Been working on a couple of pieces of Oak that I'm almost finished with. The top one was pretty much bark removal to reveal the swirling threads beneath. The second one was also mostly bark removal from the back part to reveal a moon-like surface. The part I'm showing is a cross section of the branch that this ball was growing on. There are around 100 rings visible meaning that this strange growth started around the 1920's.
I'm working on another piece of Oak that's also getting its bark removed. Unfortunately that piece was cut at the wrong time of the year for the bark to be easily removed (The two above were cut at the right time of the year for the bark to come off easily)(Bonus points for knowing what those cutting times are). This makes it a slow punishing process to expose the burl for viewing. I love these because once they're completed you can spend hours contemplating their complexity. The only problem used to be the amount of time I'd invest for a project that failed to launch and the only reason I worried about it was I had a limited amount of free time to invest in something that ended up being firewood. That reason is no longer valid so I'm enjoying rediscovering one of my favorite pass times. For me it's like meditation when I'm in the zone. Just sayin'.
Have I ever told you that I really dislike clowns? Dishonest painted faces covering whatever damage that particular human suffers from. They are basically faceless and that makes it hard to trust their behavior under any circumstances.
Stupid people chap my hide even more than clowns do. The amount of damage a stupid person with power can do is difficult to imagine but we're getting a good look at it now.
The Stupid MAGA Republican Clown Show is in town and America's bills are not getting paid because of it. Watching these pathetic losers doing their fearless leader's bidding would be hilarious if it wasn't so potentially damaging to some of our poorest citizens. Possibly the stupidest part of this train wreck is Trump saying/thinking that causing a government shutdown will stop the persecutions against him. Not so MAGA Don. Oh, and remember when MTG (the T actually stands for Taylor Trash) called Biden a liar after he said that certain Republicans wanted to cut Social Security? I'd say she owes Biden an apology but we know she'll never do the correct thing. Trailer Trash Women don't do correct.
In other news closer to home, I'd like to take this opportunity to share some sad news. Our two Blue Jay friends, Pete and Repete, have met a violent end due to one of our murderous cats. Thumper craves violence towards all living things that are substantially smaller than him and there's not much we can do about it. Nancy got a dove out of his mouth the other day though. The bird could still fly and it immediately made a beeline to the tallest Oak tree in the area. Hopefully it survived but from what our neighbors tell us, Thumper regularly climbs to the tops of those trees so I'm doubtful. We have a bell on him now but the lizards don't seem to hear it well enough or know whom it tolls for. Hopefully the surviving birds
Back to the other MAGA extravaganza, the Impeachment Inquiry. Not one piece of evidence do they fucking have. NOT ONE! This is The Stupid MAGA Republican Clown Show at it's best, dancing to their fearless leader's words. The fearless leader who's New York businesses have just been seized for his fantasy real estate games, one of his first grifts. How does it feel you sad excuse for a human being? Where's your daddy now? Sad. So sad. Just sayin'.
Nancy and I were driving back from a long overdue visit to her trailer that sits on her property outside of Willits. It was a mess as a bear had broken in and generally trashed the place. That along with several other issues resulted in us pushing pretty hard to get it done while we were there. Sadly it wasn't to be and we'll be returning next week to finish up. So as we hit the pavement and headed down the hill a vulture flew in front of us then stayed there for at least a quarter mile. Since vultures are about cleaning up some dead waste I thought it was an appropriate sign to be given at that time. It should indicate that we're on the right track (finally) when it comes to the trailer. Just sayin'.
Way too busy lately. Watching the cats play last night while carving on a new piece of cedar. Wondering at the fact that I was there and happy along with my sweetie after the long strange trip we've both been on. Then I contemplated some possible future removals from that same piece of cedar, all the while checking out the current color of the sky. Once I decided what to remove from that piece of wood I prepared a piece of 80 grit sandpaper to make some more sawdust. While I was sanding, the current state of our planet invaded my thoughts and temporarily brought me down. Then I focused on my piece of wood and everything became calm again. So when you see me carving, don't think that's all that's going on in my head. Sometimes I'm self medicating with whatever piece of wood takes my fancy. Just sayin'.
