Several big upsets this week: Oklahoma fell, as did Missouri and LSU. That means the poll positions will be shuffled again.
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 7 after their wins/losses in Week 6. The pre-Week 6 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 Oklahoma A High Noon showdown/shootout with undefeated #5 Texas, indeed! I said, “With the way these two can score at will, defense will be the deciding factor.” The Longhorns managed to “hold” the Sooners to a mere 35 points and that was enough as Texas came away with a 45-35 victory.
2/4/2 Alabama was idle.
3/2/3 Missouri The 5-0 Tigers squared off against the 5-0 #17 Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday night and the Cowboys came away with the upset win at 28-23. By far, the biggest upset of the weekend.
4/3/4 LSU The 4-0 Tigers got swamped by the #11 Florida Gators 51-21 to fall from the undefeated ranks.
5/5/5 Texas The Longhorns improved their record to 6-0 while dealing the Oklahoma Sooners their first defeat, 45-35.
6/6/6 Penn State The Nittany Lions are now 7-0 after skinning the Wisconsin Badgers 48-7.
7/7/9 Texas Tech The Red Raiders needed to go into overtime to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 37-31. The Raiders are now 6-0.
8/9/8 Southern California USC pitched a shutout against the Arizona State Sun Devils 28-0.
9/8/7 Brigham Young The BYU Cougars beat New Mexico 21-3 and are now 6-0 for the season.
10/10/11 Georgia The Bulldogs beat the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 26-14.
11/12/12 Florida The Gators drubbed the #4 LSU Tigers 51-21 in the Swamp on Saturday night.
12/11/10 Ohio State The Buckeyes defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 16-3 and are now 6-1.
13/14/14 Vanderbilt The Commodores carried their 5-0 record on the road to Mississippi State and came away with a 5-1 record as Mississippi State got the upset, 17-14.
14/13/13 Utah The Utah Utes are now 7-0 as they beat Wyoming like a drum, 40-7.
15/16/16 Boise State The Broncos improved to 5-0 by manhandling Southern Miss 24-7.
16/15/15 Kansas The Jayhawks beat Colorado 30-14 to improve to 5-1.
17/17/18 Oklahoma State I said, “The Cowboys are 5-0 but that and a buck-fifty will get you a cup of coffee in the Big 12. This week’s challenge will be #3 Missouri. GULP! Looks like the range will be fenced in by the Sooners. It’s tough to win them all.” OOPS! The Cowboys like the open range and are now 6-0 with a 28-23 victory over the Missouri Tigers.
18/18/17 Virginia Tech The 5-1 Hokies were idle this week.
19/20/19 South Florida The 5-1 Bulls were also idle this week.
20/23/20 Auburn Another one I got wrong as the Arkansas Razorbacks took it to the Auburn Tigers 25-22.
21/21/23 Wake Forest The Demon Deacons hosted the unranked Clemson Tigers on Thursday night and managed to avoid the Thursday Night jinx with a 12-7 victory.
22/NR/21 North Carolina The Tar Heels knocked off Notre Dame 29-24 when the defense came out to pressure Clausen in the second half.
23/19/24 Michigan State The Spartans have now won 6 in a row after dropping Northwestern from the realm of the undefeated, 37-20.
24/NR/22 Pittsburgh The Panthers had the week off to prepare for the rush attack of Navy.
25/NR/NR Ball State The Cardinals are now 7-0 after beating the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 24-7.
NR/22/25 Northwestern The Wildcats got tamed by #23 Michigan State 37-20.
NR/24/NR Wisconsin After starting 3-0, the Badgers lost to Michigan and Ohio State. This week they hosted Penn State and got schooled, 48-7.
NR/25/NR California The 4-1 Golden Bears were idle this.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
And so it starts.
Plus a weight report
Opening day of muzzle loader in northern New York. It's 6:30 AM and in a half hour I'll be stepping out the door and heading for the woods. The current temperature is around 30 degrees outside but clear skies means it will get up to the 60s again. My plan is to park my butt on a slight rise to the west of the cabin and sit until sundown. I'll put out some scent bombs and hope there's a curious buck or two out there willing to come investigate or that other hunters from camps near by will stir the bucks from their daytime havens.
I stepped on the scale this morning and was disappointed to see I had gained some 2 pounds over last week to 219 pounds. That's also a gain from the start of this current regime. Not to surprising, I guess considering the lack of any real diet and exercise plan.
Yeah, sitting still all day won't elevate my exercise (except, perhaps as I shiver in the early morning hours), but it will cut back on the availability of snacking in front of the TV. There's no cable here in the Bolt Hole so my choice of football or baseball games would be limited anyway.
I stepped on the scale this morning and was disappointed to see I had gained some 2 pounds over last week to 219 pounds. That's also a gain from the start of this current regime. Not to surprising, I guess considering the lack of any real diet and exercise plan.
Yeah, sitting still all day won't elevate my exercise (except, perhaps as I shiver in the early morning hours), but it will cut back on the availability of snacking in front of the TV. There's no cable here in the Bolt Hole so my choice of football or baseball games would be limited anyway.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Bolt Hole Report
We (me and the three cats) survived the night. I left a light on in the living room so they wouldn't crash into anything should a mouse be foolish enough to run the gauntlet. Then closed the door to the upstairs bedroom so I could sleep in peace.
During the night there was some hubbub that woke me up but there were no bodies to be found this morning. A couple of little piles of puke, but no bodies. It's possible that one of the cats gorged upon dry nibbles and then drank some water and, as the dry food swelled in their tummy, purged themselves. They've done it before, the little gluttons. Or, maybe, someone ate a bug or spider that didn't agree with them.
Julie and Chester came readily to the food bowls as I dished up breakfast but Shadow is still in a snit. She'll slink in on occasion to grab a nibble but not while the other two are there. And Julie doesn't like having to eat on the floor with Chester who usually has to try and stick his nose in all the bowls to be sure they are all the same.
This morning Julie allowed me to pet her while she lay upon the couch like a pasha's princess. But just a little. Shadow actually permitted me to stroke her as she walked by without shooting up the nearest curtain or under the chest of drawers.
Speaking of under the furniture.... There are spots getting dusted with cat tails that I haven't been able to reach with the dust mop or vacuum. Every now and then one or the other of the trio shows up with a cobweb wrapped about their tail.
Taking a quick look around, I can see three or four screens that need repair. The worst is the big one on the sliding door in the living room. It's a nylon screen that has quite a bit of age to it and, being exposed to direct sunlight, it's faded and weak. Apparently so weak that a bird crashed into it and ripped a good 8" hole i the damn thing. I know it was a bird because there were feathers inside between the screen and the glass door. They looked like robin breast feathers with their red tinged edges. No sign of the bird outside so nature's cleanup crew took care of that for me.
There are also several smaller window screens that have been damaged in winters past from snow and ice falling off the roof and piling up along the walls that I've been meaning to repair. With the cats here, I can't do it on the floor of the living area without a lot of curiosity getting in my way so these will likely have to wait until I am here alone. Lord knows, I will not try to confine the cats to a separate, small room together while I work to make the repairs. It would be like a cage match. Three cats enter, one cat emerges.
I got stung by a wasp last evening when I came back from shooting across the street at Mark's. I reached for the door knob to let myself into the cabin when the wasp dropped from the door onto my right hand and before I could shake it off it stung me right at the big knuckle of my ring finger. This time of year, wasps, ladybugs, and cluster flies are looking to find any warm nook or cranny they can for the winter. The door is in the afternoon sunlight and this winged terror chose yesterday afternoon to squeeze into the crack around the door. I disturbed it and had to pay the price.
Thankfully, I'm no longer allergic to the stings of bees and wasps since I underwent desensitization shots years ago so there's only a little pain and swelling of the joint. Still, it was a reminder to be alert.
It was a glorious night with temperatures in the low 40s and a clear sky lit up by the waxing gibbous moon. I had a fire in the wood stove to warm the house and left the upstairs door cracked open slightly to keep the bedroom cool. It did allow some of the cluster flies that were in the door jamb to infiltrate the house and they buzzed around the bedside lamp while I read for an hour. Once the light went out, however, they settled down. I heard no sounds from outside during the night. Just the cats downstairs running around occasionally. I set the alarm for 6:30 AM and was surprised that it woke me up and not Chester. He didn't start making any noise until after the first snooze session.
Today promises to be a gorgeous day with the thermometer rising into the upper 60s. I'll be making a quick trip down the road to Gander Mountain and to pick up some groceries I'll need. I'll also be able to get a feel for how many camps are occupied this weekend. Then this afternoon will be spent doing some chores around the yard. Tomorrow will be spent hunting. Probably just sitting in one corner of the property to see if the other hunters will be moving deer around to their "comfort zones" in my area. And if no movement, or shooting occurs, it will at least give me an idea of where both hunters and deer are.
During the night there was some hubbub that woke me up but there were no bodies to be found this morning. A couple of little piles of puke, but no bodies. It's possible that one of the cats gorged upon dry nibbles and then drank some water and, as the dry food swelled in their tummy, purged themselves. They've done it before, the little gluttons. Or, maybe, someone ate a bug or spider that didn't agree with them.
Julie and Chester came readily to the food bowls as I dished up breakfast but Shadow is still in a snit. She'll slink in on occasion to grab a nibble but not while the other two are there. And Julie doesn't like having to eat on the floor with Chester who usually has to try and stick his nose in all the bowls to be sure they are all the same.
This morning Julie allowed me to pet her while she lay upon the couch like a pasha's princess. But just a little. Shadow actually permitted me to stroke her as she walked by without shooting up the nearest curtain or under the chest of drawers.
Speaking of under the furniture.... There are spots getting dusted with cat tails that I haven't been able to reach with the dust mop or vacuum. Every now and then one or the other of the trio shows up with a cobweb wrapped about their tail.
Taking a quick look around, I can see three or four screens that need repair. The worst is the big one on the sliding door in the living room. It's a nylon screen that has quite a bit of age to it and, being exposed to direct sunlight, it's faded and weak. Apparently so weak that a bird crashed into it and ripped a good 8" hole i the damn thing. I know it was a bird because there were feathers inside between the screen and the glass door. They looked like robin breast feathers with their red tinged edges. No sign of the bird outside so nature's cleanup crew took care of that for me.
There are also several smaller window screens that have been damaged in winters past from snow and ice falling off the roof and piling up along the walls that I've been meaning to repair. With the cats here, I can't do it on the floor of the living area without a lot of curiosity getting in my way so these will likely have to wait until I am here alone. Lord knows, I will not try to confine the cats to a separate, small room together while I work to make the repairs. It would be like a cage match. Three cats enter, one cat emerges.
I got stung by a wasp last evening when I came back from shooting across the street at Mark's. I reached for the door knob to let myself into the cabin when the wasp dropped from the door onto my right hand and before I could shake it off it stung me right at the big knuckle of my ring finger. This time of year, wasps, ladybugs, and cluster flies are looking to find any warm nook or cranny they can for the winter. The door is in the afternoon sunlight and this winged terror chose yesterday afternoon to squeeze into the crack around the door. I disturbed it and had to pay the price.
Thankfully, I'm no longer allergic to the stings of bees and wasps since I underwent desensitization shots years ago so there's only a little pain and swelling of the joint. Still, it was a reminder to be alert.
It was a glorious night with temperatures in the low 40s and a clear sky lit up by the waxing gibbous moon. I had a fire in the wood stove to warm the house and left the upstairs door cracked open slightly to keep the bedroom cool. It did allow some of the cluster flies that were in the door jamb to infiltrate the house and they buzzed around the bedside lamp while I read for an hour. Once the light went out, however, they settled down. I heard no sounds from outside during the night. Just the cats downstairs running around occasionally. I set the alarm for 6:30 AM and was surprised that it woke me up and not Chester. He didn't start making any noise until after the first snooze session.
Today promises to be a gorgeous day with the thermometer rising into the upper 60s. I'll be making a quick trip down the road to Gander Mountain and to pick up some groceries I'll need. I'll also be able to get a feel for how many camps are occupied this weekend. Then this afternoon will be spent doing some chores around the yard. Tomorrow will be spent hunting. Probably just sitting in one corner of the property to see if the other hunters will be moving deer around to their "comfort zones" in my area. And if no movement, or shooting occurs, it will at least give me an idea of where both hunters and deer are.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
At the Bolt Hole
Well, I survived the four hour trip to the cabin with the three cats each in their own carry case. Julie was pretty good, she only meowed a little on during the first hour and didn't soil her cage at all. Shadow and Chester were the messiest with Shadow barfing up and taking a dump. Chester was the loudest but even he was quiet for the middle two hours. So quiet were they that I was a little concerned about their health. I thought they might have gone into shock or something.
Julie may have been good int he car, but she is letting me know she didn't appreciate the ride. Growls and hisses abound as she stalks about the cabin and hide under or behind anything she can.
Shadow got her collar off somehow and won't let me get near her to put it back on.
Chester is acting like he doesn't know what all the fuss is about. Head butts and demands for scratching from him all the while he is purring.
All three, however are taking great interest in the sounds of a mouse in the walls. If the mouse is smart, he'll stay in the walls.
Of course, once I got here, I discovered I left a vital piece of equipment back at the Aerie. My muzzleloader supply box was left in the foyer on a shelf where it went unnoticed this morning. Luckily I have plenty of powder, bullets, percussion caps and everything else I need to go hunting here. In fact, I was able to fire a few rounds over behind Mark's where he had a target set up at about 60 yards. Freestanding, I was three inches high at 11 o'clock on my first shot, five inches out at 9 o'clock on my second and just one inch high at 12 o'clock on my third. I'm ready.
I still may go down to Gander Mountain tomorrow to see if I can get some more percussion caps just to play it safe.
Julie may have been good int he car, but she is letting me know she didn't appreciate the ride. Growls and hisses abound as she stalks about the cabin and hide under or behind anything she can.
Shadow got her collar off somehow and won't let me get near her to put it back on.
Chester is acting like he doesn't know what all the fuss is about. Head butts and demands for scratching from him all the while he is purring.
All three, however are taking great interest in the sounds of a mouse in the walls. If the mouse is smart, he'll stay in the walls.
Of course, once I got here, I discovered I left a vital piece of equipment back at the Aerie. My muzzleloader supply box was left in the foyer on a shelf where it went unnoticed this morning. Luckily I have plenty of powder, bullets, percussion caps and everything else I need to go hunting here. In fact, I was able to fire a few rounds over behind Mark's where he had a target set up at about 60 yards. Freestanding, I was three inches high at 11 o'clock on my first shot, five inches out at 9 o'clock on my second and just one inch high at 12 o'clock on my third. I'm ready.
I still may go down to Gander Mountain tomorrow to see if I can get some more percussion caps just to play it safe.
Heading North
I've got all my gear packed and ready to load into the Tundra fora rip up to the Bolt Hole for two weeks of deer hunting in the southern Adirondacks. The North Zone Muzzleloader season begins on Saturday and the firearms season begins the week after.
Three days in the deer stand here at the Aerie yielded not one sighting of a deer although the game camera indicated there were a couple of bucks and does that wandered by just after legal shooting time ended on each of the days I was out. I swear, the critters can read the game laws!
My trip to the north should be a real doozie. I'm taking the three cats with me and they HATE to travel. Just taking them 10 miles to the vets last spring resulted in a level of caterwauling that could have been reproduced only by a herd of thirty or forty felines. All three had soiled their cage by the time we arrived. I'll have to be sure to keep the windows cracked open and my earplugs in place just so I don't barf.
Why am I taking the cats? Terry's heading south to Atlanta on Saturday for the Smocking Arts Guild of America (SAGA) national convention. She'll be installed as president of that organization during the week. Normally, I would attend to see that but then we would have to put the cats up at the vets again and they (cats or vets, your pick) wouldn't be real happy about that. When we picked the cats up last spring, Julie's little cage had a towel draped over it and a sign that read "Beware!" as if she were a crazed bobcat. She even hissed at us when we put her in the carry case to bring home! Not putting them through that confinement again--and the hunting seasons--are reason enough for me to haul them north while Terry heads south.
Terry will visit relatives over in Columbia and Sumter, SC on her way back from Atlanta. She'll get to see her aunt and several cousins and their families. I'd like that part of the trip, but to go to Atlanta...not so much.
