Well, the more or less forced inactivity of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday due to the actions of Ike's remnant rains and wind, plus the celebratory birthday dinner out on Wednesday at a new restaurant in Mansfield (Lamb's Creek Food and Spirits is highly recommended!) has caused the yo-yo of my weight to climb the string again.
I was very disappointed to see that the scale reported 217 this morning. Despite the construction project that has me climbing the stairs from garage to attic multiple times each day while carrying half a sheet of 3/4" OSB each time. Despite the warm temperatures under the roof as I crawl around between the trusses. Despite the very, very sore and aching muscles from doing this and moving storage box after storage box from point A to point B (and often on to point C an hour later). Despite all that, the original 3 pounds I lost in Week 1 of this challenge have made their way home.
*sigh*
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Attic Project, part 2
Between yesterday late afternoon and today, I've managed to cover 24-linear feet by 6-feet on one side of the attic and another 16-linear feet by 6-feet on the other.
As I said earlier, the goal is to be able to move as much of the accumulated stuff off to the sides and organize it so an individual item can be more easily found.
The photo above shows what I want to happen. Almost everything behind the 2"x4"s is Xmas decorations of one kind or another. We could probably decorate five or six Christmas trees with each one having its own theme. Put us right up there with Rockefeller Plaza, that would. We have Hallmark ornaments and Danbury Mint ornaments up the wazzoo. Then there are the hand made ornaments in wood (mine) and in cloth (Terry's). Of course, using uniform boxes to store everything in would make this sorting thing a wee bit easier but so much less colorful.
And let us not mention the need to label what is in each box...hmmm. Where's the joy in that. This way it's like having two Christmas mornings. One when you want to decorate is just a s full of surprises as the one on December 25.
Tomorrow I'll be putting down another 8'x6' section of flooring and working to get still more stuff off to the sides. That may require moving the base of the hutch...and my back is already protesting having to climb in and out among the trusses. Oh well, that's why they make Tylenol.
As I said earlier, the goal is to be able to move as much of the accumulated stuff off to the sides and organize it so an individual item can be more easily found.
The photo above shows what I want to happen. Almost everything behind the 2"x4"s is Xmas decorations of one kind or another. We could probably decorate five or six Christmas trees with each one having its own theme. Put us right up there with Rockefeller Plaza, that would. We have Hallmark ornaments and Danbury Mint ornaments up the wazzoo. Then there are the hand made ornaments in wood (mine) and in cloth (Terry's). Of course, using uniform boxes to store everything in would make this sorting thing a wee bit easier but so much less colorful.
And let us not mention the need to label what is in each box...hmmm. Where's the joy in that. This way it's like having two Christmas mornings. One when you want to decorate is just a s full of surprises as the one on December 25.
Tomorrow I'll be putting down another 8'x6' section of flooring and working to get still more stuff off to the sides. That may require moving the base of the hutch...and my back is already protesting having to climb in and out among the trusses. Oh well, that's why they make Tylenol.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Attic Project
Whilst Terry was planting bulbs and mums, I was cutting sheets of 3/4" thick OSB.
Twelve sheets to be exact. I ripped them all down from 4-foot wide and 9-foot long to 2-foot wide. (This wasn't as easy as it seems. I struggled with the first four sheets and could not hold the line despite using an aluminum guide clamped to the boards. Turns out my blade was dull, dull, dull! A new blade and--presto-chango!--everything was hunky-dory!)
I slid the sheets out of the bed of the truck and onto this make-shift platform. A couple of screws to hold the sheet in place and I would clamp the guide bar and--z-z-z-zip! I would have two 2-foot wide boards.
The reason for all this was to put a floor in the area under the slanting roof in the attic. Our attic is a 36-foot long, huge room over the foyer, laundry room, and garage. I purposely asked for H-trusses that would allow for an 8-foot wide open space in the center without the usual W-shaped lumber getting in the way. Don and I built a lovely entry way door to the place off the loft. But there was still this unused space off to the sides.
And all this clutter in the center aisle.
Now, some things are just too large to go off to the sides. There's a full sized pine hutch from way back when that Terry just doesn't wish to get rid of. (It was part and parcel of our first furniture purchase back in 1972.) There's a round oak table that served us well in Morristown. There's a pine tea cart and a few other pieces. But most of what's out in the center aisle (Xmas decorations, bins of fabric and yarn, Rick's stuff and Jessica's stuff, and lots of books and magazines) could and will go off to the sides.
Twelve sheets to be exact. I ripped them all down from 4-foot wide and 9-foot long to 2-foot wide. (This wasn't as easy as it seems. I struggled with the first four sheets and could not hold the line despite using an aluminum guide clamped to the boards. Turns out my blade was dull, dull, dull! A new blade and--presto-chango!--everything was hunky-dory!)
I slid the sheets out of the bed of the truck and onto this make-shift platform. A couple of screws to hold the sheet in place and I would clamp the guide bar and--z-z-z-zip! I would have two 2-foot wide boards.
The reason for all this was to put a floor in the area under the slanting roof in the attic. Our attic is a 36-foot long, huge room over the foyer, laundry room, and garage. I purposely asked for H-trusses that would allow for an 8-foot wide open space in the center without the usual W-shaped lumber getting in the way. Don and I built a lovely entry way door to the place off the loft. But there was still this unused space off to the sides.
And all this clutter in the center aisle.
Now, some things are just too large to go off to the sides. There's a full sized pine hutch from way back when that Terry just doesn't wish to get rid of. (It was part and parcel of our first furniture purchase back in 1972.) There's a round oak table that served us well in Morristown. There's a pine tea cart and a few other pieces. But most of what's out in the center aisle (Xmas decorations, bins of fabric and yarn, Rick's stuff and Jessica's stuff, and lots of books and magazines) could and will go off to the sides.
Mr. Bruin comes a callin'
We just had another visit from the local bear. I think it's the same one that's been here several times last year and again this spring.
We've been bringing in the bird feeders since he came by last weekend and he found sparse pickings out on the feeder line. However, he did knock over the roofed tray feeder and came up on the deck to help himself to one of the hummingbird feeders we left out.
I hope he doesn't damage it too badly. There really wasn't that much sugar water in it. I still can't find the suet feeder he made off with last time.
We've been bringing in the bird feeders since he came by last weekend and he found sparse pickings out on the feeder line. However, he did knock over the roofed tray feeder and came up on the deck to help himself to one of the hummingbird feeders we left out.
I hope he doesn't damage it too badly. There really wasn't that much sugar water in it. I still can't find the suet feeder he made off with last time.
Terry does some gardening.
Yesterday afternoon, while I was starting work on the attic (mopre about that later) Terry started planting bulbs and mums.
Here she's counting out the speckled lilies for the holes she already dug.
These mums went in the spot once occupied by four zucchini plants. (Next year's zukes will go in one of the other beds I built this summer.)
The two white mums also went into the front bed but they flank a small shrub.
Terry also planted some daffodils in the beds to the right of where she is sitting. (Your right, not hers.)
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One thing is certain, every planting bed, be it flowers or vegetables, will have a border of marigolds next summer. They last long and provide color, but they also emit an odor that is, apparently, repellent to rabbits and deer. I may even plant some around the roses.
Here she's counting out the speckled lilies for the holes she already dug.
These mums went in the spot once occupied by four zucchini plants. (Next year's zukes will go in one of the other beds I built this summer.)
The two white mums also went into the front bed but they flank a small shrub.
Terry also planted some daffodils in the beds to the right of where she is sitting. (Your right, not hers.)
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5oIQVg-AKKR67-iUTuMF-M-AfT5Yc2EY4L3yICUuYwmanyvVQ7zTmdKckXf2eLx_rikwWr2uWGNE-xDLJwEuTCybuvBl8HANejQP50aOevqgaLDJHr6uc7DAi4_X6yMRvfBw/s1600-h/DSC00230.JPG">
One thing is certain, every planting bed, be it flowers or vegetables, will have a border of marigolds next summer. They last long and provide color, but they also emit an odor that is, apparently, repellent to rabbits and deer. I may even plant some around the roses.
Ahoy, ya llily livered pukes of a bilge rat!
Arrgh!
I nearly forgot that today was Talk Like a Pirate Day, mateys. I would have been keel hauled if I had let the day go by without a hearty, "Avast!" or "Shiver me timbers!"
I nearly forgot that today was Talk Like a Pirate Day, mateys. I would have been keel hauled if I had let the day go by without a hearty, "Avast!" or "Shiver me timbers!"
Another Aerie Project 2
I put Terry to work today also. We had ordered about 200 bulbs from Burpee and they came via UPS yesterday. I handed her a trowel and a shovel (short handle version, actually a spade cause at 4'11" that's about all she could handle) and told her to put them where she wanted in the flower beds. Some were checkered lilies and others were daffodils. She also had six mums that needed to be put in the soil.
The mums went in the bed where the zukes were and the checkered lilies went in the shaded area up by the front door.
The daffodils also went in the bed near the front door but further out where they will get more sun.
We still have two bags of mixed wild flower bulbs that will be planted among the trees behind the bird feeders. I've been slowly removing some of the pencil thin saplings that have been crowding that area so there's a bit more sun shining on it and more visibility too. With any luck, there won't be scads of stone just beneath the surface and these small bulbs will pop up in a multitude of color in the spring.
The mums went in the bed where the zukes were and the checkered lilies went in the shaded area up by the front door.
The daffodils also went in the bed near the front door but further out where they will get more sun.
We still have two bags of mixed wild flower bulbs that will be planted among the trees behind the bird feeders. I've been slowly removing some of the pencil thin saplings that have been crowding that area so there's a bit more sun shining on it and more visibility too. With any luck, there won't be scads of stone just beneath the surface and these small bulbs will pop up in a multitude of color in the spring.
Another Aerie Project
I started another project today.
We have this huge attic upstairs that has a multitude of storage possibilities. Until today, however, the only floor space available was right down the center. The sides, beneath the roof and out to the eaves, had no plywood/particle board flooring. I had finished insulating that area two weeks ago when I took a rain day from working on the garden bed but it wasn't until today that I decided to go get the 3/4" OSB sheets needed to put down the floor. I calculated I would need 12 sheets for the job and easily hauled them up to the Aerie in the bed of the Tundra.
To get these sheets in and around the trusses of the roof, I needed to rip each sheet to a 2-foot width and a 2-foot length. Then to get them to fit the first row had to have notches cut to fit around the 2" wide truss supports.
I started ripping each sheet as it came off the back of the pickup and had a heck of a time holding a straight line. I had to run back down to the store to get a new blade as mine was too dull to do the job. (At first I thought it was the saw and I picked up a new DeWalt. Which was good. But I picked up a new combination blade and tried that on my Ryobi before breaking the DeWalt out of its box. The blade made the difference so the DeWalt went back to the store. *sigh* and I so wanted a new toy for my birthday.) Then I used the jig saw to cut the notches. Well, the metal plates used in making the connections on the trusses meant that the supports I would be going around weren't really 1 1/2 inches wide as I had cut but rather closer to 2" which called for a second cut. (Of course, all these cuts were being done in the driveway necessitating my carrying the OSB boards up and down the stairs. Several times.) Anyway, I've got the first two feet of flooring in on half of one half of the attic and now that I know what the heck I'm doing I should be able to get the rest done lickety-split tomorrow.
When it['s all done, I'll be able to put some of the boxes that have Xmas decorations off to one side, those that have my son's belongings in off to another side, those that have all the kitchen stuff for Jessica (who is living with Grandma and therefore has no need for them at the moment) off to another, and all of Terry's romance paperbacks in yet another area. Maybe then I can use the area to actually store the window AC unit (which will be coming out soon) and other vital stuff while still being able to walk in there and actually turn around.
The next project after that will be the workshop. I need a real workbench and a better layout for my large tools. But that will have to wait until after Thanksgiving or a deer or two in the freezer...whichever comes last.
We have this huge attic upstairs that has a multitude of storage possibilities. Until today, however, the only floor space available was right down the center. The sides, beneath the roof and out to the eaves, had no plywood/particle board flooring. I had finished insulating that area two weeks ago when I took a rain day from working on the garden bed but it wasn't until today that I decided to go get the 3/4" OSB sheets needed to put down the floor. I calculated I would need 12 sheets for the job and easily hauled them up to the Aerie in the bed of the Tundra.
To get these sheets in and around the trusses of the roof, I needed to rip each sheet to a 2-foot width and a 2-foot length. Then to get them to fit the first row had to have notches cut to fit around the 2" wide truss supports.
I started ripping each sheet as it came off the back of the pickup and had a heck of a time holding a straight line. I had to run back down to the store to get a new blade as mine was too dull to do the job. (At first I thought it was the saw and I picked up a new DeWalt. Which was good. But I picked up a new combination blade and tried that on my Ryobi before breaking the DeWalt out of its box. The blade made the difference so the DeWalt went back to the store. *sigh* and I so wanted a new toy for my birthday.) Then I used the jig saw to cut the notches. Well, the metal plates used in making the connections on the trusses meant that the supports I would be going around weren't really 1 1/2 inches wide as I had cut but rather closer to 2" which called for a second cut. (Of course, all these cuts were being done in the driveway necessitating my carrying the OSB boards up and down the stairs. Several times.) Anyway, I've got the first two feet of flooring in on half of one half of the attic and now that I know what the heck I'm doing I should be able to get the rest done lickety-split tomorrow.
When it['s all done, I'll be able to put some of the boxes that have Xmas decorations off to one side, those that have my son's belongings in off to another side, those that have all the kitchen stuff for Jessica (who is living with Grandma and therefore has no need for them at the moment) off to another, and all of Terry's romance paperbacks in yet another area. Maybe then I can use the area to actually store the window AC unit (which will be coming out soon) and other vital stuff while still being able to walk in there and actually turn around.
The next project after that will be the workshop. I need a real workbench and a better layout for my large tools. But that will have to wait until after Thanksgiving or a deer or two in the freezer...whichever comes last.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Week 4 Rankings and Opponents
Week 4 is upon us with the first game of the week slated for Thursday night (#21 West Virginia at Colorado).
Here is a look at the Top 25 (plus or minus) following Week 3 and their opponents in Week 4. (Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 4. The pre-Week 3 rankings are after the team’s name. Rankings are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com in that order. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/1 Southern California (1/1/4). The Trojans have the weekend off. They face Oregon State on Thursday, September 25.
2/2/2 Oklahoma (3/3/1). After scoring 57, 52 and 55 points, the Sooners’ offense will enjoy an idle week.
3/3/3 Georgia (2/2/3). The Bulldogs go across the country to play at Arizona State.
4/4/4 Florida (4/4/5). The Gators play at Tennessee.
5/5/5 Missouri (6/6/6). The Missouri Tigers host the Buffalo Bulls. Having scored 52, 52, and 69 points, I wonder what the over/under is on this one? (I just checked vegas.com and there is no over/under listed. Missouri is favored by 34, however.)
6/6/6 LSU (7/7/7). The Tigers travel to play at #10 Auburn.
7/7/8 Texas (8/8/9). The Longhorns play host to the Rice Owls.
8/8/9 Wisconsin (10/10/11). The Badgers are idle this week.
9/13/13 Alabama (11/16/16). The Tide rolls into Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks.
10/9/7 Auburn (9/9/8). The Auburn Tigers host the #6 LSU Tigers. (There are way too many tigers out there.)
11/10/11 Texas Tech (12/12/12). The Red Raiders host the UMass Minutemen on Saturday.
12/16/17 South Florida (19/18/20). The Bulls play Florida International in Miami.
13/14/12 Ohio State (5/5/2). The Buckeyes host Troy.
14/11/10 Brigham Young (18/15/13). The Cougars host Wyoming.
15/17/16 East Carolina (14/20/18). The Pirates play at North Carolina State.
16/15/18 Penn State (17/17/21). The Nittany Lions host Temple.
