Tuesday, August 23, 2011

313 NOW THEY ARE GONE

It's kind of a sad time of year for me. I have come to admire and enjoy my Purple Martins each year. I knew the time was short that they would soon be leaving my place for South America. The last 3 weeks I have noticed that they spend very little time in their Martin Houses that I provide for them. They spend a lot of time coming and going from the houses the first couple months while they are building next laying eggs and hatching and raising the young ones. Then when the young ones can fly they spend little time in the nest and its every male or female for themselves catching bugs and building up bodies for the long flight south...And believe it or not they have spent a lot of time diving close to me as I am outside or swimming in the pond. Letting out a little scream as they pass by. It is as if they want to each say good by before the planned departure day. Three or Four days ago I noticed them all on the antenna from mid afternoon on. I knew the time was very near as I have seen this happen many times before. They had a good year here raising many new offspring. I guess when they came in the spring I had maybe a dozen pair which would be about 24 birds. I think on the antenna here there is maybe 50 or 60 counting a few in the air coming and going. They talk a lot on the tower, probably going over the flight plan and check points along the way...who knows, my God has quite an imagination and I figure he gave them that skill.
I don't know the exact time they left but the next day they were gone. I may have seen a pair or two a day later not sure they could have been the regular barn swallows who also hang here all summer long. Since the day they arrived I have seen maybe one or two mosquitoes. Now in about a week until it frost they will be some biting me and I will long for them to return again about next Easter. Now I will take down the houses and clean them well and put them in the barn to keep other birds from contaminating them this fall and winter. My Martins love it here and the feeling is mutual...

Note...click on the title above for a read on how long they live...

also to watch a "classic" go to the right side upper and click on Jimmie Obama


Monday, August 22, 2011

312 Taking the Nation Back in 14 months


They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.

We have worked hard, raised our children, worshipped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.



In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.



We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.



It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress.

You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.



Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."

~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

311 Fried Garden and a slight cancer

I suppose some men left alone in the Kitchen could be bad news, maybe most men, but when one is left alone in the house because of cards that life has dealt one you adapt. I think I have for the most part, my cooking has improved as time when on. Thought process has done it for me. You learn to think ahead about what the objective is, how is this mess going to turn out, and will anyone really eat it? Now when it is you that mainly is the "anyone", you do start to "dig in" and try and get into this cooking thing. And I am starting to enjoy the process believe it or not. Looking back I wish I could have worked on these skills years ago...Necessity being the mother of invention answers that question I guess...
But today, I just felt like fried Okra and Red potatoes. Sometimes I do that kind of thing. Okra may be my favorite vegetable. I acquired a keen taste for it while living in Texas for a spell long ago. Before that did not know it even existed. But having purchased some from a roadside garden learned to appreciate the way the stuff is grown. All starts out with a very small seed, half the size of a peanut I'd guess. Planted a quarter inch deep maybe and allowed to find its way in the world. But before the summer is over this little seed turns into a plant maybe 5 to 6 feet tall and 2 inches in diameter...Blooms a lot of yellow flowers that turn within a few days into Okra pods. I enjoy them two ways on the grill with meat and other veggies kind of steaming while the meat cooks. You simply pick them up by the stem and eat the whole thing one nice bite...very good....But I think my favorite is to fry them in Olive oil in a small skillet either along or adding other vegetable.
Today I kind of went nuts I guess and am calling my dish, "Fried Garden".....And it was as good as it looks, it was delicious for sure served with about 4 wheat crackers from Pay Less/Kroger store.

Today I started with my Okra slicing it cross section about a quarter inch think..then I diced a red potatoe and slowly fried it in a very small amount of olive oil....The really really extra extra virgin kind of course...But after it got going so did my mind to other things outside my door in that raised garden...So out I went and picked a very small tiny head of red cabbage, a tomato, a green pepper and I topped it off with a fresh shucked ear of sweet corn. Sliced the uncooked corn into the skilled with the other veggies...I knew fried corn is great to why not...Well its all history now its all in the old "tum tum" and feelin good. And I think you will have to agree it was pretty healthy...But don't worry, I am not headed to being a "vegetarian"...no way, I still like my pork chops and my steak and of course fish....

Right side picture here is a bump on my arm that quickly appeared the last 4 to 5 weeks. It was kind of a callous like thing that I a couple times picked off but it quickly would grow back and became sore. So Monday I called Dr. Martin my skin guy and then scheduled me in Tuesday and he took one look and said, that my friend I am sure is a very fast growing cancer. I will remove it and send it in for sure but the good news is it will probably not shorten your life....That is good news of course, but we will know for sure if I need any further treatment in a couple weeks.
It is amazing though how fast this thing popped up and did not want to heal or go away....glad it is off and on its way to the lab...I had a regular appointment with this Doctor just 5 to 6 weeks ago...and it was not there...and yesterday when he looked at it he said I may be getting older but rest assured I did not miss this thing 6 weeks ago...glad you came in....

Sunday, August 7, 2011

310 A Good Rain Today.....

I got 6 pots of "Rain Lillies" and today I noticed everyone of them were blooming. In the past few days, ocassionally, one or two of them would bloom, but not all..And those days it did rain other places, maybe 20 to 40 miles from here...so they were right, the conditions were right for rain, just not on this farm...But today all 6 had blooms, I doubted their wisdom and I was wrong......
Thank You LORD!!!!!! Today Sunday afternoon we received 1.25 inches of rain. I love doing the math on this but that equates to 37,500 gallons of water for every acre of farmland, lawns, gardens, forest or even dusty old gravel roads in Indiana....And that equates to 5 quarts of water for each corn plant in my fields...that my friends is a "liberal" drink...I don't much like that word but in the case of water for crops about to perish...I do like the word....

