Gosh, darn it!

That nasty, darned ole huntin' accident is just the very worst thing that could possibly happen.*

What is the worst thing Dick Cheney has done?

Couric interviewing the veep nominees asked the question. Contrast the answers.

What the heck is that bit about Iraq and support for our armed forces, anyway?
My brain is getting tired trying to figure out why people think that woman is anywhere close to being with-it enough to be veep.


* Maybe to an avid hunter this makes sense. To anyone else... not so much.

Egads

The morons speak. If anyone is interested in what kind of looneywackers we have running around this area just check out the majority of the comments here:

Some thoughtful, some moronic

and the ones here:

Oh, Buffy? Your brain is looking for you...

I may decide to take little Buffo's comments, research them and do a blog. I might go so far as to actually post a comment at the paper's website because, last I knew, none of her facts are within the realm of reality. Including the one about "being fantastic."

Beyond annoying

Have been having a one-sided correspondence non-battle with a huge insurance company in Arizona. They bought the company that had one of my annuities and I can't get them to respond to my letters, not to speak of giving me my money. All I have heard from them is some dumb thing about them cancelling my Express Scrips card. I don't have an Express Scrips card. I am not insured with them. I Have An Annuity and I want it back. I didn't object to the original company moving and then moving again in the least. Their service was still great and I trusted them, well, as much as I trust any financial institution. When they were bought out, without a "what do you think" or any notice of any kind from them or their purchaser, I decided enough was enough. I want those funds back so I can put them somewhere they will be doing some good, not sitting around like they are now. My frustration with their non-reponsiveness is such that I am writing them another letter, requiring instructions on how to close the account and get my funds and those instructions will be given in 10 business days from mailing date. I will tell them, right out, that if I hear nothing from them in that time, I am referring their company and this matter to the state commissioner of insurance. I will follow through, too.

Also dealing with a 10 day old mess that has proceeded from an account number mixup. I'm no financial or mathematical genius but there is no way my balance and the institution's balances can be that far apart. Not only that, one of the balances is fluctuating up and down like a proverbial jack-in-the-box. It's making me nervous. Especially considering there is a twelve hundred dollar check out there that hasn't cleared. If nothing else, this will keep me from having to clip my nails as I am currently chewing them down to the quick.

I was looking at Himself's check stub last night and wondering why in the world there is so much (over 25%) being witheld. Turns out Mr. genius decided not to take any exemptions or deductions so he would "get more money back after taxes." Well, sure, dude, that would work just fine if you manage to get that last couple of grand in child support* paid off. If you don't? The govmunt will take every last cent of that windfall and you'll have royally screwed yourself and me. He gave me one of those deer-in-the-headlights looks and said he hadn't thought of that... men.

I must say, even in light of current events and economic woes, we are much better situated than so many others. We have managed to hold on to, and even increase a bit, a small financial pad. We own this house free and clear, no car payments, no credit cards (even though that has messed up my credit rating something fierce), we don't live expecting lots of "things" and "stuff" and we eat out so rarely it's a treat when we do manage it. We did redo the downstairs and most of the upstairs last year** and our bathroom the year before that but stopped there. I would love to have a new kitchen that actually functions as a working kitchen but that is a luxury I am not allowing myself. Finding a job would relieve my mind a lot, as well. I remain hopeful and will keep looking.***



* The child support is an issue that we don't talk about casually. The circumstances infuriate everyone and we don't need that kind of aggravation. At least he finally got off his bum and petitioned for suspension of the payments. This wasn't until 10 months after he should have had it done which is the exact amount of back support he now owes.
** All that wasn't so much because we simply couldn't live with it as it was, nor is it because we "just wanted to do it," nor because we were keeping up with the neighbors. It was solely because my allergies were being aggravated by old, dirty carpet and mold in various places, including the bathroom. We have 2 rooms left, this one and our bedroom, where the original carpet is in place. We will take that out sometime in future but, for now, have eased off from any non-essential expenditures. It would be better for my allergies to have it all gone but I can live with those much easier than I can live with an increasing sense of insecurity about making it through.
*** Last job I had took 6 months to find. Just how this sector works and getting older doesn't make it any easier to find something.

Plans

Am not really sure what will be going on this weekend, as of right now. Himself will work tomorrow and it's entirely possible that he will work Sunday, as well. He won't know until this evening at the earliest and tomorrow afternoon is more likely.

