INTO THE LIGHT

Food Doesn't Come From Grocery Stores.

2011-11-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

I think it's a shame, that most people believe in the grocery store fairy.

I don't.

I'm not dead......

2011-10-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

However, this magnificent, organic, free range, mule deer buck,,,is.

It's complicated, but I choose to err on the side of natural sustenance.

Yum.

God's Candle.

2011-03-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

John Fogerty sang my favorite song. ".....put a candle in the window......." A signpost of affirmation. Like lighthouses.

"It's going to be ok."

Really?

"Yes.!" ........"ok"

"For sure, I mean FOR SURE? You're really the dude who dreamt up Claude Monet? Right?"..... "Yes."

Pretty cool, huh? Little moments like this Monet onslaught, just fuel my life. It's not that I'm so cool, but more the fact that I lived it, and recorded it.

How lucky am I?

humble, digital scrivener.

AWE!!!!

2011-03-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Oh Yeah!

We are so blessed!

Non-Midnight Oasis

2011-03-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, here, in the evening, it just totally rocks.

Low Tide.

2011-03-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

My lake is constant level. To an extent. When a whole bunch of the water flowing to LA and Phoenix is pumped from here, the straw has to stay in the coke. But there are at least 1 or 2 low tides every year. Usually for pump station maintenance. Like today.

In just those last few precious moments of cinnamon light, lying on a pad, in the mud, playing photographer, I had a visitor.

Seriously, I'm talking about a really cool moment.

OK, OK, I know it's not in focus. But you get the idea. (Dear Santa, D90 please.)

Anyway, about that low tide......It was just an excuse to go down to the water.

Did you see the arched, "prepare to dive" coot? (clicpic)

Recently, Around Here

2011-02-27T22:49:00.000-08:00

Feel free to use any one of these pics in any way you want. They are my gift to you. I hope you put them in a calendar and make a million bucks. Me and my camera are just a conduit, to move moments in time forward, to now. I hope you like them.

Yeah, it's been a cold winter. Traditionally, we've been the official "hottest city in America." Not this year. Crossman peak has been snowcapped twice already. Dang that Al Gore.

But mostly, it's been good. As usual.

The Needles. Oration not needed.

Botannical Phalanx. Tough neighborhood. The day job can be prickly as well.

I should have stayed in school. Then I could have slept in. But then of course I would have missed this on my way down to the work scow. This sunrise was glorious. I don't use "glorious" very often.

This golden shot is from our regional boating safety center. Agua cop shop.

Ok, last one. Goodnight and I hope these gifts end up on a few desktops

Lazarus Redux, Food Channel Version.

2011-02-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

Hey earthlings. I have a couple things on here that I like, and don't want to lose the freshness of their original publication. So I haven't hit DELETE. And that made me feel guilty about not adding any new content. It's been tough around here. Plus, Facebook + Family = Discretionary Cyber Time Eater. But I have still been eating well.

That's a flank steak, marinated in salsa ranchera, stuffed with sweet onions and tomatoes. I stuffed it after I had charred it on both sides, then went low and slow. Yum. Speaking of great cuts of beef.........Flat Iron, flat out good.

Feel free at any time to click on these pics and get real hungry, real quick.

WAIT! That's not fish. Oopsie. Here we go.

Plus, I've been doing a little orchard tending. And juicing. And juicing. And juicing. This is the front gate to the orchard.

Oh yeah, the fruit.

Those puppies are just hanging on, sweetening up. Their cousins, preceded them.

And finally, because I'm sleepy, supper, last night. Good night.

Obsession, A Cost/Benefit Analysis

2010-12-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

The scourge of hyper-obsessive, spotless kitchen fetishism, might well be water spots on stainless. However, in some cases, it's possible to overlook the slight blemish or two, by focusing on the bigger picture. For instance: Fresh from the tree tangerine and pomegranate brine working on succulent, organically fattened, wild, mourning doves. Tomorrow, those dove breasts will be morsels of treasure. Wrapped in thin cut bacon, basted with terryaki, and lightly grilled. That hint of mesquite smoke will be intentional.

True Friendship/Fused Souls

2010-09-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is a repost of one of my early blog posts. My friend Tommy was on my mind tonight and I went back and read this and decided to share it with some of the new folks who have been stopping by. Hope you like it.

July 13, 1975

When I walked in, it smothered me. An aura. A wet woolen blanket of despair. Like a house where they have been burning railroad ties in the woodstove all winter. An onerous creosote stench that the breezy, open windows of spring will never remove. I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. Just another day. Another day of youthful exuberance and innocence in a long string of such unemcumbered days. I was 17, and it was all about me. That was about to change.

I have a friend. My best friend. One I don’t see much anymore, but still my bedrock. We can literally go years, and immediately upon re-connecting, pick up exactly where we were. That special connection never ceases to amaze me. No awkwardness, no pregnant pauses in conversation, just instantaneous revival of perfect comfort. Like how your high school letterman’s jacket would feel if you never gained weight, forever 185 well proportioned pounds. The feel of leather on your arms, the pride in that big W with the shiny stuff pinned to it. Familiar and safe. Comfort you can trust.

The same with his family. They were my family too. And my Mother was his as well. His older brothers looked out for me, and his older sisters teased me. And his little sister, the most beautiful little 4 year old you ever laid eyes on, was the apple of all our eyes. Kimmy was a late in life surprise. A blessing, a glue that united all of us. When everyone is doting on the same little angel, there’s not much time to worry about stupid little trivial conflicts between other family members. Her beautiful glow, warmed the entire family. I loved her.

I have a little sister, but then I had two. Blood was not a familial qualifier. I have this memory of Kimmy on my shoulders, me playing big brother, the almost out of control steed. I can hear her squeals and giggles still. And then I am back walking into that smothering kitchen. I knew something was wrong instantly. Being my second home, you knock with one hand while turning the door knob with the other , I went right in. All the women were around the kitchen table. Quiet, something not right. The coffeepot was there, hot, perking, the only normal thing in the room. This was a kitchen of light and joy, smelling of homecooking and safety. Until then. Somebody, I don’t remember who, mumbled that Tommy was in the basement. I went down. I knew the way. I practically lived there most of the time. Tommy was face down on his bed, motionless, unresponsive when I said, “Hey, man.” It took at least an hour to get the story out.

At first he muttered, “Kimmy.” Then he cried while I began to feel nauseous. My lingering premonitions from the kitchen were played out in a word or two every 5 minutes or so. Even though I didn’t know what the hell was up, I knew that it was bad. I sat, and waited, and listened. I’m not lying about it taking an hour. “Kimmy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,was playing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and Dad,,,,,,,he backed up,,,,,,,,,and,,,,,,,,,,she was there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,on her big wheel,,,,,,,,,,and she’s dead. There is no way to prepare for those words, “…she’s dead.” I have never in my 52 years been kicked that hard. I’m crying on my keyboard at this moment. Devastation is an understatement.

I had arrived only an hour after the ambulance had taken her. It was to be my future Mother-in-Law’s last time on the volunteer ambulance. It was too much. Kimmy wasn’t just loved by her family. Her death tore a huge gaping wound in the whole community. Small North Eastern Nevada town. Kimmy’s Dad, utterly destroyed. He was a prominent, well-respected businessman and community leader. I know for a fact he seriously contemplated suicide. Who wouldn’t. The fact that he bore that pain without surrendering to his demons, speaks volumes about his character. He drank more, but I don’t begrudge him that. Self medicating to survive. It was an accident. But an accident that forever changed his family. And he nutted up and lived on to provide for his family. He didn’t heap a second helping of tragedy on those he loved. Kimmy’s death also cemented my brotherhood with Tommy, for life.

I didn’t leave him for weeks. I had just graduated from high school and was leaving for college in a few months. Tommy was a year behind me and I worried about not being there. I felt like I had to buck him up, not let him drop back down into the abyss of hell we were trying to climb out of. It was hard to act normal and just go on living. We tried. At times it worked, at times we failed. Others, less emotionally invested, moved on more easily. I remember long somber silences, excruciating pain, communicated with merely eye contact. A simple meeting of the eyes spoke louder than words. Words that fell short of expressing how bad we missed her. How bad we hurt. How pissed we were. There was anger, I can’t lie. “How in the FUCK could God let this happen. How in the Fuck could…………….”, on and on. I was much older, with many years of waters from the fountain of wisdom under the bridge when I actually understood that anger. Anger releases emotion. We were all desperate for the emotional holocaust to subside. Anger was just a pressure relief valve. For some, that surplus emotional energy was aimed at Tommy’s Dad. I’m not going to pass judgement on any who lived it, and survived it, because even the misplaced anger came from a place of love for Kimmy. But I can say that Tommy and I never quit loving his Dad.

I did go away to college, and like Tommy, eventually married a good gal who would put up with me and we raised a family. I have a wife and 2 boys, and Tommy has a wife and 2 boys. But no matter how we explain it, or recount the sheer misery of it, none of those who we love most will ever be able to understand how we survived that horrible time together. The sheer emotional intensity of those times fused our souls. I don’t know how else to better describe it. Fused souls don’t come undone. And my idea of a soul, is that each human soul is individual, unique, and eternal. Which gives me hope, that someday, someway, somehow, once again Kimmy will ride the shoulders of her almost out of control steed and squeal and giggle in our ears.

Family Ties

2010-09-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Catfishing at night, with your Nephew, is very cool.

