31 December 2013 Before the Midnight hour

Cassi Creek:  Located in the Eastern Time Zone (U.S.)

          The celebration for entering 2014 C.E. has already ended in many nations. The video showing the Sidney Australia fireworks was fascinating.

          I managed to sleep in until 0730.  Following morning chores, Gloria and I drove to Greeneville to pick up medications.  I managed to get a haircut and we made a quick tour through a grocery store for odds and ends. 

          I had thought to avoid battery changes for the components of my weather station in a cold and windy situation.  However, the rain gauge has been showing a bad battery indicator for the last week.  So I stood on the deck with fingerless gloves removing and replacing tiny, non-magnetic screws into a battery compartment that drives the rain gauge’s electronics.  The warning has changed to a “battery OK” indication. 

          This has been another year that has seemed to fly by despite the changes in situation that affected our extended families. 

          My hearing continues to deteriorate.  Parkinson’s is settling in with an array of symptoms that I hope can be alleviated or forestalled. 

          Gloria and I have been a couple for 21 years now.  I couldn’t be happier about that. 

Happy 2014 to everyone who’s ever looked at, and returned to this blog.

30 December 2013 Goin’ down the road feelin’ bad

Cassi Creek:  The Congress has seen fit to eliminate a large portion of the social safety net by reducing food stamps and unemployment benefits to a portion of the population already struggling to meet its bills and keep food on the table with a roof over it.   What comes to mind is a timely resurrection of a song Woody Guthrie sang in the Dust Bowl Days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aLG3VxhLR4

Going Down The Road Feelin' Bad, also known as the Lonesome Road Blues, is an American traditional song, "a white blues of universal appeal and uncertain origin" (Ralph Rinzler, quoted on Erbsen 2003, p. 118). It was recorded by many artists through the years; the first known is Henry Whitter in 1924 as "Lonesome Road Blues". Others who made cover versions include Cliff Carlisle (also as "Down In The Jail On My Knees"), Woody Guthrie (also as "Blowin' Down This Road" or "I Ain't Gonna Be Treated This Way"), Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Roy Hall, Elizabeth Cotten and the Grateful Dead.

The following are the lyrics as performed by The Grateful Dead:

Goin' down the road feelin' bad. Goin' down the road feelin' bad. Goin' down the road feelin' bad. I don't want to be treated this away.

Goin' where the climate suits my clothes. Goin' where the climate suits my clothes. Goin' where the climate suits my clothes. I don't want to be treated this away.

Goin' down the road feelin' bad. Goin' down the road feelin' bad. Goin' down the road feelin' bad. I don't want to be treated this away.

Goin' where the water tastes like wine. Goin' where the water tastes like wine. Goin' where the water tastes like wine. I don't want to be treated this away.

Goin' down the road feelin' bad. Goin' down the road feelin' bad. Goin' down the road feelin' bad. I don't want to be treated this away.

Goin' where the chilly winds don't blow. Goin' where the chilly winds don't blow. Goin' where those chilly winds don't blow. I don't want to be treated this away.

Others may choose to express their concern in more graphic manner. 

Of course, the GOP and its factions see no problem in deepening the pool of unemployed, homeless, hungry Americans.  If the Tea Party fanatics were unable to blow the economy out of the water in 2013, they have no problem taking a longer, more painful approach that is intended to eliminate any and all social safety nets currently in place.

Enjoy the music.  It won’t ease the financial woes but it can keep you dancing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCAMsqx3q3M

29 December 2013 Season of discontent

Cassi Creek:  The winter solstice is behind us and winter is officially upon the land.  We’ve enjoyed the 2^nd wettest December on record.  The aquifers should be filling up as we receive still more rain.  This is quite important for people with wells for water. 

          Now we need to find some means to stop the use of Fracking.  There are far too many reports of family wells and municipal wells become polluted with waste fluids pumped into hydrocarbon bearing rock formation.  The sight of flames emanating from a garden hose or kitchen faucet should be sufficient to convince anyone that the process is neither safe nor well designed and controlled. 

          While fracking continues under full governmental neglect, so too does mountain top removal mining.  The topography is being changed at a furious rate.  While the practice continue to expand, it actually requires fewer employees than underground mining to produce the same amount of coal. 

          We have every reason to protest this destruction of the environment.  Formerly, we referred to “the winter of our discontent.”  Now, we have cause to voice our discontent in all season.

          

28 December 2013 more cold, rain, and snow

Cassi Creek:  Yesterday was sunny and clear.  Today, gray damp and heavy clouds promise to drop more rain over the weekend   Snow may sneak into the picture.

          There’s a nearly solid block of rain showing up in the Deep South and sliding up toward us.  We’re ready to bunker in and spend the weekend in domesticity.  We’ve topped off the pantry, reefer and freezer. 

