Rutgers takes it on the chin, 47-15

Cincinnati QB Tony Pike threw for a career high 362 yards in leading the Bearcats to a 47-15 romp over the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. What makes it slightly more ominous for Rutgers is that their defense was supposed to be a strong point.

When fifth-year senior Dom Natalie proved ineffective in the first half, Rutgers switched to true freshman Tom Savage to start the second half. The young man showed some promise but needs to take more snaps to get in sync with his receivers. They've got four games (Howard, Florida International, Maryland, and Texas Southern) before the Knights face another Big East opponent. They should iron out the defensive problems by then and Savage will have four additional games under his belt.

The Bearcats were Big East Champions last year. They look like they could be ready to reprise that role.

Rutgers started last year 1-5. They should not repeat that dismal start, but they could be in trouble against their Big East foes if they do not improve their play.

Rest between labors

I'm biding my time here at the Aerie watching football and enjoying Terry's cooking before I have to head back to the Bolt Hole for a week or so. The travel trailer gets inspected Wednesday morning and immediately afterward I'll haul it north to put back into the barn.

Once at the Bolt Hole, I still have a porch to rebuild. Mark and a friend he hired (sorry, forgot his name) were going to do the work but "complications" arose...as usual. I swear, the motto of the Bolt Hole should be, "Expect the unexpected."

On 2 September, Mark went over to do some concrete work and level off the top of the "foundation" that rimmed the porch's south and west side. As he installed a jack post to support the porch roof, the entire southwest corner of the "foundation" rolled and collapsed. Yeah, nothing but loose stones with a mortar surface. He spent the rest of the day with a rented jack hammer breaking the remainder of the damn thing up.

Demolished porch "foundation"

The next day, when his buddy showed up, they moved rocks and prepared to set posts into the ground and see if they could attach a ledgerboard to the side of the cabin upon which a deck could be hung. That's the last I heard from him so I'm hoping everything went okay.

Compare the above photo with this one showing the "concrete" foundation of the west side of the porch. Alleged concrete foundation of porch

It's this corner that rolled on Mark as he was putting up a support post. Looks at least semi-solid, no? Like beauty, however, it's just skin deep.

Anyway, worst case scenario right now is that I will have to build the entire porch by myself after the guys have finished the prep work. Best case (for me) is that Mark still hasn't found a full time masonry job and I'll have help. (He's been turning down one day gigs as they would mess up his unemployment while providing no secure income and the one project they want him for has developed some serious problems that make mine look minuscule. It's repair to a spillway tunnel up north but as demolition progresses the damn thing is squirting water even though it's above reservoir water levels. Who says interior work can't get "rained out"?) Either way, that porch WILL get rebuilt before I leave to return to the Aerie on the 18th or 19th of September.

Terry's home...for now.

I may not have mentioned it but Terry's home from Mt. Airy, NC. She took her Mom down there for a reunion of WWII Vets and their families. The Polar Bears were under the command of General Omar Bradley Mark Clark (I think?)and spent a lot of time in Italy. Their numbers have decreased to the point where the Polar Bear Association no longer exists...officially. Yet those who survive and their relatives continue to meet on occasion.

This time they were in Mt. Airy, NC home to Mayberry, USA. Also known as Opieland.

Terry reports the men and their guests were treated royally by the folks of Mt. Airy. They had lots of great food, tours of Mayberry, USA, and one of the largest open air granite mines in the world. They were given a tour of a sock manufacturing plant and everyone got a free pair to take home. (And these were not cheap socks either! Rather they manufacture for places like Cabela's, Bass Pro, etc. with an eye to quality and warmth.) Most importantly, of course, the Vets got to see their old comrades again and reminisce about their experiences.

One or two of the kids of these men have been working on a history of the unit (The 85th Infantry Division also known as the Custer Division). They hope to be able to have it published soon. Terry was given a copy of one of the works-in-progress and asked--as were others--to do some proofreading.

Too many of the members of the "Greatest Generation" have passed on without leaving behind their stories. I know my own father (and my father in law) never talked about their experiences on the battle field. And now that they are both gone, it's too late to start asking questions.