Kill The Blog / Fail

2010-09-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

Obviously I have not been motivated to devote time and energy to this blog. Half a dozen times I had a finger poised above the delete button. But, yesterday, I was reminded that there is a role, small though it may be that I can play on the great big wonderful internet.

We live in troubled times and too often we end up missing opportunities to have our lives enriched, our perspectives broadened, or miss a chance to be a positive influence, because of apathy, ignorance, or anger. A brick is just a brick, but many bricks can become a cathedral. This blog is just one of my bricks.

A perfect example would be Brigid and Shannon. Complete strangers become as sisters. Shannon stumbled onto my blog and followed my blogroll to Brigid. I'm not part of that new relationship, but by this blog being here, a connection was made. That nexus continues to grow. It makes me very happy.

Despite not posting on this blog, I still follow and occasionally comment on all those blogs on my sidebar. They are touchstones for me. No less important than coffee and a crisp newspaper. Like clockwork, I run through my favorites list early every morning. Including Lex. You will notice Brigid's Home On The Range on Lex' blogroll. Another cool thing I had a hand in. By having the courage to drop a couple little notes, two spheres of influence far beyond my own modest little blog interfaced. It made me very happy.

Then yesterday, this happened. Loralee has been one of my favorite bloggers for a couple years now, and when I saw her over at Lex' place, I was surprised. Pleasantly. Then after absorbing the shock from Loralee's post, I headed for Neptunus Lex. And saw this. You need to go read the comments on both posts to fully understand what happened. Again, it wasn't about me, but rather, that by participating, I had a teensie little part in these two completely different worlds coming together. It made me very happy.

This is why I'm going to continue this blog. I want to continue to have a small, but not insignificant part in bringing diverse voices together, so that not only those blogging talents I admire and follow, but their followers as well, can have their lives enriched by broadened perspectives, and thoughtful and civil discourse.

Piksher Taker Wannabe / Sticks and Stones

2010-06-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Around here, dirt is scarce. And life is tenuous.

You still have to be tough, but at water's edge you can scratch out a life.

I love the narrow strip of lushness that defines the border of hell.

I'm not the only one.

Desolation is but a few steps away.

A convergence of life and death. Live or die. I choose life.

Succulent life.

Quick Pic

2010-06-09T00:54:00.000-07:00

Where I live does not suck.

Seriously, you could do alot worse.

Even when it's scorchin' hot.

Vacation

2010-05-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm taking about a 10 day trip up through Nevada, Idaho and Utah. I'll get some pics for ya. Yes, I will be doing a little fishing. See you in June.

Bummer!

2010-05-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

just as a favor to me, click this pic

Tie Dyed Bighorns

2010-05-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with some photo manipulation and it's a neat way to share some more of a subject you have already put out there. Just a few pics.

Mini VayCay

2010-05-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

I took a little boat ride this evening.

Just needed a little peace......

I guess I'm lookin' for a beacon.

A signpost of reassurance.

That we're really ok.

Life is an onion.

HOLY COW!

2010-05-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Jessica Watson is a 16 year old Aussie lass about to finish a solo, non-stop, circumnavigation of the earth in a 34 foot sailboat. An amazing feat. I've been following her blog for awhile and it just blows me away. GO CHECK IT OUT!

Jessica Watson's blog

BTW, if you go to "The Voyage" page and zoom in, the little pink location markers are blog posts. A cool way to surf her blog.

Robert Plant and Allison Krause

2010-05-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

This song haunts me.

Nekkid Emporers/ SB 1070

2010-05-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm talking about! As Joe Friday would have said, "Just the facts Ma'am." Her accent makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I practically love this woman.

h/t to http://hillbuzz.org/

Food Chain/Bluegill

2010-05-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I eat bluegill. A delicate, dance of the palate across the bones of sacrifice.

A gentle poaching with just a few spices. Clean and scale, then be gentle.

With every morsel,,,,,remember....

Remember the beauty of singular moments.

And be thankful that you aren't his dinner.

Distended Belly/Pregnancy?

2010-05-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

If you are pregnant, you will probably pee alot and you need to keep up on your replacement fluids.

click on pics to look 'em in the eye

Whether gloating about your sperm count,,,,,,,,, or gestating, either makes you thirsty.

Do fish get thirsty?

Last Nights Ram.

2010-05-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

I saw two big rams last night. One far away, the other close.

Some perspective:

That was after he FINALLY turned towards me.

I'm having a focus issue with my camera. Hence the "I want a new camera" mantra. What I'm seeing in the viewfinder and what uploads are about a half bubble out of plumb the last few days. But still, a desert monarch up close is always cool.

I Love My Mother/Everybody Does

2010-05-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

My Mom's favorite color is purple. Happy almost Mother's day Mom.

Bad Shoes? Yes, But, But, But, WOW!

2010-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Having played some organ in my time, this blows me away. Look past the shoes and the uniform, and watch those feet. WOW! At the 1:00 minute mark those twinkle toes really start poppin'. And then at the 1:30 mark......."Look ma, no hands." Cameron Carpenter.

Deep Breath/Breathe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Again

2010-05-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we forget it's Saturday and need a swift kick in the back of the pants to remind us that a state of imbroglio is not necessarily permanent. Sometimes we need a natural anti-depresssant. I'm lucky enough to know who to see for that prescription. Well,,,,,,,,,,,,,not so much a who,,,,but rather a what/where.

A subliminal yet conscious unclenching of the mandible. A disconnect from the oil slicks of life.

He's not worried about offshore drilling, unless it was in his cove. So maybe sometimes we get too focused on singular issues and forget there is a great big ol' world out there, all we have to do is look up.

Look up? At what? That big rock?

clic for bigga bo peep flock

Well that group of desert bighorn sheep up there on that big rock above the beaver cove wouldn't hurt your eyes.

Remember Steve, breathe, in...........out..... and don't forget to look up.

Civil Rights Violation? Yeah, The Civil Rights of Cops.

2010-04-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

The radical open borders crowds are going nuts about those poor criminal invaders from South of the border having their civil rights violated. Bullshit! It's the civil rights of the GOOD GUYS that I'm more interested in.

Five Hispanic men authorities described as drug smugglers shot a Pinal County Sheriff's deputy Friday afternoon when the officer came upon them and a large amount of marijuana in a remote part of south-central Arizona.

Wait, that's racist, using the term Hispanic. Just ask anyone from that benevolent La Raza organization.

Pinal County Lt. Tami Villar said Friday's incident "sends a very powerful and loud message that we have a problem."

Villar said the suspects were armed with long guns and at least one handgun. She said gunfire with helicopters came about an hour after the initial incident. An unknown amount of marijuana apparently handled by the shooters remained in the desert.

Villar said Puroll, 53, was attacked about five miles south of Interstate 8 near its junction with Arizona 84. She said the veteran deputy is assigned to patrol the area known for drug smuggling.

She said the suspects were Hispanic men who "appear to be undocumented."

No way! These were probably just good christian family folks who came North to better themselves. I mean, golly, on the nightly news, they say it's that Nasty Racist Arizona Governor causing all the trouble. Seriously, that Pinal County Deputy was probably a profiling racist himself.

Round them up, deport them. NOW!

Militarize the border. NOW!

I wonder if Sheriff Clarence "Dufus" Dupnik has his tail tucked between his legs tonight? Watch Pima County Sheriff "Dufus" exhibit his command of the issue at about the 1:05 mark in the vid.

The United Nations Sucks Sweaty Goat Testicles!

2010-04-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

I WILL NEVER HONOR THIS FLAG. EVER.

I have NEVER been a fan of the UN. Despite doing more good things for those less fortunate than us around the world, more than any other country in the history of mankind, the U.S. constantly gets bashed by the UN. Did I mention I HATE the effing UN? Here's just the latest thing that pisses me off.

You know the Iranians, those Persians that Obama has been coddling? Those terrorist thug Iranians. Those despicable Iranians who have sown anti-american sentiments throughout the world and U.S. soldier killing IED technology all over Iraq and now Afghanistan. The ayatollahs who want nuclear weapons to vaporize Israel. Remember those guys? The guys who fund the terrorists of Hezbollah, and are buddying up to Chavez in Venezuela, you remember them, right? Well they don't think much of women's rights. Check this out.

"In some areas of north Tehran we can see many suntanned women and young girls who look like walking mannequins," he continued. "We are not going to tolerate this situation and will first warn those found in this manner and then arrest and imprison them."

The warning follows recent comments made by a hard-line Iranian cleric, who claimed women dressed in revealing clothing were disturbing young men and causing earthquakes.

So those mullahs that Obama thinks are misunderstood, want to round up suntanned women and put them in prison. I wonder if the National Organization of Women (NOW) will be protesting this? Or if Mr. Obama himself, shown all over the news today crying at at a female civil right legend's funeral, will mention anything about the callous disregard for women in Iran? I doubt it.

But wait! What does the UN think about the Iranian's "Islamic Women and Goats are Equal" attitudes? Wait.........wait.............wait for it......................YES THAT'S RIGHT, THEY DID THIS!

NEW YORK — Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged "immodest."

That's right, those misunderstood Persians get some lovin' from the UN. THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!!!

Can you tell I'm pissed? I'll tell you what I think of the Iranian government and mullahs. (mom, quit reading here, sorry) THEY ARE FUCKING SAVAGES!