          The television offerings are the typical end of the year stories cycled and recycled.  We’ve sat through a number of bad movies offered by Comcast at no additional charge beyond our monthly penance.  Perhaps we’ll find something of higher quality, something that wasn’t intended to release directly to cable TV, if we broaden our search a bit.   Most likely, we won’t. 

          I slept in until 0800 this morning, a rare treat for me.  With the prediction of rain, I moved about two-three nights of split oak from the tarp-covered outdoor rack onto the covered deck area to assure some reasonably dry wood for the stove.  I’m always amazed at how dense hardwoods, oak, hickory, and ash, are when lifting and carrying them about. 

          Time to lay tonight’s fire and take some of the chill off the house before the rain arrives. 

          

27 December 2013 Nailed retread to my feet and prayed for better weather

Cassi Creek:  The weather seems to have stabilized a bit.  The upper daytime temperatures are running in the high 30s to low 40s.  Nighttime lows are dropping into the low to mid 20s.  There is another prediction for rain moving in on Sunday.  Otherwise, we have no terrible weather forecast to move into our region. 

          The deck and steps have their annual winter algae infestation.  Combined with condensation dripping off the roof and gutters, these results in treacherous footing.   Retreads might well be indicated.  Actually, heavier boots with a more aggressively treaded sole are in order and I have those in the closet.  If there is sufficient condensation or heavy enough frost, the mixture of algae and ice is a booby trap that can’t be seen in dimmer light conditions.  I took one fall last winter and re-acquainted myself with the laws of physics and the velocity of falling bodies.  I have cable devices to wear in lieu of crampons.  They work when I wear them. 

          I had fun looking backward at Pogo comic strips yesterday.  Walt Kelly was always fun to read and I agreed with much of his political position. 

          Dinner last night was beef short ribs braised with red wine, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and served atop kasha with quinoa/corn shell pasta.  A bit of ketchup and Dijon mustard and a topping of plain Greek yogurt brought it into the ersatz Stroganov category.  The market had these labeled as beef spare ribs.  They were priced about half/lb less than the correctly marked short ribs.  We’ll get two meals out of the package.

          Bright, sunny, and chilly here.

I wonder what percentage of the populace knows what retreads are.

26 December 2013 Pogo rises from the swamp

Cassi Creek:  Some bits of nonsense make more sense than not.  This little gem turns up now and then.  These days, it is barely known beyond the first verse.  The numbers of folks who recognize the fragment and know the source are declining. 

Given the number of words below not contained in a standard English dictionary, I have suspended proof reading for the day.  I leave it up to any reader who may happen by to decide if the obvious nonsensical text is from Walt Kelly’s genius or from my Parkinsonism. 

In all its annual glory…

Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!

Don't we know archaic barrel
Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!

Hunky Dory's pop is lolly,
Gaggin' on the wagon, Willy, folly go through!
Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!

Dunk us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof!
Tizzy seas on melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!

For my friend Julius, who broached the subject of Latin, enjoy!

Omnia Romae cum Deck Charlie,

Walla Walla: Wash, An, Kalamazoo!

Nora scriptor freezin, ad trolley,

BRASSICA refer-garoo Swaller pupa!

Non nos habuerunt hydria

Puer cum videret Lilla Iuvante sequi, Louisville Lou?

Et non diligis: quin Trolley Molly,

Boola boola Pensacoola LESSUS,

Wows cortice omnes arcus eius stultitia,

Polly wolly cracker 'n' 'da, etiam illis adtenuatus amor!

Asinus acerbum rudit a exsultans cantico,

Oryx illaqueatus, cantaloupe, lope tuam,

RECTUS Dory lolly acerbum est,

Gaggin, in plaustro, uolens, ire per stultitiam:

Chollie Collie latrat est Barrow,

Harum scarum, quinque a, metus adferent illis adtenuatus amor!

Phasellus nec sapien quis nostrum scyphi in hordei,

Hinky DINK in dinky, Polly voo!

Gelidus duc Chollie nomen est,

Congruenter ad pompam gelida Chollie sententia heus!

Wows cortice omnes arcus eius stultitia,

Duplex bulla, toyland Væ Præcipiet, et lavabunt id, subtegmine,

JACTATIO Collie maris in melon,

Stagnet, commaculare, Scrabble, Scripta iaculeris? RAPIO, RAPIO, RAPIO,

25 December 2013 Three wise dogs

Cassi Creek:  This is the funniest bit of nonsense I’ve seen in some time. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=569956953080513&set=a.266058050137073.65372.266050163471195&type=1&theater

Today it is cold, sunny, and I keep dropping things on already injured parts.