Greetings to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing.
With the current tax filing season (for 2009 income) well underway I spend less time just doing enjoyable things around the house. Things like walking in the yard, or playing with the 2girldogs and the cats get less of my time than they deserve. Leaving home before 8 o’clock in the morning and sometimes arriving back home after the last 8 of the day, they know I’m short changing ‘em. But pretty soon we’ll play in the sunshine of spring, the little brown eyed friend of mine will return again, and there’ll be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray.
Ya already know ‘bout spring starting at my house on March 1st. Well there are a couple reasons we do that. The main one being we’re so tired of winter we just can’t wait for spring to start. The second being March 1st is Saint David Day. So remember on St. David's day, put leeks in your hat. Leeks in your hat??
Now Saint David is certainly not one of the more popular saints like St. Nicklaus or even Saint Easter Bunny for that matter, but the patron saint of Wales, St. David, was born in the 6th century at Henfynw, Cardigan and his symbol is the leek. Back then they didn’t read and write like we do today, so people used objects to remind other people of who they were. Now using the object concept must have worked, ‘cause today we’re still talking ‘bout St. David and the Leeks. Which is said to have protected him in combat and was worn by his countrymen to distinguish themselves from their Saxon enemies during battles. Now can ya just imagine running around with leeks sticking out from under your hat? Or behind your ears if ya don’t own a hat.
The date of March 1st was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David on that day in 589, and has been celebrated by followers in Wales ever since then. The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century. Both the Anglican and Catholic Church celebrate Saint David Day.
Not everybody knows it, but leeks grow quite well in Indiana, in fact, I have some growing close to the East Wing. These little things are kinda a mix between wild onions and garlic. They are one of the very first plants to pop out of the ground in the spring. Leeks grow all over from South Carolina to Canada. In Appalachian Mountains the Leeks are called Ramps. Don’t know why, they just are, every place else they’re called Leeks.
In West Virginia, Ramps are one of the most popular ingredients in their local cuisine. Course those folks in West Virginia also eat some rather unique meat dishes such as squirrel, raccoon and opossum. Now with that thought in mind, I guess ya need all the Ramps ya can get. I’m sure I’ll hear from West Virginia friends ‘bout the delicate taste of such mentioned meats of the mountains.
I never ate a raccoon, but did see one cooked one time. Went to a home with my dad when I was just a little boy. It was a two room house. One room for all the living and one for all the sleeping. They asked my dad and me to stay for a meal, I think is was to be supper. Back then hillbilly people didn’t eat dinner, we only ate supper. Ya had breakfast, lunch and supper. I didn’t even know ‘bout dinner till I came to Indiana. But back to the coon story.
Now these people were so glad that my dad and I were gona stay for supper, the lady of the house decided to bake a raccoon. Don’t know if it was fresh or frozen, hunted or store bought, but she made a big deal of showing me and my dad the thing before she put it into the oven. It was a big white thing, half the size of Pup Baby James, and the Pup Baby weighs more than 40 pounds, then she placed it into a Giant Roasting Pan along with onions, carrots and potatoes and put it into the oven of a coal and wood fired cook stove.
My dad and the man and woman who lived there enjoyed each other’s company and talked ‘bout stuff as the warm oven started to produce strange and usual smells inside the house. Being a little kid, I thought something bad had happened and no one wanted to say anything ‘bout it, just being polite. As time went on the smell go worse, or better depending on one’s point of view ‘bout cooking a coon, and I say that based solely on the comment of the man, when he said “Boy does that coon smell good”.
When my dad agreed about the smell, I knew I was in trouble with supper, ‘cause there’s no way I’m gona eat something that’s producing the smells in this little house. When ya do all your living in one room, it don’t take a lot of smells to fill the space, and this place was getting filled a lot from the stuff in the oven.
The lady started to cook other stuff to serve with the baked coon. Corn Bread, Home Canned Green Beans, Home Canned Corn, Cole Slaw and deviled eggs. And then she opened the oven. I thought it was bad before. It was worse.
The table was sat with plates, forks and knives, and all the food placed on the table, with the big Roster Oven in the middle of the table, with the lid still in place. We all took our place around the table, I sat on the same side as my dad, the man and woman sat across from us, nobody sat on the ends of the table. It was kinda an odd moment when they asked if my dad could say a prayer for them before we ate.
DUD ! With my dad being a preacher and all, he for sure was used to saying the supper prayer. But I wasn’t sure if this was his first prayer before eating a coon or not. My dad said things like thanking God for this happy family, and blessing their home, and being such good friends and thanking God for all the good things in our lives, and asking God to bless the hands that made the food, and asking God to protect us and stuff like that, my dad didn’t say anything direct of God ‘bout the coon. I don’t think these people said a lot of prayers before they ate meals.
‘Cause while my dad was praying instead of bowing my head, I kinda cheated and looked around a little bit. And sure enough, this man and woman weren’t doing what they were supposed to do either. They were kinda looking ‘round like me, like they were sorta lost. But when they looked at me, I acted like I was praying with my dad.
One good thing ‘bout my dad saying the before ya eat prayers, he didn’t do like some hillbilly preachers I know, pray for half an hour when you’re hungry, and then still never getting ‘round to thinking God for the real stuff. My dad always told me “There’s a time to preach and a time to pray, never get ‘em mixed up”. He could do both with extraordinary ability. A true man of his faith.
When my dad got done praying, the lady stood up and took the lid off the Roster Oven. I was so surprised to see what was inside. That big white coon had disappeared and in its place was a little brown loaf type thing ‘bout the size of 4 cans of Spam, standing up, side by side. And the pan, that Roster Oven Pan, was filled with what could only be called Coon Grease. ‘Cause when the lady used two forks to lift the little cooked coon the size of Spam onto a plate, it dripped just the like when ya take bacon from a frying pan, ‘cept this was a frying pan and it for sure wasn’t bacon.
The lady proceeded to dissect the cooked coon on the plate, pretty much removing the skeletal system and leaving the meat on the plate. Years later when I got into a rather unusual line of work, I thought I should’ve paid more attention to the cooked coon dissecting and would’ve had a jump on the learning process.
The plate was passed around the table, starting with my dad, he took some for himself and asked if I wanted some. I said no, he said ‘that’s ok’ and he passed the plate across the table. I was saved by my dad.
All the other stuff was really good. The Corn Bread and Sweet Milk, a meal in its self. I ate the Corn Bread and Sweet Milk twice. The Sweet Milk was the kind that didn’t come from the store. They kinda cut out the middle man so to speak, they got their milk direct from their cow. That kind of milk has all the cream floating on the top, so if ya like butter, wow, such a special treat. Sweet Milk and Corn Bread for a meal, try it sometime, you’ll be surprised.
We visited for a little while after supper, me and my dad. The man wanted to show my dad his cow. We went outside and walked down the hill and across the creek to his barn where the cow lived. Ya had to watch where ya stepped in the cow lot.
Inside we found the cow. The cow was brown, not brown like the cooked coon, brown like a brown cow. I touched the cow’s head, between her eyes. Cows can’t see your hand when ya touch the front part of their head, ‘cause cows can’t focus both eyes on a single point in front of them, and that’s why they eat grass and not meat. When God makes ya a meat eater, like people, ya can focus both eyes on what ya want to eat, even if it’s part of a cow.
Then we went home. When we got home the very first thing my dad done was tell my mom what we had for supper. They both laughed and laughed as they talked ‘bout that. I didn’t know the joke until years later, when someone asked my dad if he ever ate coon. His answer made me laugh when he said “Just once, but BobbyRay wouldn’t try any”
Later that same day I asked my dad why he ate the coon. He said “Those people prepared for me the very best they had to offer. The very least thing I could do was eat what was prepared.” I learned a lesson that day from my dad. After hearing it put that way, should it ever happen again, I’ll eat the raccoon like my dad.
Ya would have thought the world was coming to an end last week as Sophia The Republican Cat prepared to watch the Health Care Summit from Blair House, ‘cross the street from the White House.