17/12/15 Oregon (16/14/17). The Ducks host Boise State on Saturday.
18/18/14 Wake Forest (20/19/15). The Demon Deacons travel to #24 Florida State.
19/19/19 Kansas (13/11/10). The Jayhawks host Sam Houston State this week.
20/20/20 Utah (22/22/23). The Utes square off against Air Force in Colorado Springs.
21/22/21 West Virginia (25/24/22). The Mountaineers play Thursday night at Colorado.
22/23/23 Illinois (24/NR/24). The Illini are idle this week.
23/21/22 Clemson (NR/23/NR). The Tigers host South Carolina State.
24/25/NR Florida State (NR/NR/NR). The Seminoles host #18 Wake Forest.
25/NR/24 Fresno State (21/21/19). The Bulldogs are at Toledo this week. Heck of a travel schedule they have!
NR/24/NR Arizona State (NR/NR/NR). The Sun Devils will play host to #3 Georgia.
NR/NR/25 Virginia Tech (NR/NR/NR). The Hokies play at North Carolina this week.
Here is a look at the Top 25 (plus or minus) following Week 3 and their opponents in Week 4. (Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 4. The pre-Week 3 rankings are after the team’s name. Rankings are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com in that order. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/1 Southern California (1/1/4). The Trojans have the weekend off. They face Oregon State on Thursday, September 25.
2/2/2 Oklahoma (3/3/1). After scoring 57, 52 and 55 points, the Sooners’ offense will enjoy an idle week.
3/3/3 Georgia (2/2/3). The Bulldogs go across the country to play at Arizona State.
4/4/4 Florida (4/4/5). The Gators play at Tennessee.
5/5/5 Missouri (6/6/6). The Missouri Tigers host the Buffalo Bulls. Having scored 52, 52, and 69 points, I wonder what the over/under is on this one? (I just checked vegas.com and there is no over/under listed. Missouri is favored by 34, however.)
6/6/6 LSU (7/7/7). The Tigers travel to play at #10 Auburn.
7/7/8 Texas (8/8/9). The Longhorns play host to the Rice Owls.
8/8/9 Wisconsin (10/10/11). The Badgers are idle this week.
9/13/13 Alabama (11/16/16). The Tide rolls into Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks.
10/9/7 Auburn (9/9/8). The Auburn Tigers host the #6 LSU Tigers. (There are way too many tigers out there.)
11/10/11 Texas Tech (12/12/12). The Red Raiders host the UMass Minutemen on Saturday.
12/16/17 South Florida (19/18/20). The Bulls play Florida International in Miami.
13/14/12 Ohio State (5/5/2). The Buckeyes host Troy.
14/11/10 Brigham Young (18/15/13). The Cougars host Wyoming.
15/17/16 East Carolina (14/20/18). The Pirates play at North Carolina State.
16/15/18 Penn State (17/17/21). The Nittany Lions host Temple.
17/12/15 Oregon (16/14/17). The Ducks host Boise State on Saturday.
18/18/14 Wake Forest (20/19/15). The Demon Deacons travel to #24 Florida State.
19/19/19 Kansas (13/11/10). The Jayhawks host Sam Houston State this week.
20/20/20 Utah (22/22/23). The Utes square off against Air Force in Colorado Springs.
21/22/21 West Virginia (25/24/22). The Mountaineers play Thursday night at Colorado.
22/23/23 Illinois (24/NR/24). The Illini are idle this week.
23/21/22 Clemson (NR/23/NR). The Tigers host South Carolina State.
24/25/NR Florida State (NR/NR/NR). The Seminoles host #18 Wake Forest.
25/NR/24 Fresno State (21/21/19). The Bulldogs are at Toledo this week. Heck of a travel schedule they have!
NR/24/NR Arizona State (NR/NR/NR). The Sun Devils will play host to #3 Georgia.
NR/NR/25 Virginia Tech (NR/NR/NR). The Hokies play at North Carolina this week.
Week 3 Results.
I'm a tad late getting this up. I was going to do it on Sunday but put it off until Monday. Then the Bolt Hole Blackout of 2008 and.... The best laid plans and all that.
Week 3 is over and most teams have now played three games. A few have only two under their belt. In either case, we are getting a better feel for just how some of these teams stack up.
I present the results of Week 3. (Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 3 and are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com in that order. The numbers following the team’s name reflect their position prior to Week 2 games. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/4 Southern California vs #5 Ohio State. USC dominated the Buckeyes 35-3.
2/2/3 Georgia at South Carolina. The Bulldogs eked out a victory over SC 14-7
3/3/1 Oklahoma at Washington. Demolished Washington 55-14.
4/4/5 Florida was idle this week.
5/5/2 Ohio State at #1 USC. See above. All Trojans all the time.
6/6/6 Missouri vs. Nevada. Missouri surpassed the 52 point level which it had reached in each of its first two games with the most points scored by any team this week wiping out Nevada 69-17
7/7/7 LSU vs. North Texas. The Tigers easily defeated North Texas 41-3.
8/8/9 Texas vs. Arkansas. PPT Ike put a damper on this one. They will play later in the season.
9/9/8 Auburn at Mississippi State. 3-2? Did they play baseball or football? In any event, Auburn gets the W.
10/10/11 Wisconsin at #21 Fresno State. The Badgers edged out FSU 13-10.
11/16/16 Alabama vs. Western Kentucky. The Tide rolled over Western Kentucky 41-7.
12/12/12 Texas Tech vs. SMU. Texas Tech tamed the Mustangs 43-7.
13/11/10 Kansas at #19 South Florida. USF wins 37-34 on last second field goal after trailing 20-3 in first half and 20-10 at half time.
14/20/18 East Carolina at Tulane. The Pirates edged Tulane 28-24 to go 3-0 in the early season.
15/13/14 Arizona State vs. UNLV. UNLV upset ASU in overtime, 23-20.
16/14/17 Oregon at Purdue. In another overtime game, this one a double OT, the Ducks downed the Boilermakers, 32-26.
17/17/21 Penn State at Syracuse. No overtime needed here as the Lions mauled the Orange, 55-13.
18/15/13 Brigham Young vs. UCLA. All BYU over the Bruins 59-0.
19/18/20 South Florida vs. #13 Kansas. Bulls win 37-34.
20/19/15 Wake Forest was idle. (I mistakenly had them playing at Florida State. That’s week 4.)
21/21/19 Fresno State vs. #10 Wisconsin. See above Badgers 13-10.
22/22/23 Utah at Utah State. Utah romped over USU, 58-10.
23/25/NR California at Maryland. The Terps emerged victors 35-27.
24/NR/24 Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. The Illini barely edged La-Lafayette 20-17.
25/24/22 West Virginia idle.
NR/23/NR Clemson vs. North Carolina State. The Tigers of Clemson won 27-9.
NR/NR/25 UCLA at #18 BYU. See above. BYU 59-0. Not a good week for California teams whose mascots are of the ursine variety. Bye-bye UCLA and #23 California. It’s going to take a few upsets for them to climb back into the Top 25.
Week 3 is over and most teams have now played three games. A few have only two under their belt. In either case, we are getting a better feel for just how some of these teams stack up.
I present the results of Week 3. (Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 3 and are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com in that order. The numbers following the team’s name reflect their position prior to Week 2 games. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/4 Southern California vs #5 Ohio State. USC dominated the Buckeyes 35-3.
2/2/3 Georgia at South Carolina. The Bulldogs eked out a victory over SC 14-7
3/3/1 Oklahoma at Washington. Demolished Washington 55-14.
4/4/5 Florida was idle this week.
5/5/2 Ohio State at #1 USC. See above. All Trojans all the time.
6/6/6 Missouri vs. Nevada. Missouri surpassed the 52 point level which it had reached in each of its first two games with the most points scored by any team this week wiping out Nevada 69-17
7/7/7 LSU vs. North Texas. The Tigers easily defeated North Texas 41-3.
8/8/9 Texas vs. Arkansas. PPT Ike put a damper on this one. They will play later in the season.
9/9/8 Auburn at Mississippi State. 3-2? Did they play baseball or football? In any event, Auburn gets the W.
10/10/11 Wisconsin at #21 Fresno State. The Badgers edged out FSU 13-10.
11/16/16 Alabama vs. Western Kentucky. The Tide rolled over Western Kentucky 41-7.
12/12/12 Texas Tech vs. SMU. Texas Tech tamed the Mustangs 43-7.
13/11/10 Kansas at #19 South Florida. USF wins 37-34 on last second field goal after trailing 20-3 in first half and 20-10 at half time.
14/20/18 East Carolina at Tulane. The Pirates edged Tulane 28-24 to go 3-0 in the early season.
15/13/14 Arizona State vs. UNLV. UNLV upset ASU in overtime, 23-20.
16/14/17 Oregon at Purdue. In another overtime game, this one a double OT, the Ducks downed the Boilermakers, 32-26.
17/17/21 Penn State at Syracuse. No overtime needed here as the Lions mauled the Orange, 55-13.
18/15/13 Brigham Young vs. UCLA. All BYU over the Bruins 59-0.
19/18/20 South Florida vs. #13 Kansas. Bulls win 37-34.
20/19/15 Wake Forest was idle. (I mistakenly had them playing at Florida State. That’s week 4.)
21/21/19 Fresno State vs. #10 Wisconsin. See above Badgers 13-10.
22/22/23 Utah at Utah State. Utah romped over USU, 58-10.
23/25/NR California at Maryland. The Terps emerged victors 35-27.
24/NR/24 Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. The Illini barely edged La-Lafayette 20-17.
25/24/22 West Virginia idle.
NR/23/NR Clemson vs. North Carolina State. The Tigers of Clemson won 27-9.
NR/NR/25 UCLA at #18 BYU. See above. BYU 59-0. Not a good week for California teams whose mascots are of the ursine variety. Bye-bye UCLA and #23 California. It’s going to take a few upsets for them to climb back into the Top 25.
Bolt Hole Blackout of 2008: Update
So...I'm sitting here looking at the posts I've put up this week and they're all about the weather and the Bolt Hole Blackout of 2008 with no mention of the college football results or the new, post-week 3 polls. I'll attempt to rectify that in the next two posts.
First, however, I have this: The Bolt Hole Blackout may well continue through the day. There was a problem with a transformer on the pole down the road where a large maple had pulled the wires down, jerking the transformer from its customary position of being bolted to the pole so it was resting atop the wires. You might say it was hanging on by a thread. When the National Grid crew checked it out before attempting to remount it to the pole they found it had suffered internal damage and needed to be replaced. (That may explain the five minutes of flickering light I had the other Monday. When they tested the conductivity of the transformer I got juice for those five minutes before they said, "Un-huh, Ain't gonna work. Shut 'er down.")
Unfortunately, word has it, that there were so many lines down and transformers damaged, there were none on hand locally for them to use. That and the transformer installation crews are running around like crazy. Perhaps they will have service restored by this evening. Then again, perhaps not. In either event, I'm glad I came back to PA.
First, however, I have this: The Bolt Hole Blackout may well continue through the day. There was a problem with a transformer on the pole down the road where a large maple had pulled the wires down, jerking the transformer from its customary position of being bolted to the pole so it was resting atop the wires. You might say it was hanging on by a thread. When the National Grid crew checked it out before attempting to remount it to the pole they found it had suffered internal damage and needed to be replaced. (That may explain the five minutes of flickering light I had the other Monday. When they tested the conductivity of the transformer I got juice for those five minutes before they said, "Un-huh, Ain't gonna work. Shut 'er down.")
Unfortunately, word has it, that there were so many lines down and transformers damaged, there were none on hand locally for them to use. That and the transformer installation crews are running around like crazy. Perhaps they will have service restored by this evening. Then again, perhaps not. In either event, I'm glad I came back to PA.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me!
(Well almost...)
I'll be celebrating my 59th Anniversary of my Birthday tomorrow. I have no special plans. Terry wants to go to dinner.
As for gifts.... Well, there are plenty of toys I would like, but I've probably used up my quota for birthdays and Christmases for many, many years to come.
I'll be celebrating my 59th Anniversary of my Birthday tomorrow. I have no special plans. Terry wants to go to dinner.
As for gifts.... Well, there are plenty of toys I would like, but I've probably used up my quota for birthdays and Christmases for many, many years to come.
No Power...back to PA
Back at the Aerie...*sigh*.
There was no power all last evening despite a little five minute tease at around 5 PM in which the lights powered up for a little--just long enough for the fluorescent bulb over the kitchen sink to come on--and then pfft! Nothing!
When there were still no lights this morning I called National Grid again (not enough power on the computer's battery to check the web site) said the magic words needed to speak to a real human and found out that they hoped to get power back to my neck of the woods by 6 or 7 PM tonight.
Now, I can camp. I like to camp. I can live at the Bolt Hole in the middle of winter with no operational plumbing but lots of snow outside. I could even put up with no refrigerator in February. (Lots of snow outside, remember.) But being there for three days without power to run the water pump and limited sources of water for flushing the toilet, being there when the freezer is slowly thawing out on me, these are things I do not like.
So I packed up and drove home. I'll be staying here for a week or so before heading back up on September 27.
There was no power all last evening despite a little five minute tease at around 5 PM in which the lights powered up for a little--just long enough for the fluorescent bulb over the kitchen sink to come on--and then pfft! Nothing!
When there were still no lights this morning I called National Grid again (not enough power on the computer's battery to check the web site) said the magic words needed to speak to a real human and found out that they hoped to get power back to my neck of the woods by 6 or 7 PM tonight.
Now, I can camp. I like to camp. I can live at the Bolt Hole in the middle of winter with no operational plumbing but lots of snow outside. I could even put up with no refrigerator in February. (Lots of snow outside, remember.) But being there for three days without power to run the water pump and limited sources of water for flushing the toilet, being there when the freezer is slowly thawing out on me, these are things I do not like.
So I packed up and drove home. I'll be staying here for a week or so before heading back up on September 27.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Power outage at the Bolt Hole
Power is out at the Bolt Hole. Not surprising since the winds started howling around 11 PM last night and there were gusts that I would guess registered in the 40 mph range. They've abated a bit as dawn arrived.
The phone lines are obviously still working, however.
It used to be this sort of problem would be solved quite quickly when we had more working dairy farms in the region bu tin the last few years I know of at least two that have stopped operations. One switched over to growing crops--soy beans, corn, wheat and rye. It's an easier operation for an aging farmer and now his son who has an outside job. Another went purely residential. (No, it didn't get carved up as a development, but it was sold and no longer is a working farm. In fact, it is now on the market again.) With the loss of those two larger dairy herds, there's not the same pressure to get electricity back for milking and refrigeration.
Add the fact that this is likely a very wide spread problem (if you watched the game from Cleveland last night you would know that) and repairs might take some time.
Not a day to be walking in the woods where falling branches and widow makers abound.
I'll be back when they get power back.
The phone lines are obviously still working, however.
It used to be this sort of problem would be solved quite quickly when we had more working dairy farms in the region bu tin the last few years I know of at least two that have stopped operations. One switched over to growing crops--soy beans, corn, wheat and rye. It's an easier operation for an aging farmer and now his son who has an outside job. Another went purely residential. (No, it didn't get carved up as a development, but it was sold and no longer is a working farm. In fact, it is now on the market again.) With the loss of those two larger dairy herds, there's not the same pressure to get electricity back for milking and refrigeration.
Add the fact that this is likely a very wide spread problem (if you watched the game from Cleveland last night you would know that) and repairs might take some time.
Not a day to be walking in the woods where falling branches and widow makers abound.
I'll be back when they get power back.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Bolt Hole Weather, Sept. 14
Rain moved through the region of the Bolt Hole again last night and this morning. It looks like I'll be spending the day in and around the cabin, especially since the temperatures are supposed to go up to the low 80s. The temperature rise may be due to the movement of the remnants of Ike well to the west of us. The counter-clockwise circulation around the storm drags some of that warm air up from the south. The real winds from the storm will move through tonight and tomorrow.