He did change the air ram on the truck so he is getting power back. He had been having a hard time getting up to 40 mph. The rigs must be in top shape, with everything working properly, to be able to haul loads of up to 88,000 pounds. It's always a good idea to keep things running right but it's especially vital at this time of year. During harvest, there is no time to be messing about with disabled trucks. He isn't the most patient person in that respect, either. His time OTR shows when he becomes frustrated with guys standing around gabbing at the scales or "putting" down the road, talking on their phones.

I may end up driving the rv to the nearest dump station myself. The thing scares me because it's big and heavy and the steering really needs to be tightened up. Himself has a lot more faith in my ability to drive it than I do, to tell the truth. The tanks need to be dumped and flushed, though, so if he works Sunday... well, it's the Old Lady behind the wheel. Duck and cover!

The next thing will be winterizing it. We had talked about taking it out one last time this weekend, which would have obviated the need for me to do stuff myself, but with nasty head colds we really aren't feeling much like camping anywhere. It's not like going 5 miles would be such a big deal but you know how it goes sometimes.

Last night's supper turned out really, really well. Roast chicken with vegetables and red wine and ratatouille. mmmmmmm Have some chicken left and some of the sauce, too, so I'm set for lunch. Since the chicken weighed around 4 pounds you'd think that there would be enough left on the bones that I could make chicken and noodles or something like that. Not gonna happen. There's barely enough left to pick for my lunch, let alone do something with it.

There is no ratatouille left at all. Not one piece of eggplant, not a whiff of tomato, not a hint of zucchini. Hooray! I got up at 2 am to make a bathroom stop and DS2 was back up here, eating the last little bit. That is a situation I can live with, no leftovers.

For one reason or another, the dog didn't get put in her crate last night. When I opened the door this morning she had pooped and piddled. She had also polished off her allotment of dog food and drank all her water. I suppose that explains the mess. She usually can make it through the night without soiling inside her crate so not being able to do it when she's out makes no sense to me. The only time she has problems is if she has had "people food" with a high fat content, like steak trimming or something. I have some dog blankets out on the deck that need to be washed after the last episode of troubles. Ugh.

I do need to go to the store this afternoon. Had been planning on taking a drive down to my southeast but will not have the time nor gas to do that. It's also more important to make sure we have the makings for lunches and meals than for me to go fiddling around, sightseeing. After paying taxes yesterday I don't have a lot of leeway as far as funds go so will get what I must and pass on the rest.

Two of the inhabitants here need to learn to eat leftovers, too. Their refusal to do so jacks the grocery bill up something fierce. I think they should be glad to have food on the table even if it isn't something they are crazy about. Was hearing complaints a couple of days ago from one of them after being forced to eat chunky peanut butter due to the fact that we were out of creamy. That, in my opinion, is such a HUGE non-issue. So what? It's food, damn it. Eat it and be glad you have it.

Another issue in the food department is the stupidity of not liking anything that doesn't come out of a box produced by Big Food. I simply refuse to buy stuff like those "helper" mixes and Blue Box mac and cheese. It's full of crap that isn't good for anyone. Also, please consult with me about what meal plans are for the week before you start eating stuff out of my staples cupboard. God only knows how many times I have looked in vain for a vital ingredient for a meal and it has been eaten by one person. Or, almost eaten as there are some leftovers in the fridge that won't get eaten because they're leftovers. There isn't enough there to do whatever it was that had been planned for that meal so... it's pirate ingredients from a totally different meal which messes up the whole plan for days at a time. The situation is wasteful, selfish and ridiculous. Get your had out of your ass and THINK!

Still looking for some kind of a job that will pay enough for me to take it. The ones available are 20 miles and more away, pay $7 an hour and that would barely cover gas to get there and back. The one that interested me the most is working in the office at a cop, measuring grain dryness and weight. That would be an enjoyable job even with the normal job-related idiocies that go on. It's a jeans and sweatshirt job, too, so wouldn't need to invest a lot on clothes.

Have been using up coffee beans that I have had for well over a year. Even as old as they are the coffee from the Fench press is still better than the store-bought pre-ground. Switching back and forth from Kona to Costa Rican terrazo. Good stuff. Gotta watch that Kona, though. It's darned strong and gives me the jimjams if I drink more than 2 cups. One day I totally miscalculated the amount of beans and didn't manage to make it through one whole cup before I got the shakes. LOL Coffee doesn't usually do that to me so you can imagine that it was really tough stuff.

