Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Annual Winter Weather Reports
I just can't help myself...
It was -16 at my house this morning,
-20 at my brother's house next to the
Little Susitna River.
It was -16 at my house this morning,
-20 at my brother's house next to the
Little Susitna River.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Starlings
Memories of the 101st Airborne
In 1973 I was a Medic in the 101st Airborne Division stationed at Ft Campbell, Kentucky. Out by the airfield on the post were fields that looked just like the ones in this video. The fields were populated with flocks of Starlings that as I recall numbered in the millions. At the time there was an on going war to eradicate them because obviously they were a hazard to aircraft operations. I ran across this video that brought back the memories. This flock is estimated to be 300,000. The flocks that I remember were twice or three times the size. If you were standing on the edge of the field when the took off the blocked out the sun.
Click on the picture to see the video.
In 1973 I was a Medic in the 101st Airborne Division stationed at Ft Campbell, Kentucky. Out by the airfield on the post were fields that looked just like the ones in this video. The fields were populated with flocks of Starlings that as I recall numbered in the millions. At the time there was an on going war to eradicate them because obviously they were a hazard to aircraft operations. I ran across this video that brought back the memories. This flock is estimated to be 300,000. The flocks that I remember were twice or three times the size. If you were standing on the edge of the field when the took off the blocked out the sun.
Click on the picture to see the video.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Just because I like it...
Bumper sticker...
'To err is human. To forgive is divine.
Neither is official USMC policy. Semper Fi.'
'To err is human. To forgive is divine.
Neither is official USMC policy. Semper Fi.'
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Smart Dog
Old Dog, New Trick
Every evening after work I take my old dogs for a walk. Our routine goes something like this. They meet me at the door, tails wagging, overjoyed to see me, the source of all good things to eat. I give them each a dog treat while I put away things I'm carrying and glance at the mail. Then I go upstairs to my loft bedroom to change from work clothes to blue jeans. My malamute follows me upstairs talking to me constantly. The older dog, Kiska, stays downstairs in the kitchen, she doesn't do stairs anymore. After I change we return to the kitchen, I put on a hat and coat and out the kitchen door we excitedly explode to go for our walk.
Last night I was delayed in the kitchen by some mail that I took the time to read. The malamute, Shadow, was dancing around talking to me but I was ignoring him. Suddenly he stopped harrassing me and bolded for the stairs. He ran up the stairs and waited about 20 seconds. Then he ran back down the stairs, bounced into the kitchen talking excitedly and poking me with his nose. With his toenails clicking loudly on the laminate floor, he scrambled around and headed back up the stairs, waited a few seconds and then came looking for me again. The third time it finally sunk into my distracted brain what he was doing. So while praising him for being so smart and being a "good boy" the fourth time I let him lead me upstairs where I changed clothes as fast as humanly possible and raced him downstairs and out the kitchen door for thier walk.
Every evening after work I take my old dogs for a walk. Our routine goes something like this. They meet me at the door, tails wagging, overjoyed to see me, the source of all good things to eat. I give them each a dog treat while I put away things I'm carrying and glance at the mail. Then I go upstairs to my loft bedroom to change from work clothes to blue jeans. My malamute follows me upstairs talking to me constantly. The older dog, Kiska, stays downstairs in the kitchen, she doesn't do stairs anymore. After I change we return to the kitchen, I put on a hat and coat and out the kitchen door we excitedly explode to go for our walk.
Last night I was delayed in the kitchen by some mail that I took the time to read. The malamute, Shadow, was dancing around talking to me but I was ignoring him. Suddenly he stopped harrassing me and bolded for the stairs. He ran up the stairs and waited about 20 seconds. Then he ran back down the stairs, bounced into the kitchen talking excitedly and poking me with his nose. With his toenails clicking loudly on the laminate floor, he scrambled around and headed back up the stairs, waited a few seconds and then came looking for me again. The third time it finally sunk into my distracted brain what he was doing. So while praising him for being so smart and being a "good boy" the fourth time I let him lead me upstairs where I changed clothes as fast as humanly possible and raced him downstairs and out the kitchen door for thier walk.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Camouflauge
"Follow the white rabbit."
It was a balmy 29 degrees this morning when I took the dogs for a walk. Sticking out like a sore thumb about 30 feet from my driveway was a Snowshoe hare all huddled down secure in the belief that his natural camouflage would protect him from being seen by me and the dogs. The dogs couldn't see him over the driveway berm and the undergrowth. Since we have no snow yet, his white winter coat wasn't doing a very good job of concealing him.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Results of the Wind
"Where have all the...leaves gone?"
The wind blew pretty good last night, stripping the last of the yellow leaves from the trees. The termination dust had crept about half way down the Talkeetnas this last rainy week but the wind brought warmer temperatures and the snow retreated over night. It currently 51 degrees at Trippingovermoose Ranch.
The wind blew pretty good last night, stripping the last of the yellow leaves from the trees. The termination dust had crept about half way down the Talkeetnas this last rainy week but the wind brought warmer temperatures and the snow retreated over night. It currently 51 degrees at Trippingovermoose Ranch.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Fall and the Case 450
My friend Bob brought his loader over this week. He's preparing a
building site on the Eastern edge of the ranch for my daughter and her
family to build a house next spring. That leaves the western 1/3 of
the ranch available for my son to build on when he returns to "God's
Country," after college.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Fall Fell
After the Rain
It's been raining the last few days with a bit of wind. Most of the autumn leaves are now piling up in wet drifts on the ground. When the sun peaked out this afternoon I thought I would get a shot of the leaves remaining attached to the trees and the termination dust on the Talkeetna Mountains.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
September 16, 2009
One Year
Everyone said, "wait a year, before even thinking about the future." I guess they were right because today it's a year later I still have no goal, plan or vision for the future without Kate. Maybe sometime during the next year ...