She was beside herself with anger, “Why not in the White House? What are those people doing in there that they don’t want TV cameras to see? I hear they’ve stolen part of the furniture already, just like Bill Clinton, ‘cept Bill Clinton waited till he left to still the stuff, and these people started the second week they were there.. I hear there’s U-Haul Trucks coming up to the White House at night and they load ‘em up with stuff and they take it to Chicago and sell it and ACORN gets the money.” (Damn Republican Cat)
When I accused Sophia of sounding like a combination of Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, well the cat was beside herself and threatened to move out of the house. Both Pup Baby and Gray Lady James offered to help her pack. Sarah, the White Angora, asked could she move into the Cat House when Sophia left. The threat of moving out was not working for Sophia, so she just retreated into the Cat House and stayed the rest of the day.
I checked on Sophia that evening before I went to bed, she was curled up asleep with her autographed picture of Herbert Hoover to her right and her autographed picture of Newt Gingrich to her right. Even in sleep, Sophia The Republican Cat wants nothing to do with the left. The next morning Sophia was fine.
Stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan
From the East Wing with Saint David, And the Coming of Spring, Leeks and Ramps, Cooking Coon, Sophia Watching The Blair House Summit
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
From The East Wing, With Sophia for Senate, A White Angora, The Moon across the Sky, The Mole Dogs of Summer, History of 2girldogs
Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing,
The news conference had not yet ended as Even Bayh was announcing he wouldn’t seek a third term in the Senate, that she announced she was a candidate for the Senate Seat from Indiana. Yep Sophia jumped in early.
Not many people know this, but Senator Bayh has a Calico Cat. Now just like I told the lady a year or so ago, when, in my email, I was asked how did I know Sophia the Calico Cat was a Republican. My response to the question was “Did ya ever see a Calico Cat that was not a Republican?” And so it is with Senator Bayh’s Calico Cat, Chester, a card carrying member of the NRCCC (National Republican Calico Cat Conference)
I find out from Sophia that Chester, Senator Bayh’s Calico Cat, has been a closet republican all these years the Senator has been in Washington. He’s so happy to come out of the closet. Just as soon as he picked up any hint of the decision not to run for reelection he texted the news to Sophia. Four days before Senator Bayh’s news conference to announce his decision not to seek reelection, Sophia knew. The day after that, Sophia started planning the campaign.
As excited as Sophia is for her senate run, the 2girldogs are just devastated on the news that their friend, Senator Bayh, won’t run for reelection this fall. Evan Bayh is one of the good guys, both in the Senate and in Indiana. It’s a crushing blow to all democrats ‘cross Indiana and his decision to stop being a part of inside the beltway speaks volumes as to the crap that goes on there in Washington. Even though The Gray Lady is a strong supporter of Senator Bayh, she did point out he did not do his party and favors with this timing of the announcement not to run for reelection.
Not only do the 2girldogs like Senator Bayh, they both campaigned for his last election. The Pup Baby sold lemonade on the corner intersection of Range & 800 South to raise money for the Bayh reelection efforts. She raised $1.05, a coon skin cap, two kittens and a large soup bone.
I’m gona have to talk to Pup Baby ‘bout money, and that those coon skin caps, kittens and soup bones are not something ya can take to the bank. I think the kittens stayed and grew up outside, Gray Lady James ended up with the soup bone, and Mustina still wears the coon skin cap from time to time. She plays like she’s Davey Crockett’s dog, a bear hunting dog for sure.
In the middle of all her campaign planning, Sophia got a fax from Newt Gingrich. He wants her to be on his select advisory committee on job creation and how to fix the country in general. The cat was texting to Newt in two minutes, asking for an autographed picture of the Speaker of the House. When the picture arrived, Sophia made a special place on honor for the Newt Gingrich Picture, right next to her Herbert Hoover Picture. (damn republican cat)
I told ya ‘bout all the problems I had with trying to get Sophia adjusted to sharing with the white Angel. That project was never completed. Sophia intimidated the Angel when she was small and the Angel could never get over that intimidation even when she grew up. And so the Angel chose to live with the outside cats rather than learning to put up with Sophia.
Then along came Sarah. Now Sarah is a White Angora with an attitude. That attitude is, “I’m a cat and you’re not”. Well when Sarah first stepped into the East Wing Sophia was right there to greet her with a slap and big hisssssssss. Sarah rolled with slap and came right back toward Sophia. Again the slap and hiss. Again the roll and back in your face. Sophia, confused, ran away. The next day the same story line, with Sophia again running away. On the third day the hiss was not so pronounced, the slap was half hearted and on the next day the battle was called.
The David and Goliath battle of the East Wing had ended with the David Angora not even slinging stones, just dumb little cat curiosity and an in your fact attitude that Sophia could not deal with.
Now Sophia still is on the back of my chair, but Sarah is anywhere and everywhere all at the same time. Pretty cat, a White Angora. She has one blue eye and one green eye. I won’t say Sarah gets along well with the 2girldogs, but she does sleep on top of Pup Baby from time to time.
With the 2girldogs reeling from the news from Senator Bayh, and Sophia getting crazy on her organizing the stuff, they’ve decided to simply oppose whatever Sophia is doing. Unlike Sophia, Gray Lady seldom makes political statements, she said “This is a democrat house, why don’t ya the kick the *&^%&%@(* republican cat out into the yard?” Strong words for the Gray Lady James. I think the Lady will calm down after the Bayh shock wears off.
As I set this evening in the East Wing watching on radar a massive winter storm moving ever closer to me form the southwest, my only question is where is the low pressure center of the storm. This time of the year the location of the storm center makes all the difference in the world to us. When the center of a weather system passes overhead in the winter we will tend to get only rain. When the center of the storm passes over Indianapolis, get out your boots.
A rule of thumb is 1” of rain is equal to 10” of snow. Now that can vary by an inch or so of snow depending on some other factors, but the 1:10 ratio tends to hold close in all kinds of winter storms. In the summer time we can get 2 to 4 inches of rain at any time and not think anything ‘bout it. Get that same amount of moister in the winter, ya got a major problem. Snow too deep to make snow angels, now that’s a bummer.
Talking ‘bout snow angels, one of the things I do is teach CCD Class at Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in North Judson. I teach a combined 4th & 5th grade class, and one of the field trips we are planning this winter is to go outside and make snow angels. So far this winter there has only been one good Snow Angel Making Sunday this year, and I had to be somewhere else on that Sunday. But we still hope to get the snow just at the right time. Never think you’re too old to make Snow Angels, they’re kinda like birthday cards to God. I’d rather make Snow Angels than Snow Men. But each one has takes its own kinda snow.
I don’t think I shared with ya a most interesting site on my trip to Atlanta three weeks ago. As most of you know I left rather hurriedly on a Sunday Evening, my son John and I. Somewhere north of Lafayette IN, as we were driving south, the moon came up in the east, It was near a full moon in a cloudless sky. My trip took me almost due south the whole night. As the night wore on I could see the moon tracking cross the sky in front of me. The moon went down somewhere around 3 or 4 AM.
I got to thinking that as we watch the Moon move across the sky, how much is the Moon moving, and how much is the Earth's own movement? So the other night using my telescope I calculated out the question and conclude that as we watch the Moon move from east to west, it travels its own diameter across the night sky in about 3 minutes or so. The speed at which we see the Moon move is mostly due to the Earth's movement, not the Moon's. The Earth's movement accounts for about 95 percent of the shifting position of the Moon. The other 5 percent is actually the Moon itself moving in its own orbit.
Thinking ‘bout stuff like that kinda brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “we’re all in it together” Just think ‘bout it, if this Earth eve stops spinning we’re gona be floating out past that Moon in no time. But not to worry ‘bout the height, ya won’t be awake anyhow.
I can’t help but think of the approaching spring time and all the neat stuff that comes with the change of the seasons. One of the most fun things in the springtime is the digging of the dirt. Now I don’t know ‘bout you but I like to dig in the springtime dirt. It smells good. And if ya happen to dig up a worm, well, ya just know God didn’t forget ‘bout your garden. Worms are important to gardens.