Having the same struggles with one of the adolescent males that has been going on for well over a year. Teachers are thinking it's no use scheduling a conference when it's time in 2 weeks because, no matter what is said or done, he will pay absolutely no attention. It's a lose-lose situation for him, though. It frustrates all of us no end to have the responsibility for this kid and have our hands tied by his total lack of understanding. He hasn't learned anything about responsibility or accountability, is unreliable and whines when asked to do anything around here. When he does get herded into working by his father, he spends a lot of time trying to sneak off or texting friends on the phone. Then, when called back there is the inevitable, and regrettable, sniveling about one of the rest of us who "never does anything at all."* Classic attempt at misdirection but it doesn't fly anymore with anyone. He also sees no reason why he should do anything around here. That baffles us to the point of total incomprehension. You're living here, eating our food, we're paying the bills and you don't know WHY you should be helping? Is it any wonder that we have all stepped back, raised our hands and said, "You're on your own, kid. If you are so smart and grown up, go for it..."**

I didn't watch the VP debate last night. By the time it came on I was ready for bed, pretty much asleep on my feet. This business of getting up at 4:45 am is wearing me out and messing up schedules.

Waggywaggy has the leaks, again. She is dripping all over the place so, until I can find her doggy diapers, she's banished outside. Currently, she is out there barking. Woof.......woof........woof. She usually settles down and lays in the sun after a while. This doesn't happen all the time and it's impossible to tell when she will do this. She's totally unaware of it, too. Doc said we could try to get a sample to check for bacteria but how the dickens would I do that? I may try giving her a rimadyl just in case it's due to her lame butt. Now, where are those diapers.....

It has warmed up considerably but is still only 55 degrees. That is good for the drivers and guys out harvesting, though, even if the rest of us must wear sweatshirts.



* This is arrant bullshit as every last one of us works our butts off, day after day after day.
** He's wormed his way out of some really nasty situations in the last month using charm and "gawrsh, ma'am, ah jus dint know." That won't last forever, though. The longer the reckoning takes, the worse it will be. That wall is gonna hurt when you hit it. Just don't come to us expecting a bail-out because we won't do it.

Getting dizzy flip-flopping?

Well, Gentle Readers, yet another somersault by the Rep. nominee that has ended up with him facing in the opposite direction, yet again. If he keeps this up much more he will need to grow another face from the back of his head, like the Roman god Janus, and 2-sided suits.

This morning on the "Morning Joe" tv show (MSNBC) McCain stated that the very bill he voted to support last night is "putting us on the brink of economic disaster."

If I can find the text of his interview, I will post it. Once my head stops spinning.

Musings

Thursday morning and the sun is shining. It's still chilly out but looking to be a lovely, cool day.

DS2 is pretty excited about going to the AC/DC concert in St. Paul later in November. He will be staying at the Crowne Plaza about 5 blocks east of the Excel Center and is pleased as punch with himself. He has been to many concerts but this will be the first time he will stay overnight on his own. Should be an interesting evening for him. We're happy that he is doing this and think it's good for him. The time is coming when he will be on his own and the more experience he has, the better.

The Crowne Plaza is now owned by Intercontinental. It was the Radisson Riverfront for many years and my favorite hotel. (not like I've been that many places to judge.) One of my favorite things is the view. We have always requested one of two rooms on the 13th floor, either the SE or SW corner. Windows surround two sides of those rooms and the view is great. I especially like watching the city at night, the barge traffic on the Mississippi and the distant lights of cars. I had inquired, the last time we were there, if IC intended to make a lot of changes to the Old Dame and the answer was no. The rooms are understated and elegant, the beds are comfy and the bathrooms are marble. What needs to be changed?

They also have great room service. (Or they did, we haven't been there in a couple of years so maybe they don't offer it anymore. Their chefs were graduates of Le Cordon Bleu and the training showed in every dish.) I love room service, I really do. To have a great meal, a bottle of wine, brought right up to the room, everything set up, wine uncorked and poured? Can't beat it. And there are no dishes to do!

Harvest is now really ramping up. Combines and equipment on the roads, grain haulers all over the place, long hours, dust in the air. Yup, it's harvest. I rather enjoy this time of year even if it's murder on the allergies. Himself is looking forward to the overtime but that's a trade-off. By the time all is said and done, everyone involved with the process from farmers to shippers, will be ready for a long winter's nap. That includes Himself. If we can afford it, we will take a few days off and just relax.

