that picks a female VP will score quite a few votes from the Hilary supporters who are spitting mad right now.
Just my opinion.
*******************************************
My miniature roses are doing well; this is one of them.
The bloom is only an inch across. I have several of these, all different colors.
*******************************************
Any favorites in this bunch?
"Crazy" by Willie Nelson
"Gotta Get a Hold of Myself" by The Zombies
"Walk, Dont't Run" by The Ventures
"The Story in Your Eyes" by The Moody Blues
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" by The Mamas & the Papas
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles
"Sole Survivor" by Asia
"Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Se a Cabó" by Santana
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by Johnny Rivers
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Time flies when you're having fun
Hello out there, I finally decided to sit down and do a post.
The trip down to Santa Fe was interesting, lots of wet weather.
We left town Thursday morning about 600. An hour and a half later, going over Soldier Summit outside Price, Utah, we had to go through a snowstorm that had 3-4 inches and was still falling. Observe:
The top picture is taken by my wife as we were climbing up into the active part of the storm, you can see the storm up the road.
The next two pictures are taken in the storm; the picture is not blurred, that is how hard the snow was coming down. Luckily it was only in the higher elevations, and we eventually came down out of it into wind and rain, which was with us most of the way. Around Chama, New Mexico, we ran into more snow, and a hailstorm with marble-sized stones that slammed down pretty good for a while. When we finally got into Santa Fe that evening, it was only lightly raining there.
Santa Fe isn't quite the town it was years ago; commercialism is slowly showing on all of the western towns that attract tourists. We spent a lot of our time just looking at stuff, taking a few pictures of architecture here and there. Didn't get around quite as much as I'd hoped. A lot of the area you have to get out and see on mare's shanks, and I'm not in the condition I used to be. The elevation is 7000 feet, compared to about 4500 feet here where I live, so I was out of breath a lot. A few years ago the thinner air wasn't as noticeable, but since my heart went bad, I haven't had the stamina I used to have. (On a side note, Friday was the third year anniversary of my heart going sour and requiring a stent.) There also seems to be some strange laws of physics there; it seems that every where you walked, no matter what direction, was always uphill; hiking around that place really kicked my ass.
Some of the more interesting stuff around the area is the old Spanish architecture; some of it goes back to the early seventeenth century.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a good example of some old stuff there; it was originally built in 1610, destroyed during a revolt in 1680, and rebuilt in 1714. In the late 1800's, it was rebuilt, the only part of this church still existing is the Chapel of Our Lady, La Conquistadora.
This is a picture of the outside, which is undergoing some restoration at this time.
They allowed photographs to be taken inside, but flashes were forbidden, so the pictures are not quite up to the standards I usually prefer. These two are of the old part of the church, and the top statue of the Madonna is 380 years old. The lower picture shows her in a little more detail.
The Loretto Chapel and it's famous staircase is also interesting, and it is close to the previous church. You may want to look at the history and controversy surrounding it here. Here are some close up pictures of the famous stairs; if you know anything about carpentry, you will definitely appreciate the craftsmanship. I have taken it in two pictures; top and bottom, so that I could catch more detail.
There are quite a few museums and such in the area, but many of them don't allow photographs, so we couldn't get photographs of some of the stuff.
The food, as usual, was good, if you go to the right places. New Mexican cuisine is southwestern, but it is different from Mexican or Texan cooking. The spices are handled a little bit differently, and can be exceptional, if handled correctly.
We also stopped in on Taos over the weekend, but it isn't what it used to be; it has been changed over the same way that Boulder, Colorado got changed, everything being built around fleecing tourists.
The trip back was fairly uneventful; no snow, but a lot of rain and gusting wind. When we got home late Monday night, it was clearing up, but it had been cool and raining the whole time we were gone, so I have a jungle to clear up in my yard over the next few days.
**********************************
Today's playlist has a fair mix of older rock with a few wild cards; the top ten here are a good representation of what I've been in the mood for since we got back. Everyone familiar with these:
"Hold on Loosely" by .38 Special
"Gloria" by Laura Branigan
"Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinghams
"Misery and the Blues" by Maria Muldaur
"Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meatloaf
"Back to the Cave" by Lita Ford
"Prelude From Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007" by Andrés Segovia
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" by Judy Collins
"Legend of a Mind" by The Moody Blues
The trip down to Santa Fe was interesting, lots of wet weather.
We left town Thursday morning about 600. An hour and a half later, going over Soldier Summit outside Price, Utah, we had to go through a snowstorm that had 3-4 inches and was still falling. Observe:
The top picture is taken by my wife as we were climbing up into the active part of the storm, you can see the storm up the road.