For the corn it is too late to bring back or retrieve the yeild losses we have suffered. But at least it stops the deterioration for the time being..maybe a week and maybe just maybe the rain patterns will change and we will start getting an inch or so a week...In that case what we have now may be what we will have at harvest time..I surely hope so....I have paid into federal crop insurance for corn for the last 25 years maybe without a claim...this year I hope I still will not need it but I think I am just about to the point of the crop insurance kicking in "if the yields get any lower"....I hope they don't our government can ill afford paying a bunch of crop insurance out to farmers at this time...I would rather get my dollars from the market place not borrowing it from the Chinese..

But for the soybeans this rain will start to recoup some of the yields we appeared to be loosing..August is the month that soybeans are produced and if the rains become more common place we should make a comeback on soy and maybe attain as much as a 75% or normal yield possible...I hope so, especially since I do not carry crop insurance on the soy beans....never have had less than half a crop so decided long ago to "take my chances" on soy...

Well that is the joyful rain report here from Lake Wobegon, Indiana where as you know the "women are strong, the men good looking and all the children are above average"....Amen...

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

309 Good and Bad and Better......

They always face the east, every day all day long. My sunflowers don't follow the sun east to west like I thought they would. They just stand there facing east, which is fine with me. I planted them a couple months ago for bird seed this next winter...they will stand tall above the snow drifts and Quail, Cardinals and maybe Bluejays will be well fed if I should happen to be gone for a time now and then. I complained to the my Wildlife Biologist Dean Zimmerman about not being able to attract Pheasants to my 5 acre parcel of Native Grasses I have had for 14 years now. He said, "well if you want them I can tell you this you have to feed them". In other words have food available for them to eat all winter. Then and probably only then will they look your place over and maybe decide to "hang out".....so here is my effort I have about a quarter acre of these pretty sunflowers and even if I don't get the big birds it will be fun to watch the songbirds maybe enjoy these seeds. Thus the "good" of this story today.
For the bad we need to go no further than my corn fields. We have been very dry and very hot all through the month of July with exception of one half inch of rainfall about 10 days back. My corn crop is surely hurt pretty bad. It is stressful to say the least. Farmers have a natural tendancy to kind of take on a little stress when the crops are doing likewise....Until a month ago I truly thought I was headed to my very highest yield ever so far. In one short hot dry month I think I am looking at maybe no more than half a crop. And compared to say TEXAS well half a crop may well be better than no crop at all...notice the cracks in the soil, some places it does not crack open quite this much but the ground is dry and cracked everywhere to some extent...We really need a good rain of 2 inches or more to even start to help this crop. We got 2 tenths of an inch last night but I noticed that none of it reached the soil and was stopped by the corn foliage which maybe bought me another day or two who know. Rain now is going to be too late to increase yields back...but maybe a good one will at least stop the deterioration....
Now for the better of the all of this lets go to the beach...my little paradise right here at home. It has gotten lots of use this season. I have been able to control the algae this year maybe for several reasons, I am not sure. I have a circulation pump running 24/7 and along with my AC in the house has resulted in my first over 200 electric bill since I have lived here. Also we dipped a lot of silt out of the pond last fall and I think that also had an effect on my water quality this year...For whatever reason my fish seem to be very happy living in this water..And I too am very happy to share with family, catch and eat fish, evening swims and in general enjoying the better the best....

Please if you have not clicked on the title above and watched the next Ronald Reagan do yourself a favor and do so....Jack

Monday, August 1, 2011

308 Saving the Country

Today it looks as though at least temporarily we will come to an agreement to "kick the can down the road" by raising the debt limit and agreeing to cut some spending. And agree to further study more ways of also decreasing our spending.

There are a few good hard working politicians in Washington. Contrary to what a lot of people say they are not all crooks and should be kicked out of office. For instance watch this video and since I don't know how to highlight it click on the title above about Saving the Country and it will take you there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-fsG4jLBmrs

I watched this young Senator get elected last year in Florida...He is Marco Rubio a young man of pretty high intellect I would say. Someday he could be possible President of this country I believe. But listen to what he has to say and I at least gain a sense that he does in deed want to Save our Country. And that he like me is tired of our Media trying to label people. There are other good politicians in DC and there a whole lot of them that possible should be voted out of office...I think the key thing for all of us as citizens is to learn how to recognize the "truth"...And learn how to recognize when we are having our pud pulled so to speak...being lied to is a better term.. Common Sense is a virtue that we all have a dose of...And utilizing it is really not to hard to do...But be truthful to yourself when you listen to political retoric...Does what you are hearing really ring true to you or do you know it has a hidden adgenda in it and you are willing to overlook it because maybe the party of your past choice is grinding that axe????
I surely hope that during this next upcoming election people will listen to the candidates as to what they are for and against. And think about it as to how it relates to the good of our nation. We must get our house in financial order or we will truly sail right off the edge as a nation...I hope a lot more people will start viewing the nations business as their own business...because it is....