The weather looks good between here and the Bolt Hole for traveling today and for the next week or so up at the Bolt Hole with seasonal temperatures and some showers forecast for Thursday on. It's also bear season so....
I've also got to winterize the cabin before I leave so there's something to do besides walk in the woods with a rifle. Not that walking the woods is bad.
Three days in the deer stand here at the Aerie yielded not one sighting of a deer although the game camera indicated there were a couple of bucks and does that wandered by just after legal shooting time ended on each of the days I was out. I swear, the critters can read the game laws!
My trip to the north should be a real doozie. I'm taking the three cats with me and they HATE to travel. Just taking them 10 miles to the vets last spring resulted in a level of caterwauling that could have been reproduced only by a herd of thirty or forty felines. All three had soiled their cage by the time we arrived. I'll have to be sure to keep the windows cracked open and my earplugs in place just so I don't barf.
Why am I taking the cats? Terry's heading south to Atlanta on Saturday for the Smocking Arts Guild of America (SAGA) national convention. She'll be installed as president of that organization during the week. Normally, I would attend to see that but then we would have to put the cats up at the vets again and they (cats or vets, your pick) wouldn't be real happy about that. When we picked the cats up last spring, Julie's little cage had a towel draped over it and a sign that read "Beware!" as if she were a crazed bobcat. She even hissed at us when we put her in the carry case to bring home! Not putting them through that confinement again--and the hunting seasons--are reason enough for me to haul them north while Terry heads south.
Terry will visit relatives over in Columbia and Sumter, SC on her way back from Atlanta. She'll get to see her aunt and several cousins and their families. I'd like that part of the trip, but to go to Atlanta...not so much.
The weather looks good between here and the Bolt Hole for traveling today and for the next week or so up at the Bolt Hole with seasonal temperatures and some showers forecast for Thursday on. It's also bear season so....
I've also got to winterize the cabin before I leave so there's something to do besides walk in the woods with a rifle. Not that walking the woods is bad.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Pre Week 7 College Football Report
Lots of Top 25 match-ups this week and undefeated seasons are on the line. The Oklahoma-Texas game should be a doozy as should the Missouri-Oklahoma State game. Then there’s LSU vs. Florida in the Swamp. There’s also a lot of movement and disagreement at the bottom of the Top 25 list as teams struggle to stay in/enter the field.
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 7 after their wins/losses in Week 6. The pre-Week 6 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 Oklahoma (1/1/1) The Sooners are now 5-0 as they head into what may be their biggest challenge of the season—a High Noon showdown/shootout with undefeated #5 Texas. With the way these two can score at will, defense will be the deciding factor. It will be at OSU.
2/4/2 Alabama (2/4/2) The 6-0 Crimson Tide hosts Mississippi this weekend and should easily be 7-0 Saturday night.
3/2/3 Missouri (4/3/4) The 5-0 Tigers square off against the 5-0 #17 Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday night. What the heck is in the water down in Big 12 Country? Five teams are 5-0 going into this weekend and averaging something in the neighborhood of 52-53 points per game on offense. Four of them play one another on Saturday so two will come away 5-1 and at least two will be 6-0 on Sunday morn.
4/3/4 LSU (3/2/3)The 4-0 Tigers travel to Florida in to face off against the #11 Gators in The Swamp.
5/5/5 Texas (5/5/5) The Longhorns take their 5-0 record to Oklahoma to face the 5-0 #1 Sooners.
6/6/6 Penn State (6/6/7) The 6-0 Nittany Lions travel to Wisconsin to take on a reeling Badger team that has lost its last two outings. Joe Pa should rack up another victory and could probably do it from State College, PA, let alone the press box.
7/7/9 Texas Tech (7/8/9) The 5-0 Red Raiders will host Nebraska on Saturday as they hope to keep pace with the winner of Oklahoma-Texas. The Raiders should be 6-0 come Sunday.
8/9/8 Southern California (9/9/10) USC (3-1) plays host to the Arizona State Sun Devils who should be no more trouble than a bunch of little imps.
9/8/7 Brigham Young (8/7/6) The BYU Cougars put their 5-0 record as they host New Mexico. Can you say 6-0?
10/10/11 Georgia (11/10T/13) The Bulldogs look to get back on track after a bye week following their upset loss to Alabama. They should be able to master the guest Tennessee Volunteers Saturday.
11/12/12 Florida (12/13/14) The Gators look to upset the #4 LSU Tigers in the Swamp on Saturday night.
12/11/10 Ohio State (14/12/11) Beanie Wells seemed healthy enough last Saturday against Wisconsin and that’s bad news to the Purdue Boilermakers who have to try and stop him this week when they visit Columbus. OSU should be 6-1 when it’s over.
13/14/14 Vanderbilt (19/19/23) The Commodores, 5-0, take it on the road to Mississippi State from which they should emerge 6-0.
14/13/13 Utah (15/15/16) The Utah Utes are 6-0 as they head to Wyoming. They should be 7-0 come Sunday.
15/16/16 Boise State (17/18/17) The Broncos take their 4-0 record down to Southern Miss Saturday and should fare well enough on that southern cooking to remain undefeated.
16/15/15 Kansas (16/16/15) The 4-1 Jayhawks host Colorado. KSU should improve to 5-1.
17/17/18 Oklahoma State (21/22/NR) The Cowboys are 5-0 but that and a buck-fifty will get you a cup of coffee in the Big 12. This week’s challenge will be #3 Missouri. GULP! Looks like the range will be fenced in by the Sooners. It’s tough to win them all.
18/18/17 Virginia Tech (20/24/19) The 5-1 Hokies are idle this week.
19/20/19 South Florida (10/10T/12) The 5-1 Bulls are idle this week.
20/23/20 Auburn (13/14/8) The Tigers are 4-2 after dropping a close one to Vanderbilt. The host a 2-3 Arkansas team this week that is on its heels. Look for Auburn to improve its record to 5-2.
21/21/23 Wake Forest (25/25/25) The fans of Wake Forest, it is hope Navy left a wakeup call in defeating the Demon Deacons 24-17 two weeks ago. This week the Deacons host the Clemson Tigers on Thursday night. Oh-oh, Thursday. Bad news playing a lesser opponent on Thursday night.
22/NR/21 North Carolina (NR/NR/NR) The Tar Heels knocked off undefeated UConn last week to improve to 4-1. This week they host an improving 4-1 Notre Dame. If they can shut down, or at least limit, ND’s running game they have a chance. To do so they need to control the trenches and if they do that, ND QB Clausen will see lots of powder blue in his backfield.
23/19/24 Michigan State (NR/NR/24) After a tough loss at California (38-31) in Week 1, the Spartans have won 5 in a row. They have a chance to make it 6 as they play at Northwestern this weekend but it might not be very easy. The Wildcats are 5-0. Look for MSU to skin the ‘Cats.
24/NR/22 Pittsburgh (NR/NR/NR) The Panthers were ranked #25 in the preseason polls but lost in the opening week to Bowling Green. They have since won 4 in a row including last Thursday’s upset in Tampa of South Florida. Pittsburgh is idle this week as they prepare for the rush attack of Navy.
25/NR/NR Ball State (NR/NR/NR) The Cardinals are 6-0 as they head to Western Kentucky to play the Hilltoppers Saturday night. They should be 7-0 come Sunday morning.
NR/22/25 Northwestern (NR/NR/NR) The Wildcats’ much improved defense is credited with their 5-0 start. This week they’ll take on #23 Michigan State at home. It could be question of who gets to score at all.
NR/24/NR Wisconsin (18/17/18) After starting 3-0, the Badgers lost to Michigan and Ohio State. This week they get to host a 6-0 Penn State team that just may make it to the National Championship game. Ta-ta Badgers.
NR/25/NR California (NR/NR/NR) The 4-1 Golden Bears are idle this week before heading to Arizona and the remainder of their PAC 10 season.
Gone from last week’s charts: Fresno State (22/21/22), Oregon (23/20/20), and Connecticut (24/23/21).
Just off the screen and waiting for a chance is 5-0 Tulsa. (But with a strength of schedule o5 104 out of 120…heh?)
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 7 after their wins/losses in Week 6. The pre-Week 6 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 Oklahoma (1/1/1) The Sooners are now 5-0 as they head into what may be their biggest challenge of the season—a High Noon showdown/shootout with undefeated #5 Texas. With the way these two can score at will, defense will be the deciding factor. It will be at OSU.
2/4/2 Alabama (2/4/2) The 6-0 Crimson Tide hosts Mississippi this weekend and should easily be 7-0 Saturday night.
3/2/3 Missouri (4/3/4) The 5-0 Tigers square off against the 5-0 #17 Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday night. What the heck is in the water down in Big 12 Country? Five teams are 5-0 going into this weekend and averaging something in the neighborhood of 52-53 points per game on offense. Four of them play one another on Saturday so two will come away 5-1 and at least two will be 6-0 on Sunday morn.
4/3/4 LSU (3/2/3)The 4-0 Tigers travel to Florida in to face off against the #11 Gators in The Swamp.
5/5/5 Texas (5/5/5) The Longhorns take their 5-0 record to Oklahoma to face the 5-0 #1 Sooners.
6/6/6 Penn State (6/6/7) The 6-0 Nittany Lions travel to Wisconsin to take on a reeling Badger team that has lost its last two outings. Joe Pa should rack up another victory and could probably do it from State College, PA, let alone the press box.
7/7/9 Texas Tech (7/8/9) The 5-0 Red Raiders will host Nebraska on Saturday as they hope to keep pace with the winner of Oklahoma-Texas. The Raiders should be 6-0 come Sunday.
8/9/8 Southern California (9/9/10) USC (3-1) plays host to the Arizona State Sun Devils who should be no more trouble than a bunch of little imps.
9/8/7 Brigham Young (8/7/6) The BYU Cougars put their 5-0 record as they host New Mexico. Can you say 6-0?
10/10/11 Georgia (11/10T/13) The Bulldogs look to get back on track after a bye week following their upset loss to Alabama. They should be able to master the guest Tennessee Volunteers Saturday.
11/12/12 Florida (12/13/14) The Gators look to upset the #4 LSU Tigers in the Swamp on Saturday night.
12/11/10 Ohio State (14/12/11) Beanie Wells seemed healthy enough last Saturday against Wisconsin and that’s bad news to the Purdue Boilermakers who have to try and stop him this week when they visit Columbus. OSU should be 6-1 when it’s over.
13/14/14 Vanderbilt (19/19/23) The Commodores, 5-0, take it on the road to Mississippi State from which they should emerge 6-0.
14/13/13 Utah (15/15/16) The Utah Utes are 6-0 as they head to Wyoming. They should be 7-0 come Sunday.
15/16/16 Boise State (17/18/17) The Broncos take their 4-0 record down to Southern Miss Saturday and should fare well enough on that southern cooking to remain undefeated.
16/15/15 Kansas (16/16/15) The 4-1 Jayhawks host Colorado. KSU should improve to 5-1.
17/17/18 Oklahoma State (21/22/NR) The Cowboys are 5-0 but that and a buck-fifty will get you a cup of coffee in the Big 12. This week’s challenge will be #3 Missouri. GULP! Looks like the range will be fenced in by the Sooners. It’s tough to win them all.
18/18/17 Virginia Tech (20/24/19) The 5-1 Hokies are idle this week.
19/20/19 South Florida (10/10T/12) The 5-1 Bulls are idle this week.
20/23/20 Auburn (13/14/8) The Tigers are 4-2 after dropping a close one to Vanderbilt. The host a 2-3 Arkansas team this week that is on its heels. Look for Auburn to improve its record to 5-2.
21/21/23 Wake Forest (25/25/25) The fans of Wake Forest, it is hope Navy left a wakeup call in defeating the Demon Deacons 24-17 two weeks ago. This week the Deacons host the Clemson Tigers on Thursday night. Oh-oh, Thursday. Bad news playing a lesser opponent on Thursday night.
22/NR/21 North Carolina (NR/NR/NR) The Tar Heels knocked off undefeated UConn last week to improve to 4-1. This week they host an improving 4-1 Notre Dame. If they can shut down, or at least limit, ND’s running game they have a chance. To do so they need to control the trenches and if they do that, ND QB Clausen will see lots of powder blue in his backfield.
23/19/24 Michigan State (NR/NR/24) After a tough loss at California (38-31) in Week 1, the Spartans have won 5 in a row. They have a chance to make it 6 as they play at Northwestern this weekend but it might not be very easy. The Wildcats are 5-0. Look for MSU to skin the ‘Cats.
24/NR/22 Pittsburgh (NR/NR/NR) The Panthers were ranked #25 in the preseason polls but lost in the opening week to Bowling Green. They have since won 4 in a row including last Thursday’s upset in Tampa of South Florida. Pittsburgh is idle this week as they prepare for the rush attack of Navy.
25/NR/NR Ball State (NR/NR/NR) The Cardinals are 6-0 as they head to Western Kentucky to play the Hilltoppers Saturday night. They should be 7-0 come Sunday morning.
NR/22/25 Northwestern (NR/NR/NR) The Wildcats’ much improved defense is credited with their 5-0 start. This week they’ll take on #23 Michigan State at home. It could be question of who gets to score at all.
NR/24/NR Wisconsin (18/17/18) After starting 3-0, the Badgers lost to Michigan and Ohio State. This week they get to host a 6-0 Penn State team that just may make it to the National Championship game. Ta-ta Badgers.
NR/25/NR California (NR/NR/NR) The 4-1 Golden Bears are idle this week before heading to Arizona and the remainder of their PAC 10 season.
Gone from last week’s charts: Fresno State (22/21/22), Oregon (23/20/20), and Connecticut (24/23/21).
Just off the screen and waiting for a chance is 5-0 Tulsa. (But with a strength of schedule o5 104 out of 120…heh?)
Another Quiet Day in the Woods.
I spent Monday sitting in the tree stand again and, if anything, it was quieter than on Saturday. No deer, natch, and even fewer avian visitors.
There were skeins of geese flying south in the morning and late afternoon. Pushed, no doubt, by the fairly strong winds from the north and the hard frosts of the northern climes. (It stayed below freezing all night at the Bolt Hole. Another reason I'm heading up this weekend. The water system is still on and I need to heat the cabin or drain it.)
I had a hen turkey walk up to within 15 yards of where I was sitting. She spooked when she saw me and flew into a tree just 30 yards from where I sat. After inspecting me carefully for 15 minutes, she flew down just a little further away than the spot from which she took off and continued to walk up the hill.
Blue Jays, Red-tailed Hawk, Raven, Crows, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker...the usual suspects.
I went to bed last night feeling a little out of sorts and decided to sleep in rather than go back to the tree. I still feel like there's a banked fire behind my eyes and my lower back aches from being confined to a 24"x18" platform 15' up for 12 hours. Besides not seeing any deer movements the last few days, the heavy frost warning meant we would see temps below 30 degrees and with muzzle loader and rifle seasons starting in the Adirondacks on this and next Saturday respectively, I don't need to get really sick. At least up there, I'm likely to be walking (still hunting) instead of sitting for prolonged periods of time.
There were skeins of geese flying south in the morning and late afternoon. Pushed, no doubt, by the fairly strong winds from the north and the hard frosts of the northern climes. (It stayed below freezing all night at the Bolt Hole. Another reason I'm heading up this weekend. The water system is still on and I need to heat the cabin or drain it.)
I had a hen turkey walk up to within 15 yards of where I was sitting. She spooked when she saw me and flew into a tree just 30 yards from where I sat. After inspecting me carefully for 15 minutes, she flew down just a little further away than the spot from which she took off and continued to walk up the hill.
Blue Jays, Red-tailed Hawk, Raven, Crows, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker...the usual suspects.
I went to bed last night feeling a little out of sorts and decided to sleep in rather than go back to the tree. I still feel like there's a banked fire behind my eyes and my lower back aches from being confined to a 24"x18" platform 15' up for 12 hours. Besides not seeing any deer movements the last few days, the heavy frost warning meant we would see temps below 30 degrees and with muzzle loader and rifle seasons starting in the Adirondacks on this and next Saturday respectively, I don't need to get really sick. At least up there, I'm likely to be walking (still hunting) instead of sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Who are those guys?