The next two pictures are taken in the storm; the picture is not blurred, that is how hard the snow was coming down. Luckily it was only in the higher elevations, and we eventually came down out of it into wind and rain, which was with us most of the way. Around Chama, New Mexico, we ran into more snow, and a hailstorm with marble-sized stones that slammed down pretty good for a while. When we finally got into Santa Fe that evening, it was only lightly raining there.
Santa Fe isn't quite the town it was years ago; commercialism is slowly showing on all of the western towns that attract tourists. We spent a lot of our time just looking at stuff, taking a few pictures of architecture here and there. Didn't get around quite as much as I'd hoped. A lot of the area you have to get out and see on mare's shanks, and I'm not in the condition I used to be. The elevation is 7000 feet, compared to about 4500 feet here where I live, so I was out of breath a lot. A few years ago the thinner air wasn't as noticeable, but since my heart went bad, I haven't had the stamina I used to have. (On a side note, Friday was the third year anniversary of my heart going sour and requiring a stent.) There also seems to be some strange laws of physics there; it seems that every where you walked, no matter what direction, was always uphill; hiking around that place really kicked my ass.
Some of the more interesting stuff around the area is the old Spanish architecture; some of it goes back to the early seventeenth century.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a good example of some old stuff there; it was originally built in 1610, destroyed during a revolt in 1680, and rebuilt in 1714. In the late 1800's, it was rebuilt, the only part of this church still existing is the Chapel of Our Lady, La Conquistadora.
This is a picture of the outside, which is undergoing some restoration at this time.
They allowed photographs to be taken inside, but flashes were forbidden, so the pictures are not quite up to the standards I usually prefer. These two are of the old part of the church, and the top statue of the Madonna is 380 years old. The lower picture shows her in a little more detail.
The Loretto Chapel and it's famous staircase is also interesting, and it is close to the previous church. You may want to look at the history and controversy surrounding it here. Here are some close up pictures of the famous stairs; if you know anything about carpentry, you will definitely appreciate the craftsmanship. I have taken it in two pictures; top and bottom, so that I could catch more detail.
There are quite a few museums and such in the area, but many of them don't allow photographs, so we couldn't get photographs of some of the stuff.
The food, as usual, was good, if you go to the right places. New Mexican cuisine is southwestern, but it is different from Mexican or Texan cooking. The spices are handled a little bit differently, and can be exceptional, if handled correctly.
We also stopped in on Taos over the weekend, but it isn't what it used to be; it has been changed over the same way that Boulder, Colorado got changed, everything being built around fleecing tourists.
The trip back was fairly uneventful; no snow, but a lot of rain and gusting wind. When we got home late Monday night, it was clearing up, but it had been cool and raining the whole time we were gone, so I have a jungle to clear up in my yard over the next few days.
**********************************
Today's playlist has a fair mix of older rock with a few wild cards; the top ten here are a good representation of what I've been in the mood for since we got back. Everyone familiar with these:
"Hold on Loosely" by .38 Special
"Gloria" by Laura Branigan
"Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinghams
"Misery and the Blues" by Maria Muldaur
"Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meatloaf
"Back to the Cave" by Lita Ford
"Prelude From Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007" by Andrés Segovia
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" by Judy Collins
"Legend of a Mind" by The Moody Blues
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Where does the time go?
Seems like I just posted a couple of days ago, but it was actually almost two weeks. Had a good time for a couple of days up in Idaho visiting some people; a friend of ours had her graduation from school to be a RN. After the graduation there was some munchies and a lot of beer and other alcoholic substances. I made sure to go light; the next morning I was up at 6:00, watching the squirrels outside the window and listening to a lot of birds heralding the day.
Seems like I've been busy since then; trying to get things in order around here. There is always something around the house or out in the yard that is clamoring for attention.
My wife and I are going to be out of town for a few days; Thursday morning we will be driving down to the Santa Fe area. We probably won't be back until Monday evening. If I get any good pictures, I'll post them. We haven't been down there for several years, so I don't know how much things may have changed.
****************************************
Last weekend we drove out to visit with my mom on sort of a belated Mother's Day. Part of the day we looked over a lot of old pictures; made for and interesting afternoon.
****************************************
The Presidential Primary Circus seems to be in full swing now; the three clowns running are starting to get down to the kicking, scratching, and eye=gouging stage; we should be seeing some major shits torms in the next few months.
*****************************************
Feeling a little nostalgic today; my playlist seems to be a lot of older stuff. Any favorites in the top ten?