Not only do the UN's actions make me want to puke, but in the context of Obama rebuffing Israel (our best middle east ally) and not being strident and aggressive against Iran's alllllllllllllllllllllmost there nuclear program, and his coddling of Islamic extremists, I'm seriously worried.

The only thing I can think of is that the United Nations is just trying to help women by eliminating skin cancer. After all, the Iranians report that a burqa has an spf value of 100.

Food Chain/Leeks?

2010-04-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. Until yesterday I had never bought Leeks. But they looked so good. Giant green onions begging me to take them home. Ok, you bought Leeks, now what? I trimmed them down to just below the darkest green and coarsely diced them up. A little olive oil in my favorite cast iron skillet, and in they went along with a couple small sweet peppers and a little home made beef stock. A little salt and black pepper as well. This was three Leeks. It simmered for about 15 minutes on low heat.

click pics to initiate drool sequence

I diced 4 russet potatos and boiled them until they were fork tender, as well as chopped and browned a couple pieces of bacon.

Everybody in the pool, along with a cup of milk.

Then a handful of grated cheddar cheese, and a little tangy asiago cheese over that. I also added a couple tablespoons of sour cream.

A little more stock and let it simmer for about 15 minutes being careful to not smunch up the potato chunks.

The leeks are very mild. Distinct but not sharp like a green onion. This could be a great cool cloudy day soup, or even served cold on a hot summer day, but I put it alongside a burger.

I WILL be buying more Leeks. I think next time I'm going to crosscut them thinly and throw them into a jar with the juice that's left after the pickles are gone, and after a couple days work them into some kind of slaw. I love new toys. BTW, I've been trying something different with burgers lately. Add the condiments, for me it's BBQ sauce and spicy brown mustard, on the grill then cover them with the cheese. NUM NUM!

Sometimes Life Sucks

2010-04-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

That's why I'm going out to the garage and engaging in lifesucks therapy. Neighbors are gonna be pissed.

Jazz is the ultimate antilifesucks rhythmic medicine. While I bang, you listen along to Regina Carter. This is what I'm going to go drum to. African American jazz violin goddess. Seriously, check it out.

Bass BBQ/Food Chain

2010-04-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

That's Bass. Not Bass. You know, bass drum, bass guitar, you know, bass. Bass are fish, not instruments. There's a difference. Got it?

The point of the bass vs. bass thing is that, despite reading every enclyclopedia I could find, I didn't know the difference between, "base instinct", and "bass instinct" until I was about 15. I felt SO stupid when I found out. I thought "base instinct" was "bass instinct" because I couldn't control those deep bass rhythms that incessantly sprang forth from my soul. An incessant, welcome rhythmic backdrop to my life. Unexplained, it was just always there. Constant thumpin' companion.

If my right foot, without conscious permission, just starts poppin' away, that's bass instinct. If I throw a fat Canadian nightcrawler, perfectly threaded on a laser sharpened hook, into a Smallmouth Bass' nest and she attacks it, that's bass instinct. Then there's BASE instinct.

A base instinct is the reason geese, ducks, and myriad other birds fly south for the winter. Without G.P.S. I believe one of the most "base instincts" than humans have is sitting around the cave chewing protein off bones. Today, I succumbed to one of my base instincts. Enough bass lately, let's do basic beef.

That's a rack of beef ribs, rubbed with molasses, then a run through the dry rub I made. Dry rub is highlighted by fresh ground coffee and black pepper. Also, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried onion, salt, cumin, and a little crushed red pepper.

Plug in bullet type smoker and wait about 4 hours. Lid on of course.

Succumb to the incredibly delicious and coronarilly salacious pleasure of indulging in one of mankinds oldest "Base Instincts." It's all about the gnawing.

click this pic to double your cholesterol count.

What a rare treat. To indulge until satiated, just like our anscestor cavedudes who had 31 year life spans. That's a "BASE INSTINCT."

this posting was NOT approved by the American Heart Association. However, it WAS funded by the American Cardiac Surgeons Association and a couple big cattle ranchers in Northern Nevada.

Noah's Ark?

2010-04-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Having recently put forward the idea that perhaps there was a swallow's nest on Noah's Ark, I found this to be interesting. There have been many claims of the Ark's discovery, this is the latest. Be sure to click and watch the video.

MEXICO ISSUES TRAVEL ALERT FOR ARIZONA

2010-04-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

Mexico has issued a travel advisory for Mexicans in Arizona. Apparently they don't feel like Mexicans should go anywhere near a place where the law is going to be enforced. It seems to me that the powers that be in Mexico ought to be a little more concerned about Mexicans in a FAR MORE DANGEROUS PLACE than that horribly oppressive state of Arizona.

I have never been prouder to be an Arizonan. You know your state is on the right track when Al Sharpton threatens to come lead a march.

UPDATE: Some illumination from Michelle Malkin. How do you explain those pictures Mr. Sharpton?

Piksher Taker Wannabe/LSD?

2010-04-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things I like best about photography are the surprises in your pics that you never saw when you snapped them. Backdrops and your subject's surroundings can elevate a pic from ordinary to extraordinary. Many times when I'm uploading from my camera and see the pic for the first time full size, I'm astonished at some of the stuff I didn't see through the viewfinder.

click the pics for the LSD effect.

What is that? Or this?

That looks like something from the Hubble space telescope. An aqua colored moon around a flat planet with rings perhaps?

That's definitely got to be green jellyfish tentacles.

I must insist that you click this one to enlarge. Free acid trip.

Your guess is as good as mine.

I love the little swirls in the bottom right corner of that one. So about now you're thinking to yourself, "Stephen is taking acid when he shoots pics." The truth is, I wasn't taking the pics of any of the stuff you see above. Yeah, Ok, I was, but it's not WHY I took them. Here's what I was looking at.

Another cool thing, enlarge that beaver to see the reflection of his nose under his bow wave.

This moocher wanted some of my lunch.

I love how just the tiny ripples from this beaver catch the light. Maybe it's the old adage: Everything he touches turns to gold. Actually moochers usually come in pairs.

Last one. My favorite from last night's stakeout at the Beaver's cove.

I love surprises.

Closin' Time/Piksher

2010-04-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

"OK, let's go! Everybody out. Party's over. Let's go. See you next year."

Inevitability is certain.

Government Style Engineering

2010-04-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

This cracked me up. h/t to Bayou Renaisssance Man.

Blast From the Past/Poor Little Porker

2010-04-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, your quarry is just too cute to kill. That would include young javelina who get left behind as their family scatters when huge monsters start flinging arrows. The poor little guy was just all tuckered out and really, really wanted his Mama. Slow roasted whole, he would have been some tasty eats. But.......he was just too cute. Even with an unpunched tag on the last day of the season.

So the only thing he got shot with was my camera. And also got kissed by a MONSTER!

His reaction to kissing my brother is probably pretty similar to what mine would have been.

HELP!

I'm Lucky to be the Scrivener.

2010-04-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

When you invade a male beaver's territory, while he's struttin' his stuff for a pretty young lass, he's not shy about letting you know what he thinks.

I've been watching beaver at this location for over 15 years. That water is sitting at about 450' above sea level. Not what most people would think of as "beaver habitat." But most people are spending too much time worrying about inconsequential B.S.

i dare you to click this pic!

I caught one bass from what could have been many, and was more interested in the beaver after that. As it got darker I really had to ratchet up the exposure, but it was worth it.

This frisky fella, didn't get the belle of the beaver ball, but he definitely had the pimpest hat in the cove. (click that pic to see the hat.)

On the way in from the beaver-fest, I stopped and rendered assistance to those less fortunate than myself. These folks were broke down and effed up. I towed them in. There is a certain ironic element in my 25 HP Evinrude towing this bad boy in. 502 cubic inches of NUTHIN' gettin' towed, while your wimminfolk are flirtin' with the fat hairy fisherdude runnin' and gunnin' that 25 HP speed machine.

These people didn't catch a largemouth bass, they didn't see any beaver, or photograph any beaver, nor did they stop and render assistance to their boating brethren. They were also oblivious to the fact that right behind them on that huge red ourcropping, the swallows we have already discussed, were working their tails off. But, who am I to judge?

UH OH!!!

2010-04-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Random Pics

2010-04-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Marla is celebrating her 100th blog post. She says she's especially good at posting pics and rambling on about them. So this is for Marla. Happy 100th!

Marla doesn't like fish. I do.

Marla has a love/hate relationship with her cat. Me too.

Marla is marrying a farmer. I used to be a farmer.

Marla likes taking pics of sunsets. So do I.

Marla loves her family. So do I.

You should all go by and tell Marla hello.

Once Upon a Time, There Was This Dude Named Noah...............

2010-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here in Havasu our native rock is gray, and brown mostly. Typical Sonoran and Mohave desert stone carved by the mighty Colorado River. Along the river you can find rocks delivered here from places far away by mighty, ancient floods. Some of those floods were inconceivable by today's standards and those angry, churning waters moved vast amounts of material towards the sea. That's why here and there along it's course, the river left signposts of it's power.

click pics to enlarge

We have alot of rock formations like this jutting up out of the normal brown and gray. The red mud came from Utah, or the faraway area that is now the Navajo Nation. Our minds cannot even begin to wrap around the torrential immensity of the size flood it would take to move this material. An ancient sandbar left behind as the water receded.

If you look closely you can see the striations of gravel and small rocks that were layered into the mud, then ultimately encapsulated as the mud turned to stone. Testament to the ancient rhythms of our earth. Speaking of rhythms, how about the rhythm of life.