Arizona Cardinals are currently beating the Buffalo Bills 41-17 with 9 minutes left in the game.
Are these the same Cardinals the Jets beat the crap out of last week by a score of 56-35?
And what happened to parity in the NFL. For years it made high scores less likely. Defense seemed to rule. This year not so much. Forty or more points have not been unusual. The Giants are 4-0 with two blow outs--41-13 vs St. Louis and 44-6 vs Seattle. We had the Jets laugher against Arizona, 56-35. The Eagles beat St. Louis 38-3 in week 1. Green Bay kicked sand in the face of Detroit by a score of 48-25. And Da Bears also beat up on the Lions 34-7.
Are these the same Cardinals the Jets beat the crap out of last week by a score of 56-35?
And what happened to parity in the NFL. For years it made high scores less likely. Defense seemed to rule. This year not so much. Forty or more points have not been unusual. The Giants are 4-0 with two blow outs--41-13 vs St. Louis and 44-6 vs Seattle. We had the Jets laugher against Arizona, 56-35. The Eagles beat St. Louis 38-3 in week 1. Green Bay kicked sand in the face of Detroit by a score of 48-25. And Da Bears also beat up on the Lions 34-7.
College Football: Week 6 results.
I spent much of Saturday sitting in a tree stand in the woods and so I missed some of the college football action. I did get back into the house in time to see the Auburn/Vanderbilt game and started to watch some of the late games but was soon overcome by all the fresh air and lopsided scores.
Here's what happened to the Top 25 during week 6 play:
Thursday night continues to be The Night for upsets. This week it was #10 Southern Florida—a team that was #2 last year when Rutgers knocked them off their perch on Thursday night. #15 Utah barely escaped.
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 6. The pre-Week 5 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 Oklahoma The Sooners faced the Baylor Bears on the road. The Sooners scored 28 in the first quarter and 7 more in each of the other three quarters to beat up the Bears 49-17.
2/4/2 Alabama The Crimson Tide hosted the 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Alabama is now 6-0 after beating the Wildcats 17-14.
3/2/3 LSU Idle.
4/3/4 Missouri drubbed the Nebraska Cornhuskers 52-17. Missouri scored 52 points for the third time this season. They have also scored 69 points (against Nevada) and 42 points (against Buffalo). The Tigers’ offense is averaging 53+ points per game.
5/5/5 Texas The Longhorns beat Colorado 38-14 after stampeding to a 21-0 halftime lead. Texas is now 5-0.
6/6/7 Penn State Joe Pa is hurting, but his team is not. While Joe had to stay off the sidelines due to pain in his legs and hips, the Nittany Lions downed the Purdue Boilermakers 20-6.
7/8/9 Texas Tech The Red Raiders went on the road this week to face off against the Kansas State Wildcats. Undefeated Texas Tech (now 5-0) beat KSU 58-28.
8/7/6 Brigham Young BYU played on the road against the Utah State Aggies on Friday night. The Cougars came away undefeated (5-0) by drubbing Utah State 34-14. It was 34-0 going into the fourth.
9/9/10 Southern California The Trojans romped (once they got started) as they defeated the #23 Oregon Ducks 44-10.
10/10T/12 South Florida The Bulls hosted the Pitt Panthers in Tampa on Thursday night. You would think they would have learned after last year. FSU suffered another Thursday night upset as the Panthers beat the Bulls 26-21.
11/10T/13 Georgia (3/3/3) Idle
12/13/14 Florida This week’s opponents was Arkansas on the road. The Gators gobbled up the Razorbacks 38-7.
13/14/8 Auburn The Tigers were tested by #19 Vanderbilt on the road. The Commodores eked out an upset by a score of 14-13.
14/12/11 Ohio State The Buckeyes played at the home of the #18 Wisconsin Badgers. Ohio State road on Beanie Wells’ feet and shoulders in edging the Badgers 20-17.
15/15/16 Utah The Utes hosted Oregon State on Thursday night. Utah escaped the Thursday night jinx—barely. They needed 11 points in the last two-plus minutes to remain undefeated (6-0 now) and beat Oregon State 31-28.
16/16/15 Kansas After a week off, the Jayhawks played at Iowa State (The Cyclones). Kansas spotted Iowa State 20 first half points and then scored 21 of their own in the third quarter to take the lead. They then outscored the Cyclones 14-13 in the fourth quarter to win 35-33.
17/18/17 Boise State hosted Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night. The Broncos won 38-3. On the blue rug, no one can beat them.
18/17/18 Wisconsin Losers to unranked Michigan last week, the Badgers had the biggest drop of the week—9 slots. They will fall further this week after losing to #14 Ohio State 20-17.
19/19/23 Vanderbilt The Commodores remain undefeated with a 14-13 upset of #13 Auburn.
20/24/19 Virginia Tech The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky travelled to Blacksburg Saturday. VT beat Western Kentucky 27-13.
21/22/NR Oklahoma State The Cowboys hosted the Aggies of Texas A&M. Oklahoma State roughed up the Aggies 56-28 and remain undefeated at 5-0.
22/21/22 Fresno State The Bulldogs faced the one team that may have more frequent flyer miles than they do: Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors went home to the islands with a victory but they had to go to overtime to down the Bulldogs, 32-29.
23/20/20 Oregon Oregon was ahead at the end of the 1st quarter 7-3 and held a 10-3 lead early in the 2nd. Unfortunately, that’s when #9 USC woke up. Mark Sanchez threw for 332 yards (out of the Trojans’ 598-yard offensive total and three touchdowns as he lead USC to a 44-10 victory.
24/23/21 Connecticut UConn was on the road to North Carolina on Saturday. UConn was forced to start a new quarterback and it cost them. They struggled to move the ball all night and North Carolina took advantage of a porous line during the punting formations (3 blocked punts by the same player? Named Bruce Carter) to win convincingly 38-12.
25/25/25 Wake Forest Idle.
NR/NR/24 Michigan State hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes this week with a chance to move up in the polls. The Spartans eked out a victory over the Hawkeyes 16-13.
Here's what happened to the Top 25 during week 6 play:
Thursday night continues to be The Night for upsets. This week it was #10 Southern Florida—a team that was #2 last year when Rutgers knocked them off their perch on Thursday night. #15 Utah barely escaped.
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 6. The pre-Week 5 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 Oklahoma The Sooners faced the Baylor Bears on the road. The Sooners scored 28 in the first quarter and 7 more in each of the other three quarters to beat up the Bears 49-17.
2/4/2 Alabama The Crimson Tide hosted the 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Alabama is now 6-0 after beating the Wildcats 17-14.
3/2/3 LSU Idle.
4/3/4 Missouri drubbed the Nebraska Cornhuskers 52-17. Missouri scored 52 points for the third time this season. They have also scored 69 points (against Nevada) and 42 points (against Buffalo). The Tigers’ offense is averaging 53+ points per game.
5/5/5 Texas The Longhorns beat Colorado 38-14 after stampeding to a 21-0 halftime lead. Texas is now 5-0.
6/6/7 Penn State Joe Pa is hurting, but his team is not. While Joe had to stay off the sidelines due to pain in his legs and hips, the Nittany Lions downed the Purdue Boilermakers 20-6.
7/8/9 Texas Tech The Red Raiders went on the road this week to face off against the Kansas State Wildcats. Undefeated Texas Tech (now 5-0) beat KSU 58-28.
8/7/6 Brigham Young BYU played on the road against the Utah State Aggies on Friday night. The Cougars came away undefeated (5-0) by drubbing Utah State 34-14. It was 34-0 going into the fourth.
9/9/10 Southern California The Trojans romped (once they got started) as they defeated the #23 Oregon Ducks 44-10.
10/10T/12 South Florida The Bulls hosted the Pitt Panthers in Tampa on Thursday night. You would think they would have learned after last year. FSU suffered another Thursday night upset as the Panthers beat the Bulls 26-21.
11/10T/13 Georgia (3/3/3) Idle
12/13/14 Florida This week’s opponents was Arkansas on the road. The Gators gobbled up the Razorbacks 38-7.
13/14/8 Auburn The Tigers were tested by #19 Vanderbilt on the road. The Commodores eked out an upset by a score of 14-13.
14/12/11 Ohio State The Buckeyes played at the home of the #18 Wisconsin Badgers. Ohio State road on Beanie Wells’ feet and shoulders in edging the Badgers 20-17.
15/15/16 Utah The Utes hosted Oregon State on Thursday night. Utah escaped the Thursday night jinx—barely. They needed 11 points in the last two-plus minutes to remain undefeated (6-0 now) and beat Oregon State 31-28.
16/16/15 Kansas After a week off, the Jayhawks played at Iowa State (The Cyclones). Kansas spotted Iowa State 20 first half points and then scored 21 of their own in the third quarter to take the lead. They then outscored the Cyclones 14-13 in the fourth quarter to win 35-33.
17/18/17 Boise State hosted Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night. The Broncos won 38-3. On the blue rug, no one can beat them.
18/17/18 Wisconsin Losers to unranked Michigan last week, the Badgers had the biggest drop of the week—9 slots. They will fall further this week after losing to #14 Ohio State 20-17.
19/19/23 Vanderbilt The Commodores remain undefeated with a 14-13 upset of #13 Auburn.
20/24/19 Virginia Tech The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky travelled to Blacksburg Saturday. VT beat Western Kentucky 27-13.
21/22/NR Oklahoma State The Cowboys hosted the Aggies of Texas A&M. Oklahoma State roughed up the Aggies 56-28 and remain undefeated at 5-0.
22/21/22 Fresno State The Bulldogs faced the one team that may have more frequent flyer miles than they do: Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors went home to the islands with a victory but they had to go to overtime to down the Bulldogs, 32-29.
23/20/20 Oregon Oregon was ahead at the end of the 1st quarter 7-3 and held a 10-3 lead early in the 2nd. Unfortunately, that’s when #9 USC woke up. Mark Sanchez threw for 332 yards (out of the Trojans’ 598-yard offensive total and three touchdowns as he lead USC to a 44-10 victory.
24/23/21 Connecticut UConn was on the road to North Carolina on Saturday. UConn was forced to start a new quarterback and it cost them. They struggled to move the ball all night and North Carolina took advantage of a porous line during the punting formations (3 blocked punts by the same player? Named Bruce Carter) to win convincingly 38-12.
25/25/25 Wake Forest Idle.
NR/NR/24 Michigan State hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes this week with a chance to move up in the polls. The Spartans eked out a victory over the Hawkeyes 16-13.
A day in the woods...
I may not have had the luck to have a deer walk by me yesterday, but that doesn't mean it was an uneventful day in the tree stand.
As to be expected there were chipmunks and squirrels to watch but there were also lots and lots of birds.
The mixed winter flocks of Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were going about the business of searching every nook and cranny for insects and spiders and their eggs. Several times during the day they swept through the trees around me and stopped to inspect me as well. One lonely Yellow-rumped Warbler accompanied one group and a solitary Dark-eyed Junco came by as well. The Juncos are usually a low brush or ground group, but this guy was up at eye level to see what I was up to.
The Blue Jays also came to investigate, but they kept their distance whereas the Chickadees lit upon the branches right next to me and at an arms length. Every time the Jays started calling they got my attention. Sometimes they will call at anything that moves in the woods. In the past this has meant a fox, raccoon, or deer is on the move. Yesterday, whatever got them excited had business elsewhere and I saw nothing.
Overhead there were American Robins, Morning Doves, Crows and Ravens. From a short distance away but still out of sight, came the hammering and call of a Pileated Woodpecker. near the end of the day, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped in to do its own hunting along the power line and seemed either pleased with its catch or upset with my presence as it screeched off after making a dive into the ferns.
During the day, I was able to listen to folks on the ridge to my west felling trees for lumber, and down the hill to the north they were cutting firewood. A little further to the north, there's a guy who has a motorcross trail cut through the woods and he was out riding his bike for several hours. I hoped that all that noise might drive a deer or two to the relative quiet of my hillside perch but it didn't happen yesterday.
As evening approached there was a crash of a dead tree about a hundred yards from my stand. There was no wind so I've no idea what made the tree fall. But I was there to hear it. And it raised my level of alertness. I thought to myself that perhaps a bear was searching for ants or honey.
So, while my purpose for being in the woods--to kill a deer--was thwarted, it was not a complete waste of a day. It seldom is when there's so much to observe going on around you.
As to be expected there were chipmunks and squirrels to watch but there were also lots and lots of birds.
The mixed winter flocks of Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were going about the business of searching every nook and cranny for insects and spiders and their eggs. Several times during the day they swept through the trees around me and stopped to inspect me as well. One lonely Yellow-rumped Warbler accompanied one group and a solitary Dark-eyed Junco came by as well. The Juncos are usually a low brush or ground group, but this guy was up at eye level to see what I was up to.
The Blue Jays also came to investigate, but they kept their distance whereas the Chickadees lit upon the branches right next to me and at an arms length. Every time the Jays started calling they got my attention. Sometimes they will call at anything that moves in the woods. In the past this has meant a fox, raccoon, or deer is on the move. Yesterday, whatever got them excited had business elsewhere and I saw nothing.
Overhead there were American Robins, Morning Doves, Crows and Ravens. From a short distance away but still out of sight, came the hammering and call of a Pileated Woodpecker. near the end of the day, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped in to do its own hunting along the power line and seemed either pleased with its catch or upset with my presence as it screeched off after making a dive into the ferns.
During the day, I was able to listen to folks on the ridge to my west felling trees for lumber, and down the hill to the north they were cutting firewood. A little further to the north, there's a guy who has a motorcross trail cut through the woods and he was out riding his bike for several hours. I hoped that all that noise might drive a deer or two to the relative quiet of my hillside perch but it didn't happen yesterday.
As evening approached there was a crash of a dead tree about a hundred yards from my stand. There was no wind so I've no idea what made the tree fall. But I was there to hear it. And it raised my level of alertness. I thought to myself that perhaps a bear was searching for ants or honey.
So, while my purpose for being in the woods--to kill a deer--was thwarted, it was not a complete waste of a day. It seldom is when there's so much to observe going on around you.
Home canning.
Last weekend at this time, we were in the midst of canning 2+ bushels of plum tomatoes. The effort resulted in 28 quarts of tomato sauce as well as a batch of spaghetti sauce that we both used and froze for the future. All for the cost of the tomatoes (at $6 a bushel a real steal) and the time it took to process the jars and tomatoes.
The process is simple but time consuming. First is washing the tomatoes. A half bushel at a time, they went into the sink for a bath in cold water. Any bruised tomatoes had their bad spots removed and, along with dirt and stems, went into the bucket for the compost pile. Only a few were not salvageable.
Once cleaned, the tomatoes went into boiling water for a few minutes to be scalded until their skins cracked.
They were then scooped out of the hot water and run through the food mill. Ours is a simple affair with a screen on the bottom that allowed the pureed tomato goodness through while preventing the skins and seeds from passing into the sauce. The skins come out a separate shoot and are then run through the mill a second time to get all the good stuff out that we can.
Once the sauce has been collected, it's boiled down to reach the desired thickness and ladled into the quart jars. The jars were washed and then sterilized in a boiling water bath while the tomatoes were being processed.
When the jars are filled, they get lids held in place by rings and go back into the boiling water bath seven quarts at a time. Boiled for 15 minutes to sterilize the batch , they come out of the water to cool. As the jars cool they seal with a distinct "pop" and are ready to be stored for future use.
Essentially the same process is used for apples to make applesauce except that the apples are cored, sliced and cooked into a soft texture before being run through the mill. We put up over a dozen pints of excellent applesauce using this process earlier this fall from just half a bushel of Cortland apples.
Skins and cores all go into the compost pile where they make a fine, rich soil compost.
We've had the food mill for ages and spent only $25 for it back in the '70s. It has paid for itself many, many times over. Jars and rings can be used over and over again as long as hey aren't damaged so their cost depreciates with each season. Lids are good for one use only but cost only pennies apiece. Time and produce are the major investment. And the reward is having something without any additives and the satisfaction of being just a little more self reliant than the other guy.
The larder is now stocked with homemade tomato sauce, applesauce, and blueberry and blackberry jam. Plus there are zucchini breads stacked like cord wood in the freezer and several Tupperware containers of frozen shredded zucchini. And pumpkin bread and processed frozen pumpkin will soon be joining the zucchini.
