cutting firewood

We're getting at it a little late this year, but the weather is cooperating!

Some friends came by for some wood

My wife started singing The Lumberjack Song and now I can't get it out of my mind every time I go up there in the woods. (not that there's anything wrong with that)

There was a pretty big hornet's nest!

The Bald Faced Hornet

Family:	Vespidae
Genus:	Dolichovespula
Species:	D. maculata

wild turkey (s)

I just took this photo from my porch. I haven't seen wild turkeys around here since the nearby winery started feeding them. They pretty much domesticated them. The closest sighting in that field was a bottle in the back of someone's truck.  I hope they stick around until November. :-)

Dr. Barbara Bellar sums up District Obamacare in one long sentence.

Dr. Barbara Bellar, former nun, Army Major and lawyer; Candidate for Illinois State Senate, District 18 sums up Obama-care in one long sentence.

I had to post this. Not being a fan of any particular political person or party for that matter, I found this find of funny.

Buddhist statue made from meteorite

The headline is:

  Buddhist statue found by Nazis in 1938 made from meteorite.

I don't know if I can make out the swastika in that photo that attracted the Nazis, here's a closer one:

This for sure is really cool and right out of a movie script, however.....  I am having a hard time making out the knife he is supposed to be holding.  Buddha has never been portrayed with a weapon such as a knife or sword.    Could it be he's holding something else?  I for one think so.  After all, he does look happy. In an inscrutable way of course.
The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix.

Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.

The church (all of them in this case)

Germany's Roman Catholics are to be denied the right to Holy Communion or religious burial if they stop paying a special church tax.

I find this kind of funny. A case where you don't get what you pay for coming or going!

I'm sure the other "faiths" will jump on the bandwagon and do as the RCC is doing.

When will they ever learn? Libya?

Well, once again a bunch of religious fanatics get all worked up, riot, and end up killing someone that, if they had thought about it, was probably one of the few Americans they admired. When will they learn? I'm not talking about the idiots rioting, I'm talking about our government and our policies overseas. We need to just get out of the middle east at any cost. It could not possibly cost as much as what our succession of wars is costing us, or near as much as the price of the panic continuing to this day from the 911 atrocity. The fact of the matter is, that people, especially poor, oppressed, heavily religious and fanatical, resent any kind of outside interference in their affairs. Think about it. How would we feel if someone landed armed troops on our soil (for our own good), and did their best to switch our form or government to theirs?
All the countries that we "donated" food and munitions to, welcomed us initially, as it is human nature to take what is offered when it appears to be free, whether or not they feel a need for it. Instead of "teaching them to fish". our offerings are perceived as  "charity" and are then resented. It is all too easy for an oppressed hungry person to resent the man (or country) who seemingly has it all. Sort of like the pusher & the addict. The welfare recipient and the government supplier. Dependence builds resentment.  What they forget, is that nothing is ever really free. There is always a catch.
If we had worked on becoming energy independent instead of meddling in foreign politics and using gifts of money, food and munitions to seduce the third world countries in order to have access to their seemingly cheap supply of oil, we would not be fighting the religious war that we have now found ourselves in. The cost is mind boggling and staggering. Our country is becoming bankrupt. This is not a war we can win if we continue to fight it. Remember the Alamo? Hell, remember Viet Nam.
Lets take care of our own country for a change, & let the rest of the worlds countries  manage their own affairs. If we had given as a low interest loan the trillions our overseas policies have and will continue to cost us, our economy might be in a better position.
Rant over.
Sorry about that.
I should be posting about the fine work the US Fish & Wildlife folks have been doing here. The dam has been saved!

Coming soon.

agri-tourism?

Yes indeed it is a beautiful morning! But still damp enough that my mower keeps clogging up from the knee high grass around the house that greeted me when I came home. Minor I know, compared to some peoples problems. This morning my wife informed me that I should vote. My tendency is to vote out the incumbents before they make too many friends on the side.  One candidate for county commissioner says her focus will be on "agri-tourism" as it is "an important job creating industry". Somehow I have a feeling that it will only benefit the local wineries. I don't see limo loads of wealthy people dropping in to the Lazy Farmer's place for a lecture on when hay should be cut. Something I personally found most interesting. What bothers me about the wine industry here, is that they have stripped the forested hills of all vegetation and then planted only grape vines,which they then fence in to keep any animals out. What they use, is land that traditionally has not been farmable, and in the past was mostly only good for the local native flora and fauna. Enough said.