Hi Zany Friends, I am Rachelle. Zanymuse's daughter. this will be her last posting. My mother passed away Dec 23rd, 2024. She is with my grandparents and dad again. I am sad to have to share this news here, but I know her friends would like to know. Thank you for the joy you brought into my moms life... keeping her from truely going Zany.

Trial by media

Like much of the nation I was riveted to the news accounts of the flying saucer shaped balloon as it soared across the sky and felt dismay at the idea that a small boy could be inside. While it was still in the air I mentioned to several people that I hoped the boy was hiding somewhere because he was afraid after he let Daddy's big balloon lose that he'd be in big trouble.

When it landed and was empty, I felt relief and when they began reports of the ground search I thought they should start the hunt at home under the boy's bed and then expand to the yard and even check the dog house if they had one. When he was found hiding in a garage attic I laughed. Yep, laughed. Now that was the kind of thing either of my son's would have pulled at that age.

Immediately the hue and cry began that it had all been a hoax. Tonight they had a whole show about it with the "experts" interviewing some guy who sold copies of emails from the dad and saying they were proof of the hoax. Then they played some horrid rap video of the three boys using foul language to impress upon us how horrible this man is as further proof of the hoax. They have already convicted him and are wanting the powers that be to extract payment and punishment from the Father and they hope, the mother based on all the "evidence" they have uncovered.

So, what exactly is all this evidence? They show me that this family is in need of some real counselling, and Daddy needs some intensive therapy. From their "evidence" I see...

1. Daddy is a wannabe scientist.
2 Daddy is a big time publicity seeker.
3. Daddy was creating a flying saucer shaped helium balloon in the back yard and (IF) the emails are genuine he planned to use it in a publicity seeking stunt.
4. That the boys were aware the balloon was part of a plan for a TV show.
5. That Daddy had yelled at the boy earlier for playing in his precious project.

Hmmm, So Daddy had plans for a publicity stunt with a helium saucer...

OK, I've heard of brighter ideas but since the silly thing was still tethered in the back yard no stunt had been perpetrated yet. BUT, since it was capable of carrying the weight of a small boy it was obviously a dangerous thing to leave unattended with three very active boys about. So, I could understand a demand for an investigation into child endangerment.

But did Daddy plan the stunt to be that his son was missing and might be on board the balloon or did the boy prevent Daddy's hoax from happening by releasing it, hiding because Daddy would be furious, and inadvertantly created a bigger "hoax" in the process?

According to the trial by media, Daddy is guilty. I think they are wrong. I do not believe Daddy told the boy to hide or that this was the particular Hoax he was creating the saucer for. Who would trust a child that young to remain voluntarily hidden while all the fun was happening without poppin his head out to see what was happening? However, I would expect him to stay hidden if he thought he was in big trouble. And with what they have shown of this family Daddy would be a pretty scary man to face when he saw his big balloon flying off before his scheduled performance.

So, do I think they need to drop the whole thing? No! I think the media needs to back off and that Child protective services needs to step in before Daddy gets one of them killed.

Daylight Savings time

I was sitting back trying to relax and watch a bit of TV. But it was not very relaxing since I would check out the listings and click on the channel only to find that the show I wanted was not on. So, I surfed around a little and shut it off. Several hours later I repeated this and again found what was listed was not what was on...that is when I noticed that the little time readout on my task bar said it was an hour earlier than all my clocks...hmmm...the daylight savings finally dawns...the guide is fine...my clocks are an hour off...I'm sure glad I noticed it before I missed the season ending of Army Wives or went to bed and was an hour late for work tomorrow. I sure wish they would just move the clocks once and leave them there...maybe split the difference and go a half hour difference and leave it alone.

Oliver

After finishing the Dragonfly I was eager to begin another project. Continuing with the pond concept I decided to do a swimming turtle. He is not quite as garrish as it looks with the picture but the flash and the backlighting on the screen makes him seem almost cartoonish. But I am pleased with him.