Now if I could only find a deer or two for the freezer....
The process is simple but time consuming. First is washing the tomatoes. A half bushel at a time, they went into the sink for a bath in cold water. Any bruised tomatoes had their bad spots removed and, along with dirt and stems, went into the bucket for the compost pile. Only a few were not salvageable.
Once cleaned, the tomatoes went into boiling water for a few minutes to be scalded until their skins cracked.
They were then scooped out of the hot water and run through the food mill. Ours is a simple affair with a screen on the bottom that allowed the pureed tomato goodness through while preventing the skins and seeds from passing into the sauce. The skins come out a separate shoot and are then run through the mill a second time to get all the good stuff out that we can.
Once the sauce has been collected, it's boiled down to reach the desired thickness and ladled into the quart jars. The jars were washed and then sterilized in a boiling water bath while the tomatoes were being processed.
When the jars are filled, they get lids held in place by rings and go back into the boiling water bath seven quarts at a time. Boiled for 15 minutes to sterilize the batch , they come out of the water to cool. As the jars cool they seal with a distinct "pop" and are ready to be stored for future use.
Essentially the same process is used for apples to make applesauce except that the apples are cored, sliced and cooked into a soft texture before being run through the mill. We put up over a dozen pints of excellent applesauce using this process earlier this fall from just half a bushel of Cortland apples.
Skins and cores all go into the compost pile where they make a fine, rich soil compost.
We've had the food mill for ages and spent only $25 for it back in the '70s. It has paid for itself many, many times over. Jars and rings can be used over and over again as long as hey aren't damaged so their cost depreciates with each season. Lids are good for one use only but cost only pennies apiece. Time and produce are the major investment. And the reward is having something without any additives and the satisfaction of being just a little more self reliant than the other guy.
The larder is now stocked with homemade tomato sauce, applesauce, and blueberry and blackberry jam. Plus there are zucchini breads stacked like cord wood in the freezer and several Tupperware containers of frozen shredded zucchini. And pumpkin bread and processed frozen pumpkin will soon be joining the zucchini.
Now if I could only find a deer or two for the freezer....
The tide must be in this morning.
Actually it's just the early morning fog down in the valley.
Here's a veiw from the "lawn" of the Aerie to the west.
And here's another looking northwest to the gap through which Route 15 (soon--perhaps--to be Interstate 99) passes as it heads out of Mansfield and toward Corning, NY.
Heavy fog is common in the spring and fall as the cool air sinks into the valley and any moisture from the several rivers, streams and impoundments condenses. One of the advantages of living at an elevation of 2100 feet is that the coldest air moves down the hill to the valleys. We get fogs only when the cloud ceiling is really, really low. At those times, the valley is getting rain while we can look at the rain drops forming. That doesn't happen too often, however.
One of the disadvantages of living at 2100 feet is the air is constantly moving. It's either going down hill as it cools or uphill as it warms. There's only an hour or so when the tide shifts that things are very, very still. That's why, I suppose, there's a wind farm being constructed atop Armenia Mountain. We will have some 75+ wind turbines along the ridge above and to the east of the Aerie turning that air movement into electricity. At community meetings last year, they were said to be ready to erect the wind turbines this summer--didn't happen. There are delays due to added restrictions and requirements requested by folks concerned about the birds, the view and the forest. So much for demands for alternative electrical production.
Here's a veiw from the "lawn" of the Aerie to the west.
And here's another looking northwest to the gap through which Route 15 (soon--perhaps--to be Interstate 99) passes as it heads out of Mansfield and toward Corning, NY.
Heavy fog is common in the spring and fall as the cool air sinks into the valley and any moisture from the several rivers, streams and impoundments condenses. One of the advantages of living at an elevation of 2100 feet is that the coldest air moves down the hill to the valleys. We get fogs only when the cloud ceiling is really, really low. At those times, the valley is getting rain while we can look at the rain drops forming. That doesn't happen too often, however.
One of the disadvantages of living at 2100 feet is the air is constantly moving. It's either going down hill as it cools or uphill as it warms. There's only an hour or so when the tide shifts that things are very, very still. That's why, I suppose, there's a wind farm being constructed atop Armenia Mountain. We will have some 75+ wind turbines along the ridge above and to the east of the Aerie turning that air movement into electricity. At community meetings last year, they were said to be ready to erect the wind turbines this summer--didn't happen. There are delays due to added restrictions and requirements requested by folks concerned about the birds, the view and the forest. So much for demands for alternative electrical production.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Weigh in Saturday (4)
Before I went out this morning to sit in my tree stand for 12 hours waiting for a deer that never showed up, I stepped on the scale and it said the same thing as the last two weeks. Three weeks in a row now my weight has been stuck on 217. Zero loss but also zero gain. I blame the ice cream jones I'm carrying.
Friday, October 03, 2008
PA Bow Hunting Season Begins
I went out this afternoon when the wind and sun finally had an hour or two to dry out the brush and hung my tree stand up in a pine in the back of the Aerie's woods. It took me awhile to wrestle it into the tree, but I got 'er done.
There's a crossroads of sorts about 15 yards away and both trails leading to that intersection are within easy reach of my bow. During the summer I had a game camera stationed here and had several legal bucks (at least three one-inch points on one side) and several does trip the camera. Their movement has not been confined to the middle of the night either. While much of the activity has been between 10 PM and 3 AM, there have been visits between 7 AM and 7 PM as well. All I ask is for one of them to come wandering by between 6:38 AM and 7:15 PM. (Those are the legal hours tomorrow, if I'm reading the table correctly.) Doesn't matter to me if it's a buck or doe since I've got an antlerless tag to fill.
Fresh venison liver or tenderloin would be good for dinner tomorrow or Sunday.
There's a crossroads of sorts about 15 yards away and both trails leading to that intersection are within easy reach of my bow. During the summer I had a game camera stationed here and had several legal bucks (at least three one-inch points on one side) and several does trip the camera. Their movement has not been confined to the middle of the night either. While much of the activity has been between 10 PM and 3 AM, there have been visits between 7 AM and 7 PM as well. All I ask is for one of them to come wandering by between 6:38 AM and 7:15 PM. (Those are the legal hours tomorrow, if I'm reading the table correctly.) Doesn't matter to me if it's a buck or doe since I've got an antlerless tag to fill.
Fresh venison liver or tenderloin would be good for dinner tomorrow or Sunday.
What the F?
Any one who has sat with me during a freakin' Mets' game or a Rutgers' failure lately might be surprised by this:
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Obviously, 32 years of teaching high school and middle school have caused me to be careful in what words I use. I must look for ways in which to expand my vocabulary.
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Obviously, 32 years of teaching high school and middle school have caused me to be careful in what words I use. I must look for ways in which to expand my vocabulary.
Words of caution...
...via email from my younger sister comes this cautionary tale:
John's Egg Business
John was in the fertilized egg business.
He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.
He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.
This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.
Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.
Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.
John's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all!
When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, could run for cover.
To John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.
He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.
The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.
Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making.
Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.
Vote carefully this year, the bells are not always audible.
John's Egg Business
John was in the fertilized egg business.
He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.
He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.
This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.
Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.
Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.
John's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all!
When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, could run for cover.
To John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.
He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.
The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.
Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making.
Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.
Vote carefully this year, the bells are not always audible.
What was the cause of the credit crash?
Sub-prime mortgages to people who shouldn't have had them. (This was also a huge mover in the housing bubble--both it's inflation of home prices and their current crash.)
Why were they offered mortgages?
Who wanted to reign in the program? And who didn't.
If you read the current papers and listen to the current Democratic leadership...you are hearing the wrong answers repeated over and over again.
Snopes.com, however has reported on two emails going around that expose the truth.
Read the whole thing to get the facts.
The Community Reinvestment Act (passed by a Democrat controlled House and Senate and signed by President Carter and later expanded by a Democrat controlled House and Senate and signed by President Clinton) paved the way for risky loans to those who might not be able to repay them. Even punishing lending institutions if they did not comply.
It was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 1999 that wanted more lending. (The head's of those agencies cooked the books to award themselves huge bonuses. And are currently advising the Obama campaign on financial matters.)
It was the Bush administration that wanted to install more regulation of the two because of the shaken ground upon which they were built. It was Democrats in the House and Senate that swore that things were fine and no added regulation was needed in 2003. These same Democrats (specifically Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd) had pocketed tens of thousands in campaign contributions from the two agencies and were given sweetheart mortgage deals from affiliated lenders. It was Sen. Barack Obama who pocketed more money than any other Senator or Representative when calculated as dollars per years in office.
Pass this along.
UPDATE: The newest GOP ad: "What Just Happened?"
Why were they offered mortgages?
Who wanted to reign in the program? And who didn't.
If you read the current papers and listen to the current Democratic leadership...you are hearing the wrong answers repeated over and over again.
Snopes.com, however has reported on two emails going around that expose the truth.
Read the whole thing to get the facts.
The Community Reinvestment Act (passed by a Democrat controlled House and Senate and signed by President Carter and later expanded by a Democrat controlled House and Senate and signed by President Clinton) paved the way for risky loans to those who might not be able to repay them. Even punishing lending institutions if they did not comply.
It was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 1999 that wanted more lending. (The head's of those agencies cooked the books to award themselves huge bonuses. And are currently advising the Obama campaign on financial matters.)
It was the Bush administration that wanted to install more regulation of the two because of the shaken ground upon which they were built. It was Democrats in the House and Senate that swore that things were fine and no added regulation was needed in 2003. These same Democrats (specifically Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd) had pocketed tens of thousands in campaign contributions from the two agencies and were given sweetheart mortgage deals from affiliated lenders. It was Sen. Barack Obama who pocketed more money than any other Senator or Representative when calculated as dollars per years in office.
Pass this along.
UPDATE: The newest GOP ad: "What Just Happened?"
What the hey?
What the heck is that big glowing ball up in the sky? The sun?!
You don't say!
We haven't seen that very much during the past week or so. It's still breezy and quite chilly, however.
PA's bow season for deer starts tomorrow. The overnight low is supposed to be into the 30s and the daytime high in the upper 50s. I'll have to bundle up and be prepared for that low temperature that seems to hit just as the sun is rising. (At least it's supposed to rise tomorrow.) No rain in the forecast either, which is a plus.
You don't say!
We haven't seen that very much during the past week or so. It's still breezy and quite chilly, however.
PA's bow season for deer starts tomorrow. The overnight low is supposed to be into the 30s and the daytime high in the upper 50s. I'll have to bundle up and be prepared for that low temperature that seems to hit just as the sun is rising. (At least it's supposed to rise tomorrow.) No rain in the forecast either, which is a plus.
Just askin'...
Do you think ESPN will be able to lure many top ranked teams to play on Thursday nights next year?
We had all those #2s upset last fall and then this year #1 USC fell to Oregon State last week and last night #10 Southern Florida lost to Pittsburgh (USF was #2 when Rutgers knocked them off last year--on Thursday night) and #15 Utah needed a last second field goal topping an 11 point comeback with just over two minutes to play in order to emerge with a 31-28 win over Oregon State. (OS might move all it's games to Thursday night.)
We had all those #2s upset last fall and then this year #1 USC fell to Oregon State last week and last night #10 Southern Florida lost to Pittsburgh (USF was #2 when Rutgers knocked them off last year--on Thursday night) and #15 Utah needed a last second field goal topping an 11 point comeback with just over two minutes to play in order to emerge with a 31-28 win over Oregon State. (OS might move all it's games to Thursday night.)
Raw fall days at the Aerie
Yesterday's high temperature here at the Aerie was a mere 51 degrees and it was overcast, breezy and drizzly much of the day. This morning has started out with more of the same.
I turned the heat on yesterday for the first time this season and we've kept all the windows closed. Inside it's been right around the 65 degree mark which is where we like to keep things during the winter. It's actually quite comfortable at that temperature as long as we shift to the long sleeve shirts. The radiant floor heat seems very comfortable at the low setting. It's the damp that makes things a bit raw. If things don't warm up and dry out between now and 2 PM, I'll be seriously considering lighting a fire to farm the house.
The propane company came by the beginning of September but after checking the level in our tank made no delivery. The gauge read almost 70% full at the time. The last delivery was in April and since then we've only been using our gas for hot water (and on-demand system) and cooking. Using the grill outside and its 20 lb. tank (had to refill that just once this summer) for many of our meals has even reduced our use of the house supply further. I'm not looking forward to the first fill-up and the bill.
I turned the heat on yesterday for the first time this season and we've kept all the windows closed. Inside it's been right around the 65 degree mark which is where we like to keep things during the winter. It's actually quite comfortable at that temperature as long as we shift to the long sleeve shirts. The radiant floor heat seems very comfortable at the low setting. It's the damp that makes things a bit raw. If things don't warm up and dry out between now and 2 PM, I'll be seriously considering lighting a fire to farm the house.
The propane company came by the beginning of September but after checking the level in our tank made no delivery. The gauge read almost 70% full at the time. The last delivery was in April and since then we've only been using our gas for hot water (and on-demand system) and cooking. Using the grill outside and its 20 lb. tank (had to refill that just once this summer) for many of our meals has even reduced our use of the house supply further. I'm not looking forward to the first fill-up and the bill.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Stormy weather...
October is starting out just like September. It rained overnight--again--and the weather forecast is for 60% rain today and 50% chance both tonight and tomorrow. The breeze is light but some of the leaves that have changed are being beaten to the ground by the rain. Temperatures have been a bit below the averages. It never rose above 62 degrees yesterday and that was only during the brief--as in one hour--that the sun snuck out from behind the clouds. Overnight it dropped to 48 degrees.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
From the AP
One-in-four chance McCain may not survive 2nd term
Except, he's still running for the first term, assholes.
Freakin' ageists! That's what they are.
FYI: We elect for four years at a time, in case you hadn't read any US history books lately.
No need to ask whom they would prefer. Their bias is clearly showing.
Except, he's still running for the first term, assholes.
Freakin' ageists! That's what they are.
FYI: We elect for four years at a time, in case you hadn't read any US history books lately.
No need to ask whom they would prefer. Their bias is clearly showing.
You may have noticed…
…that I've been posting quite a bit about college football lately and almost nothing about the follies going on in Washington. I know little about economics and have no idea how this "bailout" thing will work.
From what I've been reading, however, it seems that government intervention in the credit market—telling the banks they had to lend money to folks who were very likely not able to repay it—caused both the housing bubble and then it's inevitable collapse. It also seems that those easy credit demands came from the democratic side of the aisle. Further, when trouble was seen to be appearing on the horizon, the Republican President and some Senators made attempts to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac only to be thwarted by the Democrats. Perhaps the Republicans should have pushed harder while they had control of Congress, but it was primarily Democrats stepping forward to tut-tut any need for reining in the loose credit.
Finally, when a "bailout" plan has been hammered out by a bipartisan group and touted by one and all as a "crap sandwich", it behooves the leaders on both sides of the aisle to keep a poker face until the damn thing is passed if they feel it is really and truly necessary. That Speaker Nancy Pelosi should make such an outrageous, confrontational speech on the floor prior to the vote when she needs all the votes she can get to have the bastard of a bailout passed while the financial markets are waiting on the window ledges …. To learn afterward that she could not move herself to ensure there were 12-13 more "yeas" from her own party when 15 of the 34 Democratic congressmen from California voted "no" and many in the Black Caucus from very safe democratic districts voted "no" …. And that she had basically given permission to members of her party to vote "no"…. And afterward to blame the Republicans when 95 Democrats voted "no"…. It simply boggles the mind.
(By the way, that was a terrible phrase to hang on the plan if they wanted to sell it to the public. Something like "Rescue" would have been much more appropriate. And that $700 Billion figure they pulled out of their asses? Oh, it got people's attention all right. But I don't think it got the kind of attention they (Pres. Bush and Paulson) wanted.)
Pre Week 6 College Football Report
The only thing displaying more volatility this week than the College Football Polls were Wall Street and Congress. With so many of the Top 25 taking it on the chin, there was movement up and down in abundance. It was a good week not to play as every team that had a bye moved up at least 2 slots. Only one team (Ohio State) is in the same place as it was last week. Several new teams appear at the bottom and four teams are off the radar—for now.