The healing process means that after one year I think less about the weeks of bad times when she was sick and find myself thinking more about and enjoying the memories of the years of good times. Like when she and I attended Marti Gras in the cold, windy rain in Galveston, Texas. It was just one day while we were waiting to board the Carnival Cruise ship to attend Matt and Deanna's wedding. The Marti Gras parade was pretty good and people on every float threw beads at us. I gave her almost all that I caught to add to her haul. Kate was smiling and laughing like a kid collecting all her beads. When we got home she put them all in a wooden "pirate's"chest for the visiting nieces to play with.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A Voice From The Past
Talk RadioIn April of 1987 my father, Gordon R. Nelson, had a telephone interview about his cookbooks with talk radio host, Tom Carrol, of WENE, apparently in Endicott, NY. The interview was suggested by one of Dad's fans in the area. Sometime afterward a tape of that interview was send to my parents home. My mother and I listened to it for the first time today. I captured it digitally and post it here for the rest of the family to listen to.
(Click Here to Listen)
To copy the file to your computer, click on the Click Here to Copy link, then right click on the Interview.Mp3 file and do a "Save Link As"
(Click Here to Copy)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Team Building
Fishing Trip
As a team building exercise, 7 of my coworkers and I went salt water fishing out of Seward on Tuesday. We caught a lot of small Halibut, large Silver Salmon and 1 Ling Cod. We also limited out on Black Bass. The seas were relatively calm, no one got seasick, and the weather was mostly cloudy with occasional sunshine. A good trip, and a nice break from the drudgery of office work.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
It Makes Sense To Me
A narcisistic sociopath who intends to do whatever he wants to do without regard to the wishes and desires of society at large. Socialism is a failed system everywhere it has been tried and America is not yet Socialist. But it will be if he gets his way.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Summer Vacation
"Reds"
Tomorrow I have to return to work for the rest of July and the month of August. My 2 week summer vacation is coming to a close. The first 5 days I spent doing projects around TrippingOverMoose Ranch. From the 15th through the 22 I drove the motor home to Sterling and fished for Reds in the Kenai River.
(note: For anyone who reads this and is not familiar with Alaska, "Reds" are Sockeye or Red Salmon.)
Fishing and timing were good and I probably put enough fish in the freezer to see me through the winter. But since my daughter and her family are staying with me I'll most likely need more. We'll hit the Silver Salmon run hard when it starts.
September is hunting season, 2 weeks in the back country chasing moose.
Tomorrow I have to return to work for the rest of July and the month of August. My 2 week summer vacation is coming to a close. The first 5 days I spent doing projects around TrippingOverMoose Ranch. From the 15th through the 22 I drove the motor home to Sterling and fished for Reds in the Kenai River.
(note: For anyone who reads this and is not familiar with Alaska, "Reds" are Sockeye or Red Salmon.)
Fishing and timing were good and I probably put enough fish in the freezer to see me through the winter. But since my daughter and her family are staying with me I'll most likely need more. We'll hit the Silver Salmon run hard when it starts.
September is hunting season, 2 weeks in the back country chasing moose.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Cough, Hack Wheeze!
Don't Let the Smoke get in your...
It's been smokey here in Southcentral Alaska the last week or so. A stationary high pressure system is trapping all the smoke from 61 active forest fires. The biggest fire is 79,000 acres near Nenana, north towards Fairbanks. This afternoon the visability dropped as the smoke got thicker. This morning I could make out the hazy outlines of the eastern edge of the city from my pearch on the 14th floor near the western edge of Anchorage. I was watching pilots doing touch and goes at Merrill Field at lunch time. Now I can see about a mile into the smoke. Merrill field is not visible and about an hour ago hour ventilation system stopped being able to filter the smoke. It smells like a campfire in my office.
UPDATE:
In addition to smoke being transported into the Anchorage Bowl and Prince William Sound from fires in the Copper River Basin, the National Weather Service issued the following Information Statement early this afternoon;
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
138 PM AKDT WED JUL 8 2009
...WIDESPREAD HAZE AND SMOKE ARE OCCURRING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA TODAY...
A FIRE ON THE KENAI PENINSULA HAS INCREASED IN INTENSITY OVERNIGHT AND PERSISTENT
SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE TRANSPORTED THE SMOKE NORTH. SOUTHERLY WINDS AT AND ABOVE
THE SURFACE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SMOKE NORTHWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY. RESTRICTED
VISIBILITIES AS A RESULT OF THE SMOKE AND HAZE ARE EXPECTED TO FLUCTUATE OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.
It's been smokey here in Southcentral Alaska the last week or so. A stationary high pressure system is trapping all the smoke from 61 active forest fires. The biggest fire is 79,000 acres near Nenana, north towards Fairbanks. This afternoon the visability dropped as the smoke got thicker. This morning I could make out the hazy outlines of the eastern edge of the city from my pearch on the 14th floor near the western edge of Anchorage. I was watching pilots doing touch and goes at Merrill Field at lunch time. Now I can see about a mile into the smoke. Merrill field is not visible and about an hour ago hour ventilation system stopped being able to filter the smoke. It smells like a campfire in my office.
UPDATE:
In addition to smoke being transported into the Anchorage Bowl and Prince William Sound from fires in the Copper River Basin, the National Weather Service issued the following Information Statement early this afternoon;
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
138 PM AKDT WED JUL 8 2009
...WIDESPREAD HAZE AND SMOKE ARE OCCURRING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA TODAY...