We see a number of books about the strategists, the generals, and politicians of WWII, it would be good to learn more about the experiences of the everyday soldier--the Willie and Joe--as they slogged through Europe or the Pacific Islands enroute to keeping the world free from Nazis, Fascists and Imperialists. But it's difficult to get these men to talk about what it was like. They've held it inside for half a century and shared their thoughts and tears with their brothers in arms but few others. Perhaps, they fear the rest of us just wouldn't understand.

******

Terry and her Mom also had company up from South Carolina. Cousin Jimmy (helicopter pilot in Viet Nam), his wife, Pat (who, with the aide of her lap top and digital camera, put together a whale of a computerized slide show for the Polar Bears final dinner), and his Mom, Nancy (her husband, Jim, passed away several years ago...he was in the Navy in the Pacific, I believe). Terry reports they slid in to, and were welcomed by, the Polar Bear crowd.

******

Terry made only one complaint to me when she got home: How come I hadn't picked any string beans? Today she got more than two quarts out of the bean patch. Now I think she knows why I didn't pick any and why I pulled up the @(#*%)*#& cucumber vines and blighted tomato plants.

One group of zucchini plants are finally looking healthier than ever and producing fruit to beat the band. Time for roasted zucchini and boiled/steamed zucchini for dinner. Every. Single. Night.

And the ever bearing strawberries are living up to their name as well. Every other day I can get half a cup of strawberries for my breakfast cereal.

******

I'm eating better now that Terry's home too. By myself, things are pretty much meat-and-potatoes (and I sometimes skip the potato...sometimes the meat...and, if it's lunch, sometimes both). Two nights and we've had: 1) salad, grilled zucchini, corn on the cob, and planked salmon, 2) hush puppies, baked sweet potato, steamed zucchini and yellow squash, sauteed portabello mushrooms, peppers and onions, and grilled chicken breast.

While feeding myself, my weight had dropped five or six pounds. I guess I'm going to have to head up to the Bolt Hole before I put it all back on.

******

I finished hauling out the wood I had cut yesterday morning. There's more to do but some that I cut is unreachable with the ATV until I do more cutting. (Stupid me! I cut a couple of tree tops furthest from the trail so as to clear an area near my neighbor's line and am no being blocked by some tree tops near the second drive way. Doh!) Other tree tops are fine where they are for the time being. Perhaps they will attract a bear or two looking for a den? Nah. I didn't think so. More likely to get quill pigs (porcupines), skunks, or raccoons.

In any event, I've got more than a cord of wood out there that needs spitting. Since we don't burn all that much, it should be enough. If not, I know where there's more.

******

We spent some time today cleaning the trailer's interior. It's been parked in the barn up at the Bolt Hole for a year and the mice have been making use of it. We vacuumed and aired the place out. Terry washed down the surfaces.

I tried to charge up the battery, but that was a no go. My "smart" charger says something about a defective or open cell and suggests I take it to a reputable service center to have it checked out. I may do just that. Or I may just wait until next spring when I'll need a new battery to ensure a safe trip....Wherever we may go.

******

Weather here at the Aerie continues to be simply gorgeous. With lows hitting the low 50s overnight we've been sleeping with the window open. Late in the afternoon the sun warms things up to the upper 70s but as soon as it starts to sink toward that horizon, the temperature follows it downward.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Terry was just preparing some macaroni salad for tomorrow's Labor Day picnic and made this comment in reference to the hard boiled eggs needed:

"It always frustrates me that when I don't care what the egg looks like, it comes out perfect!"

These eggs, of course, will be chopped and diced into teensy tiny pieces and so do not have to come out of their shells in perfect condition as they would have to be for, say, deviled eggs. So, of course, they come out perfect.

This must be one of the Corollaries to Murphy's Law. Call it the Cooking Corollary for Hard Boiled Eggs: When perfect eggs are needed the shell shall stick to the egg like glue resulting in surfaces as cratered as the Moon. However, should one intend to dice and chop the egg, the shell shall slip off faster and smoother than a stripper's clothes at a Congressional cocktail hour leaving a surface as smooth and perfect as the finest ball bearing.