The week’s schedule is also sort of strange. There’s at least one game every night starting tonight when Florida Atlantic travels to Middle Tennessee. Both teams are 1-3 so you better be a True Fan of the teams or the game to bother tuning in. Wednesday night is a little better with Louisiana Tech visiting #17 Boise State. Then Thursday we have three games: Pittsburgh at #10 South Florida, Oregon State at #15 Utah and Memphis at UAB. Friday night it’s Cincinnati at Marshall, and #8 BYU at Utah State.
Let’s take a look at the rankings and opponents for Week 6. (Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 6. The pre-Week 5 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 Oklahoma (2/2/2) The Sooners move up to #1 by virtue of their win over TCU and the collapse of Southern Cal. This week they face the Baylor bears on the road.
2/4/2 Alabama (8/10/9) The Crimson Tide makes a six slot jump after defeating Georgia. The Tide hosts the 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.
3/2/3 LSU (5/6/5) With three of the top four losing last week, the Tigers slide into the #3 slot. LSU has the week off.
4/3/4 Missouri (6/5/6) Missouri didn’t play and still moves up thanks to the upsets. The Tigers are back in action and on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
5/5/5 Texas (7/7/7) The Longhorns whupped the Razorbacks of Arkansas and move up. Texas is on the road against Colorado.
6/6/7 Penn State (12/12/16) The Nittany Lions beat up on Illinois to jump six spots in the polls. PSU is on the road against the Boilermakers of Perdue.
7/8/9 Texas Tech (10/9/11) The Red Raiders were idle but they still move up 3 places. They are on the road this week against the Kansas State Wildcats.
8/7/6 Brigham Young (11/11/10) Ditto for the Cougars. A 3 place jump while watching TV. BYU is on the road against the Utah State Aggies on Friday night.
9/9/10 Southern California (1/1/1) The mighty have fallen…but they won’t stay here long. Will they? The Trojans host #23 Oregon on Saturday.
10/10T/12 South Florida (13/14/15) The SFU Bulls beat NC State on the road and move up a couple of slots. The Bulls host the Pitt Panthers on Thursday night.
11/10T/13 Georgia (3/3/3) Another team that saw its stock drop thanks to a defeat. (At least this was to a ranked Alabama team. So why the big drop of 8 places?) Time to lick their wounds as the Bulldogs are idle this week.
12/13/14 Florida (4/4/4) The Gators drop 8 places, too. But their defeat was to unranked Ole Miss—at home—which more than warrants such a fall. This week’s opponents are the Razorbacks of Arkansas on the road.
13/14/8 Auburn (15/16/12) The Tigers barely beat Tennessee by 2 points so they move up 2 slots. This week they will be tested by #19 Vanderbilt on the road.
14/12/11 Ohio State (14/13/13) The Buckeyes beat Minnesota but didn’t seem to impress many folks on the judging panel with their style. They are the only team in the same slot as last week. This week they play at the home of the #18 Wisconsin Badgers.
15/15/16 Utah (17/17/18) Another team to take advantage of the weird week. Though idle, Utah moves up 2 slots. The Utes host Oregon State on Thursday night.
16/16/15 Kansas (18/18/17) The Jayhawks, too, were beneficiaries of the changing market and moved up though having the week off. The Jayhawks play at Kansas State (The Cyclones).
17/18/17 Boise State (19/20/19) Ditto for the Broncos—up 2 despite (because of?) not playing. This week they host Louisiana Tech. On Wednesday night.
18/17/18 Wisconsin (9/8/8) Losers to unranked Michigan, the Badgers had the biggest drop of the week—9 slots. It won’t be any easier for the Badgers this week as they host #14 Ohio State.
19/19/23 Vanderbilt (21/25/25) The Commodores didn’t play, so of course they moved up 2 slots. It’s a big game for Vandy as they host #13 Auburn.
20/24/19 Virginia Tech (NR/NR/22) The Hokies beat Nebraska on the road to regain some lost respect. They are up on everyone’s list this week. The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky come to town Saturday.
21/22/NR Oklahoma State (NR/NR/NR) Who? Oh, the Cowboys! Everybody loves cowboys. Unless they play in the NFL. The Cowboys host the Aggies of Texas A&M.
22/21/22 Fresno State (25/24/24) The Bulldogs beat up on UCLA to earn a raise this week. They are up 3 slots. The Bulldogs face the one team that may have more frequent flyer miles than they do when Hawaii comes to town.
23/20/20 Oregon (NR/22/NR) The Ducks beat up on Washington State 63-14. But then again, everyone seems to do that. Still, it earned them a jump in the polls. They may not last long unless they can topple #9 USC in Los Angeles.
24/23/21 Connecticut (NR/NR/NR) The Huskies beat Louisville 26-21 to improve their record to 5-0 and earn a slot in the Top 25. UConn is on the road to North Carolina on Saturday.
25/25/25 Wake Forest (16/15/14) Another team to take a hit as the Deacons weren’t so Demon-ish in losing to Navy 24-17. They have the week off to ponder their poor play.
NR/NR/24 Michigan State (NR/NR/NR) At 4-1 the Spartans are tied with Ohio St. for the second best record in the Big Ten, behind the 5-0 record of Penn State and Northwestern?! All are 1-0 in conference. They host the Iowa Hawkeyes this week with a chance to move up in the polls.
Gone from this week’s list are Clemson (20/19/21), Illinois (22/21/23), East Carolina (23/NR/20), and TCU (24/23/NR).
The week’s schedule is also sort of strange. There’s at least one game every night starting tonight when Florida Atlantic travels to Middle Tennessee. Both teams are 1-3 so you better be a True Fan of the teams or the game to bother tuning in. Wednesday night is a little better with Louisiana Tech visiting #17 Boise State. Then Thursday we have three games: Pittsburgh at #10 South Florida, Oregon State at #15 Utah and Memphis at UAB. Friday night it’s Cincinnati at Marshall, and #8 BYU at Utah State.
Let’s take a look at the rankings and opponents for Week 6. (Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 6. The pre-Week 5 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 Oklahoma (2/2/2) The Sooners move up to #1 by virtue of their win over TCU and the collapse of Southern Cal. This week they face the Baylor bears on the road.
2/4/2 Alabama (8/10/9) The Crimson Tide makes a six slot jump after defeating Georgia. The Tide hosts the 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.
3/2/3 LSU (5/6/5) With three of the top four losing last week, the Tigers slide into the #3 slot. LSU has the week off.
4/3/4 Missouri (6/5/6) Missouri didn’t play and still moves up thanks to the upsets. The Tigers are back in action and on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
5/5/5 Texas (7/7/7) The Longhorns whupped the Razorbacks of Arkansas and move up. Texas is on the road against Colorado.
6/6/7 Penn State (12/12/16) The Nittany Lions beat up on Illinois to jump six spots in the polls. PSU is on the road against the Boilermakers of Perdue.
7/8/9 Texas Tech (10/9/11) The Red Raiders were idle but they still move up 3 places. They are on the road this week against the Kansas State Wildcats.
8/7/6 Brigham Young (11/11/10) Ditto for the Cougars. A 3 place jump while watching TV. BYU is on the road against the Utah State Aggies on Friday night.
9/9/10 Southern California (1/1/1) The mighty have fallen…but they won’t stay here long. Will they? The Trojans host #23 Oregon on Saturday.
10/10T/12 South Florida (13/14/15) The SFU Bulls beat NC State on the road and move up a couple of slots. The Bulls host the Pitt Panthers on Thursday night.
11/10T/13 Georgia (3/3/3) Another team that saw its stock drop thanks to a defeat. (At least this was to a ranked Alabama team. So why the big drop of 8 places?) Time to lick their wounds as the Bulldogs are idle this week.
12/13/14 Florida (4/4/4) The Gators drop 8 places, too. But their defeat was to unranked Ole Miss—at home—which more than warrants such a fall. This week’s opponents are the Razorbacks of Arkansas on the road.
13/14/8 Auburn (15/16/12) The Tigers barely beat Tennessee by 2 points so they move up 2 slots. This week they will be tested by #19 Vanderbilt on the road.
14/12/11 Ohio State (14/13/13) The Buckeyes beat Minnesota but didn’t seem to impress many folks on the judging panel with their style. They are the only team in the same slot as last week. This week they play at the home of the #18 Wisconsin Badgers.
15/15/16 Utah (17/17/18) Another team to take advantage of the weird week. Though idle, Utah moves up 2 slots. The Utes host Oregon State on Thursday night.
16/16/15 Kansas (18/18/17) The Jayhawks, too, were beneficiaries of the changing market and moved up though having the week off. The Jayhawks play at Kansas State (The Cyclones).
17/18/17 Boise State (19/20/19) Ditto for the Broncos—up 2 despite (because of?) not playing. This week they host Louisiana Tech. On Wednesday night.
18/17/18 Wisconsin (9/8/8) Losers to unranked Michigan, the Badgers had the biggest drop of the week—9 slots. It won’t be any easier for the Badgers this week as they host #14 Ohio State.
19/19/23 Vanderbilt (21/25/25) The Commodores didn’t play, so of course they moved up 2 slots. It’s a big game for Vandy as they host #13 Auburn.
20/24/19 Virginia Tech (NR/NR/22) The Hokies beat Nebraska on the road to regain some lost respect. They are up on everyone’s list this week. The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky come to town Saturday.
21/22/NR Oklahoma State (NR/NR/NR) Who? Oh, the Cowboys! Everybody loves cowboys. Unless they play in the NFL. The Cowboys host the Aggies of Texas A&M.
22/21/22 Fresno State (25/24/24) The Bulldogs beat up on UCLA to earn a raise this week. They are up 3 slots. The Bulldogs face the one team that may have more frequent flyer miles than they do when Hawaii comes to town.
23/20/20 Oregon (NR/22/NR) The Ducks beat up on Washington State 63-14. But then again, everyone seems to do that. Still, it earned them a jump in the polls. They may not last long unless they can topple #9 USC in Los Angeles.
24/23/21 Connecticut (NR/NR/NR) The Huskies beat Louisville 26-21 to improve their record to 5-0 and earn a slot in the Top 25. UConn is on the road to North Carolina on Saturday.
25/25/25 Wake Forest (16/15/14) Another team to take a hit as the Deacons weren’t so Demon-ish in losing to Navy 24-17. They have the week off to ponder their poor play.
NR/NR/24 Michigan State (NR/NR/NR) At 4-1 the Spartans are tied with Ohio St. for the second best record in the Big Ten, behind the 5-0 record of Penn State and Northwestern?! All are 1-0 in conference. They host the Iowa Hawkeyes this week with a chance to move up in the polls.
Gone from this week’s list are Clemson (20/19/21), Illinois (22/21/23), East Carolina (23/NR/20), and TCU (24/23/NR).
Monday, September 29, 2008
Yet more rain at the Aerie
We woke up this morning to the sound of still more rain falling here at the Aerie (soon to be renamed Mount Ararat).
It stopped long enough for me to go out and burn some garbage mail and the cardboard boxes the tomatoes came in, bury the tomato skins in the compost pile and get a reading from the rain gauge. The gauge read a tad over 2 inches (2.05" to be precise). Add the 1.63" from last week and the rain from earlier in the month and we have had well over four inches for the month.
Ouch!
It stopped long enough for me to go out and burn some garbage mail and the cardboard boxes the tomatoes came in, bury the tomato skins in the compost pile and get a reading from the rain gauge. The gauge read a tad over 2 inches (2.05" to be precise). Add the 1.63" from last week and the rain from earlier in the month and we have had well over four inches for the month.
Ouch!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Jets 56, Arizona Cardinals 35
Brett Favre threw for 6 (!) touchdowns this afternoon. That's a personal best and ties some guy named Namath for the Jets best.
The Jets scored 34 points in the second quarter. That's a team record.
Laveranues Coles caught three (3) TD passes in that second quarter. That too is a personal best.
The Jets are 2-2 and going into their bye-week. More importantly, Favre and the rest of the team looked to be on the same page today.
The Jets scored 34 points in the second quarter. That's a team record.
Laveranues Coles caught three (3) TD passes in that second quarter. That too is a personal best.
The Jets are 2-2 and going into their bye-week. More importantly, Favre and the rest of the team looked to be on the same page today.
Week 5
The Upsets Return
Week 5 brought back memories of the 2007 season in which we seemed to see the #1 or #2 team getting beaten each week. Four of the Top 10 teams fell There could have been more but two were idle and one was playing (and beat) a higher ranked team (see #2 Georgia vs. #8 Alabama).
I opened last week’s listing of matchups with this line: “With many of the larger conferences getting into their conference schedule, the time is ripe for some upsets to begin appearing in the Sunday papers’ scoreboards.” Whoo-boy-howdy! Was it ever a week for upsets! Because of bye weeks (6) only 19 of the Top 25 played this week. Seven (7) of them lost to unranked or lower ranked teams. Three games matched two Top 25 teams against one another. (One resulted in an upset while the other two had the higher ranking team win.)
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 5. Rankings are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com in that order. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/1 Southern California The Trojans traveled up the coast to Corvallis, OR to play at Oregon State Thursday night and for the second time three years, they lost to the Beavers. The final was 27-21.
2/2/2 Oklahoma The Sooners hosted the Horned Frogs of #24 TCU. They beat them up 35-10.
3/3/3 Georgia The Bulldogs hosted the #8 Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday night. All the Georgia fans wore black. At the end of the game it was for mourning as the Tide rolled all over the Bulldogs by a score of 41-30. Believe me, it was not that close.
4/4/4 Florida The Gators hosted Ole Miss Saturday afternoon. By virtue of a blocked extra point, the Gators lost 31-30.
5/6/5 LSU The LSU Tigers hosted Mississippi State and won 34-24.
6/5/6 Missouri The Missouri Tigers (4-0) have the weekend off.
7/7/7 Texas The Longhorns played host to Arkansas Razorbacks. The Longhorns proved too much for Arkansas and came away 52-10 victors.
8/10/9 Alabama The Tide went down to #3 Georgia . They went home with a win (41-30).
9/8/8 Wisconsin The Badgers were on the road to play Michigan. They went home unhappy as they got beat 27-25.
10/9/11 Texas Tech The Red Raiders (4-0) had the weekend to relax.
11/11/10 Brigham Young The 4-0 Cougars had the weekend off.
12/12/16 Penn State The Nittany Lions played host to #22 Illinois. The Illini did not find Happy Valley so happy as they were beat by PSU 38-24.
13/14/15 South Florida The Bulls traveled up the coast to NC State where they improved to 5-0 with a 26-13 victory over NCSU.
14/13/13 Ohio State The Buckeyes hosted the undefeated Minnesota Gophers. (And doesn’t that sound weird!) OSU skinned ‘em 34-21. Now both teams are 4-1.
15/16/12 Auburn The Auburn Tigers hosted Tennessee. The Tigers beat the Volunteers 14-12.
16/15/14 Wake Forest The Demon Deacons hosted Navy. The Midshipmen were not intimidated and came away with the upset win 24-17.
17/17/18 Utah The Utes hosted Weber State this weekend. Utah won 37-21.
18/18/17 Kansas They Jayhawks (3-1) enjoyed an idle weekend.
19/20/19 Boise State The Broncos (3-0) had the weekend off.
20/19/21 Clemson The Tigers hosted Maryland. The Terps pulled off the upset 2017.
21/25/25 Vanderbilt The 4-0 Commodores had the week off.
22/21/23 Illinois The Illini travelled to Happy Valley to play #12 Penn State. It was rainy and sad. PSU won 38-24.
23/NR/20 East Carolina The Pirates hosted Houston and proved much to kind to the Cougars who went back to Texas with a 41-24 win.
24/23/NR TCU The Horned Frogs travelled to #2 Oklahoma. The Sooners won 35-10.
25/24/24 Fresno State The Bulldogs made a short hop over to LA to face UCLA. The Bulldogs beat the Bruins 36-31.
NR/22/NR Oregon The Ducks travelled to Pullman, WA to face Washington State. Wazzu proved to be no competition as the Ducks won 63-14.
NR/NR/22 Virginia Tech The Hokies travel west to square off against Nebraska. VT won by a score of 35-30.