A FIRE ON THE KENAI PENINSULA HAS INCREASED IN INTENSITY OVERNIGHT AND PERSISTENT
SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE TRANSPORTED THE SMOKE NORTH. SOUTHERLY WINDS AT AND ABOVE
THE SURFACE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SMOKE NORTHWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY. RESTRICTED
VISIBILITIES AS A RESULT OF THE SMOKE AND HAZE ARE EXPECTED TO FLUCTUATE OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Insurance
More or less as I expected.
The adjuster from the nice middle-school teacher's insurance company came up with the same approximate value for my car as I did, $2100. So he totaled it and wrote me a check for that amount minus $120 salvage fee. I keep the old Subaru and it's up to me to get it fixed with the $2000. Fortunately, my son-in-law, the body man, says he can and will do it for the cost of parts, about half the $2000.
The adjuster from the nice middle-school teacher's insurance company came up with the same approximate value for my car as I did, $2100. So he totaled it and wrote me a check for that amount minus $120 salvage fee. I keep the old Subaru and it's up to me to get it fixed with the $2000. Fortunately, my son-in-law, the body man, says he can and will do it for the cost of parts, about half the $2000.
Chitina Dipnetting
The Trail From Hell
On June 26, my middle sister's birthday, (happy birthday,) my brother, my nephews and I drove to the Copper River at Chitina. The old road downstream from Chitina to the salmon dipnetting area follows an old railroad bed perched precariously on the edge of cliff. Above the road bed rises a mountain of loose shale covered with timber and top soil. Landslides and mudslides during wet wheather are common. Below the road bed is a 50 to 250 foot steep drop off into the Copper River. The lower part varies from shale slide areas, shale slide areas covered with loose soil and trees to vertical cliffs of shale. The first 10 miles of road to OBrian Creek has been maintained and actually improved slightly in the last few years. There is no problem driving a 4X4 pickup to that point. However after multiple large mud slides a few years ago the road past OBrian creek is officially closed. Climbing on our Honda 4-wheelers we continued past the large orange signs that warned you of possible death and trekked the 8 miles back to Haley creek. That meant traversing several slide areas on sketchy 4-wheeler trails weaving between Volkswagon sized rocks that are just waiting for the next rain to destabilize the mud enough so they can continue thier slide into the Copper River below. We caught 6 fish in 10 hours. (When I say "we" I'm including all 4 of us although actually the nephews caught the fish.)
It was a fun trip anyway.
On June 26, my middle sister's birthday, (happy birthday,) my brother, my nephews and I drove to the Copper River at Chitina. The old road downstream from Chitina to the salmon dipnetting area follows an old railroad bed perched precariously on the edge of cliff. Above the road bed rises a mountain of loose shale covered with timber and top soil. Landslides and mudslides during wet wheather are common. Below the road bed is a 50 to 250 foot steep drop off into the Copper River. The lower part varies from shale slide areas, shale slide areas covered with loose soil and trees to vertical cliffs of shale. The first 10 miles of road to OBrian Creek has been maintained and actually improved slightly in the last few years. There is no problem driving a 4X4 pickup to that point. However after multiple large mud slides a few years ago the road past OBrian creek is officially closed. Climbing on our Honda 4-wheelers we continued past the large orange signs that warned you of possible death and trekked the 8 miles back to Haley creek. That meant traversing several slide areas on sketchy 4-wheeler trails weaving between Volkswagon sized rocks that are just waiting for the next rain to destabilize the mud enough so they can continue thier slide into the Copper River below. We caught 6 fish in 10 hours. (When I say "we" I'm including all 4 of us although actually the nephews caught the fish.)
It was a fun trip anyway.
Friday, June 19, 2009
First 2009 Salmon Fishing Trip
The Russian River.
Brother Glen and I played hooky from work on Thursday and drove to the Russian River to join the stampede for our part of the record setting Red Salmon run. It being Thursday morning when we arrived the fishermen lining the bank were 10 to 15 feet apart. For Russian River combat fishing that not too crowded. The wait in line to get into the parking lot at the ferry was only 40 minutes. Considering that the Alaska Fish and Feathers Department had doubled the daily bag limit to 6 fish, we actually stayed and joined our fellow fisher folk. This is unusual because as a general rule we hate combat fishing. We fished the Russian in our youth when the population of Southcentral Alaska was a quarter of what it is today. On more than one occasion in the last decade and as recently as 2 years ago we have made the drive, taken a look at the crowds and driven home without wetting a line. After our ride across the river on the ferry we found room and began trashing the water. All around us people were constantly hooking fish. Maybe 1 in 12 of the hook ups were legal, that is hooked in the mouth not snagged in the tail, back, or belly and could be harvested instead of being released. We each landed a legal fish in the first hour. For the next 5 hours or so the ferry brought another 25 people to join us about every 10 minutes. As the new people arrived the space between fishermen slowly shrank from 12 feet to 3. I gave up when the space between people got to 6 feet. I had at least 10 tangles with someone else's line. People were starting to get hooked by flying hooks and whacked with flying sinkers. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching. My brother lasted several hours longer than I but landed no more legally hooked fish. In the early afternoon an adult Brown Bear came out of the woods across the river and walked to the rivers edge creating an otherwise empty river bank as people pulled back giving him all the room he wanted. He seem unconcerned by the hundreds of people sharing the river bank with him. After a few moment he trotted back into the woods. At which time I remembered I had packed my camera in the back pack.