"Ride My See-Saw" by The Moody Blues
"I Don't Know Where I Stand" by Joni Mitchell
"The River Is Wide" by The Grass Roots
"Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks
"Heaven Can Wait" by Meat Loaf
"Night Time Is the Right Time" by Ray Charles
"99 Luftballons" by Nena
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole
"Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline
Seems like I've been busy since then; trying to get things in order around here. There is always something around the house or out in the yard that is clamoring for attention.
My wife and I are going to be out of town for a few days; Thursday morning we will be driving down to the Santa Fe area. We probably won't be back until Monday evening. If I get any good pictures, I'll post them. We haven't been down there for several years, so I don't know how much things may have changed.
****************************************
Last weekend we drove out to visit with my mom on sort of a belated Mother's Day. Part of the day we looked over a lot of old pictures; made for and interesting afternoon.
****************************************
The Presidential Primary Circus seems to be in full swing now; the three clowns running are starting to get down to the kicking, scratching, and eye=gouging stage; we should be seeing some major shits torms in the next few months.
*****************************************
Feeling a little nostalgic today; my playlist seems to be a lot of older stuff. Any favorites in the top ten?
"Ride My See-Saw" by The Moody Blues
"I Don't Know Where I Stand" by Joni Mitchell
"The River Is Wide" by The Grass Roots
"Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks
"Heaven Can Wait" by Meat Loaf
"Night Time Is the Right Time" by Ray Charles
"99 Luftballons" by Nena
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole
"Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline
Thursday, May 08, 2008
"I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in"
A few months ago, Allison Kraus (bluegrass singer and fiddle player) got together with Robert Plant and worked on an album. They also did a concert on TV. This is one of my favorites they did on the concert, but sadly it wasn't recorded on the album. For those who like Kraus, Plant, and blues, this is their version of the Led Zeppelin hit Black Dog.
****************************************
For some reason this cracks me up.
****************************************
The presidential campaigns get goofier all the time; it's a three-ring circus, and all three rings are full of clowns.
*****************************************
Finally getting out of town for a bit; my wife and I will be leaving around noon Friday to go to Twin Falls, Idaho for a visit to a friend. We should be back sometime Saturday night. Been a few years since I've been up that way.
******************************************
Anyone know where the post title came from? Hint: it was the first hit song of one of the artists below.
Who needs new music with old familiar ones like these?
"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
"Africa" by Toto
"Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones
"Chicago" by Benny Goodman
"Bloody Mary Morning" by Willie Nelson
"Squeeze Box" by The Who
"The Story in Your Eyes" by The Moody Blues
"Career of Evil" by Blue Öyster Cult
"No More Words" by Berlin
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers
****************************************
For some reason this cracks me up.
****************************************
The presidential campaigns get goofier all the time; it's a three-ring circus, and all three rings are full of clowns.
*****************************************
Finally getting out of town for a bit; my wife and I will be leaving around noon Friday to go to Twin Falls, Idaho for a visit to a friend. We should be back sometime Saturday night. Been a few years since I've been up that way.
******************************************
Anyone know where the post title came from? Hint: it was the first hit song of one of the artists below.
Who needs new music with old familiar ones like these?
"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
"Africa" by Toto
"Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones
"Chicago" by Benny Goodman
"Bloody Mary Morning" by Willie Nelson
"Squeeze Box" by The Who
"The Story in Your Eyes" by The Moody Blues
"Career of Evil" by Blue Öyster Cult
"No More Words" by Berlin
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
An event you don't want to miss
Black Gold Testicle Festival
Home grown celebration from the ranching and team branding community. 2008 will be the 8th annual. Friends and family do the cooking. T-shirts available at the festival and year 'round.
Location: Rodeo arena in Woodruff, Utah
Date: Memorial Day weekend and the first weekend in June
For those of you who like exotic cuisine, this should fit the bill. I've never tried them myself, but I'm always open-minded about cooking.
************************************************
Finally got my garden area tilled up; just in time for a couple of days of ass-kicking wind, and cold temperatures; might not get my stuff in for a few days. Been weeding like crazy; for some reason we have an amazing bumper crop of dandelions and sand burrs this year. If my herbs and vegetables grow half as good, I'll be overjoyed.
*************************************************
Campaigns are getting a little more lively; Clinton is swinging away at Obama, Obama and his ex-pastor are taking turns pushing each other in front of the train, and McCain is sort of puttering around. I don't know of anyone who is voting for any of the candidates, they're all voting against someone. The promotions aren't as much of "My guy is best" as much as they are "My guy doesn't suck as much as the other guys". I guess you have to find some sort of relatively positive thing to say and go with it.