Those nesting swallows are definitely doing their part in carrying on the grand seasonal rhythm of springtime. New life. They aren't worried about the NBA playoffs, or the November election, or the monthly rhythm of the bills arriving in the mail. They are mostly worried about building this safe neighborhood for their kids. And just like us humans, feeding those kids.

A swallow homesite provided by an ancient, cataclysmic flood. The color of their nests is indicative of the color of the usual sediment here. I wonder if a long time ago, in a land far to the north, before it got washed here and turned to stone, if that red earth nurtured other living things. Plants, or burrowing rodents or even our ancestors.

I wonder if there was a mud nest on the ark with two swallows in it?

Respecting God, Fish, and My Tummy

2010-04-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've been fishing alot lately. Springtime is my favorite time to be on the lake. Summer crowds aren't here yet, the water is crystal clear, the temps are warm, and the fish are hungry. I can totally relate to the hungry thing.

This time of year I always bring a couple fish home to eat. Most get thrown back out of respect for the resource. I know there are "militant" catch and release folks out there, but I believe that keeping the occasional fish for the table is not only moral, but also respects what God has given us for sustenance. Remember, beer is also food. My ex-swimmer food knocked over my canned food. DANG IT!

I filletted this chubby smallmouth bass and kept looking at the carcass. Destined for the garbage? I could see that there was still ALOT of unharvested meat and it bothered me. Two little fillets and the rest going to waste. Unless.............................I respected what God had provided.

Saved from the trash and into a hotel pan on the stovetop. That pan is 17 inches long so you can see that this fish was large. A little olive oil and Italian seasoning with a squirt of lemon juice and things started smelling pretty good in the kitchen. I also added water as needed to get some steam action. As this "garbage" cooked it started to reveal treasure. Protein and flavor treasure.

That right there is collar and cheek flavor heaven. Succulence. I was struck by how often we overlook gifts in our haste to keep on doing things the same old way. If we harvest food sources and waste them, I believe it's morally wrong. I got my eyes and heart opened, and my tummy filled up.

Ok, I know it's a yucky pic, but that little pile of meat is what was left BESIDES the cheek and collar. That pile of goodness is going to be a fish taco for my lunch today. When the carcass went in the trash, not only was my hunger satiated, but I also knew that I had fulfilled my moral obligation to not waste what God has given. Including barley, malt, and hops in a can!

Hello Strangers

2010-04-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

I need to ease back into this. All is not well, but all is not lost either. Historically, when I get to feeling like I'm under too much pressure, I kinda withdraw. Fortunately, I live in a withdrawal friendly zone.

I've been withdrawing to a couple fishing holes I know.

If you stuff a withdrawal bass with sweet onion and mango and sear, then finish in the oven,,,,,,,,your stress will melt away with every bite.

The scenery on the way in helps too.

Shannon and Blu, thanks, I was just waiting for somebody to notice.

Spring Break

2010-03-30T12:07:00.001-07:00

Vacation, back soon.

Food Chain / Guak (hey wakamoli)

2010-03-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

One of the Babe's recurrent critiques of my culinary stylings has been that when I strike gold I don't hang around and mine it out. Always on to the next big spice. If I made BabeGuak every time this would be the recipe. Plus a little Salt and Pepper. Ventura County, backyard, basic guacamole.

If I was making StephenGuak, in addtition to the BabeGuak ingredients, at certain times any of the following might become involved.

sour cream

freshly chopped garlic

fresh cilantro

sweet peppers

mexican oregano

lime or lemon zest

lime or lemon juice

honey

crushed red pepper

pine nuts

chive and onion cream cheese

roasted pablano pepper

crushed cayene peppers

red onions

yellow onions

white onions

I admit it, Adventure beckons always.

A Little Pukey Taste

2010-03-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

UH OH!

The Pope was blamed directly for ignoring repeated pleas by senior American churchmen to take action against a priest who had molested up to 200 deaf boys.

Father Lawrence C. Murphy, who worked at the St John’s School for the Deaf in St Francis, Wisconsin, from 1950 to 1974, starting as a teacher and rising to director, allegedly molested scores of pupils, preying on his victims in their dormitories and on class trips.

But instead of being defrocked and the police called in, it is alleged that Father Murphy avoided justice and remained a member of the Church after a key intervention by the Pope — then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Murphy was quietly moved to the Diocese of Superior in northern Wisconsin in 1974 and spent his last 24 years working freely with children in parishes and schools. He died in 1998 at the age of 72, still a priest.

******

No matter the consequences, or fallout, true or false, this is deserving of the full bright light of honest disclosure being shined upon it. Into every dark corner. I have no axe to grind with Catholicism. But my axe is ground sharp enough to De-nut anybody who abuses children. No exceptions. I have previously mentioned this subject.

This is about the power of the Catholic church. Either someone wants to besmirch the character of the Vatican, and diminish that power, or the Vatican harbors an element of evil intent on retaining power. One or the other.

We have to seek the truth in all things. Regardless of outcome we must DEMAND that deception is exposed. If you are Catholic, ask your local priest DIRECTLY about this subject. And then pray for truth. I'm going to.

UPDATE: This is a powder keg. Glad I'm not the Vatican's P.R. dude.

Probably a good thing I don't have daughters

2010-03-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

If this had happened to a daughter of mine, the death of the unborn child would not be the end of the killing. This is EVIL! This immoral bullshit needs to be stopped. How much of this kind of thing happens that we don't hear about? I'll be calling my local school today to inquire about their policy. You should do the same.

UPDATE: Ok, about that "killing" thing. Sorry. I was fired up and the metaphor/reality contradiction momentarily confused me. That was a mistake. I will temper my ardor. Promise.

New Paradigm = Must Make New Plan

2010-03-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Everything is different now. All the old guy wires preventing haywire have been cut loose. With the passage of this health care bill, what I used to call my government, has betrayed my faith in them. I DON'T CARE WHAT'S IN IT! It's about how they did it, and why they did it. A manifestation of a death wish for American greatness. The overt brushing aside of our Constitution. It made me think of this Johnny Cash song. Pelosi and Obama fighting for the throttle. I need time to think, and plan, and music is helpful in that regard. When I was a kid, I bought every Johnny Cash album that came through Skagg's Drug on Glendale Avenue. The train is at the crest.

New Colors

2010-03-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

Gadsen flag

The First Navy Jack

info

D-Day

2010-03-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

The most corrupt government in our country's history is going to vote on health care reform today in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the tipping point. I'm going to take some guns, alot of ammo, plenty of targets, and go practice. I feel like I'm going to need it. In the past, others have felt the same way. How long has it been since YOU read the bold, italicized section below?

***********

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:

Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:

John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:

Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:

Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:

William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:

Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:

Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:

Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:

Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:

George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:

William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:

Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:

Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Hot Pants Are Hot . PERIOD.

2010-03-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

Cooking has never been the problem. The problems historically, have been more along the lines of hormonal distractions, and haute couture cluelessness.

See that cast iron skillet and yellow "lid"? This is not the first time either of them have appeared on this blog.

family pic

I wasn't always this smart, or good looking.

2010-03-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm the little one.

My brother, Paul, is twittering.

family pic

Hunters Call It The Rut / Hormones and All

2010-03-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorites, together. Bonnie Rait, and John Lee Hooker. Bonnie's slide work is perfection. Subtle, with a soft swing under John Lee's gruff, almost spoken word. And then, at the breaks, she makes me go "WOW"! Understated virtuosity. Ever hear of the Boom Boom Room? If you are West Coast Musicologically (I made that up) challenged, just Google boom boom room, SF. They're talking about what I feel.

Hope you feel it too!

Bragging Just a Little / Bersa 380

2010-03-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

My everyday front pocket companion is a Bersa 380. Concealed Carry model. All protrusions shaved and smoothed, including the sights. It's narrow, and isn't plastic. It feels like an extension of my hand. Just like a 32 oz Estwing.

Some very knowledgeable folks think 380 might be a little light. I have lots of other options as far as more firepower, but for everyday, walk around, pocket carry, my Bersa is comfortable for me. Besides, I thought it was all about shot placement.

9 yards. Yes, coup de grace was planned. I call it, "and one for the road." Full disclosure though; That "betwixt the eyes" shot was with one eye closed, bearing down rifle style. A habit that was hard to break when I first started alot of handgunning. My neighbor, took one look at that target and left.

I was sad to see him go. He was the only neighbor who liked my drumming.

Piano Lessons / "Yeah, but aren't you glad now?"

2010-03-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

My cursed beloved.

Hal Gilbreath and I were on the run. Outlaws. Desperate, single minded desperados, fleeing Mrs. Taggert's annual piano and organ recital. We had one door, and the breadth of one church parking lot to negotiate and we would be free. It was working, and then, out of nowhere, Nita, Hal's mother, had ahold of one of those generous ears of her son. She drug us both back into the church. No way I was going to continue the prison break by myself. Plus I knew she knew my Mom. Double busted.

I HATED piano lessons. Did I mention that I didn't like piano lessons? I was in between 2nd and 3rd grade when my Mom signed both myself and my older brother up for piano lesions. (I spelled it that way on purpose) I took to it a little faster than my Bro. He got to quit, I wasn't allowed to. It was the bane of my youth. I was designated as family religious accompaniest. Same thing for Hal. It was the wrong instrument for both of us, and we was havin' NO part of it. I can't remember what either Hal or I played at that recital,,,,,,,,,,the pain has erased the memory.