P.S. I forgot to take pictures not only of the Brown Bear but of combat fishing itself . If you've never seen it check out these links for pictures...
http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Combat_Fishing_Photos.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/ro/sd_notes/winter_07/russian_rv/bears_russian.shtml
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/areas.cfm/FA/kenai.russian
Brother Glen and I played hooky from work on Thursday and drove to the Russian River to join the stampede for our part of the record setting Red Salmon run. It being Thursday morning when we arrived the fishermen lining the bank were 10 to 15 feet apart. For Russian River combat fishing that not too crowded. The wait in line to get into the parking lot at the ferry was only 40 minutes. Considering that the Alaska Fish and Feathers Department had doubled the daily bag limit to 6 fish, we actually stayed and joined our fellow fisher folk. This is unusual because as a general rule we hate combat fishing. We fished the Russian in our youth when the population of Southcentral Alaska was a quarter of what it is today. On more than one occasion in the last decade and as recently as 2 years ago we have made the drive, taken a look at the crowds and driven home without wetting a line. After our ride across the river on the ferry we found room and began trashing the water. All around us people were constantly hooking fish. Maybe 1 in 12 of the hook ups were legal, that is hooked in the mouth not snagged in the tail, back, or belly and could be harvested instead of being released. We each landed a legal fish in the first hour. For the next 5 hours or so the ferry brought another 25 people to join us about every 10 minutes. As the new people arrived the space between fishermen slowly shrank from 12 feet to 3. I gave up when the space between people got to 6 feet. I had at least 10 tangles with someone else's line. People were starting to get hooked by flying hooks and whacked with flying sinkers. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching. My brother lasted several hours longer than I but landed no more legally hooked fish. In the early afternoon an adult Brown Bear came out of the woods across the river and walked to the rivers edge creating an otherwise empty river bank as people pulled back giving him all the room he wanted. He seem unconcerned by the hundreds of people sharing the river bank with him. After a few moment he trotted back into the woods. At which time I remembered I had packed my camera in the back pack.
P.S. I forgot to take pictures not only of the Brown Bear but of combat fishing itself . If you've never seen it check out these links for pictures...
http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Combat_Fishing_Photos.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/ro/sd_notes/winter_07/russian_rv/bears_russian.shtml
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/areas.cfm/FA/kenai.russian
Friday, June 5, 2009
Another Day in Paradise
Minding my own business...
I was sitting at a stop light, waiting for it to turn green. The left turn arrow for the lane on my left turned green and the nice lady in the SUV behind me punched it. She caved in the back of my Subaru. She didn't want to report it to her insurance company, she'd pay for it herself.
I drove directly to my son-in-law's work to get an estimate. $2800 dollars, preliminary because none of the actual estimators were there, probably higher.
The NADA high retail for my car is $2100. I called the nice lady with the SUV with the news. She had decided to report it to her insurance after all. There is no way her insurance is going to fix my
$2100 dollar car.
I was sitting at a stop light, waiting for it to turn green. The left turn arrow for the lane on my left turned green and the nice lady in the SUV behind me punched it. She caved in the back of my Subaru. She didn't want to report it to her insurance company, she'd pay for it herself.
I drove directly to my son-in-law's work to get an estimate. $2800 dollars, preliminary because none of the actual estimators were there, probably higher.
The NADA high retail for my car is $2100. I called the nice lady with the SUV with the news. She had decided to report it to her insurance after all. There is no way her insurance is going to fix my
$2100 dollar car.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Summer Hours
Why does every muscle hurt at the end of the day?
With summer well under way and the weather cooperating for a change, I am attempting to get as much outside work done as is possible at TrippingOverMoose Ranch before...
a. The weather changes to crappy, cold and rainy like most of the last few summers, or
b. The salmon return to the rivers of southcentral Alaska.
Most of the work is being done by a fat, 56 year old office worker, that would be me, with occasional help from the much younger resident son-in-law on the rare occasions when he is not working at his job.
I/we are making significant progress but unless something really interesting happens the blog posts this summer will be few and far between.
Happy Memorial Day! At the very least, let's pause for a moment and give a thought and a thank you to all of America's Fallen Military Heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be free.
Let us honor them by remaining a country of free individuals, with a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
With summer well under way and the weather cooperating for a change, I am attempting to get as much outside work done as is possible at TrippingOverMoose Ranch before...
a. The weather changes to crappy, cold and rainy like most of the last few summers, or
b. The salmon return to the rivers of southcentral Alaska.
Most of the work is being done by a fat, 56 year old office worker, that would be me, with occasional help from the much younger resident son-in-law on the rare occasions when he is not working at his job.
I/we are making significant progress but unless something really interesting happens the blog posts this summer will be few and far between.
Happy Memorial Day! At the very least, let's pause for a moment and give a thought and a thank you to all of America's Fallen Military Heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be free.
Let us honor them by remaining a country of free individuals, with a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Obama’s $100 Million Cut
President the Budget Cutter
Today, President Obama called for $100 million in budget cuts. Out of a $4 trillion in spending this year, this is the rounding error of a rounding error:
· It is 1/40,000 of the federal budget;
· It is 1/7,830 the size of the recent “stimulus” bill;
· It would close 1/1,845 of this year’s budget deficit;
· It is the amount the federal government spends every 13 minutes; and
· For a family earning $40,000 annually, it is the equivalent of cutting $1 from their family budget.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Today, President Obama called for $100 million in budget cuts. Out of a $4 trillion in spending this year, this is the rounding error of a rounding error:
· It is 1/40,000 of the federal budget;
· It is 1/7,830 the size of the recent “stimulus” bill;
· It would close 1/1,845 of this year’s budget deficit;
· It is the amount the federal government spends every 13 minutes; and
· For a family earning $40,000 annually, it is the equivalent of cutting $1 from their family budget.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Sunday, April 19, 2009
34 Years ago
Yeah, I'm a Veteran.
A medic in the 101st Airborne, Kentucky 1975 and a young father with my daughter.
I've been looking at old photographs this afternoon.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Here We Go Again
Maybe...