I discovered during this process that what I really want to do is sculpt. But although clay is affordable, a kiln is not. That makes it unrealistic for me to be able to do the size pieces that I want to do. I am researching alternatives online and hope to find an affordable self hardening medium that will allow me to persue this interest.

Frustrated artist...

I have always wanted to be an artist. Not that I have any great talent or training to overcome my lack of it. But that has never quelled my desire to do something artsy. Over the years I satisfied this desire by trying different crafts and art forms. I tried sketching...but stick figures somehow didn't fit my desired image of an "artist". Hah! I showed less promise than the average 1st grader.

Then came oil painting with a friend. She was pretty good and I was less than adequate ... er...I had no skill there at all except for blending colors on the pallet. But I did manage to make a mess of a couple small canvases before giving up and tossing them into the trash.

Then came painting statuary in the 70's. You bought molded pieces and painted them...I actually did pretty good on that one but how many painted plaster pieces can one home hold... and why? ...they were not exactly great works of art. The phase passed and I moved on to sculpting with clay.

Clay sculpting was a true breakthrough for me. I bought a 50 pound brick of porcelain clay and had a wonderful time creating several pieces. I felt wonderfully artistic as I worked the clay into my vision of the statues I wanted to make. And much to my surprise they actually looked good! The pieces were never fired. First of all, I didn't have or have access to a kiln and second, I didn't know how to properly remove the air pockets from the clay so that they would have no doubt exploded if I had tried to fire them anyway.

That led me to an art class at the local Jr. college where I was taught the basics of working with clay and actually fired one piece. It was a billy goat and I was very proud of it. It made it through the first firing and then vanished. I suspect it got knocked down and broken but no one ever admitted to it. I did get an A in that class but was not able to return the next semester.

Next came a doll making class. You selected a mold and type of clay and the instructor poured it. From there you cleaned the green ware. My problem here was wanting to make every detail perfect. This left tiny doll fingers and toes too well defined and fragile so that they broke easily. The dolls came out ok but the hobby was too expensive to pursue at that time and molds just didn't suit me anyway.

Over the years I tried tile mosaics, latch rugs, embroidery, crocheting, sewing, quilting, photography, carving, and even writing. I completed 3 books that were so bad I never let anyone else read them and destroyed them after reading them through myself. Some things I just burned out on and others, like sewing, I had to stop because of carpal tunnel.

Then the computer came into my life and along with it there were photo programs and web building programs to play with. Software became my passion. And gardening became my favorite interest off the computer. Then one day, while chatting with some true artists on a forum, I commented on some lovely silks one member showed pieced together and how it would make a wonderful wall hanging. She sent me a box of the silk scraps and my desire to be artistic returned.

I didn't want to sew or quilt. I wanted to create a mixed media collage. I played with several designs on the computer and changed my mind at least a dozen times before settling upon my final design and getting to work. As the design emerged and shifted I felt wonderful. Manipulating the piece into my vision. . . Artistic! And when it was finished I picked up some scrap wood and began to make a frame to suit my project. I like the process of sanding the wood, staining it and using power tools to make a frame for my piece. When I finished it this morning I hung it in the living room and set back to admire it. It isn't perfect. I can see ways to improve my next piece. But I like it. I am proud of it. I am an artist at last. Not a great one but an artist none the less...and it feels good!

The feeling of pride in my own achievement is wonderful. I don't know why it has taken me all these years to enjoy it. I have always been my own worst critic and never really allowed myself to feel good about my efforts. But suddenly, I can say it and feel it. It would be nice if others like it too but even if they hate it or think it is worthless because I like it and I feel good about it. It is mine.

Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust

Dad passed away on August 16Th 2008. He had been in failing health for the past few years and this last year was especially hard for him as he was struggling with the strength to even get out of bed for those most basic of human functions. He was ready to die and I am sure he even prayed for the Lord to take him home.

So when the final hour approached it was filled with all the normal emotions that accompany the minds of those left behind. Grief over personal loss, insecurities over doing the right thing, saying the right thing, relief that it was over and sorrow it was over.