**************************************************
A few people seem to like the floral photographs, and I enjoy taking them. The top two are from my front sidewalk; I tend to like my bulbs scattered a bit, rather than in formal designs.
The bottom one is some blossoms on my Japanese blood plum tree.
**************************************************
Someone should have at least one or two favorites in this shuffle:
"I Can't Stop Loving You" by Martina McBride
"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
"Who Will You Run To" by Heart
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole
"Cruisin' With the Duece" by Quarterflash
"Tweeter and the Monkey Man" by The Traveling Wilburys
"Head over Heels" by The Go-Go's
"But You Know I Love You" by Kenny Rogers
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Home grown celebration from the ranching and team branding community. 2008 will be the 8th annual. Friends and family do the cooking. T-shirts available at the festival and year 'round.
Location: Rodeo arena in Woodruff, Utah
Date: Memorial Day weekend and the first weekend in June
For those of you who like exotic cuisine, this should fit the bill. I've never tried them myself, but I'm always open-minded about cooking.
************************************************
Finally got my garden area tilled up; just in time for a couple of days of ass-kicking wind, and cold temperatures; might not get my stuff in for a few days. Been weeding like crazy; for some reason we have an amazing bumper crop of dandelions and sand burrs this year. If my herbs and vegetables grow half as good, I'll be overjoyed.
*************************************************
Campaigns are getting a little more lively; Clinton is swinging away at Obama, Obama and his ex-pastor are taking turns pushing each other in front of the train, and McCain is sort of puttering around. I don't know of anyone who is voting for any of the candidates, they're all voting against someone. The promotions aren't as much of "My guy is best" as much as they are "My guy doesn't suck as much as the other guys". I guess you have to find some sort of relatively positive thing to say and go with it.
**************************************************
A few people seem to like the floral photographs, and I enjoy taking them. The top two are from my front sidewalk; I tend to like my bulbs scattered a bit, rather than in formal designs.
The bottom one is some blossoms on my Japanese blood plum tree.
**************************************************
Someone should have at least one or two favorites in this shuffle:
"I Can't Stop Loving You" by Martina McBride
"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
"Who Will You Run To" by Heart
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole
"Cruisin' With the Duece" by Quarterflash
"Tweeter and the Monkey Man" by The Traveling Wilburys
"Head over Heels" by The Go-Go's
"But You Know I Love You" by Kenny Rogers
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Monday, April 21, 2008
I'm still here
It's been way too long since I've done anything here; seemed to have a case of the blahs caused by the changing of the seasons; it always seems to knock my metabolism out of whack for a while. Hopefully I can get my act together soon.
********************************
The presidential brawl has been interesting to watch; the Democratic candidates have been down in the mud and the shit kicking, gouging, biting, and kneeing each other fairly good on the news. I am getting the feeling that whoever gets the nomination, the followers of the other side will vote against them just out of spite by the time this is over. In the meantime, McCain is sitting on the sidelines, sniping on occasion. Basically, these two are digging up enough dirt on each other that McCain won't have to do it; I hope they realize that when the real campaign starts, then whoever wins the primary has to start digging up stuff on McCain and shifting gears to fight with him. Personally, I wouldn't want any of them voted in as dogcatcher, let along POTUS, but that's just my opinion, yours may differ.
*********************************
Talk about a fool's paradise; I have to wonder what rock he has been hiding under; anyone who thinks that Hamas is going to sit down and make nice with Israel is either uninformed or an idiot. Those groups hate Israel and have only one goal regarding it; the complete and utter distruction of Israel and the death of all the Jews. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to get a clue. To them, a peace treaty is something you use stall with while you're collecting pipe bombs and organizing people who are brave enough to murder children.
*********************************
We are starting to get something that looks like spring, only colder. I've been taking more pictures (this is starting to turn into a garden blog); hope I'm not boring you too much with these. The bottom one is a mourning dove; our neighborhood is full of them, and I usually have several in my yard at any one time. This one was a little shy, so I had a hard time getting a photo. I also have a couple of greenhead mallards (a drake and a hen) who come around now and then, but they get really uptight if I try to photograph them.
**********************************
No country music in the playlist today; everything else, though.