So I was sitting on our front porch when movement on the pavement in front of me caught my attention. It was a Bumblebee crawling across the driveway with intention. It was going somewhere. It had someplace to be. I wondered why it was crawling rather than flying and surmised that it was reaching old age, soon to die. I wondered if I should intervene but quickly rejected the idea that there was anything positive that I could accomplish towards rehabilitating this Bumblebee. Still, all sorts of possibilities presented themselves as I continued to watch it progress across the pavement. I though that it was headed towards some shade but it continued past those cooler areas towards the morning sun. Just as I gave up all thoughts of rescue and contemplated ending it's obvious suffering it flew away. So much for my astute observations. Just sayin'.
Armageddon's Haiku Samurai is where I post a Haiku a day and have since April 1st of this year. They are intended to point out some of the factors involved with the eventual failure of our current civilization. Stupidity at alarming levels is already infecting all levels of our society, in particular the top 1%. You know, those folks who own nearly all there is to own and continue to take what they want from the rest of us. How much power do they fucking need to sooth their fear of facing any consequences for what they did to get it? Everyday I keep my eyes open for the next atrocity to hit social media in one form or another. There are signs everyday that I acknowledge and keep to myself. Signs of some bad shit to come in our near future. Just sayin'.
We hit 109 degrees today. Just another Summer day here in Northern California. Lately Summers have been too long and too hot for us to get much done around here. At least this Summer was preceded by unusually wet and cool weather until nearly the end of June. Needless to say I've been watching the weather disaster videos which show us the 500 to 1,000 year floods and other unreasonable weather chaos that has been brought to us by Climate Change. We have it pretty good where we're at (so far) so moving isn't on our minds. If we lived in any of the Southern states we'd be either working on moving elsewhere or moved by now. All things considered we live in a place that may survive some of the coming problems associated with Climate Change. Then again we may not. Just sayin.
Thankful as usual for all the good things in my life. I have everything I could ask for except possibly winning the Powerball jackpot but I'd have to buy tickets to have a shot at that. There are two cats in the yard and yes, life used to be so hard but now it's peaches and cream. Stay happy world. Enjoy the time we have left before we destroy our civilization or some asteroid does. Just sayin'.
It was unseasonably cool before it became Summer suddenly. Last year we were usually 5-6 degrees above whatever temps were reported for Nice, California. Now we hit about 10 degrees above whatever it reports for our area. What's that all about?
At least Trump is gradually feeling the consequences of his illegal choices. Looks like justice is slowly grinding away at that pile of shit and as all the cockroaches hidden underneath scurry away they're dropping dimes on their formerly fearless leader. Like rats leaving a ship, they provide a sign of things to come. Karma is a bitch best left alone. Just sayin'.
So five people were killed when their submarine imploded while taking a scenic cruise to view the Titanic. Some of those folks paid $250,000 for a quick ticket to oblivion. For some it was a very bad day at work that more than likely ended with a bang. Am I feeling sorry for these adventurous fools and their tragic demise or am I faintly amused at their choices? Let's explore the latter.
First bad choice was trusting your life to someone trying to make bank (see per seat cost above) with a sub that wasn't certified for the depth it needed to be at to view the wreck of the Titanic.
Second bad choice was wanting to see the wreck in person in the first place when there are plenty of YouTube videos that will give you an even better view of one of humanity's more instructional disasters.
The third bad choice was convincing yourselves that this adventure would be something that could better your lives in some manner and leave you with fond memories you could share with your friends.
What I'm saying is that they made some bad choices trying to jazz up their travel resume. Possibly a tropical cruise would have had a similar effect for some but that wasn't out there enough for these folks. Being terrified of being trapped in small spaces makes their choices even more removed from anything I would even consider as a choice. What the fuck were these morons thinking? Wild horses couldn't make me get in a sub of any sort. I have issues about the one at Disneyland let alone a real one. Anyway I guess I'm not as advanced a human being as I'd like to think because I'm feeling no connection to these folks biting the dust the way they did. Seems like they made some pretty bad choices and Darwin took care of the rest. Just sayin'.
Forbes had an article recently that detailed an interviewers interaction with Trump in one of his offices (their October/November 2022 issue). It was filled with memorabilia that included Brady's signed football helmet and Super Bowl footballs which he was showing off to his interviewer. I got the impression of a young boy bragging about his treasures. Much like what's described in the indictments that were released yesterday. MAGA folks be mad that their cult leader is facing the consequences of his illegal and harmful actions. Fuck them. They'll get their day in court too. Just sayin'.