Hal and I were running away,,,,, from humiliation. I mean, for God's sake, hadn't Mrs. Taggert ever heard of Jerry Lee Lewis? Nope. She was the church organist at the prison we were fleeing. Play either of these songs a little too passionately or with a little too much syncopation, and you were going to get WHACKED across the back of the hand with her little baton.

It wasn't that I didn't like playing music. I LOVED my grade school band teacher, Mr. Rodgers. We played, Tijuana Brass, Neil Diamond, etc., and rocked the house. Saxophone was my game . I loved it. I didn't have to do it, but instead I did it because I wanted to. Not like that effing piano.

Every single day for years on end, I had to practice that piano an hour every day, go to Mrs. Taggert's for an hour long lesson every week, and that one dreaded annual recital. That hour every day of piano practice,,,,,,,,,,,sucked worse than any other aspect of my youth. No basketball, no horse riding, no NOTHING, until after that hour of hell. My non-compliance with expected levels of diligence, resulted in my getting whipped with a leather belt many times. But I've made my peace with all that.

Now I pound that ivory because I want to. Not because I have to. Big Difference. And I play it like Jerry Lee would have. But still, when people say, "yeah, but aren't you glad now?" I say, "nope." The pain of being forced is still too fresh. I always imagine, how cool it would be now, if instead of piano, it would have been drums. Imagine how much better the neighbors would like it if I had a 40 year head start on the drumming they are forced to endure.

In the Bible it says, "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." All I want , is to be able to make my OWN kind of noise. Don't worry, it will definitely be joyful. My joy. How I hear and feel it. I'm sure Hal feels the same way.

Demons

2010-03-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

There's been alot in the news the last few days about the explosion of child abuse cases involving the Catholic church. Here in the U.S. we've known about the problem of predatory priests for years. But Europe has remained relatively quiet on the father pedophile front. That quiet is over. This thing is even being linked to the Pope by aggresive scribes. The Vatican is on the defensive. They were already uncomfortable with their own chief exorcist.

So this abundance of information suddenly pouring out into the info highways about the dark side of Catholicism has me pondering. About Good and Evil. The constant struggle between good and bad. I have to admit I couldn't get a philosophical handle on it. Till I took, and then uploaded this pic into my computer. The second I opened this picture full size, it hit me. Demons.

How appropriate that this is a Cholla cactus skeleton. The devil of cacti. That picture just screams demon to me. I believe in demons. Every single one of you know there are TWO little voices in your head. In constant opposition.

We have a conscience. Whether you believe it evolved over millions of years or was placed in you by God, you know you have one. If there was no evil we wouldn't need a conscience.

This battle against Demons, the shock troops of evil, isn't just a Catholic problem.I'm a born again Christian. Backslidden too much, I'll grant, but it's how I define myself. And I have seen plenty of Christian leaders fall under the scythe of ruthlessly relentless, demonic attacks.

Every mortal human has weakness. Me more than most. Our defiance in the face of demonic assault on our weak points, defines our character. We all need to take a lesson away from this child abuse thing with the Catholic church. The same evil waging battle in those pedophile priest's hearts and minds, is constantly after each and every one of our own weaknesses. We must recognize and confront the faces of evil every single time they come out to play. Square your shoulders, lift your chin, and say,,,,,,,,"FUCK OFF DEMON!"

Wrong on SO Many Levels

2010-03-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Life without mirth, would lose it's worth.

So, there's this gal, and her ex-husband is riding in the car with her. She's on the way to see her new boyfriend. So far that seems a little odd, right? But, hey, maybe they get along better divorced. Anyway, the real problem is not even that she had her driver's license revoked the day before for DUI. I actually think the biggest problem is that the ex-husband reaches over and takes the wheel, in order for her to free up both her hands. Apparently she needed both hands to shave her crotch! I guess she wanted everything all tidy for her new lover. I mean, seriously, couldn't she have just pulled over for a minute or two to work on that bikini line? If she had pulled over to do the muff buffing, she probably would NOT have smashed into that pickup truck. And she definitely wouldn't have gone to jail. No word on whether or not the ex manscapes.

pic by adrants

We Don't Need no Stinkin' Treadmill!

2010-03-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

My size 10.5 feet spend alot of time right here. The neighbors just wish I was quieter when I work out.

Uno Mas

2010-03-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Awestruck in Havasu

2010-03-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

If you have to live some place, you could do worse.

click on pics for goose bumps

Evening, March 8, 2010

Breathe deep, be thankful.

How cool is that?

Warning to Rahm.

2010-03-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

Just so everybody is clear. If Rahm Emanuel ever approaches me nekkid, and starts poking me in the chest, I'm going to cave his face in. Even if he is fully clothed, and starts ranting and sticks his finger in my chest, I'm going to adjust his facial features. A classic case of "little man" disease, Chicago style. What a putz.

The Little Bitch / It Must be Spring

2010-03-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

WARNING!! Graphic carnivore pics ahead.

This is the best cat we have ever had. But, she is a KILLA! Stone cold.

She's proud too. She brings it all home to show off. Right outside the back door. Like all good hunters, she eats what she kills. Mostly.

But hey, who does eat feathers?

Biorhythms? / Joie de vivre, please come home.

2010-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

So if you've been around here before, you know I've been hiding lately. When the "force" is not with you, hunker down. Time to de-hunker. It's raining, I'm cooking, and quite possibly it's time for some Carpe Diem. Even when hunkered down you still have to eat. I have been eating.

Big time cholesterol pout.

click pics to initiate drool sequence

Pretty boring, but moving along........Grilled pork tenderloin, roasted spuds, salad.

Roasted cajun chicken...........

became grilled chicken and cheese sandwiches. After it was chicken and mashed potatoes w/salad

Finally.....RED MEAT! Petite sirloin is good.

Damn chickens anyway.

chickens and corn, chickens and corn, chickens and corn........

Ahhh. Crock pot. That's elk sirloin, quickly charred on the grill, then into the pot with Anasazi and small Red beans. Plus a bunch of veggie stuff as well. That right there is COMFORT FOOD!

Pistachios with plums and tangelo are comfortable as well.

This is the Babe's idea of comfort food. Alfredo with anything and buttery bread.

She is NOT quite as fond of BBQ Pork Ribs. She's weird.

Anyway, Besides cooking and eating, what do you do to get the "force" back up and running?

Nekkid Emperors / Senate Reconcilation Hypocrites

2010-03-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Obama and his minions are threatening the "nuclear option", reconciliation, to ram their unwanted health care down our throats. Thanks to Power Line for this link.

Cuz' I'm still busy and lazy

2010-03-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

So on a beautiful afternoon at the beach, in Santa Barbara, I played drums with these people. About the most fun a guy can have with his clothes on. Serious hoola hoopin at about the 7:15 mark.

Cuz' I'm busy and lazy.

2010-03-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

Probably my all time favorite YouTube Video

Blast From the Past / Predispositions

2010-02-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

See that cross drawing hottie packing the hogleg? The one hugging on my great-great-grandmother. Her name was Laura Allen. She was the niece of my"Fat Granny." Mary Selena Hutcherson Maner. I apparently inherited her habit of being armed at all times. LEGALLY armed. I find myself avoiding places and situations where I cannot legally carry. Something tells me Laura would approve. My little sister has those exact chubby cheeks. As does my Aunt Jeanette. And that hat,,,, that there is a horse ridin' hat. When the brim is bent up the wind doesn't get under it and blow your hat off. That way, after you outrun the commancheros, you don't get sunburned.

I think if Laura was posing for a pic today, it might be more like this. Strapped and ready to roll

Well, ok, I'm joking . But I'm confident that Laura wouldn't play "victim" very well. I doubt she would be assaulted, or raped without having something to say about the outcome. I believe she would take responsibility for her own well being. Empowerment! Why are so many strong, intellectual women afraid to empower themselves by carrying a gun? Why do so many cede their destiny to criminals? Why are all aspects of personal self defense not taught to girls from the earliest ages? Teaching empowerment builds confidence. I like strong confident women. I like Laura.

pics by others

Dark to Dark.

2010-02-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

The babe has 9 days off on vacation. She cracks a looooooong whip. I'm getting worn out slaving away under her direction. That's why you are seeing alot of pics. Easy way out. Be back soon.

p.s. We ARE getting alot done.

Piksher Taker Wannabe

2010-02-24T16:17:00.000-08:00

Subtle

subtle is good

I like subtle

I can't decide if this is subtle or not.

Uh Oh! Not subtle.

Ah, the return of subtlety

Subtleness on water. Ahh.

Great Moments in History / 2001 BC

2010-02-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

And it came to pass that man discovered the saw.

click for mo bigger

It hurt, and he bled, but he had found it.

And it was good.

Bipartisanship

2010-02-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

Ok Michelle,

I have a proposition for you.

You see, I watched Mike Huckabee's interview with you. I thought it went well. A couple folks just talkin'.

As you know, I have been testifying against you on a couple issues. That whole, "...for the first time in my life...." thing. I've gotten alot of mileage out of that one. That's ones been used up.

Either we have to be friends, or I have to come up with a new motivational talking point. I'm willing to have a redo/startover moment with you if only you could just quietly say, "ya know, it was dumb, and immature, and ya' know,,,,I shouldn't have said that... I'm sorry."

I'm in if you are. Swear.