"After Dark" by Tito & Tarantula
"Lazy River" by Benny Goodman
"Maybellene" by Chuck Berry
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Bye Bye Blackbird" by John Coltrane/Miles Davis
"Honey Bee" by Muddy Waters
"Kentucky Woman" by Neil Diamond
"Hey Lawdy Mama" by Steppenwolf
"When the Music's Over" by The Doors
"Crawlin' King Snake" by John Lee Hooker
********************************
The presidential brawl has been interesting to watch; the Democratic candidates have been down in the mud and the shit kicking, gouging, biting, and kneeing each other fairly good on the news. I am getting the feeling that whoever gets the nomination, the followers of the other side will vote against them just out of spite by the time this is over. In the meantime, McCain is sitting on the sidelines, sniping on occasion. Basically, these two are digging up enough dirt on each other that McCain won't have to do it; I hope they realize that when the real campaign starts, then whoever wins the primary has to start digging up stuff on McCain and shifting gears to fight with him. Personally, I wouldn't want any of them voted in as dogcatcher, let along POTUS, but that's just my opinion, yours may differ.
*********************************
Talk about a fool's paradise; I have to wonder what rock he has been hiding under; anyone who thinks that Hamas is going to sit down and make nice with Israel is either uninformed or an idiot. Those groups hate Israel and have only one goal regarding it; the complete and utter distruction of Israel and the death of all the Jews. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to get a clue. To them, a peace treaty is something you use stall with while you're collecting pipe bombs and organizing people who are brave enough to murder children.
*********************************
We are starting to get something that looks like spring, only colder. I've been taking more pictures (this is starting to turn into a garden blog); hope I'm not boring you too much with these. The bottom one is a mourning dove; our neighborhood is full of them, and I usually have several in my yard at any one time. This one was a little shy, so I had a hard time getting a photo. I also have a couple of greenhead mallards (a drake and a hen) who come around now and then, but they get really uptight if I try to photograph them.
**********************************
No country music in the playlist today; everything else, though.
"After Dark" by Tito & Tarantula
"Lazy River" by Benny Goodman
"Maybellene" by Chuck Berry
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Bye Bye Blackbird" by John Coltrane/Miles Davis
"Honey Bee" by Muddy Waters
"Kentucky Woman" by Neil Diamond
"Hey Lawdy Mama" by Steppenwolf
"When the Music's Over" by The Doors
"Crawlin' King Snake" by John Lee Hooker
Saturday, April 05, 2008
A tag
Roberta X and Mike W tagged me with this:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.
1. That was fun, so now what?
2. A picture of me out rockhounding, one of my many, many hobbies.
3. Up above at first of post.
4. , Hammer, Becky, Labrat, and Elliot
5. Done
*******************************************
A few people liked the picture of the mountains to the west of me. This morning I snapped a photo of the ones to the east; they are farther away, and a lot higher. The photo was not taken from my porch, as the view is blocked from there. Instead, I took it from the parking lot where I was doing the grocery shopping this morning. It is up in those mountains that the ski resorts are located.
*******************************************
How many of these are familiar?
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" by Thelonious Monk
"Play With Fire" by The Rolling Stones
"Floating" by The Moody Blues
"Telstar" by The Tornados
"Born to Fly" by Sara Evans
"Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds
"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by The Beatles
"Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison
"Pictures of Matchstickmen" by Status Quo
"Big River" by Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson/Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.
1. That was fun, so now what?
2. A picture of me out rockhounding, one of my many, many hobbies.
3. Up above at first of post.
4. , Hammer, Becky, Labrat, and Elliot
5. Done
*******************************************
A few people liked the picture of the mountains to the west of me. This morning I snapped a photo of the ones to the east; they are farther away, and a lot higher. The photo was not taken from my porch, as the view is blocked from there. Instead, I took it from the parking lot where I was doing the grocery shopping this morning. It is up in those mountains that the ski resorts are located.
*******************************************
How many of these are familiar?
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" by Thelonious Monk
"Play With Fire" by The Rolling Stones
"Floating" by The Moody Blues
"Telstar" by The Tornados
"Born to Fly" by Sara Evans
"Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds
"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by The Beatles
"Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison
"Pictures of Matchstickmen" by Status Quo
"Big River" by Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson/Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson
Sunday, March 30, 2008
More snow on the way
From the Weather Service:
...HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MDT MONDAY...
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MDT MONDAY.
THIS WARNING IS FOR THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS...THE
SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT AND THE SANPETE VALLEY...THE GREAT SALT
LAKE DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80 AND FOR WEST CENTRAL
UTAH.
SNOW TOTALS OF 2 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY MONDAY MORNING. THE
GREATEST TOTALS WILL BE IN THE UTAH AND SANPETE VALLEYS AND ALONG
THE BENCH AREAS OF THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS.
Whoopee...
I keep wondering when the global warming thing is going to hit Utah; as usual we seem to be behind the times; so far everything is normal. It's snowed a couple of times since I last blogged; these two pictures were taken from my front porch.