Ya'll know how to cook a hard boiled egg perfectly, of course:
1) Put the egg into the water, turn the heat on and bring to a boil.
2) When the water is in a rolling boil (a true boil) turn off the heat and cover the pot.
3) Let the egg sit int he hot water for exactly 12 minutes then pour off the hot water and rinse the egg in cold water.

Follow those three simple steps and the yolk will be solidly cooked and there will be none of that dark gray sulfurous stuff on the outside of the yolk when you open up the egg.

Aerie Report, September 4, 2009

I got three hours of cutting wood out of the chainsaw on Wednesday before it decided we had enough. Can't blame it for wanting to quit before the usual 4 hours as I was cutting oak. Gave me time to take a couple of chains to the shop to get sharpened, buy another to have on hand, and generally run a few errands.

******

I spent Thursday headed in the opposite direction (east vs west) doing more shopping and getting the Tundra's oil changed and its inspection sticker renewed at the dealer's. Truck passed inspection with colors but a warning that the tire tread is getting a bit skimpy and the suggestion that I look into getting some new tires before the snow flies. I had hoped to get through the winter but with 30K currently on the original tires, it might be time to look for a new set of Cooper's.

******

Headed out today to haul cut wood in using the ATV (Yamaha Pro Hauler) and it was running rough. After getting the first load back to the house, the engine died. I pulled the plug (dry), checked the oil...O-oh! Darn thing was super low on oil. Good thing the engine didn't seize up. Not having any on hand, I headed to Wally World. (I needed to pick up a few groceries, too.)

Ended up putting nearly two quarts of oil in the ATV but it still wouldn't run right. After two more trips out and back, it stalled and would not run hardly at all. So I pulled the air filter and noticed some water being spit out by the carburetor. Drained all the fuel and the carburetor (a little over two quarts) and got about two tablespoons of water sitting in the bottom of the jug. Not good.

Almost everything in the garage up at the Bolt Hole collects water. There's condensation in every single gas tank and gas can. It's gotten to the point where if something doesn't run right, the gas gets drained. If it still doesn't run right, we go get new gas from the station. Well, the ATV was up at the Bolt Hole until just a few weeks ago. It wasn't run much here until this week. I guess the water in the gas tank came with it from the Bolt Hole. Why I could get it to run earlier but not today is a mystery.

Anyway, seems to be running fine now so I guess I'll have to haul the rest of the wood out...tomorrow.

******

Weather? One word: FANTASTIC!

Over night lows around 50, daytime highs 75-80 (at 4:30 PM). Every morning this week we've had dense fog down in the valley while the Aerie, at 2100 feet, has been well above the clouds. No sign of rain in the forecast until Monday.

This is the sort of weather we should have been having all summer. The local schools started classes the end of last week so the kids aren't getting to enjoy this, but I'm betting their parents are!

If we have plenty of anything, it's wind and gas!

When we chose to move to this little area of north-central PA, Terry and I were taken by the ruralness, the small town flavor (in a town that has no "town" there), the friendliness of the folks we met, and the quiet. Living on a rural dirt road that leads only to state forest lands could--or I should say was--pretty quiet. At least until this spring.

Seems we live in "Energy Central."

There are 67 windmills being constructed along a road that runs the ridge to our south. Only three will be in our immediate area and they will probably be far enough away so as to be either invisible or silent. While the plans were presented to the public last year, not much happened aside from the necessary survey crews roaming the roads. Some of the windmills are already erected on the eastern end of the ridge. One or two even have their blades attached although they are no where near to going on the grid. Most of the others have had the sites prepared. An optimistic report in last Sunday's paper said they were hoping to have all 67 up and running by the end of the year. Right!

But wait! That's not all! At the top of the ridge where my street of residence forms a T with the road running east-west along the crest (sorta) of the ridge an old state forest road once headed south. Now it and the east-west ridge road look like four lane highways! Some of it has to do with the power lines for the windmills, but more has to do with natural gas. There's a pipeline that will head south to Tennessee from these here hills of PA. A big one. And it's drawing in from several directions along the ridge top before turning south.

"Why a gas line?" you ask.

