“Everybody,” Muir said, “needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” Turns out they were ahead of their time. “Attention Restoration Theory” or ART, which posits that a walk in the woods helps refocus…
The view from the window beside me looks out on a winter's day. Winter green and tan are the colors of the view. But the color I have been seeing all morning long has been sky blue. It's the blue of the Blue Jays that have been landing in the…
Unlike most of the 111 that preceded it, the 112th Congress must begin the process of restoring the national regime and civic culture the Founders bequeathed. This will require reviving the rule of law, reasserting the relevance of the Constitution and affirming the reality of American exceptionalism. George F. Will -…
Let's call it Pliocene Park. No dinosaurs just big, bad-ass mammals. Physorg.com reported today that Professor Akira Iritani of Japan and a team of Russian researchers are preparing to clone a healthy mammoth within five years. They intend to resurrect the species after obtaining tissue in the summer of 2011 from the carcass…
This week the news coming in from most of the country...At least the areas I follow...Have been about cold temperatures and snow. Around here the temps have been cold (a least for this area) and the skies have been really very dreary...Overcast, gray, dead of winter day followed by another and another.…
Celebrating Forests for People This year the UN has another yearlong celebration/education event. This year it's the world's forests that are being highlighted. The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests. Welcome to the International Year of Forests, 2011 (Forests 2011) Web site, a global platform to celebrate people’s…
"People used to say that the future happens first in California, but these days what happens in Texas is probably a better omen. And what we’re seeing right now is a future that doesn’t work." Paul Krugman, The Texas Omen - NYTimes.com. I am a native Texan...Some of my ancestors arrived prior to Texas…
OK, so I'm only half right correct...Let's just call it the politics of the past. Having decided to spend their first moments in power proclaiming their devotion to the Constitution, Republican leaders might at least have read the whole thing. The part, for instance, where slaves “bound to service” are…
A pilot's spilled coffee accidentally triggered a hijacking alert and caused a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, to make an unscheduled stop in Canada. A Transport Canada report said United Flight 940 was diverted to Toronto late Monday and landed safely at Pearson International Airport. The coffee…
The world's largest coffee company unveiled a new logo Wednesday that drops the words encircling its iconic sea nymph and gives her a few subtle updates. Starbucks says the changes amount to more than nips and tucks to its favorite lady. The fresh look goes with a new direction for…
And I've been pretty quite about it. I spent the day Monday fulfilling my civic duty down at the County Courthouse. Jury Duty...Not my favorite way to spend the day, but I never shirk it. I even got impaneled on the first call of the day. 107 of my fellow citizens and…
You only have a few hours to get your comment in over at Daily Shot Of Coffee to have a chance to win a new Tassimo T20...Go for it! This winter Tassmio wants one lucky Daily Shot Of Coffee reader to stay very caffeinated with one of their new Tassimo…
And it's one she really deserves... From Media Matters description of the awards... This year, Palin stood out for her sheer ability to dominate our national conversation and draw the attention of the entire news media to her factually challenged claims and vicious attacks. She has blurred the line completely…
I put the little video together this morning after taking a few shots of the large plaster piece we put out at Christmas each year. I painted the piece about thirty years ago before we had any kids. Over the years many people have commented on the fact that the…
The first day of winter felt like anything but. Houston set records both for high temperature, with the mercury topping out at 82 degrees, and a high minimum, with Tuesday's low falling to a mere 68 degrees. The previous records were 81 degrees, set in 1970, and 67 degrees, set…
I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend Nor will I even bother to open an email without a subject line. OK, in fairness, I don’t use communications in general the way the 20-somethings (or less!) Facebook is trying to cultivate do; even with actual friends, my messages are more along…
AUSTIN — A heavy influx of new residents, many of whom are Hispanics, has Texas poised to gain more congressional seats than any other state, and Tuesday’s announcement of the exact number begins what figures to be a politically divisive process on how to divvy them up. via Texas to…
High End: Dinner Party or Special Wines 2009 Bota Box Malbec, Lodi, California ($20) This wine shattered the myth that a good Malbec has to come from Mendoza, Argentina. If you're serving braised or grilled meats, or any food with a spicy kick, this is a fantastic pairing. Concentrated blackberry,…
Last night I spent watching an old movie (1980's) I had never seen before. While the movie was playing I started musing about how home entertainment has changed in just one generation. In my youth, what we consider normal today was only installed in the homes of movie stars and…
I sat up last night in the field out behind my house. The cold clear sky was unusual for a peak night of a meteor shower. It is more normal to walk out on those nights and see the sky covered with clouds... But last night was beautiful. I had…
Here’s 42 must read coffee blogs, including some of my long time favorites and some new faces. I think I love reading about coffee, almost as much as I enjoy drinking about coffee. It allows me to looking into the world’s of professional barsita, learn what other average joe and…
I can't remember a year where the mornings have been so frosty...so early in the winter. What's up with this? Is it a sample of the winter to be. If it is, then I think I'll start dreaming about a white Christmas now...Like the one we had in 2004. The…
Yesterday's frost is today's dew. Where the back field was sheeted in white, it now twinkles in the sun like a field of diamonds. The morning temperatures are 15° warmer today already. By afternoon yesterday, we went walking down to the bayou. Me, #2 grandson and the girls. There was…
Frost On The Field This morning dawned with a coating of white in the field out back. The second frosty morning of this years trek into the cooler months. If this keeps up we may be facing another anomalous season coming. Two nights of frost before Christmas is already pushing past…
Blue Ridge Mountain Wild Turkey Chick Summer 2004 Here's wishing all of you a great day of Thanks Giving.
Goodness is the only investment which never fails. – Henry David Thoreau The above quote caught my eye in my morning email. I think it pretty well says it all as a way of living your life. It is also a way to live a life rich in ways that counting…
Almost two weeks ago I traveled into winter. On our first day in our rental cabin I had to shovel snow off the steps and porch just to let Sherry into the house. We spent our mountain time venturing down into autumn and up into winter. From bare trees on…
I didn't post anything after Friday morning because most of the time since was spent driving from place to place and then home...All with the beginnings of a nasty touch of a bug. A Floyd Friday Friday morning I relearned a lesson I learn every trip to the mountains. It always takes…
When widely followed public figures feel free to say anything, without any fact-checking, we have a problem. It becomes impossible for a democracy to think intelligently about big issues — deficit reduction, health care, taxes, energy/climate — let alone act on them. Facts, opinions and fabrications just blend together. But…
Yesterday we moseyed around till noon and then went to Linville for lunch before heading up Grandfather Mountain for the afternoon. This morning we are heading out early for a day trip into Virginia and meetings with some of my "Blog Buddies". So here is all I have to offer…