The first one is a large pine on the east side of my yard, the other one is looking west toward the Oquirrh Mountains, about five miles west of me.
At least the flowers aren't minding the snow; crocuses and daffodils.
We'll be getting snow and cold rain at least until the end of April, in May I can start putting together my vegetable garden. I really miss the fresh tomatoes and such.
Some of my garden is starting to wake up; I cut some chives, parsley, and rosemary for cooking dinner today. My chard is starting to wake up, hopefully I will get some soon before it gets too warm and goes to seed.
***************************************************************
The presidential brawl seems to have calmed down for the weekend. I guess everyone needed a breather to sharpen their knives and start piling up some more shit for throwing later. Hillary and Obama seem to be concentrating on who can tell the biggest whoppers and throw the most dirt at each other. McCain seems to have a different strategy; he is letting those two flail away at each other while he kicks back swigging his Geritol® and waiting for the Democrats to burnout while beating each other over the head. And there doesn't seem to be anyone from either party that you can trust to give you an honest answer; they either blow smoke and tell you something that is different from what their past record shows, or they just ignore the question and try to misdirect. The only thing they all seem to have in common is that they're a bunch of assholes, and none of them is going to be that good for the country, so it behooves us to get some decent people in Congress and the Senate. Of course, Sam Clemens knew what a problem that was:
"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
- Mark Twain
“Washington is a stud farm for every jackass in the country.”
- Mark Twain
"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain
Will Rogers understood the problem also:
"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."
- Will Rogers
"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."
-Will Rogers
"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets". - Will Rogers
Just as true now as it was back then.
***************************************************************
According to my sitemeter, I've been getting quite a few hits from Korea lately. To those visitors: don't be shy, drop a comment if there is something you like/dislike about the site, or questions you have, I'd like to hear from you. I enjoy getting visitors from different countries; one of the things I like about the internet is corresponding with people from other cultures and walks of life. If you are visiting and have something to say, feel free; everyone is welcome here, all I ask is that you have manners and don't troll or spam the site.
***************************************************************
Any fans of this bunch of tunes?
"Back on the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by Eddy Arnold
"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
"Magic Man" by Heart
"Oye Como Va" by Santana
"Exodus" by Henry Mancini and His Orchestra
"Trouble No More" by Muddy Waters
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Peer Gynt
"Nickel Romeo" by The Bangles
"Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues" by The Charlie Daniels Band
***************************************************************
UTZ003>005-014-015-310615-
/O.CON.KSLC.HS.W.0007.000000T0000Z-080331T1600Z/
SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-
WEST CENTRAL UTAH-
406 PM MDT SUN MAR 30 2008
/O.CON.KSLC.HS.W.0007.000000T0000Z-080331T1600Z/
SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-
WEST CENTRAL UTAH-
406 PM MDT SUN MAR 30 2008
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MDT MONDAY.
THIS WARNING IS FOR THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS...THE
SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT AND THE SANPETE VALLEY...THE GREAT SALT
LAKE DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80 AND FOR WEST CENTRAL
UTAH.
SNOW TOTALS OF 2 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY MONDAY MORNING. THE
GREATEST TOTALS WILL BE IN THE UTAH AND SANPETE VALLEYS AND ALONG
THE BENCH AREAS OF THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS.
Whoopee...
I keep wondering when the global warming thing is going to hit Utah; as usual we seem to be behind the times; so far everything is normal. It's snowed a couple of times since I last blogged; these two pictures were taken from my front porch.
The first one is a large pine on the east side of my yard, the other one is looking west toward the Oquirrh Mountains, about five miles west of me.
At least the flowers aren't minding the snow; crocuses and daffodils.
We'll be getting snow and cold rain at least until the end of April, in May I can start putting together my vegetable garden. I really miss the fresh tomatoes and such.
Some of my garden is starting to wake up; I cut some chives, parsley, and rosemary for cooking dinner today. My chard is starting to wake up, hopefully I will get some soon before it gets too warm and goes to seed.
***************************************************************
The presidential brawl seems to have calmed down for the weekend. I guess everyone needed a breather to sharpen their knives and start piling up some more shit for throwing later. Hillary and Obama seem to be concentrating on who can tell the biggest whoppers and throw the most dirt at each other. McCain seems to have a different strategy; he is letting those two flail away at each other while he kicks back swigging his Geritol® and waiting for the Democrats to burnout while beating each other over the head. And there doesn't seem to be anyone from either party that you can trust to give you an honest answer; they either blow smoke and tell you something that is different from what their past record shows, or they just ignore the question and try to misdirect. The only thing they all seem to have in common is that they're a bunch of assholes, and none of them is going to be that good for the country, so it behooves us to get some decent people in Congress and the Senate. Of course, Sam Clemens knew what a problem that was:
"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
- Mark Twain
“Washington is a stud farm for every jackass in the country.”