Things will get back to relative normalcy come Tuesday and the high temps will be back in the 60s for the remainder of the week according to weather.com.
Oh, well, it's a good day to turn the TV on and watch some pro football. Let's go Jets!
Things will get back to relative normalcy come Tuesday and the high temps will be back in the 60s for the remainder of the week according to weather.com.
Oh, well, it's a good day to turn the TV on and watch some pro football. Let's go Jets!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A walk in the woods
Around 9:30 AM things started to look a little brighter outside so I decided to pack a lunch, load the rifle and take a hike. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be out or if any showers would return so in addition to a lunch and a water bottle I had my poncho in the backpack. With a map and compass in my bag and my GPS clipped to my belt, I was ready to go.
I walked down the west edge of the property line and crossed over into state land. As expected after a couple of days of heavy rain, the creeks were running pretty high and the marshy areas sucked at my boots. The trees dripped and so did I in the high humidity despite walking very, very slowly. At least the wet made walking pretty quiet.
Chickadees and red squirrels chattered at my passing. Off in the distance I could hear the raucous call of a pilleated woodpecker and the occasional call of a raven or blue jay. Once or twice a wood thrush lifted off the forest floor and perched on a branch to get a better look at me but they were silent as they usually are at this time of year.
Visibility in the forest was next to nil. With all the beeches and maples still holding their leaves, it was only in the deepest part of the woods where the young saplings struggled for a growing spot and the forest understory thinned that I could see more than a few hundred feet in any direction.
I walked slowly in the hopes of seeing either deer or bear but also because of all the trees that have been blown down from the storms of late August 2007 and this past summer. Cherries, beeches and red maples ranging in size from eight to twenty inches in diameter at chest height had been pushed over. Many still had soil around their root ball and still had green leaves. Around several of the maples I could see where deer had come in to nibble the leaves. Tracks and droppings were abundant but I saw no deer. Nor did I see any rubs or scrapes where bucks were marking their territory. Perhaps it's still too early for them to be doing that. They have just shed the velvet from their antlers and started to don their winter coats of gray/brown and the does aren't even close to going into heat.
I walked for two hours and by then I was dripping with perspiration. Instead of continuing, I decided to head back to the cabin to eat my lunch and shuck my own warm clothes. In two hours I had covered just over one mile. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll simply pick a spot and sit for a couple of hours. Meanwhile the loaded rifle is sitting next to the door...just in case.
I walked down the west edge of the property line and crossed over into state land. As expected after a couple of days of heavy rain, the creeks were running pretty high and the marshy areas sucked at my boots. The trees dripped and so did I in the high humidity despite walking very, very slowly. At least the wet made walking pretty quiet.
Chickadees and red squirrels chattered at my passing. Off in the distance I could hear the raucous call of a pilleated woodpecker and the occasional call of a raven or blue jay. Once or twice a wood thrush lifted off the forest floor and perched on a branch to get a better look at me but they were silent as they usually are at this time of year.
Visibility in the forest was next to nil. With all the beeches and maples still holding their leaves, it was only in the deepest part of the woods where the young saplings struggled for a growing spot and the forest understory thinned that I could see more than a few hundred feet in any direction.
I walked slowly in the hopes of seeing either deer or bear but also because of all the trees that have been blown down from the storms of late August 2007 and this past summer. Cherries, beeches and red maples ranging in size from eight to twenty inches in diameter at chest height had been pushed over. Many still had soil around their root ball and still had green leaves. Around several of the maples I could see where deer had come in to nibble the leaves. Tracks and droppings were abundant but I saw no deer. Nor did I see any rubs or scrapes where bucks were marking their territory. Perhaps it's still too early for them to be doing that. They have just shed the velvet from their antlers and started to don their winter coats of gray/brown and the does aren't even close to going into heat.
I walked for two hours and by then I was dripping with perspiration. Instead of continuing, I decided to head back to the cabin to eat my lunch and shuck my own warm clothes. In two hours I had covered just over one mile. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll simply pick a spot and sit for a couple of hours. Meanwhile the loaded rifle is sitting next to the door...just in case.
T-t-t-that's all folks!
If you grew up in the late 50s/early 60s watching the Bugs Bunny Road Runner hour every Saturday morning as I did, you’ll get a kick out ofTEXT IOWAHAWK’s take on the Press vs. Palin. Let’s just say that it’s not much of a contest.
(h/t Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit.)
(h/t Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit.)
Saturday morning and it's wet
It rained much of the night and this morning every leaf, every blade of grass, every twig is glistening with drops of water. This literally dampens my desire to go out and scout the woods for deer sign and bears.
If I were up in Quebec to go fishing I would have no problem going out. I'd just don my rain gear and go. There would, after all, be no dripping from over hanging branches or water from brushing against a shrub. Here, however, with the leaves still on the trees, I'd be soaked after half an hour. Maybe later today things will improve. Right now though it's somewhat foggy and very, very overcast. The weatherman on the TV said not to worry if it looks threatening as the showers would be few and far between.
Terry just called from the Aerie to say I]m in the wrong place. Seems she had a visitor last night. Mr. Bruin showed up to raid the bird feeders at around 9 PM and, while he didn't do any serious damage, he managed to empty two feeders, knock over the tray, knock down the bird bath/water bulb and make off with the suet feeder. I got a little lax about bringing in the feeders because he hadn't been around while I was there. But the blackberries are gone now so I guess he's looking for a new source of food.
If I were up in Quebec to go fishing I would have no problem going out. I'd just don my rain gear and go. There would, after all, be no dripping from over hanging branches or water from brushing against a shrub. Here, however, with the leaves still on the trees, I'd be soaked after half an hour. Maybe later today things will improve. Right now though it's somewhat foggy and very, very overcast. The weatherman on the TV said not to worry if it looks threatening as the showers would be few and far between.
Terry just called from the Aerie to say I]m in the wrong place. Seems she had a visitor last night. Mr. Bruin showed up to raid the bird feeders at around 9 PM and, while he didn't do any serious damage, he managed to empty two feeders, knock over the tray, knock down the bird bath/water bulb and make off with the suet feeder. I got a little lax about bringing in the feeders because he hadn't been around while I was there. But the blackberries are gone now so I guess he's looking for a new source of food.
Weigh in Time
One of the perks of moving into the Bolt Hole is that I automatically lose 7 pounds. Not literally of course, that would require surgery. No, the loss is due to the difference in scales. The one up here is a morale boosting digital picked up in CVS. The scale at the Aerie is a stern taskmaster purchased from Weight Watchers. It matches the doctor’s scale quite accurately and even displays the tenths. Bastard!
Now, like all scales, there is a zeroing mechanism on the Bolt Hole scale and I could adjust it to read the same number as the Aerie scale but that would eliminate the feel good mind games. Just standing on that scale in the morning and seeing the “0” in the middle of the three digits is worth several people asking if I’ve lost weight. And anyone who has tried to lose weight knows how uplifting those kinds of questions can be. I will, therefore, leave it just as it is and do the arithmetic to add the 7 when it comes time to report to Excel and the world what my weight is.
Knowing the there was a difference, I weighed myself at the Aerie Friday morning and again at the Bolt Hole once I arrived to determine the difference so I could continue to gather semi –accurate data. That’s how I know the difference is 7 pounds, plus or minus a pound. This morning’s corrected reading is 214 pounds. That’s a loss of 3 pounds from last Sunday and reflects the work I did in moving soil about the new raised bed at the Aerie as well as a somewhat stricter adherence to my lower caloric intake (diet, if you will).
Now, like all scales, there is a zeroing mechanism on the Bolt Hole scale and I could adjust it to read the same number as the Aerie scale but that would eliminate the feel good mind games. Just standing on that scale in the morning and seeing the “0” in the middle of the three digits is worth several people asking if I’ve lost weight. And anyone who has tried to lose weight knows how uplifting those kinds of questions can be. I will, therefore, leave it just as it is and do the arithmetic to add the 7 when it comes time to report to Excel and the world what my weight is.
Knowing the there was a difference, I weighed myself at the Aerie Friday morning and again at the Bolt Hole once I arrived to determine the difference so I could continue to gather semi –accurate data. That’s how I know the difference is 7 pounds, plus or minus a pound. This morning’s corrected reading is 214 pounds. That’s a loss of 3 pounds from last Sunday and reflects the work I did in moving soil about the new raised bed at the Aerie as well as a somewhat stricter adherence to my lower caloric intake (diet, if you will).
Friday, September 12, 2008
Lawn Signs
After lunch today I took the Tundra up to the Bolt Hole with the intention of doing some scouting around for deer and, if the opportunity arises, perhaps shooting myself a black bear. The game cameras Mark and I have had out have documented plenty of bear in the area including a couple of decent sized males to go along with two Mamas and their sets of cubs. The Mamas and cubs are, of course off limits, but should I stumble upon one of the larger males....
It rained the entire time I was driving up here, is still raining now and may even be raining when I get up in the morning. If that's the case, all bets are off.
On the drive up I noticed something interesting. My route takes me through the town of Ithaca, NY on Route 13. I may have mentioned the little bumper sticker that caught my attention a few months back that read "Ithaca: 10 square mile of beauty surrounded by reality." I assumed it was referring to the well know liberal/leftist bent of the college town's politics. (Ithaca is home to not only Ithaca College but Cornell University.) There's one home on the west side of town that sports a lawn sign calling for President Bush's impeachment. That sign has been up for over a year.
Well, as I drove along Route 13 today I noticed more lawn signs. Not surprising given the election is less than 50 days away. What did surprise me was that the vast majority of those signs were for the McCain ticket. These signs were from west of Ithaca through Cortland, where I picked up I-81. They weren't all on the lawns of homes either, some were in front of businesses. A rough estimate would put the mix at about 10-2 McCain vs. Obama. And this was in New York. Granted this is truly upstate New York, not the "upstate" that the NY Times talks about, but the real rural regions of upstate. This is indicative of little, I know, but with the Obama campaign starting to crumble and exhibit signs of panic....
When your No.1 is dissing the other sides' No.2 it is not a good sign. I wonder what the internal polling is saying? External polling seems to be showing huge gains for the McCain/Palin team.
It rained the entire time I was driving up here, is still raining now and may even be raining when I get up in the morning. If that's the case, all bets are off.
On the drive up I noticed something interesting. My route takes me through the town of Ithaca, NY on Route 13. I may have mentioned the little bumper sticker that caught my attention a few months back that read "Ithaca: 10 square mile of beauty surrounded by reality." I assumed it was referring to the well know liberal/leftist bent of the college town's politics. (Ithaca is home to not only Ithaca College but Cornell University.) There's one home on the west side of town that sports a lawn sign calling for President Bush's impeachment. That sign has been up for over a year.
Well, as I drove along Route 13 today I noticed more lawn signs. Not surprising given the election is less than 50 days away. What did surprise me was that the vast majority of those signs were for the McCain ticket. These signs were from west of Ithaca through Cortland, where I picked up I-81. They weren't all on the lawns of homes either, some were in front of businesses. A rough estimate would put the mix at about 10-2 McCain vs. Obama. And this was in New York. Granted this is truly upstate New York, not the "upstate" that the NY Times talks about, but the real rural regions of upstate. This is indicative of little, I know, but with the Obama campaign starting to crumble and exhibit signs of panic....
When your No.1 is dissing the other sides' No.2 it is not a good sign. I wonder what the internal polling is saying? External polling seems to be showing huge gains for the McCain/Palin team.
Oy! What a disaster! NCU 44---RU 12
For the second time this season RU was on a nationally televised game. They have succeeded in making stars out of their guests.
This time it was a North Carolina team that had never scored a point in the state of New Jersey, that had lost I don't know how many games outside the state of Carolina, and that was known for its futility in the ACC during the last few seasons.
But that was before. This is now. In their first game, the Tarheels' Brandon Tate had plays over 50 yards in four different ways, returns, runs, passes.... All he did last night was score on a 69 yard pass play and a relatively short end around.
Rutgers, playing without running back Kordell Young, once again showed some spark between the twenties but couldn't seal the deal in the first half. That Mike Teel's passing seems to be going hot and cold in alternate series hasn't helped either. he's had the time needed in the pocket but hasn't connected with the wide receivers often enough and they, in turn, haven't broken free at all. Britt and Underwood haven't been taking on the yards-after-catch that they were able to do last season. They are also not getting open as often. Teel threw three interceptions.Two of them went off the hands of the receivers including the one that was returned for a touchdown.
Rutgers had more first downs than UNC (23-18), more net yards (383-378), more plays (72-61), more passing yards (243-221) yet lost by an overwhelming score of 44-12. Go figure.
(RU vs. North Carolina)
Rutgers is 0-2 now. They play Navy a week from Saturday on the road. It will be broadcast by CBS. I hope it's a regional feed.
This time it was a North Carolina team that had never scored a point in the state of New Jersey, that had lost I don't know how many games outside the state of Carolina, and that was known for its futility in the ACC during the last few seasons.
But that was before. This is now. In their first game, the Tarheels' Brandon Tate had plays over 50 yards in four different ways, returns, runs, passes.... All he did last night was score on a 69 yard pass play and a relatively short end around.
Rutgers, playing without running back Kordell Young, once again showed some spark between the twenties but couldn't seal the deal in the first half. That Mike Teel's passing seems to be going hot and cold in alternate series hasn't helped either. he's had the time needed in the pocket but hasn't connected with the wide receivers often enough and they, in turn, haven't broken free at all. Britt and Underwood haven't been taking on the yards-after-catch that they were able to do last season. They are also not getting open as often. Teel threw three interceptions.Two of them went off the hands of the receivers including the one that was returned for a touchdown.
Rutgers had more first downs than UNC (23-18), more net yards (383-378), more plays (72-61), more passing yards (243-221) yet lost by an overwhelming score of 44-12. Go figure.
(RU vs. North Carolina)
Rutgers is 0-2 now. They play Navy a week from Saturday on the road. It will be broadcast by CBS. I hope it's a regional feed.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Ah, baseball!
The temperature is falling. The leaves are changing. Folks are playing football. But the most important time of the baseball season is fast approaching: Playoffs and World Series.
The Anaheim Angels became the first team to clinch a playoff spot yesterday as the lay claim to the American League West yesterday with a 4-2 victory of the NY Yankees combined with a Texas Rangers loss to the Mariners. And they still have 17 games to play.
Meanwhile Boston was closing in on the stumbling Tampa Bay in the AL East—until they lost their last two games—to the Devil Rays. The Rays have reopened a 2 ½ game edge again.
The White Sox hold a one game lead over the Twins in the AL Central race.
Over in the NL, the Mets have established a 3 ½ game lead over the Phillies in the East, the Cubs hold a 4 ½ game lead over Milwaukee in the Central, and the Dodgers are 3 ½ ahead of the Diamondbacks in the West.
In the Wild Card races, it looks like the Brewers hold a slight edge over the Phillies and Astros with the Cardinals an eyelash back in the NL. Boston leads Minnesota in the AL (although Toronto may still edge their way into the picture).
The Anaheim Angels became the first team to clinch a playoff spot yesterday as the lay claim to the American League West yesterday with a 4-2 victory of the NY Yankees combined with a Texas Rangers loss to the Mariners. And they still have 17 games to play.
Meanwhile Boston was closing in on the stumbling Tampa Bay in the AL East—until they lost their last two games—to the Devil Rays. The Rays have reopened a 2 ½ game edge again.
The White Sox hold a one game lead over the Twins in the AL Central race.
Over in the NL, the Mets have established a 3 ½ game lead over the Phillies in the East, the Cubs hold a 4 ½ game lead over Milwaukee in the Central, and the Dodgers are 3 ½ ahead of the Diamondbacks in the West.