My daughter and I were the first ones to arrive at the viewing. He was laid out nicely in his coffin and the room was quiet. I stood and looked down at the mortal remains of this man I loved so much and felt...nothing. He, my father, was not there. The corpse in the casket was just a thing. Not something to "say good bye too" What would be the point? That flesh and bone corpse was no longer my Dad.

Because of a snafu, I was not at the grave site to see him off. I waited until the following week to view his grave. When I stood there I wanted to feel like they show people acting in movies. I wanted to feel that there at his grave I could talk to him and that he could hear me. But again, he was not there and I could not "feel" him. I left the cemetery feeling somehow that I must be a very cold person because I felt no "connection".

As days pass into weeks, I miss him. It isn't the man in the bed I am missing. It is the man I remember from over the years. The one that stood in a pulpit on Sundays and worked as a construction worker and carpenter during the week. I missed the handsome guy that would sing out loud and strong, whistle a tune or play his harmonica. I missed the man that tended his roses, that loved my mother, that told funny stories, that commanded respect and stood tall. I miss the poet and the woodworker with the quirky sense of humor who created a lot of great things over the years, Dolly and Gar (wood sculptures) clocks and tables, boxes and wood turnings and carvings. Some serious and some, not so much.

I miss the man who practised what he preached and believed what he taught. He is gone. His memories however are still a part of me and those memories are not gone. Those memories are more the "real" man than those mortal remains now laying in the grave. And as long as those memories are real to me he will never be really dead. I am not a cold or heartless person after all. I just have a big enough heart to keep him alive inside of me.

145 years and counting...

Scotia, CA
Brief history:
1863 -- Pacific Lumber Co. formed
1906 -- Redwood rebuilds San Francisco after quake
1964 -- Massive flood wipes out PL log decks, nearby timber towns
1975 -- Pacific Lumber listed on New York Stock Exchange
1986 -- Houston-based Maxxam Inc. takes over PL
Summer 1990 -- Redwood Summer protests
Jan. 1997 -- Mudslide from PL land swamps town of Stafford
Fall 1997 -- Activists pepper sprayed during protests
Dec. 1997 -- Julia Butterfly Hill begins tree-sit above Stafford
Sept. 1998 -- David “Gypsy” Chain killed by tree felled by logger
March 1999 -- PL sells Headwaters Forest, groves to government for $480 million
Jan. 2007 -- PL files for bankruptcy in Texas
June 2008 -- Bankruptcy Judge Richard Schmidt approves Mendocino Redwood plan for PL
July 30, 2008 -- Mendocino begins rebuilding PL as Humboldt Redwood Co. and Marathon Investments takes over the town, the co~generation plant and other properties.

The mill will continue with a new name and new management. It is a new beginning that holds great promise for the community as sustainable logging practices are implemented. The collective sigh of relief is heard and felt by all concerned. There will be some that will not be hired by the new company but most of the workers will soon return to their jobs with a feeling of security that has been missing over the last few years.

The new Town Company met with the residents and business owners in a Town meeting yesterday and answered some questions regarding the town's future. They made it clear that they will be making improvements and proceeding with the steps necessary to sell the homes. In the meantime the workers and others like us will continue to rent. For some, the opportunity will come for them to purchase their homes. Some will want to do so and others will decide to move. Some will be unable to buy and eventually have to look for rental options elsewhere.

The affordable rents close to work will be gone. It is a shame, but hopefully, as the changes are made, the nature of the town will not be completely lost and it's charm will somehow be retained. The representatives of the company did seem to understand that part of their new acquisition at least in so much as it applies to the bottom line. The small town community, the stability of the workers, the infrastructure, the parks and museum and churches are all important to the people and therefore important assets toward the future sale of the homes.

145 years. The name of the mill and possibly the town will change and the town will not be company owned but it will not become another ghost town. The Mill will hopefully continue on under it's new owners and management for many generations to come. I won't be alive to see it but I sincerely hope that 145 years from now someone will be writing about the wonderful success of a little mill in Humboldt county and the thriving little community surrounding it.