- Mark Twain
"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain
Will Rogers understood the problem also:
"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."
- Will Rogers
"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."
-Will Rogers
"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets". - Will Rogers
Just as true now as it was back then.
***************************************************************
According to my sitemeter, I've been getting quite a few hits from Korea lately. To those visitors: don't be shy, drop a comment if there is something you like/dislike about the site, or questions you have, I'd like to hear from you. I enjoy getting visitors from different countries; one of the things I like about the internet is corresponding with people from other cultures and walks of life. If you are visiting and have something to say, feel free; everyone is welcome here, all I ask is that you have manners and don't troll or spam the site.
***************************************************************
Any fans of this bunch of tunes?
"Back on the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by Eddy Arnold
"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
"Magic Man" by Heart
"Oye Como Va" by Santana
"Exodus" by Henry Mancini and His Orchestra
"Trouble No More" by Muddy Waters
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Peer Gynt
"Nickel Romeo" by The Bangles
"Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues" by The Charlie Daniels Band
***************************************************************
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I really need to get organized
Thank you for all the greetings on my blogiversary. I've been fairly busy the past few days; had to help with some of the loose ends from my uncle's passing that I wrote about some time ago. It was a sunny day, but chilly. The wind never stops blowing at Camp Williams, where the veterans cemetery is located. His resting place is not too far from his older brother's (my dad).
There is something about them folding up a soldier's flag that always gets to me. This is my third veteran ceremony in the past two years (my dad and two uncles), and it always affects me the same way; a mixture of pride and sadness. Hopefully it will be a long time before I have to experience another.
******************************************************
Spring keeps trying to happen, Easter was a fairly nice day, with sunshine and no wind.
This picture is my wife helping our great-niece find eggs at my mother-in-law's place. Little kids are such a hoot.
******************************************************
I finally have flowers other than crocus, some hyacinths, violets, and daffodils have started to open.
Click to enlarge
The top picture is of a miniature daffodil, it is only an inch across.
The second is a patch of violets.
The last picture is a full size daffodil, it is about three inches across.
We'll still be getting snow off and on until May, but these flowers like cooler weather.
******************************************************
Today's playlist is a good mix; the top ten are:
"In the Mood" by Glenn Miller
"Back Where You Belong" by .38 Special
"Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson
"Happy Jack" by The Who
"The Good the Bad and the Ugly" by Soundtrack
"Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work
"Get Happy" by Benny Goodman
"A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans
"Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream
"Dreamboat Annie" by Heart
Any favorites in that bunch?
There is something about them folding up a soldier's flag that always gets to me. This is my third veteran ceremony in the past two years (my dad and two uncles), and it always affects me the same way; a mixture of pride and sadness. Hopefully it will be a long time before I have to experience another.
******************************************************
Spring keeps trying to happen, Easter was a fairly nice day, with sunshine and no wind.
This picture is my wife helping our great-niece find eggs at my mother-in-law's place. Little kids are such a hoot.
******************************************************
I finally have flowers other than crocus, some hyacinths, violets, and daffodils have started to open.
Click to enlarge
The top picture is of a miniature daffodil, it is only an inch across.
The second is a patch of violets.
The last picture is a full size daffodil, it is about three inches across.
We'll still be getting snow off and on until May, but these flowers like cooler weather.
******************************************************
Today's playlist is a good mix; the top ten are:
"In the Mood" by Glenn Miller
"Back Where You Belong" by .38 Special
"Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson
"Happy Jack" by The Who
"The Good the Bad and the Ugly" by Soundtrack
"Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work
"Get Happy" by Benny Goodman
"A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans
"Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream
"Dreamboat Annie" by Heart
Any favorites in that bunch?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Arthur C Clarke has died
British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90.
He came to fame in 1968 when a short story called The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick.
Once called "the first dweller in the electronic cottage", his vision captured the popular imagination.
A farmer's son, he was educated at Huish's Grammar School in Taunton before joining the civil service.
During World War II, Clarke volunteered for the Royal Air Force, where he worked in the, then highly-secretive, development of radar.
I read his stuff quite a bit growing up, starting in 1959. At that time a lot of his stuff, especially short stories, appeared in magazines. He was one of the better writers for "hard" science fiction. Years later (1968, as a matter of fact)I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey when it first came out, and it was quite a show back then; I caught it in HD about a week ago, and it still hasn't lost any of it's magic.