In the Wild Card races, it looks like the Brewers hold a slight edge over the Phillies and Astros with the Cardinals an eyelash back in the NL. Boston leads Minnesota in the AL (although Toronto may still edge their way into the picture).
Seven Years Ago
Seven years ago today, my son was in his final weeks of Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island.
Seven years ago today, my daughter was at the University of Massachusetts studying to be a Music Educator.
Seven years ago today, I was in my classroom at a middle school in Morris County, New Jersey teaching sixth graders how to use the computer. I was within ear shot of Interstate 80 and US Highway 46.
Seven years ago today, Terry went to work at the US EPA offices in the federal building a few blocks north of the World Trade Center.
Early that morning she was called into another's office to look at the unbelievable accident that had just occurred. What she saw was one of the Twin Towers emitting smoke and flame. As they watched, a second plane crashed into the other tower. As she and her coworkers looked on in disbelief, an announcement came over the PA to evacuate the building and it was then they realized they might be within a target rich environment.
As I taught my sixth graders, with the windows open for some fresh air on that sunny September morning, I heard the sound of sirens out on the highway. This wasn't an unusual occurrence for there were always accidents to which emergency personnel needed to respond. But it soon became apparent to me that this was not a normal highway accident or fire. The sound of sirens continued for much to long and there were far too many for this to be normal. Near the end of the class, one of the office persons came to my room and told me that there had been an attack on the World Trade Center and that I should expect individual students to be called out of class and, indeed, school in the next hour or so as news spread. When class ended, I immediately went to the internet to get more information.
Terry and her coworkers didn't need the PA to tell them to leave. Some were heading fro the doors as the announcement was being made. When she go to the street, she realized there was no way she could make her normal way home via the Path system which ran under the Trade Center so she started northward on Broadway with thousands and thousands of others heading for Penn Station with the hope of getting a train back to New Jersey. Behind them smoke and flame billowed from the Twin Towers. She had gone perhaps ten blocks when everyone around her stopped and she looked back to see the first tower collapse.
I watched the news unfold on the internet as reports on the news sites were updated minute by minute. I learned of the collapse of the towers and the soot, ash and dust that swept the southern tip of Manhattan and wondered where Terry was, hoping she was safe. I learned of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon and another that went down in a field in Pennsylvania before it could reach its target in Washington, DC. I learned that all air traffic had been grounded. That the sirens I had heard of were of fire trucks and ambulances heading to New York from all across northern New Jersey and that there were more from throughout the state heading to Manhattan. I saw video clips of the crashes and of people falling/jumping from windows of the Towers. Like everyone that morning I was shocked and angered that someone would/could do this to my homeland.
Terry did make it to Grand Central Station and caught one of if not the last train to New Jersey. It happened to take her to her parents' home town. She managed to call her Dad and tell him she was okay and on her way to their home and she managed to call the school at which I worked to let me know she was fine and where she was heading.
For weeks after we all walked on eggshells waiting to see if there were further attacks on the horizon.
A day or so later we got a call from Rick down in Parris Island. he wanted to know if we were alright and if his Mom had been anywhere near Ground Zero. The Marines, in an unprecedented act, had actually pulled all the guys and gals who came from the NYC metro area out of their final week of training--The Crucible--to let them make this call. Graduation was scheduled for 21 September but it was still unclear as to whether civilians (including parents) would be allowed on base to witness this, the first post 9/11 class become Marines in a very different world. (They did permit immediate family on the base but every vehicle was given a thorough inspection at a checkpoint far removed from any where. With air traffic still an uncertainty, Terry and I drove down but my daughter was able to get a flight to Savannah and join us in seeing her brother become a Marine reservist.)
The roll of those missing in the tower collapse shrank steadily as folks got in touch with their relatives, friends and employers but the final tally was/is still much too high. There were several persons from the towns in which I lived and in which I taught who lost their lives that day. There were one or two former students of mine who never made it out of the Towers. I think of them from time to time. I think of all of those who lost their lives that day.
And it angers me.
It also angers me that some here in this country seem to have forgotten what happened that day and are willing to shrug it off. Or worse blame the US for the actions of the jihadists.
Never forget. Never forgive.
UPDATE:
I was directed to this excellent essay by Jim Lileks about 9/11 while perusing Glenn Reynolds’site. It’s a great read and provides amble food for thought. It was written, as far as I can tell on the second anniversary of 9/11/01 but the content is timeless.
GO. READ. NOW.
UPDATE:
Seven years ago today, my daughter was at the University of Massachusetts studying to be a Music Educator.
Seven years ago today, I was in my classroom at a middle school in Morris County, New Jersey teaching sixth graders how to use the computer. I was within ear shot of Interstate 80 and US Highway 46.
Seven years ago today, Terry went to work at the US EPA offices in the federal building a few blocks north of the World Trade Center.
Early that morning she was called into another's office to look at the unbelievable accident that had just occurred. What she saw was one of the Twin Towers emitting smoke and flame. As they watched, a second plane crashed into the other tower. As she and her coworkers looked on in disbelief, an announcement came over the PA to evacuate the building and it was then they realized they might be within a target rich environment.
As I taught my sixth graders, with the windows open for some fresh air on that sunny September morning, I heard the sound of sirens out on the highway. This wasn't an unusual occurrence for there were always accidents to which emergency personnel needed to respond. But it soon became apparent to me that this was not a normal highway accident or fire. The sound of sirens continued for much to long and there were far too many for this to be normal. Near the end of the class, one of the office persons came to my room and told me that there had been an attack on the World Trade Center and that I should expect individual students to be called out of class and, indeed, school in the next hour or so as news spread. When class ended, I immediately went to the internet to get more information.
Terry and her coworkers didn't need the PA to tell them to leave. Some were heading fro the doors as the announcement was being made. When she go to the street, she realized there was no way she could make her normal way home via the Path system which ran under the Trade Center so she started northward on Broadway with thousands and thousands of others heading for Penn Station with the hope of getting a train back to New Jersey. Behind them smoke and flame billowed from the Twin Towers. She had gone perhaps ten blocks when everyone around her stopped and she looked back to see the first tower collapse.
I watched the news unfold on the internet as reports on the news sites were updated minute by minute. I learned of the collapse of the towers and the soot, ash and dust that swept the southern tip of Manhattan and wondered where Terry was, hoping she was safe. I learned of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon and another that went down in a field in Pennsylvania before it could reach its target in Washington, DC. I learned that all air traffic had been grounded. That the sirens I had heard of were of fire trucks and ambulances heading to New York from all across northern New Jersey and that there were more from throughout the state heading to Manhattan. I saw video clips of the crashes and of people falling/jumping from windows of the Towers. Like everyone that morning I was shocked and angered that someone would/could do this to my homeland.
Terry did make it to Grand Central Station and caught one of if not the last train to New Jersey. It happened to take her to her parents' home town. She managed to call her Dad and tell him she was okay and on her way to their home and she managed to call the school at which I worked to let me know she was fine and where she was heading.
For weeks after we all walked on eggshells waiting to see if there were further attacks on the horizon.
A day or so later we got a call from Rick down in Parris Island. he wanted to know if we were alright and if his Mom had been anywhere near Ground Zero. The Marines, in an unprecedented act, had actually pulled all the guys and gals who came from the NYC metro area out of their final week of training--The Crucible--to let them make this call. Graduation was scheduled for 21 September but it was still unclear as to whether civilians (including parents) would be allowed on base to witness this, the first post 9/11 class become Marines in a very different world. (They did permit immediate family on the base but every vehicle was given a thorough inspection at a checkpoint far removed from any where. With air traffic still an uncertainty, Terry and I drove down but my daughter was able to get a flight to Savannah and join us in seeing her brother become a Marine reservist.)
The roll of those missing in the tower collapse shrank steadily as folks got in touch with their relatives, friends and employers but the final tally was/is still much too high. There were several persons from the towns in which I lived and in which I taught who lost their lives that day. There were one or two former students of mine who never made it out of the Towers. I think of them from time to time. I think of all of those who lost their lives that day.
And it angers me.
It also angers me that some here in this country seem to have forgotten what happened that day and are willing to shrug it off. Or worse blame the US for the actions of the jihadists.
Never forget. Never forgive.
UPDATE:
I was directed to this excellent essay by Jim Lileks about 9/11 while perusing Glenn Reynolds’site. It’s a great read and provides amble food for thought. It was written, as far as I can tell on the second anniversary of 9/11/01 but the content is timeless.
GO. READ. NOW.
UPDATE:
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Yep, seems about right
more music charts
Of course if they ever really discussed the issues and the costs of some of the proposals from the Democrats in a manner, the contest would be over.
Energy, defense, taxes, school choice, free speech, gun rights, hell, the entire Constitution, are all pluses for the Republicans.
When you look at the Democratic side you see they want to snatch defeat from victory in Iraq; "talk" to those who would gladly spit in their eye and behead them while dismantling the military that currently keeps the peace; redistribute wealth from those that earn it to those that don't; shred the Constitution to institute a "fairness doctrine" (that was not when last we saw it) and to take away the true rights as delineated in the document (see specifically the Second Amendment) while ensuring "rights" that are not there at all (see abortion, illegal aliens, etc.); institute a health care system that has failed in Great Britain, Canada, and everywhere else it has been tried; create a massive bureaucracy to run a mandatory volunteer program (now that's double speak!); and turn the UN loose to run the world (or at least the US).
Time for that coffee.
Chilly morning
It was 45 degrees outside when I came down at 7 AM. heavy, heavy fog down in the valleys again. That fog makes it appear as if I'm looking out upon a vast gray lake that has tiny islands (the hilltops) all over. That fog will burn off as the sun rises but the temperatures will only get into the 60s again today. Tonight will be a real test. With clear skies the temperature will be into the upper to mid 30s and a frost in some of those deep valleys is possible.
Dude, whatever happened to "global warming"?
I need another cup of HOT coffee.
Dude, whatever happened to "global warming"?
I need another cup of HOT coffee.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Autumn is arriving.
Last Saturday we when the remnants of Hannah moved up the east coast, we here in north-central PA were on the back side of the blow and heavy rains. What that means is we didn't get the heavy rains the folks east of us did (I recorded a mere 0.3 inches in the rain gauge) but the winds came pretty strongly out of the north. The 80 degree temperatures were blown well to our south and we were left with highs in the low 70s during the day and lows in the low 50s at night.
This morning was a bit warmer with a low of only 60 but that was because we got a little more rain around 3-4 AM. It never did get very warm today and only reached 67 degrees. When I had to go down the hill for the mail I heard on the radio there may be light frost in some areas tomorrow night. Checking weather.com, they say a low of 40-41 is possible Wednesday night.
Oh, it will get slightly warmer from Thursday on. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 60 range. Even so, I'm going to have to think about closing up some windows.
And Old Mr. Sol is still blemish free. It's going to be a cold, cold winter.
This morning was a bit warmer with a low of only 60 but that was because we got a little more rain around 3-4 AM. It never did get very warm today and only reached 67 degrees. When I had to go down the hill for the mail I heard on the radio there may be light frost in some areas tomorrow night. Checking weather.com, they say a low of 40-41 is possible Wednesday night.
Oh, it will get slightly warmer from Thursday on. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 60 range. Even so, I'm going to have to think about closing up some windows.
And Old Mr. Sol is still blemish free. It's going to be a cold, cold winter.
Idaho ends 11-game losing streak
Idaho University had an excellent week.
Their alumna (Gov. Sarah Palin) has brought new life to the campaign of Senator John McCain as his VP pick and their football team won a game.
The Vandals defeated Idaho State 42-27. Yeah, yeah, I know IS is only a Championship Series school and not in the league of the "Big Boys" but it was a win nonetheless and Idaho can use all it can get. This one happened to end an 11-game losing streak that had the hapless Vandals tied for the longest futility streak in the country.
They started the day out on the right foot too as Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle connected with Maurice Shaw for a 77-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game.
Way to go guys!
Can they make it two in a row by defeating Western Michigan?
Their alumna (Gov. Sarah Palin) has brought new life to the campaign of Senator John McCain as his VP pick and their football team won a game.
The Vandals defeated Idaho State 42-27. Yeah, yeah, I know IS is only a Championship Series school and not in the league of the "Big Boys" but it was a win nonetheless and Idaho can use all it can get. This one happened to end an 11-game losing streak that had the hapless Vandals tied for the longest futility streak in the country.
They started the day out on the right foot too as Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle connected with Maurice Shaw for a 77-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game.
Way to go guys!
Can they make it two in a row by defeating Western Michigan?
Rutgers vs North Carolina
North Carolina and Rutgers kickoff the college football slate on TV this week. The ESPN Thursday night game is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM from Rutgers Stadium on the Banks of the Old Raritan.
North Carolina's Tarheels come in with a 1-0 record having defeated McNeese State 35-27 back in Week 1. Reciever/returner Brandon Tate lead the Tarheels in that game with an 82-yard return for a TD and a 57-yard catch for a score.
Rutgers enters the contest 0-1 having dropped their opener to Fresno State 24-7. The Scarlet Knights played tough in the 0-0 first half, but could not push the ball across. In fact, seven times Knights' drives started on the Fresno State side of the 50-yard line and the RU squad failed to score on any of them. Life without Ray Rice or Brian Leonard is proving difficult.
RU will bring its A-game to this one. The offensive line will improve in it's run blocking and Kordell Young will have a much better day than his 94 yards on 26 carries. Look for the defense to play more consistently. They were on the field much too long in the second half against Fresno State. That shouldn't be a problem this week. RU wins 31-10.
North Carolina's Tarheels come in with a 1-0 record having defeated McNeese State 35-27 back in Week 1. Reciever/returner Brandon Tate lead the Tarheels in that game with an 82-yard return for a TD and a 57-yard catch for a score.
Rutgers enters the contest 0-1 having dropped their opener to Fresno State 24-7. The Scarlet Knights played tough in the 0-0 first half, but could not push the ball across. In fact, seven times Knights' drives started on the Fresno State side of the 50-yard line and the RU squad failed to score on any of them. Life without Ray Rice or Brian Leonard is proving difficult.
RU will bring its A-game to this one. The offensive line will improve in it's run blocking and Kordell Young will have a much better day than his 94 yards on 26 carries. Look for the defense to play more consistently. They were on the field much too long in the second half against Fresno State. That shouldn't be a problem this week. RU wins 31-10.
Pre Week 3 College Fottball Report
Week two is in the books and everyone has played at least one game. The polls took a bit of a shakeup with the upset of West Virginia by East Carolina but nearly everyone held their own. Most of the movement was at the bottom of the pack where new teams suddenly forced their way onto the writers’ and coaches’ radar.
Here, then, are the Top 25 (plus 2) after Week 2, their performance in Week 2 and their opponents in Week 3. (Poll numbers are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com. The numbers following the team’s name reflect their position prior to Week 2 games. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/4 Southern California (1/1/4) was idle in Week 2. This week they host #5 Ohio State in the first match up of Top 10 teams this season.
2/2/3 Georgia (2/2/2) laid it on Central Michigan 56-17. The Bulldogs play at South Carolina this week.
3/3/1 Oklahoma (4/4/3) doubled up Cincinnati 52-26. The Sooners take on Washington on the road.
4/4/5 Florida (5/5/6) dominated Miami (FLA) 26-3. They will be idle this week.
5/5/2 Ohio State (3/3/1) beat Ohio U. 26-14 yet were punished for not having Beany Wells? This week they will need him in Los Angeles against #1 USC.
6/6/6 Missouri (6/7/5) scored 52 points for the second week in a row in defeating Southeast Missouri State 52-3. This week they host Nevada. I wonder what the odds are for a third 52 point day?