There is something I am supposed to be doing today but I can't for the life of me remember what it is! It isn't on my schedule, which is a mistake, and I don't have a note to myself so... If it's something Himself asked me to do last night or this morning, I'll not remember it, either. Yesterday was spent doing the kind of things that drain the brain and by 7 pm it showed. Managed to get supper around, eat, and then fall into bed around 9. Depending on what the schedule turns out to be later, we will either have chicken in white wine with mushrooms or something with beef. I have a hunk of round steak marinating in red wine, garlic, onions, mushrooms, bay, basil and thyme and that can go a lot of different directions. Push comes to shove? Tuna sandwiches. Just so I know by 2:30 or 3 p.m.

A nice family has taken over the hardware store in town and are working at turning it back into a hardware store. The last owners, although very nice people, didn't quite get the concept. He had worked at Ace hardware for years but that is a totally different type of merchandiser than a small town hardware store. The current folks have a separate variety section but are emphasizing paint and bolts and hardware-type stuff. I would hate see the store close since it was started by my family back in the 19th century and has been around and doing OK ever since.

Somebody ate my lunch. Literally! I had put aside a fish filet from supper last night to have today and somebody ate it. That leaves me with chili or a braunschweiger sandwich, either of which is fine, but I was looking for fish. *sigh*

Am hoping that the overtime Himself has been getting in the last two weeks will cover the property taxes. Mailing off the check today but they won't get it until Monday, then it will take another week for it to clear. That gives me plenty of time to finagle if I must. Hate doing that but no option other than bouncing a check and I am unwilling to do that. 1299.00 is no small sum, either.

Taxes actually fell a little bit this year. That is mostly due to the fact that we now have whole-grade sharing with a district that relies on gambling for a large part of their budget.

• School levy is 65% of the bill. Down .0327
• County gets 28%. Down 3.380
• AEA morons 2%. Up 5.8
• Ag extension 1%. Up 3.8
• Assessor (?) 1%. Down 7
• Special appraisal (?what?) .8%. Down 3.8
• Debt service (??what??) .3%. Down 51
• Nora Springs 0%. Uh, WHAT???

I might need to call Janelle and ask her WTF all this means?

About time for another grocery stock-up run. We're fine for now but do have some things that get used up fast. I am so glad to have access to day-old bread stores and an Aldi's. It saves me a lot of cash, especially when buying staples. I am figuring we saved about $100 this week by having lunches made here. I'm not wild about Aldi's sandwich meat but their cheese is fine and tuna and pork/beans is better than you'd possibly expect. DS3 and Himself have been great about making and taking their lunches. SS refuses so he's on his own. I just eat whatever I find around here.

Although we haven't had a hard freeze, there was heavy frost on the ground and cars this morning. I have the plants on the deck covered and think the tomatoes down on the terraces are also OK. They are protected by an overhanging maple branch and are still ripening their fruit. My produce lady has her maters in greehouses so she will be fine.

It didn't get cold enough for long enough to have the heat on, either. I sleep with the window cracked a bit and that means Himself needs blankets. LOL It's that hormone thing, doncha know? Not that it has anything to do with temperature, but he has observed that I have quit snoring since we took the carpets out. That's nice.

bbbrrrrrrrrr

"Thursday: Patchy frost before 8am."

I would be willing to say that it's likely to snow in the next month. And keep snowing until next June.

Have had a sweatshirt on all day and wearing shoes and socks. That, alone, should be an indication that it ain't summer no more, eh?

We have 10 cord of wood ready and can get more if we need it. Will be so happy later in the year for that.

Will also be so happy to have spent the time and energy on the canning and freezing. Should have over 100 quarts of maters by the time all of it is done. Just wish I had a chance to get beans and more corn. rats.

It might be a bad winter but we are doing what we can to get ready.

I am also thinking about investing in a fancy-schmancy water purifier that I would have to have imported from England. Isn't cheap, by any means, but will clean river water of chemicals, dirt and other nasty stuff.

The Crazy-people Show

OK, this is mean-spirited but these people are nuts.

Duggar Family

and they have their own television show.

and they are just creepy. eeeeewwwww

The world is going bonkers, honestly.

That man is scary-stupid

From the Agitator:

"Rash, Insular, and Proud

Last week, more than 200 economists signed a letter expressing concern about the White House’s proposed bailout plan. While not completely opposed to government action, the letter urged caution, thoughtfulness, and careful assessment before rushing to action. It concluded this way:

…we ask Congress not to rush, to hold appropriate hearings, and to carefully consider the right course of action, and to wisely determine the future of the financial industry and the U.S. economy for years to come.