On the up side, it should take 2-4 years for them to make the necessary changes and cut through the endless red tape before they can sell the homes. For us that means that we will have 1 or both cars paid off and if it takes the full 4 years we would be in a better position to purchase...IF... and the list of IFs is a long one!

Who knows, I may even get to plant a few tomatoes next year and live to taste them!

links to stories done in the past concerning Scotia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia,_California

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-10-companytown_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/06/us/06scotia.html?_r=1&ex=1183867200&en=1cc273cc8839b4ff&ei=5070&oref=slogin

http://www.humboldtbeacon.com/local/ci_9984029

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_10039446

http://www.times-standard.com/opinion/ci_9560701



http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_n4_v184/ai_8833863



And for a laugh: Check out this table made from reclaimed lumber from one of the old mills. Note the asking price and realize that this same old wood is present in every old building and house in town and the same reclaimed wood I used as a compost bin at the apartment. So what will these old pieces of history sell for as homes? http://www.tamalpais.com/htmlpages/scotia/ARWC_table1.html

Living in History

To say that life in these parts has been interesting lately would be a great understatement. Living in Humboldt county is always interesting because it is a hotbed of political diversity that polarizes the citizenry on almost everything. In fact, you can predict most peoples votes based on where they live within the county and where they work or if they are attending HSU.



I usually refer to HSU as "Berkley North" since both campus seem to have the same 60's hippy mentalities which can be both refreshing and aggravating...mostly the latter...

I live and work in Scotia, Ca. This little town is one of the last, if not the last, genuine company towns in America that is still serving it's original purpose of housing the workers of a single company, owned in whole by that company, managed by the company, cared for by the company, ruled by the company. When you enter Scotia you are entering a piece of history that has been preserved and presents itself as a charming little hamlet nestled in a small bend of the Eel river. The streets are clean, the homes are cared for and the people are friendly.

All that is about to change. The company, after almost 20 years of being under the control of Charles Hurwitz and being broken up into several corporate sections, has been reunited to some extent by a judge in a Texas bankruptcy court. The case stretched on for more than 18 months. When a plan was finally approved by the court it was instantly appealed by one group of note-holders. Tensions have run high and fear of losing more jobs and having the mill closed has had the population feeling the stress. As the case is starting to finally reach it's end we have a plan that will have the mill and timber taken over by what appears to be a good company and the town, power plant and other properties will be taken over by an investment /banking firm and will be sold off.

The houses, the businesses, the post office, the recreation center and the school will no longer be company property. The company will no longer decide who lives here or be able to insist that the yards be kept tidy, the houses be painted in pastel shades or set the rules for the workers outside of the mill. They will no longer be maintaining a little park, atv trails, river access, a museum, a fisheries exhibit and...

There are some things that will need to be done before the houses can be sold and many of the people now renting them will not be able to buy and will have to seek housing elsewhere. They will face higher rents, no pet policies and longer commutes to work in a tight rental market. As one of those people I can only hope that the process is very slow moving.

But aside from my personal dread of having to move again when the houses are sold off, I also dread seeing the little town change. In a time when the world is worried about the environment, communities are being designed to be "green" where people can live, work, shop and find recreation all in their neighborhood, this little piece of history which actually had all that, is changing away from it.

National Geographic had photographers here last week. I wonder if they will publish a piece on the death of a way of life in a company town or if they will just cover the story of the mill and the redwood timber lands.

Interesting History

History is more than facts and figures. It is also skewed by our personal experiences, what we are taught, and what we choose to believe. I ran across a discussion concerning the "War of 1812" on line and was delighted reading the different viewpoints. Of course someone had to post this old song...

