RECOGNIZING A GOOD DAY

A GOOD DAY

The day does not have to be perfect nor does everything that crosses our paths this day, have to fit. 

But when all is said and done, do you ever take in the big picture of a given day? Do you take the time to acknowledge it? 

It is healthy to appreciate, more often than not, some wonderment.

The white petunias above are giving their last hurrah this month. I could not throw away that hanging basket when we replaced them with the new fall yellow mums this past weekend. My appreciation now is not for the whole basket of flowers in full bloom and glory, but in the last stragglers shining among those less glorious. A moment of wonderment was in order for their last zest of life here. 

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THE DOCTOR SAID....

"...your right hand thumb joint is bone on bone" as he moved my thumb around. I have never heard that joint grind as it did for him in that examination. The doctor is top notch but looks 16 years old. Gets a lot of work done in a very short period of time. 

He said he knew exactly what it was, no need for an x-ray. I could get a cortisone shot if I need it and,of course, he said there was always the option for thumb replace surgery if it gets too bad. I told him that I will take these thumbs to journey's end. Apply some heat in the morning to get blood flowing and ice for swelling as needed. Soak in a warm bucket of water will help. Come back if it gets worse. I am lucky we do not walk on our hands, though. 

I never ever paid attention to arthritis as it was an old person's problem and had nothing to do with me. Times have changed.

I handed the checkout form to a younger gal behind the counter saying, "The doctor said to schedule a lobotomy as soon as possible." She became flustered as lobotomy was not an option on the form I handed her. Puzzled look on her face and she asked again. I repeated it again. The older gal working next to her laughed. 

It is not a joke if the gal behind the counter does know what a lobotomy is. The old gal did, thought it funny. All was lost as I had to tell the younger gal I was teasing her and I was ok and did not require another appointment. She never cracked a smile.

I enjoy some banter with folks when I am out and about.

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WORTH SHARING THIS WEEK.

As the week wears on, I always seem to find something worthy of sharing. 

The Complete Growl from The American Digest

Wounded Soldier and His Injured Dog

Dream Rangers;  video  

I have seen this before; have forgotten, and good to revisit more often. 

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Fall is official now. Have a good week and thanks for the visit.

MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERED - 2nd RC AIR BOAT TEST RUN

Photo above from a Twisted Truckers post on Facebook

Mid-week, September 12, 2018 and, like many folks across the nation, we are

watching Hurricane Florence approaching the Carolina coast line. Weather forecasters are working every corner of their bucket of superlatives in describing the severity of this storm. And, of course, in keeping with public dependability of truth in news forecasting, "Florence contains sharks" seems a little over-reaching. Yeah, it is a fake headline. Proof that in any serious catastrophe, we have to take all media reporting at face value.

When my wife first showed me the photo above from Facebook, I laughed. Then after a few moments thought this fellow is a few steps ahead of other folks. If those lawn anchors are set well, his roof strapping may very well be key to saving his home. I hope to see if this works after the storm passes.

I told my wife that if we were in that situation, leaving that neighborhood in evacuation, I would have looked at that home in passing and commented, "why did we not think of that.?" All boarded up and strapped down to include 2 x 4's for extending structure support along the roof edges. Old fashion ingenuity and imagination at work.

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In The After of Hurricane Florence

And there will be an after for months to come. If there is any good news in storms like this, is that there was plenty of warning for folks to make decisions. Most will have packed up and left. Some will ride it out and as of posting time, we will know more of some damage done. 

Folks had a few days to gather up belongings and board up their homes as best they could.  Countless lives interrupted long-term. 

As an armchair observer, I would like to think that my wife and I would have a long-range evacuation plan if we lived in hurricane paths. That seems reasonable, knowing that we would have plenty of notice to activate such a plan. She would have set of responsibilities, I would have mine. 

Hopefully, we would have practiced the basics of that plan a time or two. Even if it was an hour of mimicking the gathering of essentials, gasoline, stores and the such. I believe we would already have had the discussion of what we would leave behind. In a perfect world, we would have traveled the route of our escape plan. 

None of this has to be extravagant. It does, though, have to be grounded in good planning along with plans b,c and d. 

I know this sounds good from the arm chair, but emergencies with warning times are much better executed than those of last minute or with little to no warning time. 

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AND THE EMMY FOR ..."best performance by a weatherperson reporting in the middle of a hurricane." goes to...

End of the week now. Hurricane Florence making landfall and the weather/news people are again trying to out do each other. On Fox news yesterday, one of the reporters was asking locals if they were staying or leaving and they played a quickie quote from an old lady, who said in part  "....besides, the news reports tend to over react in their reporting..." Not an exact quote, but the idea is there.