Nearly everyone in the following tale is dead and have nothing to say for themselves about their actions. I should be clear from the start that I am not distressed by most of these deaths and view them as the proper consequence for their poor behavior. A few close relatives I miss terribly despite their lack of understanding about who I was. Knowing them intimately over time has taught me that they had my best interests at heart but were ignorant of just what those interests were.
Back in the 50's and 60's this ignorance was overwhelming In 55 when I was born the doctor told my mother that she couldn't nurse because of her inverted nipples. WTF? This piece of shit doctor obviously didn't do his fucking homework because millions of mothers with inverted nipples have successfully nursed their babies for at least 100,000 years. That's how you fix inverted nipples you ignorant fuck! So I get denied my rightful place at my mother's breast and all the benefits that would have provided. Do you know what that shit does to a newborn baby? I sure fucking do. So fuck you doc, just fuck you.
Babies don't feel pain. That's what doctors told themselves back in 55. Later it was amended to babies won't remember the experience, however fucked up it was. Babies, after all, don't remember anything previous to turning 3 years old. So I was told but of course I'm here to tell you otherwise. I was in an incubator for a week before they circumcised me and I was fully aware of what they were doing to me. When I first accessed that memory it was something that no one should ever experience. Emotional with a Capital "E" accompanied by out of this world visuals. Faces with huge eyes and no mouths staring down at me, making comments and laughing at my anger. The lights were unbelievably bright to my new eyes and there were 5 of them in a V formation over my head. My anger at them was overwhelming. Only one word escaped my lips while I experienced this memory. Butchers. After that, UFO abduction claims take on a new light. Those faces looked inhuman to my eyes at a week old and the lights looked like a fleet of UFOs flying overhead. No wonder some folks believe that they were abducted by aliens. Until I actually found the memory (with someone's help) I had questions about what had happened to me as a child that was still causing me anxiety. Finding the answer has helped me back that anxiety off. Time heals all wounds once the poison is leached out of them. Ignorance was the poison. Knowledge was the cure. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to figure it out. Curiosity has been my trusted companion in all things that have moved me forward. That and a little help from The Big Guy. Just sayin'.
I've been hanging in the mid 230's until a 3 day trip to Oregon. When I got back I was below 230 for the first time since I was 20 years old. It was a shock but I know what I missed for those 3 days that did it. Yet I bemoan correcting it at this time. There's so much chaos in the world these days and certain foods or beverages can help one cope. Too many of my favorite eats have bitten the dust in order to lose weight but it seems one more is soon to hit the dust. Took an interesting pic of Mount Shasta on the way home. Enjoy.
Our first cat, Blaxter, basically came with the house almost 10 years ago. Thumper moved in the beginning of last Winter and Blaxter promptly began hanging out at our neighbors. Then Mr. Blue showed up. He hangs around the food dish on the front porch at all hours. At times we'll have all three of them hanging around in front of our house. Mr. Blue on the porch, Thumper just off the porch on the driveway and Blaxter on the driveway closer to the road. Those are really good times. Just sayin'.
That seems to be the theme lately. Coyotes in the street. Hawks on the wire. Five Buzzards on the fence with their wings spread to catch the morning Sun. Three cats in the front yard along with a Chihuahua, enjoying the warm Spring day. In other words, life is good. We be grateful for what we have and what we will do with it once we get around to it. Happy Mother's Day Mom. Miss you in my life. You always did your best, even if it was a tad twisted to your own needs. No son could ask any better of their mother. Just sayin'.
Tucker is set free by Fox News and who knows where he'll land if he does. Trump continues on his slow descent into irrelevance. Don Lemmon was a little too black for CNN and was also set free.
Oh, and I started a new blog dedicated to producing a daily Haiku. Armageddon and Judgement Day are the main topics. Check out Armageddon's Haiku Samurai. It's my take of our future on this planet. Obviously it ends badly sometime in our future but when and how that happens is not known. I started it April 1st and I'm posting one a day.