I opened last week’s listing of matchups with this line: “With many of the larger conferences getting into their conference schedule, the time is ripe for some upsets to begin appearing in the Sunday papers’ scoreboards.” Whoo-boy-howdy! Was it ever a week for upsets! Because of bye weeks (6) only 19 of the Top 25 played this week. Seven (7) of them lost to unranked or lower ranked teams. Three games matched two Top 25 teams against one another. (One resulted in an upset while the other two had the higher ranking team win.)
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 5. Rankings are from the AP Writers’ Poll/the Coaches Poll/CBSSports.com in that order. NR= Not Ranked)
1/1/1 Southern California The Trojans traveled up the coast to Corvallis, OR to play at Oregon State Thursday night and for the second time three years, they lost to the Beavers. The final was 27-21.
2/2/2 Oklahoma The Sooners hosted the Horned Frogs of #24 TCU. They beat them up 35-10.
3/3/3 Georgia The Bulldogs hosted the #8 Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday night. All the Georgia fans wore black. At the end of the game it was for mourning as the Tide rolled all over the Bulldogs by a score of 41-30. Believe me, it was not that close.
4/4/4 Florida The Gators hosted Ole Miss Saturday afternoon. By virtue of a blocked extra point, the Gators lost 31-30.
5/6/5 LSU The LSU Tigers hosted Mississippi State and won 34-24.
6/5/6 Missouri The Missouri Tigers (4-0) have the weekend off.
7/7/7 Texas The Longhorns played host to Arkansas Razorbacks. The Longhorns proved too much for Arkansas and came away 52-10 victors.
8/10/9 Alabama The Tide went down to #3 Georgia . They went home with a win (41-30).
9/8/8 Wisconsin The Badgers were on the road to play Michigan. They went home unhappy as they got beat 27-25.
10/9/11 Texas Tech The Red Raiders (4-0) had the weekend to relax.
11/11/10 Brigham Young The 4-0 Cougars had the weekend off.
12/12/16 Penn State The Nittany Lions played host to #22 Illinois. The Illini did not find Happy Valley so happy as they were beat by PSU 38-24.
13/14/15 South Florida The Bulls traveled up the coast to NC State where they improved to 5-0 with a 26-13 victory over NCSU.
14/13/13 Ohio State The Buckeyes hosted the undefeated Minnesota Gophers. (And doesn’t that sound weird!) OSU skinned ‘em 34-21. Now both teams are 4-1.
15/16/12 Auburn The Auburn Tigers hosted Tennessee. The Tigers beat the Volunteers 14-12.
16/15/14 Wake Forest The Demon Deacons hosted Navy. The Midshipmen were not intimidated and came away with the upset win 24-17.
17/17/18 Utah The Utes hosted Weber State this weekend. Utah won 37-21.
18/18/17 Kansas They Jayhawks (3-1) enjoyed an idle weekend.
19/20/19 Boise State The Broncos (3-0) had the weekend off.
20/19/21 Clemson The Tigers hosted Maryland. The Terps pulled off the upset 2017.
21/25/25 Vanderbilt The 4-0 Commodores had the week off.
22/21/23 Illinois The Illini travelled to Happy Valley to play #12 Penn State. It was rainy and sad. PSU won 38-24.
23/NR/20 East Carolina The Pirates hosted Houston and proved much to kind to the Cougars who went back to Texas with a 41-24 win.
24/23/NR TCU The Horned Frogs travelled to #2 Oklahoma. The Sooners won 35-10.
25/24/24 Fresno State The Bulldogs made a short hop over to LA to face UCLA. The Bulldogs beat the Bruins 36-31.
NR/22/NR Oregon The Ducks travelled to Pullman, WA to face Washington State. Wazzu proved to be no competition as the Ducks won 63-14.
NR/NR/22 Virginia Tech The Hokies travel west to square off against Nebraska. VT won by a score of 35-30.
The Mets are toast.
Well, the Mets' season is over. They lost to the Fish 4-2 today while Milwaukee beat the Cubs 3-1.
Time for the front office to start putting together a plan for one hell of a lot better bullpen.
Congratulations to Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado for they're great offensive seasons. (Although it would have helped more if Reyes and Delgado had started having that good year in April instead of May or June.)
Time for the front office to start putting together a plan for one hell of a lot better bullpen.
Congratulations to Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado for they're great offensive seasons. (Although it would have helped more if Reyes and Delgado had started having that good year in April instead of May or June.)
More rain
It's a dreary morning here at the Aerie. It started raining again during the night and we woke to pretty heavy rain this morning with lots and lots of fog. There's little breeze to go with the rain and in checking the weather.com radar maps it seems as though the system is centered right over us. The clouds and rain are swirling counter-clockwise with Mansfield/Elmira as the center. The forecast calls for rain all morning with a chance of thunderstorms and accumulations from this bout running up to one inch or more.
I know we need the rain, but damn! There is such a thing as too much.
I know we need the rain, but damn! There is such a thing as too much.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Weigh in Saturday (3)
Still kinda blah.
I didn't lose and I didn't gain anything over last week. The scale still read 217 pounds.
I'm going to blame that on lack of exercise. Again. I really need to get off my butt and start a regular activity program to burn off the calories.
I didn't lose and I didn't gain anything over last week. The scale still read 217 pounds.
I'm going to blame that on lack of exercise. Again. I really need to get off my butt and start a regular activity program to burn off the calories.
Rain on 1890s Weekend
We got over an inch and a half of rain last week but could always use more...just not this particular weekend.
This weekend is the Fabulous 1890s Weekend in Mansfield. The town and University is celebrating the first night football game ever played. All kinds of activities were planned for yesterday and today so of course it rained.
There was to be a pep rally, bonfire and fireworks as well as a street fair last evening. Today the street fair continues and the University is making its debut in Sprint Football (players must be under 172 pounds) against Cornell. (The school dropped regular football after the 2006 season. Too costly and they were not terribly competitive. That is, they got their butt kicked on a regular basis.)
This evening is a reenactment of the first night game. The story is that they didn't even know it was the first when it occurred. There was a fair and the new fangled electric lights were on display so a bunch of college kids decided to showcase their new sport--football--by playing a game under the lights.
Now there's no doubting that we could use the rain and there were probably folks who have been hoping for rain, but just like any woman, Mother Nature works in some mighty mysterious ways. She has delivered the rain at a most inopportune time. A couple of days earlier or later would have been fine.
UPDATE: The may have lucked out a bit down in the valley. The rain showers stopped up here around noon and the sun even peeked between the clouds for a bit. Still, that's no guarantee that it's not pouring down at the University. When we go 1.6 inches of rain last week, the folks on the other side of Mansfield (just 8 miles away as the crow flies) got nothing at all.
This weekend is the Fabulous 1890s Weekend in Mansfield. The town and University is celebrating the first night football game ever played. All kinds of activities were planned for yesterday and today so of course it rained.
There was to be a pep rally, bonfire and fireworks as well as a street fair last evening. Today the street fair continues and the University is making its debut in Sprint Football (players must be under 172 pounds) against Cornell. (The school dropped regular football after the 2006 season. Too costly and they were not terribly competitive. That is, they got their butt kicked on a regular basis.)
This evening is a reenactment of the first night game. The story is that they didn't even know it was the first when it occurred. There was a fair and the new fangled electric lights were on display so a bunch of college kids decided to showcase their new sport--football--by playing a game under the lights.
Now there's no doubting that we could use the rain and there were probably folks who have been hoping for rain, but just like any woman, Mother Nature works in some mighty mysterious ways. She has delivered the rain at a most inopportune time. A couple of days earlier or later would have been fine.
UPDATE: The may have lucked out a bit down in the valley. The rain showers stopped up here around noon and the sun even peeked between the clouds for a bit. Still, that's no guarantee that it's not pouring down at the University. When we go 1.6 inches of rain last week, the folks on the other side of Mansfield (just 8 miles away as the crow flies) got nothing at all.
Boiling Down the Tomato Puree
We finished up last night after processing all 2+ bushels of tomatoes and actually getting 7 quarts of thickened tomato sauce canned. That left two huge stock pots (16 and 20 quarts)of processed tomato puree yet to be boiled down to the desired thickness and canned.
I put the 16 quart pot on the stove this morning and promptly scorched the bottom layers into charcoal. Note to self: Stainless steel stock pots are great holding tanks but should NOT be used for boiling/thickening any sauce. That's what the copper bottomed Revereware pots are for. After carefully ladling the sauce from the stock pot into the two 8 quart Revereware pots, I've been skimming out the little charcoal bits. It's like panning for gold.
This should get us 7 more quarts of canned tomato sauce. And then we will move on to the 20 quart stock pot for the final batch.
Why the desire to have so many jars of tomato sauce? Because Terry makes the best spaghetti sauce I've ever tasted. Two quarts of this tomato sauce will be used to make a batch of spaghetti sauce with garlic, onions, ground venison and/or sausage, and a mix of herbs and spices that can be used for half a dozen meals. That's straight spaghetti, lasagna or any number of other dishes. That's good eats! (Now all I have to do is get myself a deer or three.)
UPDATE: We ended up with 28 quarts of tomato sauce plus enough for Terry to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce. Seven jars are already boxed while 21 are sitting on the counter cooling down. Every single one of them sealed like they're supposed to. Tomorrow they too will get boxed and put into storage in the basement.
I put the 16 quart pot on the stove this morning and promptly scorched the bottom layers into charcoal. Note to self: Stainless steel stock pots are great holding tanks but should NOT be used for boiling/thickening any sauce. That's what the copper bottomed Revereware pots are for. After carefully ladling the sauce from the stock pot into the two 8 quart Revereware pots, I've been skimming out the little charcoal bits. It's like panning for gold.
This should get us 7 more quarts of canned tomato sauce. And then we will move on to the 20 quart stock pot for the final batch.
Why the desire to have so many jars of tomato sauce? Because Terry makes the best spaghetti sauce I've ever tasted. Two quarts of this tomato sauce will be used to make a batch of spaghetti sauce with garlic, onions, ground venison and/or sausage, and a mix of herbs and spices that can be used for half a dozen meals. That's straight spaghetti, lasagna or any number of other dishes. That's good eats! (Now all I have to do is get myself a deer or three.)
UPDATE: We ended up with 28 quarts of tomato sauce plus enough for Terry to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce. Seven jars are already boxed while 21 are sitting on the counter cooling down. Every single one of them sealed like they're supposed to. Tomorrow they too will get boxed and put into storage in the basement.
Friday, September 26, 2008
More Food Canning
We got a real good deal on some plumb tomatoes at a local center today. Terry and I had been looking for someone who might be selling bushel baskets of tomatoes for canning purposes but we were having no luck until she happened to spy a small, not very reputable looking stand on old Route 15 south of Covington. She didn't stop but mentioned it to me and I thought I'd see what the guy had in stock.
Well, inside a shed with tarps as sides, he had a couple dozen boxes of plumb tomatoes but they had no price. I asked what he wanted for the 1/2-bushel box and he said $3.00 since it was getting late and there were some damaged tomatoes in each box. Well that sounded pretty good to me so I picked up two.
When I got home and started to rinse them off, I found there wasn't a bad tomato in the bunch. A few were bruised but that could be cut out. I suggested to Terry that she go back and pick up two more boxes when she went down for the church dinner. (I would stay home and start working on these.)
She came back with 2 and 1/2 boxes. The seller told her one of the boxes she picked out "looked a little low so here, take this half box too."
We've (by "We've" I mean mostly "I've") been boiling water and making tomato sauce like crazy. There's enough to make over 24 quarts easy. I won't finish all of it tonight (heck, I'll have to get some more quart jars out of the basement and wash them before I'm done), but I'll let you know how we make out tomorrow.
Well, inside a shed with tarps as sides, he had a couple dozen boxes of plumb tomatoes but they had no price. I asked what he wanted for the 1/2-bushel box and he said $3.00 since it was getting late and there were some damaged tomatoes in each box. Well that sounded pretty good to me so I picked up two.
When I got home and started to rinse them off, I found there wasn't a bad tomato in the bunch. A few were bruised but that could be cut out. I suggested to Terry that she go back and pick up two more boxes when she went down for the church dinner. (I would stay home and start working on these.)
She came back with 2 and 1/2 boxes. The seller told her one of the boxes she picked out "looked a little low so here, take this half box too."
We've (by "We've" I mean mostly "I've") been boiling water and making tomato sauce like crazy. There's enough to make over 24 quarts easy. I won't finish all of it tonight (heck, I'll have to get some more quart jars out of the basement and wash them before I'm done), but I'll let you know how we make out tomorrow.
Wild west! PAC 10/National Ranks shaken up
While I was following the Mets-Cubs game (and then the Pirates-Brewers) on the internet, there was a football game played in Corvallis, Oregon.
No. 1 USC came to town and squared off against the unranked Ducks of Oregon State.
The final score was 27-21 in favor of the Ducks who went into the game 25-point underdogs. I'd say it was a major upset, except the same thing happened two years ago when the Ducks ended USCs long undefeated string. Granted, back in 2006 the Trojans were only ranked #3, but....
It was the Rodgers bothers that made the difference. Older, bigger brother James, caught two TD passes while younger, smaller brother Jacquizz hid behind the lineman and bounced off tacklers to rush for 185 yards and two TDs of his own.
The Ducks opened up a 21-0 halftime lead, allowed USC to score 14 points before Greg Laybourn intercepted a USC pass to set up a Duck's drive that ended in the final Jacquizz Rodgers 2-yard, TD run to make the score 27-14.
For the full story, go here.
No. 1 USC came to town and squared off against the unranked Ducks of Oregon State.
The final score was 27-21 in favor of the Ducks who went into the game 25-point underdogs. I'd say it was a major upset, except the same thing happened two years ago when the Ducks ended USCs long undefeated string. Granted, back in 2006 the Trojans were only ranked #3, but....
It was the Rodgers bothers that made the difference. Older, bigger brother James, caught two TD passes while younger, smaller brother Jacquizz hid behind the lineman and bounced off tacklers to rush for 185 yards and two TDs of his own.
The Ducks opened up a 21-0 halftime lead, allowed USC to score 14 points before Greg Laybourn intercepted a USC pass to set up a Duck's drive that ended in the final Jacquizz Rodgers 2-yard, TD run to make the score 27-14.
For the full story, go here.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Whew-hee! Baseball ain't dull!
Well the Metsies pulled one out of their a$$es tonight.
They scored once in the seventh, twice in the eighth, and once more in the ninth to win 7-6. Carlos Beltran got the walk-off single to drive in the winning run.
The victory moves the Mets to within 1 game of the idle Phillies in the race for the NL East title with each team having three games to play.
In the Wild Card race where the Mets and Brewers were tied going into tonight, well...the Pirates and brewers were tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 10th inning. The Brewers got something going and loaded the bases with two outs when Ryan Braun hit a grand slam walk-off home run for a Milwaukee 5-1 victory. That victory allows the Brewers to keep pace with the Mets. Both teams are tied with three games to play.
This weekend:
The Phils play three against the Nationals in Philly.
The Mets play thee at Shea against the Marlins.
The Brewers play three against the Cubs in Milwaukee.
Mother Nature plans rain for the two cities on the east coast that do not have roofs on their stadiums like Milwaukee's.
One game playoff day is Monday. (And maybe Tuesday if things are really, really weird.)
They scored once in the seventh, twice in the eighth, and once more in the ninth to win 7-6. Carlos Beltran got the walk-off single to drive in the winning run.
The victory moves the Mets to within 1 game of the idle Phillies in the race for the NL East title with each team having three games to play.
In the Wild Card race where the Mets and Brewers were tied going into tonight, well...the Pirates and brewers were tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 10th inning. The Brewers got something going and loaded the bases with two outs when Ryan Braun hit a grand slam walk-off home run for a Milwaukee 5-1 victory. That victory allows the Brewers to keep pace with the Mets. Both teams are tied with three games to play.
This weekend:
The Phils play three against the Nationals in Philly.
The Mets play thee at Shea against the Marlins.
The Brewers play three against the Cubs in Milwaukee.
Mother Nature plans rain for the two cities on the east coast that do not have roofs on their stadiums like Milwaukee's.
One game playoff day is Monday. (And maybe Tuesday if things are really, really weird.)