The Fox news reporter took that to heart and as a personal attack about how serious the reporter(s) are and that they are just doing their job. He did not like that old lady's suggestion that there is a proven tendency for the media to hype up pending catastrophe reporting. 

I had to laugh and that old gal got in a good one on them. I doubt they played her clip again. 

It is Friday morning now and the weather folks are standing in the strongest portions of the wind and rain, hanging on for dear life to enhance their on-the-spot reports. It is sad and they have no idea how ridiculous they look and sound. The reporters are layered in boots, rain gear and head gear. Should they ever be blown over into a couple feet of water, their chances of drowning are much improved. 

And why should the old lady leave? After all, the news stations seek out the most dangerous part of the storm and time to be in it outside to do their reports. They purposely go into the heart of the storm while telling everyone else to get out. Screw!!

And then this weekend The Weather Channel wins the Emmy! Proof that all media reporting is infected. Hard to hide who they really are. Incompetence in even faking it. Crap and double screw!! In keeping with all the lies, The Weather Channel doubles down in support of the boob reporting. Something to do with slippery grass vs. walking on pavement. 

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70 GAS EXPLOSIONS & FIRES EVACUATE THREE TOWNS

Breaking news late Thursday afternoon, had Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, MA being fully evacuated due to gas explosions and fires. If ever there was a most difficult moment for the folks of these three towns, it was yesterday, late afternoon, when they were given an immediate and total evacuation notice by officials. Seventy home gas explosions and associated fires erupted, apparently at random locations. Houses were leveled, one killed and more house fires than fire departments could handle. Add to this the potential for more explosions. 

Folks were to immediately evacuate and they could not go back inside their home for any reason. 

As Thursday night settled in, all was a mess for those three communities. All they had were the clothes on their backs and if they could leave in their vehicle, the contents of their car. For those who could not leave, local emergency shelters were being arranged. Of all the places I never ever want to experience or be forced into, is an emergency shelter. 

This was the other end of the pending disaster curve of a hurricane arriving where folks had a week to ten days to make plans for staying or leaving. The people living in these communities were given one option, "evacuate and leave immediately!!"

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Good examples this week of major life changes for many people due to out-of-their-control disasters. Uprooted for a long period of time facing these folks. It is not a long stretch of imagination for any of us to find ourselves in a situation like these where we have no say with our own property, personal belongings and daily life routines. 

That which is out of our control, is out of our control. Can be as quick as the writing of that last above sentence here. 

Bug out bags, although inadequate in the three town above evacuation notice, is much better than nothing. A good example of why to keep gas tanks always a half-a-tank to full. Always. Well thought out bug out bags kept in vehicles can be life savers and give three days of basics while a disaster plays out. 

Water, snacks, meds, clothing for the season for every member of the family. Charging cables for comms and the list here can go on and on. How many folks have an extra pair of good shoes and socks tucked aside in their cars?  

As much as family members might reject practice emergency departures for an hour or two, much will be learned on what to take, what is important and how families interact. Odds are most of us will never have the need for all of this, but like the three towns mentioned above, some time preparing to take care of ourselves and our families in an emergency can be a game changer. 

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RC Air Boat #2 First Test Run

Both of our rc air boats now completed and run. A few more runs in larger lakes are in order. To make changes or not to and just run them as they are and have fun. The boat above has barely been above a high idle in testing. High speed runs are in order for complete testing of design. The engine power on this little boat is scary!!

These have been fun to build and have given son and I time together to visit modeling that we use to do many years ago. Priceless.

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Fresh apples from local orchards are coming on. Like so many home grown items I talk about here, fresh apples too are a treat. My wife made fresh cut Cortland Apples heated with butter, sugar and cinnamon for breakfast this morning. Says her mother use to make this for her and her siblings when they were young. Simple stuff.

Have a great week and as always stay away from crowds; watch your six. As always, I appreciate your visit. 

VISITS FROM AN UNKNOWN REGION - BISCUITS

"The Unknown Regions, also referred to as Unknown Space and the Unknown Territories, was a region of the galaxy located in the galactic west beyond the Outer Rim. Largely unexplored throughout galactic history, it remained a mystery to space travelers and served as a source of tales and wonders."

I check my stats on my blog site once or twice a week. I found that I get one visit a week, or so, from an unknown region. The internet does not know who or where that visit came from. Yes, it can get messy with drivers and stuff that I have no understanding of, but I fancy a visit now and then from an unknown region. The wife thinks it is on Mars and I tend to think dark side of the moon. ".....a place of tales and wonders." I doubt I will ever know. A special thank you, though, to the person(s) from the unknown region for visiting this blog.