The environmentalists won one of their constant nuisance court cases yesterday. Basically shutting down or at least delaying for some years the development of oil exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf. This is not good news for America, but good news for America is real hard to come by these days, unless your a liberal fascist socialist. Since I work for the exploration department of a "Big Oil" company in Alaska this is especially bad news for me and my coworkers . We just survived a layoff. However I was personally warned that there were no guarantees. More layoffs might come if the economic and political situation doesn't improve. Add this court rulings negative impact to Alaska oil exploration on top of the almost inconceivable liberal fascist socialist attempts of our President to destroy capitalist America and remake it in the image of the Soviet Union and I think it safe to say the economic and political situation is not improving.
Depression, both personal and in national economics is not a pretty thing.
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/oil/story/762894.html
Fascism - A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
Point 1 - Racism: Remember the President's Minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Point 2 - Suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship:
Trying to remove the secret ballot from union elections with "Card Check."
Attempts to silence conservative talk radio by bringing up the "Fairness Doctrine" again.
The Department of Homeland security suggesting that to be right wing, to believe in states rights, be opposed to the current administrations policies, to be supportive of the First Amendment, to have served in Iraq or Afghanistan makes you a possible terrorist. As someone wrote recently, I guess 5 of the US Supreme Court Justices should turn themselves in.
Read:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTI1MTYwMjhmMjZkMmNiYjg1NGJhNmIyYzQ2NTk4Yjg=
The environmentalists won one of their constant nuisance court cases yesterday. Basically shutting down or at least delaying for some years the development of oil exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf. This is not good news for America, but good news for America is real hard to come by these days, unless your a liberal fascist socialist. Since I work for the exploration department of a "Big Oil" company in Alaska this is especially bad news for me and my coworkers . We just survived a layoff. However I was personally warned that there were no guarantees. More layoffs might come if the economic and political situation doesn't improve. Add this court rulings negative impact to Alaska oil exploration on top of the almost inconceivable liberal fascist socialist attempts of our President to destroy capitalist America and remake it in the image of the Soviet Union and I think it safe to say the economic and political situation is not improving.
Depression, both personal and in national economics is not a pretty thing.
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/oil/story/762894.html
Fascism - A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
Point 1 - Racism: Remember the President's Minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Point 2 - Suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship:
Trying to remove the secret ballot from union elections with "Card Check."
Attempts to silence conservative talk radio by bringing up the "Fairness Doctrine" again.
The Department of Homeland security suggesting that to be right wing, to believe in states rights, be opposed to the current administrations policies, to be supportive of the First Amendment, to have served in Iraq or Afghanistan makes you a possible terrorist. As someone wrote recently, I guess 5 of the US Supreme Court Justices should turn themselves in.
Read:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTI1MTYwMjhmMjZkMmNiYjg1NGJhNmIyYzQ2NTk4Yjg=
Monday, April 6, 2009
Charlie
Howling Dogs and Coyote
One of the websites I visit every day is, http://www.dailycoyote.net/ The author, Shreve, posted an audio file of Charlie the Coyote and his buddy Chloe the Border Collie talking to thier friends a mile away. When I played the audio file, my Malamute, Shadow, was sleeping at my feet. He jumped to his feet with one loud bark and then immediately began howling back to Charlie and Chloe. I played the auto file three times in a row and he howled through all of them. When I stopped he ran downstair and out into the yard barking and howling for ten minutes trying to get them to talk back to him.
One of the websites I visit every day is, http://www.dailycoyote.net/ The author, Shreve, posted an audio file of Charlie the Coyote and his buddy Chloe the Border Collie talking to thier friends a mile away. When I played the audio file, my Malamute, Shadow, was sleeping at my feet. He jumped to his feet with one loud bark and then immediately began howling back to Charlie and Chloe. I played the auto file three times in a row and he howled through all of them. When I stopped he ran downstair and out into the yard barking and howling for ten minutes trying to get them to talk back to him.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sacrifice
From The Rush Limbaugh Show, March 31, 2009
"It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings, Where there's service, there's someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master." - Ayn Rand
"It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings, Where there's service, there's someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master." - Ayn Rand
Monday, March 23, 2009
My Mother is Almost 80
And Spring Moose
We had a large family and friends gathering yesterday, a surprise party. She was very pleased. Her actual birthday is about a week away but everyone except my son the, Alaska Architect Geek student trapped in Montana, was in town this weekend. On the way home last evening my daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law and I saw 12 moose alongside the road in about 6 miles. The first four were running in single file across an open field glancing nervously back at where they came from.
We had a large family and friends gathering yesterday, a surprise party. She was very pleased. Her actual birthday is about a week away but everyone except my son the, Alaska Architect Geek student trapped in Montana, was in town this weekend. On the way home last evening my daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law and I saw 12 moose alongside the road in about 6 miles. The first four were running in single file across an open field glancing nervously back at where they came from.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Defenders of Wild Food
Defending Wild Food
Apparently Ashley Judd isn't too busy these days ... She's been out attacking Sarah Palin for supporting the "brutal Aerial killing of wolves," as part of Alaska's wildlife management program....An Alaska organization, Defenders of Wild Food, has crafted a response that's currently airing on TV in Anchorage and Fairbanks. It's one of the best political ads I've seen in a long time, and the ending is priceless:
http://www.defendersofwildfood.org/
http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Apparently Ashley Judd isn't too busy these days ... She's been out attacking Sarah Palin for supporting the "brutal Aerial killing of wolves," as part of Alaska's wildlife management program....An Alaska organization, Defenders of Wild Food, has crafted a response that's currently airing on TV in Anchorage and Fairbanks. It's one of the best political ads I've seen in a long time, and the ending is priceless:
http://www.defendersofwildfood.org/
http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Six Months
"Wait a year."Tomorrow it will have been six months. Everyone told me wait at least a year before you try to make plans. They were right. At six months I have little enthusiasm for anything. I find myself unable to even figure out what to do each day, much less in the future. Everything I had planned to do involved Kate.