Some Political Thoughts and Rambles
As I read several conservative blogs that allow comments, I've noticed that there are one or two, sometimes three, commenters who are there only to seemingly monitor the web site and leave comments defending Obama (seldom Biden) and attacking McCain and Palin. They usually do so only on the posts by the blogger(s) that bring up something Obama has said or done or has said he will do.
Often, commenters will use very similar language on different sites. When the comments carry a name it's possible to tell if they are different people. Often they are the ubiquitous Anonymous. These folks are either well versed in the Obama talking points or are getting direction from somewhere.
Sometimes these comments are amusing to read in the "I can't believe he said that" kind of way. Sometimes you just want to reach out and touch someone...if you know what I mean. At the very, very least you want to grab the person by the shoulders and shake them so as to break the trance they are obviously under.
********
I've received emails from birding friends that obviously originated from either Huffpo (the Huffington Post) or the Obama camp (or both as they are sometimes indistinguishable). As the person(s) doing the forwarding have also been volunteering for Obama at the county fair and even at the local Obama office, I would not be surprised to learn they are on the mailing list for action alerts.
I found it embarrassing when this person forwarded a screed about Sarah Palin that was penned by the author of The Vagina Monologues. You may have seen it, it's the letter about having nightmares and how Palin has personally killed 40 caribou at a clip and shot 100 wolves from the air and will cause women to lose everything they have worked so hard to gain. I read it and had to read it again because I couldn't believe what it purported to say.
I wanted to ask by friend if she was that effing stupid to forward such a piece of obvious trash. I didn't. But I should have. I assumed she just didn't read the piece before clicking forward and adding her personal little message at the top. (Which may have not been so personal as I've seen the same little note as the intro to someone else's email. This women was an elementary school principal in California (which may be where the problem originates). She has a degree and certification to teach Spanish. I thought she wasn't stupid. Now I'm not sure.
Often, commenters will use very similar language on different sites. When the comments carry a name it's possible to tell if they are different people. Often they are the ubiquitous Anonymous. These folks are either well versed in the Obama talking points or are getting direction from somewhere.
Sometimes these comments are amusing to read in the "I can't believe he said that" kind of way. Sometimes you just want to reach out and touch someone...if you know what I mean. At the very, very least you want to grab the person by the shoulders and shake them so as to break the trance they are obviously under.
********
I've received emails from birding friends that obviously originated from either Huffpo (the Huffington Post) or the Obama camp (or both as they are sometimes indistinguishable). As the person(s) doing the forwarding have also been volunteering for Obama at the county fair and even at the local Obama office, I would not be surprised to learn they are on the mailing list for action alerts.
I found it embarrassing when this person forwarded a screed about Sarah Palin that was penned by the author of The Vagina Monologues. You may have seen it, it's the letter about having nightmares and how Palin has personally killed 40 caribou at a clip and shot 100 wolves from the air and will cause women to lose everything they have worked so hard to gain. I read it and had to read it again because I couldn't believe what it purported to say.
I wanted to ask by friend if she was that effing stupid to forward such a piece of obvious trash. I didn't. But I should have. I assumed she just didn't read the piece before clicking forward and adding her personal little message at the top. (Which may have not been so personal as I've seen the same little note as the intro to someone else's email. This women was an elementary school principal in California (which may be where the problem originates). She has a degree and certification to teach Spanish. I thought she wasn't stupid. Now I'm not sure.
Aerie Bulb Planting (& Guests drop in)
Terry and I spent the afternoon planting bulbs from Burpee's that I ordered. This was the Woodland Wildflower mix that included some tulips (which Terry planted in a sunnier spot), daffodils, grape hyacinths and others. I raked away the leaf litter on the hillside behind the bird feeders and moved some of the surface rocks out of the way. Then Terry tried to dig down a few inches to deposit clusters of bulbs here and there. After a time, I went to digging some of the holes using a garden spade. Lots and lots of roots and small stones to contend with but we got all 150 bulbs in the ground. Now all we have to do is wait for some fall rains to get the roots started, the tree leaves to fall to act as an insulating cover blanket and then the warm days of early spring to see if we are successful in getting a bit more color on the hill in the spring.
After dinner I was sitting in the living room when I saw a positively huge bird fly past the window and crash land in the right of way. I jumped up and went to the porch door to see if I could spot it and just then a second and third turkey glided into the trees on the other side of the power line. One made a most ungraceful landing and crashed down almost halfway before it caught onto a branch and steadied itself. These are the first wild turkeys we've seen since the week before the spring season. They'll probably tease me by coming to the feeders for the next two weeks and then disappear again when the fall season (either sex) rolls around.
After dinner I was sitting in the living room when I saw a positively huge bird fly past the window and crash land in the right of way. I jumped up and went to the porch door to see if I could spot it and just then a second and third turkey glided into the trees on the other side of the power line. One made a most ungraceful landing and crashed down almost halfway before it caught onto a branch and steadied itself. These are the first wild turkeys we've seen since the week before the spring season. They'll probably tease me by coming to the feeders for the next two weeks and then disappear again when the fall season (either sex) rolls around.
Waaa! Make them stop!
Ma, they're doing bad things again! Make them stop!
No, I'm not talking politics. It's the farookin' Mets.
Last night the Mets started Oliver Perez (a worrisome enough tidbit). After Perez gave up a solo homerun (one of his specialties) the Mets "stormed" back in the third inning with 5 runs on 2 (!) hits including a Carlos Delgado grand slam. But Perez couldn't hold a 4 run lead if his life depended upon it. He gave it back and the bull pen tacked on another to put the Mets down 6-5.
By worse, they mean WORSE! As in harikari worse. With the score tied at 6-all, the Mets got a lead off triple by Dan Murphy in the bottom of the ninth...and did not score. The bull pen followed that by giving up three runs in the top of the 10th inning and the Mets lost 9-6.
Heck, you can read about hit here: Mets fail to close out Cubs, lose game.
Why does this feel like freakin' Groundhog Day?
The Phillies lost but the Brewers won. The Brewers and Mets are now tied in the Wild Card chase. The Mets remain 1 1/2 games back of Philadelphia. The odd game will be erased after today as the Phils have the day off while the Cubs and Mets go at it again tonight--weather permitting.
I wonder how Willie Randolph feels right about now?
If Jerry Manuel (who said after the game: "When tomorrow comes, hopefully the sun comes up. It might not." ) is offered the managerial post full time, he should first ask what's happening with the pitching. Especially the bull pen. Pedro should be released and Perez should be allowed to walk on his free agent year. (Good luck, don't let the door hit you in the a$$, etc., etc.) There are a few guys (el Duque) that are still lingering on the DL who need to be pink slipped. As for the bull pen... Explosives should be used. Personally, I think they should all be used to set improve the soil in the tomato garden in Citi Park. Remember the garden they used to have out there? Makes me wonder what John Franco is doing.
Oh, and send Castillo and Alou packing. Murphy seems to be the real thing. Not a lot of home run power but that will come. A. Reyes may not be able to hit but his defense and attitude are 150% better than L. Castillo at second base.
No, I'm not talking politics. It's the farookin' Mets.
Last night the Mets started Oliver Perez (a worrisome enough tidbit). After Perez gave up a solo homerun (one of his specialties) the Mets "stormed" back in the third inning with 5 runs on 2 (!) hits including a Carlos Delgado grand slam. But Perez couldn't hold a 4 run lead if his life depended upon it. He gave it back and the bull pen tacked on another to put the Mets down 6-5.
New York stranded seven runners in the seventh through ninth innings. The Mets failed to score after putting runners at the corners with no outs in the seventh, then got only one run -- on Jeff Samardzija's bases-loaded walk to Ramon Martinez -- after putting runners at the corners with no outs in the eighth. The ninth was even worse.
By worse, they mean WORSE! As in harikari worse. With the score tied at 6-all, the Mets got a lead off triple by Dan Murphy in the bottom of the ninth...and did not score. The bull pen followed that by giving up three runs in the top of the 10th inning and the Mets lost 9-6.
Heck, you can read about hit here: Mets fail to close out Cubs, lose game.
Why does this feel like freakin' Groundhog Day?
The Phillies lost but the Brewers won. The Brewers and Mets are now tied in the Wild Card chase. The Mets remain 1 1/2 games back of Philadelphia. The odd game will be erased after today as the Phils have the day off while the Cubs and Mets go at it again tonight--weather permitting.
I wonder how Willie Randolph feels right about now?
If Jerry Manuel (who said after the game: "When tomorrow comes, hopefully the sun comes up. It might not." ) is offered the managerial post full time, he should first ask what's happening with the pitching. Especially the bull pen. Pedro should be released and Perez should be allowed to walk on his free agent year. (Good luck, don't let the door hit you in the a$$, etc., etc.) There are a few guys (el Duque) that are still lingering on the DL who need to be pink slipped. As for the bull pen... Explosives should be used. Personally, I think they should all be used to set improve the soil in the tomato garden in Citi Park. Remember the garden they used to have out there? Makes me wonder what John Franco is doing.
Oh, and send Castillo and Alou packing. Murphy seems to be the real thing. Not a lot of home run power but that will come. A. Reyes may not be able to hit but his defense and attitude are 150% better than L. Castillo at second base.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Applesauce!
Yesterday I picked up a half bushel of Cortland apples. They are great to eat on their own but they also can be used in cakes and pies and applesauce. I don't have any pictures of the apple cake that Terry made yesterday, we ate it.
I can provide you with pictures of the applesauce I made this evening. The most difficult--and boring part of the job is coring and cutting up the apples so as to cook them. I did a little at a time because of the limited number of pints (7) the canning pot can handle.
I put one cup of water in the pot for each quart of apple slices and then cooked them until nice and soft. You'll notice that the apples still have their skins. Once they were nice and soft, I used this food mill to process the soft apples the sauce comes out one side after being forced through a screen and the skins come out on another.
Leaving the skins on produces a nice pink color. I asked Terry to taste and add sugar if she saw fit before I warmed the sauce again and then put it in sterilized pint jars. The final product is some delicious applesauce. I completed 18 pints of applesauce.
And Julie spent some of the time in her little basket on top of the counter watching me work.
I can provide you with pictures of the applesauce I made this evening. The most difficult--and boring part of the job is coring and cutting up the apples so as to cook them. I did a little at a time because of the limited number of pints (7) the canning pot can handle.
I put one cup of water in the pot for each quart of apple slices and then cooked them until nice and soft. You'll notice that the apples still have their skins. Once they were nice and soft, I used this food mill to process the soft apples the sauce comes out one side after being forced through a screen and the skins come out on another.
Leaving the skins on produces a nice pink color. I asked Terry to taste and add sugar if she saw fit before I warmed the sauce again and then put it in sterilized pint jars. The final product is some delicious applesauce. I completed 18 pints of applesauce.
And Julie spent some of the time in her little basket on top of the counter watching me work.
Week 5 approaches.
Week 5 begins Thursday night with #1 USC vs. Oregon State. With many of the larger conferences getting into their conference schedule, the time is ripe for some upsets to begin appearing in the Sunday papers’ scoreboards. Let’s take a look at the rankings and opponents for Week 5.
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 5. The pre-Week 4 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 (1/1/1) The Trojans travel up the coast to play at Oregon State Beavers Thursday night.
2/2/2 Oklahoma (2/2/2) The Sooners host #24 TCU.
3/3/3 Georgia (3/3/3) The Bulldogs host #8 Alabama Saturday night in what should be an excellent game.
4/4/4 Florida (4/4/4) The Gators host Ole Miss.
5/6/5 LSU (6/6/6) The LSU Tigers host Mississippi State.
6/5/6 Missouri (5/5/5) The Missouri Tigers (4-0) have the weekend off.
7/7/7 Texas (7/7/8) The Longhorns play host to Arkansas.
8/10/9 Alabama (9/13/13) The Tide rolls into #3 Georgia .
9/8/8 Wisconsin (8/8/9) The Badgers are on the road to play Michigan.
10/9/11 Texas Tech (11/10/11) The Red Raiders (4-0) have the weekend to relax.
11/11/10 Brigham Young (14/11/10) The 4-0 Cougars have the weekend off.
12/12/16 Penn State (16/15/18) The Nittany Lions play host to #22 Illinois.
13/14/15 South Florida (12/16/17) The Bulls are on the road to NC State.
14/13/13 Ohio State (13/14/12) The Buckeyes host Minnesota.
15/16/12 Auburn (10/9/7) The Auburn Tigers host Tennesee.
16/15/14 Wake Forest (18/18/14) The Demon Deacons host Navy.
17/17/18 Utah (20/20/20) The Utes host Weber State this weekend.
18/18/17 Kansas (19/19/19) They Jayhawks (3-1) have an idle weekend ahead.
19/20/19 Boise State (NR/NR/NR) The Broncos (3-0) have the week off.
20/19/21 Clemson (23/21/22) Clemson hosts Maryland.
21/25/25 Vanderbilt (NR/NR/NR) The 4-0 Commodores have the week off.
22/21/23 Illinois (22/23/23) The Illini travel to Happy Valley to play #12 Penn State.
23/NR/20 East Carolina (15/17/16) The Pirates host Houston.
24/23/NR TCU (NR/NR/NR) The Horned Frogs (is there a better nickname than that?) travel to #2 Oklahoma.
25/24/24 Fresno State (25/NR/24) The Bulldogs make a short hop over to LA to face UCLA.
NR/22/NR Oregon (17/12/15) The Ducks travel to Pullman, WA to face Washington State.
NR/NR/22 Virginia Tech (NR/NR/25) The Hokies travel west to face Nebraska.
(Poll numbers are those of the teams entering Week 5. The pre-Week 4 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 (1/1/1) The Trojans travel up the coast to play at Oregon State Beavers Thursday night.
2/2/2 Oklahoma (2/2/2) The Sooners host #24 TCU.
3/3/3 Georgia (3/3/3) The Bulldogs host #8 Alabama Saturday night in what should be an excellent game.
4/4/4 Florida (4/4/4) The Gators host Ole Miss.
5/6/5 LSU (6/6/6) The LSU Tigers host Mississippi State.
6/5/6 Missouri (5/5/5) The Missouri Tigers (4-0) have the weekend off.
7/7/7 Texas (7/7/8) The Longhorns play host to Arkansas.
8/10/9 Alabama (9/13/13) The Tide rolls into #3 Georgia .
9/8/8 Wisconsin (8/8/9) The Badgers are on the road to play Michigan.
10/9/11 Texas Tech (11/10/11) The Red Raiders (4-0) have the weekend to relax.
11/11/10 Brigham Young (14/11/10) The 4-0 Cougars have the weekend off.
12/12/16 Penn State (16/15/18) The Nittany Lions play host to #22 Illinois.
13/14/15 South Florida (12/16/17) The Bulls are on the road to NC State.
14/13/13 Ohio State (13/14/12) The Buckeyes host Minnesota.
15/16/12 Auburn (10/9/7) The Auburn Tigers host Tennesee.
16/15/14 Wake Forest (18/18/14) The Demon Deacons host Navy.
17/17/18 Utah (20/20/20) The Utes host Weber State this weekend.
18/18/17 Kansas (19/19/19) They Jayhawks (3-1) have an idle weekend ahead.
19/20/19 Boise State (NR/NR/NR) The Broncos (3-0) have the week off.
20/19/21 Clemson (23/21/22) Clemson hosts Maryland.
21/25/25 Vanderbilt (NR/NR/NR) The 4-0 Commodores have the week off.
22/21/23 Illinois (22/23/23) The Illini travel to Happy Valley to play #12 Penn State.
23/NR/20 East Carolina (15/17/16) The Pirates host Houston.
24/23/NR TCU (NR/NR/NR) The Horned Frogs (is there a better nickname than that?) travel to #2 Oklahoma.
25/24/24 Fresno State (25/NR/24) The Bulldogs make a short hop over to LA to face UCLA.
NR/22/NR Oregon (17/12/15) The Ducks travel to Pullman, WA to face Washington State.
NR/NR/22 Virginia Tech (NR/NR/25) The Hokies travel west to face Nebraska.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Hoorah!
Atlanta 3
Philadelphia 2
Chicago Cubs 2
NY Mets 6
The Phils lead in the NL East has dropped to 1 1/2 games.