When asked about the letter at a meeting last week with leaders of Congress, President Bush reportedly replied:

“I don’t care what somebody on some college campus says.”

This administration’s contempt for intellect and worldliness is bizarre. It’s not as if the letter came from the heads of 200 women’s studies or sociology departments. These are people who’ve studied economics for much of their lives. And most of them share Bush’s alleged (if not practiced) fondness for free markets."

Ghosts of the '70s

I watch the weather channel on occasion and don't usually pay much attention to what the folks are wearing but...

this morning the lovely blond lady has on an outfit that reminds me of nothing so much as the early 70s. Tight red turtleneck with a big baubly necklace and a black belt, red and black plaid miniskirt (for cryin' out loud!), very light almost-white hose, and black knee boots.

I don't think I've seen anything like that in real life for over 30 years.

I even vaguely remember having an outfit almost identical to hers.

It was nasty then and it's still nasty.

ugh

Dumbassery of a different kind

This has to be a joke. Doesn't it?




But, well... um, maybe not? In all their bizarre glory, fashion [ahem] from Martin Margiela, a Belgian. It's said that the designer has never agreed to an interview since showing publicly in 1988.

That's because Martin Margiela is actually the pseudonym of the entire inmate population of a nameless lunatic asylum in Zerkhyrgyristan.

It's not even good "performance art."

Give it up, people, you are too far gone to live.

Welcome!

To those Lovely Ladies from France... welcome to my homestead.

insert wink...

Excellent braeth of fresh air

Jason Zweig from the Wall Street Journal:

"Wall Street is dead.

Whether it was murder or suicide is beside the point: Wall Street as it has operated for the past 75 years has been obliterated in a matter of weeks. And witnessing this violent death in broad daylight has traumatized investors everywhere.

The Wall Street domino has toppled just about everything in sight: U.S. stocks large and small, within the financial industry and outside of it; foreign stocks; oil and other commodities; real-estate investment trusts; formerly booming emerging markets like India and China. Even gold, although it has inched up lately, has lost 10% from its highs earlier this year. Not even cash seems entirely safe, as money-market funds barely averted a "run on the bank."

Of all the dominos that have tipped over, the most psychologically damaging collapse was the last: the very notion of diversification itself.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A trader rubs his face as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange September 29, 2008 in New York City. U.S. stocks took a nosedive in reaction to the global credit crisis and as the U.S. House of Representatives rejected the $700 billion rescue package, 228-205. Dow Jones Industrials fell as much as 700 points in midday trading.

Every day, my mailbox fills up with messages from agonized investors who can find nowhere to hide. The most common refrain: "I've lost money on everything." If you feel this way too, you are certainly not imagining. According to the researchers at Morningstar Inc., 91% of all mutual funds in existence have lost money so far this year. To put that in perspective, in 2001 -- the year Enron imploded, Internet stocks kept crashing and al Qaeda attacked the U.S. -- more than one out of every three funds still managed to generate positive returns.

How much worse might things get? Is there any way to prevent Wall Street's death from taking you out too?

Let's consider some of the arguments that have been surfacing lately.

"We're going into another Great Depression." The failure on Monday of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the bailout plan makes those G-D words seem possible for the first time. But I don't think another depression is likely, for two reasons.

First, when you spend time studying the Crash of 1929 and the depression that followed, what stands out the most is the dearth of doomsayers. Even Roger Babson, the economist known to posterity as "the man who called the crash," did no such thing; he forecast only a 15% to 20% drop, not the apocalypse that actually occurred. Depressions start not when lots of people are worried about them, as we have today, but when no one is worried about them, as in 1929.

Corbis

Not again? Bewildered investors milled about New York's financial district after the stock-market crash in October 1929.

Second, the Great Depression and the Panic of 1873 (which triggered what arguably was the worst depression in U.S. history) both occurred before the Federal Reserve Bank had aggressively grown into its role as "lender of last resort." In the wake of 1873, after a railroad-building boom had swept the nation and then gone bust, companies and consumers alike were left gasping for capital. Nothing but the passage of time could supply it; the Fed would not be established until 1913. After the crash of 1929, when the Fed was still weak, years passed before the federal government could flood the economy with cash.