7/7/7 LSU (7/6/8) had their game against Troy postponed due to hurricane weather. They’ll make it up on November 15. This week the Tigers will host North Texas. Which is good since Ike seems to be headed for Texas. I wonder if Ike read the schedule wrong. Then again there’s still time for him to correct his course.
8/8/9 Texas (10/9/9) won handily over UTEP 42-13. This week they’ll have to keep a weather eye out for Ike while hosting Arkansas.
9/9/8 Auburn (9/10/10) defeated Southern Miss 27-13. This week they play at Mississippi State.
10/10/11 Wisconsin (11/11/12) was all over Akron 51-14. This week they are on the road against #21 Fresno State.
11/16/16 Alabama (13/17/17) rolled over Tulane 20-6 in Week 2. The Tide will host Western Kentucky this week.
12/12/12 Texas Tech (12/13/13) was a 35-19 winner over Nevada. This week they host SMU. Weather could be a factor.
13/11/10 Kansas (14/12/11) shutout Louisiana Tech 29-10. They’ll have to crank that defense up on Friday night when they play at #19 South Florida.
14/20/18 East Carolina (NR/NR/25) Holy moly! Where’d the Pirates come from? Well in Week 1 they took down then #17 Virginia Tech 27-22 with special teams and in Week 2 they demolished then #8 West Virginia 24-3. I guess some folks noticed that. This week they travel to that well known Pirate hangout of New Orleans and take on Tulane.
15/13/14 Arizona State (15T/14/15) waltzed over Stanford 41-17. This week they host UNLV.
16/14/17 Oregon (18/16/18) played with Utah 66-28. This week the Ducks are at Purdue.
17/17/21 Penn State (19/19/19) mauled Oregon State 45-14. The Nittany lions are on the road against Syracuse this week where the only question is will they score as many points as Joe Pa's age.
18/15/13 Brigham Young (15T/15/14) eked out a victory over Washington 28-27. If you didn’t see it, Washington scored with seconds left but got penalized for “excessive celebration” and then missed the extra point. Stupid call by the refs. Anyway, this week BYU will host UCLA.
19/18/20 South Florida (17/18/20) had a close call of their own in defeating Central Florida 31-24 in OT. The Bulls better get their game on when they face #13 Kansas on the road Friday night.
20/19/15 Wake Forest (20/20/16) edged Mississippi 30-28. This week they play at Florida State.
21/21/19 Fresno State (NR/25/24) moved up in the ranks despite being idle in Week 2. This week they host #10 Wisconsin.
22/22/23 Utah (22/23/22) doubled up over UNLV 42-21. This week they play at Utah State.
23/25/NR California (NR/NR/NR) appears on the list for the first time after totally dismantling Washington State 66-3. The Bears travel across the country to play at Maryland.
24/NR/24 Illinois (24T/25/23) easily beat East Illinois 47-21. This week they host Louisiana-Lafayette.
25/24/22 West Virginia (8/8/7) looked totally inept in losing to East Carolina 24-3. They get o lick their wounds this week as they are idle.
NR/23/NR Clemson (NR/NR/NR) beat The Citadel 45-17 to get a little tiny blip on the radar. This week they host North Carolina State.
NR/NR/25 UCLA (NR/NR/NR) was idle this week but I guess their Week 1 defeat of then #18 Tennessee was finally noticed. This week they play at the current #18 BYU. Can lightening strike twice? I think so!
Here, then, are the Top 25 (plus 2) after Week 2, their performance in Week 2 and their opponents in Week 3. (Poll numbers are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com. The numbers following the team’s name reflect their position prior to Week 2 games. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/4 Southern California (1/1/4) was idle in Week 2. This week they host #5 Ohio State in the first match up of Top 10 teams this season.
2/2/3 Georgia (2/2/2) laid it on Central Michigan 56-17. The Bulldogs play at South Carolina this week.
3/3/1 Oklahoma (4/4/3) doubled up Cincinnati 52-26. The Sooners take on Washington on the road.
4/4/5 Florida (5/5/6) dominated Miami (FLA) 26-3. They will be idle this week.
5/5/2 Ohio State (3/3/1) beat Ohio U. 26-14 yet were punished for not having Beany Wells? This week they will need him in Los Angeles against #1 USC.
6/6/6 Missouri (6/7/5) scored 52 points for the second week in a row in defeating Southeast Missouri State 52-3. This week they host Nevada. I wonder what the odds are for a third 52 point day?
7/7/7 LSU (7/6/8) had their game against Troy postponed due to hurricane weather. They’ll make it up on November 15. This week the Tigers will host North Texas. Which is good since Ike seems to be headed for Texas. I wonder if Ike read the schedule wrong. Then again there’s still time for him to correct his course.
8/8/9 Texas (10/9/9) won handily over UTEP 42-13. This week they’ll have to keep a weather eye out for Ike while hosting Arkansas.
9/9/8 Auburn (9/10/10) defeated Southern Miss 27-13. This week they play at Mississippi State.
10/10/11 Wisconsin (11/11/12) was all over Akron 51-14. This week they are on the road against #21 Fresno State.
11/16/16 Alabama (13/17/17) rolled over Tulane 20-6 in Week 2. The Tide will host Western Kentucky this week.
12/12/12 Texas Tech (12/13/13) was a 35-19 winner over Nevada. This week they host SMU. Weather could be a factor.
13/11/10 Kansas (14/12/11) shutout Louisiana Tech 29-10. They’ll have to crank that defense up on Friday night when they play at #19 South Florida.
14/20/18 East Carolina (NR/NR/25) Holy moly! Where’d the Pirates come from? Well in Week 1 they took down then #17 Virginia Tech 27-22 with special teams and in Week 2 they demolished then #8 West Virginia 24-3. I guess some folks noticed that. This week they travel to that well known Pirate hangout of New Orleans and take on Tulane.
15/13/14 Arizona State (15T/14/15) waltzed over Stanford 41-17. This week they host UNLV.
16/14/17 Oregon (18/16/18) played with Utah 66-28. This week the Ducks are at Purdue.
17/17/21 Penn State (19/19/19) mauled Oregon State 45-14. The Nittany lions are on the road against Syracuse this week where the only question is will they score as many points as Joe Pa's age.
18/15/13 Brigham Young (15T/15/14) eked out a victory over Washington 28-27. If you didn’t see it, Washington scored with seconds left but got penalized for “excessive celebration” and then missed the extra point. Stupid call by the refs. Anyway, this week BYU will host UCLA.
19/18/20 South Florida (17/18/20) had a close call of their own in defeating Central Florida 31-24 in OT. The Bulls better get their game on when they face #13 Kansas on the road Friday night.
20/19/15 Wake Forest (20/20/16) edged Mississippi 30-28. This week they play at Florida State.
21/21/19 Fresno State (NR/25/24) moved up in the ranks despite being idle in Week 2. This week they host #10 Wisconsin.
22/22/23 Utah (22/23/22) doubled up over UNLV 42-21. This week they play at Utah State.
23/25/NR California (NR/NR/NR) appears on the list for the first time after totally dismantling Washington State 66-3. The Bears travel across the country to play at Maryland.
24/NR/24 Illinois (24T/25/23) easily beat East Illinois 47-21. This week they host Louisiana-Lafayette.
25/24/22 West Virginia (8/8/7) looked totally inept in losing to East Carolina 24-3. They get o lick their wounds this week as they are idle.
NR/23/NR Clemson (NR/NR/NR) beat The Citadel 45-17 to get a little tiny blip on the radar. This week they host North Carolina State.
NR/NR/25 UCLA (NR/NR/NR) was idle this week but I guess their Week 1 defeat of then #18 Tennessee was finally noticed. This week they play at the current #18 BYU. Can lightening strike twice? I think so!
Ouch! $5 mil in 5 hours
There was a report on Drudge that McCain raised $5 million dollars at a 5 hour fundraiser on Monday night. That’s a cool million per hour. Not bad.
Even better? It was in Chicago.
Like I said: Ouch!
(Oh, and just to clarify: “McCain is taking federal funds and can't raise outside money. Money raised here goes to RNC, to be spent in four battleground states. It will be spent on McCain's behalf, but not by McCain.”)
Even better? It was in Chicago.
Like I said: Ouch!
(Oh, and just to clarify: “McCain is taking federal funds and can't raise outside money. Money raised here goes to RNC, to be spent in four battleground states. It will be spent on McCain's behalf, but not by McCain.”)
Monday, September 08, 2008
Here we go again
Hurricane Ike is tearing up Cuba this morning and will be heading into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days. There it will regain some of the strength it loses while over the island nation. It's one hell of monstrous storm that has already claimed over 300 lives.
I've just one question for those Democratic advisers who joked about the hurricanes striking the US during the Republican convention. If God is directing the paths of hurricanes to display His displeasure, what does this say about His feelings for Cuba?
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Cooking with bacon grease.
I just got this via email. It purportedly shows the effects of eating too much bacon grease.
See too much bacon grease makes your feet grow small.
See too much bacon grease makes your feet grow small.
Words (and actions) mean something
The smell of fear is in the air.
In a barn at the state fair in Terre Haute, Indiana
“Tiptoeing around Palin”? They been watching the same Obama campaign that I’ve see this past week and a half?
And as Governor, shouldn’t she be fighting to get as much of her constituent’s money as possible returned to them from the federal government? She took them “when it is convenient” because it was her job to do so as the representative of her people. And when the money got there she correctly used it to the benefit of all the citizens and not—as so many of our Congressmen and Senators do—for friends and family only.
Being against earmarks means the federal government would spend less of taxpayers’ money and, therefore, tax people less. Obama doesn’t get this. McCain does. He’s never asked for any earmarks (And has probably gotten hell from his constituents about that!)
The fact that Obama feels the need to challenge/rebut Palin shows some desperation. She is the VP nominee, after all.
And the last sentence from Obama above: “I mean, words mean something. You can’t just make stuff up.”
At last, something I can agree with.
Yes, Barry words do mean something.
You can’t say one thing in a stop in Pennsylvania and something totally different in San Francisco.
You can’t propose new gun control regulations while a state senator, propose “reasonable” controls on the residence of Washington, D.C. and then say you don’t want to take away the people’s right to own firearms. Especially when you try to qualify that with something like, “Besides, I wouldn’t have the votes from Congress to do so.”
You can’t claim executive experience and then try to block access to papers of the only job (the Chicago Anneberg Challenge in which you actually had any executive decisions to make.
You can’t propose programs (Universal Health Care for example) that will cost billions of dollars and then provide no reasonable source of funding. (Sorry, closing a few loopholes in corporate tax laws won’t do the job.)
You can’t listen to a man preach at your hate-filled church for 20 years and claim him as one of your mentors before suddenly saying “Oops, I don’t really believe any of that stuff.”
You can’t get your start in politics with the help of unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers and work with him and for him for several years and then claim he’s 1- just a regular guy whom 2- you hardly know.
Words and actions mean something, alright.
More from the article:
You trying to prove you’re just one regular guy aren’t you, Barry. Interesting that these “town hall settings” don’t seem to include many questions from the gathered citizens. They seem to be far more lectures or sermons to me. I can’t blame you for trying the small-sized-crowds thing after the debacle of Germany. That didn’t help your image here at home at all, if you know what I’m saying. Besides, if you go for the small settings, then it’s harder for people to notice when the crowds are getting smaller. If you know what I mean.
By the way, careful where you step there, sunshine. Your words and the cow flop are equally scattered about that barn floor.
In a barn at the state fair in Terre Haute, Indiana
His shirtsleeves are rolled up higher, his tone is a bit more biting. Stirring up supporters at a fairground's show barn here with a sharp critique of John McCain, Barack Obama looks and sounds like a candidate who realizes time is running out.
And after days of tiptoeing around Palin, Obama even took his first direct swipe at the Alaska governor: “I know the governor of Alaska has been, you know, saying she is change,” Obama said at a town hall here. “But when you [have] been taking all these earmarks when it is convenient and then suddenly you are the champion anti-earmark person. That is not change, come on. I mean, words mean something. You can’t just make stuff up.”
“Tiptoeing around Palin”? They been watching the same Obama campaign that I’ve see this past week and a half?
And as Governor, shouldn’t she be fighting to get as much of her constituent’s money as possible returned to them from the federal government? She took them “when it is convenient” because it was her job to do so as the representative of her people. And when the money got there she correctly used it to the benefit of all the citizens and not—as so many of our Congressmen and Senators do—for friends and family only.
Being against earmarks means the federal government would spend less of taxpayers’ money and, therefore, tax people less. Obama doesn’t get this. McCain does. He’s never asked for any earmarks (And has probably gotten hell from his constituents about that!)
The fact that Obama feels the need to challenge/rebut Palin shows some desperation. She is the VP nominee, after all.
And the last sentence from Obama above: “I mean, words mean something. You can’t just make stuff up.”
At last, something I can agree with.
Yes, Barry words do mean something.
You can’t say one thing in a stop in Pennsylvania and something totally different in San Francisco.
You can’t propose new gun control regulations while a state senator, propose “reasonable” controls on the residence of Washington, D.C. and then say you don’t want to take away the people’s right to own firearms. Especially when you try to qualify that with something like, “Besides, I wouldn’t have the votes from Congress to do so.”
You can’t claim executive experience and then try to block access to papers of the only job (the Chicago Anneberg Challenge in which you actually had any executive decisions to make.
You can’t propose programs (Universal Health Care for example) that will cost billions of dollars and then provide no reasonable source of funding. (Sorry, closing a few loopholes in corporate tax laws won’t do the job.)
You can’t listen to a man preach at your hate-filled church for 20 years and claim him as one of your mentors before suddenly saying “Oops, I don’t really believe any of that stuff.”
You can’t get your start in politics with the help of unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers and work with him and for him for several years and then claim he’s 1- just a regular guy whom 2- you hardly know.
Words and actions mean something, alright.
More from the article:
Continuing to eschew the arena rallies that marked his primary campaign, Obama appears in small settings, usually at a workplace where he can tell a story about the economy, aides said. Wearing safety goggles, he tours a factory floor in what amounts to a photo opportunity before sitting down with employees in public town hall settings.
You trying to prove you’re just one regular guy aren’t you, Barry. Interesting that these “town hall settings” don’t seem to include many questions from the gathered citizens. They seem to be far more lectures or sermons to me. I can’t blame you for trying the small-sized-crowds thing after the debacle of Germany. That didn’t help your image here at home at all, if you know what I’m saying. Besides, if you go for the small settings, then it’s harder for people to notice when the crowds are getting smaller. If you know what I mean.
By the way, careful where you step there, sunshine. Your words and the cow flop are equally scattered about that barn floor.
Weight
Okay, Wyatt ( Support Your Local Gunfighter ) is back on the weight loss gig again after a vacation time splurge at the Jersey Shore in which he gained a whole four (!) pounds in two weeks. Hell, I could do that with one visit to The Olive Garden.
Wyatt inspired me to do something about my weight back in the spring when he was shedding pounds like Brittany Spears sheds underwear and now that he’s back to being serious about losing weight I’ve decided to join in the group of folks (friends I haven’t met yet) in an attempt to get very, very serious about dropping some (more) weight of my own.
Two summers ago (2006) when we were building the Aerie and I worked alongside of Don and Adam for nearly all of the process, I dropped down to around 210 pounds. That’s about what I weighed when Tery and I got married in 1972. She proved to be too good a cook, however, and I proved to have damn little will power. I ballooned up and reached as high as 250 along the way. Weight Watchers was helpful, but it’s tough to go to the meetings and be the only guy there. When you drop weight faster than the women (as guys are wont to do) they give you these dirty looks.
Anyway, I got down to 210 in August of 2006 and then the house was done and winter settled in. Hunting season ended and football season (the TV kind) captured my lard ass. By spring I was back up to 225 and heading higher. I made the mistake of staying mostly inactive for the summer of ’07 and when fall arrived I continued up to near 240.