The way you spoke about the kids, and family; You said what I feel. Kids, we can all agree on that.

So what do you say? Want to be friends? I'll say I'm sorry if you will.

Stephen

p.s. Call Me. Maaawaaah

Food Chain / Citrus+Ginger=Good

2010-02-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

Couple juiced tangelos. You can tell it's a guy's juicer because the sticker is still on it.

click pics to activate saliva flow

Zest of a lemon + juice

Fresh ginger grated fine. And it took 18 years, but I finally burnt the counter top.

The rest of the glaze ingredients, onion, red pepper, garlic, quarter cup of molasses, crystalized ginger to add during reduction if it needs more ginger flavor.

Sweat the onion and pepper a little in a teaspoon or so of olive oil, then add the garlic for a minute or two.

All glaze ingredients in the pool to simmer and reduce.

Meatball time. The other half of the onion + ground beef.

Wild rice steamed and fluffed. That's a half a cup each of rice and water.

Also in the meatball pool, spicy mustard, 2 eggs, 1 jalapeno, couple cloves of garlic, cilantro,couple tablespoons oyster sauce, few dashes of soy sauce, the rice, salt, pepper, dash of cumin seed, a little mexican oregano, a little smoked paprika.

Oven is waiting at 375 degrees

Not too big, not too small. Off to the oven.

Napa cabbage, jicama, tangelo, green onion + toasted and chopped almonds.

Dressed on the plate with a little sweet chili sauce.

Glaze is reduced.

Meatballs out and glaze poured over the top.

Served with toasted sheepherder bread.

citrus ginger glazed spicy meatballs

napa cabbage jicama slaw

sheepherder bread

Krazy Kazoo / Memphis Shakedown

2010-02-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

Keeping with the musical theme. The Carolina Chocolate Drops light it up. I HIGHLY recomend you listen to some of their stuff. This will make you dance barefoot in the kitchen. At about the 1:20 mark, Kazoo Fireworks!

Dear Rappers, / Spoken Word Demonstrated

2010-02-19T23:38:00.000-08:00

attn. rappers: pay attention

"...where no man has gone before....." and going there boldy.

2010-02-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

"..Enterprise, this is shuttle 4, it appears that California is burning,,,,,,,,,and melting."

click for mo bigger

"...Enterprise, this is shuttle 4. Request permission to drop the terminal govenator into the molten liquid on the Arizona side."

"Enterprise, this is shuttle 4. The govenator is away, but there seems to be a chemical reaction,,,,,,,,, uh, I think we started the sky on fire."

"Enterprise, this is shuttle 4. We were off a little,,,,, wrong planet,,,,, we dropped the govenator on Mars. Over."

Nekkid Emperors / Tiger By The Tail

2010-02-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

So, I just finished watching Tiger Woods' apology press conference. Not impressed. These words would describe my thoughts about it.

*Contrived
*Poor acting
*Wooden
*Insincere
*Rehearsed
*Pandering
*Phony
*Controlled

He should have went on Oprah and cried and let Oprah hug him. That would have worked. The press conference without the press didn't.

Identifying the Enemy

2010-02-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

GET READY!

Some nutjob just flew his plane into an office building in Austin Texas. There was an IRS office in that building. As of this minute, 10:50 a.m. mountain time there is precious little information about the pilot and his reasons for going kamikaze. BUT, right now, I guarandamn T you, some leftist fruitcakes are already writing their articles about the evil right wing militias and their blood brothers, those tea partiers. Rightwing extremist crazies clinging to their guns and religion. The same un-American zealots who caused Timothy McVey to go off the deep end.

Watch closely as this thing develops. The quickest lefties out of the box assigning blame to evil right wing tea party types are the enemy. I've got my money on the Southern Poverty Law Center. RADICAL leftist group who think that if we had open borders, confiscated all the guns, imprisoned militia members, outlawed conservatism, etc. ad nauseum, then this country would be just fine. Last night their spokesman/head idiot went after the Oathkeepers on O'Reilly.

Other likely hatemongers who will pop up. NY Times columnist Frank Rich, Matthews, Olberman, and Maddow on MSNBC, The Brady Bunch, Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, Janet Napolitano, Eric stud/fail Holder, MoveOn.org, anti-defamation league (ADL), anything associated with George Soros, etc. etc. ad nauseum.    But you get my point.

It will be a fringe person or organization like the ones I just mentioned, but watch how quickly the Mainstream Media will jump on their theory once it is floated. This is going to get ugly.

It will also be interesting to see how the White House plays this. When terrorist Hassan shot up Ft. Hood, Mr. Obama was quick out of the box to say, " we don't want to jump to any conclusions." When his far left allies trot out their hate filled linkage theories about the pilot and far right extremist gun toters, we'll see about jumping too soon.

Watch carefully for the word "terrorist" to be assigned to the pilot of the plane. The Obama administration resolutely avoided using the T word when the Ft. Hood terrorist attack occurred.

Because there was an IRS office in the building, another play for the far left will be the characterization of those opposed to higher taxes being "unpatriotic." Unpatriotic, militia Rambo, homophobic, xenophobic, and GASP..... Oh NO.....christians. They actually like Sarah Palin.

Get your club, and get ready to play whack a mole.

UPDATE: He's a loon. Big online diatribe against the government, taxes, even the Catholic Church. The moles are alllllllllmost ready to pop out of the ground. Get ready.

UPDATE: We have a WINNER. Whack! Plenty more to come.

UPDATE: From Daily Koss. Obviously Stack was not a mentally healthy person, and he was embittered at capitalism, including crony capitalism, and health insurance companies and the government. Reading larger political motives into this action would be preliminary, until more information emerges about whether he actually has been involved in any political movement like the teabaggers. But it should inject a bit of caution into the anti-government flame-throwers on the right. Well excuse me, but if it is too preliminary to be reading things into this, why do you read things into it in the same sentence, and the next one as well? That's a winner. Whack!

UPDATE: a TWOFER! We get both Chris Matthews from MSNBC and Mark Potok from the Southern Poverty Law Center making the evil linkage. The action starts at about 3:40 in the vid. WHACK!

UPDATE: Another Winner. Time Magazine.    And another winner: From New York Magazine,,,,,,, He was mad at the IRS, and left what CNN reports was a suicide note on a local website, detailing his trials with the agency. In fact, a lot of his rhetoric could have been taken directly from a handwritten sign at a tea party rally. WHACK! WHACK!

The Little Bitch / Guest Post

2010-02-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

Today a first on this blog........A guest post. With no further adieu I give you, The Little Bitch.

Dear peepul, Yes that is me in that piksher. The peepul tell me I am kute. Peepul are smart. Sum peepul more than uthers.

The big hairy persun who is letting me gest post cooks stuf alot. But I mite haf to bite and scratch him. He was reedin this. I kot him. He was laffin. I wurry alot now. Jus so yoo know, KAT TASTES BAD. KAT IS TUFF, KAT IS NOT FOOD. But, I luv me sum meeces to peeces.

Thank yoo, The Kat.

p.s. don't furget to click on the link.

Nekkid Emperors / Gone Missing

2010-02-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

MISSING!

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. alias Algore.

If you have any information regarding Mr. Gore's whereabouts, please contact the IPCC immediately and ask for Mr.Rajendra Pachauri.

Missing subject is a male, in his late fifties. He was last seen sprinting towards a Gulfstream 400 in Copenhagen. Clutching a golden Oscar statuette in one hand, and a Nobel peace price in the other, he was being chased by a horde of protesters wielding snow shovels. No flight plan was filed for the Gulfstream, and Algore hasn't been seen since.

Recent pic, Al thanking Michael Mann

Mr. Gore plowing a steep hillside alongside the tenant of a dilapidated mobile home owned by the Gore family.

Possible whereabouts:

* Suite 809 at the Fairfax Hotel, on embassy row in Washington D.C. Or possibly in the lobby where Mr Gore was frequently seen pretending to be clearing trees with a double bladed axe.

* Hollywood Galas or Budhist Temples. He will be the one wearing kneepads dragging a bag of money.

* Possibly huddled in a snow cave with a few true believers. Awaiting the spring thaw. The snow cave will have several Priuses and one Gulfstream 400 buried in the drifts outside.

Known associates:

* Dr. Phil Jones from the University of East Anglia. aka "da Science Settler." Extensive past collaborations on bilking gullible governments and tax payers for big grant money.

UPDATE: Within minutes of Dr. Jones admission that he was a disorganized bullshitter, someone sounding alot like Mr. Gore left a message on his answering machine. The caller said, "Phil, Phil, never tell the truth, there's no money in it." The rest of the message was incoherent muttering about Patchouli oil and solar panels. The call has been traced to a Rainbow Family gathering in New Mexico.

* Michael Moore, leftist Hollywood filmaker. Gave Mr. Gore tips on how to manipulate the truth and become a leftist diety through the art of making propaganda style documentaries. Rumored to have been seen together in a Cuban hospital.

* Bill Clinton, ex-president. Recently tutored Algore on the proper usage of the word "is." Examples: Weather IS not climate change. Global warming IS causing the snow storms. Al, your ass IS cooked.

Mr. Gore's family, friends, and blind faith AGW zealots miss him terribly. Greens the world over are distraught, and turning red . Some say it's embarrassement, others say it's anger at their exalted leader abandoning them in their time of need. And if you see him, tell him his cap and trade betting venture capital partners want their money back.

Please come home Al, We all miss you.