I’m not talking ‘bout those big ole ugly white grubs in your yard, that’s not garden worms, that’s worms from hell sent by the Devil himself to make sure your yard is full of moles and that they make little tunnels all over your yard. And if you’re lucky, ya got a dog that goes out there and digs up every little tunnel and converts it into a dry mote that the cat can barely cross.
Gray Lady James is my Mole Dog of Summer. The Gray Lady being a German Shorthair Pointer, has nose for stuff. It seems she can smell the ground moles even without them digging the little tunnels. Many times I’ve seen her go into her Bird Dog Point, wait 5 seconds, take one step and dig straight down just as fast as she can. Most of the time the Lady wins that deadly game of dog and mole.
Now with the Pup Baby, Mustina James, by the time she remembers how to point, the mole is long gone. But she digs anyway. Now the Pup Baby is good for other stuff, we just don’t know what for sure, but we know it’s something. Someone asked a while back how old were my dogs. Not the Pup Baby James, Mustina, was born on January 22nd 2000, so we just had her 10th birthday party. Gray Lady James come to us from down the road.
She did not come with papers. She came pregnant with Pup Baby. She was one of the most starved and afraid of people dogs I had ever seen. She was so starved and skinny, I did not even know she was with child, right up to the day Mustina was born. It is not uncommon for the German Shorthaired Pointer to have 4 to 6 pups. The Gray Lady James had only one, she was that starved. Not only starved for food, but also love. It took me two weeks of feeding her every day before I touched her the first time. But after that we became friends for life, me and Gray Lady James. My daughter, Angela, thought the Gray Lady James was an ugly dog, until our neighbor brought us a dog magazine featuring the German Shorthaired Pointers. It was as if the Lady was on the cover. After that Angela has a different point of view ‘bout the Lady, we all share that point of view.
A stately dog, Gray Lady James. We don’t know her full history, but since November 30, 1999 she’s been a member of the Family of Howard. I think the Gray Lady is somewhere between 11 and 12 years old. Two dogs are better than one dog, else who’d they play with when you’re gone.
As the East Wing slips into the our nighttime mode, with everybody asleep ‘cept me and two cats, Sophia texting for the last two hours, to who I don’t know, and Sarah just being Sarah, I thank you so much for stopping by this rainy Sunday Evening. Your presence in the East Wing has, as usual, made our day.
A visit from a friend is like a breath of springtime. We’re glad you came.
Stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From the East Wing With Sophia for the Senate, Waiting on the Storm, The Moon across the Sky, The Mole Dogs of Summer, History of 2girldogs
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
The news conference had not yet ended as Even Bayh was announcing he wouldn’t seek a third term in the Senate, that she announced she was a candidate for the Senate Seat from Indiana. Yep Sophia jumped in early.
Not many people know this, but Senator Bayh has a Calico Cat. Now just like I told the lady a year or so ago, when, in my email, I was asked how did I know Sophia the Calico Cat was a Republican. My response to the question was “Did ya ever see a Calico Cat that was not a Republican?” And so it is with Senator Bayh’s Calico Cat, Chester, a card carrying member of the NRCCC (National Republican Calico Cat Conference)
I find out from Sophia that Chester, Senator Bayh’s Calico Cat, has been a closet republican all these years the Senator has been in Washington. He’s so happy to come out of the closet. Just as soon as he picked up any hint of the decision not to run for reelection he texted the news to Sophia. Four days before Senator Bayh’s news conference to announce his decision not to seek reelection, Sophia knew. The day after that, Sophia started planning the campaign.
As excited as Sophia is for her senate run, the 2girldogs are just devastated on the news that their friend, Senator Bayh, won’t run for reelection this fall. Evan Bayh is one of the good guys, both in the Senate and in Indiana. It’s a crushing blow to all democrats ‘cross Indiana and his decision to stop being a part of inside the beltway speaks volumes as to the crap that goes on there in Washington. Even though The Gray Lady is a strong supporter of Senator Bayh, she did point out he did not do his party and favors with this timing of the announcement not to run for reelection.
Not only do the 2girldogs like Senator Bayh, they both campaigned for his last election. The Pup Baby sold lemonade on the corner intersection of Range & 800 South to raise money for the Bayh reelection efforts. She raised $1.05, a coon skin cap, two kittens and a large soup bone.
I’m gona have to talk to Pup Baby ‘bout money, and that those coon skin caps, kittens and soup bones are not something ya can take to the bank. I think the kittens stayed and grew up outside, Gray Lady James ended up with the soup bone, and Mustina still wears the coon skin cap from time to time. She plays like she’s Davey Crockett’s dog, a bear hunting dog for sure.
In the middle of all her campaign planning, Sophia got a fax from Newt Gingrich. He wants her to be on his select advisory committee on job creation and how to fix the country in general. The cat was texting to Newt in two minutes, asking for an autographed picture of the Speaker of the House. When the picture arrived, Sophia made a special place on honor for the Newt Gingrich Picture, right next to her Herbert Hoover Picture. (damn republican cat)
I told ya ‘bout all the problems I had with trying to get Sophia adjusted to sharing with the white Angel. That project was never completed. Sophia intimidated the Angel when she was small and the Angel could never get over that intimidation even when she grew up. And so the Angel chose to live with the outside cats rather than learning to put up with Sophia.
Then along came Sarah. Now Sarah is a White Angora with an attitude. That attitude is, “I’m a cat and you’re not”. Well when Sarah first stepped into the East Wing Sophia was right there to greet her with a slap and big hisssssssss. Sarah rolled with slap and came right back toward Sophia. Again the slap and hiss. Again the roll and back in your face. Sophia, confused, ran away. The next day the same story line, with Sophia again running away. On the third day the hiss was not so pronounced, the slap was half hearted and on the next day the battle was called.
The David and Goliath battle of the East Wing had ended with the David Angora not even slinging stones, just dumb little cat curiosity and an in your fact attitude that Sophia could not deal with.
Now Sophia still is on the back of my chair, but Sarah is anywhere and everywhere all at the same time. Pretty cat, a White Angora. She has one blue eye and one green eye. I won’t say Sarah gets along well with the 2girldogs, but she does sleep on top of Pup Baby from time to time.
With the 2girldogs reeling from the news from Senator Bayh, and Sophia getting crazy on her organizing the stuff, they’ve decided to simply oppose whatever Sophia is doing. Unlike Sophia, Gray Lady seldom makes political statements, she said “This is a democrat house, why don’t ya the kick the *&^%&%@(* republican cat out into the yard?” Strong words for the Gray Lady James. I think the Lady will calm down after the Bayh shock wears off.
As I set this evening in the East Wing watching on radar a massive winter storm moving ever closer to me form the southwest, my only question is where is the low pressure center of the storm. This time of the year the location of the storm center makes all the difference in the world to us. When the center of a weather system passes overhead in the winter we will tend to get only rain. When the center of the storm passes over Indianapolis, get out your boots.
A rule of thumb is 1” of rain is equal to 10” of snow. Now that can vary by an inch or so of snow depending on some other factors, but the 1:10 ratio tends to hold close in all kinds of winter storms. In the summer time we can get 2 to 4 inches of rain at any time and not think anything ‘bout it. Get that same amount of moister in the winter, ya got a major problem. Snow too deep to make snow angels, now that’s a bummer.
Talking ‘bout snow angels, one of the things I do is teach CCD Class at Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in North Judson. I teach a combined 4th & 5th grade class, and one of the field trips we are planning this winter is to go outside and make snow angels. So far this winter there has only been one good Snow Angel Making Sunday this year, and I had to be somewhere else on that Sunday. But we still hope to get the snow just at the right time. Never think you’re too old to make Snow Angels, they’re kinda like birthday cards to God. I’d rather make Snow Angels than Snow Men. But each one has takes its own kinda snow.