I survived, at least for now, the latest lay offs. This is a good thing because I couldn't afford to retire and really would have hated going and looking for a new job after 22 years at the current one. After the sigh of relief came the depression. I was pretty sure I wouldn't survive these layoffs and was already thinking about taking the summer off before I started looking for a new job. Now instead of that reality I have to, at a minimum for another four years, get up every morning and commute 50 miles to a job I have no interest in except the pay check. Of course my partner for 20 of those years was my Kate. Consequently everything and everybody reminds me of her all day long.
Maybe it'll get better in another six months.
Monday, March 9, 2009
"Change We Can Believe In"
Keep the Change
"Last week’s health-care summit made clear that, as far as the president is concerned, the question is not whether the U.S. will enact universal coverage but how. When Obama gets it enacted, most historians will revere him as the president who finally dragged barbaric Americans into the modern world. But some may note that the Obama system worsened results for the sick and killed the promising genomic industry, in which the U.S. currently enjoys a world-wide lead. These are the inevitable results of the Obama administration’s push for a statist health-insurance market that contains an underpriced Medicare as an option. The phony pricing for Medicare will draw vast numbers of enrollees, over 100 million in one estimate, and create a virtual single-payer health-insurance system. This system would control costs by rationing health care to the sick, especially when it comes to powerful, expensive new drugs. The U.K., for example, ranks last among the biggest economies in Europe in its uptake of cancer drugs and has the dreadful survival rates to prove it. If the U.S., which is by far the largest market for such drugs and the largest source of capital for their development, becomes a single-payer system, we can kiss this industry good-bye."
"Last week’s health-care summit made clear that, as far as the president is concerned, the question is not whether the U.S. will enact universal coverage but how. When Obama gets it enacted, most historians will revere him as the president who finally dragged barbaric Americans into the modern world. But some may note that the Obama system worsened results for the sick and killed the promising genomic industry, in which the U.S. currently enjoys a world-wide lead. These are the inevitable results of the Obama administration’s push for a statist health-insurance market that contains an underpriced Medicare as an option. The phony pricing for Medicare will draw vast numbers of enrollees, over 100 million in one estimate, and create a virtual single-payer health-insurance system. This system would control costs by rationing health care to the sick, especially when it comes to powerful, expensive new drugs. The U.K., for example, ranks last among the biggest economies in Europe in its uptake of cancer drugs and has the dreadful survival rates to prove it. If the U.S., which is by far the largest market for such drugs and the largest source of capital for their development, becomes a single-payer system, we can kiss this industry good-bye."
Saturday, February 28, 2009
February 28, 2009
Kate's Birthday
Kate would have been 54 today.
I still have a job. I met with my manager on Tuesday, and for now, I'm not being laid off. Obviously he couldn't make any long range promises since the economy is in the toilet and the Socialist Democrats in power seemed determined to flush it away in their rush to convert America into a Socialist Nanny State. Even if I managed to hold on to my job until my intended retirement date, the President and the Congress may have put us so far in debt that no one in the middle class for the next 3 or 4 generations will be able to afford to retire. And if you could retire, with socialized medicine you'll be too sick to enjoy it because liberal government bureaucrats without Medical Degrees will decide what treatment your Doctor can prescribe for you while you wait years for routine surgery performed by overworked and under paid government doctors. Just like the Soviet Union of yesterday and England today. The poor Canadians will no longer have the option to come to the U.S. for surgery because the waiting times and quality of care won't be any better here than they have in the Great White North today. Of course none of these changes will effect the Democrats in power. Just like the Communists in the U.S.S.R., the leaders had the best medical treatment available. There was none of that standing in line and waiting for treatment for the dictators at the top. The Liberal Democrats in Washington today are no different than the Communists in China, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, the Castro brothers in Cuba or the Soviets of the old U.S.S.R. But this is "Change We Can Believe In!"
To paraphase a bumper sticker...
"I'll take freedom, a tax cut, smaller government, capitalism and my First and Second Amendment Rights - You keep The Change!"
Kate would have been 54 today.
I still have a job. I met with my manager on Tuesday, and for now, I'm not being laid off. Obviously he couldn't make any long range promises since the economy is in the toilet and the Socialist Democrats in power seemed determined to flush it away in their rush to convert America into a Socialist Nanny State. Even if I managed to hold on to my job until my intended retirement date, the President and the Congress may have put us so far in debt that no one in the middle class for the next 3 or 4 generations will be able to afford to retire. And if you could retire, with socialized medicine you'll be too sick to enjoy it because liberal government bureaucrats without Medical Degrees will decide what treatment your Doctor can prescribe for you while you wait years for routine surgery performed by overworked and under paid government doctors. Just like the Soviet Union of yesterday and England today. The poor Canadians will no longer have the option to come to the U.S. for surgery because the waiting times and quality of care won't be any better here than they have in the Great White North today. Of course none of these changes will effect the Democrats in power. Just like the Communists in the U.S.S.R., the leaders had the best medical treatment available. There was none of that standing in line and waiting for treatment for the dictators at the top. The Liberal Democrats in Washington today are no different than the Communists in China, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, the Castro brothers in Cuba or the Soviets of the old U.S.S.R. But this is "Change We Can Believe In!"
To paraphase a bumper sticker...
"I'll take freedom, a tax cut, smaller government, capitalism and my First and Second Amendment Rights - You keep The Change!"
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Day of The Moose
Here a Moose, There a Moose...