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THE BEST BISCUITS I HAVE EVER MADE. 

Biscuits for two.

Take the time to watch the video all the way through and then give it a try. No need to ever buy canned biscuits again.

I have never ever had biscuits come out of the oven looking like the the photo above and smelling like biscuits should smell. I believe the secret is gentle and not too much handling of the dough. I have heard others say the same thing. Also the layering paid off just like in the video. I cut one biscuit using a drinking glass. I hand formed the other one to just about the same size.

My wife said her grandmother used the little bit of leftover dough by patting it thin, adding butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon, sugar and then rolling the dough into a tube. Baked along with the biscuits. Out of the oven the rolled dough treat was cut into snack size bites for the children. A mandate for a little leftover dough me thinks.

I used my mother's old wire pastry cutter for cutting butter into flour. Worked wonderfully. I did not chill the flour. I also have heard that working the dough too much warms the butter which is not helpful for making good biscuits.

I heated a pizza stone to temperature and sprinkled a little corn meal. Then placed the two biscuits to cook. I cooked at 450 for 16 minutes. I did not open and close the oven to check on them.

Stay with the basic video and ingredients and you can add your grandmother's biscuits to your baking repertoire. If your children or grandchildren do not like these biscuits covered in buttery/jams love, then I no further advice.

Making just two large biscuits also means no leftovers. Biscuits are always best hot out of the oven.

As I take a moment and think back to the farm days spent with my grandparents, I do not think grandma had time for complicated meals with all sorts of ingredients. Anything cooked was just the basics, but the basics were home grown from the chickens, gardens, cattle and fruits. Taking care of animals and producing lands, was a full time job. Grandma was also out in the fields helping when harvest time or planting time came on. To go into the kitchen to cook for the crew and family was just another chore.

Biscuits like this were quick and easy. The non-working of the dough might just have come about from lack of time and desire to work it. Mix, fold and into the oven. Simplicity and the old ways still work wonderfully.

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NIKE

If I owned stock in Nike, I would have sold it all this past Tuesday at the beginning of the business day. I would have called the guy and said "sell"!

Colin Kaepernick is now the face of the company. Instead of a once half-talented quarterback advancing his career as such, the poor kid has taken roads all ending at cliff's edge.

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DISARMING CITIZENS

No hidden agenda here.

In your face genocide against a race that owns and farms the lands there because their skin is white and they own farm land. It makes them much easier kill and erase if they cannot fight back. This exactly why only an armed society has a chance against this kind of government corruption. We ought to take them at their word. The gloves are off and they are now calling it what it is. 

I also ran across an article earlier this week of another politician here in good old USA preaching Civilian Disarmament. Of course, I cannot find it now. 

Elections, open violence and disruptions now touted by our government leaders without consequences. Call out the crazies and they will come. I fear increased harm coming to every day citizens and children to keep this issue/agenda front and center. 

Keep your eyes open for more headlines calling for civilian disarmament in America. It is the end game.   

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NOT JUST A PILE OF WOOD

This is fresh cut to 18" and split this morning. All red oak, as ordered and at no extra cost. Heavy, wet and brings with it an unique odor that once smelled, is forever remembered. A baker's cord if there were such a thing. Our wood guy always tosses in a little extra to insure a full cord ordered is a full cord delivered. One more cord will be set in first of October. 

In a perfect world we will go into winter 2019 with two cords of seasoned wood to start off wood heating. Should this winter turn ugly, this fire wood will be available to burn in April and May. 

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SINKING AND LEANING TOWER

I had to laugh when I read this article. Expert said the cracking windows not related to the other problems of the tower. Reminds me of the experts telling folks that the water in Flint Michigan was fine to drink.   

ROBOTIC ASSISTED CLOTHING.

I would venture a guess that in a few short years, this technology will be readily available to the public.  I wonder what it would be like stepping into such a suit for assistance in normal day movements. Ahhhhhhh, to be 60 again!!

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Official first acorn fell this morning on the storage shed tin roof. Another sign. Temperatures cooling. Shorts and summer clothes set aside now. Longer socks, full-length pants and waffle shirts. Will put off adding heat to the home as long as we can. 

A day late getting this weeks post up and offer no excuses. 

Enjoy the last of the warm days and thanks for the visit this week.

DOVES

Doves fall into flight. At least that is what I have witnessed. They drop off of a perch, fall three feet and then their wings set into flight. One of their flight modes. They are powerful when they choose to be, other wise their comings and goings are of no great notice. A note here to their credit, they cannot seem to fly without some chirping involved. They chirp on final approach to landing and on take off. I have yet to watch doves come and go here without some chirping involved. 