Meanwhile, the Pirates lead the Brewers in Milwaukee 3-2 in the seventh. If that holds, the Mets will open a 2 game lead over the Brewers in the Wild Card race
UPDATE: The Brewers rallied twice and Prince Fielder hit a 2-run, walk-off homer int he bottom of the ninth to pull out a win 7-5 as Milwaukee keeps pace with the Mets in the Wild Card race.
Philadelphia 2
Chicago Cubs 2
NY Mets 6
The Phils lead in the NL East has dropped to 1 1/2 games.
Meanwhile, the Pirates lead the Brewers in Milwaukee 3-2 in the seventh. If that holds, the Mets will open a 2 game lead over the Brewers in the Wild Card race
UPDATE: The Brewers rallied twice and Prince Fielder hit a 2-run, walk-off homer int he bottom of the ninth to pull out a win 7-5 as Milwaukee keeps pace with the Mets in the Wild Card race.
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Heh?
Well, Palin's driving Naomi Wolf crazy, anyhow. Of course, Wolf was already close enough to walk . . . .
posted at 08:31 AM by Glenn Reynolds
Not a good weekend
Mets drop two to the Braves on Saturday and Sunday then lose to the Cubs 9-5 to fall 2 1/2 games back of the Phils in the NL East with just six games int he regular season to go. (At least they are still ahead of the Brewers for the Wild Card. So far.)
The Jets lose to San Diego 48-29 on Monday night to fall to 1-2.
I'm thinking of other four letter words for both teams right now and they aren't good. More along the lines of "f*ck" and "s*ck".
And let us not even talk about 0-3 Rutgers! Please.
Thank goodness the Giants pulled it out in OT.
The Jets lose to San Diego 48-29 on Monday night to fall to 1-2.
I'm thinking of other four letter words for both teams right now and they aren't good. More along the lines of "f*ck" and "s*ck".
And let us not even talk about 0-3 Rutgers! Please.
Thank goodness the Giants pulled it out in OT.
Un-effing-believable!
According to the Birmingham Post, The One has contracted to have 300 commemorative coins of his Presidential run minted with his likeness on them. The cost is 100,000 pounds. That’s right, “pounds.” Not only does he or his campaign have the hubris to have these commoratives made, but they outsource the job to England rather than have it done in the USA!
Oh, well, they’ll be worth quite a bit when they become the only ones minted.
Maybe that’s the plan. The One will stash these away in his vault and twelve years from now when President Palin is leaving after her second term, he can auction some off to pay for his girls’ college. Or twenty years from now, when President Jindal is leaving after his second term, he can auction them off for their weddings.
(h/t: Don Surber who comes up with the most unusual stuff sometimes.)
Oh, well, they’ll be worth quite a bit when they become the only ones minted.
Maybe that’s the plan. The One will stash these away in his vault and twelve years from now when President Palin is leaving after her second term, he can auction some off to pay for his girls’ college. Or twenty years from now, when President Jindal is leaving after his second term, he can auction them off for their weddings.
(h/t: Don Surber who comes up with the most unusual stuff sometimes.)
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Birds return
After several days of almost no bird activity around the Aerie, this morning saw plenty. I sat looking out the window and drinking my first cup of coffee when I noticed lots of little birds in the tree tops as the sun came over the mountain. I grabbed the binoculars and saw numerous Magnolia Warblers along with several Chipping Sparrows. Then I looked over at the feeders and there were Mourning Doves walking the ground, Blue Jays on the tray, Goldfinches on the stick feeder, a White-breasted Nuthatch climbing down the telephone pole as he snuck up on the feeders, a Downy Woodpecker on the tree while he waited for a Hairy Woodpecker to vacate the larger hanging feeder, Black-capped Chickadees flitting down for a sunflower seed then carrying it back into the trees to eat. I didn't see him, but a Tufted Titmouse called from the cover of the trees.
Later in the day Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Crows and Canada Geese flew over the hill.
This, the first full day of Autumn, turned out to be one of the busier days in the last two weeks.
One bird that has apparently taken off is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They were here last week but after several days over the weekend of fairly good winds from the north...pffft...they're gone. (Checking last year's reports, this date, September 22, was when the Hummers disappeared. I guess they have a pretty regular schedule.)
Later in the day Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Crows and Canada Geese flew over the hill.
This, the first full day of Autumn, turned out to be one of the busier days in the last two weeks.
One bird that has apparently taken off is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They were here last week but after several days over the weekend of fairly good winds from the north...pffft...they're gone. (Checking last year's reports, this date, September 22, was when the Hummers disappeared. I guess they have a pretty regular schedule.)
Rain report from the Aerie
The clouds came back during the night and we did get a few more showers. The total rainfall measured int he rain gauge since yesterday afternoon was 1.63 inches with most of that falling during the T-storms in just over an hour around 5 PM Sunday. No more rain is forecast for the week.
The heavy rain pinpointed a problem with the newest planting bed. It's located at the bottom of a slope and with the downpour we had water accumulated within the bed creating a temporary pool. I'll have to construct a diversion of some kind--either a shallow ditch or a couple of landscape timbers--to shunt that water off to the sides of the bed. If I leave it the way it is I might as well plant water lilies and rice instead of beans and squash.
The cloud cover prevented any real low temperatures overnight. It was just 50 degrees at 7 AM this morning but the forecast is fro clearing skies and a low over night into the upper 30s. Autumn is definitely on its way.
The hillsides are becoming speckled with orange and red colors as tree after tree gets the message of shorter days and longer nights.
The heavy rain pinpointed a problem with the newest planting bed. It's located at the bottom of a slope and with the downpour we had water accumulated within the bed creating a temporary pool. I'll have to construct a diversion of some kind--either a shallow ditch or a couple of landscape timbers--to shunt that water off to the sides of the bed. If I leave it the way it is I might as well plant water lilies and rice instead of beans and squash.
The cloud cover prevented any real low temperatures overnight. It was just 50 degrees at 7 AM this morning but the forecast is fro clearing skies and a low over night into the upper 30s. Autumn is definitely on its way.
The hillsides are becoming speckled with orange and red colors as tree after tree gets the message of shorter days and longer nights.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Big East weekend
The Big East....
Most everything this weekend was positive. Most.
Six of the eight teams were victorious in their out of conference games.
Pittsburgh edged Iowa 21-20.
Louisville beat Kansas State 38-20.
Cincinnati downed Miami of Ohio 45-20.
Southern Florida beat Florida International 17-9.
And even Syracuse got a victory 30-21 over Northeastern.
Unfortunately, two teams came up croppers this week:
Rutgers lost their third in a row to Navy on a late field goal 23-21.
West Virginia lost in overtime to Colorado 17-14.
Most everything this weekend was positive. Most.
Six of the eight teams were victorious in their out of conference games.
Pittsburgh edged Iowa 21-20.
Louisville beat Kansas State 38-20.
Cincinnati downed Miami of Ohio 45-20.
Southern Florida beat Florida International 17-9.
And even Syracuse got a victory 30-21 over Northeastern.
Unfortunately, two teams came up croppers this week:
Rutgers lost their third in a row to Navy on a late field goal 23-21.
West Virginia lost in overtime to Colorado 17-14.
Week 4 Results
Week 4 has ended with few surprises. It’s not until you get down to #15 East Carolina that we find an upset.
Here is a look at the Top 25 (plus or minus) in Week 4 and the results of their games.
(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. The Trojans had the weekend off. They face Oregon State on Thursday, September 25.
2/2/2 Oklahoma. Another team enjoying the role of spectator this week.
3/3/3 Georgia. The Bulldogs played at Arizona State and came away a 27-10 victor.
4/4/4 Florida. The Gators seemed right at home on the mountain tops of Tennessee as they won 30-6.
5/5/5 Missouri. The Missouri Tigers hosted the Buffalo Bulls. And they weren’t terribly hospitable. The Tigers beat the Bulls 42-21.
6/6/6 LSU. The Tigers defeated #10 Auburn 26-21.
7/7/8 Texas. The Longhorns beat up on the Rice Owls 52-10.
8/8/9 Wisconsin. The Badgers were another Top 10 team that was idle this week.
9/13/13 Alabama. The Tide rolled into Arkansas and over the Razorbacks 49-14.
10/9/7 Auburn. The Auburn Tigers lost to the #6 LSU Tigers 26-21.
11/10/11 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders defeated the UMass Minutemen 56-14.
12/16/17 South Florida. The Bulls beat Florida International in Miami by a score of 17-9.
13/14/12 Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Troy 28-10.
14/11/10 Brigham Young. The Cougars shutout Wyoming 44-0.
15/17/16 East Carolina. The Pirates dropped a close one to the North Carolina State Wolfpack in overtime 30-24.
16/15/18 Penn State. The Nittany Lions beat up on Temple 45-3.
17/12/15 Oregon. The Ducks lost to Boise State 37-32. Boise State scored 21 in the second quarter and 13 more in the third and then held on when Oregon stormed back in the fourth.
18/18/14 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons beat #24 Florida State 12-3 in a game featuring nothing but field goals (Swank of WF made four but missed three others), turnovers (WF lost two fumbles but FSU lost two fumbles AND gave up 5 interceptions), and penalties (WF had 16 for 120 yards and FSU had 24 for 278 yards). Most of the penalties occurred on the offensive side of the ball. That’s the main reason there were no TDs in this game.
19/19/19 Kansas. The Jayhawks beat Sam Houston State 38-14.
20/20/20 Utah. The Utes square off against Air Force in Colorado Springs.
21/22/21 West Virginia. The Mountaineers dropped another Thursday night at Colorado. This one ended 17-14 in overtime.
22/23/23 Illinois. The Illini were the fourth idle Top 25 this week.
23/21/22 Clemson. The Tigers hosted South Carolina State and beat them up 54-0.
24/25/NR Florida State. The Seminoles hosted #18 Wake Forest and lost 12-3. (See above for more.)
25/NR/24 Fresno State. The Bulldogs’ road show stopped at Toledo this week. They picked up a souvenir W by a score of 55-54. But it wasn't easy. They went to a second overtime and Toledo attempted a 2-point conversion for the win. They failed.
NR/24/NR Arizona State. The Sun Devils played host to #3 Georgia and lost 27-10.
NR/NR/25 Virginia Tech. The Hokies outscored the North Carolina Tar Heels 10-0 in the fourth to pullout a 20-17 victory.
Here is a look at the Top 25 (plus or minus) in Week 4 and the results of their games.
(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. The Trojans had the weekend off. They face Oregon State on Thursday, September 25.
2/2/2 Oklahoma. Another team enjoying the role of spectator this week.
3/3/3 Georgia. The Bulldogs played at Arizona State and came away a 27-10 victor.
4/4/4 Florida. The Gators seemed right at home on the mountain tops of Tennessee as they won 30-6.
5/5/5 Missouri. The Missouri Tigers hosted the Buffalo Bulls. And they weren’t terribly hospitable. The Tigers beat the Bulls 42-21.
6/6/6 LSU. The Tigers defeated #10 Auburn 26-21.
7/7/8 Texas. The Longhorns beat up on the Rice Owls 52-10.
8/8/9 Wisconsin. The Badgers were another Top 10 team that was idle this week.
9/13/13 Alabama. The Tide rolled into Arkansas and over the Razorbacks 49-14.
10/9/7 Auburn. The Auburn Tigers lost to the #6 LSU Tigers 26-21.
11/10/11 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders defeated the UMass Minutemen 56-14.
12/16/17 South Florida. The Bulls beat Florida International in Miami by a score of 17-9.
13/14/12 Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Troy 28-10.
14/11/10 Brigham Young. The Cougars shutout Wyoming 44-0.
15/17/16 East Carolina. The Pirates dropped a close one to the North Carolina State Wolfpack in overtime 30-24.
16/15/18 Penn State. The Nittany Lions beat up on Temple 45-3.
17/12/15 Oregon. The Ducks lost to Boise State 37-32. Boise State scored 21 in the second quarter and 13 more in the third and then held on when Oregon stormed back in the fourth.
18/18/14 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons beat #24 Florida State 12-3 in a game featuring nothing but field goals (Swank of WF made four but missed three others), turnovers (WF lost two fumbles but FSU lost two fumbles AND gave up 5 interceptions), and penalties (WF had 16 for 120 yards and FSU had 24 for 278 yards). Most of the penalties occurred on the offensive side of the ball. That’s the main reason there were no TDs in this game.
19/19/19 Kansas. The Jayhawks beat Sam Houston State 38-14.
20/20/20 Utah. The Utes square off against Air Force in Colorado Springs.
21/22/21 West Virginia. The Mountaineers dropped another Thursday night at Colorado. This one ended 17-14 in overtime.
22/23/23 Illinois. The Illini were the fourth idle Top 25 this week.
23/21/22 Clemson. The Tigers hosted South Carolina State and beat them up 54-0.
24/25/NR Florida State. The Seminoles hosted #18 Wake Forest and lost 12-3. (See above for more.)
25/NR/24 Fresno State. The Bulldogs’ road show stopped at Toledo this week. They picked up a souvenir W by a score of 55-54. But it wasn't easy. They went to a second overtime and Toledo attempted a 2-point conversion for the win. They failed.
NR/24/NR Arizona State. The Sun Devils played host to #3 Georgia and lost 27-10.
NR/NR/25 Virginia Tech. The Hokies outscored the North Carolina Tar Heels 10-0 in the fourth to pullout a 20-17 victory.
T-storms! Lightening! Hail!
We are currently in the midst of a hell of a thunderstorm. Beginning just after 4 PM the winds out of the northwest blew from Mansfield to the Aerie. As the air was pushed up the slope, it grew a thunderstorm. And that storm as spawned others throughout southeast Tioga County. The lightening has been striking the hillside nearby. Pea-sized hail has rattled off the roof and accumulated on the ground were it has overshot the cutters (or bounced over them). Rain has been falling by the bucketful.
None of this was predicted by the weather gurus when I checked this morning. They did say we might get a T-storm late this evening and possibly into the wee hours of Monday. But we were not supposed to get anything today.
Doesn't matter. We really needed the rain. There hasn't been any since last weekend. I just wish it would come in a more gentle but extended fashion.
UPDATE: As 6:30 PM approaches, there's still a bank of dark clouds off to the northwest accompanied by some thunder way off in the distance. There will be more rain. As of right now, however, there's more than an inch-and-a-quarter in the rain gauge. Steam is rising from the valley in smokey streams.
None of this was predicted by the weather gurus when I checked this morning. They did say we might get a T-storm late this evening and possibly into the wee hours of Monday. But we were not supposed to get anything today.
Doesn't matter. We really needed the rain. There hasn't been any since last weekend. I just wish it would come in a more gentle but extended fashion.
UPDATE: As 6:30 PM approaches, there's still a bank of dark clouds off to the northwest accompanied by some thunder way off in the distance. There will be more rain. As of right now, however, there's more than an inch-and-a-quarter in the rain gauge. Steam is rising from the valley in smokey streams.
Attic Project, part 3
I put the final 8 linear feed of flooring in the attic this morning. There's another 8 feet tat could be done but 1) it's currently behind the hutch and anything stored there would be more or less inaccessible and 2) would require everything be cut to 24 inch squares with notches cut for upright 2"x4" supports in the trusses.
I still have the 1 1/2 sheets of OSB intended for this area but I could use some of that for a work bench.
I still have the 1 1/2 sheets of OSB intended for this area but I could use some of that for a work bench.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Autumnal Equinox is on hand
We've been experiencing some glorious fall weather at the Aerie the last few days. It's been cloudless and warm during the afternoons with the temperature hitting 70 degrees. At night, those cloudless skies allow the daytime heat to escape very quickly--you can almost watch the thermometer registering the cooling soon after 6 PM when the sun approaches the western horizon. The lows have been into the 30s. Since cold air is denser and sinks, the valley has had the colder temperatures and even a frost or two. We haven't had temperatures that cold yet. We had a pretty stiff breeze last night and into the early hours of the morning but that ended by noon and only an occasional light breeze.
The Equinox is soon upon us with it's equal day light hours and night time hours. The Equinox marks the first official day of Autumn and usually falls between September 20th and 23rd. This year, the Autumnal Equinox occurs at 15:44 UTC on September 22.
The Equinox is soon upon us with it's equal day light hours and night time hours. The Equinox marks the first official day of Autumn and usually falls between September 20th and 23rd. This year, the Autumnal Equinox occurs at 15:44 UTC on September 22.
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