This spring I started to shed some pounds as Terry and I participated in two or three bird walks a week and watched what we ate much more carefully as she pulled out the Weight Watchers cookbooks. I started keeping a record of weight loss in mid-June at which time I was at 232 pounds. It’s come off slowly since then with the exercise of birding, working in the yard and pushing away from the table. Realizing leftovers can be your friend is vital, as they say, “Cook once, eat twice (or three times)”.
I’ve gotten down to 217 as of this morning (Sunday) since I started keeping tabs. I’ve been lower at times during the week, but that was mostly water weight as I sweated it out under the hot summer sun. If I could kick my ice cream habit I could do much better.
This morning I signed up with a support team/pressure group of bloggers including RT (who, I am informed, is doing the record keeping this time round) and Wyatt. A little pressure goes a long way toward motivation as anyone who has ever had to work to a deadline will tell you.
We’ll see if this helps. My ultimate goal would be somewhere around 190. I haven’t been there since junior year in high school. That would be back in 1965-66. Yeah, I'm an old fart. Going to be older on the 17th.
Wyatt inspired me to do something about my weight back in the spring when he was shedding pounds like Brittany Spears sheds underwear and now that he’s back to being serious about losing weight I’ve decided to join in the group of folks (friends I haven’t met yet) in an attempt to get very, very serious about dropping some (more) weight of my own.
Two summers ago (2006) when we were building the Aerie and I worked alongside of Don and Adam for nearly all of the process, I dropped down to around 210 pounds. That’s about what I weighed when Tery and I got married in 1972. She proved to be too good a cook, however, and I proved to have damn little will power. I ballooned up and reached as high as 250 along the way. Weight Watchers was helpful, but it’s tough to go to the meetings and be the only guy there. When you drop weight faster than the women (as guys are wont to do) they give you these dirty looks.
Anyway, I got down to 210 in August of 2006 and then the house was done and winter settled in. Hunting season ended and football season (the TV kind) captured my lard ass. By spring I was back up to 225 and heading higher. I made the mistake of staying mostly inactive for the summer of ’07 and when fall arrived I continued up to near 240.
This spring I started to shed some pounds as Terry and I participated in two or three bird walks a week and watched what we ate much more carefully as she pulled out the Weight Watchers cookbooks. I started keeping a record of weight loss in mid-June at which time I was at 232 pounds. It’s come off slowly since then with the exercise of birding, working in the yard and pushing away from the table. Realizing leftovers can be your friend is vital, as they say, “Cook once, eat twice (or three times)”.
I’ve gotten down to 217 as of this morning (Sunday) since I started keeping tabs. I’ve been lower at times during the week, but that was mostly water weight as I sweated it out under the hot summer sun. If I could kick my ice cream habit I could do much better.
This morning I signed up with a support team/pressure group of bloggers including RT (who, I am informed, is doing the record keeping this time round) and Wyatt. A little pressure goes a long way toward motivation as anyone who has ever had to work to a deadline will tell you.
We’ll see if this helps. My ultimate goal would be somewhere around 190. I haven’t been there since junior year in high school. That would be back in 1965-66. Yeah, I'm an old fart. Going to be older on the 17th.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Dear Mr. Obama,
One powerful ad for John McCain by an Iraqi veteran. Be sure to watch all the way to the end for the full effect.
(Seen first via Don Surber.)
(Seen first via Don Surber.)
I miss her already
Joan of Argghh!! has pulled up stakes in an unannounced departure over at Primordial Slack.
I do hope all fares well with her and hope to see her tag in the comments sections of sites we both visit. Fare thee well Joan.
UPDATE: It appears, Joan's just been busy with other things. She's posting but infrequently. Thanks for the notice Guy.
I do hope all fares well with her and hope to see her tag in the comments sections of sites we both visit. Fare thee well Joan.
UPDATE: It appears, Joan's just been busy with other things. She's posting but infrequently. Thanks for the notice Guy.
Oops!
You know, if they don’t correct their behavior soon, the mainstream press will have a lower favorability than Congress.
Small-town residents boo media with McCain
MSM is going down, down, down in a burning ring of fire.
(Seen at Hot Air which is fast becoming a place for me to go for real news.)
Small-town residents boo media with McCain
MSM is going down, down, down in a burning ring of fire.
(Seen at Hot Air which is fast becoming a place for me to go for real news.)
Good question
Ace has a post up that reveals the panic in the Obama camp:
Obama: "We're Not Going to be Bullied"
And Ace asks: “How is this sissy going to stand up to someone a bit more menacing than Sarah Palin?”
Obama: "We're Not Going to be Bullied"
And Ace asks: “How is this sissy going to stand up to someone a bit more menacing than Sarah Palin?”
Whoopee Ti Yi Yo
When we moved from New Jersey to north–central Pennsylvania’s Tioga County I knew we were heading west. Is there any other way to move from New Jersey? But what I didn’t realize was just how far west we were headed.
There are all sorts of four legged critters being farmed out here. There a llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cows and steers. Lots f horses, cows and steers. Probably more than there are humans.
Just down the road a short ways there’s one fella who must have a hundred horses in his pasture. Palominos are abundant as are grays and roans and when they are all up near the road near the feed bins it’s a sight to behold. Some “farms” have only a handful of horses including the beautiful appaloosas and a few mules and even miniatures.
The same for dairy cows. They come in all varieties just down the road. I used to know them all from Guernsey to Swiss but that was back in Animal Science class that I took in 1970. Now I just marvel at the beauty of the small, light tan Swiss on two farms and the udder production of the Guernsey on most of the other farms.
Most of the steers are of the White-faced Hereford variety but there are a few Black Angus out there.
What brought this up is the farm down the bottom of the hill that has maybe two or three dozen White-faced Herefords on a dozen or so acres of pasture about the house. Call it a gentleman’s farm, if you will. Until the last few days you would hardly know they were there. Occasionally you could hear them bawling but not much else. Even when you drove by, they were usually just over the rise and out of sight. However, there must have been something that has gotten them riled up. For the last four or five days the lowing and bawling has been a constant reminder of their presence. They are just far enough way that you can’t hear them while inside but step outdoors and whoo-boy howdy! Their calls to one another or just in protest are very evident. Makes you want to mount up and ride herd singing all the while.
(Yeah, it's from Prairie Home Companion but what the heck. I like the lyrics used here.)
There are all sorts of four legged critters being farmed out here. There a llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cows and steers. Lots f horses, cows and steers. Probably more than there are humans.
Just down the road a short ways there’s one fella who must have a hundred horses in his pasture. Palominos are abundant as are grays and roans and when they are all up near the road near the feed bins it’s a sight to behold. Some “farms” have only a handful of horses including the beautiful appaloosas and a few mules and even miniatures.
The same for dairy cows. They come in all varieties just down the road. I used to know them all from Guernsey to Swiss but that was back in Animal Science class that I took in 1970. Now I just marvel at the beauty of the small, light tan Swiss on two farms and the udder production of the Guernsey on most of the other farms.
Most of the steers are of the White-faced Hereford variety but there are a few Black Angus out there.
What brought this up is the farm down the bottom of the hill that has maybe two or three dozen White-faced Herefords on a dozen or so acres of pasture about the house. Call it a gentleman’s farm, if you will. Until the last few days you would hardly know they were there. Occasionally you could hear them bawling but not much else. Even when you drove by, they were usually just over the rise and out of sight. However, there must have been something that has gotten them riled up. For the last four or five days the lowing and bawling has been a constant reminder of their presence. They are just far enough way that you can’t hear them while inside but step outdoors and whoo-boy howdy! Their calls to one another or just in protest are very evident. Makes you want to mount up and ride herd singing all the while.
(Yeah, it's from Prairie Home Companion but what the heck. I like the lyrics used here.)
Bill Whittle on the GOP and McCain
It's football season--and political season--and both attract a great deal of Monday morning quarterbacking. With both political conventions having concluded there's a great deal being talked about to compare the two.
I didn't watch any of the speeches on TV. I refused to be suckered into a setting where I would have to listen to a bunch of talking heads of the MSM dissect and interject their personal reactions and biases. I did watch and listen to and read the speeches via the internet, however.
I found the GOP convention to be much more inspiring as it was for something rather than against. I felt it displayed a far greater appreciation, love and belief of/in America and Americans than the Democratic call to nannyism.
In visiting several sites this morning I found a passing note at Instapunditthat Bill Whittle had written his thought on the GOP convention. (I got suckered into seeing what Mr. Whittle had to say and then went on to his web site for another hour's reading. The man is addictive. Thank goodness his essays take time to prepare or I'd never go anywhere else.)
Anyway.
Bill Whittle on John McCain’s Thursday night speech:
Go over to and read the entire essay for Mr. Whittle’s complete view of what has occurred in the last week not just within the Republican Party, not just within himself, but with millions of Americans across the country. The piece is called: Proud of the GOP
If you haven’t read any of Mr. Whittle’s essays…what the hell’s wrong with you! He has a site called Eject! Eject! Eject! which he has been woefully lax in updating (he claims to be busy on some other projects one of which is velly, velly hush-hush). Luckily his Silent American essays (linked to on the side bar of his site) are ripe for the picking so check them out. Check them ALL out. They are excellent reading. And addictive. The Boyd essay further down the page is also quite fascinating. Be sure to read all of it for the explanation of the OODA loop. (Many are saying the McCain camp has gotten inside the OODA loop of the Obama camp. And judging upon the deer-in-the-head-lights looks and reactions of Obama and his surrogates they may well have succeeded in doing just that.)
(If you prefer hard copy to reading on the web, Bill Whittle has published the Silent American essays as
SILENT AMERICA: ESSAYS FROM A DEMOCRACY AT WAR
I didn't watch any of the speeches on TV. I refused to be suckered into a setting where I would have to listen to a bunch of talking heads of the MSM dissect and interject their personal reactions and biases. I did watch and listen to and read the speeches via the internet, however.
I found the GOP convention to be much more inspiring as it was for something rather than against. I felt it displayed a far greater appreciation, love and belief of/in America and Americans than the Democratic call to nannyism.
In visiting several sites this morning I found a passing note at Instapunditthat Bill Whittle had written his thought on the GOP convention. (I got suckered into seeing what Mr. Whittle had to say and then went on to his web site for another hour's reading. The man is addictive. Thank goodness his essays take time to prepare or I'd never go anywhere else.)
Anyway.
Bill Whittle on John McCain’s Thursday night speech:
. . . what of John McCain? I’ve read many comments about his speech being a disappointment. I don’t know how it looked or played from the floor. But I know how it played from my Los Angeles living room. I believe — and we’ll know soon enough if I’m right — that John McCain did something Thursday night more powerful and astonishing than Sarah Palin did the previous evening. Sarah stole Obama’s glamour. McCain stole his message. (Granted, that may not be a lot, apart from the glamour, but it was all Obama had left.)
…
John McCain got me to believe tonight what I never really believed about him before: he is serious about changing Washington. He is serious about getting the GOP back to basics. John McCain wants to repair the brand. Claiming to want to do something is talk. What I think will cause many to believe him is something more than talk: McCain decided to man up. It’s our fault. We lost the confidence of the American people. We said we’d be true to our principles, and we weren’t. The Democrats didn’t make us do it. We did it to ourselves.
…
When John McCain told me what I and untold millions of Americans have always believed, what others tell me to be ashamed of and mock me for — that I live in the greatest country in the world, a force of goodness and justice in dark places, a land of heroism and sacrifice and opportunity and joy — to me that went right to the mystic chords of memory that ultimately binds this country together. Some people don’t know what it is, but there is such a thing as patriotism — pure, unrefined, unapologetic, unconditional, non-nuanced, non-cosmopolitan, white-hot-burning patriotism. John McCain loves this country. I love it too. Not what it might be made into someday — not its promise, always and only its promise — but what it was and what it is, a nation and an idea worth fighting and dying for.
…
I was lukewarm on McCain Thursday night, but after that close I will follow that man to the ends of the earth with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.
Go over to and read the entire essay for Mr. Whittle’s complete view of what has occurred in the last week not just within the Republican Party, not just within himself, but with millions of Americans across the country. The piece is called: Proud of the GOP
If you haven’t read any of Mr. Whittle’s essays…what the hell’s wrong with you! He has a site called Eject! Eject! Eject! which he has been woefully lax in updating (he claims to be busy on some other projects one of which is velly, velly hush-hush). Luckily his Silent American essays (linked to on the side bar of his site) are ripe for the picking so check them out. Check them ALL out. They are excellent reading. And addictive. The Boyd essay further down the page is also quite fascinating. Be sure to read all of it for the explanation of the OODA loop. (Many are saying the McCain camp has gotten inside the OODA loop of the Obama camp. And judging upon the deer-in-the-head-lights looks and reactions of Obama and his surrogates they may well have succeeded in doing just that.)
(If you prefer hard copy to reading on the web, Bill Whittle has published the Silent American essays as
SILENT AMERICA: ESSAYS FROM A DEMOCRACY AT WAR
Friday, September 05, 2008
Aerie Planting Bed Day 4
I spent much of the day hacking at the earth and sifting stones out of clay and shale that were as hard as concrete. There's not much to put into a photo when you're just moving dirt from point A to point B ad the distance from A to B is about 10 feet. Still, it was a pretty good workout. The weather was ever so slightly cooler (low 80s instead of high 80s) and there was a nice breeze blowing much of the day. I worked from around 8:30 until 2 PM with a short break to grab a bite to eat and feed the cats their lunch. Then ran down the hill for the mail and some groceries. Back at it at 5 PM when things cooled down a little and the shade began to encroach upon the work area.
The toughest part of the day was a full hour spent trying to grub out the root system of two ancient multiflora roses. I had lopped off the growing portions above ground when I laid out the bed and only ran into these stumps when I started moving the dirt from the center of the bed. They were about three inches in diameter at the ground and each had three or four roots that were about the same size. To make matters more difficult, one was growing through that buried wire fence I mentioned.
Other than those two snags, the work was much easier than the last few days. It will probably take me another day or day and a half to finish with the earth that is there. After that it will be a matter of finding enough additional soil to fill the planing bed. I've already scouted around the property and think I can grab some from the bank behind the house and from along side the trail heading into the woods. I'll also go get a couple of large bags (bales?) of peat moss at Agway to add some organic material to the top six inches. That and a good heavy mulching with straw and leaves (once they fall from the trees) will do the trick.
We're due to get some rain late tonight and through Saturday so I may have to switch to project B tomorrow. That means finishing the insulation of the attic floor. There are about 10 joists gaps that have no insulation in them. Most are directly above the laundry room and foyer so it's not a big problem. But to get to them I'll have to spend an hour moving some of the boxes of Rick's belongings and Christmas ornaments. At least tomorrows outside temperature is supposed to be in the low 70s so it won't be too warm in the attic. Keeping the cats out could be a challenge, however.
The toughest part of the day was a full hour spent trying to grub out the root system of two ancient multiflora roses. I had lopped off the growing portions above ground when I laid out the bed and only ran into these stumps when I started moving the dirt from the center of the bed. They were about three inches in diameter at the ground and each had three or four roots that were about the same size. To make matters more difficult, one was growing through that buried wire fence I mentioned.
Other than those two snags, the work was much easier than the last few days. It will probably take me another day or day and a half to finish with the earth that is there. After that it will be a matter of finding enough additional soil to fill the planing bed. I've already scouted around the property and think I can grab some from the bank behind the house and from along side the trail heading into the woods. I'll also go get a couple of large bags (bales?) of peat moss at Agway to add some organic material to the top six inches. That and a good heavy mulching with straw and leaves (once they fall from the trees) will do the trick.