Well, in eighteen and fourteen we took a little trip along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,And we caught the bloody British near the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, I see'd Mars Jackson walkin down the street talkin' to a pirate by the name of Jean Lafayette [pronounced La-feet]He gave Jean a drink that he brung from Tennessee and the pirate said he'd help us drive the British in the sea.The French said Andrew, you'd better run,for Packingham's a comin' with a bullet in his gun.Old Hickory said he didn't give a dang,he's gonna whip the britches off of Colonel Packingham.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we looked down the river and we see'd the British come,and there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum.They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring while we stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise if we didn't fire a musket til we looked 'em in the eyes.We held our fire til we see'd their faces well, then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave a yell.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we fired our cannon til the barrel melted down,so we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind,and when they tetched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.We'll march back home but we'll never be content till we make Old Hickory the people's President.And every time we think about the bacon and the beans,we'll think about the fun we had way down in New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin,But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.They ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch 'em down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

And in response someone else posted this version...


Come back proud Canadians,To before you had TV.No hockey night in Canada,there was no CBC.
In 1812 Madison was mad,He was the president you know.Well he thought he'd tell the British where they ought to go.

He thought he'd invade Canada,He thought that he was tough.Instead we went to Washington,And burned down all his stuff.
And the white house burned, burned, burned.And we're the ones that did it,It burned, burned, burned.While the president ran and cried,It burned, burned, burned.And things were very historical,And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies Wah-Wah-WahIn the war of 1812.

Those hillbillies from Kentucky,Dressed in green and red.Left home to fight in Canada,But they returned home dead.It's the only war the Yankees lost except for Vietnam.And also the Alamo and the bay of ham.The looser was America,The winner was ourselves.So join right in and gloat about the war of 1812.

And the white house burned, burned, burned.And we're the ones that did it,It burned, burned, burned While the president ran and cried,It burned, burned, burned And things were very historical,And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies Wah-Wah-Wah In the war of 1812.

In 1812 we were just sitting around,Minding our own business,Putting crops into the ground.We heard the soldiers coming,And we didn't like that sound.So we took a boat to Washington and burned it to the ground.

Oh we fired our guns but the Yankees kept on a coming,There wasn't quite as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and the Yankees started running,Down the Mississippi to the gulf of Mexico.

They ran through the snow,And they ran through the forest,They ran through the bushes where the beavers wouldn't go,They ran so fast they forgot to take their culture,Back to America, and golf and Mexico.

So if you go to Washington,It's buildings clean and nice,Bring a pack of matches,And we'll burn the white house twice.And the white house burned, burned, burned,But the Americans wont admit it.It burned, burned, burned...It burned and burned and burned It burned, burned, burned I bet that made them mad.And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies Wah-Wah-Wah In the war of 1812.

Viewpoints varied on the reason for the war... Some say it was in response to the British conscripting American citizens into the British Navy... Others say The British were merely retaking AWOL British sailors and that the war was started because the Americans were invading Canada which was still a British colony at that time.

Both sides seemed to feel that no one really "won" that war although there were some interesting comments on how it changed Canada's capital to a safer location.

The British and Canadians both seemed to agree that the Americans were wrongly trying to take Canadian soil and that the British had every right to invade America to capture their AWOL sailors... But they did not think America should, by that way of thinking, have invaded Canada during the Vietnam conflict to capture AWOL and draft dodging USA citizens...

So, depending on your nationality, the 1812 war was started by_____, because____ and the truth about who won is__________.....

Now, Why were we in Vietnam? .... Depends on who you ask... Why are we in Iraq? ....Hmmm.... Want the World view? , the Liberals view? or the reasons given by the White House?... How will history tell about it?.... depends on who is writing the History books....Facts and figures are only important in how they are skewed to present the version of history they want to teach our children...

QUOTATION: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." ATTRIBUTION: George Santayana (1863–1952), U.S. philosopher, poet.Life of Reason, 'Reason in Common Sense,' ch. 12 (1905-6).

Which version are we supposed to remember?

Next project

The next area to be tackled is the back yard. It is overgrown grass with some thistles, brambles and weeds. For a bonus they also left a lot of trash which we have already removed.













I would like to avoid killing the grass by cutting it in stages. This past weekend I used the weedwacker to take it down about a third and removed the large thistles and brambles. I hope to mow it this coming weekend with the highest setting on the lawn mower... if we can get it running. After sitting in storage for 5 years it will start but quits after a couple seconds.
