When I started college in 1969, I was lucky enough to catch a lecture by him at the University of Utah; he was quite an interesting speaker, and talked about a lot of stuff that was sci-fi then, and reality now. I'll have to dig into some of my old paperbacks and reread some of them, I guess. I might even have the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey around here somewhere to crank up.
Where does the time go?
Looking at my records, today is the second anniversary of my blog. I find it hard to believe that I have been scribbling for this long. I don't blog everyday, and sometimes it is just fluff and chatter, but it gives me a chance to connect with other people around the world, and if some of them like what I have written now and then, I must be doing something right, even if by accident. I've only had about 15K hits in all this time, but to me it is more important that some of them were good people coming to comment or lend support in bad times, and laugh at the good times. For me the quality of the visitors is more important than the quantity, so I feel good about the hits I get, because I know most of them from their blogs, most of which are a lot better than this one. Thanks for the company, I hope I can get better over time.
****************************************
I notice a lot of the fellow gun owners are blogging about the Heller case before the SCOTUS today; most of them are doing a lot better job than I could, so I will leave that to them.
****************************************
From the looks of the presidential skirmishes, I think things are going to get a lot uglier before they get better. I've seen a lot of mud slinging in the past, but I think this campaign is going to have some of the worst back-stabbing, rumor-spreading, and downright shit-slinging that we've seen in a while. This will not be a pretty election.
****************************************
The top ten in todays playlist are older tunes, as usual. Some of them I would have to refer to as definite classics.
"Respect" by Aretha Franklin
"Night and Day" by Tommy Dorsey
"Walk on By" by Leroy Van Dyke
"Love Child" by Diana Ross & the Supremes
"Venus" by Shocking Blue
"Suspicious Minds" by Jessi Colter/Waylon Jennings
"Chitlins con Carne" by Johnny Copeland/Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Troubl
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
"El Gato Triste" by Chuck Mangione
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful
****************************************
I notice a lot of the fellow gun owners are blogging about the Heller case before the SCOTUS today; most of them are doing a lot better job than I could, so I will leave that to them.
****************************************
From the looks of the presidential skirmishes, I think things are going to get a lot uglier before they get better. I've seen a lot of mud slinging in the past, but I think this campaign is going to have some of the worst back-stabbing, rumor-spreading, and downright shit-slinging that we've seen in a while. This will not be a pretty election.
****************************************
The top ten in todays playlist are older tunes, as usual. Some of them I would have to refer to as definite classics.
"Respect" by Aretha Franklin
"Night and Day" by Tommy Dorsey
"Walk on By" by Leroy Van Dyke
"Love Child" by Diana Ross & the Supremes
"Venus" by Shocking Blue
"Suspicious Minds" by Jessi Colter/Waylon Jennings
"Chitlins con Carne" by Johnny Copeland/Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Troubl
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
"El Gato Triste" by Chuck Mangione
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sometimes life resembles a sitcom
LIBERTY, Pa. - A Pennsylvania man is accused of attempted bank robbery - and if poor planning were a crime, he might be charged with that, too.
Police say a man arrived at the Citizens and Northern Bank in the borough of Liberty on Thursday and waited in his car for about 20 minutes. Shortly after noon, he tried to enter the bank 100 miles west of Scranton wearing a ski mask and carrying a rifle. But the bank's Liberty branch closes at noon on Thursdays, foiling his plans.
The man fled the scene, but bank employees took note of his license plate number. A 28-year-old suspect is jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Reminds me of an attempted robbery that happened across the street from where I used to work some years ago. Some genius walked into the drive through section of the bank (he was on foot, no getaway vehicle), stepped up to the bulletproof window, and pointed a bow and arrow at them, demanding they send out the money to him. After the teller quit laughing, and realized that he was serious, they locked the doors, called the police, and the would-be robber was nabbed as he was running from the scene.
***********************************************
Our preview of spring is over; we got a few inches of snow last night, but at least it was warm enough that it didn't stick too badly. The crocus flowers I had a few days ago don't mind the snow, they just bloom right on through it.
The tulips and daffodils are up, but it will be a few weeks before they will bloom.
**********************************************
What kind of stuff is on your playlist/radio/player today? Mine is a mixture of country and old rock today. Top ten on the list:
"Unchained Melody" by Heart
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams
"Days of Wine and Roses" by Henry Mancini
"Possession" by Iron Butterfly
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Flesh and Blood" by Johnny Cash
"Ribbon of Darkness" by Marty Robbins
"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole
"Perfect" by Sara Evans
"Mechanical World" by Spirit
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