FOR THE BIRDS - GREEN PEPPERS - FLAVORD ALMONDS - JIBBER JABBER

Behind in posting and I have excuses. Wife says I have reasons. Potato potahto!

Son and fiancee flew in for a few days for 80th birthday surprise. Doctors' appointments and out-patient procedures requiring some downtime. Weather. Attitude. Little things along with some lazy.

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Set up the game camera to catch bird activity at the feeder. Birds hitting the feeders sunrise to sunset and some of the activity is spectacular. Dozens arriving and departing through out the day. I was hoping to get several good photos and found that I had over 1000 photos to review after just two days. 

Cardinals drop down vertically and this photo captures one of those moments. I am amazed at all that has to happen in that last foot of altitude. I am imagining that the wife is looking on and asking, "what is wrong with you?"
 

Woodpeckers need to lay their heads down to pick up seeds.

One of the pairs of Cardinals that live here.

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Green Peppers 

Only one garden crop this season.

Green peppers thriving in the daily change from thunderstorms to sunshine and then back to thunderstorms. We eat these like candy with lunch and dinner. I expect these to produce through summer and into the fall. 

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Wasabi & Soy Sauce-Flavored 

Son bought these almonds at the airport to snack on. I would have never given them a second look but I admit the flavors are addictive. I kept taking the bag out of his hand to confirm my liking. He turned me into a big fan. Just sharing.

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JIBBER JABBER

Of course, the visit from son and his fiancee was top billing over these past several weeks. It has been 5 years since we left NH. We talk and text daily, but there is nothing in the world as wonderful as holding my son in my arms. Those 5 years vanished in a moment. He is well over 6' and I have shrunk noticeably. He now towers over me. Great father-son moments.

I have not missed the churning of the world. Scan quickly the blogs, but no matter where I look the sky is falling and I no longer recognize or know any of the players beyond a few world leaders.  

Our weeks ahead are busy coming and going. Responsibilities. More than we are used to, but all will settle down before the 4th of July. Lawns are green and overgrown, but cannot mow wet ditches and soaked lawns. Also under doctor restricted activity for one more week.  Two nice days back to back and we will be caught up.

BIB BIG storms tonight though. 

Thanks for the visit. I appreciate. 

 

 

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN ARNIE NAKKERUD - DECADE 8 - UNIVERSAL TRAIT - HYDRATION - LARGE BLACK BEAR - COYOTE

ARNIE NAKKERUD, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

Graduation photo from Army Helicopter flight school class 1966-17, Fort Rucker, Alabama.  Lost in-country 1967.

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Eighty years nearly completed. I think this is next decade is going to be one of the most challenging to get through just because of complexities of aging. Decade 8 could be as unpredictable as the previous seven. 

I have been writing for a month now for this post. Stepping back as I re-read it, seems much like an older man's Jibber Jabber. Less is more!

Some wisdom, though, tilts my head as I look down this new path. What lies ahead?

"Curly" said he knew the secret of life.  I do not claim to know that, but he has a point.

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 A UNIVERSAL TRAIT? Found on Busted Knuckles and I have watched it several times and grin. Most likely staged to make the video, but I bet that has happened. 

A GOOD BRIEF READ. From Divemedic on Aera Ocho.

I asked one of the fellows here a couple years ago how they work in the Texas day heat and stay hydrated. He said he adds pickle juice to his water jug. The crews we see working in the summer heat appear to have mastered the art of staying hydrated. I share this because it is easy to be working outside, sweating and not realizing the importance of staying hydrated.

BIG BEAR IN CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE

The bears have been out now in central NH for a few weeks. This video from "FoxHat" is a great example of bears being drawn to bird feeders and how easily they destroy them. 

A good friend of mine was attacked by a black bear while we were flying helicopters out of Eagle, Alaska. He had landed on a river bank and after a few minutes, a bear on a near river bank saw him and started running towards him. He was armed with a cowbooy rig .44 magnum pistol and that gun saved his life. He turned the bear on the 5th round just a few feet in front of him. Great dinner time story but a hell of a lesson for anyone outside in the same area black bears roam. No one is coming to save you. 

In the case above, the bear had a "kill" on the river bank that it was protecting. The bear was doing what bears do. 

Typical areas dropping off geologists for an hour or so to collect minerals and soil samples.
 

I never walked away from my helicopter without a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with slugs. .

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GAME CAMERA 

Set up a game camera a year ago. Let it run a couple weeks, turned it off and eventurally took it down. I never took the time to look at all of the photos.

 

 One of the members of the family of deer that lives across the road.