I don’t think I shared with ya a most interesting site on my trip to Atlanta three weeks ago. As most of you know I left rather hurriedly on a Sunday Evening, my son John and I. Somewhere north of Lafayette IN, as we were driving south, the moon came up in the east, It was near a full moon in a cloudless sky. My trip took me almost due south the whole night. As the night wore on I could see the moon tracking cross the sky in front of me. The moon went down somewhere around 3 or 4 AM.
I got to thinking that as we watch the Moon move across the sky, how much is the Moon moving, and how much is the Earth's own movement? So the other night using my telescope I calculated out the question and conclude that as we watch the Moon move from east to west, it travels its own diameter across the night sky in about 3 minutes or so. The speed at which we see the Moon move is mostly due to the Earth's movement, not the Moon's. The Earth's movement accounts for about 95 percent of the shifting position of the Moon. The other 5 percent is actually the Moon itself moving in its own orbit.
Thinking ‘bout stuff like that kinda brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “we’re all in it together” Just think ‘bout it, if this Earth eve stops spinning we’re gona be floating out past that Moon in no time. But not to worry ‘bout the height, ya won’t be awake anyhow.
I can’t help but think of the approaching spring time and all the neat stuff that comes with the change of the seasons. One of the most fun things in the springtime is the digging of the dirt. Now I don’t know ‘bout you but I like to dig in the springtime dirt. It smells good. And if ya happen to dig up a worm, well, ya just know God didn’t forget ‘bout your garden. Worms are important to gardens.
I’m not talking ‘bout those big ole ugly white grubs in your yard, that’s not garden worms, that’s worms from hell sent by the Devil himself to make sure your yard is full of moles and that they make little tunnels all over your yard. And if you’re lucky, ya got a dog that goes out there and digs up every little tunnel and converts it into a dry mote that the cat can barely cross.
Gray Lady James is my Mole Dog of Summer. The Gray Lady being a German Shorthair Pointer, has nose for stuff. It seems she can smell the ground moles even without them digging the little tunnels. Many times I’ve seen her go into her Bird Dog Point, wait 5 seconds, take one step and dig straight down just as fast as she can. Most of the time the Lady wins that deadly game of dog and mole.
Now with the Pup Baby, Mustina James, by the time she remembers how to point, the mole is long gone. But she digs anyway. Now the Pup Baby is good for other stuff, we just don’t know what for sure, but we know it’s something. Someone asked a while back how old were my dogs. Not the Pup Baby James, Mustina, was born on January 22nd 2000, so we just had her 10th birthday party. Gray Lady James come to us from down the road.
She did not come with papers. She came pregnant with Pup Baby. She was one of the most starved and afraid of people dogs I had ever seen. She was so starved and skinny, I did not even know she was with child, right up to the day Mustina was born. It is not uncommon for the German Shorthaired Pointer to have 4 to 6 pups. The Gray Lady James had only one, she was that starved. Not only starved for food, but also love. It took me two weeks of feeding her every day before I touched her the first time. But after that we became friends for life, me and Gray Lady James. My daughter, Angela, thought the Gray Lady James was an ugly dog, until our neighbor brought us a dog magazine featuring the German Shorthaired Pointers. It was as if the Lady was on the cover. After that Angela has a different point of view ‘bout the Lady, we all share that point of view.
A stately dog, Gray Lady James. We don’t know her full history, but since November 30, 1999 she’s been a member of the Family of Howard. I think the Gray Lady is somewhere between 11 and 12 years old. Two dogs are better than one dog, else who’d they play with when you’re gone.
As the East Wing slips into the our nighttime mode, with everybody asleep ‘cept me and two cats, Sophia texting for the last two hours, to who I don’t know, and Sarah just being Sarah, I thank you so much for stopping by this rainy Sunday Evening. Your presence in the East Wing has, as usual, made our day.
A visit from a friend is like a breath of springtime. We’re glad you came.
Stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From the East Wing With Sophia for the Senate, Waiting on the Storm, The Moon across the Sky, The Mole Dogs of Summer, History of 2girldogs
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
Sunday, February 14, 2010
From the East Wing, Talking "bout Out of Whack, Sopohia and the Tea Party, When the Winter Wind Came By
Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing.
In a light conversation with a client last week, he used the term “out of whack”. Afterwards I got to thinking ‘bout that “out of whack” and where’d it come from. It didn’t take much effort to find a fascinating story going back a couple hundred years.
It seems “out of whack” started as an opposite saying to “in fine whack”, which I’m sure all you know what “in fine whack” means. Well for that one person who reads this and doesn’t know, it simply means everything is going along in fine shape.
Over the years “whack has had several different meanings: a whack on the head, a share of the stolen loot, a full price paid for a purchase, a bargain price paid, an attempt at doing something, also an agreement amongst people. So in this sense, something that is "out of whack" would be "a bad bargain or an agreement that's gone awry." In other words, something that's out of kilter, and we all know ‘bout that “kilter thing” or do we????
Now when I was a kid in downtown Toto, we all knew ‘bout “whack” for sure. That’s what the closest adult done to ya when ya done something dumb, stupid or mean. They didn’t believe in giving a child a “time out” to consider their actions back then. They believed in “whack”. When ya got whacked, ya had plenty time afterwards to consider your actions, and develop a resolve to never do that again. Or at the very least, not in the presence of the whacker.
So it turns out that over the years “whack” has changed its meaning from time to time. With that meaning change in mind, I believe “whack” could be is a an onomatopoeia for the sound of an auctioneer's hammer's rap.
And to tell ya the truth, I’m doing all this talking ‘bout this “whack” thing just so I can use the big word “onomatopoeia” which simply means “a kid that grew up in Toto using a big word while typing on a computer”.
Whack was important when I grew up. Too bad it’s not practiced as such today, society maybe would be better off. To this day I occasionally see somebody who could use a good “whack”. I’m sure you see those from time to time too. Don’t ya just want to “whack” ‘em. (I was joking ‘bout the definition of onomatopoeia, look it up. You’ll be surprised)
I knew sooner or later the Republican Cat would get wind of the Tea Party thing. Well she has, and it seems she has known from the onset of that movement, but just now formulating her position after her work in the recent special election out east. After the annual meeting of the NRCCC (National Republican Calico Cat Committee) held in Nashville TN a few days ago, she met with a group from the Tea Party who were also in town for their first ever national meeting.
Now it turns out that the Tea Party people were trying to learn organizational skills from the NRCCC, since they’ve been around from the time of Herbert Hoover. ( and we all know how Sophia so worships her autographed picture of Herbert Hoover) With Sophia being the National Spokes Cat for the NRCCC, she was more than happy to meet with the Tea Party people in Nashville.
Sophia said they met at one of the Cracker Barrel Restaurants in Nashville. The Tea Party people had the Soup Beans and Cornbread, Sophia had white milk and mouse. Those Cracker Barrel people, they can feed just ‘bout anybody.
Later, back at the Grand Ole Nashville Hotel, Sophia presented a two hour seminar on the organizational skills honed and polished by the NRCCC over the last 7 decades. Skills that produce results and actions from people when it’s necessary to provide an informed electorate. She used the election of Senator Scott Brown as an example of NRCCC skills and effectiveness in producing end results.
While in Nashville, Sophia said she met Sarah Palin. I asked her what she though. She said “Sarah Plain’s just another pretty cat”. Sophia and Sarah are planning a road trip later this year. I expect we’ll all hear ‘bout that from the cat when the weather warms up and the politics of the off year election start to fill the air. The cat can’t wait.
I saw a neat thing last Tuesday evening late at night. Here in Indiana, we all woke up to snow on the ground Tuesday, and snow in the air, it snowed most all day. The weather forecast called for continued snow with wind picking up after dark. ‘Bout 11 o’clock or so, I was sitting in the East Wing, in the dark, with just the fireplace behind me and the computer screen in front, I’m looking out the south window of the East Wing toward the outside light on the tall NIPSCO Pole at the end of the yard, and then it happened.
I saw the wind come to the East Wing. Unlike the summer wind, which can come upon ya as a sudden blast of 50 mph, the winter wind tends to come on little cat feet. The air was total calm as I sat looking into the night, not a thing moved outside. The first sign of the Winter Wind was the slow motion turning of the very last clinging oak leaves from summer past. The wind had come by.