We're due to get some rain late tonight and through Saturday so I may have to switch to project B tomorrow. That means finishing the insulation of the attic floor. There are about 10 joists gaps that have no insulation in them. Most are directly above the laundry room and foyer so it's not a big problem. But to get to them I'll have to spend an hour moving some of the boxes of Rick's belongings and Christmas ornaments. At least tomorrows outside temperature is supposed to be in the low 70s so it won't be too warm in the attic. Keeping the cats out could be a challenge, however.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Aerie Planting Bed Day 3
With the first four courses in place this morning went very swiftly. I only had to lengthen the trenches on each side wall to accommodate the eight-foot long timbers that would top off the walls. After using all of the 20 timbers I had purchased, I wasn’t happy with the fact that the side walls were so far below the grade of the lawn so I went and picked up 10 more timbers. Now the western wall is pretty much level with the lawn but the eastern one is still about three inches below grade.
The end of the Eastern Wall:
The end of the Western Wall:
If you look closely at the last picture, you can see that I used shorter pieces on the bottom to cheat a little. They are four and six foot long instead of the full eight foot of the last three rows. It saved some back breaking labor but not much. I’ll still have to dig much of the soil out to sieve it for stones and roots before putting it back into the hole. I’ll be going down about 20-24 inches to provide some loose soil for the roots of the plants we will put in. Over a 16’x8’ area that’s a lot of dirt and rock to be moving.
I ended up with eight rows of timbers in total which was two rows more than I thought I would need. I didn’t measure for square because of the opensided nature of the bed, but the rear corners look to be right angles.
The front will get a row of stones (larger flat ones) to make a definitive boundary between the lawn and garden area. Considering the number of stones I’ve gotten out of the trenches, I should have plenty of those when I get done. Of course, for every stone that comes out of the ground, there is that much less garden soil. I’ll have to find some from somewhere to fill that beast of a hole. Worse comes to worse, I’ve got three piles of topsoil up at the Bolt Hole from when I built the barn.
The 5 pound sledge made driving the 6" spikes pretty easy.
Well, that’s pretty much it for Day 3. I’ll go out later and start shoveling some of that dirt through a ½” mesh screen. Small stones and pebbles will go into the sidewall trenches on the outside side of the timbers as back fill. Some will go into the bottom of the bed to provide fill and drainage much as one would put gravel in the bottom of a flower pot. The larger flat stones will find their way into a wall somewhere. The rest….who knows.
Right now it's up to 84 degrees again and the slight breeze that was blowing at noon has vanished. The thin cloud cover has more holes than Swiss cheese allowing plenty of sunlight to fall on the work area. I'm going to take it easy this afternoon. I think I've earned it.
The soil will be there tomorrow and there's supposed to be a bit more breeze (Gustov? Hannah?) even if the forecast is for 85 degrees. Then things get cooler with some rain after midnight Friday into Saturday. I can get a lot more done tomorrow if I'm rested.
(I kept kicking myself for not doing the last three days' work over the weekend wen the high was only around 70 degrees. As it is, I lost another 5 pounds of water weight yesterday despite the Gatorade and water I was drinking. Yeah, some of it came back after dinner but I was still 3 pounds lighter from yesterday morning to this morning.
Let's see...a gallon of water is approximately 7 pounds. I lost 5 pounds, much of it water. That means I was down about 3 quarts. If I was an internal combustion engine and down three quarts of oil I'd be in big trouble. Come to think of it, I am an internal combustion engine. No wonder I felt like hell at the end of the day yesterday!)
The end of the Eastern Wall:
The end of the Western Wall:
If you look closely at the last picture, you can see that I used shorter pieces on the bottom to cheat a little. They are four and six foot long instead of the full eight foot of the last three rows. It saved some back breaking labor but not much. I’ll still have to dig much of the soil out to sieve it for stones and roots before putting it back into the hole. I’ll be going down about 20-24 inches to provide some loose soil for the roots of the plants we will put in. Over a 16’x8’ area that’s a lot of dirt and rock to be moving.
I ended up with eight rows of timbers in total which was two rows more than I thought I would need. I didn’t measure for square because of the opensided nature of the bed, but the rear corners look to be right angles.
The front will get a row of stones (larger flat ones) to make a definitive boundary between the lawn and garden area. Considering the number of stones I’ve gotten out of the trenches, I should have plenty of those when I get done. Of course, for every stone that comes out of the ground, there is that much less garden soil. I’ll have to find some from somewhere to fill that beast of a hole. Worse comes to worse, I’ve got three piles of topsoil up at the Bolt Hole from when I built the barn.
The 5 pound sledge made driving the 6" spikes pretty easy.
Well, that’s pretty much it for Day 3. I’ll go out later and start shoveling some of that dirt through a ½” mesh screen. Small stones and pebbles will go into the sidewall trenches on the outside side of the timbers as back fill. Some will go into the bottom of the bed to provide fill and drainage much as one would put gravel in the bottom of a flower pot. The larger flat stones will find their way into a wall somewhere. The rest….who knows.
Right now it's up to 84 degrees again and the slight breeze that was blowing at noon has vanished. The thin cloud cover has more holes than Swiss cheese allowing plenty of sunlight to fall on the work area. I'm going to take it easy this afternoon. I think I've earned it.
The soil will be there tomorrow and there's supposed to be a bit more breeze (Gustov? Hannah?) even if the forecast is for 85 degrees. Then things get cooler with some rain after midnight Friday into Saturday. I can get a lot more done tomorrow if I'm rested.
(I kept kicking myself for not doing the last three days' work over the weekend wen the high was only around 70 degrees. As it is, I lost another 5 pounds of water weight yesterday despite the Gatorade and water I was drinking. Yeah, some of it came back after dinner but I was still 3 pounds lighter from yesterday morning to this morning.
Let's see...a gallon of water is approximately 7 pounds. I lost 5 pounds, much of it water. That means I was down about 3 quarts. If I was an internal combustion engine and down three quarts of oil I'd be in big trouble. Come to think of it, I am an internal combustion engine. No wonder I felt like hell at the end of the day yesterday!)
Aerie Planting Bed Days 1 and 2
I’m into Day 3 of the Planting Bed project here at the Aerie.
Day 1 was spent prepping the area for the first course of landscape timbers. Trying to get a nice level surface when there are stones of every size (I would say shape too but they are all flat) was not easy. When I got as close to level as humanly possible, I resorted to the use of pea gravel placed in a trench. That allowed me to get the bubble in the center of the two lines instead of having its nose on one.
By the end of Day 1 I pretty much had the trenches cut for the side walls and a flat surface on which to place the timbers on the back wall. I cheated a little on the side walls by using four-foot long pieces for the bottom courses. That way, I didn’t have to cut into the embankment quite so far.
Here’s a view of the placement:
It's just off the lawn and down the slope. I needed to position it in such a way that it didn't interfere with the over head power line or prevent access to the power pole upon which a transformer sits. As it is now, the power company should have no difficulty pulling a truck with a cherry picker over the lawn and to the power pole.
The sun shines on this area from around 9:30 AM until roughly 4-5 PM. That should be sufficient for beans, tomatoes and other vegetables we plan to put in next year.
Day 2 went a little more smoothly. Having already managed a flat and level surface for the back wall to rest upon, I was able to start actually building the walls.
The bottom of the back wall was merely two eight-foot timbers. The first two rows of both sides were four-foot pieces cut on the chop saw. The second row of the long wall was built of an eight-footer in the middle so it bridged the joint below and two four-footers on the end. Two spikes went into each side of the eight-footer and three into each four-footer. The following rear courses were built using two eight-footers.
By staggering the corners, I created an overlap into which I could drive a 6” spike to tie the side walls into the rear wall.
On the top row of this photo, there is a spike in the corner, another about 9" to the left and a third in the side wall timber about 6" from the end. Other spikes were driven into each timber depending upon its length but no fewer than three spikes were used on each.
Day 1 was spent prepping the area for the first course of landscape timbers. Trying to get a nice level surface when there are stones of every size (I would say shape too but they are all flat) was not easy. When I got as close to level as humanly possible, I resorted to the use of pea gravel placed in a trench. That allowed me to get the bubble in the center of the two lines instead of having its nose on one.
By the end of Day 1 I pretty much had the trenches cut for the side walls and a flat surface on which to place the timbers on the back wall. I cheated a little on the side walls by using four-foot long pieces for the bottom courses. That way, I didn’t have to cut into the embankment quite so far.
Here’s a view of the placement:
It's just off the lawn and down the slope. I needed to position it in such a way that it didn't interfere with the over head power line or prevent access to the power pole upon which a transformer sits. As it is now, the power company should have no difficulty pulling a truck with a cherry picker over the lawn and to the power pole.
The sun shines on this area from around 9:30 AM until roughly 4-5 PM. That should be sufficient for beans, tomatoes and other vegetables we plan to put in next year.
Day 2 went a little more smoothly. Having already managed a flat and level surface for the back wall to rest upon, I was able to start actually building the walls.
The bottom of the back wall was merely two eight-foot timbers. The first two rows of both sides were four-foot pieces cut on the chop saw. The second row of the long wall was built of an eight-footer in the middle so it bridged the joint below and two four-footers on the end. Two spikes went into each side of the eight-footer and three into each four-footer. The following rear courses were built using two eight-footers.
By staggering the corners, I created an overlap into which I could drive a 6” spike to tie the side walls into the rear wall.
On the top row of this photo, there is a spike in the corner, another about 9" to the left and a third in the side wall timber about 6" from the end. Other spikes were driven into each timber depending upon its length but no fewer than three spikes were used on each.
70-0
In looking over the scores for last week's games, the Penn State drubbing of Coastal Carolina (66-10) stands out. But it was not the worst defeat of the weekend.
No, that distinction belongs to the Vandals of Idaho University. They not only got shutout but gave up 70 points while doing so. Yeah, Arizona scored a school record 49 points int he first half before cruising to a 70-0 victory over the hapless Vandal squad.
The game was delayed at the start for an hour when a heavy thunderstorm hit the area and it rained for much of the game. I bet the Vandals were real happy to have traveled down from Moscow for that.
My son is a graduate of Idaho.
As is Governor Palin.
Perhaps she can talk to the Governor of Idaho and arrange disaster relief or something. maybe the team could be exiled to Tattu Island at the far end of the Aleutians.
No, that distinction belongs to the Vandals of Idaho University. They not only got shutout but gave up 70 points while doing so. Yeah, Arizona scored a school record 49 points int he first half before cruising to a 70-0 victory over the hapless Vandal squad.
The game was delayed at the start for an hour when a heavy thunderstorm hit the area and it rained for much of the game. I bet the Vandals were real happy to have traveled down from Moscow for that.
My son is a graduate of Idaho.
As is Governor Palin.
Perhaps she can talk to the Governor of Idaho and arrange disaster relief or something. maybe the team could be exiled to Tattu Island at the far end of the Aleutians.
Let Week Two Begin!
Well there’s more college football coming up starting tomorrow night so let’s take a quick look at the new poll rankings. Once again the three polls involved here are the Writers’ Poll (AP), the Coaches’ Pol and CBSSports.com.
There were four upsets of Top 25 teams last week so there was a little shakeup in the rankings. The upsets included #24 (NR/25) Alabama over #9 (9/9) Clemson bay a score of 34-10, East Carolina over #17 (15/17) Virginia Tech 27-22, UCLA in overtime over #18 (18/18) Tennessee 27-24, and Bowling Green over #25 (NR/NR) Pittsburgh 27-17.
New ranks are:
#1(1/4) Southern California. Having beaten Virginia 52-7, the Trojans move up from the #3 (2/4)slot and have the week off to enjoy their lofty perch.
#2 (2/2) Georgia. Despite defeating Georgia Southern 45-21, the Bulldogs drop down from last week’s #1 (1/2) slot. This week they host Central Michigan.
#3 (3/1) Ohio State. The Buckeyes move down from #2 (3/1) after having beaten Youngstown State 43-0. One of the few shutouts recorded in week one. This week they host Ohio.
#4 (4/3) Oklahoma. The Sooners (#4 (4/3) last week beat Chattanooga 57-2. This week they host Cincinnati.
#5 (5/6) Florida. The Gators (#5 (5/6) in week one) beat up on Hawaii 56-10 last week. This week they host an opponent from closer to home—Miami (FLA).
#6 (7/5) Missouri. The Tigers (#6 (7/5) last week) beat then #20 Illinois in a high scoring 52-42 match. This week they host Southeast Missouri State.
#7 (6/8) LSU. The Tigers (#7 (6/8) last week) beat Appalachian State 41-13.This week they host Troy. POSTPONED until November 15.
#8 (8/7) West Virginia. The Mountaineers (starting in the identical position) beat Villanova 48-21 behind 5 TD passes by Mr. White. They are on the road this week at East Carolina.
#9 (10/10) Auburn. Moving up ever so slightly from #10 (11/11) after defeating Louisiana-Monroe 34-0. This week the Tigers host Southern Mississippi.
#10 (9/9) Texas. The Longhorns (#11 (10/10) last week) defeated Florida Atlantic 52-10.This week they travel to UTEP.
#11 (11/12) Wisconsin. The Badgers (#13 (12/14)) in week one) defeated Akron 38-17. This week they’ll face Marshall at home.
#12 (13/13) Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (#12 (14/13)) beat Eastern Washington 49-24 in week one and will now be traveling to Nevada.
#13 (17/17) Alabama. The Tide (#24 (NR/25)) upset Clemson last week by a score of 34-10. This week they host Tulane.
#14 (12/11) Kansas. The Jayhawks (#14 (13/12)) humbled Florida Atlantic last week 40-10. This week they’ll play Louisiana Tech at home.
#15 (tie) (14/15) Arizona State. The Sun Devils (#15 (16/16)) beat up on Northern Arizona in week one. This week the host Stanford.
#15 (tie) (15/14) Brigham Young. BYU (#16 (17/15)) last week downed Northern Iowa 41-17. This week they will be at Washington.
#17 (18/20) South Florida. The Bulls (#19 (21/23)) opened the year with a 56-7 drubbing of Tennessee-Martin. This week they play at the University of Central Florida.
#18 (16/18) Oregon. The Ducks (#21 (20/22) beat up on Washington 44-10. This week they host Utah State.
#19 (19/19) Penn State. The Nittany Lions (#22 (22/21)) picked up a victory over Coastal Carolina 66-10 in what was clearly a mismatch. This week Oregon State comes to Happy Valley.
#20 (20/16) Wake Forest. Wake Forest (#23 (23/19) defeated Baylor 41-13 on the road. They’ll be home this weekend against Mississippi.
#21 (21/21) Fresno State. FSU (NR (25/24)) has the week off to enjoy their win over Rutgers 24-7.
#22 (23/22) Utah. Unranked last week, Utah moves into the Top 25 by virtue of their 25-23 upset of Michigan. This week they host UNLV.
#23 (NR/24) UCLA. The Bruins were also unranked last week but their 27-24 overtime defeat of then #18 Tennessee has them moving up. They have this week off.
#24(tie) (25/23) Illinois. The Illini move down from #20 (19/20) after losing on the road to #6 Missouri 52-42. This week they will home to Eastern Illinois.
#24 (tie) (24/NR) South Carolina. Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks shutout North Carolina State 34-0. They are on the road Thursday night against Vanderbilt.
NR (NR/25) East Carolina. The Pirates knocked off then #17 Virginia Tech in week one 27-22 to keep their way into the Top 25 of the CBSSports.com pol. Perhaps the writers and coaches don’t like their chances this week against #8 West Virginia…in Morgantown, WVa.
And there you have it. Week Two is underway tonight with #24 South Carolina playing at Vanderbilt.
There were four upsets of Top 25 teams last week so there was a little shakeup in the rankings. The upsets included #24 (NR/25) Alabama over #9 (9/9) Clemson bay a score of 34-10, East Carolina over #17 (15/17) Virginia Tech 27-22, UCLA in overtime over #18 (18/18) Tennessee 27-24, and Bowling Green over #25 (NR/NR) Pittsburgh 27-17.