S-I-L and I were talking in the living room this morning when he noticed a young moose in the front yard. It turned out to be a young bull, most likely the same one that I posted pictures of the day after Christmas. He's been hanging out with the cow and calf in the immediate neighborhood since then. Today, however he is without his antlers, apparently they finally shed in the last couple of weeks. While we were admiring him my sister called on the telephonic communication device. Her husband and son had returned from a successful winter moose hunt and they invited us to come by and help butcher and process the large frozen moose in their garage. S-I-L had a previous engagement helping a friend to get ready to slaughter a couple hogs tomorrow. I was getting ready to go when I heard dogs barking in the area. A medium sized black and brown dog was in my front yard herding the young bull moose into the woods. He wasn't one of the barking dogs however. I stepped out on the back porch because Shadow was in his pen barking, the neighbor dog off through the woods in the back was barking and two other dogs were barking in the area. I recognized one of the dogs by the bark. He had a frantic high pitched bark and I had run him off several months ago when he was harassing moose in about the same area. Sure enough it was him and his yellow lab partner yapping at a large cow moose just outside of my back fence. I shouted in my best command voice, "Hey, get the Hell out of here!" They both quit barking and took off at a fast run off to the west. The cow watched them go and then trotted off to the east disappearing into the woods.
I spent the afternoon helping family cut up a moose. It was a large old moose so they ground it all into moose burger.
S-I-L and I were talking in the living room this morning when he noticed a young moose in the front yard. It turned out to be a young bull, most likely the same one that I posted pictures of the day after Christmas. He's been hanging out with the cow and calf in the immediate neighborhood since then. Today, however he is without his antlers, apparently they finally shed in the last couple of weeks. While we were admiring him my sister called on the telephonic communication device. Her husband and son had returned from a successful winter moose hunt and they invited us to come by and help butcher and process the large frozen moose in their garage. S-I-L had a previous engagement helping a friend to get ready to slaughter a couple hogs tomorrow. I was getting ready to go when I heard dogs barking in the area. A medium sized black and brown dog was in my front yard herding the young bull moose into the woods. He wasn't one of the barking dogs however. I stepped out on the back porch because Shadow was in his pen barking, the neighbor dog off through the woods in the back was barking and two other dogs were barking in the area. I recognized one of the dogs by the bark. He had a frantic high pitched bark and I had run him off several months ago when he was harassing moose in about the same area. Sure enough it was him and his yellow lab partner yapping at a large cow moose just outside of my back fence. I shouted in my best command voice, "Hey, get the Hell out of here!" They both quit barking and took off at a fast run off to the west. The cow watched them go and then trotted off to the east disappearing into the woods.
I spent the afternoon helping family cut up a moose. It was a large old moose so they ground it all into moose burger.
Monday, February 9, 2009
ALERT! ALERT!
IMMEDIATE RELEASE!
Mt. Redoubt still has not erupted!
I am still employed.
It's still cold and snowy but the daylight is increasing.
We have much nicer weather (so what else is new,) and a lot less snow than Juneau.
We are a lot warmer than Fairbanks, Ft. Yukon and Prudhoe Bay.
More exciting developments to come!
Mt. Redoubt still has not erupted!
I am still employed.
It's still cold and snowy but the daylight is increasing.
We have much nicer weather (so what else is new,) and a lot less snow than Juneau.
We are a lot warmer than Fairbanks, Ft. Yukon and Prudhoe Bay.
More exciting developments to come!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Home Appliances
A Full Weekend
My dishwasher quit working, oh, maybe 2 years ago. It was practically new. I never got around to fixing it because I live alone and only generate a sink full of dishes about every three days. The oven quit working about a year ago. The range still worked and I have a backup oven in the kitchen in in my garage so I never got around to fixing it. Besides I have two microwaves. The motor in my treadmill failed about the same time as the oven. I saw that as an opportunity to quit exercising and get even fatter so I never got around to fixing it. The rear bearing in the Subaru still needs replacing but I can't afford to fix it right now. Monday, my clothes washer just quit. Now that's a problem. I can't figure a way to ignore this one. Unless, I take my laundry to my mother's house on my weekend visits and do it there. That will work! No, wait, my son-in-law is staying with me. I'm NOT going to do his laundry. Damn! I guess I have to fix the stupid washing machine.
Actually my S-in-L and I have replaced the control board and a fuse in the dishwasher. But it still doesn't work. Also I have a new motor for the treadmill but have been avoiding installing it because "it's too hard...," and I'd then lose my excuse for not using the darn thing. We haven't looked at the oven yet.
*Edit* Oh yeah, the vacuum cleaner burned up this week too. They burn up trying to get Husky hair out of rugs. I wonder if in the long run it would be cheaper to buy new rugs than vacuum cleaners.
*EDIT2* Washing machine fixed. Broken switch on the lid. Duct taped it into on position until I get a new one.
My dishwasher quit working, oh, maybe 2 years ago. It was practically new. I never got around to fixing it because I live alone and only generate a sink full of dishes about every three days. The oven quit working about a year ago. The range still worked and I have a backup oven in the kitchen in in my garage so I never got around to fixing it. Besides I have two microwaves. The motor in my treadmill failed about the same time as the oven. I saw that as an opportunity to quit exercising and get even fatter so I never got around to fixing it. The rear bearing in the Subaru still needs replacing but I can't afford to fix it right now. Monday, my clothes washer just quit. Now that's a problem. I can't figure a way to ignore this one. Unless, I take my laundry to my mother's house on my weekend visits and do it there. That will work! No, wait, my son-in-law is staying with me. I'm NOT going to do his laundry. Damn! I guess I have to fix the stupid washing machine.
Actually my S-in-L and I have replaced the control board and a fuse in the dishwasher. But it still doesn't work. Also I have a new motor for the treadmill but have been avoiding installing it because "it's too hard...," and I'd then lose my excuse for not using the darn thing. We haven't looked at the oven yet.