In no time at all a rhythm was in the leaves, the bare tree branches join sway and swing as the wind continued to gain strength, as if the trees themselves were encouraging the wind to blow even harder. The wind obliged, as the evergreens gave up their fresh coating of new fallen snow, only hours old. Snow is pulled from the branches of the evergreens into the outstretched invisible arms of the Winter Wind, and whisked away into the darkness. The worst winter weather conditions possible, the winter white out, had started, not the wind of summer preceding the thunder storm, but the cold winter wind that grows to such force to fill the air with snow so dense ya gotta tie strings to the 2girldogs collars just so ya can pull ‘em back inside when they go out to pee. Don’t worry ‘bout the Republican Cat in the white out, she has indoor plumbing.
I sat for hours just watching the winter storm swirling ‘round me and the East Wing. The 2girldogs and the 1wife were all sound asleep while just outside the window, Winter was putting on an outdoor magic show, while I watched from the comfort of the East Wing with the warm fireplace at my back and the cat on top of the chair. Some time into the night I went to sleep, wondering what the morning would bring. We’d spent a fun three hours just looking out my East Wing Window watching the Winter Wind shovel snow.
Seems I remember somewhere I heard someone say that if you’re looking out your window of life and all ya can see are the faults of others. It may be time to wash your window, from the inside. And that’s ‘bout as close as I’m coming to the gospel according to BobbyRay on this Valentine’s Day. You just make your own decision on whether your window needs washing or not. Lord knows mine does, ofter.
The first glimpse of daylight reveled both high snow drifts and bare ground. Last night’s magic show had relocated most every snow flake from the day before. Some were piled way too high and in some places the grass itself had been swept clean as if a vacuum cleaner ran over the lawn in the darkness. The roads were not plowed, so it was a good thing that I’d driven John’s 4-wheel SUV home. We went to work as usual, me and she.
Last Friday was Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. Abe Lincoln was born on the morning of Sunday, February 12, 1809, in a one-room, 16x18-foot, log cabin with a dirt floor. Called Sinking Spring Farm close to Hodgenville, Kentucky. I went there one time to see Lincoln’s birth place, yep dirt floors, but they won’t let ya go inside, just look through the door. I guess they’re afraid too many would reach down and take the dirt. Then the first thing ya know, you’re in the basement of Lincoln’s home.
Very few people know that Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. president to have received a U.S. patent, for something he described in this way: "A new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air chambers with a steamboat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water, without discharging their cargoes.”
With that description from Abe Lincoln himself, his invention sounds like what an inner tube does when ya sit on one in your swimming pool. Keeps ya high in the water.
Such a beautiful Valentine’s Day for 2010. Sunshine and almost a hint, almost a hint of spring, not quite, but almost. Both Regina and I worked all day in town, I walked from my office to the florist without a coat. Like I said almost a hint. The second time I made that trip I did wear the coat.
In the Family of Howard, we start spring on March 1st every year, no matter what, cold or snow, rain or shine. Come March 1st we’re thinking and doing spring stuff. Two Weeks!!!
As usual, your company has been such a pleasure this evening. As all the girls in my life settle in for a warm winter’s night, the Pup Baby’s final twist on her couch before sleep has been completed and the Gray Lady curled into her favorite sleeping position, that being a ball, with the 1wife asleep on her couch, leaving only me and the cat to turn out the lights.
Sophia only goes to her lair after I turn out the lights of the East Wing. I don’t even like that cat, but one thing I’ll say is she’ll stand by me. I almost forgot to tell ya, now Sophia wants me to carry her downstairs in the morning when I come down for breakfast, so I do. (Damn Republican Cat)
Stay safe in Baghdad and Afghanistan, someday soon Lord, someday soon.
From the East Wing, Talking ‘bout Out of Whack, Sophia and the Tea Party, When the Winter Wind came by
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
In a light conversation with a client last week, he used the term “out of whack”. Afterwards I got to thinking ‘bout that “out of whack” and where’d it come from. It didn’t take much effort to find a fascinating story going back a couple hundred years.
It seems “out of whack” started as an opposite saying to “in fine whack”, which I’m sure all you know what “in fine whack” means. Well for that one person who reads this and doesn’t know, it simply means everything is going along in fine shape.
Over the years “whack has had several different meanings: a whack on the head, a share of the stolen loot, a full price paid for a purchase, a bargain price paid, an attempt at doing something, also an agreement amongst people. So in this sense, something that is "out of whack" would be "a bad bargain or an agreement that's gone awry." In other words, something that's out of kilter, and we all know ‘bout that “kilter thing” or do we????
Now when I was a kid in downtown Toto, we all knew ‘bout “whack” for sure. That’s what the closest adult done to ya when ya done something dumb, stupid or mean. They didn’t believe in giving a child a “time out” to consider their actions back then. They believed in “whack”. When ya got whacked, ya had plenty time afterwards to consider your actions, and develop a resolve to never do that again. Or at the very least, not in the presence of the whacker.
So it turns out that over the years “whack” has changed its meaning from time to time. With that meaning change in mind, I believe “whack” could be is a an onomatopoeia for the sound of an auctioneer's hammer's rap.
And to tell ya the truth, I’m doing all this talking ‘bout this “whack” thing just so I can use the big word “onomatopoeia” which simply means “a kid that grew up in Toto using a big word while typing on a computer”.
Whack was important when I grew up. Too bad it’s not practiced as such today, society maybe would be better off. To this day I occasionally see somebody who could use a good “whack”. I’m sure you see those from time to time too. Don’t ya just want to “whack” ‘em. (I was joking ‘bout the definition of onomatopoeia, look it up. You’ll be surprised)
I knew sooner or later the Republican Cat would get wind of the Tea Party thing. Well she has, and it seems she has known from the onset of that movement, but just now formulating her position after her work in the recent special election out east. After the annual meeting of the NRCCC (National Republican Calico Cat Committee) held in Nashville TN a few days ago, she met with a group from the Tea Party who were also in town for their first ever national meeting.
Now it turns out that the Tea Party people were trying to learn organizational skills from the NRCCC, since they’ve been around from the time of Herbert Hoover. ( and we all know how Sophia so worships her autographed picture of Herbert Hoover) With Sophia being the National Spokes Cat for the NRCCC, she was more than happy to meet with the Tea Party people in Nashville.
Sophia said they met at one of the Cracker Barrel Restaurants in Nashville. The Tea Party people had the Soup Beans and Cornbread, Sophia had white milk and mouse. Those Cracker Barrel people, they can feed just ‘bout anybody.
Later, back at the Grand Ole Nashville Hotel, Sophia presented a two hour seminar on the organizational skills honed and polished by the NRCCC over the last 7 decades. Skills that produce results and actions from people when it’s necessary to provide an informed electorate. She used the election of Senator Scott Brown as an example of NRCCC skills and effectiveness in producing end results.
While in Nashville, Sophia said she met Sarah Palin. I asked her what she though. She said “Sarah Plain’s just another pretty cat”. Sophia and Sarah are planning a road trip later this year. I expect we’ll all hear ‘bout that from the cat when the weather warms up and the politics of the off year election start to fill the air. The cat can’t wait.
I saw a neat thing last Tuesday evening late at night. Here in Indiana, we all woke up to snow on the ground Tuesday, and snow in the air, it snowed most all day. The weather forecast called for continued snow with wind picking up after dark. ‘Bout 11 o’clock or so, I was sitting in the East Wing, in the dark, with just the fireplace behind me and the computer screen in front, I’m looking out the south window of the East Wing toward the outside light on the tall NIPSCO Pole at the end of the yard, and then it happened.
I saw the wind come to the East Wing. Unlike the summer wind, which can come upon ya as a sudden blast of 50 mph, the winter wind tends to come on little cat feet. The air was total calm as I sat looking into the night, not a thing moved outside. The first sign of the Winter Wind was the slow motion turning of the very last clinging oak leaves from summer past. The wind had come by.