Today, however, the resolve of the Fed is not in question; nor is there any doubt that the Treasury Department is willing to provide the financing it takes to get the economy moving again. Furthermore, U.S. nonfinancial companies have just under $1 trillion in cash on their books. Even though Wall Street is dead, innovation is not: In the months to come, clever new financial go-betweens will spring up and find a way to get that cash flowing again. It's hard to see how a depression could get under way when so much capital is waiting in the wings.

"Diversification is dead." There's an old saying that the only things that go up in a down market are correlations -- the tightness of the linkages among various assets like U.S. and foreign markets, stocks and bonds, commodities or real estate. Normally, one asset will tend to zig while another zags. But in bear markets, they converge -- and in really terrible bear markets, they move in complete lockstep.

That's what is happening now, but it will not last indefinitely. It never does. While diversification does not work all the time, it does work over the course of time. There's nothing wrong with raising a little cash if that would prevent you from panicking completely. This is particularly true for retirees. Whittle down your stock position gradually, in baby steps -- say, 1% at a time -- not in one fell swoop. And set a limit beyond which you will not go; otherwise, when stocks stage their inevitable recovery, you will miss out.

"Investors hate uncertainty." Well, that's just tough. Uncertainty is all investors ever have gotten, or ever will get, from the moment barley and sesame first began trading in ancient Mesopotamia to the last trade that will ever take place on Planet Earth.

If tomorrow were ever knowable with absolute certainty, who would take the other side of a trade today?

The financial future is no more uncertain now than it used to be; in fact, it's far less uncertain than it was in the summer of 2007, when the Dow shot above 14000, the future seemed bright, and utterly no one foresaw the disaster that would befall the financial system. The absolute certainty of blue skies ahead was an illusion then, and the notion that we all know that worse misery lies in store is an illusion now.

The only true certainty is surprise.

You've probably spent a lot more time worrying about negative than positive surprises lately. But we could get surprised on the upside by a further fall in oil prices, a kick from low interest rates -- and, of course, untold other possibilities that no one can foresee.

Whatever happens with the bailout, don't bail out."

This is just what I thought

all those years ago when expected to "volunteer" for a bazillion activities in the classroom.



"borrowed" from Funny Times. Thanks for the heads-up, Leslie!

Well, I guess

if you are looking for something that is either hilariously funny or headache inducing, this would be it:

Interview Palin

OMG omg omg omg omg

I'm trying really, really hard to keep from laughing.

from The Mudflats:

"McCain Camp Figures Out Sarah Palin’s Problem!

29 09 2008

Rarely do things actually make me laugh out loud, alone in a room…especially the Wall Street Journal. But, there’s a first time for everything.

(clearing throat and trying to be serious)

Apparently Republicans have figured out what Palin’s problem is, and what she needs to do to bolster her plummeting poll numbers. I DARE you to keep a straight face.

Some prominent Republicans and senior members of Congress have expressed worries about certain facets of the Palin campaign, particularly that Gov. Palin may be “overprepared” and not encouraged to be herself, an adviser said.

And, the same article plants the seed for the “need to spend more time with my family” excuse that some are starting to think may be the excuse used to mark the end of her candidacy if things tank after the debate.

“For his part, Mr. Palin has worried about the frequent separation of his wife from her family, friends and Alaska staff, an adviser said.”

Ahhh…Todd is not pleased.

But, back to the debate on Thursday… Here’s the strategy we can expect.

“It’s time to let Palin be Palin — and let it all hang out,” said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist. Yes, enough of that”overprepared” rigid Palin who lets none of her personality escape. Go ahead….let it all hang out. I’ve got my popcorn."

Ok, never mind. I'm guffawing...

Down time

After spending the last several weeks pickling, preserving, canning, and preparing outdoor-type stuff for winter, I think I'm ready for a bit of downtime.

After I get caught up with the laundry, I might choose to do nothing other than take pictures today. No dishes, no dusting, no paperwork, no banking, nothing at all.

I might even choose not to post anything about politics. Better for my blood pressure, that way.

Have been up for a couple of hours and still blowing the nose, hacking crap up, and trying to get my eyes unglued. I should be getting in the shower but am not getting to it...

We had down-and-dirty chili for supper last night, nothing but onions, ground meat, tomatoes and some dried chili peppers. Not even any beans. It was good, anyway. Everyone was ravenous since nobody cooked Sunday evening and just had sandwiches or something for food during the day yesterday. Will make something easy tonight, too.