UPDATE: Breaking News. An Amish Farmer / Blacksmith in Ohio was approached just hours ago by a disheveled man he described as, "looked just like that fat guy who tongued Tipper Gore on the stage at the Democratic National Convention." The stranger appeared disoriented and repeatedly asked about buying a mule drawn snowplow. Police are investigating.

pics by others

Happy Valentines Day Bad Guys

2010-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Vegetables are Magic..........Finally...Proof!

2010-02-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

For YEARS, I've been telllin' people about this stuff. Did they believe me? NOOOoooo!. They would say, "you've been listening to too much Art Bell." or,,,,, "you're scaring me." And now, finally, the sweetest of redemptions. Just like I've been sayin' all along.

Vegetables CAN fly! SEE! And NO! I did not eat mushrooms in college. Only a couple Michelob Lights. I swear.

click pic to validate my theory

pic by the babe.

Full recipe to follow soon. And another little thing.....you should always grip your wok, just wike your 9mm fwamethwower.

USA! USA! USA!

2010-02-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

You should read this. Her name is Nicki. She came here from the Soviet Union in 1980. She is a patriot.

How To Succeed Coaching T-Ball

2010-02-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

"the future of our youth, depends on us all." stephen

I miss coaching T-Ball badly. The gullible innocence. Little lumps of pure joy, entrusted to me. Me, given the opportunity to introduce these lovable kindergartners to the slice of Americana called team sports. Being the biggest kid on the block, I was a natural fit for the job. I had already been volunteering in our little school's kindergarten and 1st grade classes. Think storytelling, and play directing, and being the smartest 7 year old in the whole dang school. That was me. So I signed up to coach.

At the initial coaches meeting, I remember a pretty Gung Ho dude up there talking about developing their skill levels, about past league championships of older kids, about his own "Uncle Rico" moments of past glory. A loser, talking about winning.

Not ONE time did I hear the word fun. He was totally clueless about the subject matter. Five and six year olds. That guy had never once been hijacked when dropping his kid off at school by the kindergarten teacher with these words: "Could you please come tell them a story? Barbara is home sick and I have a meeting with the principal. PLEASE." Off the cuff, 15 or so enthralled 5 year olds, hanging on your every made up word. Words like: spinnerooski, or holymacaronidoodlepopper. I had been making up and telling stories to my boys at bedtime for years. I was good at it. Coaching T-Ball was an extension of that.

I decided that T-Ball was going to be fun. For the kids, the coach, and the parents.  And I knew all the mothers would love me. I was right.

When you go pick up that equipment bag it kinda starts setting in. You have to arrange practices, teach, entertain, sooth ruffled mother feathers, make phone calls, calm Johnnie Hardball fathers down, chart the weather, on and on. There is no turning back. First practice is on Tuesday, at 4:00 p.m. First thing I did was get down on my knees so I was at their height. Eye to eye. And eye to some running snot noses as well. I went over the rules.

1. When the coach yells "SMILE," you have to smile at somebody until the coach says "OK."

2. No swinging bats without looking around first so nobody gets conkerized.

3. You must "high five" every teamate at least once during every practice or game.

That was it. Three rules. Plus one reminder: The coach likes hugs. By the end of the season, due to some bear-trap huggin', tittie rubbin' mothers, I was rethinking that reminder. Seriously, when you fall in love with little Johnnie, or Susie, just like they were your own kids, a few Moms, especially the single ones, push the limits a little. I was immune to their affections, I was there for the kids.

Just imagine for a moment, little mothers dropping their precious pearls off at school for the first few times. Hovering hens, clucking, proudly sheparding the little chicks into the coop of higher learning. Their children ARE their life. It's all they talk about, all they think about. Just the way God designed it. And the little chicks don't venture too far without checking with Mom first. A mutually beneficial arrangement. I decided to use that dynamic.

For instance: The uniform t-shirts were numbered. In order. Alot of stuff with kids that age is getting them to "organize themselves." Who is going to bat first? I had all the kids turn and face the "much too close to the field" lawn chairs right behind the bench, occupied by a gaggle of overseeing cluckers, and do funny faces.

You know, fingers in ears, pulling the corners of your mouth back, looking cross-eyed, etc. Funny Faces. The adoring hens in the lawn chairs decided amongst themselves each game who had the funniest face. Funniest face bats first. Everybody else line up in numerical order behind this week's big winner. Fun and a mathematics organizational lesson to boot.

And, then the kids and I would have this secret huddle, and decide which Mom had the funniest something. Shoes this time, sunglasses next time, and so on. The winning Mom was our "Head Cheerleader" for that game. The kids looked forward to the funny faces and funny Moms more than the baseball. Kids like fun. Meanwhile, they were outside, having some of that fun, with friends, getting exercise, belonging to a team. I was a super-hero to the Moms for that one.

As to baseball skills, I stressed a couple basics. Step and point your toe at the person you are throwing the ball to. For throwing, I taught them the peace sign. Index, middle finger extended, other fingers closed. I made them say "peace brother," or "peace sister," with the peace sign, and then put the peace sign fingers on the ball. Nothing better than a kindergartner yelling, "Hey Coach,,,,,, PEACE!" and then chuckin' one right into the old pocket.

Getting kids to use a baseball glove is not easy. That whole opposable thumb thing which you use to squeeze the glove closed is not a natural action for 5  year olds sporting big clunky leather thingies on their hands. I went the cartoon route. I had them open and close their gloves while quacking like a duck. QUACK, QUACK, QUACK. I would yell "Duck Time," and a dozen 5 and 6 year olds would start flappin' their gloves open and closed while quackin' like mallards. When we did it during games, the assembled mother hens from the opposition would whisper amongst themselves, "why didn't OUR coach think of that?" Ladies, it's because your coach was more worried about some possible future league championship instead of allowing kids to be kids.

However, my favorite little player had trouble quacking his glove, and flashing a peace sign. Nathan was special. That's his signature on the ball at the top.

Nathan had "clubbed" hands. Birth defect. His fingers were only 1 joint in length instead of 3 and his little fingers were webbed. He was the most loving adorable kid you ever saw. His Mom was single, had other kids too, barely making it. Dad long gone. She, like many women, sucked it up, sacrificed, and got Nathan to every single practice and game.  And this kid, never EVER quit smiling. I loved that kid. I would have faced down an army of Satan's soldiers in his defense. And I would have beat their horned asses silly. Nate would jam his little hand down in that glove, and grip the bat as best he could, and from the look on his face you would have thought Ted Williams wasn't in liquid nitrogen after all. The high point. THE high point of my coaching career involved Nate. On a scruffy little baseball diamond in Grass Valley, California, on a beautiful spring afternoon, prayers were answered.

You get your T-ballers playing catch at practice and before games and eventually they start to not cringe, or flinch, or jump out of the way when the ball is coming at them. But fly balls. Forget it. Grenades dropped from the claws of flying firebreathing dragons couldn't make them get out of the way any faster.

McDonalds had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuff in their happy meals at the time. So I went and got a bunch of happy meal gift certificates and gave one to the coach's "player of the game" each week, keeping track, so at season's end everybody had gotten one. AND.....anybody who caught a fly ball got two. Nobody caught a fly ball all year, until the last game of the season.

Nathan was playing shortstop when the batter undercut one and a fly ball was coming Nate's way. His stubby little hand was stuffed in the glove, he stumbled, he bumbled.......he caught it. The place went wild. Every single kid on the team in a dead sprint to high five him. Mother hens crying and embracing, Sisters squealing, Fathers yelling, the coach got dirt or something in his eye. T-Ball Pandemonium.  Tears of justifiable pride overflowing the spillways of the heart. What a little dude!  What a moment.

I continued to coach baseball, basketball, and soccer till my boys reached middle school age. Lots of good times, But the memories I treasure most are T-ball times. When innocence reigned. When smackdaddydiddle was a real word, and you got hugged by the kids, hugged by the Moms, high fived by the Dads, and smiled all the way home.

Breathing Deep is Good

2010-02-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

In God's Photoshop, what are those colors? It's not peach, or salmon, or bleached ochre. What are those colors ? I'm stumped, fill me in. Is molten paprika custard a color?

Nekkid Emperors / Time Warp

2010-02-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Too good to not pass along. From tweetphoto.

click to enlarge

Food Chain / Anger Makes Me Hungry

2010-02-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

LET'S COOK, AND EAT

Aromatics in the steamer water, ginger, lime, red chili.

Chicken, bought in value pack, broken down in teriyaki marinade.

yellow yam

Lemon zest and juice, molasses, touch of olive oil, salt and black pepper, on my favorite plate/lid/pan. I've had it for 35 years.

Chicken is on the grill, ready to roll inside.

teaspoon of olive oil

Babe likes breasts, I like thighs, well I like breasts too, but...........never mind.

Almonds added for the steaming, a little salt, a little pepper, a little butter later

Molasses+ lemon+a little black pepper = magic

Definitely not angry about this.

Poet's Corner / I'm Having Trouble Leaving Yesterday Behind

2010-02-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was rage, today it's a sadder rage.

sulphuric soul

as her face melted,

her heart burned,

a mask of hate,

his prideful scowl,

thoughts of her mother,

bent in submission,

thoughts of a daughter,

desolate dream,

adhan echoing,

her unheard scream,

acid from mecca,

burning in blood,

why, oh allah,

why?

stephen

an adhan is the 5 times daily muslim call to prayer.