In no time at all a rhythm was in the leaves, the bare tree branches join sway and swing as the wind continued to gain strength, as if the trees themselves were encouraging the wind to blow even harder. The wind obliged, as the evergreens gave up their fresh coating of new fallen snow, only hours old. Snow is pulled from the branches of the evergreens into the outstretched invisible arms of the Winter Wind, and whisked away into the darkness. The worst winter weather conditions possible, the winter white out, had started, not the wind of summer preceding the thunder storm, but the cold winter wind that grows to such force to fill the air with snow so dense ya gotta tie strings to the 2girldogs collars just so ya can pull ‘em back inside when they go out to pee. Don’t worry ‘bout the Republican Cat in the white out, she has indoor plumbing.
I sat for hours just watching the winter storm swirling ‘round me and the East Wing. The 2girldogs and the 1wife were all sound asleep while just outside the window, Winter was putting on an outdoor magic show, while I watched from the comfort of the East Wing with the warm fireplace at my back and the cat on top of the chair. Some time into the night I went to sleep, wondering what the morning would bring. We’d spent a fun three hours just looking out my East Wing Window watching the Winter Wind shovel snow.
Seems I remember somewhere I heard someone say that if you’re looking out your window of life and all ya can see are the faults of others. It may be time to wash your window, from the inside. And that’s ‘bout as close as I’m coming to the gospel according to BobbyRay on this Valentine’s Day. You just make your own decision on whether your window needs washing or not. Lord knows mine does, ofter.
The first glimpse of daylight reveled both high snow drifts and bare ground. Last night’s magic show had relocated most every snow flake from the day before. Some were piled way too high and in some places the grass itself had been swept clean as if a vacuum cleaner ran over the lawn in the darkness. The roads were not plowed, so it was a good thing that I’d driven John’s 4-wheel SUV home. We went to work as usual, me and she.
Last Friday was Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. Abe Lincoln was born on the morning of Sunday, February 12, 1809, in a one-room, 16x18-foot, log cabin with a dirt floor. Called Sinking Spring Farm close to Hodgenville, Kentucky. I went there one time to see Lincoln’s birth place, yep dirt floors, but they won’t let ya go inside, just look through the door. I guess they’re afraid too many would reach down and take the dirt. Then the first thing ya know, you’re in the basement of Lincoln’s home.
Very few people know that Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. president to have received a U.S. patent, for something he described in this way: "A new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air chambers with a steamboat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water, without discharging their cargoes.”
With that description from Abe Lincoln himself, his invention sounds like what an inner tube does when ya sit on one in your swimming pool. Keeps ya high in the water.
Such a beautiful Valentine’s Day for 2010. Sunshine and almost a hint, almost a hint of spring, not quite, but almost. Both Regina and I worked all day in town, I walked from my office to the florist without a coat. Like I said almost a hint. The second time I made that trip I did wear the coat.
In the Family of Howard, we start spring on March 1st every year, no matter what, cold or snow, rain or shine. Come March 1st we’re thinking and doing spring stuff. Two Weeks!!!
As usual, your company has been such a pleasure this evening. As all the girls in my life settle in for a warm winter’s night, the Pup Baby’s final twist on her couch before sleep has been completed and the Gray Lady curled into her favorite sleeping position, that being a ball, with the 1wife asleep on her couch, leaving only me and the cat to turn out the lights.
Sophia only goes to her lair after I turn out the lights of the East Wing. I don’t even like that cat, but one thing I’ll say is she’ll stand by me. I almost forgot to tell ya, now Sophia wants me to carry her downstairs in the morning when I come down for breakfast, so I do. (Damn Republican Cat)
Stay safe in Baghdad and Afghanistan, someday soon Lord, someday soon.
From the East Wing, Talking ‘bout Out of Whack, Sophia and the Tea Party, When the Winter Wind came by
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
Sunday, February 7, 2010
From the East Wing Reading the Calico Manifesto, Thinking 'bout Ed, The Cracker Barrel Supper, In Front of the Storm Running Home
Greeting to all and welcome to new friends to the East Wing.
As the long time East Wing friends know I seldom ever cross my Sunday visit with all of you and the Wednesday visit I have with the people in Iraq and now Afghanistan. But I ran across something which touched my heart, and I think will touch yours too.
An East Wing friend from North Carolina sent me a web address site which I checked out and was amazed at what I found. It’s legit and well worth your time to visit. Xerox, along with other corporate entities, has put up a site which will allow everyone interested to do so, to send a card of thanks which will be delivered to the military around the world. Ya can even sign you name on the card, at www.LetsSayThanks.com
Sorry to disappoint those who believed the story of the White Winter Mushrooms of the Mountain. There are no winter mushrooms growing in southeastern Kentucky. The pictures on Facebook are frozen water. FROZEN WATER ! Had no idea so many people would want to know where they could go and pick the mushrooms. I found out one thing about that mushroom story, there are lots of mushroom lovers, even those adventurous enough to want to pick the beautiful White Winter Mushroom of the Mountain. I’m glad those White Winter Mushrooms of the Mountain aren’t akin to the Destroying Angels, now those folks are truly Death Angels, seems they’re the same color too, ‘cept my kind don’t kill ya.
For those who have never been in the Kentucky Mountains, it’s kinda neat to see water running from the hillsides for much of the year. As a kid I used to wonder how the water got all the way to the top of the mountain before it ran out. Ya’d think it would all run out the bottom of the mountain, not the top, it don’t and I still wonder.
I’ve been stargazing a bit lately, Thursday night two weeks ago was good, was cold, 5°. This time of the year it takes a little additional effort to stargaze. It’s worth it for what ya see in the wintertime, ‘cause it ya look real close and focus just right, ya can see almost to the end of your imagination, but not quite.
Did ya see the ring Around the Moon the last Friday in January? It was a large circular band of light surrounding the moon? If ya saw that Friday Night Show, ya saw a lunar halo, and they’re kinda cool.
A lunar halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22 degree angle, creating a halo 22 degrees in radius (or 44 degrees in diameter). A double halo, sometimes with spokes, may be seen on rare occasions when light reflects off water or ice. But that double halo thing is really rare, I’ve only seen it a couple times, and I look at the sky a lot, ‘bout every night.
The prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals separates the light into its various colors, resulting in a halo tinged with very pale rainbow colors with red on the inside and blue on the outside. The phenomenon of a lunar halo is similar to a rainbow produced by sunlight and rain falling between your eye and the sun. I’ve got a special lens for my telescope which makes the moon halo look like a rainbow, it’s kinda cool, but once ya see it… well yah.
Old Weather Lore says a lunar halo is the forerunner of imminent unsettled weather, especially during the winter months. It’s often proved true, as cirrus and cirrostratus clouds generally precede rain and storm systems. Lunar halos are, in fact, kinda common. So watch the night sky, and keep your umbrella handy. This is one of the old weather things I talked about several weeks ago that mostly holds true. But that umbrella handy part was for spring, summer and fall. In winter we’re talking shovel here, and sometimes big shovel.
Anybody feed the wild birds? Got problems with male Blue Jays. These Blue Jays at the East Wing are making me mad. They eat all the food and chase all the little birds away. I don’t like that one bit. I like birds that get along. And if the birds at the East Wing don’t get along, well, the Red Rider BB Gun makes the final call. It’d be best those Blue Jays go to charm school or something like that for birds.
Maybe someone should tell the Blue Jays ‘bout that big bird who jumped on my humming bird, that little brown eyed friend of mine. We buried that big bird last summer. It’s best not to pick on little creatures of the East Wing. ‘Cause these little fellers have a “protective umbrella” in the Red Rider.
I’ve never seen the 2girldogs more proud of President Obama than they were when he gave his first State of The Union Address. The 2girldogs, staunch democrats all, put on their Sunday Best for the president’s speech. The Gray Lady James put on her red white and blue scarf for the special occasion and Mustina (the Pup Baby James) went to the extreme and had from paw nails done with little American Flags. I think on one nail she had a likeness of the president.