Marcellus Shale my friend. There's gas beneath our feet here in the Twin Tiers of the PA/NY border. And they're drilling for it as fast as they can. Several places along Route 6 in Bradford and Tioga counties there are drilling rigs hard at work seeking the natural gas a mile or more beneath the surface. Just because you see a rig at work in a particular site doesn't mean it's confined to extracting what's directly beneath it either. Directional drilling will allow the energy company to put a root system of wells out from a single platform and extract gas from miles away.

The state has leased several sites on top of the ridge for drilling. Farmers and land owners in the valley have done the same. Many more of us have had folks knocking at our door asking about mineral rights and offering signing bonuses and royalties on the production. I'm sure the money has been a help to many a farmer. But some are finding they jumped at the offer too soon. (Like ten years ago.) They are locked into leases that are renewable by the signing company for a fraction of what is being offered now. Heck, I got an offer just a few months ago that was a fraction of what I was offered (and accepted) last week.

Our lease, stipulates no above ground construction (see directional drilling), runs for just five years and can be renewed or canceled at that time. The money isn't Jed Clampett type of stuff but it will ensure some financial security for the next few years without having to tap into our retirement accounts or early Social Security.

Almost makes up for all the damn construction trucks running up and down the hill every day starting at 0630. And the traffic congestion of all those construction trucks on Route 6--which itself seems to be under constant reconstruction somewhere in Tioga and/or Bradford county.

Morning at the Aerie, September 2, 2009

I got four hours in the woods with the chainsaw cutting the larger tree tops into fireplace length sections before the Craftsman saw decided it had had enough. It did this last time I was out too. Four hours and then it refuses to start after I refuel. It must be a temperature thing. I came back to the house and cut the grass, had dinner, and picked through the remnants of the cukes and tomatoes. Then cleaned the saw up and gave it a try. Voila! First pull it started right up. Like I said, it must be a temperature thing. Not meant to run all day. That's okay. Neither am I.

******

Speaking of temperature...It sneaked up to 74 degrees at 1630 yesterday, which is about what the weather.com folks had predicted. A gorgeous day all things considered. Over night temp dropped to 48 degrees. Today (Wednesday), tomorrow and Friday promise more of the same.

******

Terry and her Mom made it safely to Mt. Airy, NC for the military reunion. The number of WWII vets attending this thing has greatly diminished but the wives and children have made friends over the years and they continue to show up.

As an added bonus, some relatives from the Sumter area of SC drove up to see Mom who is now 86 and still going strong.

******

Well, I've a few errands to run and then a date with Mr. Chainsaw. See ya later.

Rah! Rah! Sis-Boom-Bah!

It’s September, the nights are chilly, and the leaves are starting to fade from green to their fall colors. There's a definite smell of Autumn in the air. The Mets have faded in to meaningless limbo with an injury list that could fill a major hospital. Thank goodness the college football season is about to get underway once more.

The preseason Top 25s have been out for a while now but most of them will play their first game sometime between Thursday (9/3) and Monday (9/7).
Here’s a look at this week’s Top 25 and their opponents. The polls used here are, in order, The AP Top 25, the Coaches Poll, and the CBSSports.com120. NL means the team was not listed in the Top 25 of that poll.

1/1/1 Florida hosts Charleston Southern Saturday evening.
2/2/4 Texas hosts Louisiana-Monroe Saturday evening.
3/3/5 Oklahoma hosts #20 Brigham Young Saturday evening.
4/4/3 Southern California hosts San Jose State Saturday afternoon
5/5/6 Alabama plays at #7 Virginia Tech Saturday evening.
6/6/11 Ohio State hosts Navy on Saturday afternoon.
7/7/15 Virginia Tech hosts #5 Alabama on Saturday evening.
8/10/12 Mississippi plays at Memphis on Sunday afternoon.
9/11/17 Oklahoma State hosts #13 Georgia Saturday afternoon.
9/8/9 Penn State plays host to Akron on Saturday afternoon.
11/9/NL LSU plays at Washington Saturday evening.
12/12/21 California hosts Maryland Saturday evening.
13/13/14 Georgia plays at #9 Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon.
14/16/10 Boise State hosts #16 Oregon on Thursday night.
15/15/NL Georgia Tech hosts Jacksonville State on Saturday afternoon.
16/14/8 Oregon plays at #14 Boise State on Thursday night.
17/17/7 TCU does not play this weekend.
18/19/22 Florida State plays at home on Monday against Miami (Fla.)
19/18/2 Utah hosts Utah State Thursday night.
20/24/20 Brigham Young plays at #3 Oklahoma on Saturday evening.
21/20/NL North Carolina hosts The Citadel on Saturday evening.
22/21/19 Iowa will host Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon.
23/23/NL Notre Dame will host Nevada on Saturday afternoon.
24/22/NL Nebraska hosts Florida Atlantic Saturday evening.
25/NL/NL Kansas hosts Northern Colorado on Saturday evening.
NL/25/23 Oregon State hosts Portland State on Saturday afternoon.
NL/NL/16 Cincinnati plays at the newly expanded Rutgers Stadium Monday afternoon.
NL/NL/18 Missouri plays at Illinois Saturday afternoon.
NL/NL/24 West Virginia hosts Liberty Saturday afternoon.
NL/NL/25 Michigan State hosts Montana State Saturday afternoon.