They seem to travel in pairs and prefer snacking on the walk and strut. I have watched them comb an area letting no parcel go un-looked. Lots of pecking for what ever doves peck for. 

The arrival of my squirrel-proof birdfeeder did catch their attention and it was there, watching them land on the roof peak, where I started paying attention to them. 

They appear unsteady on their feet when not on the ground. They look like you and I do when we are trying to walk a tight space with nothing to hold on to. Our arms and head bob around trying to maintain sure footing, not to slip or fall. 

One of the first doves to land on the birdfeeder walked to the end of the ridge line like the one in the photo, top left. He/she peered over the edge to see all the feed they would need for a week, just sitting there. In the process, the little guy was constantly catching his balance, wings popping up and out to prevent a fall or slip. Then to the other end along the ridge to peer off that end. More feed and seed, but how to get down from the roof to the feeding tray? 

Doves cannot, it appears to me, make the approach and landing to the space between the feeder floor and the edge of the roof line. That open space seems too small for the mechanical flapping area of the flying dove. Bluejays have that flight pattern nailed and hit that open space like a jet landing on a carrier deck. Their landings "wham" on the edge of the feeder deck with resolve. They are off as fast as they land. 

But the doves have had to work and figure it out. A bluejay that lands on the top of the roof, simply jumps, and turns in mid-air landing on the ends of the feeder tray. Doves tried that for days, only to fall flapping to the ground. Doves do not; did not hover 6 weeks ago. Today, they have learned the jump to a hovering flight and that appears to be an awful lot of work. Just a few days ago I saw the first of doves jumping from the roof peak and hovering near the end of the feeder, inching his way to a landing spot. Bingo, it worked. Wings flapping, dove hovering to a landing. But I felt out of breath just in the watching. It looks laborious and challenging. 

A note at posting time this evening. I watched a Dove defy all that I have said above. A quick hop from the peak, turn and land on the end of the feeder tray. Effortlessly. Doves are apparently smart and have an excellent learning curve. 

On bad weather days, doves have found their way into the feeder and appear to be down and nesting. Protected in a high perch place. They seemed to be right at home. Over time, they have learned what it takes to get into the feeder for dove wants and purposes.

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THE OLD FARMERS ALMANAC 

My wife related a story this weekend of a visit she recently had with a friend regarding The (old) Farmer's Almanac. Her friend was wondering if it comes on the Kindle or some electronic form. Yep, the information is there, but apparently 70% of their sales still come from the folks who like the book setting next to their favorite chair. Ours sits proudly in the above photo, partially covered by electronic tablet. Regardless, it has its place next to my chair like an old friend. 

It has for as long as I can remember and my habit with this book dates back to parents and grandparents days and beyond. Started in 1792, 1793. There was always the latest version in my grandparents home and my parents home. Always!

There is an old time appreciation with printed books, this one in particular. The table top looks barren with out it for one. But there is no other links I have to navigate through to find a variety of stuff to read about; most important weather forecasts. And therein lies the simplicity of a bound book. Any story starts and progresses at the hands of the user. There is a lot to be said for old ways. Old ways that are not constantly interrupted by a second party distractions. My wife is adamant about the relationship of a good book, good light, a comfortable chair and quiet time. 

Apparently, the sun is at some low point now and for the year ahead where no sun spots will have a noticeable cooling affect on you and me in the near future. The Almanac proclaims snow in late October. November wet and murky. December is slush, snow and an arctic blast. And that is just skimming for blogging purposes this week. 

I find these skimming hints in this years almanac set me deeper into my chair and I re-read these remaining months of 2018. It helps set me into winter chores this three day holiday weekend. 

A garage bay cleared of flat surfaces and all of their accumulations yesterday. The floor swept like new and a vehicle now neatly rests in its protected winter  home. Today, it is the outdoor woodshed area to be cleared of tool debris and working easy access to stacked wood. It is an eyesore and that in of itself will be rewarded with this winter chore completed. Tomorrow is prepping the downstairs for tractor and snow removal equipment attached when the time arrives. 

Yep, the (old) Farmer's Almanac is still an old friend for as long as I can remember. 

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Air boat project #2 (son's boat) plans to be in the water tomorrow morning. It is a work of design, art and function. A video for sure next week to share.

Final glass coat on the bottom of the RC boat this morning.

This three-day weekend is a yearly mark of time and seasons for many folk. School officially kicks off and the putting away of hot summer days for Fall weather. It is also a wake-up call for folks that winter is just around the corner and if you have things to do, best get to "gettin"!! 

As for the world of crazy this week, it is still there in all of its glory but all set on a back burner here. A good decision. 

Have a good week ahead and thanks for the visit.