When Sophia the Republican Cat saw that paw nail job, I thought she was gona fall out of the chair laughing. Sophia does that from time to time, fall out of the chair laughing. Living with the 2girldogs gives her ample opportunity.
We all four, the 2girldogs, Sophia and I watched and listened to the President deliver the State of the Union Address. The 2girldogs loved every word, especially that part that said the girls were gona get paid more than the boys. Sophia took notes, and as soon as the speech ended, she hightailed it to the Cat House and didn’t come out till morning.
When Sophia came out of the Cat House she carried two documents, one a listing of issues with the president and the other she called the “Calico Manifesto” and informed me the manifesto would be posted on our front door.
When asked why, Sophia said she was just following the faith and practices of her religious mentor, Martin Luther, in posting things that are not right in this world. And so it was with this posting of the Calico Manifesto that I find out Sophia the Republican Cat is a Lutheran.
Not only is Sophia a Lutheran, but has ancestry all the way back to Lake Wobegon Minnesota. Lake Wobegon Minnesota, the hot bed of Lutheran activity in the United States. Lake Wobegon which also has ties to one of my heroes, Garrison Keillor. For anyone who has never heard of Garrison Keillor, may I suggest you look him up on public radio. The best complement I can give my friend Garrison Keillor is, he tells stories that you can see. Garrison Keillor tells the News from Lake Wobegon.
The Posted Calico Manifesto stated: THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THIS NATION WHO HAS MADE SUCH A PUBLIC ATTACK ON THE SUPREME COURT IN THE PUBLIC WAY PRESIDENT OBAMA DID IN HIS FIRST STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH. AS AN AMERICAN CAT, I’M EMBARRASSED TO THINK WE HAVE A PERSON IN OUR HIGHEST ELECTED OFFICE WHO WILL STOOP SO LOW AS TO HUMILIATE THE JUDICIAL BRANCH OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN FULL VIEW OF THE WHOLE WORLD.
Before the State of the Union Speech, I thought Sophia was starting to lighten up on President Obama. This attack on the Supreme Court has forever put her opposing all future actions of this president. Sophia has even threatened to post on every door in the neighborhood, or even take the door posting to town.
I offered to find out if she could use the door of the Catholic Church in North Judson, but she said no, “That door caused such a big stink with Martin and the Pope back in the day, I’d just as soon not go there this time around, unless I have to, on second thought, go ahead and ask just for backup”.
The 2girldogs tried and tried to take down the Calico Manifesto, but to no avail. Even standing on the shoulders of Gray Lady James, the Pup Baby couldn’t reach it, just too high up on the door. Cats post manifestos high. (Damn Republican Cat)
For the second time in less than a month, I thank you one and all for your kind thoughts, words and prayers for my family with the loss of my brother in law, Ed Lopez. Me and Ed were kinda buds, we hung out on the computer, It was kinda cool. We just talked ‘bout stuff, sometimes stuff Ed liked to talk about, sometimes stuff I liked to talk about. And that’s why Ed and I got along, we mostly liked to talk about the same stuff. The current telescope I use for stargazing, the best telescope I’ve ever had, a gift from Ed. One of the things that Ed would always do, if he gave ya a present that needed batteries to operate, the batteries would always come with the gift. I’ll miss Ed, the email conversations, the webcam visits. It’s hard to lose a family member, even harder to lose two so close together. January 2010 has not been a good month for this family of Howard. I have every reason to believe that the remainder of this year 2010 will be a much better time for everyone.
My son John and I had a memorable experience returning home from Roswell GA last Thursday. The plan was to drive four or five hours that afternoon and evening, sleep somewhere around Nashville TN and come home Friday in the daylight. We’d made the trip south in total darkness and had slept little the last five days, we chose not to come home as an all nighter.
When we stopped for Supper at the Cracker Barrel, John pulled up the national weather on his cell phone, and what we saw was frightening. The largest winter storm in several years bearing down on our location within hours. Forecasts of snow to be measured in feet not inches. Projections of 12” to 18” snow between where we were setting and Indianapolis within the next 24 hours.
Having talked to the 1wife ‘bout an hour earlier and having been told to make sure I go to sleep before coming home, I decided to let the she make the call. I called Regina and said “ Well babe, here’s the deal, the biggest winter storm of the year and it’s coming right on top of us. We can come home tonight or we can come home Sunday or Monday”. She said “you be careful out there” And so we drove, Johnny and me, into the darkness, into the rain, forever looking out for that first flake of ice. The ice didn’t come that wet winter night. The rain stopped several hours later,’ bout 20 miles south of Indianapolis. The Night God of the Highway had ridden along, he had kept us company on hard trip, both directions.
I almost forgot to tell ya about the supper. Soup Beans and Cornbread, hamburger stake, macaroni and cheese, cold, very cold white milk. In fact the mug they brought me for the milk was so cold that when I poured the milk into the mug ( ya gotta remember at the Cracker Barrel, the milk comes in those little boxes and ya gotta pour it in the mug yourself), it froze the milk. Good thing I didn’t stick my tongue to that ole mug, else I’d be in a world of hurt. The mug must have come out of a zero degree freezer. The supper was good, in fact, the supper was great. There may be a prude or two who reads this and dismisses the meal as peasant food. Too bad you’ve never eaten at the Cracker Barrel and had Soup Beans and Cornbread. It may well change your whole attitude on life, and after all if ya don’t like Soup Beans and Cornbread, well, ya just need all the help ya can get anyway.
My world is at peace this Sunday Evening, this first Sunday in February. The 2girldogs asleep, along with Sophia The Republican Cat. A sight to behold, and one seldom seen in the East Wing, all three asleep on the same couch, Sophia in the middle sleeping between the 2girldogs. The three laying so close they touch each other. Even asleep and in the middle, I somehow have the feeling Sophia’s still in charge. She even smiles when she’s sleeps.
Stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From the East Wing Reading the Calico Manifesto, Thinking ‘bout Ed, The Cracker Barrel Supper, In front of the Storm running home
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
As the long time East Wing friends know I seldom ever cross my Sunday visit with all of you and the Wednesday visit I have with the people in Iraq and now Afghanistan. But I ran across something which touched my heart, and I think will touch yours too.
An East Wing friend from North Carolina sent me a web address site which I checked out and was amazed at what I found. It’s legit and well worth your time to visit. Xerox, along with other corporate entities, has put up a site which will allow everyone interested to do so, to send a card of thanks which will be delivered to the military around the world. Ya can even sign you name on the card, at www.LetsSayThanks.com
Sorry to disappoint those who believed the story of the White Winter Mushrooms of the Mountain. There are no winter mushrooms growing in southeastern Kentucky. The pictures on Facebook are frozen water. FROZEN WATER ! Had no idea so many people would want to know where they could go and pick the mushrooms. I found out one thing about that mushroom story, there are lots of mushroom lovers, even those adventurous enough to want to pick the beautiful White Winter Mushroom of the Mountain. I’m glad those White Winter Mushrooms of the Mountain aren’t akin to the Destroying Angels, now those folks are truly Death Angels, seems they’re the same color too, ‘cept my kind don’t kill ya.
For those who have never been in the Kentucky Mountains, it’s kinda neat to see water running from the hillsides for much of the year. As a kid I used to wonder how the water got all the way to the top of the mountain before it ran out. Ya’d think it would all run out the bottom of the mountain, not the top, it don’t and I still wonder.
I’ve been stargazing a bit lately, Thursday night two weeks ago was good, was cold, 5°. This time of the year it takes a little additional effort to stargaze. It’s worth it for what ya see in the wintertime, ‘cause it ya look real close and focus just right, ya can see almost to the end of your imagination, but not quite.
Did ya see the ring Around the Moon the last Friday in January? It was a large circular band of light surrounding the moon? If ya saw that Friday Night Show, ya saw a lunar halo, and they’re kinda cool.