Pyxle is enjoying the space and is settling into a new routine now. She likes taking a toy up to the top of the steps and dropping it over the edge. She runs down to get it and repeats until she is panting and then lays in the grass with it for a while. It keeps her busy and gives her excercise besides her daily trip to the local park.

Changes ahead.,,

The bankruptcy judge announced today that he will be approving the Mendocino/Marathon plan. That means the mill/timber lands will change ownership to Mendocino Forest Products. They have a good reputation and this appears to be good news for the community. It will be awhile before we know how or if our jobs will be impacted but putting aside my personal fears I have to admit that for this county this is really good news.

The second part of the plan places the town, residential and commercial, and the power plant in the hands of Marathon Banking. We do not know what that will mean to us as far as the housing goes. We know they will want to sell the houses but we do not know if that will begin immediately or if it will take a year or so to get the ball rolling.... the longer the delay the better for us on this one!

Since our job serves both the mill and the power plant, we do not know what to expect in that respect but I have a reasonable expectation of staying on since we are a contracted service they will need and it is generally more cost effective to use us than to hire inhouse people.

So that is the scoop on the situation here for now. Maxxam/ Hurwitz will be gone and a new regime will take over.

New housing...

This is the first section of the outside areas I have tackled. The brambles were well rooted and took me an hour to dig them out. The horsetails pulled up rather easily and the grass I just weed wacked down and topped with cardboard for weed supression.

And this is the same area a week later....

That is 1 1/2 yards of chips from the mill.

I still need to plant something in those window boxes and that is all I will do in this area since we have no idea how long we will be able to stay here.

I think it looks a lot better even if it is rather barren looking. I will probably switch out some of these pots for some of my terracotta colored pots so they all match.

At least it no longer looks like the messiest place on the street and several people have already commented on the improvement.

The moove...

When the owner of the house in Carlotta decided to sell out during the housing market's ridiculous bubble we were forced to move. Since this was the 4th such move for us (owner selling out from under us) we decided to bite the bullet and move into an apartment where this type of thing rarely happens so that we could settle in and stay put. HA!

After 5 years and rent increases that came like clockwork (no rent control here) I was greeted early in the morning of April 30Th by the landlord at the door with a 60 day notice to vacate. His reason was that they needed our apartment for his aging parents. ... Who want to see it empty before they decide if it will work for them... And how much remodeling they may want to do... IF... they decide it will work at all... Since ours was most in need of updating they decided it would be the one they should invest the funds into...IF...

So we set about looking for another place to live. We found a house in the mill town where we work and were out in 30 days. When we turned in the keys the Landlord thanked us for our "understanding", apologized for the "inconvenience" and said he would mail us our deposits.

The upside of all of this is that we are again in a house with a yard, real washer and dryer hookups, and we are now less than a mile commute from work. That last one is a biggie since regular gas hit $4.50 a gallon yesterday and there is no sign it will be dropping soon.

Between Bob's Charcot's foot and bad back and my bad back plus both of our obesity and age related aches and pains, we managed to get the move done and survived it with even more aches and pains.... I had no idea that even the roots of my hair could hurt! But we managed somehow and are officially moved!

The down side to the move is that the houses here in town WILL BE SOLD... we have no idea how soon that will happen. The Company is in chapter 11 and even our jobs may or may not be here in a month or so... Life is uncertain. If the mill continues we should be fine for our jobs. There are a few things they will have to do before the houses can be sold, zoning, set up a service district or annex into the connecting city... Hopefully it will take a while.... along while...I really do not want to move again until we can clear up our debts and hopefully be ready to purchase a place of our own... It is in God's hands.

Another great find in the Blog O' Sphere!

I saw a link on DG to another wonderful blog today and spent about an hour looking at the most recent posts. I am looking forward to reading this blogs archives as time allows. I added a link to it in my Points of Interest section.

Written by a gardener, it of course appeals to me. But it is not just gardening that makes me like this blog. I also enjoyed the writers sharing of ideas. So if you have a desire to read an interesting and well written blog please be sure to visit http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/. Kylee in NW Ohio. Then, if you still want to explore check out her http://gardentours.blogspot.com/ as well!