Property taxes are due tomorrow but, since Himself doesn't get paid until Friday, they will be a bit late. Will pay a penalty but it's better than having the checks bounce. I don't know how the taxing authorities can continue to raise people's taxes while incomes continue to drop. Where do they think folks will come up with the money? Do they think they can sell a lot of houses at sheriff's sales with the market like it is? There have been sales in the area of delinquent or foreclosed homes and there were no bidders at all. It isn't a good situation, any way you look at it.

Waggy is snoring on the floor, the goofy little beast. We ran out of dog food while we were gone this weekend and I didn't get any until yesterday so she's been pigging out. She has certainly turned out the be an awfully nice addition to the family.

The hands are letting me know that it is time for a break, absolutely. The combination of ice water, peeling and coring the maters has stiffened them up a lot. I don't like to take the NSAIDs that help with the pain but if they don't limber up in an hour or two, I suppose I will anyway.

Have discovered a bruise about the size of an envelope on the back of my left leg just above the knee. I have no clue how I got that. You'd think something that would make a bruise that big and that sore would have impinged on my consciousness in some manner, wouldn't you? Might be an indication of just how tired I was yesterday...

Am currently snacking on beef summer sausage and swiss cheese. Yum. The dog seems to think she is getting some, dancing and prancing and being cute. All that trouble for nothing, too, as she can't have any.

I may get back to this later, but if I don't, Gentle Reader, have a good Tuesday and keep your head above water...

Where I live

Morning in Iowa, September 27, 2008.

Caught this herd of cattle grazing peacefully. Cattle are funny creatures. This bunch were skittish because the pasture where they are is on a dead-end road so they don't see many people.


This little guy is about half grown. Right after I took this shot he ran off while his mama stayed and kept a close eye on me.


This herd had 2, count 'em, TWO, bulls in with them. This is the largest of the two. He watched me the entire time I was out of the car. I've had enough encounters with bulls to know that, if he took a dislike to me, that little fenceline wouldn't stop him... He looks to me like a purebred Hereford.


This is a photo of beans planted in a swale. It's unusual to see this because a swale normally has grass. The beans are about a month behind the ones on either side that are ready to combine.


Dried-down soybeans look an awful lot like weeds, I think.


This young man is out with dual motives. Hot only is he chopping corn for silage, he is opening up a corn field to make it easier to start picking corn in a few weeks.


That cloud of dust hides a combine.


This combine, in particular. It's carrying a full load and I passed by at just the right moment. She's getting ready to turn and augur the beans into a wagon.


There she is, just entering her turn. Notice that the steering mechanism on the combine is the rear wheels? That makes it much easier to maneuver around in tight corners.


Auguring the beans onto a wagon. This wagon is a gravity-feed which means that it will need to be hauled (along with another just like it) to an elevator to dump. Some wagons have augurs and can load directly into a semi or straight truck. (Have some photos of that but need to get them up here...)


This is a load of piggies going to market... There is a livestock market on Saturdays in the nearest town and I suppose that's where they were off to.
To market, to market, to sell a fat hog....


Sunrise, obviously...


A country road:



Railroad tracks:

Autumn is here

It's noticeably cooler, leaves are cascading, spreading color across the grass. Geese practicing their precision formation, crying in the wind. Winter is coming.

This time of year is also canning time. For the next 10 days, it's tomato heaven around here. Am doing 12 quarts at a time in the water bath. It takes a while for them to cook down so it's possible to stage the process and be able to accomplish other things while they cook.

Here are some photos:



The tomatoes seem to be an heirloom variety called Oxheart. They are almost solid meat and cook up beautifully.



These are almost ready to go. The foam is changing color, turning darker, and they have thickened considerably.


The finished product. The fruit kept its color with no added ingredients, salt or anything else.

I have the last 30 pounds of maters on the stove, cooking. The first two batches were around 25 pounds and the extra 5 was just enough that I had to get a second stock pot for the excess. I am "guesstimating" that I might get as many as 16 quarts from this batch. Have another 2 bushel coming this week so will continue with this. She offered another 4 bushel in the weeks to come and I may take her up on it. (We need around 124 quarts of tomatoes to get us through winter as we use a LOT of them.) 100 pounds of tomatoes for $40 is one hell of a deal and well worth the money.

Have spoken to a number of people over the last week who can't imagine doing anything like canning tomatoes. "Why don't you just buy them? It's a lot easier." Well, yeah, I suppose it is but I get something from doing this. Not just wonderful, fresh-tasting produce in the depths of winter but some kind of personal satisfaction. Like many home canners, I take pride in the fact that I can do this, do it well, and do it quickly. (I also take just pride in the fact that over the 30+ years I have been doing this I have had only about 5 jars that didn't seal and only one that broke in the pressure canner.)