 

Coyote is a big boy. This photo was worth all of the other throwaway pics.

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Thanks for the visit this week.

 

 

 

SY AIRSPEED - PROGRESSO SOUPS - SECRETARIAT - JIBBER JABBER

 

Sailing Yacht Airspeed recently near Dominica.

Capt Airspeed, "The most beautiful island I've seen in the Caribbean, full stop."

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 Cooking island clean up, repair and season preparation.

 Long overdue chore.

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SOME PROGRESSO OPTIONS 

So many times here  I have shared some of my reactions to news, real or false. Recently I have read, from several sources, that we are about 3 weeks away for store shelves becoming bare and suggesting to get what "you" want now. 

This throws me briefly into the toilet paper shortages of Covid. Ports along the west coast reporting empty of container ships. A fact? Most likely.

Any recovery from shortages will take months. 

While at Wallyworld the other day, I picked up a few cans of Progresso just because. Also tried one of their PITMASTER soups,

YUM

and was most surprised at flavor and contents. Yes, contains high sodium but the price ya pay. Sodium not a bad thing in a managed diet. Low sodium can lead to serious health problems.  All things in moderation a good dieting rule of thumb.

I did not see any vacant shelves on this recent shopping trip and Interstate 30 running east and west through our "backyard" is still streaming 18 wheelers. Shortages not today.

I have shared Progress before and not again pushing a product. Doctoring up a can of Progresso gives us a good bowl of soup each. Today is a good example as the weather is dreary and neither one of want to work at cooking. An upgraded can of soup is on the warm.

Having some of these cans on our shelves will be helpful and if these soups go up in price or become scarce, money well spent. Cannot hurt. Also testing these now will help us decide on further purchases.

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SECRETARIAT fun fact 

Every horse in this year's Kentucky Derby is a decendant of Secretariat.

THE MOVIE 

We were discussing this story the other night which prompted us to again the watch the movie. A good story and wonderfully told.

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JIBBER JABBER

Eight stitches in my chest from a quick out-patient cyst removal. Doctor said to refrain for normal activities due to the possibility of tearing open the stitches while I heal.  Tearing stitches and opening the wound will triple the healing time. I will opt for the 11 days and be a "good boy." So far so good and under good care of nursewifeoverseerdon'tdothat also.

Nice weather finally at son's homes in NH.

A good paired tool kit.

Back yard still holding some water from recent rains.

Planter boxes ready to place and fill. Wood from owner owned saw mill.

Appreciate the visit this week.
 

 

 

"APRIL SHOWERS... - FRIED OYSTERS AND COD - STEAK TIPS - JIBBER JABBER - LORIKEET PARROT

 BRING MAY FLOWERS"

Somewhat drenched, hanging baskets are soaking up the days of sun after several inches of heavy rainfall. 

Green peppers staked to prevent them from falling over in the heavy rains and wind.

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FERESH FRIED OYSTERS AND FRESH COD  

Gulf of America fresh oysters off the Galviston, TX coast line. Absolutely a treat to once again find local oysters. There are as good as the oysters from the PNW.

Fresh cod finger food. Covered in flour, then egg, then Panko and fried for a minute or two on each side. Plated and salt. They give oysters a good run for top eats last week.
 

Fish taco because anything be a taco. Homemade tarter sauce like mom used to make. A taco like the one pictured above is heaven and we find that we can stretch a batch of fried cod into several meals for two. Fish Friday turned into oyster/fish Thursday, Friday and Saturday lunch. 

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STEAK TIPS

Like fresh ground hamburger in the hands of my wife, a small chunk of Texas style steak tips was eaten before cryo packing. I have mentioned this before, my wife's "wanting" for blood red meat. After watching her do this for years, I am finally coming to grips with it. When she says she likes her steak and hamburger cooked rare, she means blood rare. Every time I expect her to reject the "red rare" grilled meats prepared for her, she instead smiles and says "perfet." She says all this has much to do with being raised in Texas.

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JIBBER JABBER

"Biggly" thunderstroms have been passing through followed by full sunny days. Large changes in temperatures. Starting fence painting today and in a perfect world, we will have the job done in a week. But more rainstorms will set that back. Most importantly, we will have started the job. 

From SY Airspeed

A Rainbow Lorikeet Parrot in Deshaies, Guadalupe looking as though it did not understand the question? This beautiful parrot well represents my daily posture regarding worldly issues.

Appreciate the visit this week.

