The grill was running for most of two days…Smoked meats for a 4th of July family feast. Brisket (this is Texas afterall), salmon, and sausage made up the choices…Pinto beans, slaw and potatoe salad for…

After watching rain showers bypass us on Tuesday, we managed to be in the way of a passing cloud yesterday. With an hour of steady rain, the ground soaked up every drop as fast as…

I  spent almost all day Tuesday installing a new database and reinstalling WordPress and importing the old posts over at North Carolina Mountain Dreams. I am still working at putting all of the pieces back…

@BlueRidgeblog How about a hot air balloon or a helicopter…Or you could attach a camera to a radio controlled plain. in reply to BlueRidgeblog # Powered by Twitter Tools.

New photoblog post: Mustang Grapes on Mustang Bayou http://bit.ly/mhIwG # Powered by Twitter Tools.

If only there was a court to try the cases in… So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement. But 212 representatives voted no… And as I…

New NC Mtn Dream blog post: Appalachian Summer Festival Video http://bit.ly/SkY1M # Powered by Twitter Tools.

New blog post: New Leaves http://bit.ly/LC6zm # Powered by Twitter Tools.

The weather outside my door makes me happy to be inside. An August preview in June does not a happy Texan make. Blue Ridge Mountains please! # Powered by Twitter Tools.

These clouds are moving south just west of us this evening. We have already had an hour or more of heavy rain…All soaked in. Nobody was anticipating this. The temperature after the rains moved through…

Currently (on Thu 5:53AM CDT from Pearland Regional Airport) Cloudy Temp: 81° (Heat Index 87°) Dewpoint: 75° Wind: Calm MPH I stepped out on the back steps this morning as the coffee pot dripped and ran into a…

I stepped out my back door as the thermometer passed 100° F today and snapped this picture. The prognosticators say we had a heat index of 108° and it will be as hot tomorrow… Statement…

It seems the culprit in my WordPress upgrade problems was a plugin called “Events Manager” Version 2.0rc1. Once I disabled this plugin my menu problems went away on my North Carolina Mountain Dreams Blog. Now…

I find myself spending more of my time outside than I am used to. Yes, it’s hot out…And dry. It almost reminds me of my summer in south Texas back in the early 1970’s. Unusually…

My neighbors across the street have been makin’ music for a few years now. For a while my youngest son played bass with them on some of their local gigs. These days they seem to…

There are times my hometown newspaper makes me proud…This is one of them. In an editorial yesterday they laid out the argument for health care reform and touched many of the  reasons that what is…

Support the Broadband Internet Pricing Fairness Act: http://bit.ly/hG6Li # Quiz: Should I see the critically-acclaimed documentary ‘Food, Inc.’? http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-16-quiz-food-inc/ # Powered by Twitter Tools.

It looks like the recent round of upgrades to both WordPress and Advertising Manager has screwed up the layouts of my blogs totally. Originally, I was using Adsence Manager as a Widget Control Panel. Paste…

After months of fighting with signal strengths on the different televisions scatered around the house I was already starting to dread the day when a analog signal was no longer available as a backup. So…

@fred1st I'll take a try at Thymer if you still have a beta key # @fred1st If you want to really confuse yourself check out the numbers reported by Google analytics…even more, different numbers. in…

After a dozen years on this farm, I can name most of the plants and nearly all the birds. But what’s the word for the wake the pileated woodpecker leaves as it dips, flying across…

Growing up, we spent many summer days visiting my grandparents house in Orchard, Texas. Every evening, after supper was over and cleaned up, we would all grab a folding lawn chair off the back porch…

@fred1st Do they still work? If so, try a school or church… in reply to fred1st # We finally got a good soaking of a rain that did more than wet the top layer of…

Philosopher Buckminster Fuller said that although we are all born geniuses, the process of living tends to de-genius us. That’s the bad news. The good news is that 2009 is one of the best years…

Light rain has decided to bless us today. The clouds and rain are keeping the temperature below 80° so far…Though… I am sure the rain is making the mosquitoes more than happy… ◊≡◊≡◊≡◊≡◊≡◊≡◊≡◊≡◊ A pot…

Taking a morning walk this morning, I noticed that the heat was already heading up into the 80’s. Warm and getting warmer…A great way to start hurricane season. Over the weekend the the mosquitoes returned…

Today was John Deere day on the homestead here. Spent the early, cooler half of the day out doing the Texas pinwheel. You know what I mean…’round and ’round she goes. Luckily, the wind was…

Paul Hawken: The New Great Transformation This talk is quite long…but quite good. Take a bit of your day and be inspired…

Down here on the Gulf Coast of Texas barbecue season starts not too long after it ends. This year I was a little late…I fired up the smoker on Easter Sunday. Today I put a…

From Facebook… Priscilla Ahn’s brand new performance of ‘The Boobs Song’, recorded live in London! There is something about this young lady’s voice that just grabs me. I could listen to her sing any time…

Can someone explain the connection between Credit Card Reform and the right to bear arms in national parks? Now don’t get me wrong, I was raised to be a hunter, I bought my first guns…

Here I am, enjoying the second day of our brief return to spring-like weather. The house is open and the day is the kind California and Florida like to claim they enjoy year round. A…

Everybody following everybody isn’t a networked community; it’s a madhouse. Enough of the madhouse. Let’s build something truly powerful and show the world all the beauty we can bring about with that power! via Why…

The weather prognosticators called it right for once…It’s 73 and falling on a May afternoon…Their latest call is for a low in high 50’s. # Powered by Twitter Tools.

Saturday was another 90° day here in SE Texas…The past week has seen upper 80’s every day. The weather prognosticators are trying to tease with hints of a “strong” cool front coming our way. I…

The Future Of Food http://bit.ly/CWliV on hulu…go watch it and get mad…then get busy. # Powered by Twitter Tools.

Another long term effect of last falls hurricane season… Doctors who work in Houston’s busiest maternity ward say they’re expecting an especially bustling June, leading some to conclude that Hurricane Ike was the perfect storm…

Grandpa duty this morning…Dr. Phil on Sesame Street. What does that say about the pre-todlers of America? Even as the grandson ignores it? # Powered by Twitter Tools.

Summer is over a month away here and it’s 83 degrees fahrenheit before noon. To be expected since we hit 90 last month. Mountain dreams now. # Powered by Twitter Tools.

@BlueRidgeblog I’m jealous…How was the market? I am missing the mountains badly. How about a spring shot at your blog? in reply to BlueRidgeblog # Powered by Twitter Tools.

Image via Wikipedia Back in my youth I discovered  The Mother Earth News. It was probably sometime around 1971 that I first came across the magazine. I am sure I first found it at the…

I started down a path I am still walking today. Inventing the Myth as I Go Where am I heading and how will I get there? You are welcome to come along for the ride….

RT @bittman Wonderful Wired piece about Penn, Teller, and the science of magic:http://bit.ly/1znuY The videos are great # Powered by Twitter Tools.

@fred1st I hope the driver has the guts to face the road along Goose Creek…I want my book! in reply to fred1st # Powered by Twitter Tools.

One of the things I like most about this thing we call Blogging is number 2 on Patry Francis’ list. And she ranks up there at the top of my amazing people list. Patry published…

Think of the 47 million Americans who lack insurance. They are less likely to receive flu vaccines (which might or might not help), less likely to receive prompt care when they get sick, and less…