A lunar halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22 degree angle, creating a halo 22 degrees in radius (or 44 degrees in diameter). A double halo, sometimes with spokes, may be seen on rare occasions when light reflects off water or ice. But that double halo thing is really rare, I’ve only seen it a couple times, and I look at the sky a lot, ‘bout every night.
The prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals separates the light into its various colors, resulting in a halo tinged with very pale rainbow colors with red on the inside and blue on the outside. The phenomenon of a lunar halo is similar to a rainbow produced by sunlight and rain falling between your eye and the sun. I’ve got a special lens for my telescope which makes the moon halo look like a rainbow, it’s kinda cool, but once ya see it… well yah.
Old Weather Lore says a lunar halo is the forerunner of imminent unsettled weather, especially during the winter months. It’s often proved true, as cirrus and cirrostratus clouds generally precede rain and storm systems. Lunar halos are, in fact, kinda common. So watch the night sky, and keep your umbrella handy. This is one of the old weather things I talked about several weeks ago that mostly holds true. But that umbrella handy part was for spring, summer and fall. In winter we’re talking shovel here, and sometimes big shovel.
Anybody feed the wild birds? Got problems with male Blue Jays. These Blue Jays at the East Wing are making me mad. They eat all the food and chase all the little birds away. I don’t like that one bit. I like birds that get along. And if the birds at the East Wing don’t get along, well, the Red Rider BB Gun makes the final call. It’d be best those Blue Jays go to charm school or something like that for birds.
Maybe someone should tell the Blue Jays ‘bout that big bird who jumped on my humming bird, that little brown eyed friend of mine. We buried that big bird last summer. It’s best not to pick on little creatures of the East Wing. ‘Cause these little fellers have a “protective umbrella” in the Red Rider.
I’ve never seen the 2girldogs more proud of President Obama than they were when he gave his first State of The Union Address. The 2girldogs, staunch democrats all, put on their Sunday Best for the president’s speech. The Gray Lady James put on her red white and blue scarf for the special occasion and Mustina (the Pup Baby James) went to the extreme and had from paw nails done with little American Flags. I think on one nail she had a likeness of the president.
When Sophia the Republican Cat saw that paw nail job, I thought she was gona fall out of the chair laughing. Sophia does that from time to time, fall out of the chair laughing. Living with the 2girldogs gives her ample opportunity.
We all four, the 2girldogs, Sophia and I watched and listened to the President deliver the State of the Union Address. The 2girldogs loved every word, especially that part that said the girls were gona get paid more than the boys. Sophia took notes, and as soon as the speech ended, she hightailed it to the Cat House and didn’t come out till morning.
When Sophia came out of the Cat House she carried two documents, one a listing of issues with the president and the other she called the “Calico Manifesto” and informed me the manifesto would be posted on our front door.
When asked why, Sophia said she was just following the faith and practices of her religious mentor, Martin Luther, in posting things that are not right in this world. And so it was with this posting of the Calico Manifesto that I find out Sophia the Republican Cat is a Lutheran.
Not only is Sophia a Lutheran, but has ancestry all the way back to Lake Wobegon Minnesota. Lake Wobegon Minnesota, the hot bed of Lutheran activity in the United States. Lake Wobegon which also has ties to one of my heroes, Garrison Keillor. For anyone who has never heard of Garrison Keillor, may I suggest you look him up on public radio. The best complement I can give my friend Garrison Keillor is, he tells stories that you can see. Garrison Keillor tells the News from Lake Wobegon.
The Posted Calico Manifesto stated: THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THIS NATION WHO HAS MADE SUCH A PUBLIC ATTACK ON THE SUPREME COURT IN THE PUBLIC WAY PRESIDENT OBAMA DID IN HIS FIRST STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH. AS AN AMERICAN CAT, I’M EMBARRASSED TO THINK WE HAVE A PERSON IN OUR HIGHEST ELECTED OFFICE WHO WILL STOOP SO LOW AS TO HUMILIATE THE JUDICIAL BRANCH OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN FULL VIEW OF THE WHOLE WORLD.
Before the State of the Union Speech, I thought Sophia was starting to lighten up on President Obama. This attack on the Supreme Court has forever put her opposing all future actions of this president. Sophia has even threatened to post on every door in the neighborhood, or even take the door posting to town.
I offered to find out if she could use the door of the Catholic Church in North Judson, but she said no, “That door caused such a big stink with Martin and the Pope back in the day, I’d just as soon not go there this time around, unless I have to, on second thought, go ahead and ask just for backup”.
The 2girldogs tried and tried to take down the Calico Manifesto, but to no avail. Even standing on the shoulders of Gray Lady James, the Pup Baby couldn’t reach it, just too high up on the door. Cats post manifestos high. (Damn Republican Cat)
For the second time in less than a month, I thank you one and all for your kind thoughts, words and prayers for my family with the loss of my brother in law, Ed Lopez. Me and Ed were kinda buds, we hung out on the computer, It was kinda cool. We just talked ‘bout stuff, sometimes stuff Ed liked to talk about, sometimes stuff I liked to talk about. And that’s why Ed and I got along, we mostly liked to talk about the same stuff. The current telescope I use for stargazing, the best telescope I’ve ever had, a gift from Ed. One of the things that Ed would always do, if he gave ya a present that needed batteries to operate, the batteries would always come with the gift. I’ll miss Ed, the email conversations, the webcam visits. It’s hard to lose a family member, even harder to lose two so close together. January 2010 has not been a good month for this family of Howard. I have every reason to believe that the remainder of this year 2010 will be a much better time for everyone.
My son John and I had a memorable experience returning home from Roswell GA last Thursday. The plan was to drive four or five hours that afternoon and evening, sleep somewhere around Nashville TN and come home Friday in the daylight. We’d made the trip south in total darkness and had slept little the last five days, we chose not to come home as an all nighter.
When we stopped for Supper at the Cracker Barrel, John pulled up the national weather on his cell phone, and what we saw was frightening. The largest winter storm in several years bearing down on our location within hours. Forecasts of snow to be measured in feet not inches. Projections of 12” to 18” snow between where we were setting and Indianapolis within the next 24 hours.
Having talked to the 1wife ‘bout an hour earlier and having been told to make sure I go to sleep before coming home, I decided to let the she make the call. I called Regina and said “ Well babe, here’s the deal, the biggest winter storm of the year and it’s coming right on top of us. We can come home tonight or we can come home Sunday or Monday”. She said “you be careful out there” And so we drove, Johnny and me, into the darkness, into the rain, forever looking out for that first flake of ice. The ice didn’t come that wet winter night. The rain stopped several hours later,’ bout 20 miles south of Indianapolis. The Night God of the Highway had ridden along, he had kept us company on hard trip, both directions.
I almost forgot to tell ya about the supper. Soup Beans and Cornbread, hamburger stake, macaroni and cheese, cold, very cold white milk. In fact the mug they brought me for the milk was so cold that when I poured the milk into the mug ( ya gotta remember at the Cracker Barrel, the milk comes in those little boxes and ya gotta pour it in the mug yourself), it froze the milk. Good thing I didn’t stick my tongue to that ole mug, else I’d be in a world of hurt. The mug must have come out of a zero degree freezer. The supper was good, in fact, the supper was great. There may be a prude or two who reads this and dismisses the meal as peasant food. Too bad you’ve never eaten at the Cracker Barrel and had Soup Beans and Cornbread. It may well change your whole attitude on life, and after all if ya don’t like Soup Beans and Cornbread, well, ya just need all the help ya can get anyway.
My world is at peace this Sunday Evening, this first Sunday in February. The 2girldogs asleep, along with Sophia The Republican Cat. A sight to behold, and one seldom seen in the East Wing, all three asleep on the same couch, Sophia in the middle sleeping between the 2girldogs. The three laying so close they touch each other. Even asleep and in the middle, I somehow have the feeling Sophia’s still in charge. She even smiles when she’s sleeps.
Stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From the East Wing Reading the Calico Manifesto, Thinking ‘bout Ed, The Cracker Barrel Supper, In front of the Storm running home
I wish you well,
BobbyRay
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