 

RAIN SUN - SLICED APPLES - GREEN ONIONS - SPINNING DISK VIDEO - KATY PERRY INTO SPACE BUSHBARBIE QUESTIONS - JIBBER JABBER

Soaking rains this past week in the Piney Woods. Abundant sunshine in between. Lawns lush, planted onions ready to eat, wildflowers ready to pop, rose bushes exploding, 4-hour power outage last night because "we do not know," and general health of the bride and me in the plus columns. Cats thinning for the summer and several small vermin/varmints have been left on our back door entrance to show their pride in having done their job with extreme prejudice. They have received a few "atta girls" and a few loving touches for their efforts. Much here seems in order. 

A trip to Dallas via a northern route was made during a nasty rain storm this past week. The northern route through Fate and Rowlett to state highway 75 proved that we can still make it into Dallas and not have to fight the rapid fire traffic in Dallas proper coming and going. Takes an hour longer, but much much safer, more relaxing and scenic.

The expansion tentacles of Dallas now reach as far east as Greenville. Road construction and new zero lot-line home construction, protected by circular high walls are reminiscent of our time in South Africa two decades ago. We find no value in that life, but this is a personal opinion. I do not think that Dallas will ever find the smooth lines of coming and going. Competed projects will be insufficient for the speed of growth. The beat will go on till it doesn't.

But for now, we can still traverse this landscape of excessive fast moving traffic, crowed shopping, working and making our appointments at medical offices. We did find a restaurant serving fresh fried oysters and markets offering fresh, although expensive, meats and produce. Trips to Dallas will be adventures and serve to help keep some of our skill sets sharp. Add a few good eats. We will continue all of this until we cannot. 

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WHAT IS OLD IS NEW AGAIN

I cannot remember the last decade in which I used an apple slicer. Today, they are called Apple Dividers. Why it is necessary to change the name for a tool that slices apples? Regardless, treating myself to sliced apples over the past couple years has been easy and reasonably affordable. Pre-sliced and packaged has now turned into too much money, poor quality products near the end of their shelf life  becoming a norm at the local grocery store. I had enough of "lower quality" expensive products and asked my wife to order an old fashion apple slicer. The Oxo choice above was delivered the day after my wife ordered it. My old habit of off-the-shelf sliced apples from the grocery store was finished.

There is surprisingly a bonus from this old school food preparation in the physical positioning and slicing of an apple. Personal satisfaction coupled with aesthetic appearance. Satisfaction of saving money when shopping and an-in-your face of "I don't need/want no stinking store bought pre-sliced apples" ever again. 

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GARDEN ONIONS ARE ON!

We have started adding sliced/chopped onions from the garden now. The first planting is coming on, bright green and healthy. Most every meal from morning scrambled eggs to lunch and supper meals. They do add a flavor pop and visual appeal to meals.

 

Fresh chicken salad with sliced tomatoes and garden onions.  

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SPINNING A DISC. 

This has a wow factor for me and somewhere in the math/science of all of this is more information than I can grasp. Don't know, but I bet you watch it to the end and say "wow." Why did you say "wow?" Yea, watch it again, right?

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KATY PERRY GOING INTO SPACE 

I do not have any take on Katy Perry. Know her by pictures and name. But know not of her music and other things in general. 

From Bushbarbie and all of this makes me laugh. Maybe it is her accent or her take on the absurd. But it does make me laugh.  Adult language, just saying!

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JIBBER JABBER

Roses have been "on" for a month now. This is the spot where I tried to grow lemon trees and failed.  The roses have taken flight.

 

I surprised my wife a few weeks ago by putting a small bouquet of roses on the table for her. The photo below is the third bouquet and one she prepared for this blog.

 

Eventually, the kitchen table will be straightened up as things get put away today. But at this moment, the photo well represents a fresh bouquet of roses brightening up a living space.  

Time over the past few weeks has been spent in our rocking chairs under the car port watching pairs of cardinals hit the feeder and scoot off. We enjoy talking of things in general and soaking up the warmth of the changing days. Any wanting for more is nullified by the quiet of the day, time spent together and our increasing ability to put off chores without guilt.

Appreciate your visit this week.

 

POKE SALAD - JESUS NUT - BOSTON DYNAMICS VIDEO - OSPREY VIDEO - BUY A SAIL BOAT STORY - JIBBER JABBER

 Steamed Poke greens from the Poke weed.

I received a phone call from west neighbor asking me if I had ever eaten Poke Salad? I told him that the only thing I know about Poke salad is "Poke Salad Annie."

Sung by Tony Joe White, tells a good story about the poke weed and cooking some up for dinner. "chomp chomp."