Misguided Left wingnuts

Yet another example of the extreme Leftist good intentions run amok! Free the Gnomes indeed!
http://www.freethegnomes.com/mailbag.html

One cause after the next has been taken up by this group of radicals but now they are truly off their collective rockers. They claim the gnomes are being held captive in our gardens and demand their immediate return to their "native woodlands".

There are several problems with their logic on this one.

First: They (the Gnomes) do not wish to return to the woodlands. They have traveled the world seeking to establish new colonies and have settlements in gardens worldwide. Threatened with being returned to the land of his forefathers I heard one young gnome cry out in anger "this is my home!"

Second: The woodlands where these creatures of earth originated have all but vanished. Logging and urban sprawl have taken over much of their homelands.

Third: If they were sent back to the woodlands it would create such overcrowding that they would no doubt die from diseases or starvation.

Fourth: Having lived in gardens for several generations, the average gnome could not fend for himself in the woods and would be easy prey for ferocious killer chipmonks or rabid bunnies...or worse!

Please folks, do not be drawn into this foolish attempt to right a wrong that never was! Help the Gnomes defend their right to live in any garden anywhere, free from fear of being deported to a strange woodland. Free to raise their young without fear of being "saved" by the extremists and their misguided attempt to do that which is too frightening for the average Gnome to discuss!

SAVE THE GNOME! To support this counter movement I ask that you join me in combating these gnome enemies by sending a check to ME. I guarantee that not a single penny of your generous contribution will be spent on anything that would in anyway make my garden less Gnome friendly.

For more information on what you can do please leave a comment with your credit card information, your drivers license number, your social security number, your bank name, branch location, the pin number for your ATM card and your mother's maiden name. I promise that after I max out your credit card and empty any and all bank accounts I will sell your identity to the highest bidder. This statement is true ... trust me...

Freedom of religion

In many areas freedoms such as we in the USA enjoy are unknown. We are still free to voice our opinions on matters of politics, to worship or not as we are so inclined. To move about our lives and pursue happiness, apply ourselves and seek riches or to run for office. And by law, all citizens are entitled to these freedoms. Or are we?

Every day we experience prejudices. We are told that we must not speak out in government meetings or schools if we are going to discuss our religions. That it is immoral of us to take a stand against anything or any teaching that is based on our religious beliefs.

An atheist is not told to be quiet when he stands up anywhere to say there is no God, that Christians are all hypocrites, or that we need laws to prevent Christians from voicing our faith in public schools. They ban prayers, call us fools for believing, sue us for any demonstration of faith to which they or their children may be exposed. It is ok for them to use foul language, mock our God, and flaunt their "lifestyles" to us and insist the schools teach that their ways are to be accepted to our young while we are not allowed to even say the name God out of fear that their child may hear it!

I believe it is time to insist on freedom for Christians! To demand that we and our beliefs be afforded respect and the freedoms guaranteed to us by the constitution. We can no more leave our beliefs out of our politics than an athiest can leave their anti God sentiments out of their thinking.

I firmly believe in freedom. I believe in an Atheists right to deny god. After all, who am I to even attempt to deny anyone a right that was given them by the very God they are denying? God gave man freedom of choice.

I will continue to support your right to not believe. I will support your right to reject God. And all I ask in return is that you support my right to Believe and to speak as freely of my beliefs as you do of your non belief.

I will not be personally offended if you say there is no god...please stop being offended when I state that there is!

Please do not try to remove my freedom to discuss my faith. Please understand that your discussions pointing at Christians as hypocrites and or fools is offensive to me and statements that there is no God, or about the "evils of organized religions" is still a discussion of religion even if you are arguing against it instead of for it. Your rights do not extend to the right to usurp my rights. Your rights to disbelief are not more important than mineto belief.

Keep one thing in mind. If my beliefs are correct then by telling someone about them I may play a part in their being saved from an eternity in Hell. And if your belief is correct, we are nothing after death and it really won't matter to anyone.