Armageddon's tool
Poetic prophesy fool
Samurai with words
Across the street from our house is a seasonal wetland that comes alive after a few days of rain. The chorus of frogs would start once it was wet and they filled the night with their calls. Not any more. Between the drought, the sheep and the Roundup, the frogs are no more. One neighbor put sheep in her pasture and they eliminated whatever plants were associated with this vernal pool. The other neighbor hired some help and they sprayed their area with Roundup, killing everything native to the area. Both of these things along with the drought killed every last frog across road and who knows what else that lived with them in that area. It's a Sign.
Yes it's true. We bought a new Cross-Cut Shredder that cost a nearly $100 delivered and it's been the been the best deal we've gotten in quite a while. Decided to get a heavy duty home unit that didn't just turn your private documents into 1/4 inch strips that anyone with time on their hands could easily reconstruct. This one turns your paper into confetti and it's been invaluable to our clean-up-our-life program. We're getting our cool stuff under control as we haven't driven by many yard or estate sales without indulging our penchant for acquiring same cool stuff. A big part of this process is dealing with a mountain of old paperwork that goes back for over a decade. We've saved every bill and receipt over that time period and it was time to turn that paper into something useful so we just ordered a Newspaper Briquette Maker to help fuel our woodstove. All in all we're having a great time working our way through our old crap. Our record collection is now on a spreadsheet (nearly 600 albums) and our CD collection is next (600+) after we finish the big shred. We'll be tackling the Purple room next where several walls of books and VHS tapes face an elimination event aimed at returning it to useful status. First editions only when it comes to the books. I have read a ton of fantasy and science fiction paperbacks that I'm soon to be returning to the public sphere. We're accepting any ideas for where their new home might be. Who would have thought that a shredder could bring so much fun into one's life? Not I. Just sayin'.
Woke up this morning feeling thankful for my partner in life. She's beyond description. She loves and cares for me like there's no one else in her world. She corrects my course at times and does it with my best interest in mind. She's usually right and she puts up with me until I get my head out of my ass long enough to admit it. I am blessed to be loved by such a woman and I look forward to spending the rest of our days together in love. Always remember baby that I love you more than anything. Just sayin'.
Bounced down to 233 then leveled off at 234 for several days. Thumper hasn't decided what to do with the treadmill yet. Attempted to get him walking on it but that went over like a lead balloon. Over 4 minutes for 3 times a day. The improvements are gratifying to say the least.
In other news, how about that State of the Union. Republicans reply was a pile of excrement that had nothing to do with everyday Americans. It was Fox Fucking News Propaganda on steroids. She spread that poisonous bullshit with a fucking dump truck. Look at that face people. Is that a face that you can trust? Check those eyes out. See that sparkle of evil lying within? That fear mongering bitch was definitely in her element last night. Just sayin'.
Yes, it's true. We have a treadmill and last week I cleared the various items adorning same to start using it. I've been at 240 pounds for well over a month now and it was time to take the next step in my weight loss program. Hence the treadmill. I figured that I had gone about as far as I could go without more physical activity so I added it to the mix. I started out at a minute 3 times a day. It didn't seem like much but I've added time every day and suddenly I'm at 235.5 pounds. I haven't been at this weight since my twenties. I'm asking myself what my regular weight might end up being now and I still have no answer.
Retirement has been such a blessing. I had no idea at how much of myself I gave to work. It's been almost 18 months since I left that part of my life in the past and I'm finally bringing the energy that made me successful there back where it belongs. Just sayin'.
It had been about a week since Ginger last took a dump when we gave her a suppository in an effort to pass whatever was holding up the works. Two days later she made her first deposit in over a week. No more fever. Her appetite returned and now she's back to her usual screwed up behavior. Almost glad to have her back. Even with the recent rains our ground is still difficult to penetrate to any depth so I wasn't looking forward to digging her a proper grave anyway. That being said, anyone want a little dog?
In other signs, 11 votes and still no Speaker of the House. Members of the Insurrectionist Party are holding Congress hostage for whatever bullshit they want now. They already got him to agree to trash the Ethics Committee so that they can continue their illegal activities but that's not enough for those pieces of shit. It's rare to see Republicans not on the same page but there is a very simple solution that will unite them again. They need to purge themselves of their unconstitutional members. Aren't they insurrectionists? Why are these pieces of shit still in office? Don't their recent actions disqualify them from holding office? Just sayin'. There are laws on the books that can be used to remove them from public office. Use them.