Neighbor said he was chasing a cow that got out of the fence and was in a neighboring pasture when he noticed a large patch of fresh poke weed growing under the fence. Said he was distracted to the point of going to the fence and cutting a large bucket full of poke weed for dinner that night. Poke weed is a thing here and has been for decades. He said that a lot of folk don't like it, that he has to put hot sauce on it and would I like a small bowl to try.  Again, he said that some folk don't like it. He accompanies home boiled Poke greens with a fresh batch of corn bread. I said "sure".

A few minutes later, he pulled up in the driveway with a tupperware container with a handle. Hot out of the pot. See through container showed dark green in a hot bath. "A lot of folks don't like boiled poke greens" he said again. Had a smile on his face.

I thanked him and took the container in the house. Here was an opportunity to try some fence greens common to the fields of east Texas. I showed my wife and she pulled away from me as I asked if she would like to sit down and try some authentic "poke salad greens." She said she had never tried them but "no, thank you."

Opening the lid, I noticed boiled bacon pieces and figured that the bacon was added to help with the flavor. The greens were dark, lush and drained down from the fork like spaghetti noodles as I portioned my first bites into a small bowl. Looked very much like steamed spinach and I am a big fan of spinach in any form. I added a few dabs of hot sauce and dove in.

One bite, two bites and three. Not bad. Good. A little salt, just like adding to spinach. I am a fan of most vegetables. I draw the line at rutabaga, but beyond that, enjoy most all vegetables. Grew up with my grandmother's garden.

Then I made the mistake of looking up Poke weed. I learn that it is poisonous if not boiled and boiled and boiled. The boiling takes out the poison and the weed becomes safe and edible. Folks have been eating this weed for years beyond my age. A poor people food that grows freely in the fields here and there.

Neighbor said that granddaddy lived to be 95 and ate Poke greens his whole life. Grandma, too. Point being, that all you have to do is clean it and boil it and boil it.

I will eat it again. Wife will not.

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JESUS NUT

The recent helicopter crash into the Hudson River has resurfaced the term, "Jesus Nut." It is the one single nut holding the rotor system onto the vertical transmission shaft coming from helicopters. I learned this in 1966 while attending some of entry courses in the U.S. Army's Primary Helicopter School at Ft. Wolters, Texas. That/those lessons were soon reinforced by our flight instructors when we learned how to pre-flight a helicopter. My instructor was adamant that in our preflight around the helicopter, we climb up and inspect the rotor system. That included hand turning the rotor system to visually inspect, and touching/twisting the moving connecting rods in the system.  He was a believer that visual inspecting accompanied by physical touch insured a proper pre-flight inspection and he mandated all his students to do just that. I did that on every pre-flight of every flight I flew while in the Army. And yes, all of the touching and twisting found sticky control rods that needed attention by maintainence. 

The main rotor hub is set down on top of the vertical shaft, special washers and spacers added and then the nut is torqued to specifications. There are metal tabs on one of the nuts that bend up to one of the flats on the nut and prevent the nut from coming loose in flight. I think that there had to be 3 of those flats bent up and touching the nut. Yes, we touched the Jesus nut as part of our inspection. 

That helicopter flight program was by far the best eduction from any formal school or training I ever had to this day. There were many spin-off lessons that have applied to other mechanical devices in my life time and how to pay attention to detail. 

I have watched two videos below trying to figure out what happened in NYC. Too early to say.

CAPTAIN STEEEVE 

MAST BUMPING THEORY 

Now, any news story of this accident is so contaminated with jibber jabber from folks who have no business trying to explain anything helicopter related. 

I have never heard of any helicopter crash directly related to the Jesus Nut coming off in flight. Bell Helicopter and the Army did make a video we saw in 1966 in flight school, of a Huey UH-1 helicopter on the ground, being tested purposefully to demonstrate what happens when lift is applied to a heliccopter rotor system without the Jesus Nut. The video was what expected it to be. Parts and pieces into destruction. 

Whatever did happen in this accident, I am confident that I can say it was an instantanious catastrophic event. I would like to see more good video of the other pieces as they fall down too.

There are many, moving parts and connecting rods/nuts and bolts on a helicopter rotor system. Failure of any of these parts in flight could cause the whole system to instantly fail.

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 WALK, RUN, CRAWL

I thought that I would check in on what Boston Dynmics is up to and some of the advances in their robots over the past couple years. Let your mind play with this!

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OSPREY DEATH FROM ABOVE 

Mother nature and some exceptional photography.

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 GET YOURSELF A 30-FOOTER AND GO

Maybe nothing more than a fun read. 