Life is but a dream

Life is but a dream... much of it seems hazed and surreal, shifting from sadness to joy and stopping here and there in between. Yesterday weaves itself through dreams of tomorrows and today is split evenly between what was and what will be. Life is but a dream...wake me not...for in every dream there is an new me to explore and a new you to discover. Dream your own dreams, weave them into the fabric of mine and share them with all who wish to partake of them. Dream... Dream... Dream...For who can say that their reality is of more importance or woven of a finer fabric than my own.

Dreams are... well, they are dreams... they are made up of our experiences, the sights,scents, sounds,tastes, textures and emotions of our existence. They morph about and shift shapes they are their own reality but are without substance. Ephemeral, Misty shadows that peek into the recesses of our minds when we let down our guard. They show us that which we love, that which we despise, that which we seek and that which we seek to hide. They are our hopes, our aspirations, our desires,our loves, our fears, our likes and dislikes, they are made up of whole cloth, the wholeness of our very being and yet they are not real, they are only dreams...

Did I just sit here and write all this... or is it a dream... for in truth I am but an inarticulate soul... incapable of original thought... dreaming... weaving old thoughts and ancient ideas into my dreamworld and wrapping myself in an imaginary cloak of wispy thoughts that I believe are mine but actually belong to a graduating senior who is quoting some obscure French existentialist. Life is a dream... a wonderful dream...

Self restraint.....

I have been working hard on using self restraint on the forums of my favorite web site. I discovered right away that it is not easy to keep my opinions to myself and even harder to refrain from commenting on a posting that pushes one of my hot buttons. At first it was easiest to just refrain from posting anything at all. Then slowly I began to enter into the topics that were safe and talk about things that were non controversial.

I don't know how many times I typed responses to posts that were about issues that I have strong opinions on and then deleted them without hitting the send button. But today It seemed to take a lot more effort on my part to not reply than usual.

So what trips my switch and makes me antsy to respond? Well, it can be a lot of things. Today the worst was a comment about people in the fire ravaged part of the state and how God gave us brains and how it is foolish of all those people to live in homes built in areas that God designed to be burned as a part of it's normal life cycle. Hmmm, very callous statement in a forum that had people discussing how they could help the fire victims and some of the people that had been evacuated from their homes were checking in to let their friends know they are ok or to ask if others had been heard from yet.

I typed a lengthy reply that Since mankind had been kicked out of the Garden of Eden, there is no safe place to build where fire, flood, earthquake, avalanche, hurricane, tsunami....some form of natural disaster would not be a threat. Where were they supposed to build a home? That placing blame on the victims was insensitive and out of line. Now, of course, I spent a lot of time on wording it and it was quite lengthy and I was really itching to send it when I stopped.

I got up from the computer and went outside for a cigarette to think about it before I hit that send button. As I sat there I started asking myself why I wanted to reply to this persons comment. Not why was what they said upsetting but why reply? What purpose would it serve? Would it make any of the victims feel better? Would it teach this person anything? Would it somehow make me look more caring or make anyone think more highly of me if I attacked this person? Would it undo any damage the poster had done or heal any resentment? The answer was a resounding NO to all the above. So I came back in and hit the delete button, clicked unwatch this thread and went to work.

So, have I finally learned self restraint? Well, I'm working on it....

testing Pixamo blog inserts

This is Pyxle at the park. just a short clip to test this feature of Pixamo

Well, it put a picture up that if clicked will take you to the sign in for Pixamo but the video is only viewable if you log in. This makes it awkward for blog purposes.

Fish!

The rivers are low and the deep pools are clear but over the past decade the Eel river has been almost devoid of fish. So when we took the dog to run the riverbar I was startled to look down into a deep pool and see lots of small fish swimming around. They ranged in size from 1 inch to about 8 inches and they were feasting on the bugs that were skimming the waters surface. There must have been over a hundred of them in this one place. Small trout. Beautiful, dashing, shimmering trout that hopefully will survive to grow and spawn here in the future. Wouldn't ya know it, it was the first time in a month I left the camera at home!