https://youtu.be/TKUWvF8lcKI My father could use a little mercy now The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground His work is almost over it won't be long, he won't be around I love my father, he could use some mercy now My brother could use a little…
The Pledge of Allegiance is a mystery to me, promising fealty to a piece of cloth — and “to the republic for which it stands” — what does that mean?
This is the reason I first subscribed to Cooks Illustrated. Chris Kimball's editor's note was always the first thing I read. And because of wanting access to his story telling, I became a better cook.
Reading note. As a responsible omnivore, I need to know where my food comes from and understand and respect the needs of the fellow creatures whose deaths make my life possible. The chickens that gave us eggs and went into the freezer were treated with care and concern; they had…
I caught Leon Hales latest in my feed reader last week and thought he had a lot of good points. After spending a quarter of a century posting columns from the porch of his place in Winedale, Leon Hale has come to some conclusions about the joys of a second home…
If it seems like I've vanished from the face of the world here lately, it's mostly because I have. At least the face of this world. I've been spending my time for the last two weeks lost in the world created by Stieg Larsson. It seems I finally made the mistake of…
A couple of weeks ago, I walked along a spring creek in the upper Madison Valley, just south of the town of Ennis, Mont. As my guide, Jeff Laszlo, explained, the creek is one of the unnamed tributaries of the Madison River, fed by innumerable springs along the valley’s rich…
Many years ago (way back in the decadent '80's) as I began to move into middle management I discovered Tom Peter's In Search Of Excellence. I took the book to heart. I strove to make my clients experience as Excellent, with a capitol E, as I could. I think we…
In the afternoon of summer, sounds come through the window: a tractor muttering to itself as it pivots at the corner of the hay field, stalled for a moment as the green row feeds into the baler. On some days I listen to Garrison on the radio, some days he…
I haven't vanished from the face of the earth...I haven't taken ill from the heat and lack of rain...I haven't been shipped off for failing to amuse my wife (though I'm sure see is thinking about it)...What I am doing is exploring the idiosyncrasies of a new theme for WordPress…
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 and set them up in a rough circle on the east side of the house.…
But the real re-reading I mean is the savory re-reading, the books I have to be careful not to re-read too often so I can read them again with pleasure.
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 have even heard whispers of highs in the upper 70's...Personally, I think they are smoking…
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 old Space City News in downtown Houston where I spent a lot of time each…
It's hard to believe the impact one man's songs can have on a nation and a world...Thanks for living a life that can be an example to us all... Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing Where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago Where have all…
Blueberry, by Diane Lockward Deep-blue hue of the body, silvery bloom on its skin. Undersized runt of a fruit, like something that failed to thrive, dented top a fontanel. Lopsided globe. A temperate zone. Tiny paradox, tart and sweet, homely but elegant afloat in sugar and cream, baked in a…
You never know where you will stumble upon a word, a phrase, a few paragraphs that paint a picture in your mind so vivid you would swear you were there... I made my getaway. This dark and wannabe-smokey hideaway was nearly empty. The cushy chairs and couches were without asses.…
From his vantage point in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, the author elevates the simple and local in a way that will bring a smile, a raised eyebrow, or nod of affirmation. This unique view of the world will be appreciated by fellow biology watchers, grandparents, rural dwellers or wannabes and by those simply seeking a pleasant place to ponder a few minutes before bedtime.
Leon Hale's weekly column is up at the Houston Chronicle...This section in the middle caught my mind's eye and reminded me of my year living with my Grandparents back in the early 70's. When sprummer comes to the country, what arrives along with it is a lot of work to…
Looking on the weather wunderground, I see that Fred is still feeding the woodstove and wearing the multiple layers of clothes he was lamenting in his essay. While I am enjoying the open door and the porch rocker, Fred is still dreaming his summer weather dreams.
Wandering down my Google Reader list today led me to Seth Godin's Blog and his muse on Newspapers...Go check it out... I worry about the quality of a democracy when the the state government or the local government can do what it wants without intelligent coverage. I worry about the…
The MSM is full these days of stories of the demise of the MSM. Having argued continuously for limits in the ownership of news organizations I feel that a lot of these failings can be laid at the feet of the consolidators. As in most of the rest of the…
Leon Hale's weekly column this morning reached back to before my birth...But, he touched a chord even so. The final lines though really rang true... I guess what got me going on television is that just lately we installed a new set in the old country house at Winedale. One…
Up early to check on the status of Edouard...Looks like a miss for my house...Heading inland already on the Louisiana border. Should miss the majority of the Houston area, rain and moderate winds only. Sherry has headed for work already...Television on, radar on the monitor... Happy Birthday Wendell Berry It's…
The Pleasurable Choice Is the Ethical Choice I like to say that I'm not an an optimist, but I am a person of hope. That is to say, I cultivate the virtue of hope in myself. Hope takes account of the enormity and darkness of challenges and problems, and yet…
The Podcast I listened to yesterday that really caught my interest was this one... Tiny Texas Cafe Fills Up After Barbecue Award : NPR All Things Considered, July 18, 2008 · Barbecue is religion in Texas. Every five years, Texas Monthly goes on a quest for the Holy Grail —…
The Rural Life - Editorial - Summer’s Night - Editorial - NYTimes.com The last couple of nights I’ve stood at the edge of the pasture watching the fireflies. They rise from the grass, flickering higher and higher until one of them turns into the blinking lights of a jet flying…
I saw the notice in my email first thing and as I worked my way down the list I was trying to formulate a post. Then I read John Scalzi's...If you are or were a Carlin fan go read John's short tribute. Whatever » RIP, George Carlin He was my…