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 JIBBER JABBER

A week of contractors working on the house. Some more roof repair and preventative maintenance on the siding of the house to prevent eventual rotting. 

All the work is done and we have good bones in this ole house.  

We drove to Edgewood yesterday to meet family at the Lumber Yard cafe. Delayed wife's birthday gathering and excellent food. My wife was gifted 8 lobster tails on ice. We have not had lobster since we left New Hamshire 5 years ago.

My wife steamed the tails in steamer bags for dinner tonight, two at a time, 2 minutes at 80%. Plated and devoured. She was like a kid digging, cutting and dipping into melted butter. Yea, it was grand. "Chomp chomp."

Thanks for the visit this week.

GREENING OF EAST TEXAS - SV AIRSPEED VIDEOS - 2 CHAIRS

I had just gotten "BOB" back from the shop, repaired and serviced for the season. The bride wanted to go visit neighbors and I found the time to explore their far fields and take a few pics. The early morning sun was perfect for  capturing some of the natural beauty of these lands as the Texas rain and sun play March going into April. I often refer to these days as the greening of east Texas. 

I also had the opportunity to visit some of the damage on neighbor's hillside from the baby tornado of a few weeks back. The hillsides and morning sun were perfect for photography. The baby tornado has left its mark across big swaths of our large neighborhood giving reminder of how the best of times and the worst of times can, at times, be seen together.

Large piles of debris are burning as the wet weather and winds permit. This coming week is filled with rain showers and some thunderstorm activity and will also be helpful for me getting flats of green and red bell pepper plants in the ground.  There is magic associated for how quickly things grow here.

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FROM "CAPTAIN AIRSPEED" two weeks ago.

 

"Two days ago we left Ensenada Sun Bay on the southern cost of the island of Vieques. There's not a lot to do there. We picked up anchor and made the 50ish nautical mile transit to Culebra. The minute we hit the southeastern tip of the island and turned north, we raised the main and the Yankee and were immediately catapulted to nearly 10 knots. This boat loves 60 degrees of apparent wind like you cannot imagine. We anchored in relatively close quarters to too many other boats and the holding was suspect. We spent a calm night there and went ashore for dinner that way too mediocre to justify the price. We spent $160 for the four of us to essentially have comfort food and four bottles of water. 

We came back to the boat and the next morning decided we would leave for  Charlotte Amaile at St. Thomas USVI. I never could have imagined the conditions that were about to present themselves. We knew that some wind was coming but not this much and not this soon. We clocked 32 knots at 000 degrees AWA right on the nose. The seas were extremely confused and steep building to 8'.

This boat is like a piece of fine art. Every time you stare at it you see something new, revealing and amazing. Every time we put it to the test, it devours the test and shows us how absolutely capable it is. 

As we got closer to St. Thomas, the sea state settled and the wind laid down quite a bit. We were always within a mile or two of our buddy boat who has been a great friend and cruising buddy for the 5th season in a row now. We have become fast friends and have had a good time together. 

We slowed down some to wait for him to catch up as we were going to be navigating through a tricky and narrow cut. Once he caught up, we made our way through and anchored in a beautiful anchorage called Charlotte Amalie, which is the cruise ship terminal as well as the downtown of St. Thomas. 

The crossing across the virgin passage was formidable but safe and not uncomfortable aboard Airspeed, but other boats looked to be having quite a ride.

It is really beautiful out here and this boat is absolutely incredible. The new boat is 100 times the boat that the last one was, and I loved the last one."

 Quite a ride indeed.

I have been sharing the adventures of the family sailing on SV AIRSPEED for the past few seasons. In my heart, I would love to take up their offer to come join them for awhile, but it is too late for me. A fact of life. 

"Facts are Stubborn things" (John Adams)

and I have been fortunate enough to take times when I was younger to have adventures such as this. But knock off 15 years from this old mind and body, and some of these stories would be from the decks of SV Airspeed and the photos taken outward. Regardless, I do love this stuff to the "Nth" degree.

Sailing SV Airspeed is proof that we should all live dreams and adventures when we are young. I am a firm believer in the now. 

When you become my age, you can sit back, write stories, share photographs and share advice to younger folk having earned and learned some of the meanings of life along the way.

And to my good friends on SV Airspeed, write stories now, everyday. 

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2 CHAIRS

Finally power washed and ready for the bride and me to rock away time surveying our kingdom and soaking up the warmth of the days ahead. Neighbors driving by will stop, pull in the driveway, pull up a couple lawn chairs and we will talk an hour away about nothing!

 Thanks for the visit this week.