As is usual early in the season, there are some real mismatches on the schedule (WVA vs Liberty?) but there are also some good games on tap as well. #5 Alabama at #7 VTech could be a close game and will have an impact on conference standings. #13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State could be entertaining as could #16 Oregon at #14 Boise State.

Beside the Alabama/VTech SEC match-up, the only other game with conference ramifications that I can spot is the Big East contest between Rutgers and Cincinnati on Monday afternoon. That game could see the winner emerge as the favorite to win the Big East title.

[Duh! Miami (Fla.) vs Florida State is an ACC match-up that deserves to be mentioned as a significant conference game. How could I have missed that one?]

Let’s see…
I’m at the Aerie so I’ve a pretty solid TV connection.
I’ve got beer, soda and chips on hand.
I guess I’m ready. How about you?

Good news on the global warming front

Farmers' Almanac predicts numbing cold this winter

The almanac, which has been published since 1818, issues annual forecasts using a formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and the effects of the moon.

This winter, the 200-page publication says it'll be cool and snowy in the Northeast, bitterly cold and dry in the Great Lakes states, and cold and snowy across the North Central states.

It says the Northwest will be cool with average precipitation, the Southwest will be mild and dry, the South Central states will be cold and wet, and the Southeast will be mild and dry.

Sunspots? What are they? We've had an incredibly peaceful and inactive Sol for over two years now according to this. (And it seems we had a spotless August 31 as well.) You don't mean to tell me that a bunch of guys have figured out that it is the SUN that drives our weather and climate. Do tell!

Of course the government disagrees:

The almanac's forecast, however, is at odds with the National Weather Service, which is calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures across much of the country because of an El Nino system in the tropical Pacific Ocean, said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the NOAA Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Md.

"The stronger El Nino becomes, the more confident and the more likely it will be the northern part of the country will have a milder-than-average winter," Halpert said.

The problem with Mr. Halpert's statement is that this is a weak El Nino and is expected to break up before the new year is well under way.


I usually go with The Old Farmer's Almanac as opposed to The Farmer's Almanac sited here. Although I will usually buy both to, you know, "compare and contrast" as they say in the essay questions. Weather is so seldom a "True" or "False" proposition.

As for the Old Farmer's Almanac's accuracy...well, let's just say it's entertaining. They weren't terribly accurate with last year's forecast for warmer weather or anything. But a copy of the OFA always rests in the most important room in the house. You know, the one every one spends some time sitting in with nothing much to do but peruse a magazine or some book with short articles/stories.

September 1? You sure it's not November?

After a cool final day of August (never got above 66 degrees at the Aerie yesterday) and a super clear sky night, the temperature fell to a low of 42 degrees at 0630. There's a pea-soup fog in the valley and a very heavy dew on the lawn and dripping off the roof. Checking the weather underground station nearest the Adirondack Bolt Hole, I note that it was 37 degrees up there.

Heck of a way to begin September!

Oh, they say the daytime highs will be into the 70s for the rest of this sunny, clear week.

One or two errands to run this morning (you can be sure the AC will be turned off in the truck) and then I'll be cutting and hauling firewood out of the woods. Seems like I might need plenty this year and the physical activity will at least warm me in the event the weather dudes got it wrong on the temperature.