Sharia My Ass!

2010-02-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

I'm really pissed right now. Honor killings are ok in Sharia law.

16 year old Medine Memi was buried alive in this hole by her father and grandfather after a family "council" meeting. According to sharia law and her barbarian family, she shouldn't have been interested in boys. Right........... 16, female, no interest in boys. Also in the arcticle:

It also emerged that Medine had repeatedly tried to report to police that she had been beaten by her father and grandfather days before she was killed. "She tried to take refuge at the police station three times, and she was sent home three times," her mother, Immihan, said after the body was discovered in December.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that it's not victims of honor killings that need killing, but the sharia law advocates of honor killing that need exterminating? Stuck in 7th century thinking, these Islamic barbarians view women as chattell. No more rights than the goats tended outside. Negotiate with the Taliban? Eff that. Kill them. That's right, kill the guys who kill girls for going to school. And it's not just in some 3rd world backwater either.

This shining example of benevolent Islam, ran his own daughter down a couple miles from my childhood home. Right here in Arizona. Apparently she was too "westernized." His attorney says we need to be sure that we don't execute him because of his "religious" values. Bullshit, that's another good reason TO seek the death penalty. PREMEDITATION!! About 15 centuries worth of premeditation. I say the sooner this bastard is dead, the better. Obama just signed new hate crimes legislation. Primarily to fight "incitement" of violence. Sharia law and any who advocate it should be prosecuted under "incitement" to violence. These Islamic pricks need to be held to account. Maybe some of the sexist, hate spewing Immans would feel right at home in general population in the big house. Or perhaps Barack HUSSEIN Obama could just go back to Cairo and do another chorus of Kumbaya with the enlightened ones.

C.A.I.R. The jihad on our shores.

The sharia seeking, jihadists at CAIR are going after Rifqa. A 17 year old American/Sri Lankan who has converted to Christianity and her parents are all pissed about it. They want her sent back to Sri Lanka to be treated appropriately.

her father Mohamed Bary, a Columbus jeweler, "said he would kill me or send me back to Sri Lanka," where she said "they have asylums where they put people like me." She said her death would be a Muslim "honor killing," the kind of murder that women in deeply conservative Muslim societies are sometimes victims of when they're deemed to have shamed their families.

So, who jumps in with all kinds of legal support and help for Rifqa's parents in their sharia warped vision of justice?........C.A.I.R. From the arcticle:

Since Rifqa has been back in Ohio, the heat has gradually been turned up against her. To be blunt however, after this latest hearing on December 22nd, it seems that all 'hell' has literally broken loose against Rifqa. As you may know, C.A.I.R. (Council on American Islamic Relations) is actively supporting Rifqa's parents in this case. C.A.I.R. is a national organization which has a very precarious background whose roots are tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Without getting into the specifics regarding the Muslim Brotherhood and C.A.I.R.'s ties to them, you should be aware that the Muslim Brotherhood is responsible for every major terror organization that currently exists. C.A.I.R. has went to great lengths to put together a strategy to attack Rifqa Bary and her testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. It seems surreal to think that such a powerful organization has decided to attack a 17 year old convert to Christianity with such hostility, but that is indeed what they have done.

The CAIR jihadists need to be taken down. WAKE UP!!! They are here!

The people they represent think treating women like this is just sooper dooper great in a Mohammed kinda way.

ain't that head wrap pretty!

now she's a "good" woman

I say the acid would be better used being poured on the balls of C.A.I.R. jihadists.

The photos of the acid burned women originate from a NY Times column by Nicholas Kristof. It's great that he shines light upon this evil but being the modern evolved progressive he is, NOT ONCE in the arcticle does he mention the real root cause. Justification under SHARIA precepts. Here's as close as he comes to assigning a root cause. He writes:

Acid attacks and wife burnings are common in parts of Asia because the victims are the most voiceless in these societies: they are poor and female. The first step is simply for the world to take note, to give voice to these women.

Hey Nich, ol' Buddy, There is a reason they are voiceless. ISLAMIC SHARIA LEGAL PRECEPTS! Centuries of Immans preaching that in Islam, women are lower than men. Get it? 7th century perceptions of right and wrong. Islamic Barbarism isn't constrained by time, or modern progress. Nice try though, writing that worthwhile expose without offending any Immans.

And while I'm all fired up, why in the hell are the prissy gals at N.O.W. wasting time squawking about a Tim Tebow ad, when they could be talking about this stuff? Or maybe genital mutilation of young girls, or no education for girls. Oh wait, I forgot, it was that evil devil incarnate himself George Bush who sent those evil stormtroopers over there to fight the nice moslems. He was a warmonger. The Devil.

Where were they when Laura Bush was in Afghanistan reinforcing western ideas in support of Afghan women? Selective feminism. I mean, that podunk Sarah Palin, probably doesn't even own a burka.

Folks, when pure evil, and the deceptions that hide it, are exposed, we have no excuse for ignoring it. In fact we have an OBLIGATION to shine our brightlest spotlight on it. To call BULLSHIT at the tops of our lungs! And to make accurate range notes on the enemy's position.

Women are God's flowers. These sharia following honor killers and acid throwers are steaming piles of Satan's shit.

pics by others

Super Bowl Sunday / I Love DVR and Lesbians / I Hate Talking Heads/ Shut Up and Shoot

2010-02-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

There's a little spot I know. I can be there in about 10 minutes. As a matter of fact I'm heading there about 2 minutes after I hit "publish" on this post. Unlike the last time I was at this particular spot.

click pics to enlarge

Neither ex-teenage food processor/gunner will be there. Neither will my triggerman nephew who is currently up to his eyeballs in alligators at United States Army basic training. Instead, this will be a solitary affair. Just me and one good friend. An "old" friend. Vintage 1952 friend.

#41 can expect quite a workout.

CZ 52. Flamethrowin' cold war hand cannon. That long tapered snout is sexy, in a Czech, Martina Navratilova kinda way. I wonder if she ever ran across P. KOVARIK? The holster is well worn and obviously has seen alot of hand cannon portage. I wonder about P. KOVARIK alot. I hold a piece of that person's life. Any person issued their own personal CZ 52 behind the iron curtain in the old Cold days, was truly in the eye of the storm. If P. KOVARIK was here today I would enjoy shooting with him/her. Mysterious is sexy don't you think? Unlike those plastic barbie "oh my god, oh my god, i'm.....like....a cheerleader" NFL cheerleaders. Give me an ex- commie, death dealin', flamebelchin' lesbian anyday.

Head Wrapping and Head Banging

2010-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Brigid is touring around Ireland. She posted Midnight Nears, from there. Poetry is part of me but this stuff of hers is on a higher level. I think I have my head wrapped around it, and then I come back and read it again, and my head wrapping changes. Seriously deep stuff. If you haven't checked her blog out you should. But, It's Friday, and my head hurts from all that wrappin'. So in tribute to Irish adventure, it's time for some head banging. Flogging Molly, my favorite head-bangin' Irish stuff. I'm going to pretend this Miller Lite is a Guinness. Enjoy.

Food Chain. Too Many Free Tomatoes

2010-02-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

Dot to Dot Style

+ chopped onion and Italian herbs and spice

zest and juice only

careful, not too much

drizzled with olive oil and spices

no mess underwater

al dente

don't overcook

parmesan and asiago

Oh Yeah! I dare you to click the pic.

fresh tomato shrimp over tri color rotini

day old french bread

fresh pomegranate

Confusion

2010-02-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

Incongruity. Now there's a word for you. Perfect word for alot going on this week. Revision of don't ask, don't tell, Tim Tebow's super bowl ad being attacked by NOW, Billy Ray Cyrus' little 9 year old daughter unveiling a line of slut in training clothing, let's attack Sarah Palin again, blah blah blah. It's depressing. Is there no consistent moral centerline? Oh, wait, there is, except if I bring it up, I might offend both of those pagans at the Air Force Academy. Damnit, there has to be something we can all agree on. Well, besides the fact that Al Gore and his phony, the sky is falling and melting the glaciers NWO buds are now thoroughly repudiated. But honestly, in our hearts we all knew that anyway. What else? Oh yeah, as a country, we're plumb broke. But if somebody could just give a great speech we could fix that one. Money for nothin' and chicks for free. What a concept. I swear I should have went into politics.

Men and Women are Different

2010-02-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, when I actually had follicular activity on the top of my head, I would get my hair cut at my friend Beth's salon. Despite the fact that it was mostly an estrogen based establishment, I enjoyed it immensely. If you didn't burp, belch, or fart, and smiled alot, it could be quite educational. Especially reading the Cosmopolitan magazines while I waited for my turn under the knife. Did you know that in about 1986, Cosmo had the gall to "lengthen" their estimate of an "average" male penis? I. Was. Crushed. I felt cheated, shorted out of my proud averageness. The first circumcision was bad enough, I didn't need a second virtual one. Sit and spin Helen Gurley Brown. Anyway, I read alot of Cosmo over the years. But, every once in awhile they got something right.

Poet's Corner

2010-02-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

sharecropper's lament

I hate this machete, it's heft is my curse.

Flailing at jungle, path out a cruel joke.

Born in the open, No need for a trail.

But this dark sauna, will swallow me yet.

Bills lie unopened, demands with no map.

Give unto Ceasar, he ain't got my back.

But I'll swing this steel, razor's edge long gone.

It's all that I know, pay my way somehow.

stephen