I started quite young, learning the process, in my mother's kitchen. Back then, if you didn't grow it and put it up yourself you were likely to get darned hungry by the end of winter. We did tomatoes, beans, beets, froze corn, made jelly... all that kind of old-timey stuff. Mom didn't really enjoy the process, though. It was a matter of survival and it had to be done. Dad liked it better than Mom and he ended up being drafted on weekends.

The pickles are done, for the most part. I may do a few more pints to share but we don't use a lot of them so there is no need to make up a bunch. I wish I had been able to find more sweet corn but it was such a bizarre season that it was horribly expensive. Beans and peas are long since gone but I may be able to find some beets, if I'm lucky. I need a dozen or so squash and must remember to call the grower for potatoes and onions before it gets too late.

Have 2 dozen chickens coming next month, a beef in November and another hog in December. We are only get a whole half-beef this time and hoping the cost goes down before we need more. Even with the higher producer's price it is still cheaper than buying it. The quality is much better, too.

Man dies after eating chilli sauce

Tragic news from Doncaster where an inquest has been opened and adjourned following the death of a keen amateur chef. Andrew Lee passed away in his sleep after eating a tomato sauce spiced with chillies from his father's allotment. He and his girlfriend's brother had an ongoing friendly rivalry to see who could create the hottest sauce.

On going to bed that night Mr Lee started scratching all over, finally falling asleep as his girlfriend scratched his back. When she woke up he had died. A post mortem showed he had not suffered from a pre-existing heart condition and toxicology tests are underway to establish whether an allergic reaction was to blame.

Pepper sprays which cause temporary blindness and respiratory difficulty are widely used for self defence and by security personnel. Some experts have warned of the potentially lethal effects of the sprays but this seems to be the first case on record where voluntarily consuming chillies is suspected of having fatal consequences.

Life is what you are used to.

From the Guardian, Max Hastings:

"Churchill, during the second world war, explained this phenomenon to the head of the army, General Sir Alan Brooke. He called it the "three-inch pipe" theory of human response. Human beings, he said, can only absorb so much drama - up to the capacity of say, a three-inch pipe. Thereafter, everything that happens around them rushes past, along an emotional overflow.

Many people, including Brooke himself, experienced this in Britain in 1940. So many sensations crowded upon each other that many failed to achieve the impact that they deserved - happily for national morale.

A little knowledge of history makes it easier to achieve a perspective upon misfortunes that befall us. Bedtime reading of Samuel Pepys's diary provides a wonderful corrective to anyone silly enough to suppose our own times extravagantly dangerous.

Pepys lived and worked as a government servant, during a period in which almost everybody was frightened for their heads, health and fortune. While he shared in rejoicing at the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, throughout the years which followed King Charles II's polity never seemed less than precarious. Pepys's own career prospered at the Navy Office, but he lacked the slightest sense of security.

In 1665, the great plague struck London. The following year, Pepys witnessed the great fire. The nation's finances tottered. The diarist wrote on September 8: "Up, and ... by water to White-hall. I stopped with Sir G Carteret, to desire him to go with us and enquire after money. But the first he cannot do, and the other as little, or says: 'Where can we get any, or what shall we do for it ?' He, it seems, is imployed [sic] in the correspondence between the City and the King every day, in settling of things."

It seemed to them all in those days that matters could scarcely get worse, but they did. The following June the Dutch fleet sailed up the Medway, and burned Chatham dockyard. Pepys, panic-stricken, sent his money out of London, and wrote: "The truth is, I do fear so much that the whole kingdom is undone ... God help us, and God knows what disorders we may fall into."

The crises of peace, precipitated by disease, natural disaster or financial collapse, are often harder to endure than those of war. People find themselves confined to the role of victims, impotent to influence their own fates.

A significant element of Churchill's genius in 1940-41 was his understanding that the British people needed to feel themselves participants, rather than merely to stand passive in the face of the Nazi juggernaut. All that trench-digging and Dad's Army duty served little practical purpose. But it was invaluable in enabling ordinary people to suppose that they were "doing their bit".

Long after the real threat of German invasion had passed, Churchill kept alive a pretence. He knew that defence against descending Nazi hordes sustained the illusion of useful activity among millions of British citizens who might otherwise have slumped into despondency and inertia."

This is an excellent reflection on our times and times past... worth the read.