*Edit* Oh yeah, the vacuum cleaner burned up this week too. They burn up trying to get Husky hair out of rugs. I wonder if in the long run it would be cheaper to buy new rugs than vacuum cleaners.
*EDIT2* Washing machine fixed. Broken switch on the lid. Duct taped it into on position until I get a new one.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Google Street View
Waiting for daylight...
We started into work this morning. The temps were
in the 40s and the roads were wet but clear of ice.
About half way there a phone call alerted us to the
schools, buses and what have you still being closed.
My brother called his work and discovered his building
wasn't open either, so we turned around and returned
home. Once home, I called my work and found out my
facility was open. I'll probably go to work later this
morning after the traffic dies down.
Meanwhile I got the idea to look at my workplace from
Google Street view. Here it is...
The fire truck parked in front told me that the
Google probably drove by when we were having
a fire drill. If so my coworkers and I would
be standing in our parking lot. I negotiated around
to the back of the building and there we all were.
I'm in the group marked with the arrow, immortalized
by Google Street View.
We started into work this morning. The temps were
in the 40s and the roads were wet but clear of ice.
About half way there a phone call alerted us to the
schools, buses and what have you still being closed.
My brother called his work and discovered his building
wasn't open either, so we turned around and returned
home. Once home, I called my work and found out my
facility was open. I'll probably go to work later this
morning after the traffic dies down.
Meanwhile I got the idea to look at my workplace from
Google Street view. Here it is...
The fire truck parked in front told me that the
Google probably drove by when we were having
a fire drill. If so my coworkers and I would
be standing in our parking lot. I negotiated around
to the back of the building and there we all were.
I'm in the group marked with the arrow, immortalized
by Google Street View.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
That Was One Scary Commute
And a weather update...
A 1500 mile Pineapple express warm front slammed into the Alaska mainland yesterday. It blasted the Arctic cold front off the Alaska map, pushing it off to the east where it has begun sinking into the midwest, (sorry Minnesota!)
The temperatures rose around 50 degrees with high winds. Last night it was freezing rain on top of the ice and snow packed roads. For some reason my brother and I came to work anyway. We lost count of the number of vehicles in the ditch on the way to Anchorage but the radio says more than 150 in the area. All the schools, people-mover buses and military bases are closed. My company sent us an e-mail telling us that the office wouldn't be open until 10 am. Of course you'd have to be at work to get the email and I had already been at my desk for 2 hours.
The roads were obviously horrible all the way in. But when we got to Anchorage itself they became scary. Inches of wet black ice completely covered the pavement. All along the road the semi-trucks were pulled off to the side of the road putting on chains. Any paved road with a hill was impassible.
We're going to head out and try to make it home in one piece in a couple of hours. Hopefully the rain and traffic has worn down the ice a bit. There is a good chance I'll be staying home tomorrow.
A 1500 mile Pineapple express warm front slammed into the Alaska mainland yesterday. It blasted the Arctic cold front off the Alaska map, pushing it off to the east where it has begun sinking into the midwest, (sorry Minnesota!)
The temperatures rose around 50 degrees with high winds. Last night it was freezing rain on top of the ice and snow packed roads. For some reason my brother and I came to work anyway. We lost count of the number of vehicles in the ditch on the way to Anchorage but the radio says more than 150 in the area. All the schools, people-mover buses and military bases are closed. My company sent us an e-mail telling us that the office wouldn't be open until 10 am. Of course you'd have to be at work to get the email and I had already been at my desk for 2 hours.
The roads were obviously horrible all the way in. But when we got to Anchorage itself they became scary. Inches of wet black ice completely covered the pavement. All along the road the semi-trucks were pulled off to the side of the road putting on chains. Any paved road with a hill was impassible.
We're going to head out and try to make it home in one piece in a couple of hours. Hopefully the rain and traffic has worn down the ice a bit. There is a good chance I'll be staying home tomorrow.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Another Year
Maybe it'll get better in 2009
Kate and I always spent New Years Eve together. I don't recall that we ever went out to a party or celebration, neither of us were into loud parties or being around drunk people. That's why our social lives were family get togethers, quiet dinners for two at Evangelo's Restaurant or making dinner at home and watching movies from the couch. I spent New Years Eve alone except for a sleeping old husky next to the recliner and a frightened husky panting and pacing. Shadow is terrified of firecrackers. My neighbors loudly celebrate New Years and the 4th every year. I went to bed at 11 but at midnight was joined but a shaking 75 lb husky attempting to crawl under me in the bed. We were awake until the explosions stopped at 1 am. The -23 F temperatures must have driven them indoors early. Usually they stay up at least until 2 am frightening my dog.
Weather update: The Thermometers are still OFL and we are going to get a little wind for couple of days. Wind chill tonight of -38 F.
Kate and I always spent New Years Eve together. I don't recall that we ever went out to a party or celebration, neither of us were into loud parties or being around drunk people. That's why our social lives were family get togethers, quiet dinners for two at Evangelo's Restaurant or making dinner at home and watching movies from the couch. I spent New Years Eve alone except for a sleeping old husky next to the recliner and a frightened husky panting and pacing. Shadow is terrified of firecrackers. My neighbors loudly celebrate New Years and the 4th every year. I went to bed at 11 but at midnight was joined but a shaking 75 lb husky attempting to crawl under me in the bed. We were awake until the explosions stopped at 1 am. The -23 F temperatures must have driven them indoors early. Usually they stay up at least until 2 am frightening my dog.
Weather update: The Thermometers are still OFL and we are going to get a little wind for couple of days. Wind chill tonight of -38 F.
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