And the conservative will discount the numbers because of the source...But come on, can't we expect a little bit of research from the speech writers? Fact check John McCain: Another of my disagreements with Senator Obama concerns the estate tax, which he proposes to increase to a top rate of…
I've been reading Leon Hale as long as I've been reading anything other than the funny pages in the Houston Newspaper...Occasionally I link to his blog or the weekly column he has almost retired to. This post hooked me and reeled me in... What would you have done? Did you…
Now this is just wrong... Katrina aid recipients may have to pay back millions | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle NEW ORLEANS — Imagine that your home was reduced to mold-covered wood framing by Hurricane Katrina. Desperate for money to rebuild, you engage in a frustrating bureaucratic process, and after months…
I haven't been in tune with Garrison for a while but today's poem seems to have something to say about where I am...right now. We'll never get there, Time is always ahead of us, running down the beach, urging us on faster, faster, but sometimes we take off our watches,…
One of the first blog's I began to read regularly a couple of years ago was Patry Francis' Simply Wait. I kept returning because of the finely crafted personal stories she told on her blog. She was one of the few bloggers I know who will almost always cause me…
The musings from stream side, as the fall turns to winter...for the present time at least. A Late Afternoon, Mid-October Snowstorm on the Madison River - New York Times I have come again to the why moment. I suspect it may be the reason I fish. I cast, and yet…
This week's challenge: 'The City'. Houston on a beautiful winter day in February of this year. Taken while attending a National Geographic Photography Session at the U of H Downtown Campus. This week's challenge: 'The City'. Please read our Participant Guide before deciding to submit a link. Your link must…
Garrison provides a quotation upon Cervantes birthday that is as insightful today as it must have been during his life... The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media Miguel de Cervantes said, "Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not…
Humberto Update: Wunder Blog : Weather Underground A surprise Hurricane Humberto ripped into Texas near the Louisiana border this morning, bringing winds of 85 mph and torrential rains to the coast. Humberto didn't even exist yesterday morning, and grew from a tropical depression at 11am EDT to a hurricane just…
You know as I was putting together my lunch to take into work today I was thinking just how oppressively hot it was outside yesterday afternoon. I remember marveling at one point because the temperature in Floyd, Va was only two degrees lower than the temperature in Houston, Tx. Then…
It looks like it's time to keep an eye on the tropics if you live in this part of the world. Hurricane Dean has reached category 4 and he's still strengthening. He is prognosticated anywhere from the Bay of Campeche in Mexico to the mouth of the Mississippi, due to…
Today's emails contained this week's copy of the "Weeknight Kitchen Newsletter" from The Splendid Table. I've been listening to Lynne Rossetto Kasper on the Splendid Table Podcast for a while now and enjoying it immensely. This week's newsletter contained a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. I had…
This morning Garrison informs us of a birthday... It's the birthday of Wendell Berry born in Port Royal, Kentucky (1934). He grew up on farmland that had belonged to his family since 1803. He went on to college and to graduate school. He lived in California and Italy and New…
Technically, it's the last day of week six since the 4th fell in there and these treatments run their course in 35 days and not 7 weeks. But, since we started on a Wednesday, and we'll end on a Wednesday, this Wednesday will be the start of the week for…
The number for today is 29... I spent a chunk of yesterday afternoon riding the John Deere. I discovered we are totally saturated since I was driving through standing water in places I have never seen standing water twenty hours after a rain...I guess now is the time to ask…
I heard Megan Hickey on Americana Roots Review a couple of weeks ago. I liked her sound so much I bought the CD - Wire Waltz, her band is called The Last Town Chorus. John Scalzi posted this video on Whatever last week. The gist of his comment seems to…
The number for today is 27...Almost there. There is a magical time of night that seems to call me on a regular basis...It's 3:33am. I can not recall how many time I have rolled over in bed at night and opened my eyes and seen the three threes glowing there…
7/7/07 - trip sevens Our neighbor is using this as an auspicious date for a wedding. I just think the groom was looking for an easy anniversary mnemonic. He sure wont have much excuse for forgetting it down the road 10 or 20 years. Anyway, wishing lots of good luck…
Garrison tells us that... Tonight is Midsummer Night's Eve, also called St. John's Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It's a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make…
Colin Fletcher (photograph, John Sexton/Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association) For most of us who care about ecology and the environment, there was some personal experience that brought us there. For me, it was wilderness hiking, beginning 30-plus years ago in the Grand Canyon and continuing across the American West. Two…
Verlyn Klinkenborg has a new piece out. His observations on humanity and our relationship to the natural world do not put humanity in the best of lights...Rightfully so in my humble opinion. Millions of Missing Birds, Vanishing in Plain Sight - New York Times Last week, the Audubon Society released…
5:52am Currently: 75° Dewpoint: 73° Wind: Calm Humidity: 94% Pressure: 29.92 in Hg Average: High 90° Low 72° Record: High 100° (2006) Low 61° (1955) Today's Sunrise: 6:20AM Today's Sunset: 8:23PM (14:03 hours of sunlight) Yesterday on the drive to work the weather prognosticator was saying something about a heat…
Currently: 73° Dewpoint: 72° Wind: NE 3 MPH Humidity: 97% Pressure: 29.98 in Hg Average: High 90° Low 72° Record: High 101° (1978) Low 60° (1955) Today's Sunrise: 6:20AM Today's Sunset: 8:23PM (14:03 hours of sunlight) The forecast is calling for seasonal highs and lows for the day so life…
What a difference a day makes...Yesterday morning I was in Medical Mode and not hurrying out the door, so I drew my first cup and glanced up at the "Weather Station". The outside temperature was 68 and the humidity was lower than normal, just in the 80% vicinity, so I…
The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "It's the birthday of political humorist Molly Ivins, born in Monterey, California (1944)."Have a great birthday Molly...And many more. Your humor is appreciated and I marvel at your optimism.