New ranks are:
#1(1/4) Southern California. Having beaten Virginia 52-7, the Trojans move up from the #3 (2/4)slot and have the week off to enjoy their lofty perch.
#2 (2/2) Georgia. Despite defeating Georgia Southern 45-21, the Bulldogs drop down from last week’s #1 (1/2) slot. This week they host Central Michigan.
#3 (3/1) Ohio State. The Buckeyes move down from #2 (3/1) after having beaten Youngstown State 43-0. One of the few shutouts recorded in week one. This week they host Ohio.
#4 (4/3) Oklahoma. The Sooners (#4 (4/3) last week beat Chattanooga 57-2. This week they host Cincinnati.
#5 (5/6) Florida. The Gators (#5 (5/6) in week one) beat up on Hawaii 56-10 last week. This week they host an opponent from closer to home—Miami (FLA).
#6 (7/5) Missouri. The Tigers (#6 (7/5) last week) beat then #20 Illinois in a high scoring 52-42 match. This week they host Southeast Missouri State.
#7 (6/8) LSU. The Tigers (#7 (6/8) last week) beat Appalachian State 41-13.
#8 (8/7) West Virginia. The Mountaineers (starting in the identical position) beat Villanova 48-21 behind 5 TD passes by Mr. White. They are on the road this week at East Carolina.
#9 (10/10) Auburn. Moving up ever so slightly from #10 (11/11) after defeating Louisiana-Monroe 34-0. This week the Tigers host Southern Mississippi.
#10 (9/9) Texas. The Longhorns (#11 (10/10) last week) defeated Florida Atlantic 52-10.This week they travel to UTEP.
#11 (11/12) Wisconsin. The Badgers (#13 (12/14)) in week one) defeated Akron 38-17. This week they’ll face Marshall at home.
#12 (13/13) Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (#12 (14/13)) beat Eastern Washington 49-24 in week one and will now be traveling to Nevada.
#13 (17/17) Alabama. The Tide (#24 (NR/25)) upset Clemson last week by a score of 34-10. This week they host Tulane.
#14 (12/11) Kansas. The Jayhawks (#14 (13/12)) humbled Florida Atlantic last week 40-10. This week they’ll play Louisiana Tech at home.
#15 (tie) (14/15) Arizona State. The Sun Devils (#15 (16/16)) beat up on Northern Arizona in week one. This week the host Stanford.
#15 (tie) (15/14) Brigham Young. BYU (#16 (17/15)) last week downed Northern Iowa 41-17. This week they will be at Washington.
#17 (18/20) South Florida. The Bulls (#19 (21/23)) opened the year with a 56-7 drubbing of Tennessee-Martin. This week they play at the University of Central Florida.
#18 (16/18) Oregon. The Ducks (#21 (20/22) beat up on Washington 44-10. This week they host Utah State.
#19 (19/19) Penn State. The Nittany Lions (#22 (22/21)) picked up a victory over Coastal Carolina 66-10 in what was clearly a mismatch. This week Oregon State comes to Happy Valley.
#20 (20/16) Wake Forest. Wake Forest (#23 (23/19) defeated Baylor 41-13 on the road. They’ll be home this weekend against Mississippi.
#21 (21/21) Fresno State. FSU (NR (25/24)) has the week off to enjoy their win over Rutgers 24-7.
#22 (23/22) Utah. Unranked last week, Utah moves into the Top 25 by virtue of their 25-23 upset of Michigan. This week they host UNLV.
#23 (NR/24) UCLA. The Bruins were also unranked last week but their 27-24 overtime defeat of then #18 Tennessee has them moving up. They have this week off.
#24(tie) (25/23) Illinois. The Illini move down from #20 (19/20) after losing on the road to #6 Missouri 52-42. This week they will home to Eastern Illinois.
#24 (tie) (24/NR) South Carolina. Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks shutout North Carolina State 34-0. They are on the road Thursday night against Vanderbilt.
NR (NR/25) East Carolina. The Pirates knocked off then #17 Virginia Tech in week one 27-22 to keep their way into the Top 25 of the CBSSports.com pol. Perhaps the writers and coaches don’t like their chances this week against #8 West Virginia…in Morgantown, WVa.
And there you have it. Week Two is underway tonight with #24 South Carolina playing at Vanderbilt.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Aerie planter bed
Well, I won’t post the pictures just yet. I only have two of the start this morning. Although I worked for over six hours today, I’m not real happy with my progress. It took me all morning to get the first row down as I struggled with the hard ground to make things level. I finally managed to get the first four rows in place before I quit. I originally thought I would need only five rows to get the walls of what is more a retaining bed instead of a raised bed up to the level of the lawn, but, having to dig down to level the first row has cost me some height. I’ll probably need a sixth row to attain the height I want and possibly a seventh for appearance.
I’m glad I’m not trying to do this with stone. I’d need to mine half the hillside to get enough! Besides, the longest and highest wall is to the downhill side away from the yard and house. No one will really see it.
Why did things go considerably slower than anticipated today? There are three primary reasons:
1- I didn’t get much sleep last night. I turned off the light at midnight and woke up at 3 AM. Despite trying to fall back to sleep, I could not and, as a result, I was out of bed at 3:40 AM. The cats were a bit surprised but wanted their breakfast anyway.
2- It was hot again today with the temperature reaching 89 degrees shortly after 5 PM. I worked two three-hour shifts with a three hour siesta (without the sleep) in between. Nine to noon and three to 6:30 PM. Despite drinking three 20 oz. Gatorades, two 20 oz bottles of water and a can of Diet Dr. Pepper with my lunch, I lost 5 pounds of water weight as I went through two soaking wet shirts and a pair of jeans that probably weighed a ton.
3- The freakin’ ground is like concrete! I spend a lot of time with the heavy Johnson bar just trying to loosen it up. I know you can just lift and drop that bar chisel point down to make it do its job, but it weighs 16 pounds. Try lifting that over and over and over again all day long. And when you have loosened the soil, the poor man’s backhoe (shovel) comes into play. Then there’s the stones which are anywhere from nickel –sized to dinner platter sized. And any one of them will turn that 16 pound chisel you’re lifting and dropping and lifting and dropping….. Did I mention there was an old wire fence buried here?
The sides of the box had to be excavated to a depth of upwards of 20 inches. And that was for the four foot sections. If I had gone with eight footers right off the bat, I would have been down closer to thirty inches.
Anyway, there are four courses of timbers out there now. They are held together with six inch pole barn spikes (60p with ring shanks). Each was driven with a five pound hand sledge. Lift up let it fall. Do not try to “drive” the spike. Just guide the hammer head to the top of the spike. Over and over and over again.
Did I mention the sun was shining brightly? The back of my neck is probably as red as a vine ripened tomato. It feels like it anyway.
My legs and arms are cramping up on me like they haven’t done since high school when we had two-a-day practices in late August. I used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night when my calves would tighten up. Of course, back then there was no Gatorade and I was too young to drink beer. Both will replace electrolytes but only the latter will (maybe) help me sleep.
Tomorrow promises to be another scorcher in the upper 80s.
Oh joy.
I’m glad I’m not trying to do this with stone. I’d need to mine half the hillside to get enough! Besides, the longest and highest wall is to the downhill side away from the yard and house. No one will really see it.
Why did things go considerably slower than anticipated today? There are three primary reasons:
1- I didn’t get much sleep last night. I turned off the light at midnight and woke up at 3 AM. Despite trying to fall back to sleep, I could not and, as a result, I was out of bed at 3:40 AM. The cats were a bit surprised but wanted their breakfast anyway.
2- It was hot again today with the temperature reaching 89 degrees shortly after 5 PM. I worked two three-hour shifts with a three hour siesta (without the sleep) in between. Nine to noon and three to 6:30 PM. Despite drinking three 20 oz. Gatorades, two 20 oz bottles of water and a can of Diet Dr. Pepper with my lunch, I lost 5 pounds of water weight as I went through two soaking wet shirts and a pair of jeans that probably weighed a ton.
3- The freakin’ ground is like concrete! I spend a lot of time with the heavy Johnson bar just trying to loosen it up. I know you can just lift and drop that bar chisel point down to make it do its job, but it weighs 16 pounds. Try lifting that over and over and over again all day long. And when you have loosened the soil, the poor man’s backhoe (shovel) comes into play. Then there’s the stones which are anywhere from nickel –sized to dinner platter sized. And any one of them will turn that 16 pound chisel you’re lifting and dropping and lifting and dropping….. Did I mention there was an old wire fence buried here?
The sides of the box had to be excavated to a depth of upwards of 20 inches. And that was for the four foot sections. If I had gone with eight footers right off the bat, I would have been down closer to thirty inches.
Anyway, there are four courses of timbers out there now. They are held together with six inch pole barn spikes (60p with ring shanks). Each was driven with a five pound hand sledge. Lift up let it fall. Do not try to “drive” the spike. Just guide the hammer head to the top of the spike. Over and over and over again.
Did I mention the sun was shining brightly? The back of my neck is probably as red as a vine ripened tomato. It feels like it anyway.
My legs and arms are cramping up on me like they haven’t done since high school when we had two-a-day practices in late August. I used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night when my calves would tighten up. Of course, back then there was no Gatorade and I was too young to drink beer. Both will replace electrolytes but only the latter will (maybe) help me sleep.
Tomorrow promises to be another scorcher in the upper 80s.
Oh joy.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
The Idiossey
Iowahawk has penned: The Idiossey The Not-Really-That-Epic Poem of Obamacles.
Go on over and read this masterpiece.
UPDATE: Oops! Link went awry. Fixed now.
I should mention I got there by way of The Barrister at Maggie's Farm.
Go on over and read this masterpiece.
UPDATE: Oops! Link went awry. Fixed now.
I should mention I got there by way of The Barrister at Maggie's Farm.
Back to work
I started working on another raised bed for next year's vegetable garden today. This one will be constructed primarily from landscape timbers i picked up at the local lumber yard. I bouhgt 20 of these timbers this morning and then spent the rest of the day preparing the area for their installation.
It was a little tough going as I had to pull many goldenrod plants out and since they spread by their roots, that meant a slow steady pull to get the root out. It's a lot like tying to pull an night crawler out of the ground. Jerk too hard and the plant (worm) rips in two above the ground. A slow steady pull will get the root and, if you're lucky, the runners as well. There were root sections of the multiflora rose that had to come up too and they are woody SOBs.
Once I had a sizable area cleared (I want this bed to be 8' by 16') I started to work on the soil with my shovel and Johnson bar. (The Johnson bar is the long, black 16 pound iron bar with a chisel on one end and a tamping pad on the other.) I discovered an old section of fence buried a few inches beneath the soil and rocks and had a devil of a time getting most of it up. I say "most" because I'm sure some is still in there yet. It was rusted pretty good and every time I would try to pull a piece out it would snap.
The soil is that fill mix of shale and clay and, while pulling the weeds up loosened some of it, much of stuff is packed hard as concrete.
Did I mention it was sunny and hot out there? The temperature soared up to 87 degrees today. Thankfully the humidity was down around 60 percent. My shirt was soaked and water flowed off the bill of my cap. I would work for an hour or and hour and a half and then take a Gatorade break. I even took a short siesta break between noon and two in the afternoon. Even so, I still shed 4 pounds from this morning to when I quit to shower and have dinner. It was nearly all water weight, however, and will mostly come back in a day or two.
Tomorrow, I get to lay out the first course of timbers and start building the wall. There will be some cutting involved as the sides will be stepped into the hillside.
I'll try to remember to take pictures as I work.
It was a little tough going as I had to pull many goldenrod plants out and since they spread by their roots, that meant a slow steady pull to get the root out. It's a lot like tying to pull an night crawler out of the ground. Jerk too hard and the plant (worm) rips in two above the ground. A slow steady pull will get the root and, if you're lucky, the runners as well. There were root sections of the multiflora rose that had to come up too and they are woody SOBs.
Once I had a sizable area cleared (I want this bed to be 8' by 16') I started to work on the soil with my shovel and Johnson bar. (The Johnson bar is the long, black 16 pound iron bar with a chisel on one end and a tamping pad on the other.) I discovered an old section of fence buried a few inches beneath the soil and rocks and had a devil of a time getting most of it up. I say "most" because I'm sure some is still in there yet. It was rusted pretty good and every time I would try to pull a piece out it would snap.
The soil is that fill mix of shale and clay and, while pulling the weeds up loosened some of it, much of stuff is packed hard as concrete.
Did I mention it was sunny and hot out there? The temperature soared up to 87 degrees today. Thankfully the humidity was down around 60 percent. My shirt was soaked and water flowed off the bill of my cap. I would work for an hour or and hour and a half and then take a Gatorade break. I even took a short siesta break between noon and two in the afternoon. Even so, I still shed 4 pounds from this morning to when I quit to shower and have dinner. It was nearly all water weight, however, and will mostly come back in a day or two.
Tomorrow, I get to lay out the first course of timbers and start building the wall. There will be some cutting involved as the sides will be stepped into the hillside.
I'll try to remember to take pictures as I work.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Random thoughts
On the selection of Sarah Palin for VP and reaction of same.
I've seen some pretty nasty things being said on the interwebs about the Governor Palin. Ranging from her young son Trig to her ex-brother-in-law's firing from the State Police and the firing of the head of the Alaskan State police. (On the latter issue, if someone tasered my 9 (or 11, I've seen both) year-old nephew, threatened my sister, and said my father would be shot if he hired a lawyer to help sis, and I owned a commercial fishing boat with all of the Bering Sea at my disposal...well, firing would be the least of his worries.)
I've also seen a lot of poo-pooing of Governor Palin's experience and education. A degree in Journalism from Idaho University is a bit different from the Ivy League education and law degrees of many of our most recent office holders and seekers. I happen to think it's just what we need. Someone who is not a lawyer and who will bring a refreshing, new, outside the box kind of thinking to the business of the Federal Government.
Her life experiences to this point are worth far more than a piece of paper in a frame on the wall.
The elites can't believe someone who didn't attend an Ivy League school, someone who didn't pursue a law degree, someone who didn't obtain a Rhodes Scholarship can be bright and intelligent.
Yet they bring their cars to mechanics, hire plumbers to fix their leaks, electricians to do their sound systems, masons to build their patios and swimming pools, etc. All of whom are experts in their fields and know far more about those fields than the elites. And many of those folks hold no college degree.
Intelligence is not conferred by a piece of paper. We seem to have forgotten that somewhere in the '60s and '70s.
I've seen some pretty nasty things being said on the interwebs about the Governor Palin. Ranging from her young son Trig to her ex-brother-in-law's firing from the State Police and the firing of the head of the Alaskan State police. (On the latter issue, if someone tasered my 9 (or 11, I've seen both) year-old nephew, threatened my sister, and said my father would be shot if he hired a lawyer to help sis, and I owned a commercial fishing boat with all of the Bering Sea at my disposal...well, firing would be the least of his worries.)
I've also seen a lot of poo-pooing of Governor Palin's experience and education. A degree in Journalism from Idaho University is a bit different from the Ivy League education and law degrees of many of our most recent office holders and seekers. I happen to think it's just what we need. Someone who is not a lawyer and who will bring a refreshing, new, outside the box kind of thinking to the business of the Federal Government.
Her life experiences to this point are worth far more than a piece of paper in a frame on the wall.
The elites can't believe someone who didn't attend an Ivy League school, someone who didn't pursue a law degree, someone who didn't obtain a Rhodes Scholarship can be bright and intelligent.
Yet they bring their cars to mechanics, hire plumbers to fix their leaks, electricians to do their sound systems, masons to build their patios and swimming pools, etc. All of whom are experts in their fields and know far more about those fields than the elites. And many of those folks hold no college degree.
Intelligence is not conferred by a piece of paper. We seem to have forgotten that somewhere in the '60s and '70s.
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